=/\= USS Archer, Transporter Room III, 0330 hours =/\= "Energize," said the voice through the console. Andy ran his fingers up the transporter console, allowing the Archer's main computer communicate with that of Starbase 369. Once joined, the Archer and the station computers shared coordinates for a pad to pad transport. With a stroke of his fingers back up the console, the patterns of the two officers began to coalesce. "Transport complete," murmured Andy, stifling a yawn, letting his counterpart on the starbase know the two officers were safely back aboard the Archer. The two young men were obviously inebriated, a condition of which Andy was jealous. He'd pulled three straight evening shifts since they docked with the starbase, and he'd seen his share of sloppy drunks come stumbling back to their quarters. Andy wished he could be one of them. "'-- can't drink that synthehol crap,' I told him," said a junior grade lieutenant Andy recognized as one of the Engineering staff, apparently caught in the transport mid-sentence. He tapped his chest with his thumb. "I said I wanted the good stuff!" He finished his sentance, blinked a few times and swayed in place, while his buddy, an engineering technician, laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. They were about to step down from the transporter chamber when a red flashing light on his panel caught Andy's attention. "Um. Hang on, guys. We might have a problem." Andy tapped the light, to find out what was the matter. Oh. Spiffy, he thought. Contraband. Andy sighed. It was too late for this kind of crap. "All right, friends. What is it? Some Nedellian mushrooms? Bottle of Romulan Ale? Maybe a couple of Kinzi larvae?" The two men looked at each other nervously. "We don't got nothin, Lieutenant. Honest." Andy grumbled. At least the guys could be honest about it. He shook his head. "Sorry, fellas. I'm gonna have to search your bags." Reluctantly, the two men put down their sacks, and Andy brought them over to a table. He opened one, and immedately saw a familiar looking conical bottle of blue liquid. Andy shook his head and clicked his tongue. "C'mon, guys. You should know better than this. Any ship to ship transfer of Romulan Ale needs to be approved by a starfleet commanding officer or chief medical officer," said Andy, shaking his head, and removing the bottle from the lieutenant's bag. "You don't happen to have a note from Commander Turner do you?" he said with a smirk. The two officers looked down at their boots, mumbling to themselves. "No? Okay, then," said Andy briskly. "You have two options. I can confiscate it, and hold it up to a week, waiting for you to get permission from the captain or CMO, before destroying it, or I can destroy it now. Your choice." Andy let a couple of beats of silence pass before nodding. "Fine. We'll destroy it then. Lord knows I don't want to be accused of making off with someone's confiscated romulan ale." He walked over to the replicator cavity, placed it inside, and started tapping the panel controls to set it to recycle. "BASTARD!" was the only thing Andy heard before he was clubbed at the base of his neck, and his world erupted into a shower of sparks before darkness. =/\= Starbase 369, an indeterminate time later =/\= "Jeez, Mick. What're we gonna do with him?" Andy slowly woke and realized he was being carried. "Shit, I don't know. We attacked a superior officer in the course of his duty! We can't take him into the Archer's sick bay ..." It was dark, and there wasn't a whole lot going on around him, so Andy figured it was still pretty early in the morning. He opened his eyes to tiny slits and slowly looked left and right. Oh. He was on the starbase. "Okay, okay. Hold it." Andy's feet were abruptly dropped, and his torso was being propped up into a dark corner. He laid still, figuring two against one, they'd wipe the walls with him. "I have an idea, said the engineering tech. "We drop him here, and pour the ale over him. Starbase security will pick him up on drunk and disorderly, and it'll give us time to clear our last transport record." "At that point, he'll be charged with abandoning his post, being drunk on duty, and with no proof or records, it'll be his word against two of ours!" Andy panicked, and started to rise in an attempt to escape. He didn't even make it to a standing position before the two crewman saw him, turned with a snarl, and started punching him mercilessly around the head and shoulders. It didn't take long before he lost conciousness again, but not before he heard a cry from someone far away. =/\= Starbase 359 Sickbay =/\= "Doctor," said the nurse, holding a PADD, "here are his medical files. The Archer just transferred them." "Thanks, Keisha," replied Dr. Thomas Chaplin, the stations' CMO, accepting the PADD from the nurse. He shook his head. "Man, they certainly did a number on this boy. You said security got the two who did this?" The nurse nodded. "Yes, sir. Caught in the act. They were taken directly to the brig." The sound of the monitor above Andy's bed beeped with quiet rhythm. "Well, that's something, anyway," replied the doctor. He sighed, shaking his head, and walked over to his office, tapping the PADD. "Okay, what do we have? Lieutenant Foster, Andersen ... " he read as he sat down at his desk. “Clone?” He read more, growing increasingly fascinated with each moment … ------------------------- <<The following is simply an exerpt from my bio ... those who are familiar with my background, feel free to skip>> Medical Notes on Andersen Foster, Clone Cmdr. Garth Triss, MD reporting: Subject is capable of absorbing great amounts of energy through his skin without becoming injured. Has been tested to absorb up to .075 terajoules, before experimentation was deemed unsafe/unneccesary. Absorbtion of large amounts of energy produces two significant factors: First, subject is able to survive without nutrition or rest for extended periods of time (medical note: longest documented case thusfar was 151 hours, at which point subject very suddenly became fatigued and went to sleep immediately -- it should be noted, however, that after sleeping for 8.5 hours, the subject awoke feeling as refreshed as from a normal night's sleep). The second effect this energy absorbtion has upon the subject's body is a change in his cellular structure. Although the subject will maintain his shape, his cells will undergo a transformation where they will turn into liquids of varying density and viscosity. Bones and organs become pliable, and can withstand great pressure, effectively giving his body a rubberized/elastic property. Subject cannot control the degree to which his body becomes like this, nor is he able to voluntarily change his shape -- elasticity seems to depend entirely upon the amount of energy absorbed (medical note: at the height of this effect, subject's skelatal structure begins to lose its integrity. Subject finds difficulty in walking, or pushing, carrying or manipulating heavy objects.) When all excess energy has been used by the subject, he reverts back to what can ostensibly be called a "regular" human. Cmdr. Garth Triss, MD Chief Medical Officer USS Archer Stardate 240203.29 ----------------------- =/\= Starbase 369 Promenade, Lunchtime =/\= "Really remarkable fellow, this new patient of mine," said the Dr. Chaplin to his dining compainion. "Oh?" replied Maj. Michael Lawson, as he took a bite of his Caesar salad. The doctor was an old friend of his from their early academy days ... and although their careers went in significantly different directions afterwards, they still enjoyed meeting with each other whenever the Major's ship was near the starbase. The doctor nodded. "Lieutenant from the USS Archer. Got mugged late at night on the promenade, and sent to our sickbay." He took a drink. "I requested his medical records from the Archer ... My god, Mike. You wouldn't belive this guy." He went on to tell his friend about Andersen's unique physiology ... he got to energy absorbson, when Maj. Lawson started paying significantly more attention ... started asking questions about Andy, what his condition was, what the extent of this alien physiology was ... The two continued to eat and talk until the time came for them to part. Dr. Chaplin made his way back to sick bay, and Major Michael Lawson, adjunct to the SSF division of Omega Fleet, quickly made his way to his office, thinking about what an asset someone of Andy's ... unique ... physiology might have to an SSF team. He entered his office, sat at his desk, and called up a screen on his computer. Office of Logistics, Starfleet Command Personnel Transfer Request Lieutenant Andersen Foster, Operations Officer, USS Archer Transfer to: ... Mike drummed his fingers, thinking who could use someone like this? He thought for a few moments, scrolling through the various ships in the SSF and finally came to one. Ah. Perfect. Transfer to: USS Chimera Position: ODA Operations Officer =/\= Deep Space, USS Chimera =/\= (shortly after the current mission) "They did what?" said Col. Bretam Keylor from his command chair staring aghast at the PADD his Ops officer just handed him. "SSF has transferred this guy to the ODA as the Operations Officer." Guy Tripper showed Keylor the PADD with the latest personnel transfers. Keylor shook his head. "I understand SSF command believing they know what is best for use, but have you seen this guys record?" Keylor scowled. “ODA isn't right for him. This guy has been a button pusher all of his life. Hell, both his lives,” he added with a smirk, reviewing his personnel report. "His physiology is unique," he continued, continuing to scan through the personnel file, not so sure anymore. "Could come in handy." He shook his head. "But I just don’t see him in the ODA. Not in a combat situation.” Tripper regarded his own PADD. "It says we're picking him up at the Kinsi space station when we arrive. He's going to be there waiting for us." "Well, I'll be damned if I'm putting some one who has very little if any combat training on my ODA." Keylor thought for a while and drummed his fingers against the side of his chair. "He's a qualified ship's operations officer. Let's put him there; at least let him do what he knows to how to do." The Operations officer shrugged and nodded. As Keylor signed off on the personnel transaction, Tripper cracked a bit of a smile. “I suppose it makes sense ... not that I need the help at the moment, but it would make the rotation easier.” He paused for a moment and chuckled. “I can start him out on the night shift.” Keylor nodded. “Good. And make sure you get his medical record to the CMO immediately. I am sure she will need time to study it to see if she needs to provide for any special needs.” Keylor handed the PADD back to Guy. “I am sure she will want to run SEVERAL tests on our unique crewman.” Guy took the pad and nodded. “Aye sir, will do.” Keylor nodded. "Good. Dismissed.” ======== Lt. Andersen Foster Operations Officer USS Chimera Col Bretam Keylor Captain USS Chimera _________________________________________________________________ Is your PC infected? 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