Fleet 31 Sim Board

Terra Alpha - Capitol City

ONE YEAR LATER

The main city center of Terra Alpha's 'Capitol City',yet another 'original name' that President Nick Ryder hated, was a buzz of activity after the planet formally declared independence from the Federation. The UFP was embroiled in numerous scandals and corrupt leadership had all but turned the once benevolent Federation into a Nazi like regime. Alien allies were being ejected from the Federation, "Terran Looking" aliens were given preferential treatment and there were rumblings they wanted to reform the Federation as an "Empire" and conquer and absorb systems and planets they wanted for their resources.

Angelica Ryder was sitting on the balcony of The Spire, a land based command center and office complex, watching the shuttles and construction crews literally printing new buildings in a matter of hours.

"Hell of a sight huh kid?" Nick said as he loosened his tie and walked over to his daughter.

"Yeah it is. So President... that's gonna take some getting used to." Angel chuckled and hugged him. "I guess you were right, there was something brewing, something really nasty."

"Trust an old spy." Nick said and put his hands on the railing. "I wanted you to hear this from me first. But... you remember when I used to work in Pythus System and there were these weird temporal and dimensional rifts?"

"Yes..." she raised an eyebrow.

"They're forming near here. I don't know how much time we'll have before they do something but... it could get very weird very quick." Nick said and looked out at the city. "All this could be for nothing."

"Or it's just our new normal dad. What IS normal anyway? Especially with us." Angel chuckled and walked over to the table with her coffee mug. "Besides whatever happens, we'll handle it.

Later --

A series of rifts opened up around the Terra Alpha System, security drone ships immediately went to investigate and were destroyed by a couple of large warships.

"We are position Lady Ophelia." a helmsman said in a gruff voice. "Why are we going to these other realities?"

"Because we're testing new ways destroy worlds and we can only really use it once per universe." She said and pulled her robe off and walked over to a tactical station and entered in some commands. "Let's see if this Terra Alpha System can be destroyed in one shot..."

The ship's underside irised opened and a large cone of energy began to form and shot out and hit the system's sun, which immediately went Super Nova and began to wipe out planets and moons within moments.

"Take us back through the rift, we should still see the carnage as we cross the threshold." Ophelia ordered and stood on the bridge watching the viewscreen as Starbase Byron was enveloped and destroyed, followed by Terra Alpha itself which erupted into a ball of debris.

"Oh... I can feel all those deaths in the iljuna... get me someone from the slave pits, I need to... vent." Ophelia said with a laugh and left the bridge

--

On Terra Alpha seconds before destruction.

"This is Commodore Angelica Ryder to anyone that can hear this our sun went nova, some vessal came out of a rift, opened fire on it and... we only have minutes or seconds... but... the readings of the ship, the weapon and our final logs... are being transmitted." she said as calmly as she could through through her comm station. "We may be lost, but... maybe this will help someone. Somewhere... go..." she was abruptly cut off as the solar wave desintegrated the building in a blinding flash of heat and light and left nothing in its wake but debris and destruction.


In another place... another when...

"...ica Ryder to anyone that can hera this..." Nick Ryder furrowed his brow and looked at his eldest daughter and stopped the message. "This came through a small temporal rift. With a rather huge data dump. Time stamp puts it a couple years in the future. But this is disturbing."

"I'll say." Angel nodded her head and pulled her glasses off. "So I guess this means Terra Alpha System is going to be a going concern."

"Indeed. Assemble a crew, I'll be calling in some people as well. When I discovered those small rifts, that greatly resembled the ones I encountered years ago, that seemed to remake reality around me. Hence why you're a grown adult when you should really just be barely out of a training bra and I'm a youthful 'old man'."

"You and Aunt Becca always did make me wonder what really happened there. Part of the reason why I worked with you both so closely." Angel stood up and put her arms around her father's shoulders. "Whatever happened there, we'll make sure it doesn't happen to us. But... at least one thing is for certain, I really can keep cool in the face of certain death and still send useful intel. Maybe Captain Larkon will actually trust me when I say I learned from the best."

"Well, Krull is an old friend but he never truly saw us in action. So... let's make something happen. Because I am seeing some really really nasty things happening in the Council." Nick said as he handed Angel a padd. "I think your mother is backing the wrong people."

"Good thing the divorce was finalized." Angel deadpanned. "By the way dad, there's a scientist on Earth you should meet. Name's Huntington. Apparently she's a pyrokinetic like you."

"Well that's rather disturbing considering I'm the only one like me because that's what the people who made did." Nick said with a frown.

"Exactly why you should track her down. Who knows who did it to her and why or how. Anyway... I've got to go and finish packing. The Mata Hari is being decommissioned and anything left on board after tomorrow will be stuck there when it gets put into mothballs and ripped apart for parts and you know how much engineers LOVE to dissect old Galaxy class ships."

"Listen I didn't put the order through..." Nick said and chuckled. "I had nothing to do with it. Besides, your old CO will love the new ship."

"So what exactly am I signing up for again?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

"A starbase and a rather nice ship which you'll have to see when you get there. It's a surprise." Nick said with a wide grin. "414th will be based out of Starbase Byron when we get everything sorted, honestly... I think we need to seriously keep our friends close these days and trust very few. This is a new normal dear."

"What IS normal anyway dad?" Angel said and waved over her shoulder. "Certainly not people like us or our friends!"

--

And so it begins...

"Glad you asked." Angel chirped. "Dad apparently wants all of us serving in the same system."

"Shit." Marcus winced and ran his hand through his hair. "That's an Epsilon 13 protocol for sure."

"Oh you know about those protocols." Angel raised an eyebrow and muttered. "I thought Kirby made you forg... " she chuckled and smiled. "Yeah... its probably nothing but you know dad."

"Made Kirby make me forget what?" Marcus said and held up his finger. "You know I have severe mental trauma from all the times you guys did that to my head. You know I still count 'One two three Florida five six seaweed. Right?"

"Still?" Angel winced. "Yikes. Okay then I suppose Kirby was right not to neuralize you again."

"Only reason I agreed to the three way partnership we got with Olivia. Besides, Liv needs the stablity too." Marcus said and sighed. "I trust mother isn't coming."

"Oh hell no. I'm still amazed that woman isn't in a prison but I'm biased." Angel said as she felt the side of her throat absently. "I had no idea what she had done to Olivia in the name of 'training'. In any case, your entire unit will be redeployed here. Including Olivia's baby daddy. But I need you to help head up whatever airspace force, I don't know half the names on the list of pilots, but they seem green."

"Well that's what Marines do tend to wear." Marcus teased.

"You do know I outrank you in so many years little bro." Angel said

"Sorry ma'am." Marcus said with a slight pout.

"Ma'am me later. I'll send you what I have, see if you can make some sense out of it. I'll see you all within a couple weeks." Angel said and snapped him a salute. "This could be fun you know."

"Beats the assignment we're on now. Nothing but guard duty."

Starbase Byron -- Orbiting newly 'birthed' planet - Terra Alpha

Admiral Nicholas Ryder was sitting behind his desk in a rather large, well appointed office in the 'Command Ring' part of the mushroom dome. Four tables were cluttered with tools, parts, projects and other various tech 'gear' that lined the side wall. Learning back on his chair, he watched a large holographic display as he made a call.

"Oh c'mon... you have no assignment... what is taking so... Ah. Angelica!" Nick said as he stopped rocking backward.

"Making your own calls dad. I'm impressed, where's your new girl anyway? Kassie usually calls me." Angel said as she slipped her sunglasses down and took a sip of her drink. "You do know I still have another week of leave. I'm on a beach, I have a drink in my hand, a newly made bikini and I'm watching a super cute surf instructor teach a bunch of kids on my beach."

"How would you like a Command position on a Starbase?" Nick said with a smile.

"Hard pass." Angel laughed and shook her head. "I hate station duty. I'd rather be back as an Ops Chief."

"You'll have a ship. Brand new bird. USS Seraphim." Nick replied and floated an image of the ship.

"And... is this still a Section 31 front like the last one?" Angel raised an eyebrow. "Mata Hari was a great ship and I think we did a lot of good." she sipped her drink and smiled. "S31 has been keeping the frontier regions of the Federation safer than Starfleet lately."

"I agree and yes, S31 is sponsoring some of it." Nick replied. "Council has decided that 31 should be feeding more Intel and pulling their weight. But this planet... it's kind of a back up plan."

"Your favorite kind." Angel said and sat up in her chaise lounge and looked at him more closely.

"You know me too well kid." Nick said with a warm smile. "And I'm bringing us all together. Your brothers and sister have agreed, it may take a minute but you're the last one. And I only waited to ask because I knew you were on leave after the way things shook out."

Angel smiled slightly and chuckled lightly. Looking her father in the eyes, she saw how much he had missed her. For most of her formative years, she had been at his side. Everyone teased her that she'd be doing his job eventually. Took a war with the Borg to realize that she had to forge her own path, that she had to be her own officer, make her own way. BUT... there was that tiny part of her that was very much a 'daddy's girl' and missed his counsel, his sense of humor and just being near him.

"You really want us all back together don't you?" she smiled softly. "Alright. I'm in. Whatever you need me for."

"Wow... from Hard Pass to whatever you need me for." Nick chuckled lightly and touched the screen. "I missed you kid. You were always sort of my 'heir'."

"Dad." Angel cleared her throat. "What's really going on? You haven't assembled the whole family like this since like... the Borg War. And even then that was because I got my legs blasted out from under me and we thought I might not make it." she closed her eyes. "You thought you might not make it too.

Nick stood up and the camera on his desk followed him. "That's... why I want you at my side. There's things going on here that I need well... I need as much back up as I can get." he gestured to a model on the table. "Terra Alpha... which is still a placeholder name, but I fear it'll stick... it's being developed as a world that could support a second capital or a sovereign world and alliance on its own."

"Whoa... sounds like it could be a breakaway world." Angel crossed her les and leaned over. "So I guess mom was right all along?"

"Well, she always was a pessimist. One reason why we split." Nick replied. "Or the sleeping with other men."

"Or women." Angel muttered under her breath.

"Wait what?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing... nothing... mostly." Angel winced and sipped her drink. "Sooo... dad. I assume if you want me to take over something, I get to pick my team right."

"Yes... but what about..." Nick started to say when Angel held up a finger.

"You don't want to know. BUT I will say, she's someone everyone has slept with." Angel said and cleared her throat. "Jena."

"Oh... well... Jena's... Jena. I mean..." Nick blushed.

"Oh seriously you too?" Angel's eyes went wide and she started to laugh at the obsurdity.

"No... no. Not me. Tony. And... Uncle Steffan..." Nick winced. "And... "

"THERE'S MORE?!" Angel slapped her forehead.

"Olivia, Kirby and Marcus." Nick chuckled.

"Oh well... that I understand." Angel nodded her head. "Hell I was there. I mean, they're a thruple. Three chicks one dude. Although Marcus knows he screwed up and Kirbs and Olivia will not let him live it down. Zeke's a cool kid though. I think he could have Captain potential."

"I used to think Marcus did too and then he rode my Harley off a building." Nick shook his head as he remembered. "I loved that bike."

"Marcus broke three of his limbs." Angel replied and gave him a look.

"And Kirby broke the other." Nick said with a laugh.

"I missed you dad." Angel said and finished her drink. "Give me a few weeks, wrap things up here on Earth. I'll be there."

"You got it. Oh and Angel... I'll send over the dossiers and the reports for this place. There are some... interesting anomalies here. " Nick stood up and saluted her. "I'll call you later. Captain Ryder."

"I'll look forward to it. Admiral." she said with a crisp salute. Knowing that someone must have come in, they always knew when to switch from informal to formal at the drop of a hat.

Closing her communicator, Angel tucked it into the pocket of her long beach wrap and looked up at the azure Hawaiian sky. "I'll miss this place. There had better be an island like this on that planet." she mused and slipped back into her sandals. Walking back to her beach house she smiled to herself, she had just been promoted to Captain despite a temporary demotion due to her refusing to take a recall when she took extended leave to spend time with her daughter., Trinity, when she had contracted a nasty infection and spent the better of part of three months bed ridden. But she was proud of her daughter, despite not spending nearly as much time with her as she would have liked as she was growing up. Of course, she had her when she was still in the Academy and slept with her brother's girlfriend's foster brother. In so many ways she was very much like her father and in many ways she had inherited the worst of her mother. Like being a better girlfriend than a wife. Married ten days after her 19th birthday, she had her daughter about 4 months later and divorced less than a year later when they spent more time apart than together. His father was the CO of the USS New Zealand and reminded her so much of her own father, they decided that Trinity would stay with Nathan on the New Zealand so she could concentrate on her own career. Nathan was already basically set up to be on that ship, but she was not a science vessel kind of girl. She had her own ambitions and it was a mutual and amicable split.

Walking into the house that her mother had given her as a 'I'm sorry for being a bitch' gift, she looked at her uniform that was draped over a chair, she had taken to actually sewing and tailoring her own uniforms after she found that Starfleet was embedding trackers into the weave of replicated uniforms for quite some time now. They denied it but being an operative of Section 31 she knew the truth. In many ways her paranoia lead to creativity. Her hand crafted uniforms were sturdier and more comfortable. Everyone used to tell her that she should start her own clothing label and she had about four dozen designs that she could make almost from scratch in an evening. One upside to her father's augmented DNA as part of her own genetic soup. 

She tapped a wall panel and opened a communications channel and pulled on her uniform jacket before it connected. "Hey Price..."

"Angelica Ryder? Bloody hell... what are you callin' me for?" A handsome English accented man in a tailored suit said as he set his communicator down at a pub he was in.

"Not a booty call. Not that I want your booty anyway. Well not in the way you think." Angel teased.

"Just like your father, never serious." He rolled his eyes.

"I think my father is going to need someone with your experience and your political pull. Terra Alpha project. Ever hear of it?" Angel inquired as she sat down.

"I have, Council isn't exactly pleased with the notion of a new sovereign world, I'll admit there are some rotten states in Paris. Far too much infighting of late." Jon Price said as he sipped his beer. "Earth is fracturing politically, ever since Mars, there's more talk of decentralizing. What if something like that happens here?"

"So dad isn't the only paranoid one?" Angel raised an eyebrow and hummed.

"Hardly, yet at the same time they are trying their best to tighten control. I'll be honest, I think the Queen wants me gone. I'm far too vocal." Jon replied and crossed his arms. "I'll look into it, perhaps I can get in as liaison or something... get me off world for a little while at least."

"That's why I called. I think we may need you there. Just the way dad spoke, he's never tried to assemble the family like this." Angel looked at the screen. "He's usually been content to let Starfleet assign us, but to take an active role in that... there's something big."

"I'm flattered you called." Jon said with a slight smile.

"Jack always speaks highly of you and you're one of the few politicians I trust." Angel said and cleared her throat. "Besides, dad did vote for you to be on the council."

"I know. Alright... I'll see what I can do. I won't lie, been considerin' a change anyway." Jon smiled over his mug. "My bastard of a father is driving me insane."

"He'd drive anyone insane. How is he not in prison anyway?" Angel shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Because he slips bribes and shags the right people." Jon said with a disgusted face as he swallowed his drink. "Less said of him the better. Oh I'm getting another comm, I'll talk to your father when I get a moment." he said and hung up.

Angel tapped her chin. It was a risky move making a call to him, but it could be useful. Her father was no politician, but if a breakaway world was possible, then he'd need some real politicians to help. She had served with Jon before their CO asked him to do something that made him resign his commission, she considered doing the same, but instead filed formal protest and had him removed from Command, partially due to his not following protocol but also because he was covering up his own improper conduct. Jack had been a university chum of his from Oxford and they had formed a friendship. She wasn't quite her type, she had this impossible dream of finding a creative genius like herself that wasn't a complete lunatic. Of course, she never could quite make long term romantic relationships work.

"Incoming communication from Marine Captain Marcus Ryder." the computer intoned.

"Hey little bro." Angel said as she saw the shaggy haired Marine on her screen. "You need a haircut."

"I know... hey sis, what the fock is dad up to now? I just got orders to deploy to this rock called Terra Alpha. What the hell is a Terra Alpha?'

Somewhere - Somewhen --

The USS Tigris emerged from warp, taking an orbit around an Earth like planet. The rather battered Sovereign class ship separated its saucer section, which immediately took a course for the planet's surface, while the drive section took up an orbit around a small outpost.

"We're entering the atmosphere sir... destination in five minutes." The helmsman, a tall bald gentleman with a slight European accent said with a smile. "I must say you know how to make an entrance."

"I'm nothing if not a little dramatic. Besides, its easier this way." the Commander said as he watched the clouds parting and the city below. "Set us down at the landing point. Nice and steady, we don't want to topple any buildings. Who knows how well they build those things here."

"Oi! Don't be dissing my home town mate. I'll have y'know they built those buildings to withstand orbital bombardments and EMP attacks." a young Ensign with an English accent said from the tactical station.

"At ease Ensign. Just teasing." the Commander chuckled and stood up. "I'll inform Command we're ready."

-- Central Command Office --

A tall dirty blonde haired man walked out of an office and pulled off a battered black leather jacket off his uniform. "Well it's about damn time they got here." he threw the coat over a chair and sat behind a console. "Tigris, this is Ryder... land her easy, the cargo on there's very delicate and Sovereign class saucers don't grow on trees y'know." his slight Midwestern US accent coming through as he chuckled. "Welcome to Terra Alpha."

"You could have done this operation yourself sir." the Commander replied and cocked its head. "Pushing the limits of my holographic matrix."

"That's what our ship was always about Commander. Hence why I call you Commander." Ryder said and watched the saucer come to a graceful landing on a large open plaza. "And.... vent the thrusters and set her into standby mode. Good work people. Venturi, Marson. Get your crews on unloading. A'yala, V'Vyhr... get the science teams assembled, the samples are only going to last so long. Call the Vulcans they may want in on this too."

"Aye sir." they said in unison and went off to do their jobs like a well oiled machine.

"I must say dad, you never lost your touch." A petite women in a grey and white suit said as she walked over and clapped her hands. "So I guess this means you're going to make this a permanent posting for yourself hmm?"

"You sold me on it kid." Nick said with a grin and pecked her cheek as she walked over. "Where's the uniform?"

"I'm off duty, well as off duty as I can get around here." Angel replied and spun around. "And I just made this. like it?"

"It's too short." Nick replied dryly with a slight smirk.

"Some things never change." Angel said with a sigh and shake of her medium length brown hair. "C'mon old man, let's see if the kids actually made us proud."

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