~\\_               
          \\\\_             
          `\\\\\            -----------------------------------------
           |\\\\\           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 Teaser                        
  _///~                     Stardate 240306.28                       
 `                          
 _______________________________________________________________________ 
/ Simulation Teaser                                                     |
/ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 =/.= June 27, 2404 =/.=

 Most of the lights in the command center below the Reorsan Ministry of
 Defense were out, and Brian Aldur had the room to himself.  It was
 late.

 Or perhaps it was early, the Admiral had lost track of time.  The room
 was being lit exclusively by holographic projectors.

 Below him and before him was the entire known galaxy, stretching from
 the still-unnamed nebula in the far "northwest" to the Torias system
 in the far northeast, from the Xuni holdings in the southwest to the
 edges of Boratis space in the southeast.

 Two locations particularly drew his eye.  The nebula, of course, where
 much of the heavy striking power remaining to the Alliance was
 gathering.   The other location was the systems south of Ryla space in
 Grid 008.

 The territory controlled by the Xur, in particular, the system
 believed to be their home system.  The system showing ample evidence
 of the tar na zee subversion.

 Coronado and two other ships had reported that the Xur were
 reinforcing their position in the nebula, using several systems just
 outside the nebula as way-points for these supply runs.  The systems
 were either in the process of being mined, or had already been mined. 
 One such mined system had already claimed one Xur carrier.  However,
 it was a temporary success at best: the nebula was flush with hot blue
 stars.  The briefest flickers of the stellar family, they were also
 large and bright and massive, perfect gravity wells for the rift
 drives.  With so many of these blue stars available just outside the
 nebula stellar nursery, there was no way the Defenders could mine them
 all.

 So, Brian Aldur was staring at a map of the galaxy and pondering ways
 to cut off the flow at the source.

 ----------------

 =/.= June 27, 2404 =/.=

 Tebrun eventually fell asleep in the cockpit of his Wraith.  It should
 have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't.  Compared to the worsening
 headaches, the minor aches of a misused back were of little interest.

 ----------------

 =/.= June 27, 2405 =/.=

 "Tebrun never told anyone," Lessa said as she worked on the console in
 front of her, "but he thought he had figured out what the Watchers
 were about.  He was going to write a paper about it."

 "Oh?" Savant asked.  "Do tell."

 Lessa spun her chair around to look around the cockpit of the Wraith
 Liberator she was fitting out and closed her eyes.  The gesture helped
 her focus.  "He was negotiating with the Traxati.  Something about
 getting a Pfhor ship lifted off their... their world, I suppose." 
 Savant nodded, though Lessa couldn't see it.  "And he was thinking
 about the Traxati red smoke, and it connected to something that he was
 talking to *you* about..." Lessa trailed off.

 "With me?" Savant asked.  "What was it?"

 Lessa thought for at least a minute, then shook her head.  "I can't
 remember.  Tebrun was always making these odd little mental
 connections: starship combat to submarine warfare!  All sorts of odd
 things.  Anyway. He was thinking about the Traxati, and about you,
 when it occurred to him that the Watchers are not only representatives
 of the older species in M64, but might very well be the living
 embodiment of M64.  Sort of like you used to be the living embodiment
 of Coronado."

 "So the Watchers can see and hear and influence anything happening in
 M64?" Savant asked.

 Lessa nodded.  "That was Tebrun's theory, anyway.  He never got a
 chance to write it down.  I should do it for him sometime."

 "He would appreciate that, I think."

\_______________________________________________________________________ 
\ End Simulation Teaser                                                 |
 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 

 *Former* Defenders Task Group 85.3, "Whitestone" Staff:
    Civilian, Retired Admiral: Tebrun Lora Kor           (Jester)
    S-1, Group Adjutant:       Capt. Sieven Drexler      (Brad)
    Commander, RSS Blackrazor: Capt. Jarod Bentall       (Alffred)
    ????????:                  Capt. Savant              (Savant)
    ????????:                  Brig. Jeremy Ironside     (Fraser)

 U.S.S. Coronado Crew Roster:
    Commanding Officer:        Como. William Daren       (Chris)
    Executive Officer:         Cmdr. Velorna Tal         (Aggie)
    Chief Flight Operations:   LCdr. Maiko D'Rall        (Farrell)
    Command Yeoman:            CPO Zachery Prentiss      (Cloaked)
    Civilian Liaison:          Zunite Oswald             (Sonya)
    Battalion Commander:       LCol. Jacob Prescot       (Prescot)
    Flight Leader:             1Lt. Edward Somansky      (Somansky)
    Flight Leader:             2Lt. Wolf                 (Wolf)
    Chief Tactical Officer:    Lt. Derek Canterbury      (Spuzzum)
    Chief Engineer:            Cmdr. Jack C. Farley      (CCC)
    Assistant Engineer:        LCdr. Aramis Skylooker    (LewisSharp)
    Assistant Engineer:        Lt. (JG) Brandon Gannsen  (Lefty)
    Chief Science Officer:     Lt. Anna Brooks           (Kari)
    Chief Medical Officer:     LCdr. Rachel Kennedy      (Santiago)
    Assistant Medical:         Ens. Nicholas Van Dyken   (Tripp)

 On Extended Leave of Absence:
    None!

 Positions Available:
    Watch Tactical Officer:                              (---)
    Flight Leader:                                       (---)

------
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/