"Tea Traipse"
By Ensign Taylor Bennett - Security Officer
and Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse

Location: USS Sulu, Deck 2 corridor and Ship's Lounge
Stardate 57906.29, 7h40

***

Ensign Sefton was still tugging on a sleeve of his Class A duty uniform jacket as he stepped out of his quarters, trying to get it even with his other sleeve. Just as he thought he got it right, he looked up, and saw a vaguely Vulcan woman stepping out of her own quarters across the corridor.

"Hello there, new neighbour," Cristobel called out. He held a palm up to shoulder level to wave, without actually waving his hand around. "I just came aboard from the Starbase yesterday, how 'bout you?"

Taylor looked up and grinned. "Hi there," she said. "Yeah, I just got here. I've been over on 163 helping out with Security and things to help myself from going insane through boredom. It's so nice to be on a ship finally! I'm Taylor Bennett, by the way. Security."

"Cristobel Sefton. Medical. I know precisely what you mean. If I ever got assigned to a Starbase permanently, I think I might have to resign from Starfleet," Cris told her, only half-serious. "I tend to have trouble sleeping without that barely noticeable warp hum. It took me a while to get used to the Academy on Earth. That's where I just came from - were you on another starship before?"

"For two years I was," Taylor answered. "USS Lexington. Academy before that. I've been helping out on the starbase since I got here, but nothing exciting has been happening there. The most activity I found myself involved in was one day helping out Security and a visiting Klingon and one of the Ops personnel started shouting at each other. I'm looking forward to going off into the unknown and seeing what else is out here again. Growing up on an out of the way colony makes you want to explore, I think."

Cris nodded. "I've spent my life on Starfleet starships. Hasn't yet occurred to me to be anywhere else." He took a couple steps towards her, and pointed down the corridor. "I was about to get some real brewed tea from the lounge before heading to Sickbay -- care to tag along? I hear Stencil is brill at boiling water."

"Sure thing," Taylor said with a grin. "I haven't been to the lounge yet. I imagine it's very similar to lounges on ships and starbases all over the fleet, but this will be the lounge I go to here everyday on the Sulu. Or something like that. I wonder how their plomeek is here. I just hope it's half as good as T'gr's on 163."

Strolling down the hall, alongside Taylor, Cris remarked, "If not, you might still have time to head back over to the 'base, steal his recipe, and use it to replicate the soup in your quarters." He flashed her a cheeky grin, but then squinted his eyes at her in uncertain recognition. "Do...do I know you from somewhere?"

Taylor looked at him for a moment, studying his face and searching her memories. "I don't remember," she said. "However, I have been on the Starbase for a little while, and before that I was at the Academy. Perhaps we had some classes together."

"I suppose..." Cristobel nodded, but also winced because he couldn't quite remember anything specific. "Usually I remember things with more clarity, or I forget altogether. Peculiar." Cris shook his head to try forgetting that he asked altogether. "Do you think the Sulu will be much more interesting than the starbase?"

"Much," Taylor answered. "As I see it, for anything interesting to happen, it'd have to come to the starbase. On a starship, you're constantly moving, and more likely to go to the interesting experiences. At least, that's my theory. And, unless the captain decides to keep the ship right here, that theory should be tested very soon. So, what do you do, Cristobel?"

"I'm a nurse on board, which tends to mean that a slow day is for the best -- no one gets hurt," Cris replied. "Even though, at the same time, it can be frustrating knowing that other ships are understaffed and people are hurting because of it." After they rounded a corner, Cristobel asked her, "Now, what do security officers do when there are no intruders invading? Must be stressful to just be waiting for attacks."

"I don't know about most of them," Taylor said, "but when I'm not fending off one crisis or another, I spend my time training, meditating, or reading. If you're referring to when we're on-duty and there's no crisis, well, that's a different story. Mostly being ready in case there is something. So, it can get slow, but it helps to have an active mind, courtesy of my mother." She tapped the slightly pointed tip of an ear for emphasis. "The rest of the department, however, I believe deals with the stress by trying to crush bulkheads with their foreheads and other similar shows of aggression." She grinned and cast a side-long glance at Cris.

Cristobel chuckled. "Waiting at a starbase must be making them even more delightful than usual." He laughed again. "I'm still feeling quite secure in choice of Starfleet blue over gold. Although, my last minute switch from Sciences to Medical is leaving me with a plethora of heavy studying to do when things get slow in the 'bay. Barring a medical catastrophe that renders the Starbase's medical facilities inoperable, I suspect I'll be reading up on a Medical Officer's procedures for direct reticular stimulation before lunch."

Taylor laughed and made a show of rolling her eyes. "Give me a rampaging Jem'Hadar or Breen," she said. "My ears may come to points, but I'm completely lost when it comes to science."

"At the first klaxon for intruder alert, I'll be sure to hide behind you," Cris told her with another chuckle. "I'm terrible with a phaser, and almost didn't pass my hand-to-hand combat class."

The doors leading into the lounge opened before the pair, and they passed through without waiting a beat in their conversation.

"I'm having a sort of junior officers' game night in my quarters tonight. Do you think you could come?" Cristobel asked.

Taylor sighed. "I would love to," she said, "but when I came aboard I promised Ensign Hansen to train with her tonight. She was looking for someone, and... The next time you have one, I'll make sure to clear my schedule though. A game night sounds like a lot of fun. I really wish I could. Next time, I promise."

"You will be getting a personal invite, Mam'selle Bennett," Cristobel told her with an enthused nod as he walked. He ordered himself an apple spice tea and then nodded out a viewport once the mug was warming his hands. "What do you want to find out there?"

"I'm not really sure," Taylor said. "I don't know what's out here to find, and I think that's part of it. I think...I think it's just seeing what the universe has to show me."

Still watching the stars, through his own reflection on the viewport, Cris felt that strange sense of déjà vu again. Softer than he intended, he asked her, "And what happens if what's out there is frightening?"

"If it's frightening," Taylor said as she pondered the question. "If it's frightening, then we learn from that fear and grow from the experience. We can't let fears hold us back from our goals, or else we might as well all go home."

Smiling softly, Cristobel told her, "Maybe you're not scientifically minded, but you have many more wise words to offer than any other security officer I've known." He took a tentative sip of his steaming tea.

Taylor laughed softly. "It's the ears," she said as she tapped the pointed tips of her ears. "A friend of mine at the academy said I should start writing out my wise sayings and packaging them with dessert treats. He says various cultures in earth's past did that as well. Personally, I've always been fond of the Magic 9 Ball."

Practically giggling, Cristobel told her, "Well, at least you have something to fall back on if this whole Security thing doesn't work out." He reached out a hand to shake hers. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Taylor Bennett, but I've got to get to Sickbay now."

"It was very good meeting you as well, Cristobel Sefton," Taylor replied with a grin. "I'll see you around. We'll have to drink tea while discussing philosophy again sometime soon."

---

"Sisters"
by Ensign Ainsley Chambers
and featuring Alison Chambers [NPC+]

Location: Holosuite, Starbase 163
Stardate: 57906.29, 11h45

***

The sky was a perfect blue, with only a few billowy white clouds surrounding the snow covered mountain peaks in the distance. It was a perfectly calm day with absolutely no noises except for the occasional call of a passing bird and the distant sound of an airplane passing far above.

Suddenly the silence was broken as two figures fell through the air, speeding rapidly towards the approaching ground. With a quick pull one of the figure's parachutes opened and then a few seconds later the second one did as well.

"OH MY GOOOOOODDD!" Alison Chambers screamed. "Why in the world did I let you talk me into this?!" She was screaming at her sister who was quite a ways above her still.

Ainsley Chambers could not hear her sister yelling; had she heard her she would have only laughed anyway. She was having the time of her life. It had been far too long since she had done any skydiving and she had missed it. The main problem was that she had a hard time finding people to go with her. She'd met a couple people who claimed to like skydiving, but when she finally got around to asking them to join her on the holodeck they both came up with excuses as to why they couldn't go. Ainsley had toyed with the idea that it was the company and not the activity that they were averse to, but had decided against that when she thought of the friends and acquaintances that she did have.

Ainsley had been pleasantly surprised when Alison had finally agreed to try skydiving. Actually that was an understatement. She had been completely shocked, but in a pleasant sort of way.

A couple moments before she was going to land herself Ainsley saw Alison land on the ground and fall. Once she was firmly on the ground and had disconnected herself from her parachute she ran over to make sure that her sister was ok.

Alison was sitting up with a none too pleased expression on her face when Ainsley approached. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that. I am a doctor, I've seen injuries sustained from jumping out of airplanes." She shook her head. "And what about you!? Doesn't the fact that you like to jump out of planes say something about your sanity, Counsellor?"

Ainsley laughed. "Probably!" She held out her hand and helped the other woman to her feet. "Give it a few minutes and you won't think it was so bad. Hey, you survived it without even a scratch. You'll probably want to try again the next time we have time off together, maybe then we can go somewhere off a holodeck."

Alison shook her head. "I am never doing that again."

Ainsley laughed again. "That's what I said after my first jump... Computer, end program."

***

The two sisters spent a couple more hours together shopping and eating. This was the third and final day of their time together. Alison's ship, the Hermes, would be leaving the starbase in under an hour and then Ainsley would go report in on the Sulu.

They had just returned to their shared room onboard the starbase to gather up all the stuff the two of them had bought on the station and have them sent over to their ships. Ainsley still couldn't believe the amount of money she had spent. She had bought too much new clothes. Why she had thought she needed them at the time was beyond her; she was going to be in uniform a good majority of the time. She sighed. Oh well, she was looking forward to having some of the imported tea that she had picked up.

"You ready, Ains?" Alison asked from the door.

"Yeah, sorry. Just day dreaming!" She smiled at her sister and then they headed out the door. They walked in silence for awhile, just trying to hold on to their last few minutes together. Unfortunately the walk to where the Hermes was docked seemed to be much shorter today then it had been a couple days ago.

Ainsley and Alison turned and looked at each other.

"Take care of you, eh, little sister," Alison said.

Ainsley nodded. "I will Ali... You too, big sis!"

They hugged each other tightly and then Alison turned quickly and hurried onto the Hermes.

Ainsley watched her go, sadly. She always found it very hard to leave when she and Alison had spent time together. She sniffed a little, hoping she wouldn't cry out in public.

Once Alison was out of sight Ainsley turned and headed to her new ship.

They walked in silence for awhile

---

"Tour of Duty"
by Dr. M'Lira
and Commander Lyrr Tayla

Location: Bridge, USS Sulu
Stardate 57906.29 13h25

***

The ship was comfortable. That was a good sign, or at least M'Lira thought so. She looked around the corridor as she scrolled through the ship, getting to know her way around. She couldn't use the transporter to get wherever she was needed, so there would be times when finding a member of the crew would be necessary. Locating the Primary ODN Junction on Deck 7 would be necessary in case there was ever an emergency there.

M'Lira smiled to herself as she stepped into the turbolift. Of course, it would take her nearly three months to learn that much detail about the ship...possibly longer. But the tour was at least giving her a general idea where various locations were on the ship. Whereas she couldn't yet locate the Secondary Plasma Injector relays in the secondary hull, she at least knew which decks engineering occupied.

The turbolift rose through the ship one more level, and when the door opened, she found herself looking at the Bridge. Still at the starbase, there was only a skeleton crew at work. She noted that most stations were vacant, though someone occupied Ops, Tactical, and Helm, with someone working at the science station as well. She stepped out of the turbolift car and started forward. It wasn't until she'd taken the first step down toward the center of the bridge that she noticed the central chair was occupied as well.

The female command officer seated there was obvious, and M'Lira didn't even need to guess. Commander Lyrr Tayla. She'd reviewed the command staff profiles before the Sulu arrived, and there was only one female officer on the ship wearing the maroon tunic who also spent time in the captain's chair. "Commander Lyrr," M'Lira said with a gracious nod. "I am the new Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Dr. M'Lira. I hope I'm not interrupting anything here. I was just touring the ship."

"No, not interrupting anything at all," Lyrr replied with a welcoming smile. She rose from the Captain's chair and started forward to greet M'Lira. "It's good to have you aboard, Lieutenant. How are you liking the ship so far?"

"It's a very nice ship," M'Lira answered. "I started from Sickbay and was working my way up. It is good to be on a starship again; it's been nearly five years."

"Well, it's my first time being the executive officer of one," Lyrr said, "so I guess we both have something to get used to. So, did you just come to take a tour of the bridge or had you come to meet the captain?"

"Well, I was just taking a tour," M'Lira answered. "But, if the captain is here, I'd like to meet him. I actually served with him for a time, but that's been quite awhile, and I'm sure he wouldn't remember me."

Lyrr chuckled. "This is Matthew Salinger you're talking about, Lieutenant. Of course he'd remember you. I think he makes it a point to remember everyone he's served with. But, I'm afraid he's off...somewhere. When he returns to the Bridge, I'll mention that you came by."

"Thank you," M'Lira said with a smile. "He and I were aboard the Hood together. I hear you saw some action on the survey mission to Dorvali, Commander. I would be interested to hear your account of the aliens. Xenobiology has always been an interest of mine."

"Perhaps when my shift is over I could drop by the sickbay and we can discuss it," Lyrr replied.

"I would appreciate that very much," the doctor said. "Perhaps rather than sickbay, we could meet in the lounge over a beverage."

"A beverage?" Lyrr asked quizzically. Associating with lower-ranking officers was foreign to her now, although not beneath her. In fact, associating in general was a concept unfamiliar to Lyrr, but she found herself nodding to M'Lira at any rate. "My last shift is at 16h00."

"Shall I meet you there, Commander? I can also come to the bridge, or if you were in the area, I will most likely be in Sickbay. Whichever arrangement is the most convenient."

Lyrr was momentarily rendered speechless, but she did manage to reply, "We can meet there, Lieutenant."

M'Lira smiled. "Very well, Commander," she said. "I shall see you around 16h00 then."

"And I will let the captain know you dropped by," Lyrr replied, feeling rather bemused by the entire encounter. She couldn't fathom why she had agreed to a social engagement with a fellow officer. She wasn't even certain she wished to attend it. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour, Doctor."

The Caitian smiled. "I'm sure I will," she said. "Now I go back down to Sickbay, and work my way to the bottom of the ship."

"In the end, you'll know this ship better than I do," Lyrr said with a laugh. "Soon, I'll be having you giving the tours."

M'Lira laughed, a musical sound that seemed to have a purring quality to it. "I will see you soon, Commander," she said. "And, perhaps I can give you a tour of a deck or two afterward."

Lyrr frowned inquisitively at the woman and nodded uncertainly. "Uh...of course, Lieutenant. As you wish."

M'Lira nodded again, and then padded back toward the turbolift. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the feeling of Starfleet deckplates against the pads on her feet. She entered the lift and cast a glance back at the ship's executive officer. It was going to be a good tour of duty here. She could tell already.

---

"First Meeting"
by Lt. Jorell Thalan - Chief of Security
and Lt. (j.g.) Arthas Hex - Deputy Chief of Security

Stardate: 57906.29, 13h50
Location: USS Sulu

***

Arthas Hex departed the turbolift at deck 6 of his new starship. He had already learned the deckplan of the Sulu and committed it to memory and he knew where the main security office was.

He entered the main security offices and looked around. He knew that for the length of his new placement he would be here or on the bridge and felt a slight feeling of anticipation.

It's a great feeling, isn't it? Rear Admiral Gredala spoke to Arthas from Arthas' symbiont.

Arthas, who had discovered the way that he could talk to himself without actually speaking or moving replied, Yes, yes it is.

It was strange, almost like thinking to himself, but it made him feel more secure. He could tell them to shut up without visibly changing.

Good luck, Arth, Hex's previous host and Arthas' previous superior - Craz spoke to him.

Thanks.

As he replied to Craz a young enlisted woman walked up to him.

"Lieutenant Arthas Hex?" she asked.

"Junior Lieutenant, yes," he replied with modesty.

"Mr. Hex, welcome to the USS Sulu, I am Petty Officer Kristian LeClair." She offered her hand.

Arthas shook it and smiled. "Glad to meet you. Is Lt. Thalan here?"

"Yes, he's in his office." Kristian returned to her computer console.

Arthas turned around and looked for the Security Chief's office. He had memorized the floorplan but putting it into 3-D wasn't easy.

He found it and approached it, pressing the button.

Lt. Thalan was looking over the new duty roster for the Security Department, with more than a few new people joining to fill vacancies left by some who had injuries that would need more than a starship's sickbay and a few from recent deaths. He had spent the better part of the morning reorganizing shifts until he was satisfied with which of the personnel would work best with the others.

The chime at his door sounded and he called out, "Enter." He then set the padd he was working on down on his desk and focused his attention on who was to see him.

The door opened and Hex walked into Thalan's office. "Junior Lieutenant Arthas Hex reporting for duty, Lieutenant," Arthas said, standing to attention.

"Ah, Lieutenant Hex, I have been expecting you," Thalan said with a smile and motioned to a chair. "Have a seat."

Jorell looked over Hex, seeing if he met with his expectations of the man. With a simple, "Hmmm," he took up another padd from a small pile of padds on his desk and passed it forward. "A roster of the security personnel. I managed to put together what I believe are three solid shifts. Look it over and let me know what you think."

Arthas picked up the padd and glanced down at it, checking where he was mostly.

"Our mission to Dorvali 449 turned out to be a security officer's nightmare: crewmen snatched up, a few even died. I won't even get into the rescue attempts gone wrong." The Betazoid man reached for another padd and slid it forth to Hex. "A copy of my report on the mission. Feel free to read it at your leisure."

Arthas raised an eyebrow at that, and accepted the second padd.

"So Lieutenant, do you have any questions?"

"Looking at the shift rotations, Lieutenant, I am on the same shift as you. Would it be possible to be posted to a different shift as I prefer to be at the tactical station whenever possible. I feel more comfortable there than in an office," Arthas said

"I do not see a problem with that," Jorell replied. "Put your self down as head of Beta shift then." The man then smiled and commented, "Though it is not like any of us are stuck in the office for long. Something always seems to come up, especially when it comes to security."

"Yes, I've been looking over the past mission. You've had plenty to do," Arthas smiled back.

After a few moments of silence the Chief of Security spoke up, "I guess we should set some ground rules." He then motioned to the office. "In here I expect you to speak your mind. Scream, yell, heck cry if you need to," the man said with a short laugh.

Arthas smiled at the strange comment.

He then pointed outside the office. "Out there I expect for my orders to be followed. If you have some concerns try to catch me after and in some sort of privacy and let me know what troubles you."

"Of course, Lieutenant," Arthas replied.

Thalan then continued, "I'm a pretty easy-going person. Do your job and do it the best you can is all I ask. Do that and we shouldn't have any problems." S grin crossed the man's face. "Not between us anyhow."

"You're very similar to my previous Chief, sir. And that is no small compliment," Arthas replied. He also felt a happy emotion from Craz inside of him, along with multiple different comments that he was controlling, somehow.

"If you don't mind. Lieutenant, my first shift will start in two hours and I have to get my quarters ready," Arthas said

"Very well, Mr. Hex." He paused. "Or would you prefer just Hex?"

"Hex will be fine, Lieutenant," Arthas said.

With a nod the CSO dismissed the young man and returned to the many reports before him.

---

"Conflict"
By: Captain Matthew T. Salinger
Commander Lyrr Tayla

Location: Captain's Ready Room, Bridge, USS Sulu
Stardate 57906.29, 14h15

***

Lyrr settled into the chair Matt had offered after both entered the Ready Room. She watched him scan his computer screen, chuckle softly to himself, at a message most likely, then close whatever he was looking at and regard her finally. She smiled politely in return and immediately got down to business. "So... Have our orders come in, yet? I know everyone else is just getting settled in, but I, myself, am eager to see what they have for us next."

"The only thing I know for certain is that we're due to pick up another new member of the crew, a security officer, on Risa." Matt picked up a padd and slid it over to Lyrr. "With a background like hers, I'm certain she'll soon replace Xayella as your favourite member of the crew."

Lyrr groaned and pulled the padd into her hand. She scrolled through it briefly, then emitted a wry chuckle. "'Records Sealed.' Oh I just love those two words."

"I'm going to have Jorell keep a close eye on her," Matt said. "Hopefully we'll have little to no problems, but it's really hard to tell with reformed convicts. I'm also going to schedule her for mandatory counselling sessions."

"Good idea. Perhaps she and Lt. Tagliesh could participate in a group session. It's much easier keeping an eye on two trouble-makers if they're in the same place," Lyrr retorted. "I just don't know why Starfleet keeps sending us these unruly officers. Are we meant to be a rehabilitation center of some kind?"

"I don't know their reasons, but if they keep it up, they'll have to send us a larger counselling staff as well. And, I know you will never believe it, but Xayella is actually doing quite well now."

Lyrr raised an eyebrow at Matt and nodded slowly. "Well...I guess that can be attributed to all the time she's apparently been spending with you. Oh...where was it this week.... Oh, yes! Your latest rendezvous was in the junction of the Jeffries tubes on Deck 12. They say they could hear you all the way to Engineering." She gave Matt a pointed stare. "Rumours aside, you have been spending far too much time with her, Captain. It isn't boding well for your reputation."

"And ninety percent of gossip is exaggeration," Matt countered. "I'm helping her to become a better officer, and a better person. Also, once you get past her bluster she's a very nice person. Regardless of what my association with her is doing to my reputation, I happen to like her. If you'd just give her a chance rather than looking for every opportunity to cashier her, you might notice that she's changing."

"Captain, I do not have to like her to serve with her. As long as I treat her fairly and civilly, there is no need to overlook her less than exemplary past. In fact, because of her past, you really should be treading carefully, Captain. She could be fooling you, you know."

"You treat her coolly, Tayla, when you have to be around her at all," Matt said. "And, you're very quick to point out every one of her flaws as soon as you get the chance, while completely ignoring whatever progress she may have made. That's hardly treating her fairly. And, if she is fooling me, then she's got a future career as a deep cover agent for Starfleet Intelligence."

"If she is fooling you, Matt, then it could mean the end of your career," Lyrr pointed out. "All I'm saying is that you should at least be a little wary of her. This apparent transformation has lasted barely a week. I think you should wait a little longer before declaring her reformed."

"I haven't declared her reformed," Matt said, obviously growing irritated. "I've only said she's getting better, a condition you seem to stubbornly and adamantly refuse to see any sign of. You claim to be fair and civil in her regard, but what I see and hear is anything but. I'm starting to get wary of your constant belittling and attempts to warn me off of her."

Lyrr sighed and raised her hands in submission. "Fine, Captain, I won't say another word about her. I just wanted to warn you, as any good Executive Officer would, but from your reaction, it's obvious my efforts are unappreciated."

"Your concern is appreciated, Tayla," Matt said. "However, I don't believe the situation is as dire as you make it sound. I'm trying to help Xayella, and I have to get closer to her and be her friend to do that. If I were to suddenly back off and take a hard line with her, it would only push her farther than she already was. I won't abandon her and leave her to fend for herself, and I won't stop being the friend she needs right now."

"You're talking as if you're her only hope, Captain," Lyrr said. "Yes, she is your responsibility as a member of your crew, but it's the counsellor's task to rehabilitate her. I'm sorry to say it, Matt, but this is becoming far too personal for you."

"It is personal," Matt said. "I'm her friend, Tayla. Friends do things for one another, and right now I'm the only friend that Xayella Tagliesh has in the entire galaxy because everyone else has the same sort of self-righteous, damn-those-who-are-less-perfect-than-me attitude that you have. I'm her friend and I'm going to continue being her friend, because that's what she needs, not a counsellor telling her what's wrong with her head or a superior officer looking down on her every action because she's made mistakes in her life."

"But you need to be her captain as well, Matt. I don't think you understand that," Lyrr told him gently. "You can be her friend, but there has to be a line drawn where you can be her captain, where you can set aside your biases and look upon her with at least a little scrutiny. If you don't, how do you expect to see her faults? How do you expect to realize when she's beginning to slip and dragging you down with her? I am not damning her for her past; I am simply treating her as an officer with such a shady service record should be treated. She may deserve a second chance, but that doesn't mean she gets a free ride. If she does, you'll be hurting her more than you're trying to help her, Matt."

"What the hell do you mean? As an officer with a shady service record should be treated? There should be no differentiation between any of the officers or crew on this ship or in this entire fleet." Matt pushed away from the desk and was striding toward the back of the office before he whirled around again. "Commander Lyrr, I don't know where you get your ideas, but let me remind you that we are members of Starfleet within the United Federation of Planets. This isn't the Romulan Star Empire or the Klingon Empire. All members of this crew, of the entire Federation should be treated with respect. And, just because someone has had problems in the past does not give you the liberty to treat them any different than you would any other officer in the fleet, including ones we have to lock away in the brig. Is that understood, Commander?"

"Understood, Captain," Lyrr said promptly, "but I do not agree. But since you are the captain, and I respect you, I will defer to your wishes."

"There will not be two different standards of treatment for the members of this crew," Matt said. "There should never be two standards of treatment. Xayella Tagliesh is not getting a free ride. She has to work just as hard as every other member of this crew. She has to hold the same shifts, the same duties, and adhere to the same rules and regulations. She will not receive any special treatment, positive or negative. It's a second chance, Commander. That means she gets the same chances and opportunities as everyone else. She has to meet the same expectations as everyone else."

"Captain," Lyrr said firmly, "I said I understand." Quickly changing the topic before Matt became further disgruntled: "Dr. M'Lira dropped by earlier. She expressed a desire to meet with you. She said she served on the Hood while you were there."

"M'Lira? Oh yes." Matt chuckled and shook his head. "She took particular delight in giving me physicals."

Lyrr grinned. "Oh really? Well, I'm meeting her in the lounge after shift. Would you care to join us?"

Matt was about to decline the offer, thinking he'd instead go visit with Xay, but then realized that he didn't want to prove Tayla's point too soundly. "Of course," he said. "I'm having dinner over on the station later on tonight, but once we're off duty, I'll be available until then."

"Alright. Well, meet us in the lounge around 16h15." Lyrr rose from her seat with a heavy sigh. "Is there anything else, Captain?"

Matt sighed as well. "I don't like arguing with you, Tayla," he said. "I don't like disagreeing. But, I feel that giving someone a second chance shouldn't come with any strings or conditions. They have a second chance, and should be expected to hold their weight the same as everyone else. If they fail again...I don't believe in third chances." He met her eyes. "I'm a hopeful, optimistic person. There's a lot of bad in the galaxy, but there's a lot of good too. I strongly believe in letting the good flourish. We used to be enemies with the Klingons, but now they're our closest allies. People can change and bad people can become good again."

"Much like the Cardassians, Captain?" Lyrr suppressed a derisive snort. "I understand your views, Matt, and I respect them. But I don't share your idealism." She smiled tightly. "See you on the bridge, Captain." Without waiting for a dismissal, Lyrr left Matt alone in his Ready Room to take further pride in his astonishing optimism.

As the door closed, Lyrr wasn't able to see the padd shattering against the far wall of Matt's ready room. He sat in silent, helpless fury for several minutes, wondering how he would possibly be able to work on a daily basis with an angry, cynical, and bitter woman who seemed to have allowed whatever hope she may once have had to be crushed and obliterated during the Cardassian Occupation. He didn't know how long it would be before her bitterness pulled him down or she left to seek a darker, more oppressive climate to suit her foul outlook on life.

With a growl, Matt strode to the door. He strode across the bridge toward the turbolift door. "Commander," he said in a clipped and frosted tone, "you have the bridge. I'll be on Holodeck 1. Give my regards to Dr. M'Lira, I won't be able to make the meeting in the lounge. I'll talk to her another time." With that, he stepped into the turbolift.

Lyrr watched Matt with a raised eyebrow and gave him calm acknowledgement. As she took her place in the captain's chair, she truly began to wonder about Matt's emotional stability. He was far too sensitive for a captain, which gave Lyrr many more reasons to believe he needed her by his side.

The turbolift doors closed, and Matt Salinger disappeared from the bridge. Some time on the ice would clear his head, but he wasn't sure if anything at all could ease the rift that had just widened between himself and his first officer. There were too many fundamental differences in their styles of command and outlooks on life. How could they ever bridge that when their beliefs were polar opposites?

---

"Wild Fun"
by Ensign Kit Markham
Ensign Amy Reese
Ensign Kelzira Rax
and Ensign Daniel James Greekat [NPC]

Location: Various places, USS Sulu
Stardate 57906.29 14h40

***

Kit opened his eyes slowly, hoping the wonderful dream he'd experienced last night hadn't actually been just a dream. When his eyes found the tangled mop of red hair nuzzled against his chest, he smiled, realizing that it wasn't. A quick glance around the room told him that they were in his quarters, in his bed. At least he hoped it was his. It'd be a real surprise if his roommate showed up to find Kit and Amy lying in his bed.

He pressed his lips to her brow and chuckled. "Sleep well?" he asked softly when he saw her eyes open and gazing at him.

Amy grinned and nodded. "Wonderfully," she sighed. "Never better." She kissed Kit's bare chest, then crossed her arms over it and rested her chin atop them. "Did you sleep okay? I don't snore, do I?"

"I can't remember a time when I didn't sleep as well as I did last night. And, I don't think you snored. I think for me to be sure, we'll have to do this again."

Amy chuckled. "You mean, two times last night, including once in the sonic shower, wasn't enough?" Her hand slid down his thigh beneath the sheets while her right foot played with his. "I trust, now, that you'll have no problem working it - the shower, I mean. If you require another instruction, I'd be happy to oblige."

"I think I may want at least one more lesson, just to make sure," Kit said with a grin. "And, the times we were together were great to tell me that you and I are very compatible. However, since we were very wide awake then -- unless you're really good at screaming in your sleep -- I'll need you to be asleep before I can tell if you snore."

"Was I screaming?" she asked coyly. "I could hardly tell over your screams." She giggled. "I was good, wasn't I?"

"Oh, you certainly were," Kit said with a wide grin. "And so very limber too. How many positions was it last night? I lost track after the one you called the Andorian Lotus. I have one question...are you always that beautifully enthusiastic?"

Amy gasped in dismay and sat up straight. "You doubt me, Kit Markham?" She slung her leg over his waist and perched herself atop him. "I'm extremely enthusiastic," she said, sliding her hands up his arms then pinning them back. "You're just begging for more, aren't you?" With a chuckle, she kissed his lips lightly. "I know your game, Kit, and you're not gonna fool Amy Reese."

"Kit Markham never begs," he said with a grin. "Ever. Well, except for seconds of pumpkin pie during the holidays. But, never any other time. However, I will ask nicely if you'd like. And, I never doubted you for a moment, however, as someone with a scientific background, you must admit that there is quite an experiment here before us. I think I must do more testing under a variety of circumstances to find out if your amazingly bubbly personality is a constant. I, personally, believe it is, but for the sake of science, proof must be found. Do you mind if I spend an inordinate amount of time with you to ascertain this information?"

"Perhaps you can observe me during a date this evening. You know, eating behaviour, table manners... That sort of thing." Amy dragged her hands back down his arms and brought them in towards his chest. "I think I'd like to do some observing of my own," she purred. "Is Kit Markham as intriguing as he appears? Is he really the perfect guy for me?"

"Yes, those are difficult questions to answer without the proper empirical evidence," Kit said with a grin. "You do realize that this is going to require that you and I get...very close, don't you?" He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his breath shortening, sure signs that Amy was affecting him again like she did all last night.

"What's wrong with close?" Amy asked with a sly, simpering smile. Her hips began gently swaying against his and her hands continued massaging his chest. "You afraid of me getting too close, Kit? Afraid of what I'll find about you?"

"The only thing I'm afraid of is you finding out my natural hair colour," Kit said with a happy groan. "Other than that, I'd love to have you as close as you want to be. I happen to like close...ballad close."

Suddenly the room was bathed in the light of the corridor outside. A person stood in the doorway, a very large, imposing person. Unlike Amy's quarters where each occupant had their own private room, Kit's quarters contained a pair of bunks, which of course, put them right out in the room with no privacy from the new roommate.

Kit glanced at the doorway and then up at Amy. "Oops. I think he's early."

Amy made no move to conceal herself and twisted her upper body around to face the officer. "I think you're right, Kit. He's just in time for the fun too." She gave the flustered officer a little wave, then turned back to Kit and kissed his brow. "I'm gonna go shower. You can introduce me to your friend later...if he's still around."

"Sure," Kit said. "If you take too long in there, I may have to join you."

Amy's lips quirked into a lopsided grin. "There you go giving me ideas again..." Kissing his lips this time, Amy hopped off the bed, almost taking the sheets with her and giving Kit's roommate an even bigger surprise, and strolled casually to the refresher.

Kit chuckled as he watched her disappear, then pulled the sheet back to cover himself. "Hi," he said. "I'm Kit Markham. I think we'll be sharing this place together. So...well, come on in."

The man stepped inside the room, allowing the doors to finally close. "My name is Daniel James Greekat. Operations, if you're wondering."

"Looking like you do," Kit said with a grin, "I would have suspected security. But Ops is good. What do you do?"

"Computer tech," he said. "I'm going to be heading the Computer Ops department. You?"

"Conn," Kit said. "Though, I think they may also want me to log some time in Astrometrics, but we'll see."

"That your girlfriend?"

Kit looked at the closed door to the refresher. "Possibly," he said with an enigmatic smile.

"I think I may drop my things here and drop back by later. Give the two of you a chance to...well..."

Kit laughed. "I understand," he said. "And, I don't mean to be rude but--"

"I am a Capellan."

Kit grinned. "Get that question a lot?"

Daniel nodded. "I'll see you later, Kit Markham." He gave him a smile, dropped his carryall, and then exited the quarters.

After a moment, Kit slid off the bed and slipped into the refresher. "There still time for that sonic shower lesson?"

Amy's arm came through the opening of the shower and clasped Kit's hand. With a single, sharp jerk, she pulled him inside to once again acquaint him with the wonders of the sonic shower.

***

This time in uniform, Kit Markham and Amy Reese strolled into the lounge. They both still had a couple hours until their shifts started, and had decided a trip to the lounge would be a good activity to occupy that slot. On the way from the holodeck, where they had watched a concert of a late 22nd century band, Kit had been regaling Amy with some of the more amusing stories of his early life, from his first accident to the aborted EVA walk in earth orbit...without an EVA suit. They'd stopped by his quarters again for another shower and change of clothes before starting for the lounge.

As they found a table and ordered drinks, Kit slipped his hand into Amy's and smiled at her. "I'm really glad my new roommate was understanding, and thankfully he was okay when we showed up the second time. I don't think he minded seeing you wandering into the refresher either."

"I should hope not. I think I look good naked, though I am slightly biased."

"I think I might be now too," Kit said with a grin. "I think we'll have to be careful around him though. I really don't want to piss him off, because he certainly seems about twice as tall as I am and three times as wide. Seems like a nice guy though."

Amy patted his hand. "Oh, I'm sure he likes you. And if he doesn't...well, I like you. I hope that helps."

"It helps very much," Kit said with a grin. "In fact, it helps so much, that if he doesn't like me...it won't matter."

Stencil arrived at the table with their drink orders, and even though he hadn't taken the orders still managed to get the right drink to the right person. He gave them both a smile, and moved on to the next table.

"Amy," a voice called from the other side of the room.

Amy's head turned in all directions, until she spotted the source of the tiny voice. "Kelli!" She waved her friend over, then giggled to Kit. "That's Kelzira, the one I've told you about. I guess you'll get to meet her sooner than later."

Kit glanced at the approaching Trill woman, and then back to Amy. "Sooner rather than later is okay, right? I mean, she sounds like a really nice person and everything. Besides, anyone who's a friend of yours must be worth having as a friend."

"She's really great," Amy told him. "She's fun and beautiful and carefree... I'm sure she'll like you too." She caressed his hand lightly and added, "Hopefully not as much as I like you or we could have a problem."

"Yes, that could be a problem," Kit said with a grin. "Let's hope for problem-free."

Kelzira reached the table and glanced at Kit and Amy's linked hands and raised an eyebrow. "Hey there," she said, a grin spreading across her lips as she sat down. "I missed you last night; though, it looks like you found something to do with yourself." She gave a glance to Kit and then grinned at Amy. "I approve!"

"You do?" Amy squealed happily, jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Kelzira. The two bounced excitedly, drawing attention in their direction. "Oh, I wasn't worried one bit!" Amy giggled and kissed Kelli's lips, then pulled back and offered her friend a seat.

Kelzira slid into the seat and glanced over at Amy and her new friend. "So..."

Kit grinned and glanced at Amy.

Amy looked between the two, then gasped, "Oh! How could I be so stupid! Kelzira Rax, this is Kit Markham...my new... Well, I don't quite know what you are, Kit. I mean...I don't think this is exactly a conventional relationship, and boyfriend seems just too conventional for us."

"How about Significant Other or My Main Guy or possibly even Very Musical Friend?"

Amy snickered. "Musical Friend? Oh you're so very strange..." She leaned forward and smiled dreamily at Kit. "I love it."

"Very musical," Kit said with a grin. "Well, whatever you call us, we are an 'us,' I think. Right?"

"Of course not," Amy said with a dismissive wave. "I was just using you for sex, silly."

"Oh, well then," Kit said with an airy sigh. "I guess I'm just a Sex Toy again."

Amy sat up and jammed her fists into her hips. "Again?" she repeated. "What haven't you told me, Kitty? Or am I gonna have to force it out of you tonight?"

"Oh, I think you just might have to. I wasn't supposed to say anything about that, but all she wanted me for was my fast shuttle and dashing good looks."

"And not your musical skills? I'm shocked!" Amy laughed softly, ending the charade, and leaned forward to kiss Kit's lips. Her eyes lingered on Kit's, gazing affectionately into them, before remembering that Kelli was still watching. She turned to look at her friend, and smiled apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kelli. I don't want to neglect my girl." After sitting fully in her chair again, she patted Kel's knee. "So...what's up?"

"Oh, nothing much exciting," she said. "I got caught up on some work last night, and decided to come in here for some tea and a soup before I have to get to the lab. And, I thought I might find you in here, but I didn't expect a surprise guest."

"And I didn't expect to have one," Amy replied. "I met him yesterday in sickbay. Kit's new to the Sulu. He's a pilot and a musician," she gushed, shooting him an adoring smile.

"And, has definitely caught your interest," Kelzira said. "And, I really like your hair. Very...wild and fun. And, I must say that the two of you make a much more delightful couple than you and Dwayne would have ever made. Well, I think Dwayne and anyone could ever make. So, I guess that doesn't really say much, but you two look very happy and good together."

"Oh," Kit said, with a mischievous wink, "we're anything but good."

Amy smiled slyly and slid her hand across the table to cover Kit's again. "Very ungood, actually." She puckered her lips, giving Kit a long-distance kiss, then giggled and regarded Kelli again. "You should come watch him play, Kelli. I think you'll love him. And I can even show you what I learned...on the guitar, that is."

"On the guitar," Kelzira said with a laugh, "yes. After all my hosts, I have a pretty good idea of the other things the two of you have been learning together. And, I'd like to come watch you play, Kit. That sounds like a lot of fun. Do we dare invite Dwayne-o, though? I can only imagine what he'd say if he saw the two of you together."

"So, is Dwayne the one you went swimming au natural with?"

"That's the one," Kelzira said with a laugh. "He's really a nice guy for the most part, especially if you overlook the fact that he's working off of ancient human morality and listens far too much to his mother. Oh, and then there's the anger management issues; just be glad you're not a table or desk."

"He does have some problems, but I think now that he and Steele reconciled, he'll be more pleasant to be around...hopefully." Amy bounced eagerly in her chair, dismissing Dwayne and attempting to veer the topic of conversation away from him. The last thing she needed was for Kit to become apprised of her behaviour on the dancefloor the other night. "I can't wait for the three of us to go out together. We have to plan something right now!"

"I'm available whenever you two are," Kit said with a grin. "I have a feeling the three of us could have a very wild, fun night. I could try to put together a program where we could do a set in my club, and then we could go out from there to other great clubs. Dancing, music, all of that. How's that sound?"

"I think that sounds good," Amy replied first. "That's good for you too, isn't it, Kelli?"

"Definitely good for me, but I don't know if I'll be able to handle the two of you being so absolutely cute together the whole night. But, don't worry, I'll survive. Just keep on being yourselves...I wouldn't have you any other way."

Amy 'awed' at Kelli and embraced her friend tenderly. "Don't worry, dear Kelli; it'll be fun." She kissed Kelzira's cheek before pulling back and looking between the two. "So...is tonight good then?"

"Sure," Kelzira said with a laugh.

Kit grinned. "Well, I guess it's settled then."

Amy nodded. "17h00 then. We'll meet outside Holodeck 4 and wear something funky, Kelli."

Kelzira frowned. "Oh...I can't then. I'm on shift during Beta. I guess you two will have to go on without me."

"No!" Amy exclaimed. "Can't you...can't you switch with someone, Kelli? Please?"

"I've already missed most of Alpha shift," Kelzira said. "And, you know how much Lt. Tagliesh hates me. If I don't report for duty, she'll probably try to get me transferred off the ship or something. I guess I could work Gamma shift tonight, but that means if this little party lasts longer than about 23h00, then I'd have to duck out early... I don't even know anyone on Gamma I'd be able to switch with though. But, I guess I could do that though, if you really want me to come tonight."

Amy frowned. "Well...if it's too much trouble, we can postpone. Wouldn't that be okay, Kit?"

"Sure," Kit said. "We had that date anyway." He flashed Amy a grin as he took a sip from his drink.

"Okay... I guess we could try again tomorrow." She smiled ruefully at Kelli. "Sorry... We will have some time together, Kelli. I promise."

"Oh, it's alright," Kelzira said cheerily. "You've got your new Man-Thing. And, I'm sure we'll have our time. Besides, I'm sure our services will be called upon again to save poor Dwayne from punching out some poor, unsuspecting bulkhead."

Amy laughed. "Okay.... And just because I've got my Man-Thing doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about my Kelli." She kissed Kelli's brow and gave her a warm smile. "Not ever."

Kelzira grinned, her face lighting up as she gazed into Amy's eyes. "I know," she said and then felt her cheeks go red. "So, what are you planning on doing for the next hour or so?"

"I don't quite know." Amy looked to Kit. "What are we doing, Kit?"

"Holographic havoc," Kit said with a grin. "I think we'd talked about going into a holoprogram, and breaking all the rules. Dress against the dress codes, eat with the wrong forks, that sort of thing."

"Oh yes...havoc," Amy replied. "Which means we'd better get going. We have to change and get your guitar..."

Before they could leave, Kelzira interjected. "If this is going to be an all night thing, maybe I can stop by after I get off duty. That is, if you don't mind the company."

Kit shook his head and grinned. "I don't mind."

Amy gasped and excitedly patted Kel's hand. "Yes! You have to do that, Kelli. Just comm us first to make sure we're not...busy, if you get my drift."

"Drift is gotten," Kelzira said with a knowing grin. "And, I'll let you know if I get off early enough to join you. So, you hooked yourself up with a rock star, hm? Very nice. Very nice, indeed." She leaned forward and whispered to Amy, "If he happens to have any bandmates that are looking for a date..."

Amy raised an eyebrow at Kel and smiled slowly. "I'll let you know right away. Poor Kelli...all sexually deprived."

Kelzira grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I really don't know what sex in my condition would end up being like. I'm still getting used to the slug they stuck in my belly. Would you believe I can't even eat chocolate now? Stupid slug."

Amy snickered and playfully shoved Kelzira. "Silly Kelli... Sex should be fine. How could it not be? It's sex!"

"Well, for most people yes," Kelzira said with a grin. "But, I've got this thing sitting next to my stomach now, well, sort of. It's taken up residence within my abdomen at any rate, but it's just kind of nerve-wracking to think about what could possibly happen being with another person. I don't think Kyrii ever had any problems, but that doesn't mean I can't be neurotic about it. Epharyn was actually quite a wildman with the ladies...okay, not only the ladies. He was just wild. Oh, I guess it'll be alright, but I'm still going to worry until afterwards...whenever that may be."

"Well, you certainly won't have to worry about it tonight. It'll just be you, me, and Kit, hopefully. Now--" She kissed Kel's cheek. "You'd better go. You're going to be late for shift."

Kelzira laughed. "Very well. I do want to impress Lt. Tagliesh, so I guess I should. Hopefully I'll see you later tonight. You two have fun tonight, but not too much. And, it was nice meeting you, Kit."

"Nice meeting you too, Kelzira. We'll see you later.

"Bye, Kelli," Amy called out as Kelzira started off. "Isn't she cute?" she said to Kit. "She's even cuter when she blushes. Her spots stand out more."

"I've always found Trill women to have a certain quality of cuteness about them," Kit said. "And, yes, I noticed her blushing a little bit there, and you're right. She seems happy enough, though, I was getting a sense of both happiness and disappointment from her when she looked at us together. You and she...you weren't...you know?"

Amy sighed. "No...we weren't. I think...I think she thought we were close to being, though. I don't wanna hurt her, Kit, but...what you and I have, although brief, is amazing and I don't want to ruin it, even if it means hurting Kelli."

"Well, hopefully you won't hurt her," Kit said. "I mean, she seems fairly understanding and wise. She may be disappointed, but I think she can handle it. And, I also think she's very happy for you. So, I don't think we have anything to worry about. So, what do you say we grab a bite to eat before hitting the holodeck? I think you managed to help me work up an appetite earlier."

Her smile returned and once again she reached across the table to take Kit's hand. "I'd love some dinner. Should we change or just be daring and eat naked?"

"Oh, I do like that second option," Kit said. "Other fun things happen when we're naked too. It'll be like that holoprogram they had a few years back. What was it called? 'Betazoid Life?' Everyone naked and frolicking together."

"Ooh, we should try that one sometime." Amy tossed back her drink, then slid out of her chair. "Come on, Kitty. I wanna play."

With a single gulp, Kit finished his drink, and followed after Amy, following the curling finger she was using to beckon him closer. "Is this the part where I say meow? Or is that later?"

"Oh, I doubt you'll be able to speak by the time I'm done with you," she replied silkily.

"Oh really," Kit said, his eyes glinting with mischief. "We'll have to make sure we're careful or we'll give Kelli a surprise too. I have a feeling this may be an all-nighter."

Amy turned back towards Kit when they entered the corridor and pressed herself slightly up against him. "Do you think you can handle that, Kit Markham? If you can't...I know Kelli would be willing to try."

"What's that? Are you inviting her to join us? Dear me, I don't think I'm ready for such a wild evening yet. I think it will have to be just you and I, caught in an all-night clutch, steaming up holodeck and personal quarters. However, tonight, I think we should probably stay in your quarters. If you don't mind."

Amy's sultry expression transformed into a grimace. "Oh...I don't know... My roommate, Dwayne...he'll probably be there. We do have separate quarters, but I'm not so sure we can be as quiet as we need to be." Her smile returned a moment later as another thought struck her. "Although...it might be fun to try."

"Oh, a challenge. Kit Markham is always up to a challenge. And...if we fail this challenge, then...well, I guess we just keep your roommate awake with our cries of passion. All in all, considering what we get out of the deal, it doesn't seem so bad."

"Mmm..." Amy moaned as her hands slid over Kit's chest. "Doesn't sound bad at all. You do know that if we keep this up, I'll want to skip dinner altogether."

"Oh, but we need our strength," Kit said as he covered Amy's hands with his own. "All night is a very long time to spend in a bed, or whatever surface we manage to find, on an empty stomach."

"Then I think we'd better go before our desires win out over hunger." Amy grasped one of Kit's hands and began backing away with him in tow. "If you're naughty, tonight I'll let you examine the tattoo on my back. I don't think last night's positions gave you a good enough view of that one."

"No," Kit said with a salacious grin, "they really didn't. All I saw at one point was a dark blur of motion. Tonight, we'll make sure I--"

Suddenly Kit's communicator sputtered to life. "Lt. McKenzie to Ensign Markham. Ensign, report to the Observation Lounge."

Kit managed to catch himself before a flurry of curses left his mouth.

"Aye, sir," he said. "Sir, can I ask what this is regarding?"

"Flight control meeting, son," the man said. "Shan't take too very long, I s'pose...though, that really depends on how swiftly the department assembles."

Kit sighed. "On my way, sir." He tapped off the channel and turned to Amy, looking obviously crestfallen.

"So...no dinner?" she surmised. "You will be back in time for the after-dinner party though, won't you?"

"I imagine I should be," Kit said. "I mean, how long can a flight control meeting take? Especially when we're sitting at a starbase."

Amy sighed. "Well...don't be too long, Kit." She kissed him with longing, then pulled away before their desires were fuelled too intensely. "I'll miss you," she said sincerely. "Just remember to come back to me."

"That'd be like having to remind my heart to beat or my toast to fall with the buttered side down," Kit said with a laugh. "Where should I meet you?"

"Well...one of my friends is having a little get together tonight. I guess I'll drop by there after all. Ensign Sefton's quarters," she told him. "If I'm not there, well..." Her finger trailed down his chest and her eyes radiated smouldering desire. "You'll just have to find me, now won't you?"

"How about we meet in the lounge afterwards?" Kit said. "That way I can get the taste of icky meetings out of my mouth, and you can...well...you can show off that beautiful new do."

Amy giggled and kissed Kit's cheek. "Deal. Now, run along my sexy, little rockstar. I want to see that butt of yours move as you walk away from me." To help him along, Amy jumped aside and thwacked his backside with her open palm.

A laugh followed Kit as he started down the corridor at a near run. He turned back to Amy to wave, and did a quick eyebrow waggle, before he launched himself up into the air and did a series of backflipping handsprings down the corridor. He came to a stop before one of the turbolifts, and turned back to her with a sweeping bow that included many blown kisses. "Until later, my darling," he said as he backed into the lift.

Hopping boisterously in the corridor while waving with extreme vigour at her new boyfriend, Amy watched him disappear from sight as the doors closed. Her overly enthusiastic good-bye ended, and she stood in the corridor wearing a visible pout. She'd have to find some way to keep her mind off of Kit until the two of them could relieve their pent-up sexual yearnings. If Cris' game couldn't do the trick, she was willing to drag Kit out of his meeting and take him in the corridor. Amy smiled mischievously at that thought. The two of them would definitely have to try that sometime.

---

"We Meet Again"
by Lieutenant Jorell Thalan
and Ensign Ainsley Chambers

Location: Turbolift, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57906.29, 15h13

***

Jorell had finally completed the shift schedule for the Security department and sent them to Commander Lyrr. With that task complete the Betazoid man was going to grab something to eat before checking over the phaser array.

As he walked along a corridor to the turbolift he walked by several crew members and merely nodded a greeting to most. At the turbolift he tapped the panel and waited for the doors to open.

As the doors to the turbolift parted Jorell was stopped in his tracks. The woman before him looked all too familiar and it took a moment before he could actually recall her name. "Ainsley Chambers?"

Ainsley looked up when she heard her name. She recognized Jorell immediately and a smile came to her face. "Jorell Thalan. How are you? I didn't realize that you were on the Sulu." With a slight mental shrug Ainsley admitted to herself that she really didn't know much about the Sulu as of yet. She had just come on board a few minutes before and hadn't even gotten her rooming assignment or met her boss yet.

Thalan smiled and replied to Ens. Chamber's question, "I'm doing alright, all things considered. Lieutenant Jhenal will probably fill you in on the details, but we lost several crewmates in our last mission." He paused at the awkwardness and stepped into the lift and told the computer: "Mess," and then continued, "I was assigned to the Sulu right after the Ranger was decommissioned. I managed to catch the first shuttle out and made the ship's shakedown."

Ainsley nodded. "I had a nice bit of time off before being reassigned. It was very relaxing." She took just a moment to study the man beside her. It had been just under a year since she had first met Lt. Thalan. He had been the Chief of Security on the Ranger at that time and Ainsley had been fresh out of the Academy. And he was still as handsome as she had remembered.

Jorell's smile grew as he heard Ainsley's last thought but he did not otherwise acknowledge them.

"How is Menal?" Ainsley asked. Jorell's sister was a counselling trainer at the academy and she and Ainsley had hit it off quite well. Menal liked to joke that Ainsley was one of her favorite students. When she learned that Ainsley was being posted to her brother's ship she made certain that they would meet each other.

"She's doing well. I was supposed to have met up with her on her way back to Betazed, but Captain Nerlu came to me with this assignment before I could disembark. I just got a letter from her this morning, she had a baby girl."

"A baby girl, that's wonderful!" Ainsley was very pleased for her friend. "Last time I had spoken with her she had just found out she was expecting. I'll have to send her my congratulations."

"Menal would like that," Jorell commented and then asked, "How is your family doing? Still in Rome?"

"Yes...well my parents are. They're still teaching at the university there and having a great old time." Ainsley had managed to see her parents for a little while during her time off between assignments. It was nice to see them but it was also nice to get away from them again as well. You could never go back... "Alison is on the USS Hermes still. Actually I just had the opportunity to spend a few days with her. The Hermes is docked here as well. Or it was. They left just about half an hour ago." Ainsley smiled. "We had a great time."

"Good to hear," the man said, remembering the many stories that Ainsley had told him of her parents and sister. He then said, "I still have that back country skiing program you gave me. When you are all settled in, maybe we could hit the slopes?"

"I'll look forward to that." Ainsley smiled again. "Maybe we can get coffee sometime too."

The doors of the turbolift opened and he looked to Ainsley. "Well this is my stop."

"You take care Jorell, I'll see you around."

"You too, and you can count on it," he said with a nod and a broad smile. He then stepped off the lift and turned to watch Ainsley as the doors closed before moving on.

---

"All Aboard"
by Lieutenant (jg) Arthas Hex - Deputy Chief of Security
Ensign Ethan Storm - Security Officer
and Ensign Saris - Security Officer

Location: USS Sulu, Transporter Room and Deck 13 Corridor
Stardate 57906.29, 16h00

***

The Sulu's Transporter Room slowly shimmered into view as Ensign Storm's optic nerves were reassembled on the pad along with the rest of his body.

Storm had always liked the sensation of the transporter, even as a small child. He found it humorous that there were still people frightened of transporters, even in this day and age. He had known a few Academy classmates that avoided transporter use whenever they could and absolutely refused to open their eyes during transport when they couldn't. Storm wasn't like that at all. He always went through with eyes wide.

As the room came into view so did the transporter chief and numerous other service officers who had just stepped off the pads with their bags in tow.

One of them stood out immediately: A tall, slender Trill male with jg insignia who was in the process of greeting the new arrivals. The Trill was greeting what appeared to be a Risan Female when Storm stepped down from the transporter and waited politely for the Trill's attention.

"Ensign Storm, reporting for duty," Storm said formally, assuming a position of attention when Lieutenant Hex turned to greet him. "Request permission to come aboard, Lieutenant Hex."

"Permission granted, Ensign Storm," Arthas replied, smiling that the man knew the crew already. "I believe that this is all for the time being, if you would all follow me please, most of your quarters are on deck 13. We are on deck 4, so let's go to the closest turbolift, shall we?"

"Sir?" said Storm, holding up one of his PADDs. "If I may? I need to unpack something."

"Go Ahead," Arthas replied.

Storm approached the transporter chief and had a quick whispered conference that apparently had something to do with a stored matter stream on one of the PADDs. The chief was soon nodding in agreement and both Storm and her were punching buttons: Storm on the PADD and the chief on the transporter controls.

A fishbowl shimmered into existence on the transporter console. A tiny spine-covered blue fish about the size of a human thumbnail swam inside.

"That's a very interesting animal," Arthas said. "What is it?"

"Andorian cuttlefish. His name is Skipper," Storm said. Then, noting that the Lieutenant was looking over the edge of the fishbowl. "I wouldn't get too close, sir. I drained his poison sacks and blunted the spines before I stored the matter stream but they can still sting if they hit you."

As if on cue, the small blue fish puffed many times its original size and several spines dislodged from the top of Skipper's body. They shot out the water at the top of the fishbowl with surprising velocity but only bounced harmlessly off the duranium bulkhead. Everybody but Storm ducked.

"It is against regulations to bring deadly animals onboard a Starfleet vessel," Arthas stated, rising slowly.

"Not deadly sir," Storm said, always dreading the explanation. "They can be dangerous but they're not even that if the proper care and maintenance is performed. The cuttlefish has some significance to the Andorian people of the Am'Forgelth province and this particular one was in my fiancée's family for seven generations before she charged me with his safekeeping. I believe the cultural exception to the regulation applies in this case."

"I'll take that on your word Ensign, but I will check the regulation later," Arthas said. "If everyone will follow me."

Arthas walked out of the transporter room and headed toward the closest turbolift, the six people following him.

***

The seven crew-members exited the turbolift at deck 13. Most of these quarters were for the ensigns and junior lieutenants on the ship, the bigger officer quarters being on higher decks.

"Chief Petty Officer Riley, will you show the non-commissioned crewmembers to their quarters?" Arthas handed a PADD to a slightly aged human.

"As you wish, Lieutenant," Patrick Riley replied.

Arthas watched as Patrick Riley took the rest of the crewmembers away, leaving Arthas with the two new officers to his department.

They began to walk toward Storm's quarters.

"Sir?" Storm asked as they walked along, one hand holding Skipper's fishbowl and the other gripping his PADDs. "Has the Security Chief set our shift schedules?"

"Both of you are on Lt. Thalan's shift - Alpha shift. I am the deputy chief of the department and I head Beta Shift," Arthas replied "So, is this how you hoped? The Sulu is your first placement, as an ensign is it not Storm?"

"Sir, it's exactly what I had hoped," Storm said, smiling. "I'd also appreciate it if you could let Lieutenant Thalan know I'm more than willing to pull double duty if Beta or Gamma shifts need an extra hand. You need only to ask."

Saris nodded in agreement and shot a competitive glance towards Storm as she replied, "I'm more than willing to help out as needed, sir."

"Ah, well, I'll certainly let him know of both of your enthusiasm, although we are full up with Security officers for the moment. Anything can happen and we could all end up on double-shifts," Arthas replied, enjoying the feeling of superiority over the two ensigns.

***

Arthas arrived at his next waypoint, Storm's quarters.

"Ensign Storm, these is your quarters," Arthas said. "You shall be rooming with Ensign Steele."

My lord, it can't be, Gredala Hex suddenly shouted, or seemingly shouted, from within Arthas.

What is it? Arthas said back without flinching this time.

Ask him about his, um, grandfather or great grandfather would you?

Alright, alright.

"Is Ensign Steele also a Security Officer, sir?" Storm asked.

"No, he is a pilot I believe," Arthas replied.

Storm opened the door to his new quarters, quietly relieved that Steele was in an entirely different department. He didn't particularly want to room with someone he may also have to work with all day. Hopefully, he was on another shift too.

"Ensign, may I ask you a question?" Arthas asked as Ethan stood in the doorway.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm guessing that you have read my profile and was wondering if I could ask a question, on behalf of one of my symbiont's previous hosts."

"Of course, sir."

"Who was your Grandfather or Great Grandfather? Was he in Starfleet?" Arthas asked.

"If we want to get into my family's Starfleet history, we might be here awhile, sir," Storm said, smiling politely but secretly dreading the conversation. It was one he usually had several times a day, though having it with a joined Trill at least made this particular exchange fairly unique. "My father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather have all been in Starfleet and I can't even count the various uncles and cousins that have served. But if you're recognizing the Storm name, my guess is you're thinking of my grandfather, Anderson Storm."

That's it, Anderson Storm! He was my executive officer on the Crazyhorse. Wow, he looks just like him, Gredala exclaimed from within Hex.

"That's the one, my symbiont informs me that you look just like him. I look forward to seeing you again, Ensign Storm. Perhaps we could meet in eleven-forward, say 20h00. And of course the offer is open to you as well, Ensign Saris," Arthas offered.

"Gladly, sir," Storm said, anything but glad. Storm hated socializing but he recognized the need on occasion, especially when it came to his superior officers.

Saris seemed to ponder it for a moment then said, "I'm not opposed to socializing, however, I have been anxious to board the Sulu for days, and would like to get acquainted with my new assignment over the next few days."

"Well, I hope you settle in alright Ensign," Arthas replied to Storm as he entered his quarters.

Arthas then looked at Saris. "Your quarters aren't far from here. How are you finding the Sulu. This is your first time as an ensign, is it not?"

Saris nodded. "I admit to being a bit anxious to see what I can do, sir. There's really no precedence of any Risans in Starfleet, so I must say it's not just myself I am working hard for, it's the reputation of my entire people. No easy task mind you."

"I suppose I don't have the same predicament. Mind you when your father is the leader of an entire world, you have a few thousand people keeping an eye on your progress, I suppose I have a similar pressure," Arthas said as they turned a corner. "I guess both of us just have to buckle down and work hard. Here are your quarters, ensign."

Saris thanked Arthas and entered her quarters.

Arthas Hex nodded and returned to the security offices where he would continue some paperwork.

---

"Off the Chest"
by Dr. M'Lira
Commander Lyrr Tayla
and Stencil [NPC+]

Location: Lounge, USS Sulu
Stardate 57906.29 16h10

***

M'Lira stepped into the Sulu's lounge. She'd changed out of her duty uniform and into a comfortable robe-like garment. She would really need to get around to adding a modified uniform style into the database. The tunic and jacket weren't exactly uncomfortable, but the pants really didn't allow for her tail and she didn't particularly like the thought of threading it through a hole ripped into the seat. She'd figure out a way. For now, her robe was comfortable enough for off-duty.

She found a table and sat down to await Commander Lyrr. She had grown accustomed to sitting on human-style chairs during her service, though her tail was in the way again. You'd think evolution would have taken care of that annoyance by now. Still, she liked her tail, and wouldn't want to part with it for anything. She just hoped the commander wasn't bothered by her change in attire.

Lyrr strode through the doors of the lounge a moment later, looking quite uncomfortable as she did. She still wore her standard duty uniform, and once she'd spotted M'Lira, she walked straight-backed and rather stiffly towards her table. "Doctor," she greeted with a formal nod. "May I sit?"

M'Lira smiled at the ship's executive officer, and motioned toward the chair opposite her. "Please," she said. "I haven't ordered anything to drink yet. Though, it appears the Bolian behind the bar has been watching us."

Lyrr glanced over her shoulder at Stencil, sighed, and slipped into her offered seat. "I think he's just surprised to see me in here...or perhaps it's you. You are the only Caitian on the ship, and, I might add, the most intriguing officer here."

M'Lira smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I think. The difficulty I find being aboard a starship with so many humans aboard is they tend to equate me with the domestic felines kept as pets on earth. You wouldn't believe, during my time serving in Starfleet, how many times I have received catnip, string, and milk as gifts. It's actually quite amusing, and catnip is a rather refreshing herb."

Lyrr suppressed a laugh and kept M'Lira from noticing by glancing around the lounge. "I've never actually been in here before," she said. "I guess this is my initiation."

"It seems like a nice enough place," M'Lira answered. "Though, I can see where it might be a little uncomfortable if there were more people here. So, should we call over the bartender and order something to drink?"

"Um...certainly," Lyrr replied. As M'Lira did just that, Lyrr folded her hands atop the table and cleared her throat gently. "Doctor M'Lira...I was wondering if I might ask you some things...about Matthew T. Salinger."

M'Lira raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "Of course," she said. "Whatever I can answer."

"Well...did you know him well?" Lyrr asked. "I mean, did you work closely with him often?"

"On occasion," she said. "The Hood was a fairly small ship, and we worked together somewhat frequently. I got to watch him shoot right up the chain of command. By the time I was transferred, he was a lieutenant commander already. We were friends, but I was never as close to him as Cammie was. It was very rough on him when she was lost."

"Cammie?" Lyrr furrowed her brow inquisitively. "This was...a lover?"

M'Lira nodded. "They were. They were very close. He was actually planning to ask her to marry him. They'd been given a very secret assignment. He returned; she didn't."

"Good afternoon, ladies," a voice to Lyrr's side said. "My name is Stencil. Can I get either of you something to drink?"

Lyrr sighed impatiently. Just when things were getting juicy.... "A...raktajino," she snapped. "And none of that special spice in it. It always make me sneeze."

"Of course," Stencil said with a smile. "We can't have a sneezing Bajoran, or the gossipers will have a new rumour to spread."

Lyrr's mood lightened and she laughed softly at Stencil. "Oh, I doubt even that could draw the officers' minds off their present topic of interest."

"Oh, I don't know anything about that, Commander," Stencil said with a laugh. "Nothing hotter on the gossip buffet than a pregnancy. For you, Doctor?"

M'Lira glanced up. "I'd like a jasmine tea, with milk and one sugar."

"Jasmine tea it is," Stencil said. "It's good to see you in here, Commander dear. It's always nice to see those customers that avoid my establishment."

Lyrr looked wide-eyed at Stencil. "I do not avoid. I just prefer to have raktajino in the confines of my own quarters."

"The confines of your own quarters do not include my charming company, Commander," Stencil said with a smile. "I'll bring these drinks right out to you."

Lyrr nodded her thanks to Stencil and regarded M'Lira again. She smiled tightly at the woman for a moment, forming the words in her mind before she spoke them, then finally she asked, "So...I was wondering.... What kind of man, is Matt? I mean, is he the type of man who has trouble separating his emotions from...say...his duty as a Starfleet officer?"

"As far as I know him, he's passionate as a Starfleet officer and as a man," M'Lira answered. "However, he definitely can separate his personal and professional lives; after losing Cammie, he had to. He basically had to abandon her on the other side of the Neutral Zone. It nearly tore him up afterwards... I don't think I could ever do something like that, put a mission above my friends and loved ones. Though, I'll never know for certain until I'm in that situation."

Lyrr nodded pensively. "And...does he take criticism well?"

"As well as anyone else, I imagine," M'Lira answered. "He is very stubborn and very passionate, which can be a bad combination. Though, when he clings to an ideal it's because he feels very strongly about it. You must have come up on opposite sides of an issue."

"Oh yes," Lyrr said with a chuckle. "An issue he's very passionate about. I--" She cocked an eyebrow at M'Lira and asked, "Anything I tell you here is in confidence, right? I mean...I think I really need to get this off my chest and I don't...have anyone else to talk to...."

M'Lira glanced around the lounge and then back to Lyrr. "Perhaps we should go somewhere more private to talk," she said. "I know we have at least one Ferengi on-board, but who knows what other members of the crew have exceptional hearing as well."

Lyrr swept her gaze about the room, then returned them to M'Lira and smiled wanly. "I'm sorry... I never should've brought this up. Just...just forget I said anything. It's imprudent of me to discuss any conflict between the Captain and I."

"As you said, Commander," M'Lira said, "you want to get this off your chest. You have my word that it will not go beyond me. If you'd rather not talk today, I am available at any other time."

Lyrr sighed and looked down at her fingers tugging at the hem of her sleeve. "You don't know me well, Doctor," she began, "and that's understandable considering we've just met, but..." She looked up at her with a questioning gaze. "Do I seem like a cold, bitter, irrational woman to you?"

"From the conversation we've had so far," M'Lira said, "you don't seem to be. But, as you said, I haven't known you long. If I were to make a guess, I would say that you don't agree with Matt on an issue that he feels passionately about. There are only two topics that get him so passionate: ice hockey and sentient's rights. I've heard the culinary arts should also be on that list, but I've never witnessed any of those impassioned tirades."

"Judging from the arguments we've had, I'd say you're lucky," Lyrr replied. "I've just...I've never been a commander before. Yes, I've disagreed with captain's before, but I never before had the authority to question a captain's decision as I do now, being a commander. I mean...how am I supposed to know when it's time to back down and let a captain be a captain? And, how do I know when I do have a valid point and to persevere until I do make the captain realize that?" She sighed and shook her head slowly. "I've never before felt as if I wasn't cut out to be a commander, not as I do now."

"Almost like a marriage, it sounds like," Stencil said as he set the drinks before each of them. "Those can be very tricky. I should know; I'm married to three people myself. But, let's not get into Bolian mating rituals today. It'd be far too confusing. And, those are just replicated glasses, so feel free to carry them where you will...offices, holodecks, little-used supply closets..."

"Uh...thank you," Lyrr replied, not hiding the queer expression she gave Stencil. She cradled her mug in both hands and took a sniff of the steam to ensure there was no hint of spice within. Her nose itched slightly, but soon she was sipping at the raktajino and sighing contentedly. "Very good, Stencil," she commented. "Maybe I should come around here more often, just for the raktajino."

The Bolian smiled. "I assure you, Commander, that nothing would brighten my day more than to see you here in the lounge." Oddly enough, the words seemed entirely sincere. "Now, I shall leave the two of you to your drinks. If you need anything, just let me know."

With that, he slipped back away from the table and returned to the bar.

"He's a pleasant fellow," Lyrr remarked. "Though, I don't think I could ever get comfortable in this sort of social environment. I prefer to keep to myself."

M'Lira looked around and let out a soft, purring laugh. "I don't mind social gatherings like this, though it is exceedingly stressful for a being with a tail to be around so many beings who don't. I'll spend half a gathering on edge, worrying about who will be the one to step on my tail. Would you care to go somewhere with fewer people, Commander?"

"If you wish," Lyrr replied. "Though, I believe I require some time to myself. I need to do some serious thinking...I think."

M'Lira nodded. "I can understand that," she said. "Though, if you want someone to talk to, I'm available for you."

"I don't know if that's exactly appropriate," Lyrr replied. "I shouldn't be discussing my concerns with anyone. It isn't right. But thank you for your offer."

"I do have certified counselling training, Commander, if you believe that's an issue. And, if you believe that you should shoulder this entire burden on your own, you're wrong. Keeping an issue that weighs as heavily as this one is obviously doing to you is not healthy and will only lead to worse things later. Think about it, and if you do need to 'get it off your chest', as you indicated earlier... I won't push, Commander, but my offer does still stand."

Lyrr bowed her head, then slid back her chair and rose. "I thank you for that. I'm grateful for the offer, but I am getting used to bearing the weight of my troubles. It comes with the job I suppose." Lyrr smiled tightly. "Enjoy your drink, Doctor." Leaving her raktajino behind, Lyrr departed, hoping she could make a hasty escape without getting stopped by Stencil.

M'Lira watched Lyrr Tayla leaving the lounge and sighed. She'd have to watch after the Bajoran first officer. It wasn't good for a person to carry so much stress, and she was doing so. She could only imagine what issue between Matt and Lyrr was causing such friction between them. It was only a matter of time, she told herself. And, hopefully it would happen before Lyrr snapped.

---

"Matters of the Mind"
by Ensign Ethan Storm - Security Officer
and Chief Counselor Resanna Jhenal

Location: USS Sulu, Storm's Quarters
Stardate 57906.29, 16h14

***

When Storm entered his quarters on board the USS Sulu for the very first time, he got a big surprise. The room itself was about what he expected: A smallish gray colored chamber with two beds, two built-in bureaus, a couple chairs, replicator, and an adjacent bathroom. The thing surprising about the room was the darkly beautiful woman standing in the middle of it. She was elegantly dressed with an elaborate hairstyle - Storm had not seen anything quite like her outside an Ambassador's Ball. She somehow managed to radiate infinite grace even though she only stood there, evaluating Storm with cold brown eyes.

Storm stood there himself for a moment in his slight state of surprise, clutching Skipper's fishbowl and stack of PADDs to his chest, wondering what to do (he briefly considered bowing). Instead, he backed out of the room through the doors that automatically parted for him, looked on the wall panel to confirm that this was indeed his new quarters, and then slowly walked back inside again, more mystified than ever. He sat his PADDs and Skipper down on one of the bureaus without taking his eyes off the woman.

"Ensign Steele?" Storm asked, confused. Lieutenant Hex had referred to Steele as a "he" but Ethan thought maybe joined Trills got confused on small matters like gender, since their own may change many times during their long lives.

Fluttering her eyelids, Lieutenant Jhenal smirked. The ever so gentle shake of her head indicated that he was off on his speculation of her. Though, from what she was sensing of him, it wasn't surprising. Counselor Jhenal enjoyed being different and direct. Normal didn't seem to fit well with describing her as a counselor. More over eccentric...

"Lieutenant Resanna Jhenal," she quoted with grace, though, dreaded what was to follow. "Youngest daughter of the Third House, Harbinger of the Ways of Talyns, and Heir to the Divine Scepter of Betazed."

"Hi?" Storm said, turning the greeting into a question.

Grinning ever so slightly, Counselor Jhenal could still sense the bewildering surprise radiating from Ensign Storm. All that formality of Betazoid tradition did tend to get in the way of being direct.

So, the Betazoid brunette quickly added, "Ship's counselor. Lieutenant M'Tov, your old counselor, transferred your records to my office. He suggested that we talk, see how you're adjusting to your new assignment."

The question mark cleared from Storm's face as soon as his former counselor's name entered the conversation. "M'Tov was always a meddler above and beyond the call of duty. No offense to your profession, Lieutenant, but I have to seriously doubt a system that entrusts the emotion health and well being of an entire class of Starfleet Advanced Tactical Training to a Vulcan Kolinahr Master."

"Some of the most experienced counselors the Federation has ever known were Vulcans," Jhenal spoke as if an advocate for M'Tov. "Sometimes, when you don't have the draining burden of emotions, it helps you see clearly. Such as helping someone deal with a loss..."

Storm took up his PADDs once again and turned to face Resanna. "To answer your question, Lieutenant: The first fifteen minutes of my new assignment have been a delight. Do you plan to check in with me every quarter hour?"

Jhenal stared at him inquisitively. "Do you need me to check on you every quarter of the hour?"

Storm had to smile at her wit - Jhenal was certainly more fun to spar with than M'Tov. "Well, of course," he said sarcastically as he walked to the replicator. "I figure after the first year, we can take it to a full thirty minutes. And eventually, after I've shown myself to be a good stable officer, I hope to go a whole hour without someone asking me about my feelings. May I ask you how you got in my quarters, Lieutenant?"

"Your roommate. Ensign Steele allowed me access. I didn't use my clearance code, if that's what you were thinking."

"Well, that's a comfort," Storm said, turning towards the replicator. He began to punch buttons on his PADD.

Jhenal tipped her head and slightly grinned. "Do the entire ship a favor. Don't get into any bets with Ensign Steele or Sanchez."

"No promises," Storm said, without knowing what she meant. He waved his PADD over his shoulder at her. "Mind if I unpack while we talk, ma'am?" Starfleet protocols may have determined "sir" to be appropriate when referring to superior officers, regardless of gender, but Storm just couldn't see calling this particularly lovely woman "sir."

"You can dance naked in front of your Andorian cuttlefish for all I care, these are your quarters, Ensign." She looked for a place to sit, her feet becoming tiresome of the thick soles of her heels.

Storm turned with a smile at her last jab, impressed that she had recognized Skipper's species, and he noticed her looking around. Grabbing up the chair next to the replicator, Ethan walked behind her, sat the chair down, and politely waited for her to sit. She lowered herself on the chair demurely and Storm went back to the replicator.

"Thank you. And Counselor is fine." Lieutenant Jhenal didn't want to get too much on a personal level by first name basis. Being his counselor, Resanna did want to make him feel comfortable, but not too comfortable.

Storm punched a few more PADD and replicator buttons and a stack of different class uniforms materialized in the chamber. Storm took off his communicator and his uniform tunic and began to strip off the color-coded undershirt from his well-muscled torso but stopped when he noticed Jhenal watching him with a certain nondescript look in her eye.

"Don't worry, Counselor," he said with a grin. "I'm not taking you up on your offer of naked cuttlefish dancing. I'm just changing into a training uniform."

Straightening out the wrinkles in her long skirt, Jhenal spoke: "I don't remember it being an offer. Or a command..."

"Ah, well...wishful thinking on my part, Counselor," Storm said, stripping off the shirt completely. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"You obviously don't know much about a Betazoid's attitude on nudity," she paused, a simple sneer sprawling across her cheeks. "While most Betazoid culture and tradition is prestigious and overly magnanimous, we still believe that nudity is baring honesty and showing that we have nothing to hide."

Storm grabbed up one of his training shirts with a shrug. "Well, at the risk of you believing I have something to hide, I'll change the pants after you leave."

"We all have something to hide. Whether it be something we are ashamed of or because we believe it to be of personal nature." Jhenal paused, eyeing the young Ensign. "Or because we believe personal pain to be of a sign of weakness."

Storm's head popped through the neck hole and he smoothed it out. "Let's cut to the chase, Counselor," he said, reattaching his communicator. "I did my required counseling sessions. I did everything M'Tov asked of me. So why are you here, exactly?"

Standing to her feet, the blank stare returned to the Counselor's gaze. "Because M'Tov believes you to still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in relation to the death of your fiancée. You seem well rounded and on a good mental path. Though, PTSD can hinder in the smallest of ways."

Storm said nothing but returned her stare.

"Most notably, your excessive amount of physical activity. While it is good to exercise on a daily basis, M'Tov, for the lack of a better descriptive word, worries you're doing it too much and pushing too hard. And such can harm vital organs and damage body parts. Not to mention the mental strain it can leave. This is in which you are dealing with the death of your Seja Krill. While you might have finished the acceptance of her death, you have not dealt with it."

Storm's eyes melted at the mention of Seja, but it barely lasted a moment before they turned back to ice. Still, he was nodding slowly and deliberately, as if considering the counselor's words.

Sighing, she shook her head. "Not that I am saying you ever fully will. I trust M'Tov's judgment greatly. He was one of the University of Betazed's supreme professors in the Apathetic Psychology."

"So, how many of those Divine Scepters are there?" Storm asked, flippantly and unexpectedly after the briefest of pauses. "Every time I meet a Betazoid female, they're in line for some Scepter or Orb or Tiara. I have two words for the good people of your planet: Yard Sale."

An outburst like that was expected. Jhenal seemed to somewhat wound the young Ensign. Though, not by intention, but that was what being candid sometimes meant. So, she decided to ignore the rebuttal.

"I want to see you biweekly. The first and third Tuesday of every month." Jhenal nodded, the small ornaments around her headpiece slightly whistling as if a wind chime. "You will get through this, I promise."

Storm just watched as Jhenal gracefully departed the room, her long skirt trail followed behind her as the doors parted and closed. Storm continued to look at the closed door for several heartbeats before grabbing up his stack of PADDs and throwing them across the room.

---

"Making The Best of A Bad Situation"
By Doctor Sean O'Shea, CMO USS Sulu
Also Featuring:
Admiral Cooper, Starfleet Medical [NPC+]
Stencil, Ship's Bartender [NPC+]
Brief unauthorized appearance by Commander Lyrr Tayla

Location: Various Locations aboard the USS Sulu
Stardate: 57096.29 17h30

***Deck 2, Ship's Lounge****

Sean sat at his favorite window seat, his back to the bar, glancing out over the top of his data padd as he put the finishing touches on his report. A half eaten black currant scone sat on the side table, next to a steaming cup of his favorite beverage, Bajoran black spice tea with a shot of single malt whiskey.

Around him, the officers and crew of the Sulu talked, griped, drank, flirted and all of the other things Starfleet personnel did between missions when there was nothing better to do. Sickbay was quiet in the wake of the mission to Dorvali. There were a few broken bones and lacerations from over exuberant holodeck use, two cases of the Rigelian flu and a recent transfer with a rare medical condition, but nothing that he and his medical staff could not handle. In fact, things had gotten easier overnight with the arrival of Lieutenant jg M'Lira, the new assistant CMO. Between the lanky Caitian and the work of the nursing staff, Sickbay was practically running itself.

It was almost, but not quite, enough to remove the pangs of bitterness Sean had leftover from the funerals. Nearly a half dozen crewmen had died over three away missions, and a number more were injured. Space exploration was, and always would be a dangerous undertaking, the sandy haired Irishman realized, but the fact that medical personnel were not included in the landing parties until the third mission left him baffled. Could some of those officer's lives have been saved with medical treatment on the scene? They would never know. He would have brought the problem to the Captain's attention, but that would have meant going through official channels, and that was another problem altogether.

If nothing else, Sean thought, he had advanced the field of xeno-toxicology another small notch. At Starfleet Medical's request, he had written a paper and forwarded all his research on the alien venom, and his anti-venom serums on to the appropriate parties. No doubt, it would find its way to the Advanced Xeno-Biology Institute, his old playground.

Sean shuddered slightly at the thought that anything he did would somehow aid that nightmarish organization with the benevolent sounding name.

Sean glanced over his department report a final time and then added a few footnotes to the bottom, sighing as he did so. He pressed his thumb to the scanner, authorizing the report and filed it in the Sulu's teeming data archives.

"Another cup of your special tea?" a friendly voice spoke.

Sean looked up and smiled at the affable Bolian bartender. "I think I've tossed enough delays and dodges in my way," he replied. "I need to go meet with my superiors now."

"Business as usual I hope?" Stencil asked, reading the doctor's face and knowing that it wasn't.

"Aye, business as usual," Sean lied, deadpan, as he rose from his chair.

"Another time then," Stencil said as he moved on to other lounge patrons.

Sean walked quietly past his fellow officers, offering perfunctory nods and smiles as needed.

"Well, old boy," he said under his breath. "Time to get this over with."

***Two Days Earlier, CMO's Office***

"Are you sure about this?" the grey bearded Admiral said, his visage speaking through the console screen on Sean's office desk.

"Sir, I do not see where I have any other choice," Sean replied, his shoulders slumped and elbows on the table as he spoke to his old friend and mentor.

"Son, this is off the record so I expect you to call me by my name."

Sean smiled, the crow's feet around his pale green eyes crinkling. "Look, Paddy, I know I'm putting you on the spot here. You're the one who got me this plumb assignment when I was expecting to be drummed out the service."

The Admiral nodded, his face a mixture of official decorum and fatherly concern. "Is there any way to work out these differences? When did things start to go wrong?"

"About five seconds after I materialized!" Sean smirked. "The lass was on me from the moment I set foot on the ship, and she has not let up once yet. On a good day, I'm fortunate to get an icy glare from here. On the bad days, she avoids me completely. This is my commanding officer here we're talking about. And when we were on the away mission, she never missed a chance to slip in a not so subtle insult or make it known to everyone around us that she did not think much of me. I'm a doctor and a damned good one, and frankly, I have better things to do with my time then to put up with this bloody claptrap!"

"This is the one you used to know on Bajor, wasn't it? You told me about her once." The Admiral tapped some keys on his panel. "Commander Lyrr Tayla. Her record seems spotless enough. What did you do to get her incensed?"

Sean sighed. "I wish I could tell you. She's always been something of a firebrand. I think I told you once how she confronted me back on Bajor after I opened the clinic."

Admiral Cooper nodded. "Well there must be something. Were the two of you lovers?"

Sean scoffed. "We were friends. Good ones I thought, but casual ones. We were lucky to see one another twice a year, once she got her first posting. But we were never intimate." He paused and considered. "In a different time and place, maybe. But that was years ago, and she's hardly the woman I once knew. My best guess is that she's mad about the way I left Bajor. She was off-planet and I never did tell her where I was going."

"As I recall, you were under orders not to tell anyone," said the Admiral. "That's the way the Institute did things during the war."

Sean merely nodded. "It's still no excuse."

"Do you want me to talk to her Captain?" Cooper offered. Sean shook his head no.

"No need for that, Paddy. I'm not out to get the lass in trouble. I simply do not agree with her command style. So I'm going to make her life and mine easier."

"By getting out?"

"Exactly," Sean said.

"I may not be able to get you another ship for a while," Cooper warned. "Much less Chief's position."

Sean smiled. "You know me, Paddy. I'm a doctor first and an officer second. I could care less how many pips are on my collar as long as I get to do what I'm good at."

Admiral Cooper folded his hands on his desk and stared at his former protégé. "I'll get the paperwork ready for you, Sean. But do take another day or two to consider, alright?"

"Alright, Paddy. And thank you."

***Deck 1, Present Day***

"Enter," her voice sounded in response to the door chime.

Sean stepped into the XO's office, doing his best to look professional yet casual, the data-padd gripped more tightly than needed in his right hand. The Commander looked up from her desk and at once, her eyes changed upon seeing who it was, regarding him with their usual cool disdain.

"Something I can do for you, Doctor?" she asked.

"Yes," Sean said, stepping forward and maintaining eye contact. "You can sign this request."

He placed the request for transfer squarely on her desk and stood at ease, waiting for her to read its contents.

---

"Molecular Bonding, Part 1"
By: Captain Matthew T. Salinger
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh

Location: Starbase 163
Stardate 57906.29, 18h00

***

It had been years since her last visit to the starbase, but Xayella recalled every corridor she'd visited, every crevice, every smell wafting through the promenade, and unfortunately most of the faces. Even worse was that they seemed to recognize her as well. In the twenty minutes she'd been seated at her favourite table of her favourite café on the station, three former colleagues had approached her for a greeting. Of course, she had no idea what their names were and they most likely despised her anyway for some slight dealt them by her sharp tongue, but she gave them a smile nonetheless and eagerly awaited their departure.

When the last of the interlopers left, Xayella sighed and gazed out through the large viewport to watch the stars and relax before her date with Matt. The view provided from her seat was one unobstructed by docking rings and starships drifting by towards their intended port; occasionally a shuttle would sail past, but still the stars were there. She smiled softly at the moment of tranquility they offered, and at the thoughts they allowed her now-cleared mind to mull over.

Should she tell him tonight or wait until she was sure? "You fool," she muttered to her reflection in the glass. "You already are sure."

She searched the green eyes staring back at her and sighed. "The question is, though, does he feel the same way back?" Laughing quietly, Xayella shook her head. How could he? You've just met, barely know each other... Well, physically, yes, we're pretty familiar, but what about the rest?

"Then how can it be love?" she asked herself ruefully. "It's all superficial, based on physical desire alone.... He's afraid to even acknowledge there is a relationship, Xay," she told her reflection. "Just...just face it: you're a fling, and you've allowed yourself to fall too hard for him."

Xayella brought her fingers to image of her cheek and brushed it lightly. "You're going to get hurt," she warned. "Pull back, Xay... You have to or it'll ruin you." She stared at her reflection a moment longer, sighed in resignation and once again watched the stars.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice from behind Xayella asked. When she looked up, Matt Salinger was standing there. He was out of uniform, wearing a stylishly cut shirt and jacket along with a pair of trousers that appeared to be tailored to fit him. He smiled at her, a very charming expression in his boyish face. He came around the table, toward the vacant seat, eyes still caught within hers.

Despite her previous doubts, looking upon Matt now, she was more than certain about her feelings for him. She smiled tenderly as he took his seat, but refrained from reaching out to take his hand or greet him with a kiss. "Hi. Did you have trouble finding the place?"

"It was actually pretty easy to find once I got to the Promenade," Matt said with a grin. "I just had to follow the trail of men still trying to retrieve their jaws from the deckplates. You look amazing, Xay."

She gestured to her outfit - a plain black, snugly fitting shirt and a simple pair of pants - and smiled skeptically at him. "Hardly. I decided to dress conservatively tonight, considering we were going to be in public together. I didn't want anyone getting any ideas."

Matt glanced down at himself and then shrugged bashfully. "I think I may have overdone it then," he said. "However, I wasn't talking about what you were wearing. I meant that beautiful glow of life radiating in your eyes."

"And now my blushing cheeks?" she added. She chuckled. "You always know how to fluster me, Matt...Captain...or whatever I'm calling you tonight."

"Tonight," he said, "I am Matt. When we get back to the bridge, I can be Captain again. When we're alone and on our personal time though...just Matt."

She raised an eyebrow. "Even with people around? People who might see and hear?"

"Let them hear," Matt said with a grin. "We're both off-duty; we can both behave as we wish as long as it complies with the officer's code of conduct. Now, are you ready to have a wonderful evening, Ms. Xayella Tagliesh?"

Xayella gave Matt her most charming smile and finally felt comfortable enough to slide her hand across the table and cover Matt's. "Oh, I'm ready alright, Matt Salinger. But are you ready for me?"

Matt smiled, and then turned his hand over so that their fingers laced together. "I've always felt that the only way to find out if I'm ready for something is to just go forward. I'm quite certain that I'm ready for you, Xay."

"Good," she said with a decisive nod. "I was a little worried..." She shrugged off her concerns with a bashful smile. "So...what do you have planned for us, Salinger?"

"Well, so far, it's dinner," Matt said. "After that, I thought we might be able to use some of the station holosuite time I happen to find in my possession."

"Hmm...that sounds interesting." She chuckled softly as she turned over their joined hands and brushed the fingers lightly over Matt's. "We'd better get started then...or I'll want to skip dinner and the holosuite altogether and just go straight for your room."

"Well, then we'd better order our dinner," Matt said with a chuckle. He then motioned for a waiter. "Do you know what you want yet?"

Her eyes flashed with desire as she regarded Matt. "Oh, I definitely know what I want."

Matt laughed again. "For dinner," he said. "Dessert will happen later."

"Well, then how about something exotic. Ever had anything from Bajor?"

"It's been awhile," Matt said with a smile. "Back before the war. Would you like to do something Bajoran tonight? We could make it a Bajoran evening and go walking in Dakhur Province after our meal if you'd like."

Xayella contained her glee with a gentle smile. "You're a very creative man, Matthew Salinger. Bajoran it is."

"A person has to be creative when they take command of a starship," Matt said. "You'd be surprised how much a little creativity helps when dealing with unruly officers. Now, how about hasperat, tomja rolls with an anfor sauce, and some spring wine?"

She smiled at Matt's appealing suggestion. "Creative and cultured," she remarked.

The waiter appeared beside them and with a sidelong glance, Xayella asked, "Did you get all that?" The man looked quizzically at Matt.

Matt repeated the order for the waiter. And, the man offered them each a charming smile, then disappeared.

Matt watched him go, then turned to Xay again. "Have you had a chance to meet Stencil over on the Sulu? The man, from everything I've heard, is amazing, but I haven't had a chance to meet him yet."

"I've met him once," she replied. "He was nice to me and surprisingly enough for me, it was easy to take a liking to him instantly. I haven't been in there a while though. We should--" She caught herself before she made her foolish suggestion. "Or I could go alone..." she said quietly.

"No, no," Matt said with a smile. "I think you had the right idea in that first part. We can both go, and see what it's like there. I imagine enough people will see us here together that they'll figure something's going on. And, we won't be doing anything inappropriate in the lounge, so there shouldn't be a problem. So, you and I will have to go pay Mr. Stencil a visit."

"Matt..." she sighed and turned her face half away to gaze out upon the stars again. "Don't hurt your career for me. I'm fine with just dinner in your quarters and a night in your arms." She regarded him once again, and frowned irritably at the voice in her head shouting: Tell him! Tell him that loving him makes up for all of it! For all the sneaking around, for all the secrecy. Tell him! "No," she muttered in frustration, attempting to silence the persistent voice. She noticed Matt's curious expression and recovered quickly by adding, "And besides, everything's fine the way it is...isn't it?"

"Things are very good the way they are," Matt answered. "Though, I don't want to hide things. When we're on duty, yes. But...I don't know, Xay. I...I guess we should just see how things happen, and go from there."

"You're right," she said. "Absolutely. It's been...what? A week? I mean, this could just be a fling, and nothing more, and definitely not something to jeopardize your career over."

"Or it could be something very serious that lasts for a very long time," Matt answered. "In which case, I think it might be worth some risk. The old saying that goes back at least a hundred years is 'Risk is our business.' " He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "And, I happen to like taking risks."

Xayella grinned. "Oh, I figured that out the first night you invited me over for dinner." Reassured for the time being, she reached out to take Matt's other hand and caressed it idly. "So...did you get my message today? I know it might have been imprudent, but I couldn't resist." The elation and excitement was clear in her beaming smile.

Matt laughed. "I got it," he said. "Of course, I was in a meeting with Commander Lyrr at the time." He sighed and shook his head at the memories of the meeting. "So, how was your day?" he asked, a smile returning to his face as his eyes found hers once more.

She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "Alright. Nothing very exciting down in the Science lab. I think I'm still getting back into the swing of things after... Well, you know." Lines of tension crossed her brow and her mouth compressed tightly as she thought back to her traumatic encounter. "It's just hard to concentrate, that's all. I keep going back there in my mind..." She suppressed the characteristic shudder that came with memories of Dorvali and attempted a smile for Matt. "Please, tell me more about your day. I-I don't want to think about mine."

"Docked at a starbase, there wasn't much for me either," Matt said. "Mainly reports and receiving updates and things of that sort. I met with Commander Lyrr to go over preliminaries for our next mission, and to talk about a few general things." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what's... I'm hoping that the differences between us aren't so much that it'll keep us from working together. I shouldn't be talking about this, but...but I need to say something. She's a good woman and a very able officer, but...but there's something fundamentally different in our world views. I'm sure it'll be fine, but...but I don't know."

"Well...what is it?" Xayella asked with genuine concern. "Maybe I can give you some advice. I am an expert when it comes to conflict," she said, shooting Matt a wink.

"My gut tells me it's a fundamental difference in our world views. She's a soldier, has been for most of her life. She was thrust into that position by a very tragic situation on her homeworld. I'm an explorer who believes in the ideals of the Federation. In general, people aren't monsters and would like the galaxy to be a better place; that's the whole reason the Federation exists in the first place. It's...it's not an easy situation."

"Well, there's an easy way to fix that," Xayella said, holding back a grin. "You could just sleep with her too. I really think Lyrr needs some loosening up and that should do the trick." She looked up at Matt from beneath her curled lashes. "It certainly helped me."

Matt couldn't help laughing. "Well, I can only imagine what she'd say to that. I don't know if you've been able to guess yet, but the primary source of our conflict has been you. It's partly specifically you, and partly the Starfleet officer who's had a troubled past. She seems to be of the opinion that an officer who has had trouble in the past should be treated one way, and those who have had normal to stellar records should be treated another. At least, that's what I'm getting from her. Me, I believe that all people deserve the chance to prove themselves without the stress of having someone watching over your shoulder brings. In your case, I think we should just let you be the ship's chief science officer. That's what second chances are, right?"

Xayella chuckled. "And third and fourth and fifth... You must admit, Matt, I have had more than my share of chances. Maybe she's right, maybe she isn't.... All that I know is that I've never been willing to try before, not like I am now. I want to be a good officer, one you can be proud of. I don't want to let you down."

"So far, I'm very happy with your progress," Matt said. "And, have you really had a second chance before now? A chance like you're getting here? I would bet that no one has ever believed in you before. No one has had faith in your abilities, not like now."

Xayella shifted uncomfortably in her seat and gave an equivocal nod. "I've had enough faith in my abilities...so that wasn't the problem I don't think. I just...I dunno. I guess..." She sighed and pulled her hands gently away from Matt's hold, folding them upon the table and playing nervously with her fingers. "I'm just a screw up, that's all. I couldn't get things together and...I didn't even care if I messed up because it would only make my folks look bad, which has always been a goal of mine. But...you made me realize I wanted to be in Starfleet, and if I didn't get my act together, I couldn't have that anymore. I guess you did give me a second chance." She shifted her eyes up to meet his gaze and said, "I hope I don't let you down."

"Don't worry, Xay," Matt said and he took her hands back into his. "I'll be there every step of the way. If you stumble, I'll be there to help you back to your feet."

"And if I fall, Matt?" she asked. "What happens then? What happens to us?"

"I don't know," Matt said softly. "Whatever happens, we'll make it together. I don't know how, but I know we will. We'll make it through, Xay."

"I guess I'd just better not mess up then," she replied. "I...I don't want to lose you, Matt. I know it hasn't been that long, but...but I think I--"

Before she could finish, the waiter halted before their table with their plated meals balanced on his hands. Xayella steered her eyes away from Matt's enveloping, tender gaze and again pulled her hands away to cover her blushing cheeks. Yet again, something stopped her from confessing her true feelings. She couldn't help taking it as a bad omen.

It was only a couple minutes before the waiter was gone and their meals were set before each of them. Matt, however, wasn't looking at his food. He had a far-off gaze as he watched Xay, a small smile playing at his lips. "Before we start, there's something..." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a long, slender case. He looked up at her again and smiled. Scarlet sprung up on his cheeks, and he looked away briefly to settle himself, then looked back at her. "For you," he said, and handed the small box across the table to Xayella.

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red and a large, ear-to-ear smile took hold of her lips as she regarded the box. "That's.... For me?" She chuckled nervously and tentatively reached out for the box with one hand, keeping the other pressed to her cheek. When she gathered enough nerve to actually touch the box, she ran her fingers delicately over the smooth surface and already felt a knot sticking in her throat. "I don't-- I've never gotten a gift before, not like this," she whispered.

She gazed up at Matt and he motioned his eyes towards the box, encouraging her to open it. Stifling a boisterous giggle reminiscent of a school girl, Xayella picked up the box with one hand and used the other to flip open the lid. The gleaming necklace cradled in the bed of satin caught Xayella's eye immediately, and surprised by it, overcome by its beauty, Xayella nearly dropped the box to the table. "Oh god..." she breathed, feeling a sting of-- Was it tears? Tears she hadn't shed for so long? -- in her eyes. "Matt... I can't believe-- What--" She laughed almost tearfully and looked up at him again. "It's...so beautiful. But...why? I mean...why this for me?"

"Because I wanted to give you something nice," Matt said. "Because when I looked down at that necklace shining in the case, it reminded me of the time we'd spent together so far. And...and I wanted you to have something more than memories of this night."

Xayella sucked in an unsteady breath, and let it out in a burst of gentle laughter. "No one's ever done this for me, Matt." She slid one hand across the table and covered Matt's. "You can put it on me when we're walking through Dakhur Province. Just before you kiss me under the moonlight."

Matt's eyes never left hers. "That sounds perfect," he said. "I know this is going to be a very special night for us, Xayella. I can feel it just sitting here, looking at you, being with you. The whole fleet may be against a captain starting a relationship with one of his senior officers, but if I did, I would be denying a very important part of myself. I'll have to work hard to keep our personal and professional lives separate, but I want this."

She let out a contented sigh of relief, more confident about things than she had been all day. He wanted to be with her; that was enough to satisfy her. "I've never done this sort of thing before, but I know I don't want this to end, Matt. We'll be really careful and...I'll keep trying to be good." She gave Matt a questioning smile and after a moment asked, "Can I kiss you now?"

Matt smiled and then nodded. "A quick one," he said. "We don't want the food to get cold. But, we'll have plenty of time for kissing on our walk, and afterwards."

Xayella looked around to ensure Matt's reputation would be secure from prying eyes, then carefully set down her gift, reached out to cradle Matt's face in both hands, and leaned forward. She kept her eyes entirely on his as their faces drifted closer and felt herself trembling with anticipation until her lips met his. There was an explosion of warmth that flooded through her, inspiring an uncontrollable passion that made it impossible to pull away. Oh god...I love this man. But I won't tell him just yet, not if it means ending this kiss...

Matt brought his hands up to cradle Xay's face as they kissed. He could lose himself in this for eternity, and as their lips mingled, he realized he really didn't care what happened to his food right now, as long as the blissful moment with her would never end.

A gentle chuckle from Xay broke the moment of reverie, and although their lips parted, she remained with her face close to Matt's, brushing her hands over his. "I could do that all evening, but we'll have an audience soon if we're not careful."

Matt chuckled and met her eyes. "At this point, I don't think I'd mind," he said. "But we should finish our food, and then we can go have some privacy in the holosuite."

She nodded in agreement and after giving Matt another light kiss, she sat back against her chair. Before starting into her meal, she slid the open necklace case directly above her plate and admired it briefly, then looked up at Matt. "Thank you again. Though, you've probably used up all your replicator rations for the next year."

Matt chuckled and shook his head. "Well, the necklace came from my credit allotment, and I had quite a bit stored up," he said. "Dinner, however, will be a little more tricky. Thankfully, I can just show them my ship outside and they'll let me off easy. Though, I imagine they'll want me to tell everyone I meet what great food they have here."

"Then we'd better dig in or you'll never be able to give a believable recommendation." Xayella took up her fork and picked through the bed of salad on her plate, idly stroking the necklace as she did. As she glanced up at him and shot him a sultry smile, she gave Matt her tacit promise to thank him for it again later.

---

"Decisions"
By Commander Lyrr Tayla
And Dr. Sean O'Shea

Location: Commander Lyrr's office, USS Sulu
Stardate 57906.29 18h00

***

Lyrr regarded Sean quizzically for a moment, before grudgingly lowering her eyes to the padd. She barely got a quarter of the way through his request before shaking her head firmly and pushing the padd back towards him.

"Denied," she said flatly. "I'm afraid I can't let you do this, Doctor, not until you explain yourself."

Sean stood with his arms folded behind his back, regarding his commanding officer with a calm outer demeanor. In truth, he would have rather been anywhere but where he was now, but he did not feel he had any other options. With a brief sigh, he replied.

"I feel that I can not perform my duties as a doctor and a Senior Officer in an unprofessional environment," Sean began. "And at the moment, the chain of command aboard this ship is wholly unprofessional."

"You don't mean the chain of command," Lyrr replied. "You mean me, don't you?" She sighed and motioned for Sean to take a seat. "Please. There are some things I think you should know, and I would like you to hear them."

Sean nodded and took the offered seat. He had selected his words carefully, not wanting to personalize the situation. Making things personal was what the whole bloody mess was about in the first place and it was clear that she wasn't oblivious to the tone she had adopted with him from the beginning. But he was willing to hear her out, for old time's sake if nothing else. "Very well, Commander, you have my undivided attention."

Lyrr bowed her head in gratitude, and even as she raised it level again, she kept her eyes lowered to her folded hands atop the desk. She suppressed a sigh, knowing this required her to swallow her stubborn pride and confide in Sean. A wry little smile touched her lips. It was more than that; it was an apology, something she never gave out very readily.

Clearing her throat, Lyrr finally looked up at Sean, once again becoming enamoured with his green eyes as she had on Bajor. It's all his fault, she told herself. Him and that damned rakish smile and those bloody beautiful eyes. If he'd been ugly, I wouldn't have gotten so attached, wouldn't have taken it so hard when he left. Still...he couldn't help that. You're wrong...it wasn't his fault.

Lyrr grumbled quietly at herself and tightened her linked fingers until her knuckles were bone white. "It has come to my attention lately that...I can be a very bitter, spiteful woman." She chuckled dryly. "Not an unfair assessment, I know, but it's something I never considered before, and now that I have...I think it's true. I haven't been very fair with you, and you know why."

After a short, tense pause to gather her resolve, Lyrr continued. "When you left Bajor without a word to me, I felt hurt and slighted. But...I realize now that you owed me nothing, Sean. Yes, I may have felt that we...got close while I was on Bajor, but I was deluding myself, and I took it too personally when you left without warning."

She shrugged lightly and leaned back in her chair. "Because of that, I've been treating you unfairly, and I'm sorry. You don't deserve it and I don't blame you for wanting to leave. You're an amazing doctor and you should be allowed to practice medicine without an angry Bajoran hovering over you. So...with that said--" She pulled the datapad towards her again and took it up into her hand. "I wish we could have had a better time serving together. I hope you have better luck in your next assignment," she told him, beginning to imprint her name on the transfer request.

Sean raised an eyebrow as she began to finish the request. He had come mentally prepared for battle. The last thing he had expected from her was an apology, not that he denied one was overdue, he simply did not think it was in her nature to do so. The hot-tempered resistance fighter was still there beneath the skin, but she had matured in many ways.

"No need to rush," Sean said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling as he regarded her, looking at her as the Tayla he once knew, rather than a spiteful commanding officer, for the first time since he boarded the Sulu. "You have said more than I expected, and I thank you." His hand casually stroked the stubble on his chin as he leaned back in the chair. "You are wrong about one thing though, you know. I did owe you more, but I wasn't in a position to give it. When I got reassigned, it came suddenly. And the work I was reassigned to do directly related to the war effort. Starfleet, in its infinite wisdom, decided to mark it all as classified."

He chuckled as he remembered the frantic hours back on Bajor. "The moment I agreed to the assignment, they whisked me away. They even had someone stay behind to do my packing for me and to take over the clinic. I wasn't allowed to say where I was going or what I was doing. Even now, though Starfleet made a dog's bollocks out of the entire operation, I'm still not allowed to talk about it."

He paused, rubbing his forehead. "You of course were on your first ship assignment, making it back to Bajor once every six months if you were lucky. Had you been there at the time, we might have gotten in some goodbyes, but as it was." He paused, making eye contact with her. "By the time the assignment was over, you had moved up in the ranks and my life was in a bloody shambles. I honestly thought you had forgotten about me by then. I should have at least had the decency to try to reach you, and for that I'm sorry. Had I known then what I know now, I'd have told Starfleet to bugger off and I would have been waiting for you with a bottle of wine and my homemade hasperat the next time you had shore leave."

It was difficult to suppress the large smile ready to consume her normally stern facade, and Lyrr managed it with only partial success. She'd ceased the completion of Sean's transfer request half-way through his explanation, and now crossed her arms over her chest with the padd still in hand. "So, that's why you never commed," she quipped mildly. A gentle ripple of laughter did manage to escape, and Lyrr did nothing to stifle it. "I think I was more angry that I'd never find anyone who could make extra spicy hasperat the way you could. The replicators just never do it right."

The humour dwindled quickly enough after only a moment, and with a sigh, she held the padd up. "Do you still want to go through with this? I won't keep you here against your wishes, Sean, but...know that I do want you here, if that means anything to you."

Sean managed a half smile. "It means a lot. I have nothing against the Sulu or her crew. But I think we are both aware of the conditions I've been working under since I materialized in the transporter room. All I want is the same Executive Officer the rest of the senior staff gets when I'm on duty. As for off duty..." He let his voice trail off. "Well, I'm hoping we can at least be civil, even friendly if you are willing. We are both senior officers and the crew picks up on these things, even when we are not on our shifts."

Sean folded his hands on the desk, leaning forward. "So, which version of Lyrr Tayla am I likely to get if I stay on this boat of yours? If I tell you to disregard the transfer request and decide to stay, am I going to still be paying the price for my past transgressions each time we pass in a corridor, or work together on a mission, or has that died as of this conversation?" Sean held her gaze as he waited for a response.

Lyrr sighed, trying to decide on a reply that was the least emotion-laden. She could tell him he'd hurt her when he left, more than anyone ever had. She could also tell him that she'd cried tears of frustration and sorrow when she realized he was gone, and their time together had been nothing more than a pleasant distraction for him from the monotony of life on Bajor. Or, she could simply tell him none of that and give him a diplomatic reply. Proving the coward she was when it came to emotional relationships, Lyrr flattened her hands atop the desk and regarded her splayed fingers.

"When on duty, you'll get Lyrr," she said quietly, pressing her hands more firmly against the desk's surface and channeling all her apprehensions there. "When off duty...if you do so choose to associate with me then, you'll get Tayla. Though, I can't promise she'll be the same woman you knew on Bajor."

Her eyes shifted up to his again and she smiled ruefully. "I've changed, Sean. I don't exactly know what I was like then, or how you perceived me to be, but I know that I'm not the same person. At least, I don't feel that I am, whether it's for the best or the worst. Either way, from now on you'll get the same respect I give all my senior officers." She grinned wryly. "Except for maybe one or two. But, I won't punish you any longer for leaving. You had no choice, and even if you did, it would have been your decision to make and would have had nothing to do with me. I was just a stubborn, hot-headed Bajoran you spent a couple months with, and who might have gotten a little...infatuated with the local human doctor. That didn't warrant my scorn. So...again, I'm sorry, Sean. Things will change, I promise."

Sean sighed inwardly, even as his face maintained its usual charming candor. He had thought he had made two mistakes with Tayla, the first being his swift departure without any notice and the second being his failure to contact her once he had broken ties with the Institute. But looking into her eyes, seeing the tension in her hands and in her shoulders, it occurred to him that he had made a third, even larger mistake in never seeing or acknowledging the depth of feelings she had once held for him.

Their relationship, if you could call it that, had been carried out in one month spurts, the few times Tayla returned to Bajor. They had been close friends and spent hours in each other's company. But they had never been intimate. That was not to say he hadn't considered the possibility. She was quite striking, and they had gotten along famously. But the logistics of it always seemed too far fetched. Why start something that was going to be interrupted in a matter of weeks, not to resume until months later, if at all? He had thought he was doing her a favor by never upping the ante, giving her an easy out when her career pulled her back to the fleet.

He had been doing the right thing, or so he thought. What if they had become even closer? He certainly would not have given into the Institute's offer, and the last three years of his life would have been a hell of a lot more pleasant.

Just what I need, Sean thought to himself. More bloody regrets. But at least Tay and I can put a few of them in the past if we are lucky. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile, the same one she had come to know years earlier. That much at least had not changed.

"That's good enough for me then, Tayla," he said, using her name rather than rank for the first time since he came aboard. "That's all I or anyone can ask for. I know you've changed over the years. So have I. That's not always a bad thing. One thing I can guarantee has not changed: You still have my respect and my trust, both as an officer and an individual." He hesitated at using the word 'friend.' Time would tell if that was appropriate. He reached across the table and picked up the padd, flicking off the power with his thumb. "You will not be needing this, nor will I."

Tayla allowed a smile to escape finally. "I'm glad. You do still owe me a bowl of extra spicy hasperat, after all."

Sean grinned as he rose from the chair. "My kitchen is always open after hours. Just let me know when you wish to partake." His eyes sparkled as he looked at her. The young former resistance fighter had grown into quite an officer, and a woman. "And Tayla. Thank you for giving me cause to stay."

"Don't worry," she told him, "whenever I feel you're getting any other foolish ideas, like asking for a transfer again, I'll let you know." She held Sean's naturally mesmerizing gaze a moment longer, then laughed softly and shook her head. "You can go back to romancing the female officers with that smile, Doctor. Dismissed...and in case I didn't say this before... Welcome aboard."

---

"Molecular Bonding, Part 2"
By: Captain Matthew T. Salinger
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh

Location: Starbase 163
Stardate 57906.29, 18h55

***

As the holosuite doors closed behind them, Matt and Xayella were left standing in a long meadow of green grass and torah flowers. He slipped his hand into hers and started forward. "It's a beautiful place," he said. "I'd really like to take a shore leave on the real Bajor someday. The culture is amazing, and the people are so friendly."

Xayella shot him a knowing sideways glance. "Not all of them," she said.

Matt laughed and shook his head. "When she's not being bitter and resentful, she's friendly. We've had a couple nice nights in the holodeck on the Sulu. And, we had dinner together. But, I think she just has some very definitive ideas about how Starfleet officers and soldiers should behave, and anything outside of that is worthless." He shook his head again and sighed. "I just hope we can work out our differences, or things will be difficult on the ship."

"Don't worry," she told him. "It'll work out. And if not...at least you tried." She sighed and let her head fall lightly upon his shoulder. "For now, we only worry about finding the best view of the stars."

"Let's go down to that hill over there," Matt said, pointing to a low rising mound of terrain. "That looks like a great place to look at the stars."

The two made their way leisurely towards the hill, trampling the tall, thick grass beneath their feet, but behind them, the succulent stalks simply sprang upright again as if untouched. Once atop the mound, Matt seated himself first, pressing his back to the sheltering, lone tree planted in the center of the hill; Xayella settled down between his legs and leaned herself comfortably against him. His arms came up around her waist from behind and Xayella caressed them lightly as she watched the stars glittering against the blackened skies.

"This is nice," she whispered.

Matt nuzzled his head over her shoulder and smiled. "It is very nice," he said. "I think I could stay here all night like this, just holding you."

"Then why not do that?" she asked. "You're a captain; you can do whatever you like."

Matt chuckled. "Would you like to stay in here all night, Xay? I can make arrangements with them so we'll have it all night, and we can find a little hostel in one of the surrounding towns to stay in tonight."

Xayella turned her head to look at him with a beaming smile. "Really? You'd...want to do that with me?"

Matt kissed her cheek and then her earlobe. "Of course I'd want to do that with you. I don't know if you've noticed, but I do enjoy spending time with you very much. And, we've got the time tonight, and I think it sounds wonderful."

She sighed at the warmth of Matt's lips against her flesh and rolled her head back upon his shoulder. "Then I think it's wonderful too," she replied softly. She turned her face into Matt's neck and kissed it tenderly.

Matt glanced skyward at the alien stars and sighed with contentment. "Have you ever spent the night in a holosuite like this before? This'll be my first time. There's only ever been one other woman I would have wanted to with, but she hated the holodecks. But, that's ancient history now, and the only woman I want to think about is in my arms right now."

Xayella chuckled. "Oh, really? And that's why she just came to mind? But...it's alright, I'm here now, so that's all that matters to me. Right?"

"She died five years ago," Matt said. "Lost on the other side of the neutral zone. And, now, you are all the matters, Xay. You are the only woman in my heart."

She nodded slowly, unable to help feeling grateful for the other woman's death. "I've never...been in a relationship before," she said quietly. "This is all new to me. So...there's no chance there could be anyone else but you in my heart, Matt."

"Good," Matt said, and kissed her cheek and earlobe again. "I don't think there's anything for us to worry about, not about each other and what we share." He suddenly gasped and then pointed into the sky at a trail of light streaking across the inky black dome. "A shooting star. Make a wish."

Xayella closed her eyes and wished for the only thing she could ever hope to have: Matt's love. Just as the beam of light was enveloped by the veil of darkness across the sky, she opened her eyes again and regarded Matt. "What did you wish for?"

"I can't say," Matt answered, but then tightened his embrace slightly. "But, so far it looks like it's coming true."

Xayella laughed softly. "Well, I'm not telling you my wish either. I want it to come true. But...you'll have to tell me when it does."

Matt chuckled. "Well, we'll see," he said. "Though, I have a sneaky suspicion it'll be soon. Now, let me see that necklace. I think it's time you were wearing it."

With a slight squeal, Xayella twisted around slightly and shoved her hand into Matt's pant pocket. She did more groping for the box than was necessary, and did so with a wicked, little grin. Once Matt was sufficiently fondled, Xayella pulled out the box and flipped open the lid. Her eyes reacted instantly to the sparkling silver chain and teared up, though her beaming smile remained firmly in place. She ran a finger along the length of the chain, pausing over each of the embedded tiny diamonds to admire their shape and texture, then stopped at the dangling pendant. After a time, she gingerly took the necklace up into her hand, cradling it in her palm as she held it up for Matt.

Matt took the necklace and then had Xay turn back to the front as he brought it around and settled it in place. He drew each end of the glittering chain back and affixed the clasp. He peeked around her shoulder down at the pendant and smiled. It was constructed like a molecular model, with an emerald and a topaz neatly arranged in the center, with several more diamonds, larger than the others, branching off. He smiled and then gave her another kiss. "It looks perfect on you."

Xayella blindly brushed her fingertips over the length of the necklace again, and sighed happily. "I wish I could wear it on duty, but it's okay; I'll just wear it for you, Matt."

"You can wear it whenever you'd like," Matt said. "And, you do, with all your vast scientific knowledge, recognize that don't you?"

Xayella craned her neck forward to study the pendant, then chuckled softly. "I must be really rusty in my chemistry. I don't think I've ever seen that one before."

Matt smiled and leaned even closer. "Really? Well, I guess it is rather rare. If you'd believe it, that's the molecular model for...well, for love actually. And, not just any love at that. A very specific love."

Xayella's heart fluttered in her chest and it took her a moment to settle her breathing enough to reply, "Really? What-- What kind...of l-love?"

"Love, love," Matt said with a soft laugh. "Xayella Tagliesh, I love you. When I'm with you, I feel free and happy and unencumbered by the weight of my responsibilities. When we're together, I feel like...like everything is right. I love you, Xay."

The smile that took hold of her lips consumed her entire face and she felt a squeal of excitement rising in her throat, but she forced it down and shifted around to face Matt. She giggled helplessly for a few moments, then threw herself into Matt's arms. "Wow...those shooting stars work fast," she quipped. A small squeak of delight managed to escape, then a giddy laugh as Xayella pulled back and regarded Matt. "Do you...do you really mean it? I mean...it's so soon and... You're sure?"

"I'm very sure," Matt said. "At least if I can trust my own feelings. It feels so right, and...yes, Xay. Yes, I do." He indicated the necklace. "I had that made on the starbase. The man does some really fast and good work. The emerald is for you, the topaz is for me. And, the stars are...well, everything beautiful."

"Like your eyes," she said softly. "And your smile." She ran her fingers lightly over his lips. "Those dimples you get when you laugh. Your voice when you speak... You're beautiful, Matt, and ever since I returned from Dorvali, I've been sure of one thing and I've been afraid of telling you..." Her heart pounded against her chest and Xayella took in a deep breath to steady it. "You're the first man, Matt," she whispered, "that I've ever loved. Probably the first person, too. And I promise not to let you down. Not ever, not if I can help it."

"Together," Matt said. "We'll make it through this together." With that, he kissed her, deeply and passionately.

In that moment, Xayella couldn't remember a happier time, or when she'd ever been so aroused. She returned Matt's kiss ravenously and moved her hands to his chest - more specifically to the buttons, which she proceeded to undo. "Here," she whispered to him when their lips parted briefly. "Under the stars."

Without another word, Matt slowly leaned back onto the grass, bringing Xay and her nimble fingers with him. "Here under the stars sounds like a very wondering and romantic location."

"Oh, it is," she replied. "I would imagine. I've never done it like this before. But...since it's a night of first times for me - first time being in love, first time being loved - I figure it's fitting."

"Very fitting," Matt answered and kissed her again. "After this, we can go into town for some dessert, and then find a room. But, for now, I think it's time to show each other how much we love each other." With that, he rolled them slightly so that he was resting easily atop her. "Have I mentioned how wonderful it is waking up with you in my arms, Xay?"

"No," she replied with a slight smile. "But the smile you wear each morning we're together conveys that just as well."

"Good," Matt said. "Because I want you to know how special you are to me. And, I just want you to know that, even though I'm doing what I can to make you a better officer, I still love who you are no matter what. I want you to be who you want to be, and no matter what happens to us, I want you to know that you are my heart."

Xayella paused in her disrobing of Matt to cradle his face in her hands, then kissed him tenderly. "I love you, Matt Salinger," she whispered fervently. "I won't let you down."

The night seemed to dissolve around them as they began to slowly make love to each other. With the entire night booked for the holodeck, it gave Matt and Xayella as much time as they needed to confirm their love for one other. For the first time in a very long time for both of them, everything felt right.

---

"Clueless Diplomacy"
By Lieutenant (jg) Mark Thaine - Engineer
Ensign Jermaine Gordo - Security Officer
Ensign Amy Reese - Nurse
Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse
and Ensign Viraj - Operations Officer [NPC]

Location: USS Sulu, Ens. Sefton and Dr. Quezith's Quarters
Stardate 57906.29, 19h07

***

The junior officers had convened to solve the mysterious murder of an Admiral. Most of the dining table was covered by a round plate-like holoprojector. The image projected above the table was the simplified blueprints of an Intrepid-Class starship. Each officer held a padd detailing which suspects had alibis, which tools in inventory were clean of blood, and which locations on the vessel had been empty at the time of the murder. Each of them had begun with separate facts, and none of them were prepared for full disclosure. They also had shorter additional lists of clues, which had been cautiously provided to each of them by second-hand sources - namely: one another. Those facts weren't quite as trustworthy, as most of them were still strangers to one another, but they were all willing to use them to further their individual investigations.

Cristobel tapped a control that caused a random number generator to provide him with a time interval of "7". With his finger, he tapped seven sequential grids on the holographic blueprints, leading the burgundy Starfleet emblem, which represented him, into the grid that was designated as the mess hall. The hologram blurred and then refocused as a depiction of the mess hall.

Looking at all the faces around the table, Cris set his eyes on Amy. Evenly, he asked her, "Did Lieutenant Mustard hack him to death with a jagged dilithium crystal in the Astrometrics lab?"

Cris' stern gaze was lost in a blink. "Dammit, I've been a terrible host. ...Would anyone like some snacks? Maybe take a quick break from the game?" he asked with a broad grin, and then briefly checked his padd for any clues that may have been transferred from Reese's primary list.

"I'll take a big bowl of popcorn," Amy replied without taking her eyes from her own padd. Her mouth twitched with an incipient smile at the clue she'd finished transferring to Cris. He wasn't even close.

"Jagged dilithium crystal?" muttered Thaine from the other side of the table.

"How in hell would that work? It'd shatter like 'that'." He snapped his fingers. The engineer was, of course, more annoyed over the fact he was losing than any scientific discrepancies in the game.

"...Making the separate pieces all the better to gouge out some eyes," Cristobel told Mark, as if it were terribly obvious. Cris got up from his seat, and pushed up the sleeves of his grey and burgundy striped shirt, asking, "Drinks anyone?"

"A milkshake," Amy replied. "And speaking of drinks, who says the murderer couldn't have ground up the crystals and slipped it into someone's raktajino, Mr. Know-it All. That'd make for a slow, painful death." She grinned cheekily at Cris, then stuck her tongue out at him for added pestering.

"Pfft, the Admiral hated Klingons, including their coffee, and had a much stronger predilection towards alcoholic beverages. Your theory crumples under the weight of a little thing called facts," Cristobel said in a single breath as he made his way to the replicator. He stopped about half way, shook his head, and turned to Amy. "Much more importantly, the method isn't a variable in this game - only the tool." He offered Reese a look that screamed, 'So there'.

As Jermaine sat in the corner of the room, having missed the initial start of the game he decided to wait for the next, if there would be one. Finding amusement for himself in an old broadcast movie from the American archives he sits quietly with a pair of headphones playing the audio straight into his ears so not to bother anyone.

Though not having it very loud at all he easily overheard the conversation at hand and stifled a laugh to himself. Thinking inwardly, "Weapons indeed..."

Jermaine stood to his feet, setting the padd to the table beside the couch he walked over to the group anyway. Politely refusing the offer for drinks and snacks he takes a seat and looks to the board in front of the other officers.

As a complete random joke he clears his throat and offers his own theory,"I believe it was ensign Green, in the holodeck, with the phaser rifle..."

As his dark gaze scanned over the others he smirked, knowing not whether they would find it amusing, or actually look to see if he was right.

"Actually, the green suspect is called Ensign Emerald," Cris informed him, as the snacks appeared in the replicator.

Jermaine realized that his attempts at humor with these crew members would be well spent elsewhere. As he stood once again he smoothed out the wrinkles of his black silk shirt, shook his long dreadlocks from the tie that was restraining them and made his way to the door.

Amy snickered. "Stop messing around, Gordo. Did you even read the instructions? I bet you didn't. I bet you were busy doing those teensy braids of yours." She giggled. "I bet you're worse than Seffy. I think he spends more time fussing with his hair than he does talk, if you can imagine that!"

Cris scoffed dramatically, and raised his palms defensively. "Amy is the one who spent her entire shift telling me about the intense shade of blue she wants us to dye our hair. I didn't even brush my hair this morning, so I don't know what she's going on about." Already thinking about something else, Cris didn't even take a breath before asking, "Hey... what do you gossip about in the security offices when things are slow like now? New types of phasers?"

Jermaine shook his head with total disgust. "First off, they are not braids," he said as he held up a single lock of the fused hair on his head. "Secondly, I had far more important things to do as a child rather then learn the rules of this game."

By no means did Jermaine want to seem so ignorant, though the assumption of him having learned something of their culture seemed balanced by the lack of understanding of his heritage.

"As far as gossip," trying to move off the touchy topic of cultural differences,"there is not much to discuss, for the life of a security officer is a spur of the moment thing, and what is done is done."

With that his back was turned once again and he walked out the door.

Cristobel threw his arms in the air and defensively shouted, "I was just trying to make conversation." With no response from Jermaine's back or the doors that slid shut, Cris muttered to himself, "I had important things to do as a child too. ...So I learned the game last night."

Viraj had remained fairly quiet thus far, as he wasn't particularly hungry or thirsty, and certainly didn't want to involve himself in aggressive altercations with fellow members of the crew. The Deltan finally spoke up, now, because it was his turn. "Soooo... uhm, Mark, caress that padd of yours into telling me if it was Lieutenant Commander Scarlet in the Ready Room with the exoscalpel."

Amy snickered, not fazed one bit by Jermaine's petulant departure. "Caress, eh?" She leaned forward in a manner suggesting she had something intriguing to discuss, and oh, how she did. "I heard Captain Salinger's been caressing the CSO. Of, course I have no proof to back it up, but that's what I've heard."

"Was 'caress' not the right word?" Viraj murmured meekly. Verbal discussion always seemed so vastly complicated to him, compared to communicating through physical contact.

With a tray of popcorn and milkshakes for everyone in hand, Cristobel sat back down at the table. Even more excitedly than he had been for Jermaine's outburst, Cris asked, "Was this while she was in the brig?"

Amy shrugged. "Could have happened there too. Though, some say he saw her making out with that Steele guy from flight control, and in a jealous rage, he just tossed her into the brig! The next day he came by to talk, and he just lets her out for no apparent reason." She grinned knowingly. "Though, I bet it had something to do with a little make-up session in his quarters."

"Or a little make-up session in the brig," Cristobel cocked an eyebrow. "With all those security restraints and--"

Viraj had been silently staring intently at the holoprojector since he last spoke, but suddenly put up a palm to grab everyone's attention, and blurted out, "Starfleet-insisted oath of celibacy here! Just saying hello is hard enough for me, I don't need to be hearing about kinky prison sex." After a beat, Viraj continued in a casual tone, "...Besides, everyone knows the brig thing was just a ruse. Tagliesh 'made up' with the Captain right there in the turbolift with Steele."

Thaine coughed, breaking his apparent silence. "It wasn't Commander Scarlet," he said, scowling at the group. "And I can't believe you're having this conversation."

Amy folded her arms atop the table and regarded Thaine with her head inclined curiously to one side. "Why wouldn't we? It's harmless. Besides, I hear she's become much more tolerable since she and the captain have been...you know. I figure that's gotta be a good thing. It means she won't be snapping at my Kelli anymore!"

"Because," said Thaine, whose glare was lessening slightly, "first of all he's the Captain. That's enough of a reason. And if you want more, because I wouldn't like my private life brought up in conversation. And I can't imagine he would either."

"But, like you said, he's the captain. It's not everyday you find a starship captain going out with an officer - especially the most unruly officer in Starfleet history!" She grinned. "Slight exaggeration, but you've gotta see my point. But...if you're this uncomfortable with it, we'll talk about something else...like..." Amy chewed her lip pensively for a time, then shrugged. "I've got nothing. We really need more gossip on this ship."

Thaine didn't reply, and merely looked at his padd, transferring the information to Viraj so that it could be proved, quite conclusively, that it wasn't Lieutenant Commander Scarlet.

"Don't worry; in the time I've been on board, people have said nothing about your private life, Mark. Well... more accurately, they say there's not much of a life to speak of. I... suppose that's probably not what you meant, though." Cristobel halfheartedly smiled apologetically, and then took a large gulp of chocolate milkshake.

"I think we should change the subject," stated the engineer, firmly. "Who's go is it?"

"It's Amy's turn to gasp her accusation," Viraj stated matter-of-factly.

"I do not gasp," she said with mock indignation. She scrolled through the data on her padd while she chewed on her lower lip and squinted at the information in a pose of deep concentration. Then, she sat bolt upright and gasped. "Ensign Dijon...in the brig...with the energy welder!" At Viraj's raised eyebrow, she shrugged and added, "Okay, so I do gasp. But it's a cute gasp."

Quiety, Viraj mentioned, "Actually, I'm not so sure 'gasp' was even the word I meant to use. I think I meant state or declare..." He trailed off with his nose in his padd, checking to see if he had any clues to send to Amy.

Putting his milkshake down soundly, Cristobel asked Amy, "So, where is your Kelli tonight?" He playfully nudged her on the shoulder with his elbow, before passive-aggressively adding, "She must be awfully busy, what with the not having time to even RSVP that she couldn't make it tonight."

"You leave my Kelli alone," Amy chided. "She works hard and likes to get in a lot of overtime. I guess she's shooting for a promotion or something." Amy dipped her hand into the bowl of popcorn and pulled out a handful, a few unruly kernels managing to slip through her fingers. "I'll tell her you were very sorry she couldn't come, Seffy," she taunted. "I'm sure she was sad she missed it." After popping a morsel into her mouth and chewing it rapidly, Amy grinned and asked, "So where's your Corran, huh? Didn't wanna spend time with his Crissy and her little friends?"

"I think he's on the holodeck doing some practicing so he can beat me at Strip Velocity. He doesn't like this game," Cristobel explained simply, with half a shrug. "He had a mutiny-themed nightmare after reading the rules with me last night." As a quick aside, he said, "Mark, it's your move."

Mark nodded, and generated a random time interval. It came up with a 1. "Damn," he muttered, and moved his own holographic marker along the corridor. "Someone else's go. I can't guess if I'm not in a room."

Viraj stirred his otherwise untouched caramel milkshake with the straw, appearing completely lost in thought again. Instead of planning his own next movie, he was focusing his thoughts on conceiving an idea of a shared interest or experience that everyone could discuss without anyone else storming out. Just barely out of Starfleet Academy himself, it tended to remain at the forefront of his thoughts, and once a common Academy experience came to mind, he exclaimed, "Survival course!" In response to a few bewildered looks, he explained, "Where were you all sent? ...I postponed it until my last semester, but I already don't quite remember the name of the uninhabited, jungle world they left me on."

"Oh, mine was a blast! Though I can't remember the name either. I was having too much fun to care," Amy replied. "I know it's supposed to be arduous and tough - which it was - but aside from that, it was nice to get away from Academy-life for a while."

"I got suck on some desert planet," said Thaine, who obviously wasn't too fond of the experience judging by the look on his face. "Sand, sand and more sand...it took months to get it out of my clothes."

Receiving a time interval of five, Cristobel moved his emblem to no place in particular. "Also stuck in a corridor," he said quietly, seemingly entranced by the hologram.

Amy gnawed on her lower lip again as she studied her padd, then the board, and finally threw up her arms. "Seffy, is there even a solution to this game? Or are you just liking our company so much you've been withholding clues so we'll never solve it?"

"Sounds like someone has been asking her clues utterly at random, and now is finding that it's not working out so much," Cristobel taunted. More seriously, he offered, "The padds send the correct clues regardless of what we press, and the solution is on the bridge. If you want to see it, you've got to make your final guess, and, right or wrong, that'll end the game for you."

"Oh," Amy said with a puzzled look. She moved her own piece an interval of three, which took her into the medlab. After receiving her final clue, Amy deliberated over it for a time as if it were a more serious matter than simply winning a game. "Captain Quince," she began slowly, "with a hand phaser...in the messhall?"

As Cristobel silently sent Amy a clue, Viraj turned his own extended puzzled look into words. "Wait, wait, wait. You, Amy, found pleasure in the survival course? Were you, by chance, part of that group that was rumoured to be abandoned on an island on Risa? Or were you just hyposprayed with sedatives early on?"

Amy giggled. "Risa? Oh, I wish! I've always enjoyed running around in the nude." She shot Viraj a wink. "I guess I'm just a laid back kind of person," she continued. "Besides, any new experience is an enjoyable one. Don't you all think?"

Thaine looked momentarily distant, as if lost in thought. "No," said. "No. I've had plenty of experiences I would never wish to repeat."

Amy frowned. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess I have had some experiences that weren't so good..." Her cheerful smile quickly returned. "Though, in the end, I'm a better person for having them. Like that time in grade school when I cheated off Lizzy Carlyle's test... I got caught of course, but I learned that it's better to fail on your own than to fail because Lizzy Carlyle wasn't the smartest of the bunch, then get detention because the teacher realized I'd been cheating." She shrugged. "So, in the end, at least I got something good out of it."

Sombre, for once, Cristobel stated, "Not every jagged experience has a tidy little moral to be taken home."

"Yeah, what did I get out of carrying around an unconscious Vulcan through that humid jungle?" Viraj asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I'm sorry," Amy announced in a huff. "I'm sorry I'm so optimistic and always look for the good in every situation. I'm sorry I'm so cheerful no matter what." She picked up one kernel of popcorn and tossed it into her mouth. As she chewed, she added, "If you all keep frowning so much, you'll get all wrinkly. Think about that, boys."

"Oh. Uhm... I was hoping you would be able to find the good in that situation for me..." Viraj trailed off quickly.

"I never said you shouldn't be optimistic or cheerful," Cristobel said with half a smile. "Just disagreed with your sentiment."

"Fine," Amy said, suddenly perky again. "Mar that youthful face of yours with worry lines, Seffy. I'll just continue being cheery and looking young, while poor Corran has to learn to love a dour, twenty-something year old geezer." She rubbed her hands together and smiled happily. "Now, whose turn is it?"

"Mine," Viraj said, as he directed his emblem towards the armory, but ended up three girds away from it. "Hmph. Mark's turn."

Cristobel laughed suddenly, "I may flourish in sullen moments just as readily as ecstatic moments, but I am not, and will never be, dour. And I'm guessing you've never seen Betazoid wrinkles if you talk about them as if it's a bad thing."

"Aren't we vain!" Amy exclaimed. "You wouldn't be if you could see your hair right now." She snickered and buried her hand in the popcorn again.

"Vain? All I meant was that Betazoids welcome aging," Cris said on the defensive. Again. "I guess that's, I don't know, too alien a concept for a human to grasp, if you had to interpret it as boasting."

"My, aren't we being snooty tonight as well." Amy poked her tongue out at Cris and tossed a kernel of popcorn in his direction.

Cristobel shrugged. "Probably not just tonight," he told her without a trace of humour.

Amy raised her eyebrows at Cristobel, then smiled with false sweetness. "Well, looks like it's past someone's bedtime. Should we leave you to your pouting and continue this another time?"

"I was never pouting," Cris said with an eye-roll and a smirk, now only mock-defensively. "It was more of a momentary brooding about my own survival course."

"What happened on yours anyway?" Amy asked. "Must have been something pretty bad if it's got you all edgy."

Suddenly looking doe-eyed, Cristobel pressed the random number generator, and moved his emblem onto the bridge. "We all got sick." He looked down to his padd, to make his final guess.

"Sick?" Amy echoed. "Well...did you eat something bad?"

"No," Cristobel responded, as he studied his padd further. Making his final guess, he said, "Was it Lieutenant Plumb, in the jeffries tube, with the photon grenade?" When the real answer briefly flashed on his padd, Cris muttered, "Oh. Hmm. I guess it wasn't." And his emblem on the game board winked out.

Amy watched Cristobel intently and with quickly waning patience. Finally, she let out a cry of frustration and shrieked, "Well, what then! You're very good at keeping people in suspense, Crissy, but it's not very polite. Now tell me how you got sick."

"Accident," Cristobel shrugged, cringing away at her shrillness. "The universe is a strange place, and not everything has a reason."

At Cristobel's vague reply, Amy sighed wearily and slumped back against her chair miserably. "Yeesh, Crissy. You'd think your friends would be the people to tell when something's bugging you. But...fine. I won't pry anymore. I'll just try and figure out whose turn it is next."

"You know," said Mark, "I think we've all done enough damage for the evening. I think I'm gonna call it a night."

"Yeah," Amy sighed. "I think I am too." She smiled wanly at Cristobel. "If I can't succeed in cheering people up, then I know I really need some sleep." Amy slid back her chair and rose. "What about you, Viraj? You gonna stay and try to solve that thing?"

"No... I had been slinking towards the same conclusion as Cris, and if that's wrong, then I'm totally lost," Viraj responded. He stood, and picked up his unsipped milkshake to get rid of it in the replicator.

"You're not too tired to cheer people up, Amy," Cristobel told her softly, leaning in slightly. "All that's 'bugging' me is a little mental-heartburn, and the only thing to cure it is some restful sleep. Remembering the fever from that Tholian virus isn't exactly pleasant, but it is simply a memory from over a year ago. Nothing to be done about it except move on, but it is nice to know that someone cares." Suddenly recalling that she'd given up on trying to figure him out, Cris tacked on, "I think."

"Hey!" Amy protested. "I do care. It's just...sometimes I think I care too much and I guess some find that annoying." She bent over the table and folded her arms atop it as she added with a smile, "Besides, I bet the fever wasn't that bad. The hallucinations must have been a real trip! If that makes you feel any better, of course..."

"Not so much," Cris responded genuinely with a shake of his head. "But only because there were no hallucinations. There was mostly rage, which isn't as fun."

"Well...it's amusing when Ensign Gordo does it," Amy quipped. She giggled. "I think we should make it our life's mission to see if we can get that guy to smile." She reached across the table with one hand, her arm disrupting the holographic playing board, and covered Cris'. "And maybe even you too. How 'bout it?"

"No argument from me," Cristobel said, grinning. "But I always smile anyway... unless I'm thinking about violence. ...I wonder if violence is all that makes Ensign Gordo smile..."

"And I wonder if he's part Klingon. We'll sneak into his medical records tomorrow and find out." She winked at Cris and lightly patted his hand. "Sound good?"

"Sure," Cris agreed, with half a chuckle.

Amy sighed. "Well...okay then, Crissy." She shrugged as she straightened up. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. For now, though...smile! I already warned you about those wrinkles."

"I'll see you," Cristobel told her, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he stood, and then gave Amy a hug. As Mark and Viraj made their way to the door, Cris said to them, "Thanks for coming tonight. It was nice to get to know you all. I hope it wasn't too unpleasant."

"Not at all," Amy put in. She kissed each of Cris' cheeks, gave him a tender smile, then joined Mark and Viraj at the door. "We should do this again some time, boys."

Once he had ushered them out politely, Cristobel backed away from the doors, letting out a long tired breath. He dropped down into a cushy chair, stared intently at nothing in particular, and murmured, "Yeah. Again."

---

"Pride vs. Prejudice"
By Ensign Jermaine Gordo – Security Officer

Location: U.S.S. Sulu – Holodeck
Stardate 57906.29, 19h23

***

Jermaine stormed down the corridor from the quarters of his inhospitable host. Having only tried to make friends he was met with an unexpected racial slandering.

Determined to not allow this to ruin his chances of promotion and his ascension through the ranks of Starfleet he had to vent his frustrations in some other way.

The first thing that came to his mind of course was his training regimen at the holodeck. He made his way there hastily to the nearest holodeck and loaded his customized program.

Gordo shed his silk shirt to the corner of the room and quickly stretched himself out before starting into his routine. His adrenaline limbered his body up more quickly then any calisthenics could have done.

The computer replicated his opponent who made its way to the center of the room. Refusing to bow to it as the rage dwelled within him, he took to his fighting stance.

His eyes seemed to go blank to the destruction of his opponent as his instincts took over. Operating much like a machine himself, he lashed furiously and repeatedly into the training program.

After approximately five minutes his emotions subsided as he looked to see the havoc he had caused to his target. The image lay beaten and bruised horrendously upon the floor of the holodeck.

Breathing deeply as his body resumed his normal calm he sighed at the ignorance of his fellow crew once again. Though the rage was long gone he could still not believe the events had actually occurred.

Looking to his body once again, his chest still heaving a bit from the furious assault, he shook his head. One thought repeated in his head, This cannot be the way.

He would have to find another vent for such emotions. One other option came to mind and he set off to relax a bit further before his shift began.

Putting on his shirt as he exited the holodeck, for now this would all have to wait.

---