~\\_               
          \\\\_             
          `\\\\\            -----------------------------------------
           |\\\\\           Starfleet Command, Eighth Fleet (OOC)    
            \\\\\|__.-~~\   
         _--~         ~~/   Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone"  
       /~         _-~~~'    Embarked on U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-97901   
      ('-//////-//          Rear Admiral Tebrun Lora Kor, Commanding 
       ////// }}-)          -----------------------------------------
     /////~                 Simulation Report                        
  _///~                     Stardate 240208.26                       
 `                          
 _______________________________________________________________________ 
/ Simulation Teaser                                                     |
/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 =/.= Whitestone Enterprises, LoKarr District, Trill Homeworld =/.=

 Kishrak knew something was wrong nearly immediately.  It wasn't like
 Ka'tek vestai'Kharas to swear.  It was even more unlike him to break
 things.  So, when the large Klingon entered Whitestone's offices on
 the Trill homeworld swearing AND breaking things, it was a pretty
 good indication that something was very badly wrong.

 "Problem?" Kishrak asked, voice mild despite his Ferengi upbringing.
 It was unwise to be sarcastic towards an angry Klingon, particularly
 an angry Klingon that topped two meters and was looking for things
 to destroy.  Kishrak winced as the Klingon shattered a display
 screen with a blow from a huge fist, then turned on a lamp.  The
 lamp survived.  Barely.  Ka'tek seemed to take this as a further
 insult and looked for something else to destroy.  Or swear at.  Or
 both.

 Whitestone Enterprises, founded on Trill by Jestrel Lora in the
 2350s, had been a prime supplier of high energy systems and
 components to Starfleet for virtually all of the intervening time. 
 By the late 2370s, the company had shifted over to high-speed
 computers and engine systems, eventually developing the first
 production soliton wave drive, and then the Spectre class fighter
 based around it.

 Yet, for what was a relatively large company with hundreds of
 employees, the main offices of Whitestone Enterprises were
 surprisingly modest... almost Spartan.  Non-development functions
 were handled by companies specializing in such and as a result,
 Whitestone had little in the way of support staff on-site.  The
 design offices were on Trill, as was marketing and executive
 management.  Decision-making in the company had traditionally been
 handled by one, or at most two people, from Jestrel and later Tebrun
 Lora, to Tebrun and Kishrak, to Kishrak and Ka'tek.  While the Lora
 family still technically owned the company, Kishrak was the General
 Manager, assisted by Ka'tek vestai'Kharas.

 Kishrak was Ferengi, with virtually all that implied.  Yet, a strong
 business acumen had, over the years, been tempered by a basic
 practicality and an understanding of humanoid nature.  If asked,
 Kishrak would joke that Tebrun had been a bad influence on him. 
 Ka'tek, long a "family friend" of the Kor symbiont, was often heard
 to say the same.  Ka'tek had been recruited into the company by Lora
 Kor following the disgrace of much of his family from the Klingon
 Empire in the early F-K-R War.

 The two men couldn't have been more different.  Ka'tek was gruff but
 honorable, a grand master at strategy and tactics, a long-term
 thinker.  Kishrak was mild and humorous, known to play practical
 jokes, but a fierce financial competitor and not one overly burdened
 with scruples.  However, following Tebrun Lora Kor's disappearance
 soon after, Kishrak and Ka'tek made a surprisingly effective pair. 
 Ka'tek made the design decisions, Kishrak the business and
 production decisions.  The two had been instrumental in the success
 of Whitestone's Wraith project, followed by marketing and sale of
 the White Lightning computer core.

 As Ka'tek raged around the small office area, Kishrak nodded,
 understanding.  The Banshee.

 The Banshee was Whitestone's latest project, a successor to the
 Spectre and Wraith designs.  However, it had been a questionable
 investment from the start.  The Spectre had been sold at the height
 of the Dominion War, the Wraith at the height of the Darkness and
 the F-K-R War that followed.  However, this was a time of peace, and
 Whitestone's ships were known for their combat capabilities.  The
 Banshee had faced a tough fight in Starfleet's councils.

 Ka'tek finally calmed down a bit, and nearly threw a PADD at the
 Ferengi.  "It's been rejected," he growled, then stormed into the
 next room, his swearing shifting to his native tongue, the path of
 destruction unabated.

 The Banshee was Ka'tek's baby, a design that melded the best of the
 White Lightning computer core's capabilities with design information
 from a Romulan ship captured in the F-K-R War with lessons learned
 from the Spectre and Wraith projects.  A bit of Klingon philosophy
 had even been tossed in, "for flavor," as one of the design team
 joked.  Ka'tek and his team had been at work on the Banshee design
 with some of Whitestone's top people for nearly a year.  24
 prototypes had been built to date, the standard production run for a
 tentative Starfleet small craft purchase.

 Kishrak almost sighed.  The Klingon was unlikely to take this well. 
 The Ferengi businessman turned on the PADD and read through it.

 Some things were obvious even glancing at the PADD.  "PRODUCTION
 DENIED" was pretty clear; "Resource allocation will be withdrawn
 immediately" and "All prototypes to be destroyed" also jumped out at
 him without a detailed read.  This was worse than he thought. 
 Kishrak frowned, then read the rest.

 It WAS worse than they had expected.  The Banshee was "not
 compatible with Starfleet's needs at this time," primarily due to
 the "aggressive, adversarial design" and the "current diplomatic
 situation."  Some of the language implied that the Romulan
 government was making noise about the fact that Rihannsu technology
 had been showing up in more and more Starfleet designs of late. 
 Really, it was more clear than Kishrak had come to expect from
 Federation bureaucracy.  That was always bad news: someone had an
 axe to grind by killing the project, or perhaps there was going to
 be another accommodation with the Romulan government.  Either way,
 it was pretty bad.

 Alistair Smythe entered the main offices at that moment, blinking
 around the room, then picking up the lamp that Ka'tek had tossed to
 the floor in his rage.  He looked up at Kishrak, still blinking. 
 Tall and a little portly, Smythe was a Betazoid, and had been the
 chief designer of the White Lightning computer core.  Ka'tek had of
 course recruited him for the Banshee team.  Smythe guessed almost
 immediately what had happened.  "The Banshee?" he asked.

 Kishrak nodded and handed him the PADD.  When Smythe looked up, his
 face was a little pale.  "He's not going to take this well," Smythe
 said.  Kishrak didn't  need to ask who the man meant, but simply
 nodded.  "Prototypes to be destroyed," Smythe said, sighing and
 turning off the PADD.  "I can take care of that."

 The Ferengi nodded again and headed for his desk, his mind already
 working about how to announce this to the rest of the company.  The
 Banshee had been a gamble, a big one -- they all knew that.  Yet,
 they had hoped that the little ship would be just what Whitestone
 needed to go three-for-three on recent projects.

 Well, two-for-three was still damned good, and there were a couple
 of things in the pipeline that would definitely sell.  The company
 wouldn't be impacted all that much, and the Great Exchequer knew
 they could use some of the Banshee team on the other work.  The
 Banshee's rejection would be bad news for the company, of course,
 but not overly bad.  Clearing his incoming mail, he noted Smythe
 heading for the door through which Ka'tek had vanished and cleared
 his throat, starting to tell the man to pick another route to the
 design center.

 Inspiration follows its own path, and those paths are not always
 rational.  In the instant Kishrak saw Smythe preparing to walk
 through the portal that led to grave danger, the Ferengi had a
 thought.  It was not a particularly ethical thought, but Kishrak
 specialized in practicality.  Ethics was a secondary consideration.

 "Wait," he said to Smythe, thinking quickly.  "Prototypes to be
 destroyed.  Did Starfleet say when?  Or how?" he asked, indicating
 the PADD in the Betazoid's hand.

 Smythe turned around and blinked again, turned the PADD back on,
 read through it, then shook his head.  "But I'm sure they meant now,
 and I'm sure they assumed we'd dismantle them for the parts," he
 said.

 Kishrak smiled, and Smythe shuddered.  The Betazoid had learned to
 fear that smile.  "Oh no," Smythe said, starting to put his hands up
 before he realized he was still holding the PADD.  He set it down,
 lest he drop it.  "What are you thinking?"

 The Ferengi chuckled.  "Remember the communiqué the other day, from
 an Admiral Wallace?" he asked.  "He received some interesting
 information the other day from the Camelynians, about Tebrun?"

 The Betazoid nodded.  The Camelynians had a quarter-second's worth
 of sensor data that implied pretty strongly that Whitestone's owner
 might still be alive, though unimaginably far away.  The effect on
 company personnel had been electric; they'd had a funeral for Tebrun
 Lora Kor the year before.

 "I'd like you to contact him for me," Kishrak said.

 "But why?" Smythe asked, not following Kishrak's thought.

 "Because we're not going to dismantle the Banshees," the Ferengi
 said, still obviously thinking quickly.

 "But Starfleet said--" Smythe started to say, but Kishrak
 interrupted him.

 "Oh, we'll destroy them, don't worry," Kishrak said.  "That's what
 Starfleet's instructions said.  Prototypes to be destroyed.  And
 anything sent through a broken Traxati hypergate is destroyed...
 right?  Even if it's 24 Banshee prototypes."

 Kishrak smiled that smile of his again.  It was a loss for
 Whitestone, certainly, but destroying the Banshees in that manner
 would do wonders for company morale.

\_______________________________________________________________________ 
\ End Simulation Teaser                                                 |
 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone" Staff:
    Commanding, TG 85.3:       RADM Tebrun Lora Kor      (Jester)
    S-1, Group Adjutant:       LCdr. Sieven Drexler      (Brad)
    S-2, Group Intelligence:   LCdr. Kariasa Ma'Aru      (Kari)
    S-3, Group Logistics:      Cmdr. Savant              (Savant)

 U.S.S. Coronado Crew Roster:
    Commanding Officer:        Capt. William Daren       (Daren)
    Executive Officer:         Cmdr. Darek Smith         (Aggie)
    Marine Commandant:         Col. Jeremy Ironside      (Fraser)
    Raptors Squadron Leader:   Lt. Colonel Thomas Wayne  (Masters)
    Chief Tactical Officer:    Lt. Kyle Marcy            (Marcy)
    Assistant Tactical:        Ens. Tamarith             (Tamarith)
    Flight Operations:         Lt. Caring-Thoughts       (Alffred)
    Science Officer:           Lt. Kathleen Hammond      (Kath)
    Science Officer:           LCdr. Isamu Dyson         (Isamu)
    Company Commander:         MCpt. Jacob Prescot       (Shadow-FjP)
    Flight Leader:             1Lt. Andrew Stylus        (JadeFalcon)
    Flight Leader:             2Lt. Mikhail Petkovic     (Archyyt)
    Chief Engineer:            Cmdr. Zunite Oswald       (Sonya)
    Assistant Engineer:        LCdr. Jack C. Farley      (CCC)
    Assistant Engineer:        Lt. Aramis Skylooker      (LewisSharp)
    Chief Medical Officer:     Lt. (JG) Jason Vogel      (Thompson)
    Assistant Medical:         Lt. Lauren Dyson          (Natty)
    Civilian Liaison:          S'buuth                   (rev)

 On Extended Leave of Absence:
    None!

 Positions Available:
    None!

------
Jester

Rear Admiral Tebrun Lora Kor
Commanding, Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone"
embarked on U.S.S. Coronado, NCC-97901
http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400/