Theo Whittaker/Starbase 118 Ops Missions
| Crew of USS Blackwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Commander Theo Whittaker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dish Served Cold: Several weeks after the decommisioning of the USS Columbia, Theo was assigned to Starbase 118 Operations as its Chief Engineer. After reporting in with Acting CO Commander Sal Taybrim, he barely had time to get some rest before he was called to the report to the USS Albion to assist in the efforts to stop Captain Haz Arrhimen, the crazed Captain of the USS Stormcrow from launching an attack against the Imperial Romulan colony world of Valdis. Arrhimen's brother had been killed by Romulan terrorists who attacked Starbase 118 and the freighter SS Annabelle's Lament. After securing the Albion for an expedited departure, Theo reported to sickbay for a physical and then sought out Taybrim for more orders. He visited Engineering Laboratory 6 where he met fellow engineer Lieutenant JG Cadfael Peters as the Albion entered the Valdis system's dense asteroid field. Shortly afterwards, Albion was attacked by the Stormcrow in a vicious assault. Although Stormcrow was destroyed, Albion had already suffered extensive damage. Baylen Anders called him to the torpedo control room to diffuse an overloading torpedo, that failed to explode. A plasma fire broke out shortly afterwards and Theo and Anders had to escape by crawling through the underspace of the torpedo room. Following their escape, the two officers made it to the bridge- after Theo applied makeshift bandages to Anders' hands- where they soon discovered a bio hazard contaminent was airborne on Decks 1-4. He then joined Anders again to make modifications to the deflector array to allow them to locate a cloaked Romulan ship. He was present on the bridge when the warbird was uncovered and then left the area.
Tribble & Strife: As Operations' Executive Officer, Theo was required to attend the innaugral dinner of the Tribble Fanciers Association's commencement dinner due to the station hosting the annual convention. Uncomfortable, largely due to his aversion to the Starfleet dress uniform and because he knew nothing about tribbles, events took a turn for the worse when the key note speaker collapsed on stage having been knocked out and poisoned by a modified tribble. Shortly after unsterilised- and undetectable- tribbles began to breed, requiring the station's convention centre to be quarantined. Theo remained on site to co-ordinate, and witnessed somebody fleeing from the scene but he could not identify who it was. During the course of the evening he revealed to Commander Taybrim that he was dating Lieutenant Commander Anders and had an unexpected and fleeting reunion with best friend, Mirra Ezo. Once the quarantine was lifted due to the arrival of probes designed to home in on the purr of the tribbles, Theo proceeded to co-ordinate the evacuation of Deck 1075 with security officers Rocko and Anderson, selling to the civilians living there as an unscheduled drill.
All Time High: When Boris Malinov, who fled the station after the release of his weaponized tribbles with the help of Madame Lurtz, was found dead on Tilanna V, the crew of Operations was tasked with assisting with a beleaguered and disillusioned police officer, Gilora Jemet in a murder investigation as well as helping to stop the flow of a powerful narcotic call All Time High. Theo was tasked with leading an away team to the planet and, after making sure preparations for the journey are complete, was present when the Starship Aegis departs the station. He adopted the identity of a young police officer called James Deveraux since Starfleet officers were not trusted on the plane. The investigation lead the away team to a club called The Factory where Malinov was seen in the hours before his murder. There he meets an alluring Orion woman who attempts to decieve him using her pheremones although he eventually sees through it and begins to interrogate the woman. A firefight between the woman's lackeys- working for the Jenatris Confederation- ensues and Theo has to take several lives. He is also present when the woman is shot dead by the partner of Jemet, who also murdered Malinov. He is then returned to the Aegis where he finds it difficult to process recent events. He was also surprised when his partnet, Baylen Anders, returns with a six year old boy- Mase Parker- and announced he will foster him until his next of kin can be found (Mase's person were recently killed in an explosion).
Once More, With Feeling: Sal Taybrim threw Baylen Anders a surprise party for his birthday on one of the station's many holodecks. The programme was a recreation of the Starship Armstrong at the turn of the 24th century. Theo played the role of the ship's Chief Engineer. Unknown to Theo and the rest of the staff, they were all exposed to an aerosolised form of Golden Dew- a liquor notorious for quick intoxication- which lead to many of those present bursting out into song. When Theo worked out that something was amiss he suggested that they rewrite the errant holodeck program so they can reactive the holodeck program and it's safety protocol. He does so with the help of new engineering officer Carter Greyson. Eventually the program was shut down and he was present when Chennel materialises on the holodeck to warn the crew not to interfere with her operations- she also hinted that she was directly responsible for the events of the previous. After she disappears, Theo was put is in charge of a team to work out what happened Lieutenant Trellis Vondaryan, who did not materialise with the rest of them once the program ended. They realised he had been somehow phased slightly out of normal vision and Ensign Greyson found an old log from the Enterprise-D and works with the other members of team to implement it. Once Vondaryan is phased back, Theo then begins an investigation of a so-called "goth club" in an area of the station known as The Dungeon. He was assisted by former Columbia crewmate Lieutenant Diego BeyettThey are refused entry by the bouncer and were forced to make a covert entrance via a malfunctioning ventilation shaft. The two met up with Lieutenant's Trel'lis and Zinna as well as Marine Captain Raymond Hughes and discovered a hidden access tunnel to an unmarked area of the station known as 'The Below'. Shortly after, they encountered a Pelian who traps them in a slaver's courtyard, where the weapons emplacements kill Hughes. After disabling them via an overloaded phaser, Theo arrested the Pelian.
The Show Must Go On: Theo was ordered to collect Lady Shadonna- an instellar celebrity and Theo's favourite singer- from the New Scotland colony after the singer's shuttlecraft breakes down en route to the station, where she was due to perform a concert. After arriving at the colony, he was dismayed to realise that reports of her diva-like behaviour had not been exaggerated. The away team, Shadonna and her manager- Basil Hobbs- were attacked by Orions using a Ferengi vessel. He was tortured repeatedly by an Orion woman known as Yillara Khante, who he deliberately provoked and calls a 'second rate Chennel'. he eventually managed to break free and regrouped with his away team- who also managed to escape confinement thanks to poor maintaincence of the vessel. After making their way to the the vessel's computer core, they became involved in firefight with their captor. Theo was injured further and witnessed Lieutenant Commander Kaitlyn Falcon killing Khante in a bloody and brutal fight between the two women. Shortly before being rescued, Theo passed out after suucumbing to the injuries he sustained. After waking up in the sickbay of the USS Albion he told Captain Taybrim that he no longer wished to serve in Starfleet, but agreed to hold off on a final decision until he was able to consider it with a clearer head. Around this time, his relationship with Baylen Ander ends unexpectedly.
Dig Two Graves: Theo reported to the Albion's First Officer-putting aside his doubts on the future of his career- after he learned that Haz Arrihman had captured a Romulan warbird and was launching attacks on Klingon border worlds in the hopes of triggering an instellar war between the Klingons and the Romulans. He was assigned to work with Valdar Sorna, Ziron Antraydin to ready the engineering and science departments. Before much can be done, the Albion was forced to engage Arriham and the ensuing battle was brutal: the starship Avalon is destroyed almost instantly and Albion suffers extensive damage, which requires Theo take over the engineering repair efforts. He and Antraydin put out an electrical fire in the torpedo control room and then worked with Taelon to modify torpedoes to ignite the Jenatris Cloud. He oversaw the evacuation of Main Engineering and is the only officer left in the room when the shockwave rips apart the secondary hull. He narrowly escaped with his life and then ejected the core when a core breach begins. He then assisted Captain Taybrim in enabling the vessel's autodestruct system. Theo watched the Albion's destruction from the Klingon battlecruiser commanded by Councillor Dempok, a member of the Klingon High Council who was also investigating the apparent Romulan attacks. Several days later he was overjoyed to discover that Starfleet have assigned the USS Columbia as a replacement for the Albion. He also announced his intentions to remain in Starfleet, having discovered his lust for life once more.
Rendezvous At Raskor: Aboard the newly assigned Columbia, the crew on travel to Raskor I to confront Commodore Allan Kinney who was implicated in several missions with connections to the Orion Syndicate and who Sal Taybrim believes gave the late starship Albion illegal orders which resulted in that vessel's destruction. En route, it is revealed that the Commodore had been spreading disinformation about the crew of Starbase 118 Operations in order to discredit them- and had referred to Theo a 'hyperactive child'. Arriving at Raskor, Theo was tasked with investigating and proving a link between Kinney and a known Orion Syndicate boss known as Nacien Rixx. On his away team is newly assigned Doctor Phrik, with whom Theo clashed with shortly after meeting him. Theo was given intelligence by an undercover Starfleet Intelligence agent before he is arrested for a bar fight triggered by grieving relatives of the USS Avalon's deceased crewmembers. They are released, after an assassination attempt on the Commodore. Theo returned to the Columbia, just in time to greet Ambassador Kalianna Nicholotti who has been assigned to Starbase 118. Theo was not present when Commodore Kinney resigned in disgrace.
Terminal Velocity:As 2394 dawns a freighter is destroyed after faulty engine parts were purchased from traders linked to the Jenatris Tri-Star Racing Confederation (who are believed to be another front for the Orion Syndicate) and the crew are assigned to go undercover to trace the faulty parts to their source to prevent anymore lost freighters. Theo remained aboard Columbia with orders to remain in contact with the away teams- led by Captain Taybrim. Theo objected to the idea of his CO placing himself in danger, but they were overruled. Columbia concealed itself within the enarby Azaris Nebula, with it's composition able to mask the Nebula-class vessel from prying sensors. The ship receiveed a distress call from a striken Klingon battlecruiser which claims that it ran into trouble in a nearby star system. Aware that regulations mandate that a ship must respond to any distress call, Theo ordered the ship to render aid, but remained extremely suspicious given the presence of radiation that renders Columbia's sensors virtually unuseable. Columbia discoverED that a derelict Klingon freighter is emitting the radiation and they are attacked by three Orion vessels. Tactical were able to disable two while a third vessel makes its escape. Following this, it became apparent that a a mole was operating aboard the Columbia who may have compromised the mission. A short while later, the mole- disgused as an officer- escaped from Sickbay, causing the . FTER a short chase, Theo convinced the mole to come in quietly, but refused to guarantee a request for political asylum When the mole- revealed to be a Romulan operative called Dhiov is murdered by a second infiltrator- who is also killed due to his use of experimental and dangerous technology, Theo ordered the ship back to Geneva VI. In order to get there as quickly as possible, he orders the Nebula-class ship to drop out of warp within the atmosphere, and is assisted by a new science officer, Ensign Thaddeus Peril.
The Edge Of Glory: Theo was placed in temporary command of Starbase 118 when Captain Taybrim and Major Tatash were called to testify against Renzon, one of the suspects from the previous mission. Three weeks later, he discovers that the station will be hit by an unusually powerful neutronic storm and that its civilian population and most of the Starfleet contingent were going to need to be evacuated. He and the senior staff were also tasked with studying the storm while inside it and to play host to a group of civilian scientists. The evacuation goes off without a hitch and all the remaining crew were inoculated against the radiolytic isotapes inside the storm, Theo included. Three hours after the station is 'swallowed' by the storm, an undamaged Orion dreadnought riding in the storm currents was detected . The crew did not have time to respond before they were boarded by a team of pirates led by Chennel. She claims the station for herself, but thanks to Lieutenant Aitas's quick thinking, the senior staff were beamed from The Hub into an Industrial Refrigerated Unit in the Commercial Sector. Theo split the staff into groups, instructing them to begin foiling Chennel's attempt to control the station. He tells Major Ishreth Dal and Lieutenant Commander Trel'lis that they will attempt to buy some time and attempted to negociate with the self styled pirate queen. Using the Commercial's Sector subway station to evade capture, he, Major Ishreth Dal and Lieutenant Commander Trel'lis trio are almost killed when Chennel activates one of the maglev trams and attempts to run them over. The trio headed for Theo's apartment where he plans to use it's holographic communicator, they are foiled again when his apartment is destroyed in a powerful explosion from an artillery shell. Chennel later reveals that she intends to use the capture of the station to assume control of the Orion Syndicate and to use the station's powerful arsenal to destroy any Starfleet vessels that attempt to retake the station. Theo then regrouped with the staff and ordered a counterstrike to retake the station. Chennel was defeated after a brief battle in The Hub and she was killed by Tatash after attempting to murder him.
One Last Gasp: Following his unauthourised departure from Raskor I and the counterstrike against Chennel, Captain Taybrim is removed as Commanding Officer of Starbase 118 Operations. His replacement is Captain Storm Bomba, who is popular with the Federation Council. Admiral Vivian Hauke voices concerns that Bomba is ill-equipped to command a base in such a volatile region, but orders the crew not to impede their new CO- hoping he will fail on his own. Taybrim is reassigned as an Ambassador aboard the station. In order to help Hauke, she promotes Theo to Commander, meaning that Bomba cannot simply remove him from his position. Theo lodges protests with Starfleet Command and the Federation Council over the appointment, but promises that he will find a way of working with Bomba- who promptly freezes him out of the decision making process aboard the station, preferring to seek advice from the newly assigned Vitor Silveira. Work continues apace aboard Chennel's captured Orion dreadnought, and Antero Flynn and his team find a secret chamber in the vessel- only to be overrun by hidden Orion troops who attempt to abscond with the vessel. Bomba attempts to use the station's weapons to stop the Orions, but damages the station in the process. It is only with Theo and Tatash's quick thinking that the damage is not severe. Before reporting to Columbia to chase after the Orions, Theo angrily confronts Bomba- threatening to report his ill-judged actions to Starfleet Command and the Federation Council if he messes up one more and cannot find a way to work with the senior staff, all of whom have reported issues with the Antosian. The crew board the USS Columbia and Theo pilots the vessel out of dock and helps to co-ordinate the search for the missing officers. When they track them to Dominicus VI, Theo realises Bomba has little tactical planning experience and takes the lead, frustrated once again. Theo beams down to Dominicus VI and infiltrates the lowest levels of the mine with Aitas, where they encounter her father- a slave of the Orion Syndicate. When they return to Columbia, Theo discovers that Captain Bomba has been removed from command. Eventually, Captain Taybrim is reinstated.
Cruising' For A Bruisin' : A civilian starliner, the Meridia, sends out a distress call which StarBase 118 Operations responds to. While the station's engineering division remove target urine from the vessel's critical systems, it's CO- Captain Elana Doreln throws the senior staff a banquet in thanks. Theo takes part in a guided tour of the station, which brings out his inner engineer. During the banquet he discovers Arlia Anders, Baylen Anders' mother is aboard, and is once again intimidated and exasperated by her overwhelming sexual appetitie. A murder occurs and Theo pays a visit to the crime scene with the station's newest counsellor, Ensign Harper Lyndsay- where he becomes suspicious of a Zaldan man. Following him, he then discovers the Zaldan murdered. He also uncovers evidence of an illegal computer program aboard the Meridia. He beams to the Columbia's engineering laboratory with Rustyy Hael and Aitas and works to purge and examine the computer program. During this, he is advised that Baylen Anders is in a critical condition in the station's medical complex, having escaped from captivity along with his son.