Topic: Star's End Bar: Quest for the Guardian of Eternity

[SSCF-LeRoy]

Up to this point our hero (moi) has managed to survive his little espionage mission with M'Ress, managed to procure for himself a suit of nondescript civilian clothing, and is now inconspicuously wandering about the station...

Discreetly melded into the host of visitors seeking to meet the Guardian,

LeRoy constantly took note of his surroundings as he went, paying careful

attention to the station?s geography and various features. He was mainly

concerned with keeping track of his location, lest he become disoriented,

and security measures such as sensors and force field generators that could

become a threat should he need to execute an escape. By his reckoning, he

and the group of ?Guardian seekers?, which included members of various

species ranging in station from common riffraff to learned scholar, were

nearing the core of the station where the Guardian was most likely being

held. LeRoy inferred this from observing how his surroundings changed from

wide-open promenades to long, broad corridors that had a sturdy, armored

appearance to them, denoting a high security area. At regular intervals, both

sides of the passageway were punctuated by the presence of imposing Kzin

security officers, some of which were still consuming the glazed confections

that they had acquired during one of their regular visits to the nearby Krispy

Kreme establishment. LeRoy?s trek ended when he and the gaggle of

visitants encountered another large assembly of people crowded up against a

large blast door.

?This must be it.? Thought LeRoy to himself.

Keeping the door and holding the crowd back were three Kzinti and an

unusually short Lyran. Two of the Kzinti were security personnel and the

third seemed to be in charge. The Lyran, short even by human standards,

seemed to be the head Kzin?s lackey.

?Hexx, make yourself useful and distribute these admission tokens.?

commanded the dapper head Kzin.

?Yes, Master Chuut-Ritt.? complied the diminutive Lyran.

Once everyone that could afford the admittance fee, including LeRoy, had

purchased his admission token, the presentation began.

?Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chuut-Ritt, proprietor of The Bar and

custodian of the Guardian of Eternity. Each one of you is on the verge of

embarking on your own extraordinary journey to any time and place of your

choosing. I will advise you on the use of the Guardian and those things that

you can expect to experience on your journeys through time and space. Any

questions you have may be addressed to me. Now without further delay I

present to you the Guardian of Eternity.?

With that the blast door was raised in dramtic fashion, revealing the

monolithic Guardian of Eternity patiently resting in the center of a circular

chamber. Led by Chuut-Ritt and his small entourage, the company filed into

the compartment and gathered around the Guardian. As the more

intellectual individuals of the group congregated together to discuss and

debate over the nature and functioning of the Guardian, LeRoy had more

practical things on his mind like, ?How the heck am I gonna git this thing

outta here? Just as Storvick indicated, this district of the station is heavily

protected. A starbase assault is outta the question and covert extraction of

the Guardian via transporter ain't gonna work 'cuz this section is too heavily

sheilded. And that thing?s too big to be carted off by a Special Forces team.

It seems that Mr. Ritt has this lil? bundle wrapped up quite nicely.?

As LeRoy was musing, Chuut-Ritt was introducing everyone to the Guardian

as if it (or would it be a he?) was a personal friend of his. Chuut went on to

state that, ?All one needs to do in order to go to a desired time and place is

simply to think about it as you step through the gate and the Guardian will

oblige by sending you there. It?s that simple. However, the length of your

excursion will be finite and your actions will be limited in order to preserve

the progress of history. So, who?s first??

A Xindi volunteer stepped forward and paused for a moment in order to get

a clear mental perspective on the era and place that he wanted to visit. He

took one more step under the arch and vanished in the twinkling of an eye.

Before the observers had a chance to recover from their surprise, the Xindi

gentleman reappeared, obviously very ecstatic and satisfied with the

experience. Very quickly everyone, except for LeRoy, lined up for his turn.

One by one travelers disappeared into the Guardian and then rematerialized

just as quickly. Everything was proceeding just as Chuut intended. His grand

unveiling of the Guardian of Eternity was a success. Feeling quite contented,

Chuut stood back and observed the healthy patronage that he had

accumulated. Sweeping the crowd with his gaze, Chuut couldn?t help

noticing a certain individual that was gradually making his way towards the

rearward end of the line. There was something out of place about this man

that Chuut couldn?t quite place his clawed finger on. His piercing eyes

gradually crept its way down from this stranger?s face to his feet. Like a bolt

of lightening, the realization about what was amiss struck Chuut. It was the

footwear. Those were Starfleet issue boots that this mysterious individual

was sporting. LeRoy?s cover was blown.

Chuut immediately roared, ?GUARDS, SEIZE HIM!? pointing directly at LeRoy.

The only thought that LeRoy?s mind could accommodate at that moment

was, ?Oh, crap!?

Thus began a game of  ?ring around the rosy? featuring the Guardian as

the ?rosy? and the ring being constituted by LeRoy running circuits around

the Guardian with a posse of Kzin in hot pursuit. LeRoy hadn?t felt this

desperate since his earlier confrontation with Kroma.

Just then LeRoy recollected what Chuut had stated earlier, ?All

one needs to do in order to go to a desired time and place is simply to think

about it as you step through the gate and the Guardian will oblige by

sending you there.?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, LeRoy leaped with all of his might

through the Guardian and disappeared.

?GET HIM OUT OF THERE NOW!? bellowed an infuriated Chuut-Ritt. ?Bring

him back before he pollutes the timeline!?

**********

?CAPTAIN!?

Face down in a prone position, LeRoy lifted his eyes up and perceived none

other than the shocked and amazed faces of his bridge crew staring back at

him. Enraptured with the ecstasy of being back aboard his own vessel, home

it was to him, he let out great sigh of relief. LeRoy arose and with a

mischievous grin on his face he asked, ?Did y?all miss me??

?How?d you get here?!? exclaimed the first officer.

Grinning from ear to ear, LeRoy declared, ?I took a leap o? faith!?

At this the crew slightly cocked their heads to the side and furrowed their

brows in confusion.

?I took a leap through the Guardian as a means of escape, that is.? explained

LeRoy.

He continued, ?Boy, do I have a yarn to spin fer you people! I?ve been

jabbed in the butt with a pain stick by a smart aleck Kzin, led around on a

leash, witnessed a bar fight between Lyrans, Kzin, and Klingons; got

mooned by a Gorn ballet dancer, then was *AHEM* attacked, if you can call that

an attack, by the same Gorn ballet dancer, and then was nearly dismembered by

a gang of angry Kzinti! So, how?s y?all?s day been??

Motioning towards the view screen, the first officer answered, ?See for

yourself.?

LeRoy turned around to face the view screen and almost had a heart attack

at the site of the redoubtable visage of a King Condor battleship glaring back

at him.

?HOLY MOTHER O? SCHNITT, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT??!!? shouted LeRoy

in utter horror.

The first officer responded, ?Captain, say ?hi? to the Romulan praetor.?

Glassy-eyed and frozen in place, LeRoy could do no more than utter, ?Hi.?

[SSCF-Rolling]

Ya know, LeRoy, for a young man, who hasn't seen much of the world passed the outhouse, you sure have a fantastic imagination.

Thanks for double spacing.  Made it easier to read.

Good going!!!

[SSCF-LeRoy]

Thanks alot fer the good review there, Kim. I very much appreciate that

[SSCF-LeRoy]

P.S. And that's just a recap! I'll be servin' up some fresh material here soon...sometime...someday...when I git around to it

[DAnahos_XC]

Looking forward to more, nice work Leroy!

[SSCF-LeRoy]

"Number One, please tell me we're cloaked." pleaded LeRoy.

The first officer replied, "Yes, Sir, we are cloaked."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"But there is a problem."

"WHAT?!"

"Our cloaking device is breaking down and could fail at any minute."

"Ugh, I shoulda just took my chances with the Kzinti."

"However, there is a chance that their sensors will be obscured as they enter the nebula before that happens."

"Why take the risk? I say we burn plasma and high-tail it outta here!"

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid." interrupted the tactical officer. "If we decloak and engage propulsion now, they'll spot us and blow us right out of the water before you can say 'starcastle'."

LeRoy gave his first officer a sidelong glance.

"OK, explain this to me, Number One: if ya coulda withdrew earlier, then why are ya still sittin' around here with yer finger up yer nose, hopin' that the Praetor will magically 'disappear' in the nic o' time?"

"If we had decloaked and retreated earlier, then we would have been caught utilizing cloaking technology, albeit a bad knockoff of cloaking technology, contrary to treaty stipulations." explained LeRoy's first officer.

"So yer tellin' me that yer more worried about how those pointy-eared, green-blooded, bowl-headed **** feel than about the well-being of the crew, my crew?! Yer job in my absence was to insure the safety of the crew, not placate our enemies! I hired you on 'cuz you balance out my wanton lack of diplomacy, but this time you with yer diplomacy have done screwed up I think."

"I...I apologize for my lack of consideration of the crew, Captain.? stammered the first officer. ?I never thought that you'd..."

LeRoy cut him off with a comforting pat on the back.

"That's OK, Number One. You were just tryin' to avert a possible conflict that would cause harm to many others, an admirable cause. But, right now, all I'm concerned with is the here and now. We can't git away scot-free and we can't fight our way out, so that leaves only one possible course of action."

The bridge staff exchanged glances as the realization of what their captain was going to do next set in.

"Prepare to evacuate the Game Cock, folks; we're gonna SD the ship. Number One, open a channel to the crew. I have an announcement to make."

"Aye, Sir." complied the first officer as fulfilled the command.

The sound of a boatswain's whistle reverberated throughout the ship, calling for the attention of the entire crew. LeRoy swallowed hard in an attempt to alleviate the lump in his throat and slowly began to speak.

"Attention, all hands...this is yer captain speakin'."

The crew instantaneously ceased all activity for they were completely surprised by the unexpected return of their captain. The Game Cock grew eerily silent as all eyes gazed upward awaiting the coming announcement.

LeRoy swallowed hard once again and continued with difficulty.

"We are currently in a very precarious predicament, to say the least. We are in a position where our detection by the enemy is immanent...and this means certain death and/or capture to this ship and her crew. It is my responsibility as a starship captain to ensure that neither of these fates befalls this ship or her valiant crew. That is why I am issuin' the order fer all hands to abandon ship. Y?all have ten minutes to evacuate yerselves into the lifeboats. Once you?ve assumed yer positions, await further instructions. That is all."

LeRoy closed the channel and promptly turned to his first officer.

?Number One, yer with me. Have the chief engineer report to the bridge. Everyone else, you are dismissed. LET?S MOVE IT PEOPLE!?

[SSCF-Rolling]

Oh, goose bumps!!!

[SSCF-LeRoy]

In a swift yet orderly manner, the bridge crew scrambled out of their stations and into the turbolifts, leaving LeRoy and his first officer alone on the bridge. Once the clamor had ceased, the bridge grew uncannily quiet aside from the slight background din of beeps and hums. Languid curls of fragrant smoke wafted up from the center of the bridge as LeRoy enjoyed puffing on his corncob pipe, something that he hadn?t been able to do since he left the ship. A slight ?pop? ?pop? ?pop? could be heard as the starship commander filled his cheeks with smoke and exhaled. LeRoy was relishing this lull in the commotion that had ensued as of late even though he knew that is was merely the calm before the storm. After several minutes, the silence was broken by the whir and clank of an arriving turbolift car and subsequent hiss of turbolift doors, which opened to reveal a rather astonished chief engineer.

?Captain! Now how the heck did you get back here so quick?? he exclaimed.

Pipe clinched in teeth, LeRoy replied, ?Long story, Mr. O?Neil. I?ll tell ya ?bout it later. Right now we got a crew to git to safety and a ship to blow up.?

?So I heard.? quipped the chief engineer as he slid into the engineering station.

?Number One, can we git this ball rollin? yet?? probed LeRoy impatiently.

?Now?s as good a time as ever, Sir. The evacuation is almost complete and all other preparations are in place.? reported the first officer.

LeRoy removed the pipe from his mouth and blurted emphatically, ?Sounds good enough to me. Computer, this is Lieutenant Commander Abraham LeRoy. Begin auto-destruct sequence 5, code 1 0 1 4 alpha."

The ships computer chimed in response, "Identity Lieutenant Commander LeRoy, Abraham T. confirmed. Auto-destruct 5, code 1 0 1 4 alpha acknowledged."

"Computer, this is Lieutenant Jonathan Marshall. Confirm command authorization. Auto-destruct 5, code 1 0 1 4 alpha beta 4."

"Identity Lieutenant Marshall, Jonathan M. confirmed. Auto-destruct 5, code 1 0 1 4 alpha beta 4 acknowledged."

?Computer, this is Lieutenant Michael O?Neil. Confirm command authorization. Auto-destruct 5, code beta 4 9 beta charlie 3.?

?Identity Lieutenant O?Neil, Michael D. confirmed. Auto-destruct 5, code beta 4 9 beta charlie 3 acknowledged. Awaiting final code to begin five-minute countdown.?

In almost a whisper, LeRoy uttered, ?Computer, Auto-destruct 5, code 0 0 0 destruct 0? enable.?

?Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Warp core overload in five minutes.?

After a few moments of silence elapsed, O'Neil sighed, ?So much for the USS Game Cock.?

LeRoy longingly surveyed the bridge about him.

?We barely knew her.?

?Think they?ll build another?? proposed the first officer hopefully.

Triumphantly, LeRoy rejoined with a smirk, ?There?s enough letters left in the alphabet.?

Exec. Marshall?s console beeped, calling for his attention.

?That?s it, Captain. Everybody?s in the escape pods.?

"That's our cue, guys." declared LeRoy.

"Number One, prepare to eject the escape pods. Mr. O?Neil, decloak the ship.?

?Aye, Sir. Deactivating cloaking device.? complied the chief engineer.

The Game Cock shimmered and rippled back into plain view after several seemingly endless days of silent running. In quick succession, hull panels swung open to expose the escape pods underneath, which, in droves, lit their thrusters and burst out into open space like honeybees executing a mass exodus from a burning hive.

LeRoy relit his pipe and clinched it between his teeth.

?Well, gentlemen, I?d say it?s about time that we catch our ride. Mr. Marshall, energise."

"Aye, Captain. Energizing transporter." complied the exec.

LeRoy, Marshall, and O?Neil disappeared in the blue glistening of the transporter beam just as a small contingent of Kzin security officers from The Bar materialized on the bridge. They trained their disrupter rifles about them, expecting to intercept LeRoy in a somewhat more exotic setting. However, to their dismay, they had landed themselves onboard a modern Federation starship.

?No life form readings, Commander.? reported one of them.

?If I know my Starfleet vessels correctly, this is a ship of current make. See if you can raise home base, Sergeant.? ordered the commander.

In Ops onboard the Star's End Bar, a dozing communications officer was roused by a an incoming message.

"Master Chuut-Ritt! I've got something here!"

Chuut rushed in from his private office to see what the uproar was about.

"Yes, what is it?"

?I?m receiving a communiqué from the team that you just sent through the Guardian.? reported the communications officer.

?WHAT?! Let me at that console!"

Chuut summarily booted the communications officer out of his seat and assumed his position. 

"Did you apprehend him?! What is your position?!" interrogated Chuut frantically.

"Master Chuut-Ritt, the objective has yet to be located. Right now we're onboard an abandoned Federation starship. The bridge seems to be operated soley by computer. It is the only thing that is speaking." reported the commander

"Speaking? Let me hear it."

The squad commander advanced his communicator towards a control panel.

10...9...8...7...6...5...

Chuut's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

He howled, "GET OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUT!!! GET OUT OF THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!"

...4...3...2...1...

Plasma conduits ruptured, sending the Kzin careening like limp ragdolls across the bridge. Gaping breaches seared through the hull as plasma conduits all over the ship burst. The forward half of the saucer section erupted, hurling the rest of the ship's burning hulk through space until a final warp core breach, in a blinding flash, reduced the USS Game Cock to a brilliantly gleaming cloud of superheated gas and fine glittering debrise. From the safety of a shuttlecraft, LeRoy and his officers solemnly observed the carnage.

"My God, Jones... what have I done?" uttered LeRoy.

"Same thing you've always done, Abe;" replied O'Neil, "turned death into a fighting chance to run like heck!"

"Which is something I foresee a lot of for the near future." added Marshall.

"I am reading fast patrol patrol ships approaching on an intercept vector. The Praetor's vessel is currently in the process of altering course to intercept."

"We're already too far out fer 'em. I don't expect 'em to close the distance before help arrives." stated LeRoy confidently.

"I'd revise that opinion if I were you!" cried out Marshall violently.

"We have decloaking Romulan ships dead ahead!"

"OK, so I lied." shrugged LeRoy.

"They're trying to cut off our escape and flank around us on all sides."

LeRoy at once opened a channel to the ragtag swarm of vessels.

"This is shuttlecraft one to all esape pods. Break formation! Scatter! Scatter! Scatter!" he cried.

Haphazardly, escape pods flew this way and that in an effort to confound the Romulan flanking maneuver, but to no avail. Cunning feints and warning shots kept the multitude of small craft confined within a fixed area.

"They got us herded and corralled in like dumb sheep to the slaughter." muttered LeRoy.

"Captain, there's an incoming message." reported O'Neil.

"The Romulans say that if we surrender unconditionally and willfully, they'll grant us leniency."

"Tell 'em that they can stick it in the praetor's pointy ear!" growled LeRoy

"We ain't gonna let ourselves git carted off to be interrogated, tortured, and executed! If it ends, it ends right here and now! Prepare to meet yer maker, boys. I have a fealin' that we're gonna be shakin' hands with Him here in a minute..."

[SSCF-Rolling]

Oh yeah!!!