[Galaxy] 2161.09.11 - CHA JL - Spearling/Stingley - "Reunion"

[Anna H.]

-- Challenger, Bridge --


Challenger and Meridian continued on their course uneventfully. Chris for one was appreciative of their good fortune. Sitting at the comm station on the bridge, he was listening for any new signals as they approached the Coalsack nebula. It wasn't a particularly well travelled area of space, which made it ideal to the Romulans for massing their fleet, but it made for dull listening. It was a good kind of dull in Chris's opinion, since it meant they weren't being shot at yet.

Eventually, the silence was broken as his console acknowledge reception of a ping. "Captain, I'm receiving a secure hail. The signal is Vulcan." "Let's hear it," Sasha said.
 ++  "... yel-hali Zhalan Tevahk.  Kesau, Challenger ....  Ki' ashiv-tor:  nash'se yal-hali Zhalan Tevahk.  Kesau."  The voice, typically, was smooth and uninflected, male, and undeniably Vulcan.  [Translation to Earth Standard:  "... starship Whispering Death.  Respond, Challenger.  To repeat:  this is the starship Whispering Death.  Respond."]  ++
 Cinda Zhang looked over at Chris from the SCI console.  "Wow," she stated.  "It's been a long time since I saw a ship that big on our sensors.  It's a Suurok-class, Captain, combat variant."
 "Whoa.  Warp 7 top speed, particle beam weaponry ... hope they brought a whole fleet of those along, it's one of the fastest and most powerful ships they've got," Bushnell said from his Armory post.
 
 Sasha, who was trying to get her poker face in order so that she could properly converse with the Vulcan, said, "this makes me very happy," perfectly straight-faced.  "Chris, lock onto their signal and secure it, then put them through."
 
 "Aye, Captain." A few taps at the console and Chris had an audiovisual connection established with the Zhalan Tevahk. The person appearing on his screen was male, age undetermined, and of course:  totally expressionless.  He switched to Earth Standard seamlessly as he saw Chris' face appear on /his/ monitor.   ++  "I am Lonn, communications specialist onboard the starship Zhalan Tevahk.  T'nar pak sorat y'rani."  ++   [ES - formal greeting]
 
 "T'nar jaral," Chris replied in formal Vulcan. "Our commanding officer requests to address your commander."
 
 ++ "As is fitting. Initiating main viewer synchronization." ++
 
 The main viewscreen blossomed with the stark, functional interior of a Vulcan bridge.  Lonn was visible in the back left corner of the screen and various other officers lined the periphery, but it was the commander of the vessel seated in the center of the screen who captured the attention of most on the Challenger bridge.
 
 "T'Pren!" Chris gasped, quite audibly with the surprise, then quickly clamped his lips shut and glanced over at Sasha. "Ma'am!" Cinda Zhang shouted at the same time, partially rising from her seat at COMMs.  Her face had blossomed into a wide smile.
 
 ++ On the screen, SubCommander T'Pren looked back at them, her left eyebrow raised.  "Indeed.  Ms Zhang, it is apparent that your powers of deductive reasoning have remained intact."  ++ Cinda smiled and giggled a bit.  "Yes, SubCommander.  It is most agreeable to see you again."   ++  "And you."  T'Pren's gaze settled on Chris.  "Commander Stingley.  Qual se tu.  Nuh'mau-wak."  [ES - "It is you.  It has been too long since I have seen you."] ++ Chris gazed at her.  She hadn't changed.  The almond-shaped dark eyes, the black hair, the long intricate braid -- she sat in the command seat, back straight.  As always.  "T-T'Pren ..." he said, then fumbled to a stop. Sasha pulled his ass out of the fire, rising to her feet and moving to stand next to him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.  "SubCommander T'Pren.  We haven't met face to face, but I have to say how very /very/ glad we are to see you." ++  T'Pren's gaze left Chris to meet Sasha's eyes.  "It is agreeable to be here.  I am the advance ship ... five more Suurok-class vessels will be joining the effort.  That is all that can be here in time.  More will join if the battle lengthens."  ++ "You are /most/ welcome," Sasha said, with a grin.  "Will you join our little formation for approach to the Coalsack?" ++  "Agreed."  She looked to her right and spoke a few short phrases in Vulcan.  She was answered by a male voice in the same language, off-screen.  "We will take position on the right wing of your sister ship.  It is the Meridian, I see."  ++ "Alex ... ETA?" Sasha asked the Helmsman. "One hour, 17 minutes, Captain." "Hear that, SubCommander?" Sasha asked, glancing up at T'Pren's face on the main viewscreen. ++  "Indeed, although our calculations put us arriving at the Coalsack in one Earth Standard hour, 14 minutes.  However, the difference is negligible."  ++ "Eh, yes," Sasha said, smiling.  She was thrilled that the Vulcans were joining in the effort.  Six ships! Suurok class! Excellent. ++  "We shall speak again upon arrival.  Will we be meeting in person?"  ++ "It would be great if you could come over to strategize with Captain Finney and myself, SubCommander." ++  "Then it shall be so."  Her gaze drifted to Chris again before returning to Sasha.  "I shall ... look forward to it.  Rom-halan, na' i'."  [ES - Farewell, for now.]  The screen went black.  ++ Chris cut the COMM, then sat staring at the screen.  Sasha patted his shoulder and then went back to the captain's chair.  "Well ... that is /good/ news.  Hope they don't give the Meridian too much of a scare.  Chris, pass it along will you? With my compliments to Captain Finney." So far, so good.    Captain Sasha SpearlingCommanding Officer&Commander Chris StingleyChief COMMs Officer================FCL-04 Challenger <NPC's, etc, apb Chris and Anna, T'Pren apb Anna>     
 		 	   		  
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