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Post by Einar on Apr 1, 2017 15:17:16 GMT
So he waited.
This was torture. He couldn´t fathom how much time had passed as he waited...sometimes it felt like eternity had passed.
Beep........beep
It was as if time stood still.
With every deafening beep his despair grew stronger.
Ding
Finally.
Tony twisted the handle and reached in with the mittens, grabbing the steaming lasagna out of the oven, making sure not to burn himself.
Oh how he had waited for this.
He brought the casserole through the screen leading into the garden where his team sat after a long day in the fields, soaking in the New Zealand sun.
They all sat to attention, a testament to their Starfleet roots. "Stinky" he said, cutting into the dish and pulling up a sizable portion.
"That's not my na-"
"Jarrod"
"Give it to me" the large Englishman said, practically drooling at this stage.
"Cecilia"
"Oh all day long, Chief"
"You guys are filthy" he said as he finally served himself a portion and sat down, grabbing the utensils to devour his dinner. His mother´s famous recipe, made from fresh produce they grew here in this prison...sorry Rehabilitation and Betterment Center, RBC for short. He had been thrown in here after handing Henry Sumner a code, sharing the news of Twissel with all of the Federation.
It was vegetarian of course. The Feds didn't allow them any real meat, Paradise didn't involve slaughtering animals and his access to replicators was sparse, considering how he ended up here.
The eggplant and tomato, covered with melted home made mozzarella....oh that tasted amazing.
"Tony....fuck me, this is amazing" Jarrod said with his mouth full, his large callused hands engulfing the plate. The man had been here longer than most, tending these fields. "Eat up while it's hot, buddy"
Today was a good day in paradise.
---
He didn't much care for guests. Mostly it was the press, trying to get an exclusive but Starfleet had made it sure to slap him with a gag order. Shut up and live in Paradise, talk and Rura Penthe will sound like a pleasure planet in comparison.
Today was different.
"Hi Tony" Mac said from across the forcefield. Her hair was shorter now, she was leaner too.
"You look tired" he said, his concern genuine. "I heard about the Bremen....I'm sorry"
"Screw you" she said, her left hand trembling. "You left us when we needed you the most"
"Mac...I had my reasons..."
"Reed is dead!" she snapped back at him. "She needed you...I needed you but off you went. Playing hero for your precious Raq!"
Tony´s heart raced as he leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair. His head swimming. "I....I had to help. There was.....someone had to get the word out."
"Keep telling yourself that"
"Mac"
"I just came to tell you that....she"
She reached up and wiped a tear from her eye. Tony wanted to reach out and grab her hand, his closest friend. "I'm sorry"
Some days were worse in paradise.
---
"You told me I´d be out by now..."
"Anthony....it´s not that simple. The Justice Department objected strongly to your early release....don't quote me on this but I believe the President himself spoke to the board"
"So I'm stuck here, tending the fields....after everything I did for them!"
"I'm afraid so...." his attorney said, shuffling padds before him. "I will try again....I will keep trying, believe me"
"Fucking paradise...Just.....just leave it"
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Rascal
Lore Committee
Posts: 120
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Post by Rascal on Apr 1, 2017 18:41:03 GMT
Tony! Yay!
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Post by Shawna on Apr 4, 2017 0:19:05 GMT
Oh god...at least he's not dead. Unlike some people.
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Post by Einar on Apr 4, 2017 8:42:59 GMT
You can´t kill Tony, what would you guys do without him?
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Post by Nola on Apr 4, 2017 17:25:42 GMT
I'll have you know that the Bremen did just fine without Tony! They managed to set back relations with the Riani, and they dismantled the Federation, and got themselves blown up all on their own...
Yeah, I see your point, now.
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Post by Einar on Apr 11, 2017 9:41:07 GMT
With C.J. as Captain Sara Sumner.
A Few Months Ago...
Sara understood the aim of the Paradise facility; a peaceful, pastoral setting could be an excellent environment for rehabilitation, in certain cases. She expected she'd last maybe three days before she lost her shit. Tony? It could probably go either way. After all, he was rehabilitating from much more than just 'treason.'
"Captain Sumner?" called the receptionist, drawing her from her reverie.
"Yes?"
"He's ready for you."
Sara was led down a hall and ushered into a sparsely decorated meeting room. There were potted plants and from outside you could hear the sound of running water. But it felt cold and on display. Despite its charming nature, there was no mistaking that this was a prison.
Tony stood up and saluted. “Cap´n.” He fought the urge to hug her, now that for the first time in a year he was not separated from his friends by a forcefield. “It is good to see you, ma´am”
Sara gave Tony a warm smile despite her mixed feelings at seeing him. She initiated the hug for him; the loss of the Bremen had made her more of a hugger, her connection to her crew having been so close to oblivion.
"It's good to see you, too," she said as she let him go. "It's good to see you safe, so to speak. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again, honestly."
Tony motioned for his Captain to sit as he took his own seat in an ugly comforter from the 23rd century probably.
"Cap´n....how´s everyone? Is Henry...?"
"Whereabouts unknown," she offered as she sat. "Though he's let me knew that he and Kesh are alright."
She gazed at Tony for a long moment, a storm running through her thoughts.
"It's not right that you're in here," she said.
Tony glanced up and made a circling motion with his fingers. "Don´t worry, I made sure that no one is listening" Sara said in response, tapping her collar where the four pips were located.
Tony smiled briefly "A lot of things are not right, Cap´n....but I was at the end of my rope. I already abandoned my post and destroyed my career, not to say my personal life"
He bit down as emotions threatened to overwhelm him again, the loss of his daughter and of Nia still like a dagger in his side "You, Raq....you guys can still do good out there. I acted alone. That´s my story and always will be."
"My point, Tony, is that you didn't do anything wrong," she continued. "Well, at least not when it comes to Twissel."
Some part of her wanted to scream at him. How dare he feel sorry for himself after abandoning Nia? The rational part of her, however, thought about Ulani. She tried to imagine what she might do if she'd lost her own child. She couldn't judge Tony for that, even if she really wanted to.
"You helped to expose a plot against the Federation," she went on. "They should be thanking you."
"They are. Traitors don´t get to live in Paradise....I don't mean to be blunt, Cap´n, but what are you doing here?"
She sighed softly and sat back in her chair, examining her former Chief Engineer, the wheels turning a bit.
"I guess I'm here to find out your mental state," she offered, eventually.
"I would have guessed that you'd want to get out of here, if only so you could live your own life. Now, I'm not so sure."
Tony scratched at his ear absentmindedly. "I've only accepted my fate, Cap'n....my family have hired the best lawyers. Yet no one can seem to tell me when I will be released. If ever"
Sara ran a hand through her hair and leaned forward once more.
"This isn't a legal fight, Tony," she lamented. "It's a political one. There are those in Starfleet who would love to blame shit on you and me instead of accepting the necessity of removing 31. But they're wrong, and there are people on our side. It's just a matter of convincing them to do the right thing. I haven't given up on that. You shouldn't, either."
"What do you suggest then" he asked, himself leaning forward 'Are you saying I can get out of here?"
Sara stared directly into his eyes, her own hazel orbs fiercely focused in what could only be described as a Sumner look.
"I'm saying that I won't rest until you are," she promised. "It may take every favor I have, it may take every underhanded trick I've got, but you will be free, Tony." She took a deep breath, gaining some control of the fire in her expression. "In the meantime, make plans, ok? Do what you have to in here, but make plans for when you get out."
“What plans? Go back home to Rome and take up violin lessons? Starfleet doesn´t want me.”
"I don't know if you get the news feeds here, but Starfleet isn't exactly in a position to refuse anyone," Sara grumbled, rising out of her chair, and beginning an aimless wander. "Least of all an experience chief engineer. But if you don't want to come back, that's fine. Go to Rome and play violin. Go to Aldebaran and distill whiskey; fuck's sake, Tony, you'll have three quadrants to go out and find literally anything!"
She had wound her way back to the table, becoming more agitated with each step. Each syllable was sharper than the last, and she punctuated the last word with a solid fist against the surface. This wasn't just about Tony Adalberto anymore. She had let it get away from that, and now it was all of her frustration that threatened to spill out. She tried to think of something she could say to get through Tony's resignation, anything that might trigger something that wasn't apathy. The answer came too fast for her to stop.
"Christ; if Nia can do it, then what's your excuse!?" She had said it, and couldn't take it back.
“Screw you” he said nearly growling, his eyes fixed on the table. “I can do the fuck I want, but first I have to get out of here. And if you can deliver on that, then we can talk”
Sara stared hard at the man that had once been part of her crew, a man who had risked and lost his freedom to finish what she had started. Whatever she felt about what he'd done to Nia, him being locked in a prison was the bigger injustice. Or maybe it was just the one she could do something about. Slowly but surely she calmed the roiling in her chest.
"I'll let you know when I make some progress," she offered. It likely didn't make him feel any better. She waited another moment before turning to leave, pausing once more near the exit.
"She's doing ok," she said softly, glancing over her shoulder. "Left Starfleet, got her own freighter now."
Tony glanced up and just nodded. “Thank you”
Sara sighed and forced herself to leave before she said anything else she'd regret. She wouldn't tell him that she had helped Nia move on. She wouldn't tell him that they had shared a bed. She wouldn't tell him that they had fallen a little in love.
Not yet.
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Post by aoibheni on Apr 11, 2017 20:05:23 GMT
Beautifully written, gents. I read this this morning, and it's still on my mind.
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Post by Einar on Aug 19, 2017 13:35:29 GMT
"Who´s Rakkeen?"
Tony stirred and nearly fell off the lawn chair as Andy´s voice broke through his dreams. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I must have dozed off, sorry man"
The younger man shrugged, his arms up and behind his head, sunglasses resting on his nose "No bother, I´ve been ...observing the new inmates."
Tony looked over the courtyard at a group of young people, mostly women, their standard issue jumpsuits torn to pieces and barely covering them. "Space hippies, stole a Vulcan freighter to search for Eden"
Tony raised an eyebrow, what a day to be leaving.
"So, who is Rakkeen?"
Tony grabbed his own shades from his carry-on and put them on. "A friend"
Andy chuckled at that and grabbed his glass of ice water "Sounded like more than that to me"
Tony just sighed and sat up straight, looking straight at his friend "You gonna be alright in here Andy?"
"I'll be fine"
"Kid....really, I'll try and come visit when I can. And I am leaving you my supplies and credit..."
"Tony....honestly, I´ll be fine...look at those guys...."
Tony chuckled at that, then looked at his watch. "I have to go....I'll call you when I have settled in, okay"
"Yeah, whatever"
Tony stood up and grabbed his carry-on. "Take care of yourself, kid"
Andy didn´t look up, so Tony just grabbed his shoulder gently before walking off towards the main hall where Sara would be waiting for him.
----
"Mr. Adalberto?"
Tony looked at the Starfleet office that waited for him on the other side. "Yeah, I´m Tony"
"Mr. Adalberto, you will come with me to the nearest Transport hub where you will be transported to San Francisco" He placed his bag on the ground and looked around "Where´s Captain Sumner?"
"Otherwise engaged, Mr. Adalberto...now please come with me"
Tony bit his lip in annoyance and grabbed his bag "Of course she fucking is"
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Post by aoibheni on Aug 19, 2017 18:06:26 GMT
And then what happened??!
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Post by Einar on Aug 20, 2017 17:59:57 GMT
Tony sat at his usual spot, the one right by the darts board in the San Francisco bar nursing his sixth glass of rum. All around him were beings from all over the quadrant, playing holo-games, 3D chess or billiard. This was his usual go to bar before taking up his first deep space assignment, back when he was still teaching at the Academy. Before all the drama and chaos that ensued.
"This seat taken?"
Tony glanced up at a beautiful Orion woman in a flowing dress as she pulled out a chair and sat down next to him, waving the barkeep over as she did.
"Not interested" he said, not paying her any attention as he watched the rum swirling in his glass. He wasn´t here for that. He was here to feel familiar, feeling something close to ´normal´.
Sara had told him she would be there to pick him up, after all it was her doing he was out at all...on probation of course. But she hadn´t shown up.
He had felt there was something off with her when she visited last. Something cold, something she wasn´t telling him. Of course they had never been close, but he had served her well. He had sat in prison for her crimes. And she didn´t even have the decency to tell him she wasn´t coming. She sent a fucking Vulcan liason.
Wherever she was, he hoped she was in deep shit.
"Cacique?"
"Sorry?" he asked as he glanced up at the woman. Her eyes were stunningly blue, something not common in Orion women.
"Your drink. I ordered you another, I hope it was right....the smell is unmistakable"
"Look lady, I´m Starfleet (or I was)...I´ve long been inoculated against pheromones..."
"I´m no prostitute, Mr. Adalberto"
At that he took notice.
"You know my name" He downed the drink just in time for the bartender to refill his glass and with his third hand lay down a glass of what appeared to be a Saurian brandy.
"Of course. You are a famous human after all"
"Great....you my probation officer?" he said grinning and raised his glass in a toast which she reciprocated.
She grinned and took a sip of her brandy, her eyes closed as he savored the rich taste of the drink. "Not exactly"
"Starfleet?" he asked, sipping his own drink.
"Yeah"
"Great. You do realize I´ve been discharged right? Most dishonorably?"
She swung her chair around, her long green legs crossed over, gracefully hiding the rest of her hips under her short golden dress. "Mr. Adalberto.."
"Tony"
"Tony" she said, stressing the name. "I´m here to offer you a way back in..."
"Not interested" he downed his drink and swung around, stood up and headed for the exit. "I´m done with Starfleet".
"I think I can persuade you" she purred, holding her own glass close to her chest.
"Look lady, you´re hot and all. But I would never go back. I helped your precious Federation and you threw me under the fucking runabout. So no. I am not helping you, you can fight this fucking war on your own. This time, I'm out. I´m done. For good so...just leave me the fucking alone"
She brought the glass right up to her lips, tasting the brandy gently before speaking "You can come back in or we arrest Commander sh'Hruvek ....I believe she compiled the report, right?"
"What do you need?"
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Post by aoibheni on Aug 24, 2017 20:18:49 GMT
I literally adore how loyal Tony is.
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Post by Einar on Aug 26, 2017 11:20:42 GMT
"I won't murder anyone"
"We're not asking you to. At least not yet" the woman said, the facade dropped since that night at the bar almost two week earlier. "The Federation is broken. And it takes more than just Starships patrolling the border and diplomats in closed talks to put it back together".
"It needs spooks is what you're saying" he interjected from the leather sofa, luxuries not usually found in modern society. Where did they even get the leather?
"Intelligence agents"
"Starfleet Intelligence...Section 31, it's all the same. Lies, assasinations and -"
"Rock and roll?" she asked with a grin, her figure now clad in a Standard Starfleet uniform but with a black tunic underneath the jacket, no pips on her collar.
"Commander, we are not Section 31. The Federation has dug up the weed and scorched the earth...or something like that, I don't really do gardening. We are going to help put things straight. Mend the wounds"
Tony leaned forward and put his head in his hands "But I assume blackmail is still on the table".
"I needed you attention, Commander"
"Tony. It's just Tony now"
"Not here. Here you retain your commission"
"Not as an Engineer!" he spat back, rising to his feet. Causing the two uniformed guards at the entrance of the office to reach for their phasers. Lilah waved them down. "Not yet...but help us, and I promise you that we will get you back onto a ship....maybe not the flagship...-"
"But a ship"
"Yes Commander. You'll get back out there. I promise.....but there are some things that we need first. And I really think that you can help"
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Post by aoibheni on Aug 26, 2017 11:28:04 GMT
If there's one thing in particular I love about star trek role play, it's how clever many of the shorelines have to be in order to get past the repercussions of a previous event.
I'm dying to see where this is going, E.
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Post by Shawna on Aug 31, 2017 19:20:34 GMT
aaaaaaaaaaaa gosh dang it I love Tony and I love his feelings about Raq and I love all this shady bullshit??? Get his ass back on a ship pronto!
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Post by Einar on Dec 21, 2017 20:15:21 GMT
"For fuck´s sake Radar, do it!"
Tony sat crosslegged in the walkway, a jumble of optical relays between his teeth and a hyperspanner and a phase modulator in his respective hands as he worked frantically against the clock.
"I efh duith may bethzz!" he spit back, almost losing a couple of cables as he did.
"Just make sure you do, or we´re all dust!" the leader, a large MACO by the name of Rex.....Tony suspected that was not his real name, yelled at him from the end of the corridor, his plasma rifle at ready.
Tony grabbed another relay and put it into place, seal, encode, bring up to phase....there. He reached up and tapped furiously at the small PADD magnetized to the bulkhead, overriding the security to splice the relay. "Radar!"
Tony spat out the other cable "That´s not my name!"
"Come on....come on!" Clara pleaded, her large brown eyes glistening as she looked at him from the end of the corridor, the large medpack on her back. "Please Tony...."
Pulse rifle bolts pierced the air, the smell of ozone a familiar smell now.....weird that this had begun to feel familiar. Weird how he didn´t even miss her.......ringing, his ears were ringing.
...
..
"Radar....Radar!" he came to with Clara straddling him, her long brown hair lose and tickling his nose. "Again? you´re insatiable..." he drowled as she shot him up with a hypo. "Tony you have a concussion...try not to move too fast, I got you...."
Tony´s eyes focused on the bulkhead above him, there was fire....plasma.
"Plasma grenade, you have second degree burns....try to relax"
"No...let me up....I need to finish" Clara looked over at Rex who nodded his approval, before helping him sit up. "Get me my tools"
"Look alive, Gunny! Radar is getting us out of ´ere!" Rex shouted at the fourth member of their team, Thrall the gigantic Andorian, before diving out from his cover, squeezing the trigger.
Focus.......Tony ignored the pain in his left side, and the thrumming in his head as he grabbed the cables from the floor and stuck them in his mouth once more.....that was not a good taste.
Place. Seal. Encode. Phased...encrypt.....repeat. He could feel the sweat dripping down his back as he worked, the air sizzling with plasma and phased energy bolts.
"I have it"
He looked up but no one had heard him. He wasn´t even sure he had said the words. "Fuck, I´m fucked"
"What??" Clara yelled over the supressing fire being laid down by his squad.
"I said I am fucked!"
Clara just nodded awkwardly and then looked at the readout, all green. Her eyes went wide "Sarge! He´s done it! The refraction grid is down!"
Tony looked up at her smiling "Can I sleep now?"
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