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--- current_story:the_most_of_freedom_and_of_pleasure [2023/02/25 17:39] – cromwell
+++ current_story:the_most_of_freedom_and_of_pleasure [2023/03/17 03:16] (current) – cromwell
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 Sunday, January 13, 2385
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-GORNAR, Tau Lacertae Nine (INS) — Vladamir Kostya's unswerving battle march has reached its inevitable destination, and the might of the United Federation of Planet's war machine has completed its objectives on Gornar, the homeworld of the Gorn Hegemony. The galaxy watched Wednesday night as the first attack fleets and ground forces descended upon Cestus Three. Even while images of starship combat over the alien planet flashed across vidscreens — reminiscent of the Four Years War with the Klingons over a century ago — it was clear how much the Federation's place in the galaxy has changed since that time. There are moments when the universe pivots, when it's clear that we can never go back. This is one of those moments. Starfleet has gone bravely into battle before, but never under the banner of pre-emptive defense. In the last century, we overcame our natural isolationism to join coalitions of planets in faraway battles against totalitarianism. We saw ourselves as the galaxy's enforcer of peace, avenger of wrongs, defender of democracy. Though President Kostya says he is fighting this war in the name of those lofty goals, it is clear that we are on Gornar for one purpose: to depose a hostile government we consider a potential threat to us.((<wrap lo>Apologies to The San-Jose Mercury News; 2003 editorial modified without permission</wrap>))
+GORNAR, Tau Lacertae Nine (INS) — Vladamir Kostya's unswerving battle march has reached its inevitable destination, and the might of the United Federation of Planet's war machine has completed its objectives on Gornar, the homeworld of the Gorn Hegemony. The galaxy watched Wednesday night as the first attack fleets and ground forces descended upon Cestus Three. Even while images of starship combat over the alien planet flashed across vidscreens — reminiscent of the Four Years War with the Klingons two centuries ago — it was clear how much the Federation's place in the galaxy has changed since that time. There are moments when the universe pivots, when it's clear that we can never go back. This is one of those moments. Starfleet has gone bravely into battle before, but never under the banner of pre-emptive defense. In the last century, we overcame our natural isolationism to join coalitions of planets in faraway battles against totalitarianism. We saw ourselves as the galaxy's enforcer of peace, avenger of wrongs, defender of democracy. Though President Kostya says he is fighting this war in the name of those lofty goals, it is clear that we are on Gornar for one purpose: to depose a hostile government we consider a potential threat to us.((<wrap lo>Apologies to The San-Jose Mercury News; 2003 editorial modified without permission</wrap>))
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 At 0500 hours local time, Starfleet forces accepted the surrender of the commander of the armed forces of the Gorn Hegemony in orbit of Tau Lacertae Nine.  Supreme Commander Sslumayla surrendered himself and more than 160,000 Gorn troopers under his command to Commander George McBrown of the Starfleet Marine Corps.  "This is the only official surrender of Gorn armed forces to the Federation," McBrown said. "I presented our conditions and accepted the surrender from him.  I told him I appreciated what he was doing for his species and for the people of the former Gorn Hegemony.  This will limit any future bloodshed."  McBrown asked Sslumayla to stay in uniform for thirty days, take control of his troops and starships, and restore order in the Gorn capital city, Tau Lacertae star system, and other surrounding star systems.  "At the end, I saluted him," he said. "I gave him that respect because he is a fellow combat officer."  McBrown said he was "honored" to represent Federation forces in accepting the surrender.  "The best is yet to come," he remarked at the end of the surrender ceremony.**
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 "The Marines won't let anyone get near him," Narundi remarked.  "They completely locked down deck eight after transferring that human prisoner they arrested on Cestus Three.  She's being interrogated by Starfleet Intelligence on the Lexington now."
-"That was a family friend of Cromwell," Maria explained.  "Our transporter chief overhead Cromwell and Hendrix talking about it between their first and second mission to the planet."
+"That was a family friend of Cromwell," Maria explained.  "Our transporter chief overheard Cromwell and Hendrix talking about it between their first and second mission to the planet."
 "Even MORE reason for Cromwell to have revenge!" Graq said gruffly, his Klingon blood boiling at the inequity of the doctor's predicament.  "First Hendrix dishonors him on the battlefield, then they dishonor a sister.  Any Klingon would have claimed Rite of Vengeance and killed Hendrix."
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 "Oh come on!" Vehns, the Tellarite technician from engineering exclaimed.  "Starfleet doesn't EXECUTE people!  That's ridiculous!"
-"No, it's not," Reittan said soberly to the gathered crew.  "I've been watching this Gorn war play out, and feeling the hostilities in the Marines on this ship; even from the bridge.  They are prejudicial, prideful, unscrupulous, and arrogant.  Worst of all, their personalities are toxic with strong narcissistic streaks.  That's a dangerous mix, because they believe that they are above the law.  If they wanted to change the rules and kill Leon, they would do it in an instant.  If fact, I get a strong sense that one of them might do just that, though I haven't been able to figure out exactly who..."
+"No, it's not," Reittan said soberly to the gathered crew.  "I've been watching this Gorn war play out, and feeling the hostilities in the Marines on this ship; even from the bridge.  They are prejudicial, prideful, unscrupulous, and arrogant.  Worst of all, their personalities are toxic with strong narcissistic streaks.  That's a dangerous mix, because they believe that they are above the law.  If they wanted to change the rules and kill Leon, they would do it in an instant.  In fact, I get a strong sense that one of them might do just that, though I haven't been able to figure out exactly who..."
 "It's settled then," Narundi responded.  "We have to act."
@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 It now dawned upon Leon that he was being set up for a faux jail break.  He immediately dropped his own scalpel just as Purcell finished sabotaging the force field controls from inside the cell.  As the deranged Marine stuffed the deactivated scalpel back into his belt, he then turned back to Leon, leveling his phaser rifle at the doctor-turned-prisoner.
-As he sat there in shackles, a tray of break and water upon his lap, there was very little Leon could do to defend himself.  He could throw the tray at Purcell and scream at the top of his lungs for help, but the Marines on deck would probably not arrive in time to prevent his murder.  He could try bargaining with Purcell, but since he bore the same psychotic look in his eye as when he killed the Gorns on Cestus, there was no humanity dwelling within his soul to appeal to.  Leon was trapped, and death was literally his doorstep.
+As he sat there in shackles, a tray of bread and water upon his lap, there was very little Leon could do to defend himself.  He could throw the tray at Purcell and scream at the top of his lungs for help, but the Marines on deck would probably not arrive in time to prevent his murder.  He could try bargaining with Purcell, but since he bore the same psychotic look in his eye as when he killed the Gorns on Cestus, there was no humanity dwelling within his soul to appeal to.  Leon was trapped, and death was literally his doorstep.
 As in the Gorn cave, Purcell resulted to a martial arts kick; this time upwards to knock the tray off Leon's lap and knock him to the floor.  The water glass shattered as it hit Leon in the face, and with water and blood flowing into his eyes, thus temporarily blinding him, he scurried to the back of the cell as far back as he could.  When he felt his back up against the wall, he wiped his eyes to see the Marine looming even closer.  They locked stares once again, much as Purcell and Hendrix did on Cestus just before Purcell killed him.
@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 As the psychotic trooper was about to pull the trigger, a hissing sound resonated behind him.  An acrid stench of chemically vaporized metal permeated the air while an electric sizzle preceded the lights going out in the room.   Purcell spun around as a strange scraping sound reverberated off the walls, as if a stone door had ground itself open.  He switched on his rifle's spotlight, and hurriedly scanned the room to determine the source.  As the sound fell silent, the ensign was clearly split between the odd commotion and completing his task of killing Leon.
-Without warning, the grinding percussion resumed and reached a fevered pitch just as soon as Purcell trained his rifle back on Leon.  The Marine looked over his shoulder, and from out of the shadows, a large heap-shaped construct mowed towards him.  It's blistered surface pulsated with orange vesicles interlaced with veins of brown granite, and it propelled itself via thousands of string-like tentacles pushing it along the floor.  Purcell's eyes widened with horror as the otherworldly monster reared up and consumed him as he expelled a shriek of panic.  A maelstrom of searing hot gasses and stone-to-metal grating muffled the screaming gurgle of the Marine as he was chemically dissolved into vapors, leaving behind only his phaser rifle and a small pile of charred remains that vaguely outlined his prostrate form on the deckplates.  The lumbering brown and orange mass of silicon then spun a quarter-turn to look upon a shocked Leon still sitting in the corner of the cell.
+Without warning, the grinding percussion resumed and reached a fevered pitch just as soon as Purcell trained his rifle back on Leon.  The Marine looked over his shoulder, and from out of the shadows, a large heap-shaped construct mowed towards him.  It's blistered surface pulsated with orange vesicles interlaced with veins of brown granite, and it propelled itself via thousands of string-like tentacles pushing it along the floor.  Purcell's eyes widened with horror as the otherworldly monster reared up and consumed him, causing him to expel a shriek of panic.  A maelstrom of searing hot gasses and stone-to-metal grating muffled the screaming gurgle of the Marine as he was chemically dissolved into vapors, leaving behind only his phaser rifle and a small pile of charred remains that vaguely outlined his prostrate form on the deckplates.  The lumbering brown and orange mass of silicon then spun a quarter-turn to look upon a shocked Leon still sitting in the corner of the cell.
 For his part, the doctor slowly lowered his shackled hands, which he instinctively used to shield his eyes after flinching in anticipation of phaser fire that never came.
@@ Line 208: / Line 208: @@
 **OFF**
-**LTCR Leon Cromwell, MD, PhD\\ Commanding Officer\\ USS Republic, NCC-81371**
+**LTCR Leon Cromwell, MD, PhD\\ Chief Medical Officer //non grata//\\ USS Republic, NCC-81371**

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