"Awakenings"
By: Ensign Amy Reese
Ensign Dwayne Sanchez

Location: Amy and Dwayne's quarters, USS Sulu
Stardate 57907.02, 00h18

***

Still humming the lyrical tune Kit had sung to her while she'd laid in his arms, delirious with joy and satisfied beyond belief, Amy came to the door of her quarters and punched in her code. When the door slid open for her, she strolled lazily into the room, still humming and giggling softly. She spun around in a series of dizzying twirls that lifted her dress and wrapped it around her thighs, dancing gaily to the music still in her head.

It was late and she had to wake up for shift in only a matter of hours, but Amy was too excited to sleep so she continued frolicking about the room. She broke into another fit of giggles as she stopped spinning, yet found the room hadn't done the same. Making her way across the darkened living area was difficult, and she tripped numerous times, but each time, came up laughing. She managed to finally make it to the doorway of her bedroom, but a wave of vertigo hit her again, and with a yelp, Amy toppled sideways to the ground. Her laughter grew even louder.

Dwayne sat up with a start as he heard the crashing about in the other room. Only one other person could get inside without having to use a security override and he figured it had to be Amy. He didn't even bother with pulling on any shorts. Why bother? She'd seen everything he has.

He threw the covers from his naked form and walked to the door. Once the sensor sensed him, the doors opened and he spotted Amy at her door. "Do you know what time it is?"

Amy craned her neck to gaze up at Dwayne towering over her from where she was still seated on the ground. Her eyes wandered over his very naked self, focusing briefly on his groin, then finally making their way up to his notably muscled chest. A slight purr rose in her throat and a pleased smile stretched her lips. "Come to wish me goodnight?" She chuckled and held out a hand to him. "Sorry. Got carried away. Didn't mean to wake you."

He leaned down to assist her to her feet. "Where the hell have you been?" He was sounding more like a brother than a roommate. He noticed the sound of her voice and the smile that spread her lips. "I would have done that hours ago, had you been here. Wish you goodnight, I mean." He smiled, hard to stay upset at her when she was so... He shook his head. No, you can't. Remember what Cris said? "Have fun?"

Amy gazed up at Dwayne, grinning broadly. "Uh huh." She giggled and leaned her chin against his chest, still looking up at him. "How 'bout you? I imagine sleeping alone and naked has its advantages."

He took her shoulders in his hands and firmly stood her back so she was no longer leaning on him. "And I'm sure your 'boy-toy' would really like seeing you flirting with me." Yes, he was being harsh, but he wanted to make it clear that now that she had someone, he wouldn't be the 'other man' for her.

Amy narrowed her eyes quizzically at Dwayne. "Boy toy?" She sighed and all sign of amusement disappeared from her face. "You mean Kit, don't you? He's not my boy toy, Dwayne. I like him a lot. And I'm not flirting with you! I mean...you're the one who's standing in the hallway naked."

"And I told you, I sleep like this all the time. When I heard you stumbling in here I thought there was more to it than you coming in. I hadn't even bothered to grab a robe or a pair of shorts since you'd already seen everything anyway." He sighed as he signaled her door so they would open, then he guided her inside. "I'll see you later. Sleep well."

Amy laughed incredulously. "No. Maybe I want to stay awake and talk." She took Dwayne's hand and tried to tug him into the room. "Come on, Dwayne," she begged. "Sit with me and talk."

He was tugged into the room, and nearly fell. He sighed as the doors whispered closed behind them. He hadn't really been in her room, at least not since he first arrived as her roommate. And at least then he was clothed. He sighed, "Okay, so talk." No, he wasn't going to make this easy for her.

Amy pushed him down onto her bed, then stood before him with her hands firmly planted on her hips. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Why do you seem so mad? Just because I woke you up? If that's it, then I'm sorry."

Dwayne sighed. What was the point? He stood up and was making his way to the door. "I've got shift in a few hours; I want to finish up what's left of my night before I have to get to work. I suggest you do the same."

Amy swung around and gripped Dwayne's arm, pulling him back towards her. "Dammit, Dwayne, what is your problem? Are you jealous or something because I have a boyfriend? You had your shot. I offered you sex and you declined, and now you're angry because I'm giving it to someone else?" She scoffed at him and released his arm. "Typical male. A woman gives you a pretty smile and you think you own her. Well, you don't own me, Dwayne, okay?"

He looked at her when she grabbed his arm and then he looked into her eyes all the while she spoke. "I'm not saying that there isn't something here. I can feel the tension, but I'm not going to jump into bed with someone because I'm attracted to her. If I did, I'd feel like I was no better than Ensign J. R. Steele. I don't do that crap. I don't keep a record of all the girls I'd been with. And mostly because I've never been with anyone."

He didn't seem ashamed to admit that. "I would feel as though I had taken advantage of you...or Kelli, and I don't want to feel that." His anger seemed to have dissipated while he spoke.

Amy sighed, finally relenting. "You're not like that," she stated softly. "You're a good guy, Dwayne, that's why I like you so much. I don't want to fight about this. I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted." She looked over Dwayne's body again, and grinned. "Though, I really wish you were like that. If you were, we really could be having some fun right now."

"Amy, you're enough to make me forget about what I was taught." His hands came up to frame her face gently, and he leaned his forehead to hers. "I really would." He sighed, "It's almost enough to make me forget about my mother's teaching and do that." He pressed his hips to hers to let her know he was really feeling her closeness.

Amy closed her eyes and sighed happily at the sensation of Dwayne's parts rubbing against her. Through the thin skirt she wore, she could feel it all, even the intense heat radiating from his naked flesh. "Almost enough?" she whispered. She brought her hands to his waist, then slid them across his stomach and up towards his chest. "I'm with Kit...but he doesn't own me." She opened her eyes again and regarded Dwayne with an enticing stare. "My previous offer still stands, you know."

He nodded, and whispered, "I know. Somehow I knew it would." He then moved in to place his mouth to hers in a long lingering kiss, her nearness making him forget himself, and his mother's teachings.

Amy moaned softly into his mouth as a growing hardness brushed against her abdomen. She wrapped her arms tightly around Dwayne's waist and backed towards the bed with him. Her knees hit the edge of the mattress and with a husky laugh she fell backwards onto it, pulling Dwayne down atop her. "Just use your instincts," she told him breathlessly. Her lips kissed their way across his mouth and down his throat, while her hands hastily began tugging up the hem of her skirt. "Don't be shy Dwayne, this isn't the time for that."

He took her advice. He allowed his instincts to take over. If asked later, he couldn't tell anyone exactly what it was he'd done, just that it all felt good and that she was wonderful. The sensations that started low swelled up to take over his entire body.

At the back of his mind he could hear his mother's voice: Dwayne, to show the one you wish to marry how much you care for her, you must keep yourself pure. Do not let the temptation of the flesh take a hold of you, son. He hesitated a short moment, but the feelings flowing over him stamped the guilt down as quickly as it had quelled.

Amy, on the other hand, felt no guilt at all. Even as delirious with ecstasy as she was, she knew Kit would have a problem with her infidelity, but he didn't own her which meant she was free to do whatever, with whomever she chose. And tonight, she chose Dwayne. It was partly a fulfillment of the fantasy she'd had, wondering what it would be like to make love to him; and also, he'd had a rough time lately and the least she could do for a friend was cheer him up. From the smile fixed upon his face, Amy was certain she was succeeding.

She looked down briefly at her body crushed beneath Dwayne's and giggled. She couldn't remember when she'd lost all her clothing, though she hoped the delicate skirt hadn't been harmed during its frantic removal, though she didn't share the same hope for her flimsy panties which were no doubt unsalvageable now. Regarding Dwayne again, she gave him a lazy smile of encouragement, then kissed him again, fervently and hungrily. She wasn't certain how he liked it, but as she squeezed her legs tightly around his waist and dragged her fingernails over his back, the lack of protestation from him assured her that he was enjoying himself.

Dwayne was indeed enjoying himself. The feelings were incredible. As Amy dragged her nails over his back, he gave a soft moan and the slight pain of the scratches only urged him on, encouraged him further. The ecstasy that overtook him was more than he could take and he cried out as it flowed over him in a finale.

He collapsed over her as the final sensation washed over him and he laid there, breathing hard. He'd never felt anything like it before and would never again.

***

For the second time that day, Amy found herself lying in a man's arms, though not the same man. She sighed softly and looked up, expecting to see Kit's vibrant purple hair. Instead, she saw a mop of dishevelled brown hair belonging to Dwayne Sanchez. He'd performed admirably for a first timer, but it had heightened her pleasure to know she was making a man out of a virgin, that she was his first and most memorable.

She giggled as she nestled her cheek to his chest and lightly traced rings around his nipple. It was a small bed, but as close as he was holding her, there was enough room for them both. He looked so peaceful, sleeping as he was with a dreamy little smile on his lips. A mischievous smile tugged at her own as Amy leaned forward and bit down on the pink nodule of flesh protruding from his chest. With Amy Reese around, he was assured not to have a good night's sleep.

Dwayne woke up with a yelp as Amy's teeth bit into his nipple. His eyes widened seeing who it was. He grinned and his hands moved over to her waist and without any warning, he began to tickle her. He didn't stop to allow her to breathe, but continued to tickle her. Before too long he felt a light trickle on his chest to find that he was now bleeding. His eyes widened as he glanced at her. "My God Amy... That hurt!" He moved a hand to his chest and wiped the blood from his flesh. He didn't stop; he leaned in and moved to bite her back...with a grin.

Amy squawked and shoved Dwayne with such force that he tumbled off the narrow bed. She shrieked with laughter and scrambled towards the edge of the mattress to see Dwayne lying flat on his back. "Oopsy?" She snickered and settled onto her stomach to watch him with a leering smile. "You look very good like that, you know?"

Dwayne seemed very relaxed. The tension he'd been feeling ever since they'd skinny dipped had eased considerably. He smiled up at her. "I see, now I'm hors d'oeuvres. Now I see where I rate on the scale of things." He was of course grinning as he spoke. "I thought I was something to have fun with."

She dropped her hand to his chest and lightly slapped it. "But you are, Dwayne! We wouldn't have done what we just did if I didn't think you were a blast. I mean...we don't have to have sex to be friends and have fun. We could just...hang out sometimes, like old times."

His own hand reached up to caress her breast, the one with the tattoo on it. "I really have fun when you're around, Amy. I cannot imagine-- No, I can. I don't have as much fun when you're not around. Every time you're off doing something, I'm here, alone, bored. Or in my bed reading." His thumb brushed the pink tip that crested her breast. "I'd like to do more with you. Not necessarily the sex, not that that wasn't fun, but there are other things I enjoy doing. I like to play games." He blushed. "I play the piano, I love participating in holo-novels, and, well, you know some of the other things I like to do already."

He removed his hand from her breast and stood up. He was ready again, if Amy was to ever dare to take a look, but he was not going to push himself on her.

"You like the piano?" she asked in a husky whisper. She grinned silkily at Dwayne as she reached out her hand and gripped his erect organ, pulling him towards her. "I'm in a band, you know. You should join." Amy pushed herself to her knees and tugged Dwayne closer. "So...you gonna?"

He gasped as she took him into her hands, and then again as she used his anatomy as a handle to pull him closer to her. "No, I didn't know." His words came out in a husky whisper. "I...I may do that." His breathing began to hasten all the while she had a hold of him. His eyes closed momentarily, and then opened again as he glanced down at her to see what she was going to do now.

"Come by tomorrow, then," Amy told him. "We should be in the lounge practicing." Amy's hand moved to Dwayne's abdomen, then, tracing the curves of the fine muscles there. "I think...we should do a different kind of practicing now, Dwayne," she purred. "You haven't had nearly enough tonight." Her blue eyes held his in an enticing gaze. "First lesson... Initiative." Grinning, Amy dropped her hands to her sides and subtly jut her breasts out towards him. "So...take some initiative for once, Sanchez.."

"It will have to be after my shift." His breathing seemed to be getting rushed as her hands moved over his form. He whispered, "A...Amy, how much could a man take?" He took in the blue of her eyes, a slight contrast to his own brown eyes. As he watched her he noticed her breasts standing as though to attention and he couldn't help but kneel down in front of her to press his hands - his right to her left breast, his left hand to her right breast, his thumbs running over the pink crests...and he leaned in to place his mouth on hers in a passionate kiss.

Amy fed greedily from Dwayne's lips, chuckling throatily at how willing a student he was proving. Slowly, she reclined back on the bed, pulling Dwayne towards her as she did. "I like initiative," she said quickly before kissing him again. "It's your turn now, Dwayne. Show me what you got."

He didn't seem to need much more than that as an invitation. His mouth descended upon hers again as he allowed his hands to roam over her form, exploring her body by touch alone, as he'd already done that with his eyes.

Instead of leading this time, Amy let Dwayne take over, and simply surrendered to the delight. She'd have to remind him before they departed for the day that none of what they'd done was to leave the room. If it did, she'd show him another side of Amy Reese he wouldn't like. Though for now, she'd simply enjoy the show and hope he wouldn't insist upon it being a nightly affair.

---

"Talking to One's Stomach"
by Lieutenant (jg) Arthas Hex
Starring Richard as Arthas and Craz
Marc as Gredala Hex
Maria as Clavain Hex
and Cecelia as Ashly Hex

Location: Arthas Hex's Quarters, USS Sulu
Stardate 57907.02 00h20

***

Arthas returned to his quarters after his shift on security. The past day had been readjusting to normal. He had decided on staying in the security office - leaving Ensign Jordo on Tactical and having Crewman Farr to help him with some paperwork.

After he changed into his sleeping boxer-shorts he laid down on his bed and realized that his symbiont had been very quiet recently. He placed his arms behind his head and attempted to summon his former hosts in the same way he had summoned the USS Blizzard and his old family house in previous experiences. He summoned the Blizzard's conference room once again.

As usual Gredala was the first to arrive. She found herself seated in one of the chairs by the door. She glanced around and found Arthas, waiting patiently. She gave him a pleasant smile and then turned her attention back to her own thoughts. She knew it would take the others much longer to get here. None of them had quite the discipline required to maintain a punctual schedule.

Right behind Gredala came Ashly. She'd had things to do otherwise she'd have been there sooner. She moved into the room and slid into a chair, her gaze traveling the room and the faces that were already there. Once she sat down, she kept to herself and stayed silent.

Craz came next, looking a bit better than usual.

His shock at being dead must be wearing off now, Arthas thought as Craz sat in a seat next to him, smiling slightly.

Clavain made his entrance, grudgingly and silently. He nodded to each of his fellow past hosts and settled down into the vacant chair at the table. Seated there, he studied Arthas for a moment, then sighed. "Is there some purpose to this meeting aside from you constantly feeling the need to disturb us?"

"No, I just feel the need to disturb you. You don't have to stay," Arthas said. I think, he thought.

"And miss all of Ashly's whining?" Clavain teased. "Oh, I wouldn't dare miss that."

Ashly looked at Clavain at his comment. "I do not whine."

Arthas sighed and said, "I just wanted to talk really, and I prefer this way of talking than talking to one of you at a time. What do you think of the Sulu? I'm assuming that you have all seen some or all of what I've seen over the last week."

"It's a bit better than the Blizzard isn't it!" Craz exclaimed.

Arthas looked at Craz, a little shocked. It was the first time he had heard him talk since the last time he had physically seen him. "Yes, it's an intrepid though, isn't it? What about you, Gredala, how does it compare to the ships of your time?"

"Except for our most heavily armed cruisers, I have a feeling this ship would outmatch anything from my time," the aged admiral answered. "All the systems, from sciences through tactical, are vastly uprated. It can detect farther and hit harder than anything I've ever had experience with. It's a good ship, though, I don't think it could ever feel the same as one of the older models."

"Why? It's the same species who have designed it," Arthas said, interested in Starfleet's history.

"That is true," Gredala answered, "but there are a number of years worth of innovations built into this ship. Really, it comes down to nostalgia and a desire for the familiar, and has little to nothing to do with the quality of the starship."

"What about the crew?" Clavain asked gruffly. "And the individual commanding the vessel? Most of the time, that makes all the difference. You could have the most heavily armed, precisely designed vessel, and it'd lose a fight against an asteroid if the person in the pilot's seat's a complete fool."

Gredala laughed. "You don't find very many complete fools sitting at the helm of Starfleet ships," she said. "Usually, it's just lechers. And, I'm talking about the ship itself, but you are right, the crew and the captain will make all the difference. I imagine you could hand Jim a old beaten-up, battered-down scow, and he'd make it perform like a heavy cruiser. Amazing man, and amazing ability to command."

"You, Gredala always found wonder in that man. He's no different than any other man I have ever met." Ashly too was, of course, speaking of Jim, the same one Gredala was speaking of. Well, Ashly had never really met Jim Kirk except in the form of Gredala when she had become the symbiont's third host.

"His skills and abilities seemed to have been inborn. I was able to see it, even if you were not."

"Well, you may have known Jim Kirk personally, Gredala, but I know him only from legend. He was the first to defeat the Kobayashi Maru, was he not?" Arthas asked.

"I don't know if I'd call it defeating," Gredala said with a laugh. "The story I've heard is that he changed the parameters of the program so he could win. Not exactly a victory, but he still got through it." She decided to ignore Ashly's petulant jib, knowing that any comment would only bring about more trouble.

Ashly noticed Gredala had neglected to comment on what she'd said. But somehow it was doubtful she'd neglected to as she'd made sure to just ignore the comment. It didn't really surprise her that Gredala ignored her, she always had, even when she was the host and Ashly was trying to offer her advice. "You always did go your own way, Gredala."

"Of course, I did," Gredala answered snappily. "It was the only way to escape your boring 'When I was prime minister...' meanderings. How I managed to remain sane with all your yammering and prattling, I'll never know."

"My dear sweet child, you were never sane." How Ashly did it, how she sat there and said that without busting a gut laughing was beyond anyone else's comprehension.

"Did you have this much trouble with these former hosts when you took on Hex?" Arthas asked Craz.

Craz laughed, "I think that no one here can admit to really liking each other. Apart from maybe you and myself, but that's only because we knew each other before we were, well, this close."

"Well, I've heard from Gredala about her time, I know about your career Craz, so I only have Clavain and Ashly to learn about," Arthas said, sitting back and relaxing. "Well, I know about Ashly being Prime Minister so, Clavain, what were you when you were the host?"

Clavain absently ran his fingers over the cold metal decorations lining his collar and mulled over the question for a long moment. "I was the best pilot of my time, that's what," he grunted.

"And the most modest as well," Arthas replied. "Come on, who did you work for, what was your biggest accomplishment? You know what I mean."

"I worked for everyone," Clavain replied. "I was in quite high demand," he added with a hint of a proud grin.

"Made a name for myself. I got the job done, and got it done right. Never really had any complaints." He shrugged and his eyes had a distant look about them as he went back in his mind to one particular run that didn't go so well.

"I always made it a point to know what I was shipping. No illegal cargo, nothing dangerous... This one bastard thought he could pull a fast one on me and conceal a large shipment of some biogenic agent in bottles that were supposed to contain Romulan Ale. Well, the sly bastard didn't think I'd actually scan the shipment before getting on my way." Clavain chuckled. "I did. And that is when the firefight started. Damned near got me killed and got a hole in my favourite shirt!"

He pointed to the patch covering just that hole. "I left the shipment and got outta there, but on my way out, I left them a little present in the form of a concealed detonator on one of their crates."

His amusement turned to an expression of grim satisfaction. "Everyone on the small vessel died, but I figure it was worth it. Couldn't have something like that getting into, say, the Romulan's hands." Clavain was silent for a moment, then threw up his hands and sighed. "Won't likely forget that run, though I'd prefer if it hadn't happened. I hope that answers your questions, young Hex."

"This may sound weird but, if you were so good, how did you die?" Arthas asked.

An ironic smile touched Clavain's lips. "Piloting accident of all things. Seems there was a malfunction in the drive's coolant system. Diagnostic never picked it up for some damned reason. I managed to reach an escape pod before the damn ship blew up, but my pod was damaged by the explosion and life support failed. At least I was asleep when I died."

"Lucky for Hex that the pod didn't blow I suppose," Arthas said.

Clavain chuckled wryly. "For you maybe. I'm the one who's stuck here with these three for however long the Hex symbiont lives. It should've died when I did. I wouldn't have to listen to Ashly's pretentious snivelling if it had."

Gredala raised a glass that suddenly appeared in her hand in Clavain's direction and then drained it, following it up by giving him a smile.

Ashly just humphed. "Men, they think they know everything."

"Well, I'm not sure how much of a blessing you four are. I would have been perfectly happy without the Hex symbiont. It's such hard work trying to control your thoughts and separating them from my own," Arthas said.

"I can perhaps try to instruct you in a few meditative techniques I found helpful when I began in the Initiate program," Gredala answered. "However, perhaps you should contact the current Administrator of the Initiate Program. Perhaps they could send along a few texts for you to study. In addition, with the introduction of holotechnology, there may even be interactive tutorials."

"The Initiate program tried and failed, unfortunately," Arthas replied, sighing. "I suppose I'll just have to keep learning myself. Has anybody got anything they would like to talk about before I go to bed?"

"You called us here," Clavain pointed out. "Besides, I think I've told you enough for one lifetime...or four."

"I called you here so that we could talk because I don't feel comfortable in any other way. There can't be that much to do inside a worm and you've barely told me anything," Arthas replied, annoyed with Clavain.

"Ungrateful brat," the old man muttered. "I've told you enough!" He grumbled discontentedly and rose from his seat. "If you want stories, talk to Ashly. She's always been happy to regale the young hosts with her lengthy, stodgy tales of diplomatic intrigue." Waving a hand dismissively at the lot of them, Clavain snorted derisively and strode towards the door, disappearing from sight before he could leave the mentally projected room.

"Which one of us is the brat? Which was of us is walking away?" Arthas shouted after him, but Clavain had already gone.

"What's wrong with him? Does anybody know?" Arthas asked.

"He's Clavain," Gredala answered, as if that would explain everything. "Still, if the people who train hosts for joining with a symbiont are unable to help you, Arthas, what use do you think we will be to you?"

"And you wouldn't have been what you are without them, Gredala," Ashly piped up finally. She'd been getting somewhat annoyed with Clavain, and his departure was a relief to her. Not that he would be that far away from the rest of them; he never was. "I remember one time when I was Prime Minister of the Fractious Klingon who thought he knew it all. I never could get the point of his temperament..."

"I don't know, I just was wondering that's all," Arthas said. "Well, unless anybody else has got anything else to say, I'm going to sleep."

Gredala smiled at Arthas. "Sleep is a very good thing, especially with the four of us in here. Good night, Arthas." With that, she too dissolved from view, and with it, Arthas' mental landscape. They would all convene again soon, but not until Arthas was well rested. Eventually he would get the hang of it, though it would take all of their help to get him there.

---

"The Importance of Being Earnest (about Privacy)"
By Ensign Taylor Bennett - Security Officer
and Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse

Location: USS Sulu, Ship's Lounge
Stardate 57907.02, 7h22

***

Sipping a Betazoid blend of liathghorm tea, Cristobel carefully collected his thoughts. He had been asleep by the time Corran had returned home the previous night, and he'd left their quarters before Corran awoke this morning. Cris couldn't think about his disagreement with Corran just yet, as there was still the mystery of Ethan's outburst, which didn't seem quite as difficult to think on now.

"Corran has been worrying that all non-telepaths fear for their mental privacy. I thought that perhaps he was just being paranoid. Then, last night, Ensign Storm falsely accused me of violating his own mental privacy. To be perfectly honest, while I don't have the interest or effort to go peeking into every person's head, I have little regard for the entire concept of privacy. Now, I'm hoping that you, my wise and pointy-eared friend, could at least explain to me, both logically and passionately but without the anger-defensiveness of most mouth-talkers, what worth can be found in keeping anything private."

Taylor set her tea down and considered Cristobel's question. After a few moments of thought, she'd decided on an answer. "As a species that can project their thoughts into the minds of others, Betazoids quickly grew to realize that in a civilization such as that, privacy was a rare, and potentially unnecessary thing. Betazoids have few inhibitions, most likely due to their telepathy. If you are unable to keep your mind private, is there really any reason to keep your body private as well. It has made a much more open and uninhibited society."

"Exactly," Cristobel agreed and encouraged with a pointed nod, and then kept quiet to let Taylor continue.

"Species without that sort of mental contact have not come to know that level of intimacy with others. My mother's people do not often join minds, except with those who are very close. My mother has performed the mind meld with my father many times, though with few others in her lifetime. Since Vulcan telepathy requires touch, it is reserved as something special and saved for those occasions where a close bond is desired. During that bond, nothing is held back."

Taylor paused and took a sip of her tea again, but this time held the cup between her hands. "Humans, and other similar species, are not able to forge that sort of intimacy, and never have. For the entirety of their species' existence, their minds have been their own sanctuaries, where they can entertain what thoughts they will, without anyone else knowing. It has been said that what exists in the mind for a human is the only true privacy they ever have.

"I believe, in the end, that the non-telepath's fear is that hidden facets of their personality will be revealed. Typically a human will behave differently around others. To one, they will be kind. To another, they will be stoic. To yet another, they may be aggressive. Different masks for different occasions; and a telepath would be able to strip away those masks."

"But I can't see any good coming from keeping a part of oneself hidden," was the essence of what confused Cristobel. He continued, "A whole person is immeasurably more fascinating and beautiful than the mask of a caricature of the person one thinks one wants to be."

"I believe, for a human, they also believe they are at a disadvantage," Taylor said. "While you are able to know their mind, they are unable to know yours. To many who are paranoid of the actions of those around them, they fear losing any advantage or granting another advantages over them."

Taylor sipped at her tea once more, and then set the cup on the table. "And, that, I believe, is why many non-telepaths fear telepaths. That they fear losing their last amount of privacy, and allowing others an advantage that they can never possess, is the worth of their mental privacy."

Cris felt like the argument of a Betazoid's 'unfair advantage' always sounded like so much irrational fear. He offered, "I would be perfectly willing to project my own thoughts into the mind of anyone I telepathically read. The only hitch in a plan such as that is the fact that most non-telepaths cannot receive Betazoid telepathic messages without proper training. The brain is like any other muscle, really. If humans took the time to exercise their minds, they would be able to 'hear' the thoughts of telepaths. They'd be no closer to figuring out other mouth-talkers, but maybe having the perspective of telepathy would make them realise that there's not so much to be worrying about.

"It's not about power," Cristobel assured her impassionedly. "It's about perceiving people precisely as they are. Wouldn't you think it ludicrous if you were asked to cover one ear when in the same room as non-Vulcans, if it were considered unfair that your hearing is more acute than everyone else's?"

"I don't believe that is a correct assessment of the situation, Cristobel," Taylor said. "Perhaps a better analogy would be if a species existed that had no cultural definition for personal possessions. A member of this species joins Starfleet and is assigned as your roommate. The picture of your mother, which he believes looks very nice, ends up in his pocket. Your favorite collection of holodeck scenarios in his other pocket. And, the jacket you have had since you were very young, he has taken to wearing. Most people in the galaxy believe that their minds are their own private sanctuary. That you could know all that they do just by delving into their thoughts makes them uncomfortable." She took another sip of her tea. "I believe that because of your upbringing and theirs, that there is no viable way to bridge that particular gap. You were raised in an environment where privacy does not exist; they come from an environment where the mind is a sanctuary. I have a feeling that it will need to fall back on Vulcan philosophy. IDIC. 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.' "

"Putting too much sentimentality into personal possessions can get just as silly as wanting to hide part of oneself," Cris digressed through a mutter. "But more importantly, isn't diversity garnered by change? And what better way to change a culture than through social experimentation? I mean...I still..." Forgetting what a bad habit it was, Cristobel stared at the ceiling for a moment to choose a single line of questioning from the many in his head. "In one sentence, a run-on if you'd like, what's the actual harm of a person's secret thoughts becoming unsecret?"

Quietly, Cristobel added clarification to his question. "If I'm hurting people, I want to know how."

Cris wasn't terribly sure why he was beginning to feel guilty, especially since he'd been particularly non-invasive with his telepathy since he came aboard the Sulu. It had been for his own sake, truly, rather than the sake of the feelings and comfort-level of the people around him. He simply did not want to have to deal with the conflicts that inevitably arose when he inevitably called people on their discrepancy between thought and action. He wanted to be conflict-free on his tour of duty on the Sulu. Well, conflict-free for at least the first month. Or week.

And yet, somehow, in this conversation with Bennett, Cris was feeling guilty.

"Cristobel, you have the ability to read my thoughts right now," Taylor said. "But I don't have that gift. With the exception of the chance of a mind meld, I will never share the thoughts of another; and considering I don't even know how to do a mind meld, it will be a considerably long time before that ever happens. I have grown up believing that my thoughts and feelings are my own, and the choice to share those thoughts with others should be my own. Many people do not wish to have the sanctity of their mind violated, especially against their will.

"If you do something to someone against their will and without their permission, then you are hurting them. They desire to keep their thoughts private. Does the fact that you believe thoughts should not be private supersede another being's desire for privacy? Suppose I have started a holodeck program and stated that I wish to remain in the holodeck alone, yet you see the program and wish to participate. Would you enter the holodeck to join me regardless of my wishes?"

Choosing his words cautiously, Cristobel said, "I...see the point you're making. I do understand that regardless of how foolish or potentially dangerous the choice is to keep something private, it is still a person's choice in many cases, which makes the reasoning of that choice insignificant, since the choice has been made. I respect that. And to more specifically answer your question, I would certainly not enter your private holodeck program out of, say, curiosity. But. If I thought there was a valid reason, perhaps if I suspected the holoprogram was potentially harmful to you, or if I needed to understand your leisure activities to better profile you for Starfleet reasons, I would not even hesitate to walk right in."

"It is always difficult to reason with a person who, while they understand a situation, has no point of reference to the situation. I believe that, despite the gift you possess, you must approach the matter from the perspective that those who are not capable of telepathic communication have typically been raised in an environment where the mind is a sanctuary, a place where only they can exist. To intrude into that place against their will or without their permission is the equivalent to violating their body in some manner. You may not believe there is a violation, but it does exist. You may feel there is no harm in doing that, but those who believe their minds are safe, then have no safe haven. While you have no use for privacy, most of the species in the Alpha Quadrant, especially regarding their minds, do."

"I don't suppose there's any definite way to figure who does or doesn't approve of mental eavesdropping?" Cristobel asked. He was always interested in self-improvement, but he had no intention of radically shifting his entire universe-view, and the idea of eternally blocking out the mental voices that naturally came across so clearly was inconceivable. "While those who are paranoid about telepathy are significantly more vocal, there are those who aren't concerned with their thoughts being reflected in my mind - there are some who even appreciate it. I mean, I don't even have the skills to dig deep in a person's mind in search of their most hidden desires and memories, but having this extra perception allows me to fully grasp the context in which people are speaking, even when they don't use the right words. I am one hell of a translator for people who can't seem to communicate with one another even when the universal translator has them speaking the same language."

"It sounds like you would be well-suited to either counselling or crisis management," Taylor said. "And, as far as a definite way, just ask. You should get a very definitive idea when you ask if someone minds. As far as picking up projected thoughts from untrained minds, I see no way around that. I believe part of the issue is also one of misconceptions about telepaths. I believe that most people assume that all Betazoids are highly skilled at reading minds, including going in and finding what they want. I have a feeling, if you play your pieces right, you may be able to get past some of those misconceptions with some people." She gave him a grin. "Though, I must say that I should thank my mother for instructing me in a few of the mental disciplines in case you and I ever play Three-D Chess. I wouldn't want to be broadcasting all my moves to you."

Finding Taylor's grin completely disarming, Cristobel comfortably smiled back at her. "It's been much too long since my last game of Chess. Once we're all on shoreleave, I'm going to make sure to play a game with you."

"From what I've heard," Taylor said, "that shouldn't be too long from now. So, does any of it make more sense now?"

"Yeah." Cris nodded. "I think..." Hiding his hesitation, he put his mug to his lips, and drank the rest of his tea.

"Interspecies relations are very difficult," Taylor said. "When you are on your own planet, it is easy by comparison. All of the other people, on a relative scale, are pretty much just like you. There will be some difference, but the degree of that difference is still within a tolerable level. When you step out of the bounds of your own home planet, then things get complicated. Many people have difficulties dealing with Vulcan stoicism. Say the wrong thing to a Klingon, and you'll spend the next week in Sickbay." She gave him a smile. "One of the things we must accept when we step out of our door are the differences of those in our little galactic community. And, it does go both ways, as well. They will have to accept that if they shout their thoughts, you will most likely hear them."

Cristobel nodded understandingly, and then began to smirk ever so slightly. "Y'know...while you've done an admirable job of presenting a person's right to privacy or a culture's predilection towards privacy, I'm still no closer to understanding the true worth of privacy."

Taylor grinned. "I guess sometimes there are people who like to be left with their own thoughts," she said. "Sometimes, it is nice just to be with whatever is prancing around in your own head."

---

"Reluctant Approval"
by Crewman 1st Class Shyla Lynn Moreau - Astrometrics Technician
and Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh - Chief Science Officer

Location: Astrometrics Lab and Xayella's Office, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57907.02, 07h30

***

Shyla Moreau had arrived in Astrometrics a mere thirty minutes before her shift was to begin and it happened to have been the latest she had arrived early for a duty shift in the last year. After leaving Sefton and Dr. Quezith's quarters, she had walked around the ship for more than an hour trying to sort out her thoughts. When she finally crawled into her bunk, she spent another couple hours trying to find sleep before sheer emotional exhaustion took her. And it hadn't been peaceful slumber.

Things were going all wrong. Shyla hadn't planned on having an "Ethan Incident" for some time and here she'd managed to run afoul of him in less than a week. While she didn't get the impression that Cris was holding any type of ill will towards her, the situation with Storm had definitely had the effect of placing a barrier between the two of them. And then there was the something that had passed between she and Dr. Quezith. He certainly seemed like a kind enough person but that strange moment when she had looked into his eyes, Shyla had felt utterly exposed. To top it all off, Lieutenant Tagliesh seemed to have ignored the upgrade proposal she had submitted her first day aboard the Sulu. At least she had as of yesterday.

"Computer," she said, sitting down at the console. "Status of Moreau Upgrade Proposal 1-A?"

"That proposal is pending approval," the computer answered dispassionately.

Shyla suppressed a sigh. She couldn't let herself believe that the Lieutenant would let the efficiency of Astrometrics suffer out of mere spite but the delay seemed to have no other explanation. Although Moreau had made a concerted effort to stay out of Tagliesh's way these last few days, she'd heard that Xayella's mood had definitely shown improvement after the ship had left the starbase. Yesterday, asking the Lieutenant about the request directly would have been unthinkable. After last night, any personal problems Moreau might have with her department head just didn't seem all that important.

Setting her face with determination, Shyla grabbed up a padd and pushed herself out of the chair.

***

Xayella smiled to herself as she read through the last of Matt's text message, and growled out loud at him as, yet again, he refused to give her substantial clues as to the secret retreat he had planned for them on Risa. She set into typing a reply when her doorchime sounded. She grumbled and ignored it for a moment, but when it chimed again, she realized the person on the other end was incapable of taking a hint.

"Oh, come in," she snapped, shutting off her terminal. Xayella's face took on a scowl to greet the interloper, and sighed wearily when it turned out to be the presumptuous, rather obnoxious Crewman Moreau. "Yes? Is there something wrong, Crewman?"

"No, sir," Shyla said, smiling pleasantly in spite of both the scowl and the fact that she didn't feel much like smiling. "Nothing wrong, exactly. I've set the Astrometrics updates to run and I'm going to do a full diagnostic on the sensor system this afternoon. Today would be a good day to get started on resizing those sensor ring casings, if you've had a chance to look over my proposal."

Xayella gave a vague gesture with her hand, that was either an invitation for Shyla to sit, or an order to get out of her office. "I glanced at it briefly. I passed it on to Ensign Mel'Chir for review, since Astrometrics is basically her domain. She hasn't mentioned anything to me, but I imagine she'll get to it."

Shyla took the gesture as an invitation and sank into a chair. "Well, it seems a shame to delay it much longer. I'm a day ahead on the work load and since we'll be at Risa soon, it seems like a perfect time to get it out of the way. Could we go over the proposal now? I mean, it will require your approval and we still have to forward it on to the First Officer, right?"

Xayella relented, even with as willing as she was to stubbornly deny Shyla's request. She had better things to do than to entertain the fancies of obsequious crewmen eager for a promotion. "Let me have a look," Xayella sighed, holding her open palm out towards Shyla. "I really don't think your modifications are entirely necessary at the moment, but if you insist..."

"Thank you, sir," Shyla said, passing her padd to Tagliesh. "I think you'll see the benefit after you read over the entire proposal."

Xayella suppressed a frown and swivelled her chair around, glossing over the proposal with her chairback to Shyla. She would never admit it aloud, but the proposed modifications were almost impressive. Almost. "And this will increase the resolution of the our scans significantly?" Xayella queried as she shifted around to face Shyla once again.

"About eight percent," Shyla answered. "Like I told Ensign Mel'Chir, it will reduce the lifespan of the sensor ring by a week or so but I think that's a small price to pay for the increased efficiency."

"And have you any experience in performing such a modification? You're not even an ensign, Crewman. I don't know if I feel...comfortable giving you permission to fiddle around with the sensors."

"I understand your hesitancy, sir," Shyla said. "If you'll review my service record you'll note that I did similar modifications aboard Starbase 163 and I was routinely assigned duties normally performed by commissioned officers. I did complete a year at the Academy before I transferred to the enlisted program."

Xayella folded her hands together atop the desk and regarded Shyla with a disinterested gaze. "And I should allow you to make modifications without the supervision of the head Astrometrics officer? I doubt Ensign Mel'Chir would appreciate it if I authorized such a thing, left it in your care, without even conferring with her. Do you think she'd like that, Crewman?"

"I would welcome Ensign Mel'Chir's supervision or any supervision you see fit to provide, sir," Shyla said simply with a slight smile. "At the very least, I would want to hear her suggestions before I began the modifications."

"Good," Xayella said with finality, and slight satisfaction in her smile. "Then I'm going to recommend we postpone the modifications until such time as you've discussed it with Ensign Mel'Chir." She sighed, then, and couldn't help smiling curiously at the girl. "Crewman, we're due to arrive at Risa any day now, and I doubt these modifications will be done before we get there. Why not just wait? Wouldn't you rather save your energy and expend it having some fun down on Risa?"

Shyla blinked once or twice as if she were completely mystified by the question. "Sir, this is fun."

Xayella's eyebrows rose and she nodded slowly at the girl, visually assessing her for any signs of brain trauma. "Well...while I review the psychological assessment in your bio, why don't you make the necessary preparations for the sensor modifications and I'll ask Ensign Mel'Chir to join you so that she may give final authorization. Aside from the fact that I'd rather hold off until after the shore leave, so I won't have to take time out to assess your adjustments, you have permission to proceed once Ensign Mel'Chir gives the 'okay.' " She raised a hand to halt the words coming from Shyla's mouth and added, "Don't let it get to your head."

"Yes, sir," Shyla said enthusiastically. "Thank you, sir." She spun on her heel and practically bounded out the door.

"Strange girl," Xayella muttered. She sighed and activated her computer, interested to see what new, useless clue Matt would drop in her lap this time, and eager to get her mind off the fact that the same 'strange girl' was about to tinker with one of the ship's systems. As an afterthought, Xayella called up Shyla's personnel file to truly review her psychological profile...just in case.

---

"Twixled"
by Ainsley Chambers
and Grixble Flummux

Location: Counselling office, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57907.02 13h25

***

Ainsley turned and looked at the other officer sprawled out on her couch. She wasn't quite sure where to start or even what the possible problem might be. She hadn't seen Lt. Flummux's file but from the look on Jhenal's face when he came in, what little she'd seen of him so far, and the quickness with which the senior counsellor left, Ainsley had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting session.

"So...Lieutenant... How can I help you today?" She took a seat in the large chair across from the couch and got comfortable.

"Well," Grixble began, and then he shook his bald, antennaed head. "Oh dear. I was working on one of the inverted phase matrices for the main holodeck functions, and Crewmen Anora came with a padd from Lieutenant Thaine. She, well...oh dear. When she handed it to me, I-- I... She smiled at me. A very beautiful smile. Oh dear. I...I nearly turned purple. It was...I stammered and fumbled and I bumped one of my antennae against a bulkhead." In response, the antennae on his head drooped. "I tried to say thank you, but I could only make blubbering noises. She smiled at me again, and...oh dear. Why can't I talk to pretty women like that? I...oh dear."

Switching into counsellor mode Ainsley was able to suppress the smile that was caused by Flummux speaking. "Well now, let's see here..." she began. "Tell me what it was that was going through your head when this woman was talking to you. When she smiled at you what happens inside?"

"I-- I got all twixled, and I couldn't say anything. I-- I tried to say thank you, but it came out sounding like the Bolian word for springcheese. It could have also been Andorian for hair follicles." He scratched one blue finger over his bald, blue head. "I just didn't know what to say. She was kind to me, but...but I didn't know what to do."

Ainsley nodded slightly. Twixled? she thought to herself. "Does this happen whenever you try and talk to a pretty woman? Or is it just with Crewman Anora?" she asked, leaning forward a bit in her chair. "I mean you didn't do too bad when you spoke with Counsellor Jhenal a little while ago."

"Counsellor Jhenal is a counsellor, it wouldn't be proper to get all twixled. And, well...it happens with most pretty women, and some not-as-pretty ones. And, even some men. It's just...I guess it's people in general, they fluster me. I don't want to appear too stupid to all of them. They're all so confident and smart, and...and well, I'm just...oh dear. So twixled."

"So tell me, Lieutenant, has this always been a problem for you? Have you always gotten twixled when you tried to speak to other people?" She was trying to establish the extent on the problem.

Grixble sighed and nodded. "I have," he said softly. "I never know the right things to say. At least, not when I'm talking to someone. I usually think of a hundred different things after the fact, but never in the moment. Some of the things I've thought of hours after the moment are really quite witty."

Ainsley nodded slightly. "You might be amazed to know that a lot of people find witty things to say after the fact, it's just the way we are, sometimes it's like our brains freeze up and our mouths don't realize and they try to say something." She smiled at him.

"Yes," Grixble exclaimed. "That's exactly what happens. And...and then...and then I go all purple, and flustered. Oh it's so embarrassing. It's...it's much easier to go into the holodeck. The characters in there don't laugh at me if I can't say something right."

This troubled Ainsley. Grown adults laughing at others just because they get a little tongue tied.... She knew that it was a common occurrence, some people were just down right mean.

"Do you have any friends, Lieutenant?" she asked. "Friends that you could spend some time with, out and about, and that you trust enough to not laugh at you?"

"I, uh, I have Chief Riley. He never laughs at me. We actually get along very well together."

"Anyone else?" she asked.

"Oh, no, just the Chief. Though, on occasion I've talked to Captain Salinger."

"Have you ever spent any time with Chief Riley in the lounge on board? Just being with people. Not necessarily talking to anyone other then those you trust, but just being there, listening to all the different conversations and getting the feeling of what it's like to talk with people?"

"Oh dear," Grixble said, shaking his head. "I've uh, I've never been to the lounge. Though, I've heard that Stencil might be my second father's third cousin on his first mother's side."

"Any chance that I could get you to try doing that for me?" she asked, leaning forward slightly, making eye contact with him. "You can't learn to swim without getting in the water, and you can't learn to interact with people if you are never around people. You could go by yourself but, to be honest, you'd probably leave within seconds of getting there. What I'd suggest is that you ask Chief Riley to go with you. If that's not possibly then I could go with you. It would basically be like a normal counselling session but with a different atmosphere."

Grixble had paled, and his antennae were rigid. "Oh dear." He looked around the room and then back to Ainsley. "I will go with Chief Riley. Patrick likes the lounge, and he says that Stencil makes some very good beverages. I w-- I will go."

"Excellent!" Ainsley smiled at him. "Now it will most likely be very hard for you. But it's the first step in being able to talk to people. For the first time, mostly focus on Chief Riley. After you become a little more comfortable then you can open up and look around and see how everyone is acting, what they are saying... Just see what it's like to be around people."

As she talked, Grixble found his own excitement building. In his mind, he saw himself, the life of the lounge. Talking fluidly with people, telling jokes and buying drinks. "I will do it," he said, hope brimming in his heart, and the end of his shy and introverted past looming closer. "I'll find Patrick, and find out if we can go to the lounge tonight. Oh thank you so much, Counsellor Ainsley. Thank you oh so much!"

Ainsley suddenly got a sinking feeling in her stomach that Grixble was going to set himself up for a nasty fall. "Whoa whoa Grixble..." she said, noticing the excitement in his eyes. "You have to make sure you take it slow. If you go there tonight, spend 20 minutes sitting with Chief Riley and then decide you're ready to tackle the world, it's not going to work. Okay? Make sure you take it slowly. Don't even attempt to talk to anyone other than Riley tonight, ok?"

Grixble swallowed, and then nodded. "Of course," he said. "I'll only talk to Patrick tonight. Then...then tomorrow night, maybe we can talk to another person. Until, it's all okay. Does that sound right? Is that the way it should be?"

Ainsley smiled and nodded. "Exactly... I think you'll get the hang of it. If you spend the evening in the lounge and you feel comfortable talking to Patrick and observing others, then tomorrow you can try talking to someone else. Perfect Grixble...just perfect!" Her smile widened a little. "Did you want to come and talk to me tomorrow and let me know how tonight goes?"

Grixble nodded. "Yes," he said. "I will...can I come at the same time?"

"I should have the same time free..." She got to her feet and went over to her desk. "Let me just check to be sure that no one else has booked that time yet." She checked her schedule, saw that there was no one else booked for that time and put his name in.

Walking back over to where she had been sitting she said, "Ok, we're good to go for the same time tomorrow. I think that's enough for today, unless you have something else that's urgently bothering you at the moment..."

"Not at the moment, Counsellor Ainsley," Grixble said. "Thank you so very much. I will tell you all about everything tomorrow. Thank you so much."

Ainsley held out her hand to him. "It was a pleasure. I hope it all goes well and I can't wait until we have our appointment tomorrow!"

Grixble stared at her hand for a moment, and then remembered the human custom of shaking hands. He placed his hand into hers and shook it. "Yes, I'm looking forward to it too! I can't wait to tell you about how it goes. Oh, I have to go find Patrick. I'm sure he'll be quite surprised when I ask him to go to the lounge with me."

She smiled again. "I'm sure he will. The most important thing, Grixble, is to make sure that you have fun! Take care!"

Grixble smiled, and then started for the door. "Thank you again, and I'll be back tomorrow." With that, he slipped out the door to find Patrick Riley and tell him the good news.

---

"Compulsion"
by Ensign Kelzira Rax
and Ensign Amy Reese

Location: Lounge & Holodeck, USS Sulu
Stardate 57907.02 14h00

***

Kelzira sat by one of the windows overlooking the stars streaking past, humming a song her mother used to sing to her when she was very young. She laughed softly when she realized what she was doing, and switched to something a little more..."grown up." She took a sip of the fruit-flavoured drink Stencil had brought over ten minutes ago and took a swallow. At least things were better with Jenara now that the J.R. Steele situation was being cleared up.

Things with Lt. Tagliesh were improving, though there hadn't really been too much interaction between the two of them. What she really needed was to do something that the lieutenant would realize that she was actually a competent scientist. Though, even then, she didn't know if that would help as much as she'd liked.

At least she still had her friendship with Amy. Though, she had no idea where that was heading now either. Ever since Amy and Kit had become an item, she'd seen less of her friend. On one hand it bothered her, but on the other, she was alright because it allowed more time for work and research. Still, the social interaction was necessary. And, that was exactly what this trip to the lounge was.

As if on cue, a shadow passed over the table that quickly resolved itself into the form of Amy Reese. Kelzira grinned up at her. "Hi there," she said with a laugh. "I was wondering if you got stuck with an unruly patient or something."

"Even if I had, I would have escaped to visit with you." She smiled and took a seat, uninvited, into the vacant chair across from Kel's. "How are you doing? We haven't seen each other in like...forever!"

Kelzira laughed and then nodded. "Forever feels right," she said. "But, I've had piles of work to keep me occupied though. But, I still find myself wishing to go run off and do something with you during the slow moments. Thankfully, we finally found some time where neither of us were doing anything with other people."

Amy smiled and reached out to pat Kelli's hand. "I know... I've been neglecting you, haven't I? You can tell me the truth, Kel."

"It's alright," Kelzira laughed. "You've got a boyfriend now, and I've got work. There's only one of you and only so much time in the day. I know we're still friends, and we'll spend time together when we can. It's alright."

"No, it's not," Amy said more firmly. "Even Dwayne's seen more of me than you have." Quite the understatement, Reese... She composed her thoughts back to the matter at hand, and sighed. "I miss you, Kelli. I know I have Kit...but I need some time with my Kelli. Can't we-- Can't we go and do something right now?"

"Sure," Kelzira said. "Did you have anything in particular in mind? Or should we go see what programs the holodeck has available?"

Amy's characteristically beaming smile returned as she clasped Kel's hand. "Holodeck." She slipped out of her seat and pulled Kelzira up with her. "In the mood for another swim?" she asked.

"Always in the mood for a swim with you," Kelzira answered with a laugh. "Let's go!"

The two exuberant girls giggled and bounced the entire way to the holodeck. They called up a swimming program of their own and when the doors parted, they were presented with a vast blanket of white sands on one side, and glittering blue water on the other. Amy gasped in delight and jerked Kelli inside the program with her.

"Oh...the sun feels so wonderful on my face," she moaned. "I don't know if we should skinny dip this time. I'm almost afraid we'll get burned!"

Of course not, Kelzira thought. "It's alright," she said. "I hardly got to wear my bikini at all last time, so this time I'll get to wear it. Let's go get changed before we run out of holodeck time."

The two called up two bikinis, one for each, and went to the changing area to put them on. Amy had chosen a fiery red one to complement her black hair, though there was barely enough material to produce the contrasting effect. With no inhibitions at all, she rapidly divested herself of her uniform and undergarments and watched Kel do the same. "You're so beautiful, Kel," she commented, appraising her friend's almost nude form. "I really don't understand why you don't have a boyfriend."

Kelzira laughed softly and felt herself blushing. "I just haven't found the right guy yet," she said. "I imagine I will eventually. But if I had a boyfriend and you had a boyfriend, then we'd hardly ever see each other. But, maybe one of these days. We'll see. I mean, I'm fine without a boyfriend right now. I'm still getting used to having a slug in my gut."

Amy snickered and pulled Kelzira into an embrace...an awkward one considering Kelzira was barely dressed and Amy not at all. "Oh, I love you, Kelli. You're so funny, and kind, and cute." She kissed her friend's warm, blushing cheeks, then moved her lips to Kelli's and held them there for a lingering moment. When she pulled them away, she was grinning. "And your lips feel nice too," she whispered.

Kelzira was blushing even more, making her spots stand out against her skin. "Thank you," she murmured. "Yours do too."

"I know," she replied, running one hand up Kelzira's side and the other across her friend's bare chest. "You've got a crush on me, Kelli. I know you do. But I don't mind."

Kel found herself gazing into Amy's eyes and wondering if her friend was going to draw her in close again, only to push her away like the other night. She felt a shiver run through her body at the touch, and she couldn't help leaning forward slightly. She then drew a deep breath and forced herself to take a step back. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll...it's just silly, that's all. I'll get over it, Amy. I don't want it to affect our friendship. I'll...it's alright."

Amy frowned slightly and regarded Kelli with a curious expression. "It was just a kiss, Kelli. It won't hurt anything. What's wrong?"

"What you were doing with your hand on my chest," Kelzira said with a chuckle, "wasn't a kiss. It's just...I-- I don't-- The other night, you flirted with me, but kept pulling back. I-- I don't like being teased like that. And, besides, you have a boyfriend. It wouldn't be right for us to do that behind Kit's back."

"I-I know," Amy said quietly, immediately remembering her night with Dwayne and feeling a twinge of regret. It was more disturbing to her that she felt nothing more than that over her infidelity, and that she was willing to do it again, with Kelli now. She sighed and turned away from Kelli, slipping on her bikini with her back to her friend. "I'm sorry, Kel. I didn't mean it. I never do, but... I can't help myself."

"It's okay," Kelzira said softly. She then turned her back to Amy and removed the rest of her clothes and quickly slipped into the bikini. She sighed, knowing, like Dwayne, she'd just ruined any chances she ever had with Amy. But, maybe that was for the best. Maybe just being Amy's friend, if that was possible, would be best.

"Kel?" Amy looked over her shoulder at her friend while holding the loose ties of her bikini top at the back of her neck. "Does this mean you're not allowed to help me tie my suit anymore?"

"Yeah," Kelzira said. "Here." She then stepped closer and took the ends of the ties in her hands. She tied them quickly, careful not to do anything that might give Amy the wrong impression.

Amy sighed and dejectedly turned around to face Kelli. She gazed at her friend with sorrowful eyes, and became even more disheartened at the sudden distance between them. "Is this how it's gonna be from now on, Kelli? We were close just a minute and now... What did I do?"

"We-- I don't know, Amy. It's just the other night, and then now. I don't know what to think. I care about you very much. I-- I love you, Amy. But, I don't know if you're going to pull away again. And, I don't want to hurt Kit like that. He seems like a very nice person, and I couldn't do that to him."

"He is a nice person," Amy began, "but...I'm not his possession. I mean...I don't want to suffocate, Kelli. If I refuse to give into my desires, if I have to share myself only with him...I'll feel so trapped." She stepped closer to Kelzira and lightly placed her hands upon her friend's bare shoulders. "I don't want to lose him, but I'll run away if I get scared, and I will get scared if I can't be with other people. Do you understand?"

"I don't," Kelzira said. "Why be with him if you don't want to be with him? Why deceive him into thinking your relationship with him is something it's not? You need to talk to him, Amy. If you go around sleeping with other people behind his back, you won't have to worry about suffocating if he finds out. There's only one hundred fifty people on this ship, and you know about the rumours about the captain and Lt. Tagliesh. How long do you suppose it'd be before he heard what's going on? It's not fair to make him think you're only his when you're with him, and then jump into someone else's bed as soon as he goes on duty or has his back turned." She swallowed hard to fight down the pangs building within her. When she did decide to search for that someone in her life, she knew it wouldn't be Amy. "What would you say if I went and tried to get Kit to sleep with me?"

Amy shrugged. "I...I guess I'd feel a little jealous. It's not the same thing though, Kel! He's comfortable with himself. He's so confident and focused and I'm...I'm not, okay?" She saw the unsympathetic, disapproving look in Kel's eyes, and with a sharp sigh, Amy snatched at her uniform and stalked past Kel. "Forget it, okay! You don't understand and you don't want to!"

Kelzira sighed. "So, it's fine for you to sleep with whoever you want, whenever you want. And, he has to deal with that; or you just keep it all a secret from him. But, when it comes to him, if he wanted to go with someone else, there's a problem there. I understand hypocrisy, Amy."

She whirled around with an enraged shriek and advanced on Kel. Spurred on by fear and frustration, Amy tossed aside her uniform and struck Kel's cheek with her open palm, leaving the imprint of each of her fingers on the delicate flesh.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "You don't know anything, Kel! You don't even have a boyfriend! It's so easy for you to stand there and judge me, but you don't know! You just think I'm a slut, but you won't even take a second to try and understand me. I thought you were my friend!"

Kelzira calmly, much more calmly than she thought she should have, brought her hand to her cheek and touched the reddening welt. "And, I thought you were mine," she said softly. "I may not have a boyfriend now, but I remember having boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, and sons and daughters. I really hope you don't hurt Kit Markham too badly in this, Amy, because he doesn't deserve that pain. He doesn't deserve to be cheated on like that." She bent down and gathered up her uniform into her arms, trying her best (and failing) to keep back the tears.

Amy's anger subsided all too quickly and she could only watch her friendship with Kel crumbling before her. "Kel?" she called out in a barely audible whisper. She reached out to her friend, then pulled back. "Kel...please don't. I-I'm sorry."

A knot twisted in Amy's throat as she watched the droplets of salty tears dripping from Kel's cheek onto the floor. She cleared away the tightness, only to hear herself emit a gentle sob. "Please...Kel. Don't," she begged. "I need you. I...I love you, Kel. You're my best friend and...I need you!"

Kelli let the bundle of clothing drop back to the floor and turned to look up at Amy. "I-- I love you too, Amy, and...and the thought of walking out of here without you..." She stood up, tentatively edging closer to her friend.

Amy sucked back shuddering sobs and closed the distance between she and Kel. Once her friend was in her arms, Amy wept convulsively against her. "I don't mean to be this way," she said, choking on a sob. "I don't...I don't know, Kel. I can't control myself sometimes." She pulled Kelli closer and pressed her face to her friend's bosom. "It's hard being Amy Polly Reese all the time," she whispered thickly. "I don't even know who she is sometimes and it's scary."

Fresh tears sprang from Kelzira's eyes as she held Amy close. "I didn't expect to ever find a human who would understand what it was like to be a joined Trill," she said softly as she kissed the top of Amy's head, then raised her face to kiss first her nose and then her lips. "I don't know what I can do to help you, Amy, but just know that whatever you need from me, I will do it. I'm your best friend, and I always will be."

Amy nodded sombrely and blinked away a layer of burning tears. "I'm sorry for slapping you. I just...didn't like hearing the truth. I-I know it's wrong, Kel. I know I'm gonna hurt Kit...but I can't stop myself. I-I need it, you know? I don't know why...but I do, and I don't want to! I don't want to hurt Kit, Kel!" She sobbed bitterly and collapsed against Kel again. "I don't know what's wrong with me..."

"I don't know," Kelli said as she ran her hands gently through Amy's hair. "But, we'll figure it out together, Amy. We'll figure it out together so you and Kit can be happy together. If that's what you want. But, we'll figure it out."

"Thank you," Amy whispered, still clutching Kel close. "I love you, Kel, and I'm not gonna hurt you again. You or Kit. I swear." She took in a deep breath, considering if telling Kelli about her sexual encounter with Dwayne would be appropriate. If she didn't confess all, Kel couldn't help her. But she feared what her friend would think. If she's your friend, she'll understand, she told herself.

"Kel?" Easing her hold slightly, Amy regarded Kelli again, though she couldn't hold her gaze. "Don't tell, but...I did something bad last night, though it felt good at the time." She sighed. "If Kit finds out..."

Kelzira nodded, already knowing what she was about to hear. Or suspected, at least. She found her heart breaking for Kit and quickly wiped at the tears forming in her eyes again. How could she face him again knowing what she was about to find out? "I won't say anything," she whispered.

"And Dwayne better not either," she muttered. At Kel's widening eyes, Amy sighed and nodded. "Last night. I...I don't know what happened. He was there...I was there and.... It happened, and I wish now it hadn't." She whimpered quietly and shook her head. "I'm so stupid..."

"Oh my," Kelli whispered. "I just hope Dwayne doesn't end up feeling guilty or upset over it. He'll either destroy his duty station, a table in the lounge, or whichever bulkhead happens to be closest. Oh Amy... I--" She sighed then, knowing that Dwayne had gotten the thing that she had desired, but now knew she could never have. Dwayne may not have cared that Amy was with someone, perhaps that was why he'd done it, but she couldn't betray Kit that way...at least no more than her silence would already be betraying him. "Well, it's over and done," she finally continued. "I guess now we just make the best of the situation."

"Make the best?" Amy asked incredulously. "If Kit finds out, he'll dump me. I really, really like him, Kel. I don't wanna lose him."

Kelzira sighed softly, and then hugged Amy closer. "We'll do what we can so he doesn't find out," she said. "But, if he does...I don't know. We'll just do what we can to make sure he never finds out. And...and maybe...maybe you might consider switching quarters."

"I can't do that," Amy replied. "Dwayne needs friends right now. I can't just abandon him. I'll...I'll just have to resist. It shouldn't be too hard."

Kelzira nodded but didn't say anything. "Have you talked to Kit yet? Not about that, but about anything?"

Amy shook her head. "I just got off shift, but I was supposed to see him later today during band practice. Why?"

"Well, then I hope you're good at looking like nothing's wrong when you look into his eyes," Kelzira said with a gentle smile. "I think it may be rough seeing him, but I think you'll be fine."

"With you helping me," she whispered, nestling her cheek to Kel's, "I definitely will be."

"Of course you will be," Kelzira whispered back. "Come on, a swim will do us good."

Amy's old smile returned and after one last squeeze, she pulled away from Kel's embrace. "I do love you, Kelzira Rax. I've never faked that, I promise."

Kelli smiled and felt her face blushing. "I love you too," she said.

Despite the tears still leaving red trails down her cheeks, Amy giggled and backed towards the door, pulling Kelli along. "Tonight, you can sleep over. That'll keep Dwayne in his place!"

Kelzira giggled. "And, if he thinks he's a real man now, and figures he can take on both of us, we'll shout him down and send his naked butt back to his own room."

"If he thinks he can handle both Kelzira Rax and Amy Polly Reese at the same time, he's gravely mistaken!"

With a shriek of laughter, Amy pulled Kelli into her arms again and the two whirled around and around along the sands in a jubilant, clumsy dance. Amy didn't think she could be so happy after almost losing her friend, realizing she was an emotionally deficient slut, and making a pact to keep all mention of it from Kit, but she was and it was because of Kelli. Everything looked brighter with Kel by her side, and unless the guilt of betraying Kit caught up with her, Amy couldn't foresee ever being unhappy again for a long while.

---

"Turbo-Tension"
By Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse
and Corran Quezith - Civilian Scientist

Location: USS Sulu, Deck 7 and Deck 2
Stardate 57907.02, 16h03

***

Half a nano after Corran stepped out of the science laboratory, Cristobel, who had been standing in the corridor in waiting, wrapped his arms around him. Corran had been surprised, since he'd been distracted, but when he saw that it was Cris, he hugged him back and only sighed gently, holding onto him.

"I'm sorry," Cris whispered as he nuzzled Corran's neck. After a satisfying squeeze, he added, "I'd give you the flower I brought you, but my arms are otherwise occupied."

"I like the arms better anyway..." Corran hugged him tighter before he pathed an explanation to Cris. He did deserve one at the very least. I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you what I'd read off of Shyla, Cris. It was affecting me...

How did it affect you? Cris gently asked back. What affected you?

You didn't, and I can't tell you Cris... I shouldn't. He was protecting Shyla and needed Cris to understand that.

His conversation with Taylor still on his mind, Cris left Corran with his secret, and sent, Was this mystery thing it? I mean, you seemed uncomfortable all evening. Cristobel took a step back to look Corran in the eyes and rest his hands on his chest.

It's no secret this ship still has me feeling anxious, love. He smirked lightly before projecting the emotions related to having met Cris' friend. While most were pleasant, the underlying anxiety had been enough to trouble Corran's digestive track. Even now he felt rather delicate in regards to his stomach.

Cocking his head to the right, Cristobel offered, Should I head back to Sickbay, and bring you with me? Cris smirked too, and tickled Corran's chin with the flower still resting against the palm of his hand.

No no no no, you should take me home and nurse me back to health. He grinned playfully at the idea.

Cris guided the stem of the flower down the collar of Corran's shirt, managing to touch each of his fingertips to the skin of Corr's neck in the process. Then, encircling one of his arms around one of Corran's arms, he strode down the corridor towards the nearest turbolift. I'm afraid I left my tricorder in Sickbay, Cris admitted. *I suppose I'll have to check your vitals by hand...*

Hmm, you know there's more ways than one to take Achicarian vital signs? He was just being playful now as he bent over to kiss him on the cheek.

Cristobel played along. I'm going to need you to show me, then. This could be an astounding discovery for the medical community. Perhaps these practices could be adapted to members of other races, such as Betazoids.

I think they can be... He chuckled, but then cracked his own neck as he loosened up. He was evidently stressed. *You a physical therapist yet, stud?*

Uhm... Does a physical therapist get to rub you down with hot oil? Cris just grinned broadly.

That, but I like my therapist to gimme some honey too, the kind of loving honey you can give me. He wrapped his arms around his hips to pull him closer, his nose just brushing against his gently. And I'll return the favor.

Well, that's a given. Did you think I wanted to slather you in oil just to push you out into the corridor, alone and naked? Cris put a hand behind Corran's right shoulder to pull him closer, and backed into the wall. He swivelled his hips to push one of Corran's knuckles against the turbolift call button. The turbolift arrived surprisingly instantly and, without disengaging, Cris and Corran shuffled into it. Corran leaned Cris against the threshold of the turbolift, pressing into him, which incited Cris to give a quick and soft kiss to Corran's lips.

Isn't someone going to notice the turbolift is stuck? Corran asked him quietly, a perpetual smile on his lips and at least for now making the tension and exhaustion lines disappear from his face.

As tempting as relaxing Corran was, Cristobel turned his head and his muffled snickers turned into a full-blown laugh. "No - we're not - don't even - no - I'm not Lieutenant Tag-me-in-the-turbolift - No." With the last 'no', Cris placed both of his palms against Corran's chest and lightly pushed him into the turbolift. Faux-sternly, Cris stated, "I'd like my first mission to last longer than my Cadet Cruise."

"Awww, but you were so willing to do it in the arboretums we ran across." He had to tease Cris at all costs; he liked seeing him laugh and cheery.

"Yeah, but I'd just had an evil alternate universe twin playing with my brain, and the Miranda was grotesquely massive compared to the Sulu, and this ship has a history of turbolift sex turning to bitchslapping and brig'ing the night away, and all your Science colleagues are about to walk down this corridor, and you said yourself that it's naughty to be an exhibitionist." Cristobel's frantically whimsical rant suddenly became subdued. Cris slowly slinked into the 'lift, pointing a finger at Corran, as the doors slid shut behind him now that Cris' back wasn't forcing them open. "So, as for Turbosex? You can't do that. It's wrong."

Corran had started to grin, but now he was just laughing and looking all out naughty. He ordered the destination to the turbolift to get it moving, then looked at Cris. "You owe me, when you least expect it..." He moved closer to him, fingers barely grazing over Cris' uniform, his lips almost against his skin as he looked into his eyes. "I'm going to seduce you, and there will be no stopping us from making love."

"I'm all for that sort of surprise party," Cristobel beamed. "As long as we're in a room that locks and that isn't designed for public transportation. But, if you were to get an arboretum set up, I may be able to bend that rule a little..."

That made him laugh, but he finally stopped seducing Cris as he answered him, "I already asked the Captain if I could meet with him about just that, the arboretum, not sex." His brow rose sceptically as he projected a ménage a trois with the two of them and Captain Salinger, then a thought of him joking.

Cris tauntingly rolled his eyes and said, "Sounds like someone thinks he's already on Risa. Now tell me: have you been bringing a horga'hn to work with you?"

"A whore-gahn or what was that?" His brow furrowed curiously as Cris said it.

"Ignore what I just said. It was foolish. There's a much larger issue to discuss that's approaching," Cris told Corran. "You've never been to Risa before? In your time in the Federation, you went to boring Earth, but you've never been to Risa?" Cristobel asked, animatedly astounded.

Corran sighed, then rolled his eyes a little. "Federation pleasure worlds weren't included on my 'need to know' database set up by your people. They took me to Vulcan, Betazed, Pacifica, Earth, Andor, and then a few more obscure worlds..." The Federation had over a hundred and fifty member worlds without including their extensions, how could anyone expect Corran to have visited them all by now!?

"Well, then, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by the Risians. If you show off a horga'hn, a foot-long wooden statuette, any of the natives will be pleased to engage in jamaharon with you," Cris explained.

"Jam...oh...whore...on?" He was purposefully mispronouncing it now, but he had a feeling he wasn't too far off with it. It sounded like these Risians were very sexual, but that in itself made him wonder what Cris thought his dearest boyfriend was capable of considering they were in a relationship and apparently most of the Federation's races frowned upon going beyond those boundaries. Again, one of many confusing elements for him.

"There's no compensation involved," Cris stated factually.

"Compensation?" This time he lost Corran as the doors spread apart onto their deck and they walked out.

"There's no payment; the Risians aren't whores," Cristobel clarified. "They simply celebrate the sensual pleasures with whomever wherever whenever."

Corran's brow rose this time. "Well I will not be participating in that definitely." Even if he weren't with Cristobel, Corran had something against the infamous 'sex at the drop of a hat' trick that he had also heard of on Earth, in Paris. It was a fascinating prospect, but Corran had his limits.

Picking up on the thoughts behind Corran's words, Cris facetiously asked, "Really? Hunh. And what was the name of that ice planet you surveyed for the Achicarians, where you had sex in a cave with an attaché you had just met?"

"I had sex with the attaché 'cause I was really into that attaché and the attaché was really into me, Cris." He almost glared at Cris, but instead he only took a bit of a tone in his response. The Exploratory Division had reprimanded him for the incident to begin with.

Raising his palms defensively, Cris quickly said, "I'm not getting judgey here. I'm only trying to point out that you probably have more in common with Risians than with Terrans."

"We'll see." But the truth was, Corran wasn't looking forward to Risa as much as the others were. He glanced at Cris and projected an image of his home, of Achicar, and how he wanted to go back and visit. It was difficult to do that though, because there were few or no ships that could get him there in under six months.

You'll have to take me when you go, Cris insisted, looking forward to the extra-Corran-time part of the upcoming shore leave more than anything else.

You're gonna have to stack up on vacations a lot, or your fleet'll have to switch over to slipstream, though... And I think you would love it there, there's no world quite like Achicar Prime... even now after the reconstruction and reforestation following the bombardment she is so beautiful Cris... That had been the one thing he had given up for Cristobel that had truly been difficult. The nexus of minds and the natural beauty of Achicar...

Since you're here on the ship, after this mandatory Risa leave, I could not take any other vacations until...ever, Cristobel offered.

That cheered Corran up, but it also made him chuckle. Don't worry about it love, we'll get there someday, some other way. For now I'm content to discover more of the Federation... He sighed mentally before he continued, 'Cause that's my assignment for now.

Rounding a corner, with the entrance to their quarters coming into their line of sight, Cris took Corran by the hand, and practically sprinted for the door. As he pulled Corri along, the doors briskly parted before them, and Cris spun Corran into their home. Cris' hands went to Corran's waist, and pushed his shirt up and over his head, nudging Corran to slowly walk backwards all the while. Once Cristobel had Corran in place, he pushed him down on the bed, pounced onto him, cocked his head towards the replicator and made an order.

"Computer, massage oil number fourteen."

Hmmm, I wonder what wonderful place number fourteen will take us to... And with that, Corran kissed Cristobel very passionately

Cris stroked the side of Corran's face, rolled off of him, and removed his uniform tops as he padded to the replicator. He picked up the warm bottle from the replicator slot, let his trousers drop to the floor, and looked over his shoulder at Corran on the bed. I really don't know. But I intend to find out.

---

"Recognition"
by Lieutenant Sean O'Shea
and Ensign Ainsley Chambers

Location: Ship's Gymnasium, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57907.02, 18h15

***

Ainsley looked around with a happy grin. The gym set-up was a nice one. There was enough room and enough machines to not feel crowded but it wasn't so big that you'd have to worry about asking directions to get from the locker room to the treadmills.

Since coming onboard she'd basically just been unpacking or working. She hadn't managed to get any leisure time in, she hadn't even met her roommate yet. After her shift she had forced herself to go down to the gym for a work-out before opening up another box of trinkets that she had brought with her.

At the moment there were only about a dozen other people in the gym, and the bank of treadmills was empty. Ainsley made her way towards them, briefly looking at the other machines as she wove her way through them. She didn't immediately notice the other officer making his own way to the treadmills.

Ainsley looked up just before she reached the treadmills and realized that the blond man a few feet away looked incredibly familiar. She studied him for a moment to be sure. "Could it be...?" she asked herself quietly.

"Sean O'Shea?" she asked a little louder.

For Sean, workouts were more of a chore than a pleasure. It was something he needed to do to keep his aging body in shape. He would rather have been having fun on the holodecks, but he knew that his training programs there, while intensive, did not give his body everything it needed. And so he made his way to the gym for his daily meeting with the treadmill, or the "bloody torture device" as he liked to call it.

He would pass his time, running to nowhere, by going over the physiological changes that were taking place as he exercised. Increased heart rate, increased stroke volume from the left ventricle, increased cardiac output, increased systolic blood pressure, increased AVO2 difference, decreased blood plasma volume, increased CO2 levels, tidal volume increasing from 0.5 liters to 2.5 liters, increased lung diffusion, increased muscular contraction and enzyme activity.

Sean was shaken out of the beginnings of his 'mantra' by the sound of a woman's voice, calling his name. He had not even noticed her approach, but his eyes widened in recognition and appreciation when he saw her. Short and slim with a cascade of blonde hair and amazing pale blue eyes. He knew this woman! And better yet, she knew him, but from where? Bloody hell! It better not have been back on Rigel. I can't remember half of what happened that year. His mind raced as he flashed her a smile. 'That's it Sean, let your body language buy you some time while your brain sorts this one out. I'm sure it wasn't Rigel. An old academy friend? No, she's too young, couldn't be more than thirty. Oh god, have I slept with this woman?'

"Well hello!" Sean said, the smile broadening. "Now there's a face I had not expected to see. Did you just transfer on board or have I been unlucky enough to miss you all this time? It's good to see you again. How long has it been?"

Meanwhile, the Irishman's mind continued to churn. Bajor, yes! It was Bajor, I'm certain of it. But she's not Bajoran. Starfleet? No, I knew almost everyone in the province that was assigned there. Civilian at the time? Researcher? Oh wait! She's the one with the ankle! Damn, we went out to dinner after that. Get your head out of your ass and remember her name already, you stupid pillock! Ashley? That sounds right?

Sean held his smile, eyes showing off their characteristic twinkle as he waited for her to respond.

Ainsley returned the smile a little hesitantly. He seemed to recognize her but something in the response seemed a little off. She shook it off after a moment. "Well let's see...it was '73 so I guess it's been about 6 years. Wow it doesn't seem like that long ago. My ankle still aches sometimes actually." She laughed a little. She allowed her eyes to skim over his face as she spoke. The years since they had last met had treated him well. He had a few lines around his eyes, especially when he smiled, that she was pretty sure had not been there before but they didn't detract from his appearance at all.

"But to answer your other question, I just came on board a couple days ago when the Sulu was docked at the starbase. I'm serving as a counselor under Lieutenant Jhenal's command." She paused for a moment as she placed her water bottle in the holder of the nearest treadmill. "And what about you? I assume you're serving in sickbay here?"

Sean smiled and gave a slight nod. "I'm the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Sulu. And now I know why we have not run into each other earlier. Welcome aboard!"

The name was still escaping him and he could see a hint of questioning in her eyes. She was a counselor, and for once, not a telepath. To advance to her current position, she must have developed excellent skills at reading people, especially those of her own species, which means she was probably on to him. He sighed inwardly and decided the time for a little honesty had arrived.

Sean flashed Ainsley a self-deprecating smile. "I'm somewhat embarrassed to say this, but your name is escaping me. I can remember the weather the day you came into the clinic, I remember repairing the ligament damage in your ankle from that rock climbing accident you had at the B'Hala Temple archeological site. I remember overseeing your physical therapy, going out to dinner at that restaurant along the Glyrhond River in Paqu to celebrate once you were fully recovered.. I remember you telling me you grew up in Rome, that your parents were both professors. And I remember every detail of your face, which has barely changed in six years." He tapped the side of his head with his finger. "But the one thing I really need to remember right now is eluding me. Please forgive me."

Ainsley had known something was up but she hadn't figured it out exactly yet. She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Not a problem. Ainsley Chambers." She gave a soft laugh. "It's kind of funny. I'm a names person, at least where people are concerned. The minute I saw you your name popped into my head, but I would never have remembered the name of that river."

Sean smiled. At least I'm not starting out in the dog house, he thought to himself.

"So you're the CMO on board, eh? I really do have to take a look at the crew roster and see if there is anyone else from my past that I am going to run into on board. I served with Jorell Thalan on the Ranger before it was decommissioned, I ran into him in the turbolift my first day onboard."

Sean nodded. "A fine officer. He's one of the first members of the Senior Staff I had the chance to work with, on my first away mission on the Sulu. He seems to have it where it counts." He maintained eye contact as they chatted. "So, have you gotten acclimatized to the Sulu yet?"

"I'm still settling in so I haven't had the chance to get a feel for what the ship is like... How are you enjoying the atmosphere here?" She asked.

"Enjoying it more all the time," he replied honestly. His emotional saber rattling with Commander Lyrr was, hopefully, water under the bridge. With his XO off his back, he was hoping to finally relax and enjoy his tour of duty. "It's a small ship, only fifteen decks. You'll get to know a good portion of the crew in short order, not like on one of the bigger boats where you can serve for years and still not meet everyone. I'd say for both of our professions, that makes our lives easier. We get to establish more of a rapport with our patients."

Ainsley nodded, thinking for a moment. "On the whole I'd have to agree. It's easier for me to counsel someone when I know what they are like from first hand experience. The crew files and bios can only take you so far, they don't compare really to the actual benefit of knowing them." She paused for a moment, thinking about her time on the Ranger. "I wonder though if in some circumstances it isn't a hindrance, at least in my field, for the patient to think of you as a normal being. I've never been on a large ship before, the Sulu is only my second posting and the Ranger was also quite small. I had a patient on the Ranger, whom I'd spent a bit of time with off duty, who had a hard time opening up to me and discussing some problems that she was having. When we discussed her reserve she told me that it was because she thought of me as a friend and just couldn't think of me as a professional." She shrugged then. "That's the only instance that I've run into this problem, and I guess that's why we always have a few counselors floating around on any one ship."

Sean nodded. "It's always a potential problem, but as you said, that is why we have multiple counselors and doctors on this ship. When the personal starts to overlap the professional, sometimes its best to refer a patient to someone else." A slight smirk formed on his face. "I'm not one to plug myself in to the ship's gossip mill, but between you and me, I have a feeling you are going to be getting more than your fair share of cases on the Sulu where the professional and the personal have collided."

Ainsley made a mental note to keep a look-out for that possibility.

Sean searched his memory. "As I recall, Ainsley, you were a civilian when we met. When did you decide to join Starfleet?"

"I actually decided to join while I was on Bajor. I'm not quite sure what originally brought around the idea. I was just out of university, and I had an offer to become an assistant professor at the university in Rome. When I went to Bajor I had no clue what I wanted to do next, all I really knew was that the offer to teach was not very appealing. I met a lot of interesting officers on Bajor, including you," she added with a smile, "who seemed to really love what they were doing. And I knew that my sister was also loving what she was doing. It was a combination of that and the opportunity to possibly make a difference while traveling to places you wouldn't get to see otherwise."

"But enough about me... Where did you go after Bajor? Or were you there until you transferred to the Sulu?"

Sean's smile faltered slightly, just for a moment before he recovered. "I left Bajor back in '76. There was a research institute, a branch of Starfleet Medical, that had been badgering me to join their staff since before I completed my coursework. They finally made a convincing enough offer to get me to leave my practice on Bajor. The long and the short of it is, it proved to be a bad move. Two years there were all I could take. After that, I spent a year on sabbatical before being offered my position here." It was as much detail as Sean was willing to offer, at least for the moment.

Ainsley's profession had taught her to be able to read when someone was avoiding an issue. It also taught her when to push and when to leave things alone. Now was definitely not the time to ask anymore questions on the matter. "Sometimes one short year can be all the time you need," she replied with a smile.

"Very true," Sean replied, enjoying the conversation. He'd had plenty of patients pass through his door and had attended his fair share of staff meetings, but making friends had somehow slipped by the wayside. Perhaps it was just being new. More likely it was the result of his earlier belief that he would not be staying on the Sulu for long. In either case, the attractive and charming Ms. Chambers seemed a most fitting place to start.

"You mentioned that your ankle still ached from time to time?"

She nodded. "Sometimes. I just always assume it's telling me to take it easy for awhile."

"Well let's have a look, shall, we?" he suggested. He knelt, reaching over has he did so for his gym bag. Rummaging, he pulled out a medical tricorder and hand scanner. He flashed a smile. "Never know when you're going to need one of these, especially in a gym." He held out his hand near her foot. "Right ankle as I recall. If I may?"

"By all means..." She lifted her foot slightly to allow him better access to her ankle. She had not really imagined, when she had mentioned that it ached, that he would offer to have a look at it. She smiled and waited for the prognosis.

Sean held her foot gently by the heal and turned the well-toned ankle, inspecting it. There was no outward signs of swelling or stress, so he ran his scanner over it with his free hand and then looked at the images and data . He looked up at Ainsley with a reassuring smile.

"As I suspected. You have a little left over scar tissue from the original injury. That's perfectly normal. I'd guess you have a mild case of bilateral tendonitis. This can be aggravated by activities that require a great deal of lateral pronation. Do you play tennis or perhaps ski?"

"Hmm, I do a lot of skiing actually. It's one of my favorite pastimes," she replied. "And you know, now that I think of it, it's usually after I've been skiing that it acts up."

Sean smiled. "Well there you go then. It's really nothing much to worry about. It likely will not get any worse, but it also will not get any better on its own. If you like I can give you something to take care of it. I can give you a trans-dermal stimulator. You can slip it over your ankle while you're sleeping and it will slowly strengthen the ligaments and tendons over the course of a week or so. After the first night, I doubt you will even notice it's there."

"That would be great. It's not that much pain, but if I can avoid it, why not." She smiled as she spoke.

Sean put away his tricorder and scanner and stood back up. "I suppose we should get to our mutual workouts." He gestured towards the bank of treadmills. "Join me in a jog?"

"I'd love to."

---

"Night On the Town"
by Dalil V'ril [NPC+]
and Andrea Collins

Location: Risa
Stardate 57907.02 21h30

***

Dalil V'ril slipped his way from the bar, a drink held in his hand as he returned to his table. He'd been out for several hours, and this was the second bar, but so far the night was going well. He'd have to get back to work on the Farehn'ti situation tomorrow, but that was tomorrow. Tonight, though, was for him. Then again, he'd had lots of nights for just himself lately. Though, he had been fortunate enough to share them with a number of lovely ladies.

As he was passing a table, he noted a young woman seated alone at a table and nursing a drink. He gave her a smile that she returned. He slowed his pace, and finally stopped at her side. "Hi there," he said. "My name is Dalil, and I was noticing that your drink is almost empty. On Risa, that's practically a crime. Let me buy you another."

Andrea smiled up at the man who'd offered her a drink. "Sure, I could use another." She then tossed back what was left in the glass she held. She was sitting in the chair in a somewhat slinky evening gown that barely covered her assets. The bodice of the gown was enough to cover her breasts but was still rather low-cut. The back was also cut low deep down to the mid-back. It had straps but they were made of a sheer, synthetic material that gave the impression that her back was totally bare.

This gown, as with all of her gowns, showed off most of, if not all, her tattoos, including most of the one on her right breast. The skirt of her velvet gown has a slit up the back till the back of her knees, which allowed the tattoo on her calf to peer through at any given time. The gown was pure purple, a purple so deep it was almost black. Her stockings were black, so it almost obscured the tattoo on her calf. The stockings were thigh highs, just held on her legs by the elastic tops. The shoes she wore were also the deep shade of purple, and velvet.

"My name is Andrea," she introduced herself.

Dalil motioned for one of the servers, and pointed to Andrea's drink. He slid into the vacant chair at her table and flashed her a smile. "I haven't seen you around here. Though, I think it's always a tragedy for anyone to spend time on Risa alone. This isn't a planet for alone. So, I certainly hope you don't mind some company tonight."

"I wouldn't know, I've spent so much of my life alone so far that it doesn't seem likely I could live any other way. Oh, and please do join me." She smirked as she said this only after he'd already sat down across from her. "So, what is it you do? I mean, what brings you to Risa?"

"I do work for the Federation Council," Dalil said. "I have Ambassadorial status and am actually here on Federation business. I can't go into the details, but I assure you it's very interesting. Also, I just love it here on this planet. Have you ever seen a place that's so full of delicious, decadent pleasures?"

She hated to burst his bubble, so she didn't. She had seen a planet that was Risa's equal in that, if not Risa's superior; she would have just loved to visit the place again, but that'd not be likely to happen in the near future. "Well, it's comforting to know that the council is willing to pay for you to spend your off time delving in such pleasures."

She then took up her drink and took a small sip from the glass. The liquid was a neon green color, something she'd enjoyed while as a mercenary and knew that once she boarded the ship she was assigned to, she wouldn't be able to indulge in such pleasures.

"I...I am here on respite before I take on the challenge of the next chapter of my life." She didn't go into details as she took another drink from her glass before setting it down on the table.

"The challenge of the next chapter of your life? Sounds ominous. So, what is it that you do, Andrea?"

"I am an ensign in Starfleet, a member of the crew on the USS Sulu." She finished her drink and waved a girl over to get another refill.

"Starfleet," Dalil said with an approving nod. "I know many members of Starfleet actually. Though, I haven't heard of the USS Sulu before. I think I'm going to have to make sure my contacts on the Federation council send out these new little bits of information. So, what do you do in Starfleet?"

"I'm in security." She received her drink and offered her thumb print to the girl with the PADD. "I wasn't always in Starfleet though."

"I wasn't always a diplomat," Dalil said with a laugh. "I must say, those are some very alluring tattoos, and you wear them very well."

"But what they're hiding aren't nearly as alluring. I wouldn't wear dresses like this one if it weren't for the scars I bear." She shrugged. "It was either that or go around with the scars. I wouldn't be able to get away with wearing these things or a two piece swim-suit otherwise." She took another sip of her drink and glanced at him to see what he would say about that.

"The scars one bears on the outside are seldom as bad as those inside," Dalil answered.

She shrugged. "I've had it rough. Orphaned at a young age, abused by the one who was to take care of and protect me, then I ran away." She took another sip of her drink. "I don't know why I'm even explaining myself to you. I hardly even know you."

"Sometimes the ear of a stranger can open the door to greater insights about one's self," the Ktarian answered. "However, I will leave you to your thoughts. Good evening, Andrea."

She glanced at him. He wasn't bad to look upon, she could do worse for a companion. Yeah, like Ky. She shook her head, "No...please, stay. If you go I'll have my own thoughts to entertain me. And right now, they're not to pleasant."

Dalil nodded with a pleasant smile. "Very well," he said. "Perhaps I can get you another drink. Or, if you're interested, we can get away from this place and go somewhere more...private."

She tossed back the rest of her drink and nodded. "Let's go." She stood and offered him her hand. "You lead."

"Of course," Dalil answered. He held out one hand to her, and gestured to the door with the other. "This way."

He led her out of the bar and down the street. It was nearly four blocks before he turned into the foyer of a large hotel. "I'm on the seventy-sixth floor," he said as they got into the lift. "I've got a full bar and we can...find entertainment other than your thoughts, I'm sure."

She smiled as he guided her to his hotel, and then as he guided her to the lift. "Oh, I'm sure we will." She found herself enjoying herself now, more than she had since she arrived on Risa.

Once the lift was ascending, Dalil regarded Andrea and smiled. "So, Security, hmm? I've always had an appreciation for women who know how to...how to fight in close quarters."

She smirked. "Is that so?" She turned to him and practically flattened herself against him. "How would you like to test that little theory of yours?"

One of Dalil's arms circled her waist, while the other came up to her cheek. "I was thinking in the...usual manner," he said. With a lazy smile, he brushed his lips against hers. "How does that sound?"

She looked up at him. "I'd like that." She traced her finger over his chest, her eyes on her finger. "I'm sure you would enjoy exploring the 'territory.' " She grinned at her own words.

"Oh, I'm certain I will," he said. One hand was hiking her dress higher while he continued to feast from her lips. "You know, women with tattoos have always been a weakness of mine."

Her mouth opened under his for a moment and then she smiled. "Oh, are we?" She grinned, the expression could be felt by him. "Well, then perhaps you would just love to trace the snake..." She grinned again.

Dalil smiled broadly. "Oh, I've always wanted to hear a woman say that," he said. He pressed himself to her again, kissing her passionately and in the kiss giving promise of what the rest of the night would entail.

She emitted a light moan into his mouth, then pulled away. "I believe we should wait till we get to your room. Don't want to start something we can't exactly finish here, now do we?" She grinned again.

"I should certainly hope so," a man's voice from the other side of the now-open lift door said. He glared at them both. "One of these days, Dalil, your fornicating is going to get you into trouble."

With a laugh, Dalil took Andrea's hand and led her out of the lift. "Well, you know, if I really cared what they thought, that could have been rather embarrassing."

Andrea looked at the man who was glaring after them from between the lift doors. A smirk appeared on her face, not only because of the expression on his face, but because of his words. "Oh, leave this nice man alone. He's entitled to some fun, now isn't he?"

She turned her gaze to Dalil. "Who is this guy, your father?" she asked, somewhat facetiously.

"A fellow resident of this hotel," Dalil answered. "And, obviously much more conservative than I'd given him credit for. Anyway, we won't let him spoil our evening together. It's just up this way."

She let him take the lead and she followed him. Her gaze turned back to look at the 'fellow resident' a moment before settling her gaze back on the man beside her. "Yes, let's just get there and have our fun." She couldn't believe her luck, she'd never really met anyone on Risa like this before, so she was going to really enjoy herself tonight.

They finally reached Dalil's room, and he quickly used a touch-pad on the front to unlock the door. He pushed it inside and called for lights. The room was elegantly appointed. "Here we are," he said. "Would you care for another drink?"

She entered behind him and made her way inside. Her eyes took in the decor and smiled. She'd seen this kind of stuff before. One of the paintings on the wall looked much like one of those she'd stolen in her past life. She'd never understood how someone could possibly think they needed all this stuff to be happy.

She thought she knew what she was getting herself into. Hell, she was far from virginal. After Ky's attack on her, she'd been raped...and ever since, she'd talked her employer into letting her use her body to her advantage and help in whatever job she was assigned. The tattoos didn't hurt any. He said yes after she'd assured him that she would be alright. Her intention with Dalil was to have some fun, even if it was of a sexual nature.

She looked at him after he'd asked his question. "Sure, Romulan Ale if there is some. Otherwise, Sumarian Sunset."

Then, without waiting for his acknowledgement or permission, she took off to explore the room. Taking in the decor in each walled off section of the hotel suite. "Nice hotel."

"Romulan Ale coming up," Dalil answered as he moved to fix their drinks. "And it is a nice hotel. Not the most expensive or luxurious on Risa, by far, but I do like it here. This is my room. Whenever I'm here on Risa, I stay in this room. It's a nice arrangement, though I usually have to alert the managers about a week ahead of time. So, how long are you here for?"

"I'm here till the ship gets here." She fingered a piece of clothing. She saw it and thought it looked rather soft, and once she'd touched it, it was as she thought it was. "Although, so far I've been here since I got my orders and told I'd have to either wait at Starbase 163 or Risa. I chose Risa." She took the drink when he offered it to her. "Thanks."

She took a sip of the drink and made her way to another painting. "This is nice. I don't recognize the artist though, who did it?"

Dalil moved over near the painting and gracefully sat to one side as he regarded it. "Oh, it is a beautiful piece, isn't it? It was painted by a Tellarate painter by the name of Rougwa. Some of his later work is also rather nice in a very sensual and hedonistic fashion. Perhaps I can show you some of his other work sometime." As she passed him, he reached out and brushed a hand along her thigh. "I have a feeling there is much we can show each other."

The warm touch of his hand on her thigh caused her to look down at him. Her hand came down to brush over his cheek.

Her thumb ran over his lower lip and before long, her mouth came down to follow her thumb. The fullness of his lower lip was enough to make her moan into his mouth Her eyes closed upon her mouth touching his. With her hand, the one holding her drink, she found a solid surface to place the glass on. At the same time, the hem of her skirt shifted up, likely by his motion, where his hand was on her thigh.

Pulling back again, she finally found a table to put her drink. She sat the drink on the table and kneeled in front of him, her fingernails running up and down his thigh. Placing another kiss to his mouth, she stood up again and paced around till she was in front of the couch and coffee table.

Her gown consisted of a couple of zippers, both on either side. She pulled them both down and having done so, she slipped her arms from the gown and finally, pulled the gown over her head, which also pulled her hair down from the swirls and curls she'd had it in. She looked at him to see his reaction.

Dalil smiled broadly and brought his hands up to gently caress her body. He paid particular attention to her tattoos, though teasing her slightly by avoiding getting to close. He looked up into her eyes, and in a graceful move had stood up, which allowed him to take her fully in his arms. "Maybe we should go to the bed," he said, his voice thick with his arousal. "We'll be more comfortable there."

She glanced into his eyes. She was still clothed, albeit in her underwear, body pressed to his. "Of course, can't very well do it here. Well, we could, but you'd have to press me against the wall." She grinned. "Or is that one we'll do this evening?"

Belying his slender frame, Dalil lifted Andrea into his arms and carried her toward the bed. "You've never made love with a Ktarian, have you?"

She laughed, her head falling back while she did. Her laugh was a mixture of sex and wicked evil deeds done in the dark. "I've made love with many, and I would have to say that a Ktarian isn't among the repertoire of those I've been with."

"Then allow me to educate you," Dalil said as he pulled her onto the bed.

There were many pleasures to be had that night as both Dalil and Andrea taught each other many new things. The banging on the walls and the shouts from the neighbours deterred neither of them as they enthusiastically pursued their nocturnal fun. Life on Risa was surely good.

---

"Introducing..."
by Sikara

Location: 'Les Kitaaaasa' Restaurant - Risa
Stardate 57907.02, 22h00

***

"I'm sacked, what do you mean that I'm sacked?" Sikara shouted over the restaurant to his fleeing manager.

"I thought you understood Risan. You are sacked, fired, you're gone, you're not good at your job so your boss has gotten rid of you," his ex-manager shouted back.

There were only a few people in the restaurant at this time, so his ex-manager, who went by the name of Celebar, was not particularly bothered at shouting across his establishment.

"You can't fire me," Sikara shouted in astonishment.

"And why the 'CoVa' not?" Celebar swore.

"Firstly because you will be very hard pressed to find a better chef in the quadrant and secondly because I resign," Sikara replied.

"You know that you can't resign without good reason in this place," Celebar laughed.

"How's this for a reason: My manager stole most of my food to increase his unusually large belly." Sikara walked up to Celebar and whispered in his ear, "And because his boss is sleeping with a certain councillor's wife and because I know that he certainly doesn't want anybody to find out about it."

Sikara grabbed his coat while his ex-boss stood in shock.

As he left the 'Les Kitaaaasa' Sikara shouted behind him, "I'll expect something special in my payoff package!"

Sikara then stepped out onto the busy, touristy streets of Tulip City of Risa. He felt very good of himself as he headed toward his flat. Celebar looked like a fat idiot but Sikara knew that he would receive something great from keeping quiet about the affair, perhaps a new job.

Sikara was a great chef, but he wasn't the best sort of person to get on the wrong side of.

Risa was mostly a great planet, and stood up well to inspections apart from with the finest of tooth-combs. But like all great places there was always a bad side. The great cities of the Roman empire were always accompanied by shabby places full of greed and hunger where the normal workers lived.

Risa had surprising few of these places, but this was not to say that they did not exist.

Sikara had been born and bred in probably the worst area of Risa, the slums of Tulip City, the place where the prostitutes and gangs hung out.

Fortunately Sikara had found a skill that could take him out of the slums: he was an excellent cook and with a helping financial hand from his adopted parents he had capitalized on it.

But working in cafes and restaurants never seemed exciting enough for Sikara. Ultimately he got bored and ended up mixed in with the gangs of the slums again, and blackmailing ex-managers like he was doing now wasn't the first time.

"I need to get out of this place," he said to himself as he entered his shabby flat.

---

"Boredom"
by Sikara

Location: Slums - Tulip City
Stardate: 57907.02, 23h00

***

Sikara wandered the slums of Tulip City, nodding to familiar faces as he walked. He was extremely bored and his flat was empty apart from a few clothes. He needed entertainment, and what was cheap entertainment in the slums of any great city - a stripper.

Every single city, on every world, in every galaxy had entertainment like or very similar to a strip bar.

A man, or woman probably, could go into a bar, have a few alcoholic drinks and sit down to relax to the dancing naked bodies of the opposite sex, or the same sex.

Sikara knew this strip bar quite intimately in fact, as this was the first bar he had ever been served a drink, when he was 14 and he had stormed out of his adopted parents' mansion on the suburbs.

The boss of the bar was a friend, well as close as a friend as Sikara had and Sikara knew that he would have a few drinks here without seriously hurting his almost empty pockets.

"Siky?" Tigard, the bar-manager shouted across the small club. "Hey, Siky, my man!"

Tigard's slightly obese form shuffled its way toward Sikara. Sikara smiled through his boredom and stuck out a thumb for his friend to touch, much like handshaking.

"Good to see you again, Tigard," Sikara said, while sitting down at a seat with a good view of the now-empty stage.

"Drink? Of course you want one." Tigard clicked his finger and a Risan woman, a few years younger than Sikara, walked across from another table.

Her body, which was almost fully visible, was quite athletic and yet she possessed the 'credentials' to be a superb stripper. She had in her hand a notepad which she intended to take his order down on.

"What can I get for you, Tigard?" she said, her voice like velvet.

"Get this man an ale," Tigard ordered.

The young stripper slowly walked away, fully aware that Sikara was watching her backend, and moving it sexily.

Tigard noticed Sikara's stare and smiled. "She's a fresh one isn't she?"

"Fresh, is that how you describe her?" Sikara laughed.

"You look a bit off-colour, my friend. What's wrong?" Tigard asked, as music began to play and the lights dimmed slightly.

It was obviously time for a stripper to show her stuff but after she appeared Sikara did not have more than a passing interest with her routine.

After a few minutes Sikara said, "Oh, I really don't know, Tigard. I just don't feel settled here, I need to go somewhere, do something or at least be a part of it."

"Depression, eh?" Tigard suggested.

"Most probably," Sikara sighed.

The young server that had responded to Tigard's click earlier reappeared with an ale

"Thanks a lot," Sikara said, going for his pocket, knowing full well that Tigard wouldn't let him.

"Ah, no way. Friends get it free, remember? And if..." Tigard said, halting Sikara.

"You ever need a chef, yes I know," Sikara laughed.

"So, you are a chef are you?" the stripper said sexily.

"I was one. I left on 'mutual-consent' an hour ago," Sikara replied.

Tigard stood up and whispered something into the woman's ear.

"You must feel very upset," she said after Tigard had stopped.

"Actually..." Sikara started.

"You do, don't you?" Tigard said, winking to him.

Sikara, understanding, now replied, "Well, yeah, I feel really hurt."

The woman replied while walking toward him, "Do you need some, healing?"

"I'd love some, are you a nurse?" Sikara replied.

"No, but I was once said to have the perfect credentials. How about I show you?" the woman said while sitting down next to him.

"Sure." Sikara smiled as the stripper began her private routine.

---