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<DIV>~~Bridge~~</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> After the initial briefing, things had returned to normal, at
least for the moment. The crew had been instructed to wrap up their shore leave.
He himself had decided against leaving the ship, though he had of course
contacted his family. Rog was pleased that his sister Colleen had been assigned
to a Sol Class ship, the ESS Defiant. This was both good news and bad, her
career was advancing, but her ship was acting as an escort to the Meridian, once
they got nearer the nebula.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sheppard had contacted him and informed him of their orders. It seemed the
Meridian and Challenger would spearhead the allied fleet. One could only hope
for positive results from their allies. They were to go to the Coalsack Nebula,
specifically some backwater planet called Cheron. Hmmm, wasn't that a Greek god
Rog thought, oh never mind.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Tapping his comm button, Rog said, "Crew of the Meridian, this is the
captain. Sorry to cut your shore leave short. Seems the Rommies are active
again. We, along with Challenger and other ships, are to meet allied vessels in
the Coalsack Nebula, specifically near the planet Cheron. Some of you may ask
why we're going to Cheron."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Andre piped up and said, "Sir why are we going to Cheron?"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Rog chuckled and continued, "Very funny Andre, remind me to demote
you later. It seems the Rommies are massing their fleet near Cheron. So we'll
amass our fleet on the other side of the nebula. Then, our smaller ships will
have a look for the enemy. We'll attack through the nebula to prevent their
spotting us till it's too late. With luck and some help from our allies, we'll
win.Hendriksen, keep an eye on sensors. I don't want any surprises. Now Andre,
take us to Coalsack Nebula Warp 5. We have a date with the devil and
I'd hate to keep him waiting." Rog sat back in his chair and wondered how
Colleen would make it through her first combat.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Andre replied, "Aye sir." Hendriksen replied the same.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Capt. Roger Finney</DIV>
<DIV>CO</DIV>
<DIV>FCL-06 Meridian</DIV></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>