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<BR><BR>// Challenger Bridge \\<BR>
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<BR>
It was quiet, third shift, and Sasha was wrapping up some minor details as she sat in the captain's chair. All the supplies from the Promise had been stowed, and Corad had taken charge of the MACO's and settled them into quarters that had been modeled on the Enterprise, after they took on a small squad of the space marines. The special weapons that had been brought onboard were stowed as safely as could be, deep within the ship, where -- hopefully -- no outside influence could set off an unplanned detonation. It didn't really make Sasha nervous that the weapons were onboard, but she was respectful of their power and their presence occupied a small space at the back of her mind, constantly. <BR>
<BR>
Sasha tapped some buttons on the chair's arm console and peered at the tiny screen. The MACOs. They were a small squad, but that was what Sasha had wanted. A cohesive group, easily controlled, one that did not threaten the status quo of the Armory. <FONT face=""><SPAN id=Major class=mw-headline>Major C</SPAN><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>raig Boone,</FONT><FONT size=2><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> Corporal </SPAN></FONT><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Veronica Santangelo,</FONT><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: normal" size=2><SPAN id=Major class=mw-headline> </SPAN></FONT><FONT size=2><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Sergeant </SPAN></FONT><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Rose Cassidy</FONT><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=2> and Private Arcade Gannon. She looked at their service records, memorized their strengths, and matched the faces with the names. Corad was nominally in charge of the squad, but ultimately Sasha was the commanding officer. She planned to make a visit the next day, before they drew near their destination, and take Vic with her. They needed to know /his/ face, too, since he was in their direct chain of command.</FONT></FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Ma'am," PO Jane Evansdale said from the science console. "Got a vessel on long-range scan. She's matched our speed and is angling in for what will end up a rendezvous."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Got an ID on her?" Sasha said.</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Checking."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Careful with that," Sasha reminded her. </FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Yes of course, Captain," Jane said in her clipped, upper-crust British accent. She tapped some buttons on her console and then said, "ship's registry pings as the <EM>Meridian</EM>, Captain."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>~Good~ Sasha thought. She was wondering when they'd meet up with their sister command ship. She'd never met Captain Roger Finney, but she'd definitely heard of him.</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Lt Sattal," she said to the young man at COMMs, "tight-beam a short hello to the Meridian. Do /not/ bounce it off any relays -- and scramble it. Give Captain Finney my compliments, etc etc."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Yes, ma'am," Sattal replied, working his console with one hand, his other hand to his earpiece.</FONT><BR>
<BR>
<FONT face=Arial>The Challenger would arrive at the Coalsack in roughly 26 hours. That would bring them in during the Earth ships' night cycle ... briefly she wondered how that matched up with the Romulans'. Well, they'd find out sooner or later. </FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Captain Finney returns his compliments and asks how things were on Qo'noS, ma'am," Sattal piped up, turning in his seat to smile faintly at her.</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Tell him we won't be going back any time soon," Sasha said. "Tell him, also, that we're altering course slightly to facilitate a rendezvous with the Meridian." She looked at Boatswain Hannah Grayson. "Make it so, Boats."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Aye, Captain," Hannah said as she gratefully had /something/ to do at her console. After about thirty seconds, she said, "we'll meet up in 7 hours, ma'am."</FONT><BR>
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<FONT face=Arial>"Thanks. Sattal -- pass that along."</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial>"Aye-aye."</FONT><BR>
<BR>
<FONT face=Arial>Leaning forward in the captain's chair until her elbows rested on her knees, Sasha went over all the details. LtCmdr McDonald had recovered sufficiently to return to Engineering, although he was not at 100%. She was concerned but proud of his resolve. The Klingons were "doing fine" in the brig -- Han'Zek had stopped asking for her after being told she was too busy to come down, for now. T'Lara was still studying the Klingon devices that were still operating in the old Secondary Research Lab ... they were doing /something/, she knew, but not exactly what. They weren't tracking devices and they weren't harming the Challenger's systems. ~Then what?~ Sasha thought. If she asked Han'Zek, could or would he tell her? And would she believe him?</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial>The crew who'd been injured on Qo'noS were all recovering nicely -- most had been let go from Sickbay and only had to return for dressing changes, things like that. ~Much like me,~ Sasha thought, fingering the bandage on the underside of her chin. Their tail was still clear -- no Klingon vessels had been sighted behind them. Although it was curious at first, now that she'd read the information packet that had come in on the <EM>Promise</EM>, she knew why, at least partially. New Darwin was their focus, and, although in a different way, the Romulans. Sasha held back the anger that threatened to surface as she recalled the recent 'visit' to Qo'noS. Never trust a Klingon, she thought, having heard that somewhere before. But then where did that leave Han'Zek? She sighed silently.</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial>Sasha stood up. "Lieutenant Sattal, you have the conn. I'll be back at first shift." She knew she didn't need to say "contact me if /anything/ happens". He knew better. Standing up and stretching, Sasha walked to her ready room and shut the door behind her. When was the last time she'd seen her quarters? Seemed like ages ago. She stripped down to her underwear and turned to the couch. Ah. Yuki had been here, and he'd been busy. There was a pillow and blanket, and a carafe of water stood next on the shelf that backed the sofa. Once again she thanked her lucky stars that /he/'d been the one to come get her when they'd sent someone to bring her back to San Francisco. Not for the first time, she wondered what Yuki had thought when he'd seen a naked Andorian youth leave the cabin where he'd come to pick her up. She chuckled. He'd never mentioned it.</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial>Gratefully, Sasha gulped down the water, fluffed the pillow, and settled down for what very well might be the last chance she'd have to /really/ sleep, for a long long time. She was out 14 seconds after her head hit the pillow. </FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial></FONT> <BR>
<FONT face=Arial>Captain Sasha Spearling</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial>Commanding Officer</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial>==================</FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial>FCL-04 Challenger </FONT><BR>
<FONT face=Arial> </FONT> <BR>
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