Star Trek Sim/ Star Trek RPG
USS Eagle, NCC 2185
CAPTAIN'S LOGS
Title: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, Part Two
Stardate: 2000603.07
Location: USS Eagle
Setting: CO's Quarters
The man, known as the Captain, is making some coffee in the tiny kitchen
in the Captain's quarters. Having recently lost his sight, he touches the
tea cups on the way to the coffee mug to find it. As he does so, he lingers
on his teacup from last night. It is odd and strangely compelling to him
to keep touching it and try to remember. It seems to him that there is some
sort of memory fragment associated with the cup that goes beyond a simple
cup of tea and beyond last night. He touches longer, hoping that maybe the
act of touching would somehow be a trigger for his memory, like looking at
things might be if he could see. He recalls his evening with LTjg Richards
and then it comes to him, an idea about the codes. He had been racking his
brain ever since he woke up in Sickbay trying to figure out the codes and
passwords he might use if he were Captain or how he might cycle through having
to make up and remember so many codes and code changes.
~~Maybe I changed the codes based on certain events? That could provide
an easy framework for constant change and as long as no one knew the pattern
or had examples, that method could last for a while. Or maybe I did that
already and that method ran its course? No, I should not be second guessing
myself. There is no time for that. I can pursue a better course of action,
if I can figure out one. This is all I have to guess at for now. I might
as well test it,~~ he thinks to himself.
The man gets the coffee cup and begins pouring with one hand and uses the
other to hold the cup. He listens carefully for that special higher pitched,
less hollow sound you hear that happens when an object becomes almost full
of a liquid.
~~If the code could be related to recent events, then perhaps I will remember
it if I just review what the lieutenant said enough,~~ he thinks.
"Computer, secure quarters," he orders as the coffee runs over from his distraction.
"Aiyee," he says as he brings the slightly injured hand from the hot coffee
up. He cleans up, trying to remember all the events of the wormhole that
LTjg Richards had told him the night before.
He tries hard but nothing comes to mind. Then his frustrated frown turns
to a smile as he reviews it all again,~~ ... The Star Light Road... The Sundering
vessel itself... Perhaps that is it??~~
Having run out of milk and sugar, he brings the cup of black coffee over
to the classified materials reader and gently puts the arnwahk down. It skitters
down the desk until it ends up near his feet, curls up and puts itself into
suspend mode. The man opens the reader, flips the switch on, and pushes the
appropriate buttons as he had previously rehearsed with his Yeoman. Of course,
he didn't get any farther than that, nor would he, even if he could have
remembered the codes at the time. He wouldn't have permitted her or anyone
else unauthorized access. Part of him isn't even sure he should be trying
to gain access, but there wasn't much choice. He needed some answers fast.
Over the last two days, he was beginning to feel more and more that he may
not be the Captain and that he may not even belong on the Eagle, but he had
nothing tangible to base that on. He does know that he has to find the missing
pieces soon and if nothing else figure out or dismiss this terrible feeling
that it was imperative that the records should not include something. But
what? And why? He could not remember.
He sits down and sips the coffee, grimacing slightly because it is black
and because one person now knew about the memory loss part. LTjg Richards
had figured a piece of it out last night. He was able to minimize the damage
by telling her that he did not remember the event of and events surrounding
the wormhole. That was true of course but not the whole truth. He didn't
tell her all of it, that he didn't remember any time at all on the Eagle.
He hoped that the young security officer would keep his secret for now and
give him some time to remember as she promised. If accessing these files
worked to trigger his memory he'd be home free and not need to tell anyone
else and still keep the promise.
VRRP.SKERETAATATTAT.VRUMM. VRUM. He listens to the machine waiting for it
to make the right sequence of noises to indicate it was ready. Then finally,
he hears the steady thrum and decides the reader is ready. He puts his chin
on the chin rest.
"Identify for retina scan," announces the machine in a flat, emotionless,
female voice. (( http://usseagle.topcities.com/retinalscangifaniappr.html
))
The green light activates. It flashes and enters his eye. It reflects off
his retina and the image of his retina is sent to the machine. The image
runs through the complicated identification algorithm buried within the programming
of the reader. But the man could see none of it to know for sure that it
was happening (Note: Our classified reader is slightly different from movies.)
The man tries to remain still waiting for the machine to tell him who he
is. It would either announce the confirmation of his identity or the opposite.
He is worried. He had now reached the point that he was not believing that
he was the Captain. ~~Am I really who they think I am?~~ he wonders. ~~The
Captain part certainly does not feel right,~~ he thinks hard while he waits
for the machine to finish the step.
"Retina Scan complete. Identity confirmed," it announces.
"Greetings, Captain Kematsopoulos," it says.
The man breathes a sigh of relief. ~~If I am not Nouristao Kematsopoulos,
I don't know who else I could be. I seem to remember almost everything else
fine according to the records. It's just the Eagle and the other part,~~
he thinks.
"Authorization code requested," the reader asks following the security protocols.
~~So far so good. Now for the hard part,~~ the man thinks.
"Ana, nina, shanna, shanna," he says in Vulcan.
"Incorrect," it replies.
"Io, re, rhi, rhi," he tries again the same numbers, but this time in Romulan.
"Incorrect. Last attempt before shutdown and notification sequence," it warns.
This was it, his last try before Security would be notified.
~~Third time's a charm or an instant trip to Sickbay,~~ he tries to joke
as he thinks. ~~OK, change the code or the language?... Old Golic?? No, that
was always very hard for me and it's a fairly obvious choice given the event.
Perhaps an opposite race to both the Vulcans and Romulans... Here goes everything...~~
he thinks to himself.
"Wa' , cha', vagh, vagh," he says curtly in Klingon.
"Password confirmed. Select function," it asks.
The man breathes a sigh of relief. ~~I am in. Now what to check first for
some answers?~~ he wonders.
The reader scrolls a large menu to choose from. He hears the screen update
but sees nothing. ~~What is on there?~~ he wonders. ~~An answer to
my missing past? Secret mission orders that can explain both my and the ship's
current situation? Something that will corroborate or dispel this horrible
feeling that the CMO and others should not know exactly what happened and
that I can't remember?~~
"Reader - Execute: Verbal interface. Settings: Speed = 5.0. Pitch
control = 4.0. Voice =Human baritone," he orders.
The reader spits out the contents of the menu at high speed. It does not
sound high and tinny because the pitch was dropped to help compensate.
"Reader - Function: List orders for the last 90 standard days. Most
recent first. Reader - Function: List titles of any notes, addendums, or
reports made by myself. Most recent first. Execute," he says.
The reader dutifully and simultaneously scrolls and spits the titles of those
entries.
His dark eyes open wide after the first five entries even though they see
nothing. The man called the Captain now knows where to begin work to figure
out what happened to him and what secret he was there to protect ... and
maybe just maybe he'd figure out how to make this all right.
BZZZZT!BZZZZT!BZZZZT!
The intercom buzzes.
"Captain? It's locked," states Yeoman Perksandra a bit puzzled and miffed.
The man sighs. ~~It will have to wait. At least the hard part was over. I
know the code to get in and the computer recognized me from the retina scan,~~
he thinks.
"Reader - Function: End session. Secure and lock down ," he orders. The machine
makes another series of chirps and whistles and then is silent.
"Computer unsecure doors," he orders again.
"Good morning," he says trying not so show his disappointment from having
to abort the attempts to learn what happened to him, what is in the cargo
bay and what the last secret orders were.
"Good morning," she repeats back all bouncy and perky picking up on something
amiss, but saying nothing. ~~The Captain sure has been acting odd since the
accident, ~~ she thinks to herself.
The man smiles in spite of this small setback in getting access to the classified
records, recalling the crew's nickname for this young woman. 'Yeoman Perky'
was certainly a good fit for her personality.
The Yeoman heads off directly the kitchen, drops off the containers in his
kitchen and checks his supplies.
"Wow, you sure are using a lot of milk and soy milk, sir. You haven't done
that in a long time with your coffee and tea. Do you think you will be returning
to this old habit for a while or would perhaps you will be going back to
your usual black coffee in the morning?" she asks.
The man looks at her oddly. ~~Was that it?!!~~ he wonders, shifting
to stare at the black coffee even though he could not see it. Is this another
key to solving this puzzle and his predicament?
"Perhaps?" he replies deep in thought.
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