Rator III Awaits

Rator III Awaits is the 18th episode of the fifth RIS Bouteina season.

Tagline

The RIS Bouteina returns to Rator III, the new capital of the Romulan Star Empire. When they arrive, Annika Hansen meets her original template, Seven of Nine, then on an official visit.

Summary

Act One

After its five-year mission was completed, the Bouteina has arrived on orbit over Rator III, returning home, with the real estate project of Taev Radaik's brothers being completed. Annika receives new instructions and these make the Bajoran astrometrics officer be shifted out of the ship. On the viewscreen, there is a map of the city in which the projects of Number One's siblings are constructed and Damar replicates some fireworks displays for their arrival down on the planet. Before they beam down to the surface, the crew muses about one of Annika's World of Warcraft-related projects.

Act Two

The list of inductees for the World of Warcraft Hall of Fame required a level 8 security clearance to access, due to the military connections of the induction committee. While questioning the purpose of the WoW Hall of Fame, the bridge officers realize that the riov herself is inducted, with Annika supplying exhibits. Once Annika inaugurated the Hall of Fame, in ch'Tarco, the four senior crew start their visit of the Hall of Fame, visiting the exhibit dedicated to the Wishblade Declaration and, once they are done visiting the museum, they are returning to their homes nearby. But their attention is diverted...

Act Three

Once out of the WoW Hall of Fame, the senior crewmen find themselves in the temporary hall of the Romulan Senate. They see several of them being promoted, like Taev Radaik and Neleras, to riov and aendeh respectively. Just afterwards, Seven of Nine gets into an altercation with her clone, berating her, claiming that Annika is just the toy of the Tal Shiar even when Annika realized one of her original's ballet-related aspirations and that Seven of Nine would never have been assimilated if not for the Tal Shiar. Fortunately, Commodore Jean-Luc Picard was there to resolve the dispute.

Act Four

Annika and Neleras return home, only to find that Neleras has installed the latest in domotics, out of fear that other Tal Shiar people backing other senatorial factions would kill the couple. Their home is furnished with a plasma viewscreen, Rakellian countertops, among other things, while Annika takes delivery of a replica of Alanna's Embrace from S'arah. Everyone realizes how passionate Annika was about World of Warcraft but Vox'ula announces that he has been transferred. Which brings about a couple of problems: they have to replace their exchange officers, with Tara Whitten as counselor.

Act Five

Before Annika can even think of renewing everyone, she has to ask the intentions of her crew for the future. Mizarh leaves to pursue his hockey dream, but the vast majority are staying, because they are either persecuted on their homeworlds or that other postings would poison their lives. The final tally of the crew members that needed to be replaced was an operations manager, an astrometrics officer, as well as three flight controllers since they all left for various reasons. Upon leaving Rator III, the Bouteina was assigned to combat patrol in the Tarraco system and they were beamed back to the ship.

Quotes

"Please excuse me, but your project of WoW Hall of Fame will never get off the ground!"

"The thing is, enarrain Vox’ula, the people are looking up to something that seems unaffected in these troubled times. And World of Warcraft is one of these things."

"That’s true, riov. World of Warcraft is largely left alone by the Senate now."

— Annika, Ulduar and Vox'ula talking about the WoW Hall of Fame

"Ulduar, beam us up!"

— Annika to Ulduar

External link

• Rator III Awaits on the RIS Bouteina boards