"On Impulse, Part One"
By Ensign Cecily Torsten - Yeoman
Lt. JG Arthas Hex - Deputy Chief of Security

Location: USS Sulu, Crew Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15, 00h00

***

Cecily hummed a happy tune to herself as she walked down the corridors of the Sulu. Currently she was on her way to visit Arthas Hex, deciding that he had already gone to enough trouble for arranging their dates, she wanted to do something in return this time herself. Stopping in front of his quarters she rang the door chime and patiently waited to be called in.

Arthas cursed as he hastily grabbed a towel and threw it around his lower torso. His hair was dripping wet and his body had a gleam to it as he had just walked out of the sonic shower and washed his hair in the basin. Making sure the towel was fastened securely he walked to the door and opened it.

"Cecily!" Arthas exclaimed, immediately wishing he had grabbed the larger towel that would have covered more of his body.

Cecily stood uncertain of what to say as she took in Arthas' form. She felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment as she looked away. "Hi....umm I-I'm sorry...I should have sent you a message telling you I was going to be dropping by...can I come in?"

"Ye... Yeah..." Arthas said, shaking his head then hastily nodding it. "Yeah of course, come in."

He turned around, his left hand making sure his towel remained where it was as his right quickly grabbed the uniform he had flung on the sofa and threw it into the replicator.

"Sit, down I'll be right out," he said over his shoulder as he returned to the bathroom, saying 'recycle' to the replicator on his way out.

Stepping into Arthas' quarters, Cecily watched as Arthas left to return to the bathroom. She exhaled, allowing herself to breathe once he was out of the room. She blushed, wondering if what others said about Trills and their spots really were true. Pushing the thought aside she sat down on the couch and waited for Arthas to come back.

Quickly drying his hair and grabbing a second towel, Arthas walked back into the main room, now more covered up with a large towel around his neck as well as some shorts that had been in the bathroom.

Arthas looked slightly peculiar standing there; he wasn't dripping anymore but his normally spiked up hair had now been replaced by a surprisingly long mop of hair that almost fell down to his mouth. Pushing the hair aside he smiled at Cecily. "Drink?"

"No, thanks." Chuckling, she then remarked, "I didn't realize you have such long hair."

Arthas smiled wanly. "Yeah, it looks terrible like this." He shook his head and his still slightly damp hair threw a little bit of water everywhere.

Standing, Cecily walked over to Arthas and playfully brushed his hair from his eyes. "I think you actually look cute with your hair down."

Arthas smiled. "Liar," he whispered into her ear and kissed her cheek.

"So," he said, pulling back slightly. "Was it worth the mystery? On the station I mean?"

"It was certainly worth the mystery, I had fun," she remarked, nuzzling her nose against his.

Arthas smiled as he remembered the evening a few days previous. He had shifted his shifts for a few days and managed to get a few afternoons with Cecily while the Sulu had been docked at DS9. He had taken her to a restaurant at first, on a mysterious afternoon. She had managed to get the fact that he had booked a holosuite from Quark out of him and they had thoroughly enjoyed their meal.

***Deep Space Nine, A Few Days Previous***

Leaving the restaurant the pair of them had laughed as they walked arm-in-arm to the holosuite.

"You know you certainly are an expert at keeping secrets, I can definitely tell you're not the kind not to gossip," Cecily teased. "So you're not going to give me any other clues?"

Arthas laughed. "No, in fact," he said, rooting in his pockets as they arrived at quark's holosuites. "Ah, here we go."

Almost laughing hysterically Arthas handed over a small black blindfold which Cecily promptly pulled on over her eyes. "Stay close to me, okay? I don't want to accidentally walk right into a bulkhead," she teased.

"Alright," Arthas said, smiling as he guided Cecily to the door of their holosuite.

Typing the name of the program instead of saying it he opened the doors and led Cecily into the simulated environment.

The doors closed behind the pair of them as Arthas breathed deeply, admiring the authenticity of place.

"Come, on, I think this blindfold's material is making my eyes itch!" Cecily chuckled as she glanced blindly in Arthas' direction.

"Oh, sorry." Arthas laughed. "I sort of got caught up in the excellent view we have here."

He put his hands over the blindfold, leaning in to hold onto Cecily from the back as he eased it off.

He held her as she took in where she was and gasped.

Cecily took in the sights around her, admiring the beautiful view. She had remembered hearing about this place from a number of the other crewmembers during their shore leave stay at Risa. From what she recalled it was a rare sight that one would only have to see for themselves to believe it and she could see why. The area the two were standing from overlooked most of Risa, including its oceans and forested areas, showing a grand view of the planet's surroundings and its environment.

"Wow, just wow...how did you even know about this place?" she asked, turning to Arthas.

Arthas breathed in deeply, still holding onto Cecily and not wanting to let go.

"The new Chef," Arthas said. "Sikara, I asked him about his home world, he took his first love here and when I asked Quark he said it was a program that he had. I didn't think it was this beautiful though. How can a Cardassian holosuite be better than the Sulu's?"

"You've got me, maybe it was all that technology they got during the Dominion Wars..." Breathing, Cecily then added, "Still, this is so beautiful. Remind me to thank Sikara."

"Thank god," Arthas replied, kissing Cecily just below the ear softly. "Thank god you like it. Took me ages to choose."

Turning to the side slightly Cecily kissed Arthas. "I think you made an excellent choice, I love it...and you," she added, resting her head against his chest.

The pair stood there for a long minute gazing at the view.

Arthas broke the silence, and the hold and said, "Quark said there was a picnic down here somewhere. Come on."

He smiled and the pair linked arms to find the picnic basket.

***Arthas Hex's Quarters***

Back in Arthas' quarters, Arthas smiled at Cecily who still had her nose against his.

"That picnic was lovely wasn't it?" Arthas said.

"It was. So do you have any plans today?" she asked, pulling away.

Arthas removed the towel from his back and stood up. "No. I was going to pick up some food out the replicator but it wasn't at the top of my exciting list. Why, you got anything to offer?"

He winked at her as he walked over to his wardrobe and grabbed a t-shirt to put on. He wasn't the type of Trill to walk around half naked in front of another person no matter how comfortable he felt in the presence of that person.

"I was wondering if you would be interested in spending some time again with me today. I have a two hour slot open on the Holodeck, I was thinking maybe you would want to come with me and go skiing."

"Skiing? Sure, I'd love to," Arthas said, barely knowing what skiing was. He walked back in wearing the t-shirt. "That's a cold sport isn't it?"

"Yes it's a cold sport, silly," she remarked, chuckling. "Naturally you have to dress warm for it for protection from the elements. It's worth the fun though."

"Right, so I'd better get rid of the shorts and t-shirt?" He laughed. "Give me five minutes, grab a drink or something."

Nodding Cecily walked over to the porthole looking out at the vast sea of endless stars flying past them through space. It was a common sight to most serving in Starfleet, but it was a sight Cecily had grown to enjoy.

A few minutes later Arthas walked out of his bedroom with a long black heavy coat that fell to his knees and some brown trousers along with white exercising shoes.

"Did I get it right?" Arthas asked.

"Hmm...close, do you have any snow boots? They'd probably be better to wear than shoes..." she asked, holding back a giggle.

"There isn't a lot of snow on Pilot, or in San Francisco." Arthas laughed. "Ask the replicator for something good for me will you?"

"You'd be lost without me if you ever got stranded on a planet close to Andoria." She laughed. Walking over to the replicator she asked for a pair of snow boots in Arthas' stored shoe size. In moments a pair of black boots materialized. Grabbing the pair she walked over to Arthas and handed them to him. "Here, put these on."

Arthas leaned in and took the shoes and pecked Cecily on the nose. "Lost without you."

Putting the boots on he looked himself up and down. "I wonder if I could look more conspicuous walking around the ship with this on?"

"I don't know. How many security officers do you know that wear skiing gear regularly?" she asked, teasing.

---

"On Impulse, Part Two"
By Ensign Cecily Torsten - Yeoman
Lt. JG Arthas Hex - Deputy Chief of Security

Location: USS Sulu, Holodeck 3/Crew Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15, 00h15

***

Arthas and Cecily stood in front of Holodeck 3 both wearing heavy clothes and boots.

"So are you ready to ski?" she asked, looking over to Arthas as she punched in the commands for the Holodeck's program.

"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," Arthas replied anxiously. He was hoping not to make a fool of himself, but felt that he probably would.

Reassuringly Cecily patted Arthas on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do fine, how about the rest of the gang?" she asked, referring to Hex and its hosts.

Walking into the holodeck, Arthas felt how cold it was.

He replied, "Cold." As he felt that it probably wasn't kind repeating what Gredala was saying to him, she didn't particularly like sports, let alone 'extreme' sports.

Breathing in the air deeply, Cecily exhaled as she beamed. "Ah, love the smell of that fresh mountain air...trust me you'll learn to love this weather...or not..." Moving over to Arthas she wrapped her arms around his. "Come on, once we start skiing we'll get nice and warmed up, I promise."

Arthas doubted that he would feel all warm when rushing down this mountain but offered a faux-smile and a nod.

The two reached what appeared to be a small meeting area a little further up the mountain; in essence it looked likea small log cabin; leaning up against the outside walls were different kinds of skiing equipment ranging from poles to the skis themselves.

Rushing up to grab a pair of skis and poles Cecily gestured behind her. "Pick any pair of poles and skis that you like, Arthas." Grabbing her ski gear Cecily moved to sit down on a bench and she began to strap her feet into the skis as she waited for Arthas.

Following Cecily's lead he grabbed the various equipment and put them on. Attempting to walk with the skis and failing, sliding backwards a little. Eventually he figured out how to move forward a little bit and hobbled forward next to the laughing Cecily.

"Go on, laugh." Arthas smiled, his face feeling very cold. "Maybe I'll be better in motion?"

Standing next to Arthas, Cecily took her poles into her hands. "Hold the poles in your hands like I'm doing, straighten your skis so they're pointing in the direction you want to go. To move stick the sharp end of the pole into the snow with your right hand first then do likewise with your other pole. Use the poles to pull yourself forward on your skis."

Cecily did as she had just demonstrated before stopping and gesturing for Arthas to try. "Remember to steer with your body's movements and not just the poles. Come on, just do what I did. I know you can," she added, giving him an encouraging smile.

Arthas nodded, trying to smile back. This was the second time in a week he had attempted a new extreme sport. It had worked the first time.

Cecily started off down the slope, and Arthas shook his head at what he was about to do. Forcing himself to push himself forward he set off down the slope after her.

She was right, it felt great, he was going so fast that he should have frozen in the minus temperatures. But adrenaline flowed through his veins and he barely felt the cold. He blinked into the distance and realised that he was off course, Cecily had angled left. He attempted to steer left using his pole...

It happened very fast, the pole that he had stuck in the ground unbalanced him, sending his right-hand side into the snow-covered ground. The Trill rolled over and from there gravity took effect. He rolled all the way down the hill until he came to an uneasy stop at the end minus two poles, one ski, his hat, and one glove.

"Arthas!" Cecily guided herself on her skis down to where he had fallen in the snow and slowed to a halt. Dropping her poles to the ground she hopped out of her skis and rushed over to the fallen Trill's side. "Arthas? Are you okay?" she asked, helping him sit up.

Arthas allowed himself to be pulled up and opened his frozen eyes, mouth open, laughing hysterically.

Cecily bit her lip. "You scared me suddenly falling like that! I was worried, are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, worry evident in her voice. Gently, Cecily pushed Arthas' hair away from his face as she looked at him before resting her forehead against his.

Arthas stopped laughing, and pushed Cecily's head backwards a little. She looked at him in surprise, and Arthas took in every detail of her slightly flushed face. Her pale blond hair was slightly messed up from the skiing, her bright blue eyes stared back into his own questioningly. Her skin felt warm and soft in his hand that held her lightly.

An overwhelming instinct arose in Arthas, as Cecily opened her mouth to speak he pushed himself forwards, onto her, pushing his lips onto hers.

Cecily felt her back make contact with the ground as the two of them fell towards the ground. The kiss deepened as she wrapped her arms around Arthas, hungrily returning his kiss.

The long, hungry, heart-felt kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity between the two of them. And when their lips finally parted, the world returned to the Trill. He looked down at Cecily who looked as taken by the moment as himself

"Arthas..." Cecily breathed, heart still pounding. "Let's leave here..."

Arthas nodded. "Sure, let's, uh...let's, go."

The Trill stood up, wishing he had the authority to site-to-site transport them to his quarters. He threw/took the remaining ski off his foot, he wrapped an arm around Cecily, and the pair of them walked out of the Holodeck, forgetting to close down the program.

***Corridor***

Nodding at the occasional person walking past them, whenever they were alone on the corridor the pair would stare at each other, willing the walk to Arthas' quarters to speed past.

Arriving at the Turbolift, which was inhabited by two enlisted crewmen, both men that Arthas recognised vaguely from their security bio. Cursing them for sharing the Turbolift with Cecily and himself he somehow said clearly their destination although his mind still swam with the memory of Cecily in the snow and the warm feel of her hip which he now held.

***Arthas Hex's Quarters***

The pair finally arrived at Arthas' quarters. The Trill quickly opened the door and led Cecily into his quarters. Before the door closed, Arthas held her in another passionate embrace.

Cecily trailed hot kisses down Arthas' spotted neck as she unzipped his winter coat, letting it fall off his shoulders as he kissed her neck more urgently.

He looked into her eyes and they shared a smile before locking lips once again. Arthas removed Cecily's own coat as she began to remove his shirt, softly trailing kisses up his torso before catching his lips in another fiery urgent kiss. Arthas' shirt discarded onto the floor, forgotten.

Arriving at the bedroom, Arthas removed Cecily's own shirt and pushed her gently down onto the bed. He got onto the bed, on top of Cecily. He kissed her longingly as she explored his back with her hands. He began trailing kisses down her neck and torso, eliciting moans of pleasure from her.

Finally he brought his head back up to hers and they kissed again.

The pair parted once again, another short moment where they simply stared into each other's faces. Arthas taking in every sight and smell of Cecily, and Cecily still stroking his back with her hands.

Cecily rolled over so that she was on top of the Trill and said impishly, "Let's find out how far these spots go!"

---

"Candlelight & Passion"
Lt. Commander Benedict TKal
Commander Lyrr Tayla

Location: Lyrr's Quarters, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57908.15, 00h15

***

Lyrr sighed and thanked Lieutenant Sam as he relieved her. Matt had already retired to his Ready Room to review the day's reports, and with Sam attending to the bridge, she was free to go. And she did, onto the turbolift where she was barely able to keep her eyes from closing.

She chuckled to herself as Ben's eyes appeared in the darkness that fell over her vision; she'd experienced the most restful nights of sleep in his arms, and was growing accustomed to sharing a bed with him. There was a trust developed over those few nights, where she could safely place herself in such a vulnerable position and know T'Kal would not take advantage.

Lyrr sighed, content, and rested her head back against the wall of the lift. Only seconds later, it halted and a chirp sounded to alert the arrival of her destination. Lyrr used the wall to push herself off into the corridor, for there was little vigor left in her to move forward on her own strength. A red-haired officer nodded to her as Lyrr passed, and she returned the gesture, while attempting to stifle a yawn. As the girl moved off, it escaped.

Her tired legs seemed slow in taking her to the doors of her quarters, and punching in her security code was proving an even greater challenge; it was two tries before the doors parted, but Lyrr didn't step through. Instead, she paused and frowned inquisitively.

The quarters were semi-dark, but lit from one end to the other by small candles. On the viewport rim, shelves, table, floor, candles of many colors lit the room. The delicate scent of incense wafted to her as she peered into the room to find Benedict T'Kal kneeling before a thin mat on the floor. His eyes were on her as she stepped into the room. He wore a simple loin-cloth of Bajoran design; his bare skin gleamed as if oiled and his hair was pulled back into his customary ponytail. His smile was welcoming and he gave her a small bow, hands in his lap. As he bent forward the fearsome face of the golden tiger tattoo reared over his back. His right shoulder showed a paw with spread claws digging into the bronzed skin. His violet eyes were almost luminous in the candle-light.

"I wanted to surprise you," he smiled. "You'll have to undress." Beside him was a small collection of bowls and thick towels. "For your massage, my lady...."

Soft music played, a lone guitar strumming and sounding notes in gentle harmonies and melodies meant to soothe. It added to the romance of the atmosphere, just music to relax by.

Lyrr smiled in disbelief and was at a loss for words as her legs carried her over the threshold. The doors closed, sealing both in the room; the privacy, the romantic setting, the hardly clothed T'Kal - it was a recipe for trouble, but Lyrr remained drawn to him. She stopped before the mat, still smiling down at him as he gazed up at her with his vibrant, incandescent eyes. Slowly, she lowered herself onto her knees, opposite to T'Kal. "What's the occasion?" she asked, motioning to the set-up. She reached for her jacket's zipper without trepidation and began pulling it down.

"It's late," he said with a smile. "You've worked two shifts...and I thought that you would appreciate this." He looked into her dark eyes as she disrobed, neither of them uncomfortable now with the sight of each other. "I've been thinking about you all evening, and I just wanted to do this for you."

Lyrr cocked a skeptical eyebrow, paused before pushing down her pants, then grinned and did so. "You've done something that's going to anger me, haven't you?" she teased, and reached behind her to unclasp her bra. The motion shifted her breasts, the livid scars dispersed over them glinting in the candlelight. She was no longer ashamed of Ben seeing them. "What'd you do anyway?" she continued.

He laughed. "I spent the evening in the crew lounge playing my guitar, and thinking about you - singing Bajoran love songs to a lady sitting on the Bridge who couldn't hear me." He shrugged. "Nothing that you would get angry about," he grinned. "Though I did spend some time talking to Ensign Lektar. She's an interesting woman."

"Really?" Lyrr nodded slowly, warily, and hobbled on her knees onto the mat. She smiled silkily as she halted before him, with barely a hair's breadth of distance separating them. "So, is this an apology for doing something you shouldn't be doing with another woman?" she whispered jokingly, and brought one hand forward to smooth over his chest.

He gazed into her eyes and smiled. "No," he said softly. "She's a beautiful woman, I'll admit that, but I love you Lyrr Tayla, and I'm not about to do anything to upset that. I have nothing to apologize for," he whispered as he kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was thinking about you all evening, and I want to show you how much I love you." He kissed her again, feeling her fingers trace the contours of his chest. "Now lay down on your belly... before I really do something I'm going to have to apologise for." His smile was seductive, but his gaze never faltered and his eyes told her that he loved her more than any words could.

She sighed and nodded with playful reluctance. After lowering herself onto her stomach, Lyrr lay her head upon her folded arms with her face towards him. "I don't doubt you, Benedict," she told him softly, and reinforced the assurance with a tender smile. "Just your sanity for loving a woman who is probably the most difficult person in the universe to get close to."

As his hands ran down the centre of her back, spreading the warmed and scented oil, he said, "Oh...I don't think you're that difficult to get close to." His hands were skilled, knowledgeable with the muscles and sinews of her body. Applying just the right amount of pressure to relax her and bring out the soreness of her tired body. "Though I must admit to being crazy...about you." He chuckled softly as he set to work. He moved slowly around her body, applying warm oil and massaging tired muscles. He remained silent, just concentrating upon making her relax.

As much as her deeply ingrained defense mechanisms willed her to tense, T'Kal's masterful technique made it impossible to do anything but melt under his touch. She felt her eyelids growing heavy again and closing, but not with weariness now; instead, she was filled with a sense of utter tranquility. Lyrr heard herself distinctly moan. "Where'd you learn this?" she murmured.

"The technique is called Shiatsu," he whispered softly. His voice was a gentle rhythm that complimented the work of his hands. He was sitting beside her, massaging her arm, working the oil into her hand and applying pressure to the nerve points that triggered the endorphins of the body. She would feel more relaxed soon. Sleepy. "My father taught it to me. It's a very ancient Japanese art. This is something only for you," he whispered. He moved to the other side of her, quietly so that it would not disturb her spirit and began working her other arm and hand. She groaned as he oiled her skin, making the contact between them smooth. Her muscles were firm, well toned and he admired her body as she lay before him. She was beautiful, not in the same way as Shirik, not statuesque, or perfect or captivating; instead she was imperfection made perfection by what she had endured. Her spirit was strong. He admired Lyrr, for who she was and what she was. He knew her - sadness and laughter; sorrow and joy; anger and gentleness. She was strong in some things and so vulnerable in others. She was a bundle of complex contradictions and he loved that about her.

They had spent every night together since that night. It had radically changed things between them. Their bond was stronger for having gone through that. He had almost broken their relationship - but at the very end he'd realized that he couldn't do it. It hadn't been a choice for Lyrr Tayla - it had been a choice for Benedict. It had been him that had broken. He hadn't been able to do it - and now he knew that he never would.

They were bonded together now, they fitted together, like a sword and its scabbard. He no longer felt alone, and he wanted to give that gift to her too. She had slept with him every night since - curled in his arms, she had slept with a smile on her lips. He wasn't used to it. He wasn't getting that much sleep, but it wouldn't be long before he would be comfortable. The truth was he loved it. He knew that she was deriving strength from him, and slowly she was healing and in that miracle came healing for him too. He'd finally done away with his past. He didn't want vengeance any more - he was more than satisfied in giving of himself. Tebrianne was dead. Nothing he ever did could bring her back. She was gone forever.

He moved to her legs, patiently working the limbs, attending to the task of the Shiatsu massage, until she was breathing deeply and totally relaxed, almost asleep. He came back to her neck and started to work the last of her tension away, running fingers through her dark hair that was so fine. The head massage continued for a few minutes and she moaned softly as the tingling pressure of his fingers worked magic.

"You're good," she muttered, her tongue feeling so heavy in her mouth. Her body, on the other hand, was weightless; only T'Kal's soothing touch brought awareness, accompanied by pulsating waves of tranquility that had her sighing and groaning softly. His hands had explored every inch of her flesh, became acquainted with every curve, every scar, and never before had she felt so secure. Her mind was so clear and any doubts or confusion she might have had regarding T'Kal were no longer existent. There was only certainty in what she wanted and felt, but verbalizing it was one step she couldn't bring herself to take yet, even if she could have lift her increasingly cumbrous tongue. Once there was complete acknowledgement of all she felt, there would be no barriers left between them. Was she prepared to become that close to another? How could she conceal anything after that? Did she want to?

Lyrr's eyelids pulled back languidly, and her hazy vision focused on T'Kal, whose face was bathed by flickering orange light from the candles. It imbued him with a wild, fiery air that sparked a passion in Lyrr she thought she would only ever feel for Sean. It was stronger with Ben, and surpassed anything she had ever experienced in her tumultuous life. She smiled lazily as her fingertips brushed against his bare thigh; its warmth and tangibility planted her firmly in reality again. Her feelings for T'Kal, uncovered in her moments of serenity-induced physical detachment and mental clarity, remained and were reinforced.

Lyrr chuckled deeply to herself and struggled on rubbery arms to roll onto her back, thwarting further efforts by T'Kal to knead her flesh. "Ben," she breathed, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. Her hand covered his own resting upon his thigh, while the other smoothed across her abdomen in an innately sensual motion. The darkness of the room, and the scant light provided by the many candles added to the sensation of isolation, as if they were the only two existing in the universe. It was liberating, and Lyrr was seized by the impetuousness it lent her. She smiled and slid her hand up his arm, then back down again where she transferred it to the waist of T'Kal's loincloth. "Your turn," she whispered, and pulled loose one tail of the wrap tucked into the top edge.

"This is for you not for me..." he whispered as he detached her fingers. He smiled down at her. "No," he said as he bent and kissed her lightly. Their bodies contacted, smooth with oil and warmth. He continued his massage. Strong fingers moving over her flesh and making her sigh.

"I hate being catered to," Lyrr protested feebly, again closing her eyes. "It...it makes my tongue loose."

"Yeah I can see all that pent up hate already." He grinned as he ran his hands down the length of her long legs. "Now lie still and relax. Just let it completely relax you, and you'll wake up totally refreshed in the morning." He smiled.

"But I already do," she murmured. Cracking one eye open, Lyrr looked up at T'Kal. "It's because of you. The dreams don't come when I'm in your arms. Oresh...he's intimidated by you, I think."

The name sent a spike of hatred through him. He just smiled. "It's the reputation," he said softly. "Dreams are just a way for your past to affect your future." He ran his hands across her chest, up to her shoulders, looking down into her dark eyes. "Soon there will be no room for him." He bent, leaning on one hand as his face came down to meet hers. "There will only be room for me..." he whispered as he kissed her tender lips. He continued the kiss, a soft caress of his lips against hers, loving and tender. He broke off as he lay beside her, bodies pressed together. "Soon, my love," he murmured, "you will forget all about him. He cannot touch you anymore. I won't let him." He kissed her again, his arms encircling her.

One oiled leg came up around his waist as Lyrr drew them closer together. Her breasts flattened against his chest, and all but blotted out the scarred remnants of Oresh's mistreatment. "You'll have to stay forever," she said, quickly kissing him again, then pulling her lips away to finish, "I hope that's not a problem." His answer was silenced when her mouth covered his once more, while her hands reached behind him to free his hair from its tie.

He drew her over him, the kiss becoming impassioned as his hair loosed in her fingers and his arms curled around her, corded muscle sliding across oiled and supple flesh. His palms pressed in to the curve of her back as he surrendered to her.

They were surrounded by a sea of candles, the low music for the lone guitar continued as a counterpoint to Benedict's racing heart beat. She drew back from him slightly, his violet gaze was intense as he caressed her face with one hand. He smiled in the semi-darkness. "Are you asking me to share quarters?" he whispered, "or are you asking for more than that?" His voice was low, trembling slightly with emotion, searching her eyes for what she wanted.

Lyrr pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, if only to keep them from chattering with the sudden jitters afflicting her. She flattened her hands against his chest, and there she felt his heart pounding, mirroring her own. Everything had been so clear, and now her mind raced at a near-painful intensity. What did she want? "I...I want you to stay tonight," she whispered back, rocking gently atop him with indecision. "Are we even ready for anything else?" Lyrr sighed and kissed him again hastily.

"You asked me to stay forever," he smiled as he broke the kiss again, holding her steady, not wanting the moment to get lost. "I've stayed every night for a week," he reminded her. "Another night isn't forever." He stroked her fine dark hair, his eyes never leaving hers. "Tayla...I don't have a problem with staying the night...or staying forever. I love you." His thumb brushed her lips as he smiled.

She sighed breathlessly and eagerly took his thumb into her mouth, savouring the bitter taste of oil made warm by his flesh. The urge to devour him was overpowering - she wanted to feed from the love and passion he exuded, assimilate his never waning strength into herself and forever be without fear. Lyrr whimpered softly and nestled her cheek into his palm, needing his touch as he needed reassurance from her. The cloth he wore around his waist grew loose as she unconsciously swayed against him with growing restlessness. "Ben," she whispered unsteadily, "I...I think I do too.... I'm feeling so many things, but I just don't know what they are." Gazing down at him, eyes wide with arousal and confusion, Lyrr said, "I want you to stay tonight...and tomorrow night...and however long forever is for us. Then...who knows from there. All I do know is that...you can't leave tonight. You can't."

He chuckled softly. "I'm not going anywhere, love," he murmured against her lips. "Not tonight, not any night...." He rolled her so that he was looking down at her now, and stroked the side of her face. "As long as you want me here...as long as you want me in your life...not even The Prophets can separate us." He kissed her then, deeply and with passion.

Lyrr was surprised she was able to return the gesture in the face of T'Kal's declaration. The will of the Prophets was always paramount to any mortal desire, even in matters of the heart, which they, too, had the power to dictate; to defy them was an act of sacrilege and disrespect, and Ben was willing to commit both for them. It stunned her. He was a spiritual man deeply devoted to Bajor's customs and religion, but he would go against it all for their love. Lyrr's kiss grew fervent and her hands kneaded his back desperately, attempting to pull him fully into her. "Take me to bed," she whispered quickly, before pressing her lips to his again.

---

"Welcome Aboard"
By: C1C Ken Smith - Security
Crewman Will Pierce [NPC]
Crewman Yulik [NPC]

Location: Mess Hall, Ships Corridors
Stardate 57908.15 03h50

***

Crewman 1st Class Ken Smith entered the mess hall with a mission. He had been trolling the corridors of the Sulu for the past four hours on rover patrol. All he wanted now was to get a cup of coffee and to sit for fifteen minutes. The past few weeks had gone by in such a hurry that Ken had yet to write his parents a letter. He made a mental note to do so once he got off duty. Duty, he chuckled to himself and the near empty mess hall. This was not what he expected when he gave his John Hancock over a year ago. If they would have told him that he would spend his days doing Rover patrol in the middle of the of the ship's day he would have told them to find the nearest airlock. He had been told and expected and as he thought about it been guaranteed a spot on a ship headed to the occupation zone. But instead he had been sent to an exploration vessel after his original assignment had met with an unfortunate end.

Ken watched the two other occupants of the mess hall; two C2Cs were also taking a break from their work centers. One looked like he was from Engineering and the other was Crewman Yulik from medical. Ken decided to go and introduce himself, after all he hadn't had the chance yet to make any friends. He took his coffee over to their table and asked if he could join them.

"Have a seat, I don't think I have met you yet, my name is Will, and this is Katcha," Crewman Pierce said as he stood and offered his hand. Ken shook it before he sat down. "What brings you to the mess hall this late?"

"I have the honor of Gamma shift rover duty," Ken said with a grin as he took another sip of coffee.

"I don't think you have been on board long enough to have gotten in any trouble, so why did you start you out on Gamma?" Crewman Yulik asked before taking a bite of her lunch.

"I guess they were not expecting me onboard. Well I can't feel to bad about that, I wasn't supposed to be on board in the first place."

"Really, how so?" Will took another spoon full of his stew.

"I was supposed to go to the Tetsuo but she was lost before I graduated C school. I was stuck on the moon with rover patrols for three months until I got orders here. The day after I got the orders I left for DS9, the ship got delayed and I barely made it aboard. I pretty much transported on with my belongings right before you all went through the wormhole. Once aboard I kept hearing the same thing over and over again; I didn't know we were going to be taking on any more crewman. But once Lt. Commander T'Kal found out I had experience as a rover on the moon he sent me to Gamma shift. Sometimes it sucks having your quals done."

"Yeah when I came onboard I told Chief I had been through the shuttle maintenance school and, zap, that was that: Gamma for life as they say. It's the only time when I can really get working on the shuttles without too much interference."

"I did your check-in, I remember you now."

"It was nice meting you. I haven't had the chance to meet many other crewmembers working Gamma, but I need to get back to my rounds."

"Hey it was nice meeting you also. If you want to meet more people maybe, make some friends, a bunch of us junior enlisted and junior NCOs get together every Tuesday and visit a recreation of Zero-G on Holodeck 1. I don't know if you had a chance to visit it when you were in training but we like to kick things off around 2100 if you wanted to come," Will said before Ken left.

"I may have to check it out." Ken entered the corridor outside of the mess hall with a renewed bounce in his step as he patrolled. The ship was quiet as could be, save for the hum of electronics. He passed by the mess hall again around zero-six hundred, hoping to run into Will and Katcha again. But alas they were not having their final break as he was. The rest of his patrol went by pretty quick and he stopped by the security office to check his schedule and to be relieved. His only intention was to sack out since he was beat.

---

"Waking Up On The Right Side Of The Ship"
by Ensign Cristobel Sefton
and Corran Quezith

Location: USS Sulu, Quezith's Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15, 04h27

***

Coming from the slightly darkened corridor into Corran's completely darkened quarters, Cristobel Sefton was clad in a medical uniform that was conspicuously missing the black and grey jacket. He was dressed for decency more than duty, but then neither felt particularly important when the doors closed behind him. Once he was considerably less clothed, Cris silently slinked towards the bed, trying to sexily slip in unnoticed. But then he stubbed his toe on the bedframe and tumbled on top of slumbering Corran.

The result was a howling from the sleeping telepath, but when he felt the familiar connection with his beloved boyfriend, he chuckled and just hugged him tight, then got up slowly, still embracing him. Good morning!

"Shhh," Cristobel teasingly chided. He brushed his lips against one of Corran's ears to breathe out, "Pretend that I've been sleeping here all night...and that your brain chemistry wouldn't have twisted with my mind, if we'd done so. I feel like waking up with you. I miss it."

Corran said nothing, having no objections to doing that at all. He just wrapped an arm around Cristobel, and held him close. He missed this too, and sleeping with his mind connected to a crystal that helped him from going insane for now certainly didn't replace Cris. He smiled gently, and drifted into a half-asleep state.

Cristobel stretched an arm across Corran's chest to gently press his fingertips against Corran's shoulder. Cris meticulously ran his fingertips down the length of Corran's arm -- sensually reacquainting himself with the texture of Corran's smooth skin on his bicep and sinewy forearm. Are you still sure you want to join the Medical Department? I'm starting to think my mother was trying to scare off you and other Sickbay volunteers with that camping trip, Cristobel softly thought at Corran.

I need to be useful, Cris... I need to know I can do something for these people other than be a gardener. I don't want to be feared for what I am anymore, and I want to take part in these upcoming missions any way I can. It was a difficult admission for Corran. He hadn't feared this much from reprisals for being a telepath until he'd come back to the ship this time. He could even feel a mild sense of fear from Matt sometimes. Matt struggled with it; he was a genuine explorer, but it made Corran constantly think about severing the link they'd made. So far only Cristobel didn't have issues with it, and that was mostly because of their relationship and the fact that he too was a telepath.

He wondered if this was what colored people on Earth had gone through. Maybe he would search the archives for available material on the diverse eras and types of hate towards a people for their physique, their beliefs, or whatever else there might be.

Do you think your mom'll ever let me practice medicine, though?

Yes. As long as you're qualified to do the job, then yes, Cristobel assured him as he had done several times before.

Corran sighed softly, the escaping breath brushing over Cristobel's skin gently. I've studied almost everything I was given before I left... Federation medicine is overwhelming.

You're still ahead of me and I'm allowed to work in Sickbay, Cris chided Corran for the needless self-pity, poking a knee against Corran's thigh. I'm barely keeping atop my readings for the correspondence courses I'm taking. And without those, I wouldn't even qualify to attend Starfleet Medical school. You could probably teach at Starfleet Medical; you have nothing to worry about.

There's an idea... Earth! he joked.

I can hardly imagine spending years more on Earth. It always takes me weeks to acclimatise to living planetside, and that's just physically and subconsciously, Cris pouted.

I know, it's just that I loved Earth...at least, most of the things I saw anyway. It's as they say: there's no place like home. Every world has its own peculiarities. He started thinking about the sight-seeing he'd done when he'd been on Earth. He'd gone over practically every continent, visited the oldest archaeological ruins, and done so much more...he started to slip into those memories.

Cristobel stretched his legs out and rolled onto his back to find more comfort, without letting go of Corran's nearest arm, as Corran earlymorningdaydreamed. Sefton frowned slightly, unable to get comfortable since Corran was on Cris' side of the bed, and then whimpered when he hit his shoulder against a sharp corner. Cris picked up a book, Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning", which had been placed half on the bedside table and half on the bed where Cristobel had just put his shoulder. You're reading a book? Cris asked Corran. A book? Why? They're heavy, and they smell, and you can't hide reading them during a slow shift, and turning pages is entirely inconvenient, and they always give me paper cuts. I mean, what's so wrong with reading off of a Personal Access Display Device? Riding his tangent, Cris briefly wondered where he had left his own bronze PADD.

Hmm? Corran turned his head to look down at Cristobel's head, regardless of the fact that he still couldn't see too well. He chuckled about the book, and answered him, When you come from a world where books are relics of a past long gone, it's nice to find a culture that still uses them. It leaves a lot more to the imagination than telepathic crystals containing full visual records... and this author gives me the chills. Novels were a study of emotion normally, and in the case of Viktor Frankl, a story about how low a human can fall and then how it can survive through the worst, was fascinating - granted, next time he'd choose something lighter.

I'm going to find something funny for you to read. Not right now, of course. Now should be for sleeping. But there's a series of books written by a retired Andorian Starfleet medical officer you might like. His narrative style amuses; he writes fiction roughly based on his life on various ships and planets, and maybe he was Benzite, Cristobel rambled, snuggling more tightly against Corran.

Reminds me of those Earth jokes about three religious leaders... Corran was now diving into those memories, while at the same time poking at Cris' mind to get more information on the story, much like someone that read a synopsis to a holoflic.

After some time of light dozing silence, Cristobel's mind burbled, Soft ice sunshade. He was definitely Bolian.

Maybe we should make it a habit to read together. It was an idea.

Medical texts, were Cristobel's only coherent thoughts to explain that nearly all of his reading time was now dominated by furthering his education.

Corran frowned curiously as he shifted around in bed so that he could face Cristobel. Is it always so arduous in Federation medical fields? The concept of learning by reading a padd had been practically unknown to Corran. He'd developed his learning techniques for written materials during his time in space...but what was helping him with Federation medicine was his knowledge as a physician back home...

Only when you're a nurse studying to be a doctor, Cris responded. Corran's concern sparking him to put more effort into thinking coherent thoughts, Cris continued, You know how every other night, I can't have dinner with you? That's because I'm in holosuite two. And I won't know what to do in there, unless I read about it on a PADD.

He shook his head slowly, understanding full well what he was going through. I know, and it's fine with me. I just wish telepathic interface technology were more developed in the Federation...it'd spare us a lot of time... I think? He really wasn't sure about that one. Did other telepathic races learn more easily through telepathy? He knew he did, but did Cris?

If I were on Betazed, of course I'd be learning telepathically, but Starfleet is wary of the practice. My mother is the only person on the ship who could teach me, but she has little interest in being a full-time professor, Cris explained, fleeing from his pillow to rest his head on Corran's shoulder.

Why's that? He wrapped his arms around Cristobel as he'd done before, and kissed his forehead.

I think she gets absolute fulfillment by being a doctor, and that doesn't leave much time for teaching, Cris supposed.

Hmmm... Corran didn't reply exactly. Stray thoughts coursed his mind on the matter, but soon died down into him glancing over at a clock on his night-table. He didn't want to get up at all. Civilian life did have some advantages. Think you'll have time to have breakfast with me?

Of that, I am certain, Cristobel assented with a telepathic smile.... Unless I don't fall asleep soon enough to be well-rested when I awake tomor -- later this morning.

Oy, you're a confusing man, Cristobel Sefton...even for a telepath. He chuckled at hearing Cristobel's not so orderly mention of his falling asleep and being well-rested, though he was probably still groggy himself... his hands reached down Cris' sides, and then onto his back as he rested his cheek against Cris' forehead, I wonder how long it'll take to be able to live together again.

I wonder why you always ask me questions that you are better suited to answer than me, Cris deadpanned with a bit of a pouty lilt to his mental tone. Seriously. If I don't get more sleep, I'll crash halfway through my shift, which means the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I wake up, and the sooner I'm able to wake you up the way I used to when we lived together...

Okay. Corran smiled softly, and decided to get back to the dream world with Cris. It'd be a long day, after all...

---

"Another Morning After"
By: Commander Lyrr Tayla
Lt. Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Lyrr's quarters, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 06h00

***

Lyrr's eyes were already open by the time the computer's automated wake-up call initiated. "Computer," she whispered, "end." The repetitive chimes ceased and Lyrr sighed. This was a moment not to be disturbed in any way.

The bed sheets were neatly drawn up over her, ones she shared with the bronzed, solid form curled up against her. He was asleep. For the first morning since they began waking up together, Ben wasn't fully awake, watching her sleep. Now, it was her turn to study him, his placid features and gently curving lips softening the sharp angles of his face. Raven-blue hair lay across her chest as his head remained nestled against her bosom, while strong arms so delicately encircled her slender waist. She laughed softly to herself at the glistening stream of drying spittle leaking from the corner of T'Kal's mouth, and following the trail laid out by the pale scar running on a bias beneath her left breast. He was comfortable finally, and to fall asleep in her arms was to make himself vulnerable, the greatest display of trust he could give her. Every night together seemed to bring them closer, no matter how volatile the situation, no matter how many tears were shed or laughs shared. All of it contributed to the tenuous trust they now held for one another.

Lyrr sighed and craned her neck forward to kiss the top of his head. If duty wasn't an issue, she would let him sleep forever. But, as had been the crux of their many arguments, doubts, and fears, duty came first. Grudgingly, she raked her fingers through his hair, and chuckled as she playfully tousled it. He stirred. "Come on, get up," she urged him softly. "Another cold shower awaits you."

Benedict stretched while still holding her. His arms tightened and pulled her against him as he smiled, his eyes still closed. "Not yet, love...." he said sleepily against her breast. He kissed her skin and ran his hand under the sheets, feeling the warmth of her body against him. "Still early," he murmured. There was a dream on the edge of his awareness that fled as his mind awoke. "Too tired...." There was nothing like waking in the arms of someone you loved, and of all the feelings in the world, the first moments awake with Tayla were the best. He liked to cuddle into her in the mornings. It was just one of those small things that lasted the entire day. He was getting used to it.

"Tired?" She chuckled and shifted beneath him. He seemed to cling tighter, under the impression that she was slipping out of bed. She remained where she was, no more eager than he was to depart. "Lieutenant Commander T'Kal," she chided, "you've had more than enough sleep. So, get up." Lyrr swatted his bare backside. "Up!" she ordered with a laugh.

He chuckled as she swiped him. "Is that an order, Commander?" He pulled her on top of him and kissed her, morning breath included. His hands ran over her back and stopped just short of her delicious rump. "You know I'm getting used to this," he said softly. "Last night...you said...that I could stay." He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek and smiled at the nest of hair that stuck up at odd angles on one side of her head. "I want you to seriously think about that." He gazed in to her eyes, feeling her soft warmth all the way down his body. "Sharing quarters I mean."

Lyrr smiled uncertainly. "So soon? You don't think it's...it's too much too fast?"

He chuckled. "Oh...so you didn't mean it?" His expression turned to one of hurt.

She sighed and ardently kissed his lips as both hands cradled his face. "I meant it," she told him firmly, her eyes staring levelly into his. "I meant what I said. When you're here with me, I feel so safe and secure.... I like that feeling, and I don't want to be without it. If...if sharing quarters is what it will take to have that...." Lyrr chuckled nervously. "Prophets...am I about to invite you to live in my quarters with me?"

"Well...you could give up your extra space and come live in mine. I don't know," he said seriously. "I just want you to think about it. I don't want to rush into anything," he grinned. "It is a little fast. I know how I feel, but you still have to come to terms with how you feel." He absently rubbed her back. "If you want to spend some time alone to think it through, that's alright by me." His eyes searched hers. "Maybe we should slow down. " He said the words but they didn't feel right. He didn't want to leave. He didn't feel the need to slow anything down, but he didn't want to do something that she'd regret either.

"I don't know," she murmured, resting both hands upon his chest and studying his golden flesh between her splayed fingers. Her brow was wrinkled pensively. "I thought we were going slow," she whispered. "We haven't even...you know. A-And I don't need time alone...." Her eyes rose to find his again, and when they did, she smiled serenely. "I don't need time alone. You're going to be here anyway, right? So...why not just move some things in? That sounds most efficient." Lyrr grinned slowly. "Right?"

He laughed softly and his chest heaved against her. "You sound like Sam...most efficient." He reached around her and held her tighter. "Okay it's settled. I'll move some things in." He grinned, feeling a comfortable happiness. "Everything comes in time," he whispered as he leaned up to kiss her. For a time they were lost in each other's kiss, and Benedict rolled her off him, laughing, but still holding her. "I'll make you dinner tonight," he said as she lay partially beneath him. "Something special, and I have something to give you." He grinned. "A surprise...so don't bother asking." He kissed her again, lightly. "You know you said you'd do anything to make it up to me?" His question was punctuated by light kisses to her lips.

Lyrr narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, though she was grinning under his kisses. "I seem to recall saying that.... Are you going to make me regret it, then?"

"Absolutely." He kissed her softly. "Just reminding you that you said that...for later...." He chuckled and ran his fingers down her side, brushing the skin so lightly that it was intensely ticklish. He watched her eyes as he continued to stroke her skin right in the most ticklish spot he could find.

Lyrr wriggled and twitched while she bit down on her bottom lip to stifle a shriek of laughter. She swatted his hands away, but they resumed their playful assault immediately. Lyrr squirmed to evade them, then squawked as a particularly sensitive spot was focused on. Her efforts to break free intensified and her laughter rose. The bed trembled under her thrashing and kicking, while the air filled with her peals of screeching laughs. "Ben!" She twisted and writhed in a hopeless attempt to elude him, but decided fighting back was the only avenue of escape. Slender fingers attacked Ben's sides, tickling the solid flesh there relentlessly. "Surrender!" she hollered breathlessly. "Please!"

Her fingers found his only true weakness. His laughter echoed her own as he tried valiantly to keep up his attacks, but failed miserably. T'Kal was ticklish. Intensely ticklish. He collapsed in a fit of laughter that threatened to choke him as he squirmed. He fell out of bed, dragging Lyrr with him as they tumbled in a heap, sheets tangling limbs and helpless with laughter.

They ended up so tangled that neither could continue an assault, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her exuberantly, the mirth still etched on his handsome face. "I love you," he said breathlessly.

"Then you're crazy," she replied fondly, and kissed him again before he could so foolishly profess his love for her once more. It would have to wait until she herself was certain. After taking them both to the brink of delirium with the potency of her kiss, Lyrr broke away with a deep breath and sat upright atop Ben. "You're not asking for another cold shower like last night, are you, Mr. T'Kal?" She smiled mischievously as both hands worked down over his torso. "Hm?"

"I've said it before and I'll say it again...you're an evil woman, Lyrr Tayla!" He laughed and grabbed her hands. "Time for duty, Commander." He sat up and lifted her with him, carrying her to the refresher. "This should dampen your enthusiasm..." he grinned wolfishly.

Lyrr groaned and let her head fall limply back in utter defeat. "Not again...." As with last night, Lyrr ineffectually fidgeted in T'Kal's arms to squeeze out of them before they could reach the shower...the cold one. "Is it too late to surrender?" she asked.

"No." He laughed as he stepped into the cubical and closed the doors on them both. The water was warm this time and he laughed. "Control yourself," he admonished her before taking up the soap and kissing her again. His hands began soaping her body.

"I am controlled," she grinned and scooped up some of the lather from her abdomen to begin coating T'Kal's chest. "It just seems that when I'm with you, I get a little...juvenile." Lyrr laughed softly and nipped at T'Kal's chin to prove her point. "And it's all your fault," she added.

"Well I like it," he said as he kissed her, then turned her around to soap her back. His strong hands moved over her skin with sure purpose. She groaned aloud as he worked the soap into a lather and spread it across her shoulders and sides, then upward across her chest. He grinned as she sighed, and leaned against him, allowing him to caress her.

He soaped her hair, and then allowed her to do the same for him. She was entirely comfortable with him now, and he found it an even harder struggle to remain steadfast to his own promise. It would come in time, he knew, and this period of almost sexual awakening had to be at her pace. He was enjoying it and frustrated by it at the same time; Prophets how it was frustrating! To be so physically close to someone you loved without being able to express it the way a man and woman should. The teasing was important though. She needed it. To be coaxed and gentled into a state that allowed her to respond without the 'old' stimulus of pleasure and pain, punishment and reward. It was something T'Kal kept forefront in his mind. He was dealing with an old ghost that had purposely trained her body's responses until they were unnatural. He had to retrain her.

As he rinsed his hair he turned to her again and kissed her. The water coursed down their connected bodies, tingling with heat. He ran his fingers through her wet hair and pulled her against his body, feeling her respond to his touch and his kiss with renewed ardour. He nuzzled into her neck, the hot water coursing in pulses against them both from the multi-directional nozzles. "Now you can hold that thought all day..." he crooned into her ear. She was trembling again and he held her against him, turning her for another kiss. As she leaned back against the shower wall he pulled away and stepped out, leaving her standing there in a daze.

"Hey..." She sighed breathlessly and watched the raining water with perplexity before her mind snapped back into focus. "Benedict T'Kal," she protested, still propping her back against the wall for support, "now who's evil!?" With a grumble, she poked her head through the opening and spied his fully naked, dripping rear before he wrapped a towel around it. Lyrr emitted a woeful squeak and plaintively rested her forehead against the frame. Her eyes were fixed to the tiger sprawled over his back, its muscles seeming to contract and shift as T'Kal's did; it provided an illusory effect, and the longer she stared, the more it seemed the tiger would leap out at her. There was the knowledge, however, that T'Kal would willingly shield her from it with his own body, just as he would do anything to protect her. Lyrr smiled. "I want to see you for lunch," she called out softly. "I'm becoming too attached, but that can't be helped, now."

He stepped back to her with a grin and as she leaned out of the shower he leaned in to kiss her. It was long enough to rekindle what he'd stepped away from. As he finally drew back he said, "If I'm not caught up, I'll see you in the mess hall, love." He stepped away, smiling, and went to get dressed.

Lyrr sulked and whimpered miserably as she watched him depart without providing release. Her body tingled and her chest heaved with aroused breaths; she could only curse at him for initiating it, and doing nothing to quench her desires. Dragging herself back into the shower and pressing her back to the wall with arms hugging the surface from behind, she muttered, "Computer...cold."

---

"Pow-wow"
Master Chief Petty Officer Kora Tawno; Ship's Purser, Chief of the Boat
Chief Petty Officer Kasim Youssenian; Operations Crewchief, Transporter
Systems
Chief Petty Officer Sorien Case; Security Crewchief, Weapons Specialist
Chief Petty Officer Brayden Jance; Security Crewchief, Brig
Chief Petty Officer Xu Ling; Security Crewchief, Brig
Chief Petty Officer Patrick Riley, Engineering Crewchief, Transporter Systems

Location: USS Sulu, Briefing Room
Stardate: 57908.15 06h30

***

"Big Kora" Tawno filled her coffee mug, drained it in several great swallows, and refilled it for sipping. Seating herself at the conference table, she looked at the assembly.

"Alright, let's get this thing started, gentlemen," she said, her voice gravelly and unpleasant. It was not the sort of voice anyone would want to listen to for an extended period of time.

Patty was getting ready to stuff his corncob pipe with Pickers Blend #47 when the Master Chief besmirched every senior NCO present. Pointing the pipe at Kora, he pointedly disputed her declaration, "Master Chief, who are you calling a gentleman? Thas a good way to start a fight in 'ere." His face held a mild challenge as though he'd really been insulted.

Youssenian grunted a single laugh and lit a brown-wrapped cigarette. "Why do you provoke the man, Kora?"

Chief Case lifted his eye from a PADD and smirked a little at Riley's light brogue and Youssenian's clipped accent. The dreadful state of the Armory had kept him locked away with the junior enlisted since he'd come aboard and it was a comfort to be among his peers again.

Chief Jance nudged Ling and indicated Case with a conspirator's smile. "Looks like you're amusing Commander T'Kal's new pet, Patty," Jance said, too loud and good-natured to be serious. He looked back to Chief Ling. "Don'tcha wish you and me rated an interesting assignment, Xu?

Ling was nodding, his almond shaped eyes narrowing slightly. "The brig is the ass-end of Security work," he agreed. "Jance and me haven't seen any action since Ensign Collins got back to using her own sonic shower." They sniggered together. "It must be nice to have the run of the Commander's Armory."

"You mean my Armory, don't you?" Case asked, a small smile appearing. He recognized this for what it was: He was the ship's newest Chief Petty Officer and some potshots were in order. Had this been centuries past and a seagoing vessel, it would have likely been a full-fledged hazing.

Riley finished stuffing his pipe, chuckling lightly as the other chiefs ribbed the newbie, Case. However, the name rang a bell from some distant posting and Patty asked Sorien, "You say your name is Case...same one who survived Wolf 359 aboard the Rosie?"

Case's good eye went darker. "I was there," he said simply. People who were usually didn't say much else. In fact, the table went quiet at that.

Youssenian silently exhaled smoke through his nose, his clove cigarette scenting the room.

"I thought so. Good ship, the Rosie..." Patty let the thought trail off as he quietly secured his tobacco pouch. Lifting his coffee mug to his lips, Chief Riley took a long drink of the bitter brown beverage. He brought the tankard down and looked at Case's somber, scarred face. The transporter team chief decided to let the subject drop as he put the old stainless steel container back down on the table with a low thud.

The silence was broken as Crewman Skorikos rolled in a cart of pastries. "Courtesy of our new chef," she said, setting up napkins and trays.

Chief Riley frowned as the pastries were brought out. "Whose bright idea was it to replace our donuts with these blasted things?" He scowled at the fancy red and gold puffed delights that Skorikos had set on their table.

The Engineering Chief fixed the Greek woman with his gaze, "I suppose you're gonna try and replace our black coffee with something fancy too...like a latte?"

The Greek woman tried to smile pleasantly, but she quickly finished her task and excused herself rather than prolong the impatient stares. Clearly, she was wise beyond her years.

"Alright, boys," Tawno gruffed, taking a pastry. And another. And a third for good measure. "Enough rambling. Let's get down to business. Chief Case, since Jance and Ling have been too busy watching Collins' rump, what's your take on Security?"

Case exhaled long and loud. "Well, the crew has a few discipline problems from what I gather but I'm not on that side of things. The Armory is a shambles but most are for the first couple years after a ship gets commissioned." He let his gaze drift down to Jance's slight belly and back up to the Chief's face, as he shoved one of the pastries into his mouth. "Some of the security officers and enlisted could use a regimented exercise program...and as long as I'm on that transport, I'll mention that I'm a little concerned about Lieutenant Hex's health."

Chewing, Jance looked down at the front of his uniform and wondered what Case was looking at as Ling asked, "What bothers you about Hex? The man's a stable leader and good officer...as officers go."

"He is maintaining an unhealthy body weight," Case put it on the table. "A Trill his height should be at least seventy kilos or more. Lieutenant Hex has to be under sixty-five."

"He's underweight?" Tawno was mildly incredulous, and gestured with her Danish. "Do we need to start force-feeding him?"

"Maybe somebody does," Case said, not joking. "I had two Trill enlisted under me on our Advanced Response Team during the Dominion War. One joined and one not. Ketius took a fatal hit and our Doc stuck the slug inside Ternan who never had any host training. Three weeks later, he was dying of starvation. As I understand it, it's hard to make the nutritional adjustments for the symbiont." Case looked at his fellow Chiefs. "Anyone know any specifics about Hex's joining? How long it's been and was he properly trained as a host?"

Riley shook his head 'no' and placed his pipe between chapped lips. The chief promptly lit it as the others discussed the ACSO. He puffed it several times until his favorite pipe was smoking happily with a premium tobacco blend he'd purchased on DS9 just before they shipped out.

The sweet aroma of cherries wafted around the already smoky room adding to the tart clove wisps circulating above their table. It made the air smell like a Szechwan hot sweet and sour sauce that someone had accidentally burned.

"His file says it was an emergency transfer, like your Ternan," Tawno said. "I don't recall mention of formal training. I'll look again, and talk to medical."

Case nodded. "Do some checking but don't go to medical just yet, Master Chief. If it turns out he didn't get host training, I'd rather take it to Hex myself before involving the Docs."

"Fair enough," Tawno gruffed, as agreeably as she seemed able. "Engineering? What's the word in the depths?" she looked from Riley to Youssenian and back. Youssenian stubbed out the butt of his cigarette and waited for Riley to take the lead.

Patty took a long drag on his pipe. Kora could tell by his expression that what the engineer was about to say wasn't going to be too pleasant. "Two words: too fast." He pulled the pipe out of his mouth and blew a large smoke ring towards the ceiling.

"It's not Lieutenant Thaine's fault we didn't get all the systems up to a hundred percent before we went through the wormhole...not enough time to fix everything. He's a good man, but that damn android in Ops held up all our parts requests for some stupid regulation concerning replicator usage during our stay at DS9." He pointed his pipe at Chief Youssenian, "And don't give me any guff about it, Kas. What the Hell is going on in Ops, anyway?"

Youssenian frowned around his next cigarette and snapped his lighter closed. "What do you mean?"

"You bloody damn well know what I mean...Ensign Farrell is the only officer in your whole department that seems to be able to get these things taken care of and he's getting disciplined for defending his honor." Riley put the pipe back in his mouth hard, and bit down on it. "Damn bloke was lucky he wasn't messin' with my girlfriend...I'd...."

"The closest you've come to the fairer sex is your week's liberty on the J'naii homeworld," Jance pointed out to Riley. "Ensign Farrell seems like he can get some things done but if he keeps doing them his way, he'll be spending some time down in my domain. And I won't enjoy his stay as much as Niesha's and Collins'."

Riley smirked at the barb and settled into smoking his pipe while the others discussed the mischievous 'Ensign Mason Farrell'.

"Farrell's good," Youssenian nodded calmly and pulled the discussion back on track. "Sam's good too, when it comes down to it. It's just a question of knowledge versus wisdom. He knows plenty, but he's dumb as a brick. Sanchez could do good work, too, but he relies on Crewman Rett to get most things managed."

"I like Farrell," Case said, shrugging as if the opinion didn't matter. "A lot of ensigns...especially ensigns with a little time under their belt, don't always understand their place in the scheme of things...they try to throw their weight around and explain things to people who've been doing their duty since they were playing with toy starships. Farrell's not like that."

"The way I understand it, people have been throwing their weight around on him for half his career now," Tawno said. "I respect that he doesn't dish it on down."

Youssenian nodded and took a long drag.

"I don't much care if an ensign wants to take a crewman aside for a dress down," Xu said, continuing the conversation in the broader sense. "They're young and they get plenty of grief from the LTs...they've got to shove it off on someone...but I'm with Case when it comes to them giving the likes of us the what for."

Dipping his head in support, Patty leaned back and listened.

Jance was nodding. "Ensign Storm tried to lay into me in front of a few junior NCOs about Collins giving me and Kur'Oh the slip down on Risa. Nothing worse for discipline than to see a Chief getting the business from a solo pip...and I don't particularly care if your grandfather was a hero to the Federation, may the lad rest in peace."

Nods around the table showed support for Jance, and support for his wishing of peaceful rest to Storm.

"Kasim?" Tawno asked, clearing her throat. "Subsystems?"

"Smooth," Youssenian muttered. "That new Ensign Lektar's been a decent addition, minding the computer and freeing others of us up to stay on top of the rest. She's a princess in every sense, but she keeps mostly to herself. Except for when she's giving T'Kal some business of her own."

Case perked at that imperceptibly. "Commander T'Kal is having a relationship with one of the junior officers?" His tone was flat and even.

"Maybe," Youssenian spoke unhappily through the cloud of acrid smoke he was generating. He looked vaguely mephistophelean, dark-skinned and dark-mooded in the wispy haze. "The rumors run the gamut."

Tawno grunted with displeasure. "T'Kal and Lektar, T'Kal and Lyrr, Lyrr and Farrell, Lyrr and Lektar, Lyrr and Lektar and T'Kal, the Captain and Tagliesh, Tagliesh and Zareb, the Captain and Lyrr. And the list goes on. Nobody knows who's screwing who, but everyone figures they're all screwing somebody," she said, the distaste on her face making her even uglier.

Both of Riley's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. Almost dropping the pipe as he tried to pull it out of his mouth and talk at the same time, he took a second to verify the pipe was in his hand...then asked incredulously, "You've got be pulling my leg! The whole senior staff is in bed with each other?!"

"That's the rumor," Youssenian said dryly. "Engineering's further out of the loop than I thought."

Patty nodded while replying, "I guess so, they keep us in the lower decks all the time." He paused long enough to scratch his chin. "No wonder we've been going in circles...." the engineering chief muttered to himself.

Case had his eyes down on the table, absently touching his PADD as if the revelation was disturbing to him. "Who's Zareb?" he asked finally.

"More coffee, gentlemen?" Crewman Skorikos was back with a freshly brewed pot of 'Elixir for the Working Man'.

Holding out his tankard, Riley explained, "He's some engineering consultant...from a classified project at Utopia Planitia. Got's everyone in an uproar over something in the shuttle bay."

He brought the mug back after she filled it to the brim, "Thanks." The chief took the smoldering pipe out of his mouth and took a drink. Restoring the pipe and setting his tankard down, he continued, "Makes Thaine see red every time 'is name is mentioned in Engineering."

Jance was getting his own cup filled. "Now, Thaine...there's a man who surely missed his calling. Surly, unshaven...the man should have a patch on his collar, not pips."

"We could make him an honorary Chief," Xu said, not particularly meaning it. He waved a hand in front of his eyes. "At least he doesn't smoke."

Youssenian was snapping shut his lighter for the third time, and gave Xu a flat look. "Blow," he said, half-smirking.

The engineering chief just ignored Ling's comment, but did send a puff of smoke in his general direction for the heck of it. "Yep, Thaine's enlisted material alright...I sorta like 'im. Must be the only senior officer on board not sleeping with 'nother."

"Has Medical looked into it?" Case asked, sounding completely serious. "This type of compulsive behavior at the detriment of the ship could be a contagion of some sort. Maybe it only affects the wet-behind-the-ears."

Riley shrugged. He had no medical skills beyond basic First Aid and did not know if such a thing was possible. The Chief's specialty was transporter systems' maintenance, although he had about 28 years of general engineering experience aboard star ships.

Patty sat back and puffed his pipe waiting to see if anyone else could answer Sorien's concern.

Case looked to each of them. "I take it there are no chief medtechs on board?" It was half-statement and half-question.

Jance was shaking his head as he chewed another pastry. "Next to no enlisted in blue," Jance said, his mouth full. He gestured around the table. "You know the score, Case. Most of us wear the gold collar."

"A few crewmen in medical, PO Moreau as the lone enlisted in science, and that oddball Summers transferring to counseling," Tawno said, selecting another pastry.

Case fell silent. You certainly couldn't accuse the Sulu of having a top heavy enlisted contingent but to shirk on enlisted in the science and medical departments was unbelievable. And what the hell was a crewman doing transferring to counseling?

Riley stifled an urge to comment on the Master Chief's affinity for the fancy red and gold creations of Sikara, the new chef. He liked plain old glazed donuts, and little of anything else in that realm of food suited his relatively simple tastes. At least someone likes 'hem things, he thought as the meeting started to wind down seemingly in tune with the faltering smoke from his pipe.

It was time to go to work and get things in gear.

---

"Tonight, Tomorrow, Forever"
by Lieutenant jg Tchalla Mel'Chir
and Ensign Kelzira Rax

Location: Deck 4, Mess Hall, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 07h30

***

The mess hall wasn't exactly crowded as Tchalla Mel'Chir and Kelzira Rax ate their breakfast together. Most people, including the two of them, usually had breakfast in their quarters, making use of the replicator for a quick meal. Kelzira and Tchalla had managed to pull themselves out of bed, through the shower, and out into the rest of the ship before Tchi's duty shift was even set to begin.

And, so they sat together, at a table, eating a meal before Tchalla rushed off for the science labs, and Kelli to Deck Two to work on the Ship's Theatre.

Kelzira glanced at Tchalla over the plate of spiced shish'ti and grinned. "You definitely like that skirt, don't you."

Tchi looked down at her skirt and almost blushed. "It's nice," she said. "And, it's comfortable. And, yes."

Kelli grinned and slipped her hand into Tchalla's under the table. "It's alright," she said. Her smile brightened. "I like it too."

Tchalla did blush that time, her face turning a deeper shade of blue. "I know," she whispered.

They were quiet for a long time, eating and watching each other, with Tchalla giggling and looking away from time to time. Their relationship was an unorthodox one, and they both knew that there were some who couldn't understand how or why, especially with Kelzira's brief but somewhat memorable tour through a good number of the junior officer beds on the ship. They'd found something in each other, and it was obvious by looking at them. Whenever Tchalla gazed at Kelli, there was a dreamy quality to the look. But, even with as jaded as her lustful past may have made her, or the several lifetimes of experience she had within her, Kelzira Rax had the same look when she looked at Tchi. It was almost as if she'd managed to recapture some of the innocence she'd stepped onto the ship with.

"We should talk to Lt. Tagliesh," said Tchalla, finally breaking the silence.

Kelzira took a breath and nodded. "We know what she'll say though," she said. "She doesn't like me. She hates me."

"But, she likes me, and if I'm there too. And, it's not like we'd be working directly together, especially if you switch shifts with Dalan or Ulag. You're a great scientist, Kelzira, and you should be on alpha shift."

"She still hates me," Kelzira answered stubbornly.

Tchalla smiled and gave Kelli's hand a squeeze. "But, I love you."

Nothing could have kept the smile from Kelzira Rax' face. "I know you do, but that doesn't change how Lt. Tagliesh hates me."

"We'll talk to her together, Kelli. She's the captain's girlfriend. She has to understand. And...and I don't know. We have to talk to her though. After today's shift, I'll go talk to her. If I can get an idea of what she thinks, then we'll have an idea if we can go to her. It's no secret that you're my girlfriend, especially after the party. I still can't believe you kissed me right in front of everyone!"

Kelzira laughed. "You're the one who kissed me right in front of Davies!"

Dark blue swept over Tchalla's cheeks again. She grinned. "I was naughty, wasn't I?"

"Very. Oh, alright. But, we talk to her together. No sounding out or anything. We just go to her and find out if she's alright with me switching to Alpha shift. We'll do it after your shift today."

Tchi grinned. "Deal," she said. "Oh it'll be so great. No more strange shifts keeping us apart."

"Kit will be the only one left on the strange shift then," Kelli said. "If it weren't for Amy and Kit's problems recently, I would have made the suggestion that we could swap. I take Kit and you take Amy. Though, they might have taken it too seriously."

Tchi thought about it for a moment. "I think it would have depended on how you presented it, but I believe you may be correct. The additional temptation may not be worth the joke. Though, Amy is extremely cute."

Kelli shook her head and laughed. "You are such a little slut, Mel'Chir," she said. "Besides, I like having you all to myself."

"Me too," Tchalla answered with a bright smile. "And, I am only your slut, Rax." She kept her gaze firm, but blushed more brightly than Kelli had ever seen before.

Kelzira laughed as she watched her blue lover, amazed and awed by the young woman who had completely stolen her heart. Two weeks ago, she couldn't have even imagined Tchalla using the word slut, yet there she was. Tchalla was different now than when she had suddenly found herself infatuated with the young blue-skinned, antennaed young woman, but they were all beautiful, wonderful changes that made her love Tchi even more. She was bolder now, but it was offset by her shyness. Each time Tchalla would let fly with some lascivious comment, the accompanying blush that suffused her cheeks and curled her antenna made Kelzira's heart sing.

Kelli watched the way one of her lover's antennae drooped, and gave Tchi a sly smile. She was surprised at how well she'd been managing to pick up on the silent language of Tchalla's antennae. It wasn't a language, exactly, but definitely an indication of emotions and mood. "Not now, you silly girl," she said. "You have to go to work. But there's always tonight."

"Tonight," Tchi said with a grin as she forced her antennae flat against her skull. "You're too good at that, you know." She grinned and leaned across the table. "It makes me happy."

"Me too," Kelli said. "Now, we'd better go before you're late."

Grabbing their dishes to deposit in the recycler, they headed for the exit. As she was cycling her dishes into oblivion, Tchalla squeaked. "Hey!" she rasped. "Watch your hands."

"I'm not really interested in watching my hands," Kelzira said with a wicked grin.

"I have to go to work," Tchalla said with a giggle as she turned back to face Kelli. "Though, there's always tonight."

"Tonight," Kelli echoed.

And, so they left the mess hall to begin their respective days, pausing before the turbolift for a lingering kiss that held all the promises of tonight.

---

"Manning the Nightingale, Part 5"
by Lieutenant Commander Jabari Zareb - Engineering Consultant
Lieutenant Commander Benedict T'Kal - Security Chief
Lieutenant (jg) Taylor Bennett - Security Officer
and Chief Petty Officer Sorien Case - Weapons Specialist

Location: USS Sulu, Security Office
Stardate: 57908.15, 07h34

***

Benedict stepped out of the turbolift into Security Operations and nodded to the two security officers who stood post. Both men smiled and said their "Good mornings." He walked into the centre with a grin on his face. The world was good and it was another day. He heard the sound of laughter and as he made his way to his office he saw Sorien Case and Zareb sharing a joke. He walked up to the two men and nodded. "Morning," he said to Zareb, "Case." He nodded a greeting.

Zareb was still laughing heartily with his deep, rolling baritone. "Ah, Commander. Good morning to you. And congratulations," he added, touching his own collar. With T'Kal's promotion, the two men were now the same rank.

"Morning, sir," Case said to T'Kal, smothering a chuckle of his own. He took a sip of coffee to cover.

"Gentlemen," Benedict grinned at Zareb. "Thanks," he replied. He looked at Case's coffee mug and added, "That's what I need." He looked at the engineer. "What can I help you with, Commander?"

"I am waiting for Lieutenant Bennett," Zareb said, still wearing a rare smile. "You seemed so interested in the Nightingale project, I thought you might appreciate sitting in on her interview." Zareb indicated Case and the grin grew slightly larger. "In the meantime, Chief Case was sharing a few stories about Mars with me. We were both there this past year doing our respective duties."

Case was shaking his head and smiling. "You were doing your duty, Commander. I was standing out in front of the recruitment office trying to convince anybody who happened by that enlisted Starfleet was the only way to go." Case rolled his one good eye. "They all want to be officers these days...I couldn't give a patch away in New Eden."

"I can imagine those fresh faced youngsters looking into your eyes and believing, Chief," Benedict grinned as he patted the man on the shoulder. "I believe...I really do...where do I sign up?"

Case smiled and gestured with his coffee mug at both of the officers. "A word to the wise, sirs...just in case your careers ever lead you to Starfleet Command." He used his coffee mug again to gesture to his ruined eye. "You don't put a face like this on a recruiting poster. People like their eyes, I find, and don't fancy losing them." He took another sip and grimaced. "Waste of my talents. That's what Mars was to me."

"But good for a few stories, Chief Case," Zareb pointed out, still chuckling. "And those are always appreciated when one is far from home."

Taylor Bennett was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. It was the tired of someone who'd just finished a full duty cycle and was stepping away after an uneventful night on the bridge. She stepped into the security office, partly to sign out and head off to her quarters (though more likely she'd practice some more with the drums in the holodeck) and partly for the meeting Commander T'Kal had told her about.

When she stepped through the doors, she saw they were already waiting for her. She gave them all a smile and a nod. "Commanders," she said to T'Kal and Zareb, and to Case: "Chief. One of the ventral phaser emitters was operating at over capacity, and I logged it for engineering, or I would have been here ten minutes ago. I apologize if I've kept you waiting long."

Zareb smiled and looked furtively at T'Kal, who beamed like a proud father. Jabari offered Taylor his hand. "You are still early, Mister Bennett," he offered, her small hand disappearing into his own. "Never apologize for doing your duty."

Taylor grinned. "Not apologizing for doing my duty, sir, just if you've been waiting long for me. But, thank you. And, thankfully, things are still quiet, tactically speaking."

"We shall see if we can change that for you, Mister Bennett," Zareb mentioned, stepping aside and motioning to Benedict's office. Both Bennett and T'Kal started inside. "Congratulations on your promotion as well, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir," Taylor said with a smile. "It's definitely a change, but I think I'm adapting to the new additions to my schedule."

Case started for the office as well. "Actually, I wouldn't mind sitting in on this myself, Commander," he said to Zareb. "I'm quite interested to get a look at the weapons systems aboard your ship and I'm sure you could use someone with my expertise."

"An interesting proposition and I'll consider it," Zareb stated, his smile fading a little. He was standing alone in the doorway of T'Kal's office as Benedict and Bennett had already disappeared inside. "But I'm afraid it's quite impossible for you to join us at the moment."

Case spread his hands, one still holding his coffee cup. "My security clearance is among the highest on the ship, Commander." He began to take another step towards the office. "Certainly, you can't think there's any danger of --"

"I don't, Chief," Zareb said with a sense of finality. "Nonetheless, I could not permit you to sit in without first running my preliminary checks. I'll inform you of my decision." Zareb nodded politely and entered the office. The door slid shut behind him.

Case looked at it intently for a moment, his face a blank. Then he took a sip of coffee.

***

Benedict grabbed a 'jino from the replicator. He sipped thankfully on the strong Klingon brew as he sat in the swivel chair behind his desk. "Now...what is it we're deciding today?" he asked Zareb.

Zareb settled into one of the seats on the other side of T'Kal's desk as Bennett did the same. "I'm deciding on Lieutenant Bennett's suitability for the Nightingale tactical position." Zareb looked at Taylor briefly, then back to T'Kal. "I know she came with your highest recommendation, Commander, but she was a mere Ensign when you gave that recommendation. To be perfectly frank, her new rank does present a twist I had not considered."

"What does rank have to do with it, Commander? Lieutenant Bennett was promoted for the same reasons I recommended her to you in the first place. As far as I'm concerned she can choose her assignment - whether it's with you on the Nightingale or as Gamma shift super - she can get command experience anytime, it's up to her." He turned and looked at Taylor and gave her a smile.

Zareb had started a smile of his own mid-way through T'Kal's answer. The Bajoran had so little faith in Zareb's goodwill, it was almost comical. "But on the Nightingale she would be the ship's Second Officer," Jabari said simply. He looked to Bennett. "As part of your promotion, your security clearance was upgraded. The job is yours, if you want it." He glanced quickly at T'Kal then looked back to Bennett. "As the Commander said, it's up to you."

Taylor said nothing at all for a long time, just looking between Commander T'Kal and Commander Zareb. There were benefits to either choice, though it was obvious that the chance to work on the Nightingale would be...the more beneficial choice. Finally she grinned and nodded. "Thank you, sir," she said. "I will gladly accept the position and hope that I can make both of you proud."

Benedict laughed softly, "You already do that, Lieutenant," he said as he gave her a nod of acceptance. "Then it's done." He turned to look at Zareb, "I'll get the padd-work organized later today, just let me know when she's required. In the meantime, I'll get someone else assigned as Gamma Shift Supervisor."

"Or," Zareb began, already wondering if he could expect another T'Kal overreaction to simple facts. "Mister Bennett could accept that position as well. She won't be needed aboard the Nightingale until the testing phase begins, which could be some weeks, if not actual months." He looked to Taylor and allowed a smile. "Though I would welcome your input when I begin the weapons systems diagnostics, Mister Bennett. That is, if you wouldn't mind spending your free time after your shift ends down in the shuttlebay."

Benedict gave Zareb a quick frown. He'd expected some faster movement on the project than that - several months would be well into their mission in the Gamma Quadrant. He held up a hand before Taylor could answer the question and said, "My people work hard enough, Commander, without having to give their free time to official projects as well. I realize this is your baby and you probably like to spend as much time as possible in the shuttle bay, but my security officers need their free time. It's stressful enough. The Lieutenant can be assigned to your team during her normal shift - which is Gamma anyway, which you indicated was the testing time you were considering. I'll make sure there's an acting Supervisor that she can call when you need her. That way she still has her free time. Is that acceptable?"

"It was not an order, Commander, only a suggestion." Zareb looked at T'Kal evenly and steepled his hands under his chin before looking back to Taylor. "However, it is a suggestion I would recommend you consider carefully, Mister Bennett . As Commander T'Kal noted, this is an official project and a certain amount of commitment to it should be evident, especially from a potential Second Officer." He smiled wryly. "Again, it would be your choice."

Taylor grinned. "I'll put in whatever time is required of me," she said. "And, again, I don't mind sacrificing some of my free time for either Sulu or Nightingale duty. I joined up with the Suluists, a band here aboard-ship, so I'll just need to make certain they know my schedule may be somewhat sporadic. But, I'm definitely willing to put in the time, sir."

"Then that's settled then," Benedict smiled. He looked to Zareb and nodded in friendly fashion, although he felt irked that Zareb would apply pressure to Bennett to put in extra time on his project over and above her duty periods. It was one thing to allow it to happen, it was another entirely for him to actively suggest that it was required. He let it go for the moment, but it was something he would have to discuss later when they were not in a position to be overheard. Bennett was a good officer and she'd applied herself to the Sulu and her career with total dedication. T'Kal expected her to put in more than one hundred percent, but he never asked for it - for those with initiative for command responsibilities it was something they just did. Taylor was one of those. She'd work hard for the senior engineer, and she'd perform her duties in an exemplary fashion - as she always did. Without pressure from anyone but herself. That was how it was supposed to be. Obviously Zareb felt differently.

Jabari stood, prompting the same action from Bennett. He offered a hand to her. "I look forward to serving with you, Lieutenant."

Taylor stood and shook Zareb's hand. "Thank you, sir," she said with a grin. "I look forward to serving with you as well. And, thank you very much for this opportunity."

"You're very welcome," Zareb said, releasing her small hand. "If you would be so kind as to give me a moment alone with Commander T'Kal, I can catch you up on the Nightingale specifications in a few minutes."

She smiled to both Zareb and T'Kal, and then nodded. "Certainly, sir," she said. "I'll just be outside checking in with engineering."

Jabari watched the Lieutenant on her way out until the door whisked shut behind her. "How well do you know Chief Case, Commander?" Zareb asked after a few heartbeats, still staring at the door.

"First time I've seen him since I was in the Academy," Benedict turned to look at Zareb. "He's a career non-comm and a damned good one. He's been in active service twenty years. Why do you want to know?" Benedict's eyes were unfathomable and he seemed relaxed. Zareb's question inferred a lack of trust.

"He's interested in the Nightingale, therefore I am interested in him." Zareb turned to T'Kal, more grim than the situation seemed to demand. "I was wondering more about your impressions of the man."

"He's Starfleet, Commander - end of story. If you have a problem with curiosity about your pet project, just remember where we are. Chief Case is curious in the same manner as everyone else on this ship who hears that there's a big security to-do in the shuttle bay. I think your paranoia is running away with you - leave the security to me, you just get on with your engineering consulting. Okay?"

Zareb actually smiled brightly at that and shook his head slightly as if riddled by mirth. "You don't like me very much, do you, Commander?"

"I don't know you enough to not like you, Zareb - but hell you sure are pushy." Benedict looked him square in the eyes. "You're a guest here, Commander - remember that. This is also a Starfleet ship - and it's full of Starfleet crew, you seem to show very little in the way of courtesy or trust. I particularly find your behaviour toward the Sulu's Chief Engineer to be distasteful. You may outrank him, but Prophets he deserves the respect due his position and the man deserved better than your rudeness in front of his captain. A little more politeness would go a long way."

"Would this be advice you'd consider giving one of your own, Commander?" Zareb asked evenly. "Or is it reserved only for guests aboard this vessel?" Zareb didn't wait for an answer but took a step closer to T'Kal's desk. "You are not privy to Mister Thaine's decision to earn my ire and I am not favorably inclined to give my respect to one who shows no want of it. I will not coddle Mister Thaine for Captain Salinger's sake or for yours, Commander...but your opinion is noted. Thank you."

Benedict grinned. "Hell I'm not asking you to coddle him - but don't expect the kind of bowing and scraping you're obviously used to. Thaine is a damned good officer and his first love is this ship and he works hard as any chief engineer I've seen. I'd appreciate it if you cut him some slack, Commander, don't show him up in front of Salinger. That's just not good manners. Our XO is a real taskmaster - she's been pushing him since we ran into trouble and got a little shot up. He's been putting the ship back together on a very short schedule. He's gruff - but he's damned good at his job. He deserves respect."

"I would remind you of your own words, Commander: You do not know me." Zareb stepped back again and half-turned towards the door. "I do not expect bowing and scraping from anyone, least of all Mister Thaine. I expect him to follow the orders he's given and forget about being in competition with me...we're not even in the same contest. Good day to you." He stepped through the swishing door.

Benedict watched him go through the glass wall of his office and grimaced. He didn't like Zareb one little bit. He was elitist to the core. "Son of a bitch..." he swore softly to himself.

---

"Standing Post"
By: Ensign Shirik Lektar - Operations
Crewman Sorg Jurell - Security

Location: Computer Core, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 08h00

***

Shirik made her way in the turbolift to the core. She had a lot of things to think about recently, and the quiet of her shift let her do her thinking while she worked. She stepped off the lift and headed for her station.

Sorg Jurell arrived at his new station early for the Alpha shift. He'd been on Gamma shift until a few days ago when the security department roster was shuffled. It was the first time he'd had to stand post, and he wasn't thrilled about having to do it in the most boring place in the ship - the Computer Core. He'd been on roving patrol through the decks in the quietest time of the ship's twenty-four hour day and he liked it. It was a great way to get to know the crew. Today he was stuck in the 'dungeon' and he surveyed the four walls of the 'crypt' with a critical eye. The Computer Core was a sparse room, computer stacks and consoles. Only a single operations officer stood post here.

Shirik made her way through the winding corridors, and the big doors to the core opened in front of her. She stepped through into her sanctuary...and someone was there. She frowned. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Sorg snapped to attention. "Security, sir," he replied. "Sorg Jurell, ma'am." He smiled at the dark skinned woman - an Ensign. "Commander T'Kal assigned me here to stand post."

Sorg managed to take in her looks without the need to move his eyes. She was beautiful - very exotic. Right then he discovered that the computer core would be a very pleasant place to stand a post. He gave a silent thanks to the Commander and to The Prophets.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why in the name of Tos does T'Kal think I need a guard here?" she growled. "Look around. Does this look like a hotbed of danger to you?" She stalked to her console and silently cursed that T'Kal was off the ship, so she couldn't call him and complain now. She'd do it later in person.

Sorg smiled. Hotbed. Good choice of word. "Commander T'Kal knows what he's doing, sir. The Sulu is now on alert and the computer core is a primary security location." He grinned. "This is my post sir, from now on. Commander T'Kal is just covering all the bases." He kept his voice even, polite and respectful as befitted a crewman to a junior officer.

Shirik turned around to face him once more, arms crossed in annoyance. "We'll see about that later," she said. "Stand over there, out of my way, and don't touch anything." She pointed. "And we'll get along fine."

The Bajoran security officer kept his smile at her obvious distaste of having him standing post with her. He imagined being in here alone all day would be a chore - she must enjoy the solitude.

He went to the spot that she had indicated and stood with his arms clasped behind his back as he appraised her from this new angle. Her figure was perfect. The Starfleet uniform molded to her body like a glove and he could only admire her form. Long legs and an ass to die for, he thought with a smirk.

"I wouldn't be pressing the Commander about his decisions, sir," he grinned. "No one does that."

She eyed him. "Well, I do." Satisfied that he followed her directions and shouldn't be any trouble, she turned her back to him to go to work. All she needed was some security guard standing around ogling her all day.

He laughed softly. "Well, sir, good luck." He shook his head. Some junior officers never learned. T'Kal wasn't the sort to tolerate any complaints about his orders. Sorg knew his reputation, but also his presence. He was the kind of officer that gave orders knowing that they would be followed. Jurell Sorg was Bajoran, and he'd had some experiences during his youth. He'd been a captive of the Cardassians for a year during his teens. He'd been freed by a Bajoran Resistance cell known as the Night Tigers. He'd seen the one they called Tikaru that night. It had scared even him - one who knew who Tikaru was. Even without the blackened face, Sorg recognized T'Kal.

"You'll need it," he added with a smile. Damn but she was pretty. He noticed the color of her eyes for the first time. They were the same as Commander T'Kal's and that was unusual. Violet eyes were unusual for a Bajoran, some of the very old families had the color in their bloodlines. It had added to Tikaru's legend. He was of the Artist Caste - the highest in regard for Bajoran society even now.

To her mind, T'Kal would need it. He just added one more reason for her to beat on him during their workout. She said nothing more as she went to work, starting diagnostics and performing core maintenance. She planned to not say anything more the rest of her shift.

He watched her for almost an hour without saying a word. She worked, and he knew that she was doing her job rather diligently. All he had to do all day long was watch this stunning girl at work. All day. All week. He wondered what he'd done to deserve such a great assignment. Maybe T'Kal was setting him up. He couldn't think of anything he'd done especially right - or wrong.

He was unfamiliar with her race. In fact he'd never seen her before and he wondered why. He used the mess hall enough. Perhaps she was one of those loners. There were a few on the Sulu. Stuck to themselves. She was alone all day - maybe solitary pursuits suited her.

"Permission to speak, sir?" he asked.

Back turned to him she rolled her eyes. Must he speak? "What is it?" she said, gaze on her console as she worked.

"I haven't seen you around," he observed. "Mess hall I mean...you're not Vulcan, I'm unfamiliar with your race, sir. I figure if we're going to be cooped up in here all day, every day together, I might get to know you a little...if that's alright."

"That's because I don't use the mess hall," she said. "And what makes you think I'm not Vulcan?" She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"I know Vulcans, sir. I wouldn't call you dispassionate," he grinned. "Why don't you come to the mess hall?" He was genuinely intrigued.

"If you've met any of the other Vulcans on this ship, you'd find few who are," she said, turning back to her work. "Actually, I plan to spend more time there in the future."

"Excellent," he grinned, "I mean - that's good, sir. So...what are you? If you're not Vulcan I mean."

Shirik turned to face him once more. "You are a security officer, are you not? I would have thought that before showing up for your new assignment you might have done your homework and looked up my personnel record."

"I didn't know who I was being assigned with," he smiled. "The Commander gave orders this morning before he left on the Away Mission. I didn't get time to check...but I will."

"The crew manifest and shift rotations are viewable," she said. If she'd been the crewman, she'd have certainly made sure she had that info before showing up in the core. She crossed her arms and regarded him. "You seem enthused about being posted here," she noted dryly.

"Yes, sir," he smiled at her. "It's not the hardest duty I've ever had to do."

Shirik raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?" she said, her tone expecting him to explain further.

He looked away for a moment and knew that his face would betray him. "Well, ma'am, pardon my saying so - but you're not the hardest thing I've ever had to look at all day...a lot prettier than most."

Shirik rolled her eyes again. Just as she suspected. Ben was going to get a beating. "Well, don't get any ideas. When you're here, you're working. And when you're not working, I'm not interested." She thought she might as well head him off before he got any ideas.

Sorg grinned and shrugged. That was life for an enlisted and an officer - a definite no-go zone. He could day dream though - and he knew he'd have to keep his mind occupied all day with something!

"Well, when T'Kal gets back I have one more thing to beat on him for." She smiled just a bit at that thought.

Sorg laughed at that. "Beat on him, sir?" he chuckled. "Commander T'Kal?" His expression was one of disbelief. "That'll be the day." He cast a look at her and wondered if T'Kal had something else in mind - he sure would!

"We're scheduled for a knife fighting exercise," she said, turning her back to him once more. He might notice the sheath on her belt in back, she thought. Then another thought occurred to her. "Do you know the Commander very well?"

"I know more about him than actually know him personally, sir," he nodded. "I'm Bajoran. Most Bajorans know of him, ma'am." There was a touch of pride in his voice.

"If you're intending to take him on with a knife, sir, in an exercise, I'd find something a little more effective than the thing you're hiding under your uniform there." He pointed to the bulge in her sash in the small of her back.

She turned back to him once more. "Pray to your Prophets that you never find out first hand how effective it can be," she said with a frown. She took a moment to let her anger at the insult fade, then focused on the other thing he said. "I wasn't aware T'Kal was well-known to his people... Why?"

Sorg let his smile drop instantly that she'd taken offense. The last thing he needed was for a junior ensign to be reporting him for an insult he hadn't meant. "Sorry, sir," he said. "I meant no disrespect. Commander T'Kal isn't well known as T'Kal, ma'am. He was known by another name. He was one of the most feared leaders of the Bajoran Resistance. He doesn't talk about it, and I wouldn't bring it up."

Now her curiosity was piqued. "You already did bring it up. I'd like to hear more. And I can assure you I won't let him know you did."

"I meant that I wouldn't bring it up with him, sir," Sorg smiled. "Before he was in Starfleet, the Commander was a Resistance Leader. The Cardassians still have a price on his head.

"He rescued many of our people from slave camps, and he hunted Cardassian officers that tortured them."

Her eyebrow went up once more. "Indeed? It seems not uncommon that any given Bajoran you meet was in the resistance. What's so special about what he did?"

"Many Bajorans were in the Resistance," Sorg stated seriously. "Tikaru was different. The Cardassians were afraid of him, with good reason. He personally hunted them down one by one - the officers and high ranked officials that engaged in torture of Bajorans. He freed hundreds. The stories about him are almost legend. He killed many...very many. Personally."

"I see..." she said, her expression turning thoughtful. He was Venta, the Avenger, to his people. "Tikaru? Is that a Bajoran word?"

He shook his head. "No, Japanese I think. He was known as The Golden Tiger. He has a tattoo - on his back of a tiger. That's an Earth animal - a cat - large hunter predator."

"Like a Gunthar..." she mused softly. For a moment she was lost in thought, then caught herself. She was on duty, and had work to do. It was not the time to be musing about Ben. She turned back to her console once more. "Well, you might be of some use to me at that. Perhaps I won't complain too loudly to T'Kal."

"Thank you, sir. I'd appreciate it." Sorg Jorell gave her a speculative look. "I didn't know you knew him personally, sir." Now everyone in security knew that Benedict T'Kal was involved with Lyrr Tayla. It had been quite a revelation. Lyrr wasn't known for her personality. She was a hard woman. Sorg knew how hard. She seemed to take out her ire on anyone, especially fellow Bajorans.

"What's a Gunthar, miss?" he asked. "You still haven't told me where you come from."

"We're...friends," she said, wondering what he might have seen in her expression during her momentary lapse. "It's a large predatory cat, similar to Earth's extinct Smilodon. We use them for hunting." She paused. Well, he would know as soon as he looked in her file anyway. "I'm the Fifth Princess of Drokar," she said, keeping the sigh from her voice.

"Wow, I mean that's impressive, sir. A real live princess," he grinned. "Does that mean you have five sisters as good looking as you?"

"Four," she said. "And while I'm on the Sulu, I'm not a Princess, so I expect not to hear it from your lips again."

"Yes, sir," he readily agreed, imagining a line of beauties just like her. "What's Drokar like?" he asked.

"It's a cool place, compared to Earth. With higher oxygen content in the atmosphere, and an orange sun." She tapped out commands on the console as one of her diagnostics completed and she analyzed the results.

"I'm from Bajor," he reminded her with a smile. "I like warm climates, I hate the cold."

"I know...but you did attend the Academy, didn't you? On Earth? If not, I apologize for my assumption."

"Yes I did," he smiled. He couldn't help glancing at her shapely figure; she filled out the Class Bs with an hour-glass shape that any woman would envy.

Pity she was an officer, he thought. Fraternizing with officers was frowned upon for an enlisted.

She moved down the console with the unconscious grace born of a lifetime of training as a princess, tapping controls. "That's why I used Earth as a comparison. I've never been to Bajor, myself."

"Then you've really missed something," he smiled. "It's beautiful. Next time we're back that way I'd be happy to show you some of it...actually I do have a couple of holodeck programs of Bajor."

"I'd like to visit the planet sometime... Perhaps when we come back through the wormhole in 6 months. By then I should be ready for some time on a planet."

"You're more than welcome to borrow my program for a look," Sorg replied.

She considered for a time. "Perhaps I'll take you up on that," she said.

"Sure," he grinned. "I'll bring them tomorrow."

He was already looking forward to spending another day with her. He owed the Commander a drink.

"All right." She paused. "Thank you." She continued her work and wondered why Ben had chosen this particular person to be her guard.

---

"In Parting"
By: Doctor Ilan Potts; Counselor
Ensign Mason Farrell; Operations Officer
and Crewman 2nd Class Leilani Pfeiffer; Lounge Staff

Location: USS Sulu, Doctor Potts' Quarters.
Stardate: 57908.15, 08h58

***

Leilani Pfeiffer was sitting up and staring blankly at the bottom of the bed. Her two feet peeked out from beneath sleek satin sheets and her face bore an expression similar to a person who had just been betrayed by a loved one. In this case, the betrayal had been by herself to herself and her stare was not only for her feet alone...at least part of it was directed towards the pair of feet next to hers.

Overly large. Hairy knuckled. And with long tapering toenails.

Doctor Potts sat up next to Crewman Pfeiffer in his bed, happily munching cheese crackers and reflecting on what he believed a job well done. He was glowing while Pfeiffer glowered in kind.

"Cracker?" he offered, pushing the silver tray in her direction.

Pfeiffer regarded the tray and Potts with equal amounts of disdain. "Ugh," she said, pushing the tray and his hands away.

"More for me," Potts declared, popping another in his mouth. Leilani pushed her nude body from the bed. She began looking around for her clothes. "You're leaving?" he asked, mildly surprised. He sprayed crumbs when he spoke.

Pfeiffer looked at him, her eyes almost smouldering. "Of course, I'm leaving! I'm not even sure how I ended up here!"

Potts smiled. That was easy enough to explain. "I was singing in the Lounge, we were alone --"

"Because your voice had cleared the place out!" Pfeiffer reminded him, picking her clothes off the floor.

"-- one thing led to another," Potts continued, munching crackers happily.

"Oh God," Pfeiffer said, truly looking ill. "Please stop."

Potts regarded Pfeiffer with a certain amount of fondness. "I did explain to you the curiousities of my particular biology," he said truthfully. "Twice in fact."

"Next time I'll listen," Leilani affirmed, disappearing inside the fresher with her uniform clutched to her chest. The door hissed shut.

"You've merely fallen for a Deltan, Honey Pot," Potts shouted a little to pierce the duranium. "Happens everyday."

"Not to me it doesn't!" came the metallic reply. "And I have not!"

The chime sounded, distracting Pott from further debate. He shoved the remaining crackers onto his mouth and, with a quick glance at the fresher, crawled out of bed and sheathed his potato-shaped body into a silk robe. Rather than verbally open the door with his full mouth, he shuffled over to it and hit the manual release. Standing in the corridor was Ensign Farrell, with a standard-issue gearcase.

"Mornin', Doctor. Do you have a minute?"

"Good morning, Mister Farrell," Potts said brightly, spraying crumbs and cinching the silk belt on his incredibly short black robe. As soon as the maneuver was complete, he offered the Ops officer a long fingered hand.

Farrell shook it. "May I come in?"

"Absolutely, Mister Farrell," Potts said, stepping aside and indicating the way. Farrell entered the quarters, brushing orange cheese-cracker dust off his hand while Potts' back was to him. He moved to the table and set the case on it.

"I just wanted to say thanks for declaring me anger-free, counselor," Farrell said amiably, working the latches on the case. "So I brought you a little token of my esteem."

Potts peeked into the case. It contained a rather oblong burgundy bottle. "A bottle!" Potts exclaimed, clasping his hands together happily. "Well, I have no idea what kind of liquid I'll store in it but I believe it's the thought that counts when it comes to your Earther gift giving traditions, no? Splendid. Simply splendid." He shook Farrell's hand again, pumping it crazily.

"Not a problem," Farrell replied, extracting his freshly dust-covered hand the earliest polite opportunity. "In fact, there's already something in the bottle. Cyndrielan Cerulesque."

"Cyndrielan Cerulesque," Potts said, drawing out the word with awe. "And what is that, exactly?"

"One of the best kept secrets, and most potent aphrodisiacs, of Betazed," Farrell said, leaning as close as he dared, and speaking with dramatic confidentiality.

"Marvelous!" Potts enthused, removing the bottle from the case gingerly. He narrowed a gaze at it which he soon turned to Farrell. "You're not feeling sexually attracted to me yourself, are you, Mister Farrell?"

Farrell looked around with great theatrical relish, as there was no one else in the room, and leaned very close. "No," he whispered with a smile. "Just saying thanks, counselor."

"Ah very good then," Potts said, seemingly relieved. He leaned close enough to Farrell that his bald head bumped the taller man's chin. "I have to ask...you never know when the ol' Deltan biology is going to override someone's personal taste and-slash-or sexual preference." He glanced at the door of the fresher knowingly. "If you ever feel that tingle, you will let me know, yes?"

"In a heartbeat," Farrell said flatly.

As if on cue, the door to the fresher whisked and Pfeiffer emerged fully-dressed. She looked down at her combadge as she adjusted it, walking towards the door. "Okay, Doctor, I'm going to let myself out. I'd appreciate it if you kept this little travesty just between us..." The 'us' trailed out slowly like a balloon leaking air. She had looked up and saw both the Doctor in his obscenely short silk robe standing with Mason Farrell. Ilan had a burgundy bottle in his hand.

"Of course, Turtledove," Potts said happily. He waved the bottle at her. "Care for a taste before you go?"

"Holy. . . " Farrell breathed, stunned.

"Sir!" Pfeiffer squeaked. "This," she waved absently at the room in general. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Oh?" Farrell answered, struggling to wrap his mind around the scene.

"No! We just," Pfeiffer made a vague gesture, apparently not too sure of much herself, "and then we," she twitched again, "and it all...just...I don't know. Excuse me, sir." She made for the door in a hurry.

The door seemed to open and shut quickly, as if responding to Pfeiffer's wishes for a quick getaway. Farrell turned to Potts with a face that was mixed with incredulousness, grief, disgust, and a small amount of awe. Potts was still examining the bottle while Farrell regarded him, mouth hanging open.

"This is a very exquisite gift, Mister Farrell," Potts said, keeping the bottle in hand. "I shall find myself a lady friend and drink to your health." The Doctor turned back to Mason and, smiling widely, tapped his chin so that his mouth snapped shut.

Farrell nodded, reining in his confusion in favor of his original purpose. "No problem, counselor," he said, his voice almost normal. "Enjoy. I've," he latched the gearcase and slid it off the table, "I've got to keep working down my tasklist, so I'll leave you to your day."

"Then I'll be going back to bed," Potts said, shaking Farrell's hand again. "This time I might even sleep," he added with a lascivious wink.

Farrell grinned affably and gave the counselor a small wave. "Well, good luck with it," he said, starting for the door, making a conscious effort not to wipe his hand.

The automatic door showed Farrell to the corridor, leaving Potts alone with his treasure. It was tempting for a half-Deltan with a libido in overdrive to simply guzzle the whole bottle, then wander the ship for the next few hours in search of a receptive partner but Ilan realized that it might be altogether too precious a gift to waste on what might be a fruitless endeavor. But he did desire a sample so he shuffled over to the replicator, bottle in still in hand.

"A goblet of Cyndrielan Cerulesque please," Potts said pleasantly. He was thinking that perhaps Crewman Pfeiffer could be convinced to return for an encore even as the replicator buzzed disagreeably.

"That beverage cannot be replicated."

"Eh?" Potts said with interest. "And why not?"

"Cyndrielan Cerulesque contains compounds not yet identified by Federation science."

"Really?" Potts asked with a certain awe. He brought the bottle eye level and stared into it with curiousity.

"Affirmative."

Potts continued to look deep into the bottle, mulling over the various women he could share this precious gift with and singing praises to Mason Farrell in his mind. As the faces flickered mentally in his head, one kept reoccurring. A long shot, at best, but someone for whom this liquor seemed strangely appropriate.

"Remarkable woman," Potts said to himself.

---

"Prologue: Ghost in the Machine"
By: Captain Matthew T. Salinger
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant jg Tchalla Mel'Chir

Location: Main Bridge, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 10h00

***

Captain's Log. Stardate 57908.15.

We are currently one week into our journey around the Gamma Quadrant. Thus far, our experiences have run from the mundane comet and space dust to the eye opening. Two days ago, we came across what our science department determined was the beginning of a Particle Fountain. It was an amazing sight, and we gathered as much data as we could during our time there. However, we did have to move on. We are traversing a sector of space that appears to be devoid of any inhabited planets. We have yet to encounter any Gamma Quadrant life, other than the new strain of cold that Lt. Flummux appears to have discovered.

There appears to be a growing unease amongst the crew, from the senior staff down the line. Our last shore leave was more stressful than a shore leave should be, and it is very possible that the stress of that situation is now affecting members of the crew. Losing Ensign Storm, a member of this crew and a part of our family, just before our journey through the wormhole didn't help matters either. As a way to hopefully rebuild morale, more holodeck time has been allotted to the crew. In addition, permission has been given to Ensign Rax to make use of some space on Deck Seven for setting up a theatre. In addition, Ensign Markham and his band have set up a near-permanent presence in the Crew Lounge. While I cannot comment here about their music, I can say that their performances have been relatively free of conflict.

I can only hope the fractures I've seen in crew morale can be relieved. This far from supply lines and support, the stresses and strain of what do for a living can wear at the crew down. The counselling department is working overtime to see to it that the dam won't burst.

***

Shutting down the log recorder, Matthew Salinger focused his attention on the stars streaking past the Sulu on the forward viewer. The mood since coming through the wormhole had been dark, almost oppressive. While there had been no open altercations, the stresses were apparent wherever he looked. The promotions he and Commander Lyrr had handed out only a few days ago had helped to boost up some morale. If only they could have given everyone a promotion...

An alarm signal from the back of the bridge sounded, and Matt turned to find Xayella peering intently into the sensor display, the blue glow illuminating her face and the dark circles below her eyes. He closed his eyes and shut his mind away from the train of thought it wished to follow. She had not been sleeping well lately, and was one of the officers on his crew who appeared to be under an abnormally large amount of stress...despite his best efforts to alleviate it. She wouldn't talk about it, and he wondered if it was Dorvali again. Or me, he added. He knew that her return to the room after he'd been stabbed had been traumatic. Plans for a night together were set aside when he saw her turn, her face a grim mask, but there was a sparkle of her explorer's spirit in her eyes. That was a good sign. And, as she fixed her eyes on him, the usual burning passion they shared was still there, sending his pulse racing. Every time she looked at him that way, the rumours going around about secret liaisons between Xay and Commander Zareb seemed comic. She was a sensual woman, but no woman looked at a man that deeply while she shared another's bed.

I hope.

Again, he cast aside the persistent thoughts and snapped his focus onto duty. "Have you found something, Lieutenant Tagliesh?"

"Just your run of the mill, uninhabited Class M planet, Captain," she replied with a grin. "No higher life forms detected, but we're too far away to say for certain. If you're interested," she added with a gleam in her eyes, "we can get a little closer and launch a probe."

"Agreed," Matt said with a nod. "Mr. McKenzie, lay in a course. Warp two."

McKenzie's fingers danced across the flight control station. "Course laid in, Captain. Warp two."

"Engage."

The Sulu altered course and shot off toward the coordinates Xayella had transferred to the helm. It was only a matter of minutes before they were within range of the planet.

"Launch your probe, Lieutenant," Matt said. He turned to the young Andorian at the secondary science station. "Lieutenant Mel'Chir, put the results of the probe on the main viewer."

Tchalla Mel'Chir, recently promoted, gulped and nodded. "Yes, Captain," she said softly. Then transferred the feed for the probe to the screen at the front of the bridge.

Matt turned his attention back to Xay as she launched the probe toward their latest discovery.

"Preliminary telemetry received, Captain," Lt. Tagliesh announced. "We've yet to verify the presence or absence of higher lifeforms, though, depending on who you talk to, plant-based life may qualify, which there is an abundance of." Xay tapped in a command on her console, and a topography of the planet was displayed on her screen. "Captain," she said after a moment, "permission to momentarily use your forward viewscreen. I have something you might like to see."

"Go ahead," Matt said, then leaned forward toward the front of the bridge. He could feel his pulse racing at the prospect of the planet that had suddenly grabbed their interest. If it was Class M and uninhabited, could it possibly have a mystery it would wish to relate to them? Or would it be just an empty planet with nothing of interest.

A contoured map of the surface blinked onto the viewscreen, and to even the untrained eye the object of Xay's intrigue was obvious. "The structures are inconsistent with naturally occurring land formations," she reported. "As you can probably tell from the orthogonal dimensions alone, those are artificially constructed. I can only hypothesize that, if there aren't lifeforms there now, there was at one point in this planet's history, though I'm still not detecting any organic remains to verify that."

"Are the patterns you're detecting there consistent with known architectural forms," Matt asked, then turned back to her. "And...and how advanced would you hypothesize they were...but the structures you're seeing? Using earth as a basis."

Xayella chuckled softly at Matt's urgency. "I'm not an expert, but I can say that the spatial orientation and location suggests that someone built those and took the time to plan an appropriate area for settlement." She inputted another command, and rolling, blue lines overlaid the map. "Tributaries, streams, oceans... The structures are located very near to water sources. A logical place for a settlement if you don't plan on dying from dehydration."

Matt Salinger nodded at her answer. "Lieutenant," he said, looking to McKenzie, "how long do you suppose it'll take use to get there at warp three?"

McKenzie quickly calculated the distances and responded with, "Two hours, sir."

"Adjust speed to warp three then," he said. "Lieutenant Tagliesh, begin doing all the scans you need to do. We're going to go in to take a look."

"Yes, sir," she replied. Then with an added wink tacked on, "Good choice, sir."

Matt flashed her a smile, then turned to McKenzie once again. "Engage, Mr. McKenzie. Let's go see what's out there."

---

"I Was in the Neighborhood"
By: Ensign Mason Farrell; Operations Officer
Lieutenant j.g. Natalia Druschev; Science Officer

Location: USS Sulu, Science Lab 3
Stardate: 57908.15 10h00

***

You can't avoid it, Farrell thought to himself. The ship's too small.

It had been good advice to Gui. She was a good woman, and shouldn't have to hide from other officers. And it wasn't as though Sanat was still angry. The Joji incident had been a good laugh. Surely Sanat wasn't still angry.

However, his advice to Gui made him think of Natalia. He'd been avoiding her, and with success, for a couple of weeks now. That couldn't last. The ship was too small. He'd have to face her.

And best to do that somewhere vaguely neutral. He considered neutrality as he rounded the corner into the astrometrics lab.

Now-Petty Officer Moreau was apparently off on an errand, as Natalia was alone in the compartment when he entered. She did not look up from her scans, doubtless assuming he was the returning Moreau. He sat quietly in the other station's chair and swivelled it around so he could watch her.

For what it was worth, Natalia was a stunning woman. She was quite together, fit and trim, her hair glossy and her skin alabaster flawless. In truth, he'd been shocked to read in her file that she was turning forty this year.

With her and Moreau in the same compartment, he wondered what sort of visiting traffic they must get. He smiled at the idea of lonely engineers making up excuses to come down here. Unlikely as it sounded, Alpha astrometrics was a temple of beauty, and Farrell wouldn't fault anyone who trumped up a reason to visit.

He wondered then at why he had come to avoid Natalia. She deserved a man who'd love her, and love her son, and be equal and honest. He simply wasn't that man. The thought saddened him, but he didn't let it show, simply watching her with an appreciative smile.

Natalia was too focused upon the astrometric scans she was compiling. The area of space in which the Sulu cruised was uncharted by Federation vessels. Though they had maps from other sources, it was a different matter entirely to be seeing it with your own eyes. She was rapt in the new discoveries. It seemed that every comet, every chunk of floating ice or desolate system was exciting - because it hadn't been seen by Human eyes before now. The vague silence of Shyla's work began to gnaw at her conscience. The younger woman was as exuberant as she when it came to new things - and looking over the scans Natalia would regularly hear the girl gasp or comment about some new thing...now there was silence.

She turned. "Are you okay, Shy--" It was Mason Farrell, just sitting there. Staring at her with a stupid smug grin on his face that clearly indicated that he enjoyed the view. Her whole body stiffened and she turned fully to face him. Her expression a cold mask of indifference. Her arms folded automatically in front of her body. "What is it you want, Ensign?" she asked in a cold Russian voice. There was no way she was going to show him how much she hurt. How much just the sight of him made her heart race. She hated herself for it.

"Evenin'," Farrell said, adding "sir" as an afterthought. "I was just passin' through, and thought I'd stop by and say hello."

She fixed him with a hard stare. "You said you'd call. It's been weeks." She cocked her head to one side as if surveying him. "But then again, you've been busy with Ainsley haven't you?"

"It took me a while to figure out where I stood on everything," Farrell shrugged, but not dismissively. "And am I not currently paying you a call?" he said with just the right trace of humor.

"You could have at least talked to me." She looked away. "After that night...I felt...bad." She couldn't look him in the eyes. "I went to see my counsellor, and she told me to stay away from you. That was Ainsley."

"I know," Farrell said politely. "And she was right. We both needed to stay away from each other for a while. You know what happened when we tried to talk last time."

She clenched her jaw. She was still angry at Ainsley but she had to ask. "Did we have a chance at all?" She looked up at him then. "I thought we had 'something'. I've heard a lot more since...about you and other women."

"A lot's been said, and a lot's been said false," Farrell answered. He thought a moment and scratched the bridge of his nose absently, as she was clearly waiting for an answer to her question. Finally he took a deep breath and sat forward a bit. "And no, we had no chance," he said, as gently as he could. "I'm sorry."

She nodded. "You know if you'd just said that it was a one night stand I'd have understood. I even asked you - twice. But you led me to believe something else. You made me think it was something...and it wasn't." She looked away. "You hurt me, Mason. I can't forget that. You could have told me."

"I know," Farrell nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. I needed time to figure it all out, and I'm sorry if I led you to believe something that wasn't true." They looked at each other for a time, and then he said, "I never meant to hurt you. A woman as tremendous as you are deserves no hurt."

She looked back at him, he looked so sincere. He was once again saying all the right things, making something right that was wrong. She hadn't deserved what he'd done. He was a consummate liar. Was the apology a lie too? His smile was so like Martel's - was he playing her again? Did it matter? There was never going to be anything between them again. She just nodded at him.

"I have work to do," she told him. Her voice was steady but she didn't feel that way. Her pale blue eyes just watched him, so confident, self-assured, handsome. "Ainsley is a lucky girl," she finally managed. "I hope you treat her better than you treated me."

Farrell's expression stayed kind. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "So what are you looking at today?" He nodded at her console, his tone indicating a subject change.

"A binary star system fourteen light years away," she said. "It has sixteen planetary masses, four of them are gas giants with several moons. No life supporting planets. So far." She looked at him. "Did you come here just to say sorry, or is there something else? I can't be a friend." She shook her head slowly; her glossy dark hair fell over her shoulders. "It's too late for that. If you'd come to see me earlier perhaps we might have been. But all you cared about was your own feelings. You didn't care about mine. You don't have to say sorry anymore. It loses it's meaning after the first time."

"If I'd come to see you earlier I'd have hurt you again. You deserve better than that."

"The ship's gossip hurt me more," she shot back, "and I probably wouldn't have stormed Ainsley Chambers' office if I'd heard it from you. All you had to tell me was you were interested in someone else. That's all, Mason. Instead, you took the coward's way out and let someone I didn't even know tell me that you were seeing Chambers, and Reese, and Gui...and who ever else...and yes, I do deserve better than you."

"What was between us was between us. Nobody else had to get involved. I wasn't going to hide behind Ainsley and use her as an excuse. If you think that's the coward's way," he didn't finish the sentence, standing and shaking his head. "I tried," he said with finality. "I tried."

He started for the door.

"You apologised," she said. "Fine. Don't try to turn it back on me that you were good enough to 'try', Mason. You tried a little too late. Don't think you can walk all over someone's feelings and weeks later think that a heart-felt apology will fix it. I'm not going to forgive you." She turned back to her work. "You're dismissed now, Ensign." It was said with finality, and with a touch of contempt.

But the door closed before she finished.

"Bastard," she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.

---

"Baby Talk"
By: Lieutenant (jg) Natalia Druschev - Science Officer
and Petty Officer 3rd Class Shyla Lynn Moreau - Astrometrics Technician

Location: USS Sulu, Astrometrics/Lab 3
Stardate: 57908.15, 10h19

***

It was hard getting back to work for Shyla Moreau and even the motivation of a brand new patch on her collar didn't quite make the difference she'd hoped. A week and a half out from Storm's death and the news that she carried his child, Shyla was still shattered. She felt like the pieces of herself had been picked up and stuck together with toothpicks: Every movement was painful and with every movement was the threat of falling apart again.

After walking the sensor logs over to Lieutenant Tagliesh's office and returning to Astrometrics, Shyla caught a quick flash of something from Lieutenant Druschev in the corner of her eye. It should have been too small to notice - the Russian officer only dabbed at her eyes and turned slightly away - but Shyla's own grief heightened her sensitivity to it. Moreau crossed the space and sank into her chair with her eye on Natalia. The Lieutenant looked fairly well composed.

"Sensor logs have been filed, sir," Shyla said, tapping a few keys and logging herself back into the system. She was still looking at Natalia furtively.

Natalia nodded, keeping her face turned away. Shyla's entrance this time had been noisy enough to warn her. She knew by the lighter steps that it was she, rather than Farrell who had left a moment before. She hated herself for crying again. It was over dammit! She said a few choice Russian words in her mind at the man who had attempted to put the blame on her after she had been hurt. It wasn't fair...but then, she realized that the girl she worked with had had it much worse than she.

She could feel Shyla's eyes on her, and turned to glance over her shoulder. Sure enough she found the young Petty Officer looking, albeit out of the corner of her eye. She still looked so pale. The sight of her sitting at her station wrapped in her own grief brought a lump to the older woman's throat. She hadn't had the guts to say anything at all besides the obligatory condolences - it had been too close to deal with.

She sighed and gave up trying to look busy. "How are you doing?" she asked softly. She knew that her own eyes were a little red. Her Russian accent seemed to be thicker when she felt emotional, and now it distorted some of her vowels. As she turned more to face the girl, she could see that she was tired, drawn out, as if stretched beyond her limitations. It saddened Natalia to see her like this, and instinctively she walked over to her. "You are sleeping?" she asked gently.

"Not easily, sir," Shyla said with a slight sigh. "I manage it when I'm just completely exhausted." She didn't look at Natalia.

Natalia nodded. "When we're alone, you can call me Natalia," she smiled. "You look completely exhausted now...why don't you go to sick bay?" She hunched down so that she was more on a level with the young woman. "Or...we could talk."

"I can't go to Sickbay again," Shyla said. "I've been living in Sickbay, sir." When she noticed Natalia's expression, she added, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant but I can't use your first name when we're on duty. It's not me."

"That's okay," Natalia nodded. "Perhaps...after shift...you come have dinner with me. We can talk then. Okay?"

"Dinner would be nice," Shyla said, almost managing a smile. "But we can talk now...I'm just going to have to call you 'sir' while we do it." She looked into Natalia's eyes. "How are you doing, sir?"

Natalia smiled at the question. Here she was, in the midst of her grief thinking about the petty troubles of another. Natalia shook her head. "I'm okay," she said thickly. "Just stupid things...best to get over them. A man," she admitted, shrugging. "No one important." Natalia's eyes searched Shyla's for a moment. "You loved him...and he loved you...that was a gift. It will not be easy...if there is anything I can do the help, one woman to another, please I will try."

"Thank you, sir," Shyla said, letting her eyes drift off of Lieutenant Druschev's. There were a few terrifying heartbeats while Shyla debated if her superior was someone she could trust. She clamped her eyes shut and said, "I'm pregnant," as if she were expecting the ship to spin end over end.

Natalia had to close her mouth. The shock of the girl's revelation stunned her for a moment. Then the emotion hit her and she just did what came naturally, her arms were around Shyla Moreau. "Honey...I'm so sorry." What could she say? "God, you must be going through...oh...no..." She felt for her deeply, losing her lover then discovering she was pregnant... "Ethan?" she asked as she looked into her eyes.

Shyla only nodded her head at first but had to clarify: "I just thought you should know, being my immediate supervisor." She looked down at the console. Her voice was weighted with the emotion of the admission but she was managing to stay composed.

Natalia nodded, looking away. "I know what it's like to raise a baby without a father, Shyla. If you need anything...you will ask, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Shyla agreed, looking thoughtful. "I'm a little worried about telling Lieutenant Tagliesh."

"Then don't, until you have to," Natalia said with a smile. "You're working in Astrometrics, so you won't be exerting yourself, and with Doctor Sefton I doubt that anything can or will go wrong. She doesn't have to know, you can keep it to yourself for a while until you feel okay about telling her. She'll probably find out anyway." Natalia patted the girl's hand. "It's not as if she can do anything about it," Natalia grinned.

"That's true," Shyla said, still thoughtful. She was considering telling Natalia about her Kelway's but thought better of it. "I appreciate your advice, sir."

"The offer of dinner is still open." She looked a little hopeful. "I need some company myself, I need some cheering up too. I'd like to make a few friends."

"You've already made one, sir," Shyla said with a wan smile. "But you have to promise me we won't just talk about my problems."

"How about we don't talk about any problems?" Natalia smiled. "You know...I really enjoyed being pregnant. You have a lot to look forward to..." She grinned. "How far along are you?"

"Just over a month," Shyla said, barely able to hold on to her own slight smile. Pregnancy for someone with Kelway's Syndrome was risky and not always regarded as a joyous occasion. Ethan's death was a large part of an even sadder tapestry.

Natalia smiled and nodded. "Still too early. Do you know whether the baby is a 'he' or a 'she'? I found out straight away, Domenic was named on the first trimester." She saw the girl was troubled. The look in her eyes was still sad even though she tried to smile.

"I don't know yet," Shyla said. "I know Dr. Sefton could probably tell me which way it'll go but I'm not sure if I want to know. It might be nice to leave it a surprise."

Natalia nodded. "Long time to go yet," she smiled. "You have to be very careful. No exertions, no surprises, no shocks, no dramas - the first thirteen weeks are important, and...with Ethan...that's enough of a shock for anyone. Have you considered telling Ethan's parents? A grandchild would be very important to them."

"His father is dead," Shyla said, feeling the guilt hit her. She had been considering telling Ethan's mother but she had never even met Eleanor Storm. "I do need to com his mother," Shyla admitted. "I'm just not sure where to begin."

"You can begin by telling her you loved her son...and he loved you." Natalia smiled. "Then you can give her the best gift a son's mother can have..."

Shyla was nodding. "I'll do it...I'll have to before too long." She looked to Natalia and smiled softly. "Just not today."

Natalia nodded. "Not today," she agreed with a smile. "You are so lucky," she said whistfully. "I'd love to be pregnant again." She laughed softly. "I didn't even have morning sickness," she admitted. "Though the smell of coffee made me queasy, and I had awful cravings for such silly things. I don't know how women managed before replicators..." She almost giggled. "How are you feeling? Any signs of that yet?"

"I feel about as well as can be expected," Shyla said morosely, almost immediately regretting it. Lieutenant Druschev was trying to see the bright side and Shyla appreciated it. She made an effort to brighten. "I'm from Louisiana, sir...we all eat like we're having a craving."

Natalia nodded and grinned. "What's your favorite? I'll put it on the menu for dinner," she asked.

"I programmed in a reasonable facsimile of my Daddy's Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya into the replicator." Shyla returned the smile fully and finally. "It's crew accessible...Dennis Moreau's Championship Jambalaya."

"Then that's what we're having for dinner!" Natalia grinned. "Domenic will probably hate it - but he hates everything at the moment." She nodded. "Dinner at my quarters at 1800hrs?"

"Aye, sir." Shyla found herself nodding. "I'll be looking forward to it." It even felt like she meant it.

"I hope so..." Natalia smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We can be friends I think," she said in her accented Standard. "At the very least I can be baby sitter later."

"I'd appreciate that, sir," Shyla enthused with a bit of a tug on her heart. She knew that if the baby went the full term, more than likely she'd be transferring off the ship once they got back to the Alpha Quadrant. The only way Lieutenant Druschev would get an opportunity to baby-sit would be if things went wrong, either for Shyla or the Sulu herself.

Hopefully, Natalia would never have the opportunity.

---

"The Slapee of My Slapper is My...?"
by Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse
and Ensign Annikafiore Szerda - Nurse [NPC]

Location: USS Sulu, Sickbay
Stardate: 57908.15, 11h45

***

Six days ago, Damhnait Sefton announced that one of the private examination rooms had been converted into a break room. She preferred to keep the majority of her staff within the medical facility for the entirety of their shifts, and it was obviously no longer an option to let the nurses congregate in the waiting room to gossip over sandwiches. The break room was a simple affair, allotted a replicator, conference table and chairs, and a constantly open visual communications channel to the Chief Medical Officer's office. Officially, it was to cut response time during medical emergencies; unofficially, everyone knew it was to prevent gossip. The causes and effects of gossip had ensured that only reprimands, instead of promotions, had been handed out in the Medical Department of late.

On the day the break room was opened, Cristobel Sefton took it upon himself to reorganise the relatively unused Life Sciences Laboratory according to Damhnait's specifications. The LCARS set up had to be entirely recalibrated, and Damhnait's questionable stock of medicinal vegetables, minerals and animals (to prepare for any eventuality in the Gamma Quadrant), as personally gathered by Ensign Farrell, had to be stored according to her peculiar system. Fortunately, Cristobel Sefton's time as a Science Cadet had prepared him fully for this project. Of course, this also allowed Cristobel to get out of the rotation in Main Sickbay, thereby avoiding Amy Reese.

When Cristobel reported to Main Sickbay to take his midday meal break, he found that Amy had already gone for an early lunch, even though she had always taken late lunch with Cris. Having no desire to return to the Mess Hall for at least another month, Cristobel lunched in the new break room, where Annikafiore Szerda ate alone. She normally went out with the early lunch crowd, but now Amy had taken her place, and Annikafiore had been instructed to remain in Sickbay.

Annikafiore savoured a cubed meat and potato concoction, while Cristobel sipped plomeek soup. This was the first time the two of them had ever been alone together. They ate in silence.

Four days ago, Cristobel completed his implementation and evaluation of the Life Sciences Laboratory in the morning, and Amy was again already gone once he reported to Main Sickbay. He found Annikafiore alone in the break room, when he went in to replicate a serving of oskoid. Once he had eaten half of his meal, he grew irritated enough with the silence that he looked to Annikafiore and bluntly asked, "So what happened when you went to cut wood with Amy on the holodeck and you both came back covered in mud?"

Casually nodding towards the communication screen, Annikafiore tapped the side of her head with an index finger. As clearly as she could, she thought, Amy slapped me.

She's good at that, Cristobel sourly 'pathed to Annikafiore.

You should have slapped her back, Annika thought, a wicked grin spreading across her face. It makes you feel better.

Mentioning her mother has more sting than any swift palm could bring, Cris factually told her telepathically.

I'll remember that, Annika thought.

You do that, Anna, Cris thought.

Don't you call me that, Annikafiore insisted mirthfully. That's what I tell guys to call me if they're not going to be calling me more than once.

Whimsically, Cris said aloud, "Then, I'll call you... Flower."

Two days ago, Cristobel immediately headed to the break room at his designated time, and asked Annikafiore what she was eating for lunch. It was a turboyt dish, and Cris replicated the same thing. When Cris was repulsed by the taste, despite the pleasing scent, Annikafiore encouraged him to examine the fish through a phoretic analyser, to disprove his theory that the dish was infested with larvae. Cris advised Annikafiore not to examine anything with the new phoretic analyser, because its 'improved' design seemed to have a larger spill-factor, as he learned when setting up the medical laboratory. Annikafiore joked that she'd pretend to want to operate the new phoretic analyser, which would undoubtedly make Amy want to operate it even more.

Today, Cristobel had been assigned to work the entirety of Alpha shift with Amy. They spoke of nothing, but duty. When it came time for midday meal break, Amy left Sickbay without a word, and Cristobel ate lunch in the break room with Annikafiore. Since entering the Gamma Quadrant, Cris had regularly invited Shyla Moreau to his quarters to do her own studying, while he read for his Medical distance education classes. He'd ended up falling behind in his studying after their last session, though, because he'd spent more time good-naturedly teasing Shyla about her meticulous studying techniques than utilising those efficient techniques himself. As a result, Cris was accessing readings on his trusty bronze PADD at lunch before accessing the replicator's menu.

After only a handful of paragraphs into the chapter he was reading, Cris sighed in frustration and let his PADD clatter to the floor. Catching Annikafiore's attention, he asked her, "How did you know you wanted to be a nurse?"

"I already had an intimate understanding of a Medical officer's duties," Annikafiore answered in her Swedish lilt. "From the first time I began to consider joining Starfleet, I knew a Doctor's full duties wouldn't allow me to spend enough time working with the patients. I haven't an idea how your mother can juggle both a medical staff and incoming patients, and I want it to remain as such. I like having the patients as my only focus."

"Did you have a medical officer in your family too?" Cris asked, nodding to the back of Doctor Sefton's head on the communication screen.

"No," Annikafiore laughed out. "My parents are dance instructors. Before I joined Starfleet, I was a Medical Practices Consultant for the Federation. I studied the medical practises of potential members of the Federation - not the exact medical skills, but the organisational models and processes - to discover if they could provide us with innovations, or if we could provide them with suggestions for improvement. My..." - Annikafiore considered the most professional description of the problem, but, as usual, chose the most direct diction - "...My mouth kept me from being assigned to visit potential member worlds. Planetary officials never seem to want to hear that their medical system looks as if it were designed by blind, learning-disabled, impatient children playing 'doctor'. As such, my assignments grew increasingly isolated, and I simply had to work with people." After taking a large gulp of her water, she asked Cris, "Why? How did you know you wanted to be a nurse?"

"I didn't. I don't. Know, I mean. I don't know," Cristobel replied stumblingly. "I just didn't want to go to medical school without knowing if I'd enjoy being a medical officer."

"And do you?" Annikafiore asked Cris the obvious question. Appearing contemplative, Cris leaned over the right side of his chair, stretching his arm to tap the carpet with his fingertips, without looking away from Annikafiore.

"Yeah, drama aside, I think I'm much happier here than I would have been in Sciences," Cris answered conversationally, as he continued to widen his fingertips' search around the carpet, still without looking away from Annikafiore. "I'm going to go back to Starfleet Medical - become a Doctor - I just don't know when."

Crewman Taylforth entered the break room to find Annikafiore quizzically staring at Cris, who was still seated his chair with his torso bent over the right arm and his arms flailing about. "What are you doing?" Tynann asked.

Cristobel suddenly sat up straight, and looked to Ty. "Finding my career path," - Cris then held up his newly retrieved equipment - "...and my PADD."

---

"Ghost in the Machine: New Discovery"
by Captain Matthew T. Salinger
Commander Lyrr Tayla
Lt. Commander Benedict T'Kal
Lt. Commander Sam
Dr. Damhnait Sefton
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant jg Tchalla Mel'Chir
Chief Petty Officer Sorien Case
Crewman Jeff Davies [NPC]

Location: USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 12h15

***

"Standard orbit," Matt Salinger called out. He looked at Lyrr Tayla, at his side as always. He leaned close to confer as he'd been doing since they started working together just a few months earlier. Still, the stresses and strain of their working relationship showed. He hoped they could find a comfortable middle ground soon. "Away Team? Planetary scans show atmosphere well within acceptable tolerance levels. I was thinking of Lt. Tagliesh and Commanders Sam and T'Kal. Dr. Sefton from medical, and then an additional officer each from Science and Security. Your thoughts, Commander."

"Why not send along Lieutenant Mel'Chir," she suggested. "It might help bolster her confidence regarding her promotion."

Matt nodded. "Agreed," he said. "It'll do her some good to get some work in. It'll also hopefully help wash out some of the memories of Dorvali."

Lyrr nodded. "She may also be able to keep Lt. Tagliesh out of trouble," she added glibly. "I trust Commander T'Kal to choose an appropriate security officer to accompany him." She shrugged, then. "I don't see why they can't get underway immediately."

"I agree," Matt answered. "Given the unknown nature of conditions on the planet, should we give T'Kal the lead on the surface? Or should Sam and Ops take the lead?"

Lyrr paused, realizing this was one of those moments where her relationship with T'Kal might affect an important decision. It couldn't be denied, though, that he was the appropriate choice. "Since this is unexplored territory, security should lead. It's the safer option."

"My thoughts exactly," Matt said. He gave her a smile. "It wasn't a difficult set of decisions to make, but it's nice to see we can still work together, after everything. You ready to begin exploring, Commander? Well, allow our people to explore while we watch their progress from here."

Lyrr smiled. "That's what we're here to do...."

Matt stood. "Commander T'Kal," he began. "Take Commander Sam, Lieutenant Tagliesh, Lieutenant Mel'Chir, Dr. Sefton, and an additional security officer down to the planet's surface. It appears as if there was once a civilization down there, but all the people have vanished. See if you can find out who they were, where they want, or what happened to them."

"Aye, sir," T'Kal nodded. He tapped his own badge as he turned over his station to Taylor Bennett. "T'Kal to Chief Case, meet me in Transporter Room One for an Away Mission." He nodded to the captain as he stepped across to the Turbolift. A slight smile touched his lips. His first encounter with the unknown on the Sulu.

As Sam and Lt. Mel'Chir departed the bridge, Matt slipped toward the main science station before Xayella could get away. He gave her a smile. "Good luck down there," he said as she returned the smile. He looked like he was about to say more, but then shook his head. He lowered his voice for only her. "I can't think of anything else I need to say. You know how to do your job, and I know you'll be careful. So, I guess the only thing left is I love you, and I envy you going down there."

"You could always slip on a science uniform and come," she suggested with a playful grin. "I promise, though, that'll I'll give you all the details when I get back." Xay glanced around the bridge, and with all eyes presently averted, she leaned in for a quick kiss. "See you later," she whispered, then slipped past him to join her team.

Matt watched her depart with a smile on his face, and then turned back to the center of the bridge once the turbolift doors were closed. He sank back into the chair and watched the planet hovering out before them on the main viewer. He could only wonder what kind of secrets it was keeping, just waiting for some inquisitive mind to come along and puzzle them out. This was what Starfleet was all about.

***

As the Away Team assembled in the transporter room, Sam had the gear for the mission prepared. Science kits were ready for Lieutenants Tagliesh and Mel'Chir, with special equipment for the type of planetary survey they'd be conducting on the surface. Each member of the team would be equipped with a standard Type-II phaser, pre-set to stun, though based on the reactions of most chief medical officers when presented with the option of carrying a phaser on an Away Team, Sam was uncertain whether the phaser he had ready for Dr. Sefton would be required or not. Each officer would also carry a tricorder, with Tagliesh and Mel'Chir receiving a science-specific tricorder. As the team began to arrive, Sam distributed their kits.

Case got the transporter room fast but not faster than Lieutenant Sam, who had already taken the liberty of preparing the away team's gear. With a polite nod and a "sir" for the Ops Manager, Chief Case began the job of inspecting all the phasers even as he regarded Sam with an evaluating stare. He found himself so admiring of the android's efficiency, Case was a bit surprised when his own inspection turned up a small something.

"Sir," Case said, holding the offending Type II up to the light. "This phaser has a cracked emitter housing." Case studied the small hairline fissure. "It could still be used since the emitter itself is undamaged but I'd rather replace it...with your permission?"

Sam looked at the phaser, and then at Case. "That will be acceptable, Chief Case," he said. "When this Away Mission is complete, perhaps it will be necessary to discuss the efficiency of the personnel working in the armoury; these phasers were certified for use on stardate 57908.07. It was my intention to query Commander T'Kal on its use for this mission when he arrived; that is why it was set apart from the others. However, as Weapons Specialist, if your assessment is that this weapon should be replaced, logic would indicate that Commander T'Kal would agree." He glanced at the phaser one more time. "A new phaser will need to be brought from the armoury."

"You can have mine," Damhnait Sefton offered. She had entered the transporter room halfway through Sam's explanation, and had mentally compared the number of phasers to the number of away team members. Noticing a medical kit had been set up for her by Sam, she offered the android a small smile and shrugged her shoulders, over which was already slung her own stocked medical kit. Damhnait was still unfamiliar with the rest of the senior staff, having only met each member briefly; she'd have to remember Sam's diligence.

"The situation appears to have found a way to resolve itself," Sam said to Case. He then handed the unnecessary medical kit to Crewman Davies, who then set it on the shelf behind the transporter console. Case looked at the Doctor, obviously troubled.

As Jeff Davies watched the Away Team assembling, he noticed Ensign, no Lieutenant Tchalla Mel'Chir enter the transporter room. She was wearing the skirted variant of the uniform, and it brought a smile to his face. A wish that commonly passed through Davies' mind was to have served back in the days of Kirk, the days when all the women wore that short skirt. He gave her a smile and she blushed. She was pretty when she blushed, then again he didn't know a woman who wasn't. He tried not to stare as she received her kit from Commander Sam. As she moved over to the side of the transporter room to check her science kit, Jeff decided that his new favourite colour was blue.

Xayella Tagliesh, in her full-length Class-A, strode in shortly after Tchi, and took a brief look around at the already assembled team. "We're not late, are we?" she asked, slightly irritated that, if they were tardy, those still not present were even more so.

Case stepped over to Dr. Sefton and used his considerable upper body mass to block the fellow Betazoid from the view of the others. They had only had a brief exchange during his medical check-in but for Case it was time to test the limits of his expertise and how others viewed it on the Sulu.

"Dr. Sefton," he said in a low voice for her alone. He had a phaser in his hand, handle held out. "Will you not consider arming yourself, sir? It would give me some peace of mind."

"I am going to find you the vidlog of the only time I was on a phaser range, as a first year cadet, and then you won't feel peace of mind with a phaser in my hand. You will feel fear for your life," Damhnait told Case entirely seriously. With his facial expression unchanging, and his damaged paracortex muddling her sense of his thoughts, Doctor Sefton offered a dour smile, and grasped the phaser by its handle. Without a holster on her standard Class-A uniform, Damhnait held the phaser with both hands behind her back.

Sorien allowed a half-smile and tapped his combadge. "Chief Case to Armory."

"Armory. Crewman Rinaro here, Chief."

Case walked away from Dr. Sefton back over to the gear staging area so he could help Sam distribute the weapons and gear. "We'll need another Type II in Transporter Room One. Full inspection this time. On the double, Crewman."

Benedict T'Kal was the last to walk into the Transporter Room. He'd changed into SOBs and retrieved a tactical sensor scan of the beam-down area that he had loaded into a standard tricorder. Of course he carried his Kut'Luch in a concealed sheath, but that was the extent of his weaponry apart from his phaser, which he took from the table as he nodded to Case. The man was likewise in Blacks; aside from offering better environmental protection, it was impregnated with an energy disruptive material that provided some protection from energy weapons.

Tchalla Mel'Chir was still adjusting the settings on her tricorder when Commander T'Kal entered the transporter room.  The last she'd seen of him had been in a standard uniform on the bridge.  He had gone and changed after being ordered onto the Away Team, and as she saw him in his new attire all the rumours that had been circulating the ship for weeks came rushing back. She remembered the little image Kelzira had laid out for her not long after they arrived on DS9, the one that had them both giggling for most of the night.  The image of a table in a darkened room, with candles providing the only illumination, an extravagant meal laid out with meticulous detail, and romantic music wafting across the air formed in her mind.  On one side of the table, the commander sat, gazing longingly across the seeming void.  On the other, a set of Surface Operation Blacks seemed to blush and titter at his silent professions of adoration and love.  Zi'chel, Kelli, you're going to pay for that, Tchi thought as she fought to keep the giggles at bay, a blush suffusing her cheeks.  She turned away from the scene, facing the wall to keep from seeing the sight...and losing the self-control she was trying so hard to maintain.

This would be the first time Benedict and Case worked directly together, but he had chosen the Chief purely on his experience. There would be two security officers - and between them the two men had more pure combat experience than half the department combined. The Bajoran Security Chief trusted the Betazoid, that and Case had a similar 'awareness' of his environment thanks to his Betazoid mental functions - even though they were not fully operant, he could still 'see' - it compensated for the physical blind-side.

"Chief," Benedict greeted the non-com as he checked his phaser setting and slid it into his belt sheath. He looked around at the team and noted Tagliesh lightly tapping her foot next to him in irritation of the delay. He shot her a grin. "Patience, Lieutenant, another few minutes won't hurt," he said quietly. "You stay close to me. Okay?" It wasn't a question. There was no way he was going to allow the captain's girl to get scratched planet-side. He smiled at her and walked over to Sefton.

"Doctor, I'd appreciate it if you kept me mentally appraised of anything you might 'feel' or sense down there." He gave her a grin; he was looking forward to the exploration and he didn't mind the Betazoid's abilities - he considered them a distinct asset. "Just a 'heads up' would be okay," he added.

"I never keep anything that bothers me to myself," Damhnait assured T'Kal, and meandered towards a position on the transporter platform at the rear of the chamber.

"I'm sure you don't, doc," he murmured to himself. He smiled at her directly when she looked at him.  He'd heard quite a bit about the new firebrand in medical and she certainly looked the part. Though she was much prettier than he'd imagined.

He shot a glance at Sam and nodded. He knew the parameters of the android and considered him a perfect addition to any Away Team. "Commander - let's get this show on the road shall we?" He stepped up to the transporter pad and waited for the rest of the team to gather at their places.

Crewman Rinaro appeared on cue, breathless from running and handed Case his Type II . The Chief gave it a once over as he mounted the transporter pad and while Rinaro sweated buckets. The Crewman didn't relax until he saw Case holster the phaser. "There is a Type II on the console with a cracked emitter housing," Case said evenly, nodding toward the offending weapon. "Return it for reclamation and reconstruction immediately." He also gave Rinaro a look that let the young Crewman know that he wasn't at all pleased it showed up for mission use in the first place.

With a quiet tone T'Kal said, "Energise, Mister Davies."

The blue energy locked onto the Away Team and five seconds later they were gone.

And then Doctor Sefton's phaser clattered against the back wall of the transporter chamber.

---

"Precious Links"
by Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse
and Lt. Cmdr. Damhnait Sefton - Chief Medical Officer

Location: USS Sulu, Sickbay
Stardate: 57908.15, 12h16

***

With her hair recently tied back into a single long braid, Damhnait spiralled it against the back of her head, as she pulled Cristobel into her office. Without a word of explanation to Cris, Damhnait closed the communication channel between her office and the break room.

What is it?!? Cristobel telepathically demanded of Damhnait, who had yet to explain what she wanted from him.

Looking hurt, with a blend of surprise and resignation at the pain, Damhnait thought loudly enough for Cris to hear, Hmph. Go off to Starfleet Academy for a few years, and how quickly you forget our little trad--

Damhnait's thought was stopped by Cris tugging back the black sleeve of his jacket and loosening the indigo sleeve of his tunic, revealing the Betazoid equivalent of a charm bracelet on his wrist. It was made of a turquoise-tinted precious metal of Betazed, and featured representations of mythical Betazoid gods, who neither Damhnait nor Cris held much belief or interest in. The bracelet had been a gift to Cristobel, at birth, from Fortu's mother, who had since died in the Dominion's occupation of Betazed.

I had to comm Corran to scour my quarters for it when I heard that we were going to be stopping at a planet...and he found it at the back of a drawer. He sneaked into Sickbay to drop it off, by way of the dedicated Science turbolift, while you were just choosing a medical kit, Cristobel explained, as he removed the bracelet from his wrist.

Sneaky boy, Damhnait playfully chided.

Echoing the same tone he'd always used, Cristobel asked, Do I have to remind you that you abso-positi-lutely must return from your away mission to be able to return this to me? He cocked an eyebrow, and laid his bracelet in her palm.

I don't know... Damhnait taunted, loosening the collar of her uniform. If I come back, I suspect it will be for this. She unclasped an emerald-tinted necklace of tiny links that she wore, and placed it in Cristobel's palm. Aside from the links of the necklace, two larger hoops took prominence; Damhnait and Fortu's wedding vows were written on the hoops in minuscule Betazoid script. Fortu had handmade the necklace, as well as one for himself, as a symbol of their Starfleet wedding.

As Damhnait hid Cris' bracelet in her medkit, she said, Cristobel... I'm certainly aware that, with both of Corran's trips back to his homeworld, you two haven't been together as a couple for terribly long, but that you have known him for some time now, and neither of you are dating other people. It wouldn't be a break of tradition if you gave me a token that means more to you - one from Corran - to give me more incentive to come back.

I never knew you were so desperate for a wedding ceremony, Cristobel telepathically said as he laughed.

Priorities change, Damhnait shrugged.

You just want to see Corran naked, Cris teased, in reference to Betazoid wedding traditions.

Cocking an eyebrow of unamusement, Damhnait affirmed, I just want to see you happy. Being the centre of attention at your own wedding would certainly amuse you.

Even so, Achicarians don't do jewellery to the same degree Betazoids do, Cristobel stated, remotely returning to the original topic.

No matter. You never were one for accessories. I'm just happy Achicarians were able to talk you into a sensible length for your bangs. Damhnait ruffled Cris' hair briefly. He had had his sandy brown hair cut down to its usual short length and streaked with his "natural" colour of metallic crimson.

Sensible bangs, huh? Cris asked and brushed a finger against the brown bangs framing Damhnait's face, which were the same length as the rest of her hair.

Touché.

Cris grinned at Damhnait, and then mother and son hugged tightly, Cris' chin dropping to Damhnait's shoulder.

Be safe, Cristobel insisted.

Be safe, Damhnait told him too, as she speedily strode out of Sickbay to report to the transporter room.

---

"Dead City, Part 1"
By: Chief Sorien Case
Lieutenant Tchalla Mel'Chir
Lieutenant Commander Sam
Dr. Damhnait Sefton
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Surface of Planet JJ324c
Stardate 57908.15, 12h25

***

The view of the transporter room was replaced by an overall drab grey-brown. The walls and bulkhead of the Sulu resolved into the walls of buildings, rising above the heads of the Away Team. The stone used on the buildings was uniform, even if there were slight variations in design. The design was simple, indicating a species that had not progressed far in the science of architecture, if it could be considered a science. There was little innovation or ostentation in the design, showing a practicality rather than a need to impress. A few of the buildings displayed some curvature, most likely a sign of a more important building.

As soon as the stream of the transporter faded, Tchalla Mel'Chir had her tricorder in hand and ran a quick scan. Biological readings were minimal at best, indicating flora rather than any fauna. Her antennae twitched nervously as she rotated in place, running an isographic scan of the area out to five hundred meters, her boots making slight scraping noise on the paved surface.

Sam's tricorder was in his hand the instant functionality returned to his limbs as well. His scan revealed the same results as Lt. Mel'Chir's: plant life was evident and abundant, but there was an absence of animal life of any sort. He turned to Commander T'Kal and Lt. Tagliesh, a quizzical expression on his face. "It would appear that ours are the only life signs present."

Case had his phaser drawn as he also made a slow, calculating turn like the rest of them. The desertion was completely palatable and the place had the feeling of ruins even if the buildings were still in mostly good shape. The sterile environment made it difficult to gauge just when the exodus happened but here and there Case saw weeds that had pushed through small fissures in the pavement. He bent down and examined one of them closely, his frown getting thoughtful.

"No maintenance. Not for years it seems," Case observed to no one in particular but looked pointedly at Commander T'Kal.

Benedict nodded, consulting his tactical scan. They were in a large central square, with an imposing building central to it. Large steps up to an arched entry and columns. Uninteresting architecture - rather bland. There were five radial spokes off the square - wide avenues leading to other sections of the city. The tactical scan was a sub-space terrain scan down to ten meters underground. It allowed for a cross sectional sweep of the city and tactical input from the Sulu's tactical database.

At present the group were identified by their comm-signals as tiny golden dots clustered in the square. "Doctor." Benedict looked up at the Chief Medical Officer. "Scan for radiation or any biological contaminants - anything that might explain the absence of life." He looked around at the clear sky and the cityscape around them. "It doesn't feel right." It was like being in a graveyard with standing stones to mark the passing of life. The buildings silent as Mausoleums. "These buildings aren't old enough to be archaeological ruins."

When Tchalla didn't shriek in terror at the state of the environmental conditions, Damhnait Sefton chose an economy of movement, in snapping her tricorder out of its indenture on the exterior casing of her medical kit, and letting its sensors do the spinning for her. "Neither are apparent from here," Damhnait responded to T'Kal's query about radiation and contaminants. "Environmental conditions appear to be consistent with the Sulu's orbital scans." After a moment of silent consideration, Damhnait amended, "Of course, we are operating under the assumption that whatever lifeforms built these structures require the same conditions for life that we do. Oxygen could easily be considered a contaminant for, say, iron-breathing organisms."

The lack of animal life was altogether relieving to Doctor Sefton, even if it acted as a serrated edge against scientific curiosity - her own included. Damhnait's overriding priority had to be with the away team's safety, and fewer lifeforms meant fewer dangers.

Case had been too far into the matter stream to have heard Sefton's discarding of her phaser but as he stood and continued his inspection of the area, his eye fell upon her and he took note of it. Stubborn, he thought without letting it distract him. He stepped closer to Commander T'Kal, his footfalls remarkably light under his weight.

Benedict nodded to Case as he approached and looked up at Sam. "Commander, your assessment?"

"I am unable to detect any signs of life beyond our own out to the limit of the tricorder's range," Sam stated. "Additionally, Sulu's sensors indicate similar conditions across the entire planet. Of the possible explanations for an advanced society devoid of all life, a mass exodus from the planet or a biological disaster would be the most likely. Judging by the existing evidence, my supposition is that this was not a warp-capable society, and if they left the planet, unless they had obtained outside assistance, they may not have ventured far. Such a theory, however, is reliant upon the amount of time in which they have been gone. For further analysis, I would need to examine some of the buildings. With additional input, a clear picture of what transpired here could be made."

"I could go in for a look-see, sir," Case said to T'Kal, nodding to the largest building near their location, different from its immediate neighbors because of size and the slight curvature of the architecture. "I can open the com and Lieutenant Mel'Chir can monitor my vitals until we know the building is clear."

"At this point, Chief, it looks like we're all alone, but I'm not willing to split up. We'll have a look at this building's interior then take a look at another section of the city. I think if we want to discover the reasons this place is deserted, we should look for some dwellings...where they lived. This building looks more 'official' - possibly government, by the position in the square." He looked at the team. "Let's move out, eyes open and don't disturb anything." He started off to the steps of the building.

Xayella's tricorder was monitoring and her fingers tapping rapidly on the pad as she made constant adjustments to the scanning frequency, range, and other modifications that would register anything other than rock. This was becoming the most tedious exploration she'd participated in.

She mounted the steps with the rest of the team, panning her tricorder back and forth slowly until a blip finally appeared on the screen. She halted abruptly. "Commander T'Kal," she announced, "I think I have something, albeit vague." Xay looked up at the Bajoran and moved to his side. "It seems to be something organic... We're too far away for a complete analysis of its composition, or identity. I just wanted to warn you" --her voice dropped lower as she conferred with him-- "it could indicate a pathogen of some kind. I don't think we should all go in here. Maybe splitting up would be wise after all."

Case looked to T'Kal with a raised eyebrow, a look meant to reiterate his request.

T'Kal nodded his head once at the security officer. "Commander Sam, would you accompany Chief Case?" Sam was an android, immune to such things, but he didn't want anyone being alone. "Teams of two then, Lieutenant Tagliesh you're with me we'll head that way." He indicated the direction of what he assumed would be dwellings. They were buildings in rows, all similar to each other. "Doctor Sefton and Mel'Chir," he smiled at the doctor, "Choose a direction. Let's keep in touch, don't lose sight of your partner and be watchful."

Xay pursed her lips at her thwarted opportunity to explore the building, and sighed sharply as she started back down.

Sam nodded to Case, and started toward the large building. He calibrated his tricorder to pick up the organic substance Xayella had detected. He tapped his communicator to open the channel to the rest of the Away Team, and kept it open. The mystery the planet appeared to be presenting them was an intriguing dilemma. Were he human, or another species capable of experiencing emotions, Sam was certain he would be feeling a sense of...anticipation.

Case took point ahead of the android, stepping swiftly but lightly towards the large building. Sam didn't copy Chief Case's crouched movement but his methodical steps fell nearly as soundlessly and carried him just as quickly to the plain, unremarkable door.

Case paused to the side of it, phaser ready and listened. Sam moved behind the Chief Petty Officer and continued his scans. He heard less than nothing...these structures almost seemed encased in a sphere of anti-sound. Sorien couldn't even hear his own heart beating.

"Anything, sir?" he whispered to Lieutenant Sam, nodding at the tricorder.

"We are fifteen meters from the substance Lieutenant Tagliesh detected, and another similar substance a meter beyond it," Sam said. "Beyond that, the readings on my tricorder have not changed."

Chief Case nodded and hugged the wall close as his hand inched towards the plain stone handle on the door. He flipped it down and simultaneously pushed hard on the door with his one hand. The door swung slowly inward and there was a disconcerting rush of air as if Sorien had just opened an ancient crypt. The slightest smell of rot touched their nostrils.

Case was at the door in a flash, crouched low and his phaser ready. Just inside the door, the foyer opened into a larger, open area with light streaming down from the coloured glass above. Hallways stretched right and left, with another hall heading straight back. Statues lined the walls, as well as artwork that appeared to be fading from exposure. A musty, decayed smell hung in the air. Save for Sam and Case, the building was silent other than the natural sounds of a seemingly empty building that had been abandoned long ago.

Case slowly rose to his full height and stepped inside, Sam close behind. Besides the slight creaks and squeaks common to any old building, the only noise was the low hum of Sam's tricorder as it dissected every molecule in the room. Case's eye drifted from the faded paintings to the statues and back again. They appeared to depict very human looking subjects. A slight ridge ran along the edge of the cranium as well as a ridge running from the lip down under the chin and disappearing into the high collar.

"Humanoid," Case said, studying the art. They were not unlike the humanoids so common to the alpha quadrant.

The presence of a humanoid species with such similar characteristics to the humans of the alpha quadrant provided an interesting quandary for Sam. There were many theories revolving around the wide pattern of dispersal for the similar genetics, and he could not help hypothesizing that perhaps the seeding had extended into the gamma quadrant as well. Perhaps even the Bajoran Prophets, with the wormhole, had had some hand in such an effort. While Sam attached little religious significance to the center of the Bajoran faith, he did not refute their potential existence along the lines of similar beings, such as Q. He shunted the debate of seeding the gamma quadrant into a subprocessing unit, and reverted the current scans to his primary focus. "The organic substance Lieutenant Tagliesh detected is down the central passage."

Case nodded once and started down the central passage, his soft footfalls followed by Sam's sure, steady ones. The passage was dark and the smell of decay grew stronger as they drew closer to the door at the end of the narrow corridor. Case paused at it, listening intently for the slightest sound. All was still. Case readied his phaser and looked to Sam, the Ops Manager holding out his tricorder alone.

"Sir," Case whispered, his voice low. "Respectfully." He showed Sam his Type II and looked pointedly at the one holstered at the android's hip.

"I assure you, Chief Case," Sam answered, "my reaction times are adequate to prepare myself for any threats we may find within this building." Somewhere before he finished sounding the "I" at the beginning of his statement, the phaser had appeared, ready, in Sam's hand. "However, based on current evidence, the phaser will be unnecessary."

"Better safe than shot, sir," Case said, flipping the handle and pushing the door hard. Stale air hit both their faces while phasers drew down on deeper darkness.

The door opened to a long, door-lined corridor. At the end of the corridor was a large room with glass doors showing the view inside. A large table appeared to dominate what they could see of the room, with comfortable looking chairs lining either side. The hallway was wide and the doors appeared to lead to offices. Sam indicated that the source of what had been detected was in the large room at the end of the corridor.

Case and Sam crossed the distance silently, approaching the transparent door with phasers ready. With every step, more of the large room came into view as their three eyes drew closer to the origin of the readings Sam had swimming on his tricorder screen. A final few steps brought both Case and Sam up to the glass.

As Sam peered through the glass, he raised one android eyebrow at the sight before them. "Intriguing."

***

Outside Benedict T'Kal started walking. With an eye on his tactical screen he set off with Xayella Tagliesh. He hadn't had much to do with her, and he noted that she had a piqued expression as if he'd denied her something she wanted by sending Sam with Case. "Thanks for the warning, Lieutenant," he said as she fell in beside him. "You're the science expert - what should we be looking for?"

"Depends what you're expecting to find," she replied bluntly. "If it's humanoid remains you want, I can program the tricorder to search specifically for concentrated deposits of calcium compounds." Xay glanced sidelong at T'Kal, and asked, "What is it you're looking for, Commander? Or better yet, what is it you're expecting to find?"

"That's the beauty of exploration, Lieutenant," he grinned back at her. "I expect to find what I don't expect to find...and I'll enjoy every second of it." He looked at her as they walked toward a cluster of low slung buildings. "Don't you feel it? That None has trodden in this spot ever before me feeling? Prophets it's exhilarating! You could look like you're enjoying this," he teased.

"I would enjoy it more if I was the one in charge," she replied forthrightly. "I don't much like having my actions dictated to me by others." Smiling inwardly, she watched T'Kal sidelong and appended, "Especially a certain officer sharing a bed with a certain other high-ranking officer for the purpose of fulfilling his obsessive, self-aggrandizing tendencies."

"That's no way to talk about my captain, Lieutenant. I'd advise you to watch what you say." He turned to look at her with just the hint of a smile. "There's an old Human saying...something about glass houses?" He looked down at his tricorder. "Personal issues aside, Lieutenant, we have a job to do. I'm heading this Away Team - but I'll gladly take suggestions from you on matters of scientific discovery. So...I'll ask my first question again. What should we be looking for?"

"Indication of whatever happened here," she said, sighing unhappily. "I'll focus my search on organic remains. If we can find some, then we'll know these people didn't just up and leave. Maybe something got to them before they could." She smirked and added for clarification, "And it was you and Commander Lyrr I was talking about. Just thought you'd like to know where the rumours stand."

"I'm not interested in rumour, Lieutenant, and neither should you be. Senior officers should be above that kind of thing. I expect your support in the suppression of idle gossip, as I will support you in the same regard. I believe we have similar issues. In the interests of correcting any misconceptions you might have, I am in an exclusive relationship with Lyrr Tayla. We both consider it a private matter. Neither of us will allow our relationship to compromise our duty. Now...that's all the time I'm willing to spend on non-duty related conversation. I think that as a science officer setting foot on a new world with an obvious mystery ahead of us, that you would apply your considerable talents to exploration of our surroundings - not on the gossip of the Sulu." His voice carried an edge.

Xayella chuckled lightly as she set about modifying her tricorder's settings. "Validation is all I wanted, Commander. Thank you." Sighing airily, she pointed up ahead to a cluster of buildings of varying heights, but all with the same dull metallic facades. "I'm having trouble penetrating their exterior. We should take a look inside."

"That's more like it," he grinned. "Onward then...to boldly go where no one has gone before." He turned to look at her with a wide grin. "I've always wanted to say that."

---

"Advice Over Lunch"
By: Ensign Kelzira Rax
Ensign Amy Reese

Location: Mess Hall, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57908.15, 12h45

***

"I don't know if she didn't choose me on purpose, or if it's just because I'm not scheduled on shift until Beta. Tchalla said she'd talk to the lieutenant and see if I can switch to alpha shift. It'd sure make things easier, you know? We both sleep together and wake up together, which means I'm usually getting up around ten hours before I have to go on shift, but I keep busy. And, now she's down on the planet on an away mission. What if something happens?" Kelzira looked over to Amy, who sat across the table from her, listening intently. She finally smiled. "Listen to me ramble on. Does it show that I'm fabulously in love with her?"

Amy grinned and reached across to squeeze Kelli's hand. "It's so great, though. I don't think I could ever have imagined you two together...but now I can't imagine either of you with anyone else. I'm so happy, Kel."

Kelzira smiled. "Me too," she said. "And, I can't imagine my life without her in it now. She's still so innocent and shy; it's really cute. So, things are going better with you and Kit now?"

Amy nodded emphatically. "Haven't cheated on him in...a month!" Her exuberance fled quickly and her face took on the guilty look that always developed when she had done something wrong. "It's just...I've been taking martial arts lessons with Chief Case from security and...." She sighed, leaning in towards Kelli. "I think he's coming on to me."

Kelzira raised an eyebrow. "Him? He's like...he kind of looks like he stops starships with his face. And...and what does he say about your relationship with Kit? Doesn't he care that you're involved with someone, Amy?"

"I...haven't exactly told him," she admitted guiltily. "I didn't think it was important. I mean...it's all just innocent flirting, except for sometimes..." Amy blushed at the memories. "I don't know if it's what he's supposed to be doing with the training and all...but he tends to touch a lot."

Kelzira sighed and shook her head. "You're either going to have to talk to him or you're going to have to tell Kit. Unless you think Kit will just take you back again if something happens..."

"Nothing's going to happen!" Amy exclaimed, grabbing the attention of some in the mess. She sighed and lowered her voice. "I haven't done anything with him," she whispered. "I don't plan to. It's just...with Cris and I no longer friends, I feel like something's missing. I just want another friend, Kel, even if Chief Case is a little manly and appealing."

"And, what if Chief Case wants something more than friendship? And, he's manly and appealing, two qualities Kit doesn't have a whole lot of. It makes me nervous, Amy, because as soon as you say nothing's going to happen, you're mentioning how much appeal he has." She was silent a moment, then sighed. "Tell me, Amy, did you plan your encounter with Dwayne?"

She frowned, knowing precisely what Kelli was getting at. "Of course not. But this time, I don't plan on jumping into bed with Chief Case. I just...I want a friend, Kelli. He's funny and charming.... And maybe--" She sighed, then muttered, "Maybe I just want to make Cris jealous."

"And, Kit? Amy, I don't want to see you and Kit hurt, and from everything you've said, that's the road you're going down right now. Those 'sometimes' you mention, those sometimes that aren't just innocent flirting, what about them? And, the manly and appealing part of this friendship. Amy, you need to lessen your temptations, not magnify them. And...if he likes to touch you, and you let him keep touching you, you are only going to end up breaking Kit's heart for the third time." She leaned close, gazing into Amy's eyes. "Do you think your relationship with Kit can survive another fall? To me, it sounds like you're just being selfish. You don't care what this friendship may do to your relationship with Kit, despite the fact that there are these non-innocent, non-flirtatious sometimeses, and that you say manly and appealing with this dreamy look in your eyes. Amy, if you hurt him again, I don't think you'll ever get him back. If you hurt him again, I think it will be over. If you want that, then just break it off with him now, otherwise, you need to start thinking about how to make your relationship with him stronger without tempting yourself elsewhere."

"But I need to be able to resist the temptation," Amy groaned. "If I can do that with Case...couldn't that mean I'm rehabilitated? I have to know, Kel...for me and Kit. Doesn't that make sense?"

"But what if you can't," Kelzira said softly. "Is this test worth losing Kit over? I don't think your relationship with Kit is strong enough to survive this, Amy, not if it goes bad. Have you seen the way Taylor looks at him in our practices? I think she likes him, and...and if you lose Kit, you may not be able to get him back from her if he turns to her in his sorrow."

Amy's face sank, and her bewildered expression indicated this was news to her. "Taylor? Do you mean-- He likes her? Are you sure, Kel?" "I don't know what he thinks or feels about her," Kelzira said. "I think he enjoys her company, and he enjoys teaching her to play the drums. Maybe it's the same sort of thing you have with Chief Case. Though, who knows if they have any not-so-innocent sometimeses. Amy, all I'm saying is that when you jump out of a shuttle racing over Risa, that's not the time to check to make sure your hoverchute works. You need to be strong with yourself and with Kit before you should be tempting yourself around others. And, you shouldn't be letting other guys touch you, not when they start generating feelings that should be reserved for Kit."

"I never said he does," Amy muttered, and leaned her chin onto her fisted hand. "I guess...I'll talk to Case. It's not worth losing Kit over." She smiled at Kelli, then. "Thanks. You're always so level- headed."

"Am I?" Kelli asked. "Just...I hope you don't resent me for what I've said, or...or anything. It's just...I like you and Kit together, and it'd be sad to see you not make it together."

"I know," Amy said softly. "I'm glad you're telling me this, because it's quite obvious I haven't been telling myself." She grinned and added, "Who needs Case for a friend, when I've got you?"

"Exactly," Kelli said with a wide grin. "And, while I may touch, I've got my own girlfriend, and I know for a fact how much Kit likes touching you. And, while I do feel kind of guilty about it, I do really like the times when the four of us are in a hot tub. And, Tchi's so funny when we're all there."

Amy giggled. "She blushes, but insists that it's the heat making her do it! She's a sneaky one."

"She is," Kelli said with a big smile. "You should have seen what she did the night of the party. Jeff was giving us a hard time at the door, and he was coming on to us, so she kisses me right in front of him. The look on his face after that was priceless."

"She's finally opening up," Amy remarked. "But she's still got an innocence about her. It's good that she can maintain that while some of us can't." She smiled knowingly at Kelli.

Kelzira grinned and felt the colour rising to her own cheeks. "Well, at least the half of the crew I haven't slept with might still think I'm kind of innocent. I know Jeff knows I'm not."

Amy snickered. "I had no idea you had it in you until I found out! You're far worse than I could ever be!"

Kelli gave Amy a big smile. "Well, maybe that's a good sign," she said. "There are times when I miss it, but I'm still perfectly happy where I'm at now."

"You know," Amy mused, "so am I for the most part." Pouting playfully, she added, "Though I think I'll have to ask Kit about that Taylor girl. She's a looker, and I'm not so sure I like them playing together."

Kelli giggled. "She is pretty attractive," she said. "And, I'm sure there's nothing going on. Can you really see Kit wanting to play with anyone else but you? Well, and me, but that's over now."

Amy sighed. "Well...I suppose I can't. But it's better to be safer than sorry, right?" She shrugged and her brilliant smile returned as she patted Kelli's hand. "I'd better be going now. I have a report to write about the specimens we've been studying from the planet." Rolling her eyes, she explained with disinterest, "Bones...how exciting."

Kelzira smiled. "I know science and medical are working together on this, maybe we'll get to work together. We have to do this again, Amy. I miss spending time with you. And, I know that Tchi likes spending time around you and Kit too. We have to do a fun little outing together when we all have time off together."

"Whenever that will be," Amy replied doubtfully. "But in the meantime, I'll brainstorm with Kitty." Leaning forward after rising, Amy planted a friendly kiss on Kel's cheek. "Love you, and I'll see you later," she said. "And thanks for the advice," she whispered.

Before Amy could get away, Kelzira gave her a quick hug. "I hope it helped," she whispered back. "I know it isn't easy, but with good friends around, we'll make it through this." She gave Amy's cheek a kiss and smiled genuinely. "And, I love you too, Amy. Tchi may be the other half of my heart, but you're my best friend for always."

"And considering how frustrating I am at times," Amy answered, "that's going to be some feat." She grinned and stroked Kel's cheek before departing, with a noticeable carefree bounce in her step.

Kelzira was smiling as Amy left, a sense of hope building within her that Amy would make it through this difficult time. Though, she just hoped Amy would be able to stay strong...because she definitely knew what it was like to fight the urges to follow the signals the body sent. The strength she got from Tchalla was a big help, and keeping herself out of situations that could prove too difficult to resist kept her safe. If I end up trapped in a turbolift with Jeff Davies, I'm dead. She took a breath and sighed. "Good luck, Amy," she whispered.

---

"Home/Away"
by Ensign Raina Derrell - Medical Officer
Ensign Kremer - Medical Officer
and Ensign Cristobel Sefton - Nurse

Location: USS Sulu, Sickbay
Stardate: 57908.15, 12h49

***

Medical Technicians Tynann Taylforth and Brant Cunningham appeared to be standing guard over Sickbay - holding position on either side of the main entrance, each with an antigrav gurney held vertically in his grasp. They were running various simulations in their heads: patients beamed directly to Sickbay, having to beam down to patients, picking up patients from the transporter room... While Transporter Room One was dedicated to responding to the orders of the Command Staff or the Away Team, Transporter Room Two had been tasked to Sickbay - to meet any medical needs, in the event of conflicting orders from Doctor Sefton and Lieutenant Commander T'Kal.

Ensign Raina Derrell had been left in charge of Sickbay, since her Emergency Medicinal training would precisely be needed if an accident were to occur on the planet. Ensign Kremer had been ordered to report to Sickbay, despite it being his off-shift, since there was one less doctor in Sickbay in the midst of this unpredictable situation. During away missions, the rest of the crew tended to take greater care in performing their duties, and negligence-caused injuries dropped to nil. This left a lot of Medical Officers with nothing to do.

"I've always wondered: during an away mission, like this, is it more difficult to be a member of the away team or to remain behind on the ship?" Nurse Cristobel Sefton asked Ensigns Kremer and Derrell, all of whom were congregated around the main biobed. "One might assume that the away team's path is the jagged one, since they're beaming into possible danger. But, y'know, at least they're aware of what's happening. All we're left with is an imagination to describe to us how horrifying it could be, until Doctor Sefton decides she's ready to upload her tricorder information to Sickbay."

Raina looked at the other two. "That's one interpretation for it. To date in my career I've honestly seen it work both ways." She paused. "No matter what, this isn't a time to grow complacent." Her tone and comments weren't harsh by any means, but they were meant as a reminder that things could change right before their very eyes. Duty on a starship or a planetary away mission was easily categorized as a dynamic thing.

"Who's complacent?" Cristobel asked with exaggerated incredulity. "I'm starting to think that wasn't oskoid I ate for lunch, but was razor-tipped butterfly wings. This shouldn't be so angsty. It's not the first time my -- Doctor Sefton has gone on an away mission...but...I suppose this is the first time I've served in Sickbay during a proper formal mission..."

For a long moment she just looked at him then sighed. To Cris that wasn't just the CMO out there it was his mother, but then Raina was just a bit more on edge than usual and she didn't know why. "I'm sorry if that came off as directed solely at you or I thought you were goofing off. Far from it, in fact. It's just that you're right, we shouldn't be so anxious. Even if I've been in situations that warrant it more than this one and those comments would have been said to anyone of the medical staff in this room. It's become somewhat second nature for me to set aside anything other than the very stoic professional emergency medical training has instilled in me."

Nodding his understanding, Cristobel offered verbal reassurances, more to himself than the others, "This isn't an emergency. It's yellow alert - not even. Just a stand-by. There's still some breathing room for levity. Right, Kremer?"

The Caitian nodded at Cristobel's question. "Right. No reason to be as nervous as a long-tailed Cait in a room full of rocking chairs. You want a real reason to worry just pray Lieutenant Potts doesn't decide to suddenly come up with the idea of having Security and Counselor trade places for a week at an attempt to bolster crew self-esteem."

"That's not so much a threat as something he may actually try," Raina commented as she glanced in Kremer's direction. "It's just his style."

"Exactly, all the more reason to be worried," Kremer remarked, looking over to Raina before looking over to Cristobel. "Right, Cris?"

"I won't know until I meet Lieutenant Potts for myself," Cristobel non-answered with a shrug. "He's supposed to be serving some shifts in Sickbay soon. Have either of you spent much time with him?"

Raina commented, "All I know is what I saw of him at the Academy as an instructor. He has a very different philosophy."

"Would that include attempting to carry on conversations with fern plants in Sickbay?" Kremer queried.

Raina failed to stifle a laugh at that one. "Yes that sounds exactly like something he would do."

"Not gonna happen, considering Sickbay's minimalist décor," Cristobel asserted. Taking a moment to reconsider what he'd heard of Potts from his mother, Cris added unsurely, "...Unless he decides to carry a fern around with him."

She smiled at that. "I wouldn't ignore that one as a possibility where he's concerned."

Chuckling lightly, with his lips pressed closed tightly, Cristobel then asked, "Have you seen him around the ship carrying a fern?"

Raina went very quiet at that. How could she say what she'd seen or for that matter heard without giving away the fact she actually knew more about Potts then any of them. It had been a rather unexpected turn of events for her.

Cristobel noticed the conflicted emotions that went with Raina's pointed silence, but before he could quip about her keeping something a secret, Sickbay's primary standalone console began to chirp. With Kremer and Cris flanking her, Derrell strode to the terminal, and read over the LCARS display. On the planet's surface, Damhnait had activated her tricorder's intership function, presenting Sickbay with evaluations of the Away Team's physical status and the readings of the undefined organic substance. The time for idle chatter had slipped away now that the Home Team was in the know.

---

"Dead City, Part 2"
By: Chief Sorien Case
Lieutenant Tchalla Mel'Chir
Captain Matthew Salinger
Lieutenant Commander Sam
Dr. Damhnait Sefton
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Surface of Planet JJ324c
Stardate 57908.15, 12h55

***

With Mel'Chir by her side, Doctor Sefton strode down an avenue, in the direction opposite to T'Kal and Tagliesh, with steps that were shorter and more careful than usual. Examining the buildings with her eyes, and occasionally glancing to her tricorder, she asked Tchi, "Which one most looks like a home to you?"

Tchalla looked around at the buildings surrounding them and shook her head. "None of them really," she said softly. "Though, I guess that one looks closest." She pointed to a squat structure at the end of a row of squat structures. Her antennae twitched nervously, trying to pick anything her tricorder couldn't pick up. Normally, her tricorder would pick up anything, at least that had been her prevailing thought before Dorvali. The aliens there, however, hadn't been detected by the tricorder's sensors. The sixth sense she had from the pair of antennae atop her head though picked up the invisible aggressor. She felt no similar buzz today, indicating there was no similar energy moving about them. A blip appeared on her tricorder. "I am detecting a substance similar to the one Lieutenant Tagliesh detected earlier." She looked up at the doctor. "Organic, for certain, but still nothing indicating anything more than plant life."

Watching over what vital signs she could still pick up from each member of the scattered away team, Sefton said, "We'll take a closer look, but I would prefer to hear back from Sam and the others before we are standing in the substance." Damhnait paused to allocate her tricorder's resources to scan only herself and Mel'Chir to greater detail, and then followed the Andorian's lead towards the squat building. Catching up with Tchalla, Dav offered her a soft comforting smile. Damhnait wasn't experiencing the same sort of emotional response to this mission that she sensed from most of the others. She had beamed down to the planet without any expectations in place, and so the lack of populace seemed no more or less worrying than if the town square had been packed with people. Sefton certainly had questions bubbling at the back of her mind, but she ignored them; the rest of the team was just as capable as she was to theorise what had happened. She would simply accept the environment as it was, and remain observant for unpleasant changes.

They reached the front of the domicile Tchalla had indicated a moment before. The door hung slightly open, and what little they could see of the inside indicated habitation, yet with the layers of dust, it had been some time since there had been any movement through the building.

"I'm picking up some deposits of calcium from inside," Tchalla said. "Four distinct...deposits." She glanced at the doctor and her left antenna twitched. "We're still alone though."

"Do the calcium deposits coincide with the indeterminate organic substance?" Damhnait asked, obviously hesitant to enter a situation similar to the one that had given Sam and T'Kal pause. As useful as 'calcium deposits' in their natural environment might prove to be, they could be just as easily transported to the ship.

"It appears they do, sir," Tchalla answered. "They closely match the substance Lieutenant Tagliesh detected back in the square." She expanded the scanning radius to the buildings around them. "I am now detecting similar deposits in the other buildings as well, though not all of them."

A lop-sided frown came to Damhnait's face from Tchalla's words, and her only response was to tap her commbadge. "Sefton to Sam, have you made any progress on closely identifying the organic substance?"

"Affirmative, Doctor," came Sam's answer over the communicator. " Chief Case and I have identified the source of the substance."

***

"Nothing yet," Xay whispered. She adjusted her tricorder's settings again, altering scanning bandwidths and frequencies, but still getting no readings from within the structure. She frowned and cocked an eyebrow at T'Kal. "We won't know anything unless we go in. You did say you wanted to go boldly, didn't you?"

He nodded, indicating that he would lead by walking in front. "No need to whisper, Lieutenant," he grinned. "There's no one home." He had kept his phaser holstered for the whole duration of their exploration, and he saw no need to draw it now. This was a first contact mission - if they did encounter any life forms that failed to show on their tricorder scans, it would not be with a weapon in his hand. There was nothing to indicate that this society was hostile, and until evidence to the contrary manifested itself, he was a guest in someone else's home.

"Let's see what we can see," he said as he stepped through an arch and into a darkened courtyard. Exterior doors were stark oblongs set into smooth walls. He chose one and tried it. With an effort he managed to pull it open, handles being where a normal humanoid would expect them to be. "I guess they have a similar height and weight to us, and the handles indicate a grasping hand, probably similar to ours."

He stepped through into the dusty interior.

Xay swallowed down any anxiety and followed closely behind T'Kal. From the narrowness of the passageway, it was clear they were in a corridor, albeit darkened to near pitch blackness. The only illumination was provided by the blinking lights of her tricorder, then by the startling flash of T'Kal's handlamp activating. She gasped, then narrowed her eyes at him. "You could've warned me," she hissed. Sighing sharply, Xay adjusted the strap of her science kit and shouldered past him. "Up ahead," she told him irritably. "I'm reading...well...nothing again. There must be some shielding device. Or these walls... The tricorder's having trouble identifying whatever they're made of."

Benedict reached out and grabbed her arm. "I said follow me." He purposely moved ahead, his hand lamp illuminating the corridor. He led the way, shining the lamp into recesses and cross corridors as they passed. Dust was thick on the floor and it plumed every time they took a step. T'Kal, being careful, moved silently now, one arm extended with the lamp, the other his tricorder. He narrowed the resolution so that the initial sensor scan by the Sulu was centred on this building. It showed them as two golden blips moving inside the structure.

"There's nothing," Xay told him petulantly. She sighed and stopped, while T'Kal continued. Cocking an eyebrow at his retreating back, Xay silently backtracked, running her hand against the wall as she went. She grinned and halted at a minute imperfection her fingertips detected. Peering close, she noted an almost invisible seam - another door. "Commander! Over here!"

Benedict turned, shining his lamp to where she stood, but careful not to shine it in her eyes. He walked back as she continued to examine the wall. "A hidden door?" he asked as he moved up beside her. He allowed her to work, nothing showing on the tricorder.

She found a small section of wall that depressed with a 'click' and the wall slid noiselessly backward and then to the side. Benedict stepped forward as soon as the door started to move, so that he was first, illuminating the newly discovered area with his lamp.

The room was extensive. No dust had penetrated this area and it was clean. Hermetically sealed. There were hexagonal stacks of metallic silver, like a crystal growth in a wide circular section of the room. They 'grew' from floor level to a height a little taller than T'Kal, like an irregular shaped stalagmite. A similar formation hung from the ceiling, almost meeting in the middle, an almost formed column, two inverted pyramids of irregular rods. A circle of light extended around the perimeter of the formation on the ceiling and on the floor, giving enough light to illuminate the whole room.

Benedict turned off his lamp as he stepped inside. The air felt loaded with static electricity, and his skin crawled. A barely discernable humming emanated from the stack. The walls of the room were hexagonal grey blocks, also various lengths sticking outward, but only a few inches. There were two waist height consoles at opposite sides of the stacks.

It was a 'clean room', and it still held power. "Computer core?" he asked Tagliesh as she too stepped inside.

"Could be," she answered with discernable awe. "Tricorder readings... I have no idea what they're using to power this thing." Xay drifted closer, mouth nearly agape as she puzzled over what could only have been a console, one of many circling the crystalline projection in the room's center. "I'd like to get a team down here," she called back to T'Kal. She set down her tricorder and reverently brushed her fingers over the raised sigils arranged on the surface. "Must be letters or words.... I think Commander Sam should look at this...see if he can decipher it." She depressed a series of them, but nothing seemed to occur. Xay sighed. "I'll keep trying to turn this thing on. We might have to beam a team down with a portable power unit."

Benedict turned from his examination of the walls to see her tapping on the console. "Lieutenant, perhaps deciphering their language before we push the buttons may be wise. We don't want to activate something we shouldn't. We don't know what killed the population yet." His voice was sharp - the woman had no caution. "Please - refrain from experimenting until we have more to work with."

His comm-badge chirped.

***

Sam looked down at the tattered remains of clothing, tricorder whirring as he analyzed and catalogued every atom. Among the clothes, the stark white of a humanoid skeleton lay in a posture that, to Sam, appeared to be what he would consider an uncomfortable position for most organic beings. "The organic substance appears to be the skeletal remains of a humanoid individual. Comparisons with the statuary and artwork of this building suggest that the species matches the former inhabitants of this planet. She is quite dead, Doctor."

"Will we continue our separate investigations of the remains, or would it be best to regroup?" Damhnait asked.

"That decision will fall to Commander T'Kal," Sam responded.

Sorien nodded at the android and tapped his combadge. "Chief Case to Commander T'Kal."

"T'Kal here, Chief."

"We've found some skeletal remains, sir," Case said, looking at said remains. "Dr. Sefton wants to know if we should continue our separate investigations or regroup?"

"We've found something more significant. Don't touch the remains, we don't want to disturb any taboos this culture may or may have had about their remains. We have discovered a computer core of some sort and it's still active. Commander Sam, your expertise will be required here. Chief, I'd like you to join up with Doctor Sefton and keep on searching. Stay in teams and keep in touch."

"Aye, sir," Case nodded to Sam and tapped his combadge again. "Chief Case to Dr. Sefton."

"Go ahead, Chief."

"Doctor, Commander Sam will be joining Commander T'Kal and Lieutenant Tagliesh. I'd like to move into a perimeter search pattern, if both you and Ensign Mel'Chir are willing to join me."

"Send us your co-ordinates, and we'll join you," Sefton said.

Case and Sam were already moving towards the door. "I'll come to you, sir. Case out."

***

Benedict turned to Xayella Tagliesh and frowned. His brow furrowed in thought. "We have an empty city - no population, only bodies," he said going through his thoughts. "No animal life - nothing but plants." He looked up at the hexagonal formation in the centre of the room as he walked over to the Sulu's Chief Science Officer. "I think they had a catastrophe - we can't detect radiation, so radiation weapons are out, unless they were extremely short life degradation. We're left with something that disturbs me, Lieutenant." He shook his head.

A moment later he tapped his commbadge. "T'Kal to Sulu. Captain Salinger."

"Salinger here, Commander," came Salinger's voice, slightly distorted through the upper atmosphere interference, "go ahead."

"Sir, we have found remains of the humanoid population. By the look of it they died quickly. No animal life, nothing larger than an insect. The city is empty. I think on the available evidence that they encountered either a natural or a synthetic biological agent that killed everything. We haven't found any proof - but I'd say that's a likely scenario. We've also discovered some kind of computer system - or power source of some kind. Tricorders aren't classifying some of this. Lieutenant Tagliesh thinks we need a team down here to investigate, but I'm not willing to risk anyone else down here until we can make sure we aren't carrying anything."

"Continue your search then," Matt said. "Once Lieutenant Tagliesh and Dr. Sefton are certain there is no risk to the crew, we'll beam down additional crew to help figure out the Mystery of the Empty World. If you need additional detection equipment, let us know and we'll beam it down. Stay safe, Commander."

"Aye, sir," he responded. "May I suggest a probe configured to detect contaminants in the atmosphere? It shouldn't take long to determine what happened, then perhaps we can beam up a sample of the remains for greater analysis in sick bay."

"We're already configuring the probe," Matt said. "Notify us when you have a sample ready for transport."

"Aye aye, sir, T'Kal out."

---

"Called Up"
by Ensign Shirik Lektar - Operations
Crewman Sorg Jarrell - Security

Location: Computer Core, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 13h30

***

Shirik stood at her terminal, tapping away commands. Conversation with her new guard had ceased as she returned her full attention to her work. She paused as a beep on her console caught her attention and she called up the incoming message. An eyebrow rose, then its partner joined it. "Sorg..."

"Yes sir?" He was startled to hear her call his name. He had been deeply involved in private thoughts, meditation exercises and day dreams of the woman standing opposite him. Calling his name had snapped him out of it.

"I've been chosen for an away mission to the planet," she said, surprise evident in her voice.

"That's good for you, sir," he smiled. He wondered who would replace her in the Computer Core. It wouldn't be someone he'd enjoy staring at all day he was certain of that. "First steps on a new world - that is what we're out here for." His face showed that he was indeed pleased for her.

His commbadge chirped. "Hex to Sorg." He activated it with a sharp slap of two fingers. "Sorg here, sir."

"Crewman, you've been assigned to accompany the away team for security duty. Report to transporter room one."

Sorg Jurrell's face split into a wider grin - if that was at all possible. "Right away, sir, thank you, sir."

Hex could be heard chuckling on the Bridge. "Easy, crewman, report to Commander T'Kal once you reach the surface."

"Aye, sir, Sorg out." He looked at Shirik Lektar and almost bounced on his toes. "Looks like I get to go with you, sir." He looked even more pleased about that.

She straightened and turn to look at him. She couldn't help but to smile, he looked like a kid who was promised a new toy. "So it seems. Come then, let's not keep anyone waiting." She headed for the door, an extra bounce in her step. Her first away mission! Action at last, on a strange new world.

In the turbolift she waited impatiently. "Have you been on away missions before, Crewman?" she asked him.

"Yes, sir. Many times. But never on a planet not previously explored." He grinned.

She nodded. "This is my first away mission," she said. "I didn't think I'd see one at all, considering where I was posted. But then, I'm going from one core to another, it seems."

Sorg Jurrell nodded and smiled at her. "Then this is a special occasion," he said. "You'll have to celebrate when you get back to the Sulu - it's tradition, sir."

"Is it? How is it traditionally celebrated?" she asked. She could imagine some ways she would like to, but doubted she'd get the chance to do any of them.

"Usually drinks in the crew lounge." He grinned. "But that depends on what you personally like to do to celebrate. I've heard of some differing traditions with differing cultures. It's a personal thing." He watched her from the other side of the lift. She was beautiful and she was talking to him like a normal person - not like some of the female officers on the Sulu. The ones like the Chief of Science who always talked to crewmen like she was royalty and they had to bow down. This Drokari woman was real royalty and she was talking to him like he was a real person.

She nodded, thinking. "Perhaps I'll do that. But for now, there is work to be done." She had an appointment the following evening, for her spar with T'Kal, so any celebrating would either have to be done tonight, if she returned by then, or after the spar. First things first, she thought. She'd have to make sure she made it back. She had no illusions about away missions. They might be exciting, but they were frequently deadly as well. She'd have to be on guard. She was grateful that she'd been allowed to carry her Kemla. Phaser or no, she only felt safe with a blade in her possession.

"Yes, sir," he grinned. Excitement was building in the security officer, he loved away missions.

The turbolift halted and he waved a hand for her to exit first, showing that he had manners. He followed her great looking derriere as it swayed to her womanly walk. They arrived in the transporter room to see several other officers gearing up.

Sorg smiled at the operations officer who handed him a phaser and field kit. As he strapped on his sash-belt he nodded to a few of the security team. They all looked the same. Excited and apprehensive at the same time, however most of them made a point of looking over the Drokari female as she accepted her kit.

Shirik examined the phaser she was handed and the contents of the kit. Satisfied, she moved to take her place on the transporter pad. If she noticed the looks of those around her she gave no indication, her mind already going over possible scenarios for what she might encounter below. There was no hint of her nervousness in her features, just her business face. She waited while the others gathered their gear and assembled around her.

Sorg took a place next to her. He'd decided upon himself being her unofficial body guard. After all, didn't princesses require constant security? He wondered if that had been the reason T'Kal had given him the assignment just as the blue energy locked his muscles, his thought and finally disassembled his very molecules into their basic energy packets and sent him several thousand kilometers to the surface.

---

"Over the River and Through the Woods"
by Chief Sorien Case
Lieutenant jg Tchalla Mel'Chir
and Dr. Damhnait Sefton

Location: Surface of Planet JJ324c
Stardate: 57908.15, 13h30

***

Tchalla Mel'Chir swallowed nervously as they reached the outskirts of the city, venturing toward the large forested area that seemed to surround the southeastern corner. It was fairly dense, but alive. At least something on this planet was. She looked at her tricorder and then to her companions. Chief Case scared her. It wasn't the dead eye or the fierce visage, it was the way he carried himself, the way he seemed ready to kill in a heartbeat. She knew his kind, and knew it well. Her home planet seemed populated by a large number of beings with a similar mindset. They scared her too. People who could kill so easily, almost as if it didn't matter, were scary people.

She frowned at her tricorder and then looked up. "I'm detecting a structure of some sort deeper within the forested region," she said, then added a nervous glance to the doctor and chief.

Case surveyed the landscape but any structures were hidden by the growth. The plants were reclaiming the outskirts of the city, confirming that the native humanoid life forms must have died off at least some few years before. To Case, it didn't matter that the tricorder wasn't reading anything larger than a lobfly. He looked to Dr. Sefton.

"Doctor, I'd like to get a dozen or so meters in front of you and the Lieutenant and have you match my pace while we work our way into the forest. Once inside, we'll narrow the gap to line of sight. If there's anything in there alive that we're not picking up, I want it coming for me first."

Damhnait looked up from the environmental conditions of the wooded area and the biological conditions of her teammates on her tricorder. "As you wish," Sefton assented, sweeping her hand towards the forest in a 'take the lead' gesture.

Case nodded and stepped lightly ahead of the two officers, phaser held ready. Once he had traveled the dozen meters, as he'd advised, Dr. Sefton and Lieutenant Mel'Chir started to follow with slow, careful steps of their own.

"Have you ever been treated in Sickbay on the Sulu?" Damhnait asked Tchalla in a distinctly conversational tone.

Tchalla's eyes went wide and she looked over at the doctor. "I...I...it's been awhile," she said. "After the mission on Dorvali, I...I required medical attention."

Damhnait visibly winced, and whispered an "I'm sorry." The crew had earned a reputation of being clumsy; she had supposed Tchalla must have been in Sickbay for a minor injury or even just a check up at some point. Deciding not to press the issue - just to find out how impartial crewmembers viewed the medical staff's interaction with the first CMO, Doctor O'Shea - Damhnait asked, "Are you accustomed to having your colleagues calling you 'sir' yet?"

"Not yet," Tchalla said with a laugh. "Kelzira said that was all she was going to call me from now on to make sure I'm used to it. Thankfully, she didn't really mean it."

"Try spending more time with enlisted lab technicians," Damhnait suggested, mostly seriously, but with some knowing humour in her tone. "Every other sentence will have a 'sir' slipped into it, and you'll be accustomed to it in just two more days. Maximum."

Chief Case reached the treeline and waited patiently for the two officers to close the gap. When he was satisfied that he would still be in their line of sight, Case stepped inside the forest.

Sparse light made it through the trees above once they were inside of the forest. Trees stood tall above, and it was obvious the lack of planetary inhabitants had been good for them. The entire place was eerily silent, save for the creaking of tree limbs above, moving gently in the breeze.

As they moved, Tchalla kept frowning at her tricorder, and scratching at her left antenna. "I'm...it's...oh!" Her eyes lit up as a blip- -very faint, but a blip nonetheless--appeared on the display of her tricorder. "Oh! There! Ahead." She held her tricorder up for Case to see. "There's a blip ahead of us. Something's there. No lifesigns, but it's a blip!"

As Damhnait was about to ask if Tchalla had any more qualitative information on the blip, her commbadge chirped. "T'Kal to Sefton."

Tapping her badge, Damhnait responded, "Sefton here."

T'Kal said, "Doctor, it seems that there is a power conduit from this location into the area you are currently working. I'd appreciate it if you could conduct a search for the location of the terminus of that conduit. It should be easy to find. We need to know where and what it's going to before we can do anything here."

"Certainly, Commander. It's now at the top of our To Find list," Damhnait assured him.

"Thank you, Commander. T'Kal out."

"Could our blip be the terminus of a power conduit?" Sefton sing- songily asked Tchalla, hopeful to solve two mysteries at once.

Tchalla looked at the readings she was seeing on her tricorder, and nodded slowly. "It is very possible. The source of power is very strong. It could be all of the power conduits from the city coming out here." She looked to Case. "Still no lifesigns or other indications of danger. However, we'll need to monitor the tricorders carefully. While some zh'kish won't be jumping out of the bushes at us, there could be other dangers. Radiation levels are still minimal, however."

The forest had been dense enough for Sorien to allow the female officers to narrow the gap between them and the Chief came out into a clearing only a few seconds before they followed. They all regarded the small, low building before them. It had a more modern look than those in the city proper but was less than half the size of the massive generator next to it. Both were dark and silent. Sefton and Case looked to the scanning Mel'Chir.

Tchalla ran a scan and nodded. "This is the source of the power," she said. "It appears to be in a low usage mode right now, providing power to the building as necessary. At the moment, power consumption is low. Still no life signs." Signs were emblazoned on the walls on either side of the door and on the door itself. Tchi took a couple steps closer, but couldn't read the writing. There was a hum in the air, the latent power of the generator ready to burst into operation. She looked nervously at the other two, though her antennae appeared to quiver slightly in anticipation. "Should we go inside?"

Case took a couple steps towards the building, giving it a careful glare with his eye. "Let me go first, sir," Case said, turning back to Mel'Chir and the Doctor. "I'll keep an open com channel and... you can monitor my vitals with the tricorder."

"Already doing so," Damhnait informed, with a tap of her tricorder. "Go ahead."

Tchalla adjusted her tricorder and gave Case a nod. "Ready, s- - Chief," she said, then frowned. "Ready."

Case tapped his combadge and moved towards the small building near silently with the occasional soft sound of crushed turf the only signal of his approach. He paused outside the door for several heartbeats, listening and looking for anything that might signal danger before he suddenly pushed through and trained his phaser on the murk inside. Relaxing his aim slowly, Case looked over his shoulder at the two officers before he stepped inside the darkness and disappeared.

Inside the darkness, a lone handlamp snapped on, throwing back some of the shadows. It was an old office, from the look of it. With stacks of a paper-like substance piled on the various desks and other surfaces. In the center of the desk appeared to be some sort of computer terminal, with an object that appeared as if it could serve as a lamp.

A door was centered in the far wall, open and leading into another room. The flash of the lamp showed what appeared to be a laboratory of some sort. The air was still and silent, save the sound of the chief's footfalls. The small building appeared to have been abandoned. It, like the rest of what they'd seen, appeared completely lifeless.

Once it was clear, Case called the others in. Tchalla went in first, tricorder whirring as she scanned the room. It wasn't a large building and easily searched. As she moved to the lab. An archaic looking biobed rested in one corner of the room, and a large table filled with computer equipment was in the center. The lamp attached to her wrist illuminated the dull, unpowered surfaces of the computer displays. Her curiousity brimming, it took effort for Tchalla not to reach out and turn one of the computers on. She'd examine the room first, then sate her curiousity. She turned and a blip appeared on her tricorder, with text scrolling to the side. She gasped, and then turned to face the wall in the western side of the room. A grin curled her lips and her antennae quivered in curious anticipation.

"Chief," she said, her voice thankfully normal, and not just an excited squeak, "there's...there's a door..."

---

"Pushing Buttons"
By: Lieutenant Commander Sam
Captain Matthew Salinger
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Surface of planet JJ324c
Stardate 57908.15, 13h35

***

Sam entered the building where Commander T'Kal and Lieutenant Tagliesh waited. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he had his tricorder out and running an active scanning routine. He found the commander and lieutenant at the end of one of the hallways and approached. "I have detected seven hundred thirty four additional bodies," he said. "That is a projection based on the numbers of unique, identifiable readings similar to those Lieutenant Tagliesh detected. I would hypothesize the numbers will be considerably greater, perhaps exponentially, when we begin searching the other sectors." He glanced between them. "How may I be of assistance, Commander, Lieutenant?"

Xay sighed and cocked her head towards the room they'd discovered. "The Lieutenant Commander here won't let me touch anything," she told him, frowning at the Bajoran beside her. "He wants you to decipher something before anything."

"Certainly, Lieutenant," Sam answered, then looked to T'Kal. "Commander?"

He smiled. "In here, Sam, I think you'll find it interesting...although the Lieutenant here has already started pressing buttons. A little over enthusiastic." He shot Tagliesh a grin. "Hopefully she hasn't done too much harm." He led the android into the chamber.

"Nothing detonated, now did it?" Xay replied testily. "I hardly think touching could do any damage." She chuckled at some inside joke only she was made aware of involving the many splendours of tactile stimulation.

Benedict shot the android a sideways look, forgetting for the moment that he wasn't human. He rolled his eyes. Her comment didn't rate a reply. From a Chief Science Officer it sounded rather childish. They were standing in what amounted to a massive graveyard, with no clue as to the reason they died.

They stood before the hexagonal columns and Benedict pointed to the consoles. "See if you can make some sense of these," he said.

Sam's tricorder was already working as he passed it over the consoles. He cocked his head to the side as he examined the results of the scan and brushed a hand over the surface. The equivalent of a frown formed on his face, and he adjusted the scan once more. He turned to T'Kal and Tagliesh. "Without further study, I am unable to translate the writing. I believe I can recognize some of the symbols from around the city. The system is in a standby mode, and the power currently available is not sufficient to power the unit. I am detecting power, but it is being rerouted to another area of the city. There appears to be no means to regulate the power from this location."

"Well, we can attempt to discover where the power is going," Xay suggested. "We simply record the specific signature being generated by the power source, upload it to the Sulu, and have them scan the entire area to track it." She shrugged at the two men eloquently. "A very good idea."

"That appears to be an acceptable option," Sam said, and turned his attention back to the tricorder.

"No," she said, planting her hands haughtily on both hips, "it's a damned good idea, Lieutenant Commander. Now, while you do that, I'm getting a team down here to get this computer working. I want to know what's inside." Turning sharply on her heel, she asked T'Kal, "Permission to request that another team be dispatched to check out these systems."

Benedict frowned. "Lieutenant, the Sulu is sending a probe through the atmosphere, and Doctor Sefton is compiling an analysis to determine if this environment is safe before we take that step." He clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the computer core (he assumed that was what it was), while still talking to the woman. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Lieutenant, but we must verify the safety of the mission first."

"We are safe," she exclaimed. "There are no signs of pathogens, toxins, or other airborne contaminants. The entire planet is deserted and we haven't encountered any defensive systems that could pose a threat to our Away Team. What more do you want?" she asked with exasperation.

"Tactical and strategic considerations must be taken into account, Lieutenant." His voice was soft, but it never the less carried weight. "On Ravera IV a biological agent was seeded into the winds. Carried as spores in the atmosphere, it killed everything. The spores were dormant until contact with a living organism. The life span of the spores proved to be decades. The winds carried them around the planet; it was an unparalleled disaster. At the Academy we learned such things so that we are prepared." He looked at her with a solemn expression as he said, "Are you prepared to risk the lives of the Sulu's crew because you lack patience, Lieutenant? I certainly am not. Until I am personally satisfied that we have covered these considerations, as mission commander, no one else sets foot on this world. Understood?"

Xay sighed impatiently. "Then I'll make sure it's safe," she snapped, and stalked away. "I'm going outside and collecting samples!" she called back. "You'll have an answer within the hour!"

He nodded with a smile. Turning to Sam he said, "Well, Commander, let's see what we can discover."

"Certainly, Commander," Sam answered. "However without power for the system, it is unlikely we will discover much more. We will require a generator and adapters to make this unit function."

"Then we'll get the equipment beamed down now. I'll leave those details to you, Commander. I'll make sure Lieutenant Tagliesh doesn't wander off on her own." He nodded at the android and left him to it, going after the pouty science department chief.

Outside the structure, Xayella Tagliesh was squatting on the grass with a portable lab laid out before her. There were test tubes and petri dishes, various scanning equipment and her ever-present tricorder. She smirked at the shadow falling over her work station. "Finally decided my suggestion is worthwhile?" she retorted.

"Thought I'd keep an eye on you," he grinned. "You're trouble just waiting to happen aren't you?" he said affably.

"I'm trouble all the time, Commander." She smiled slyly and offered him her tricorder. "The latest test results. I've tested the soil, microbes, water - anything that is susceptible to contagions." As he accepted the device, she finished with, "There's nothing."

He nodded seriously. "Okay, we wait for Doctor Sefton's assessment of the humanoid remains from a different location. If the probe that Sulu is sending gives the all clear then we'll act on that. Sam is arranging some equipment to be beamed down in preparation for that - you do the same for whatever you think will be needed from Science. "When the teams beam down, we'll start another foray into the city and use this location as our primary base of operations." He smiled down at her. "Now we wait."

Xay groaned and fixed T'Kal with a look of utter incredulity. "Wait? We've already waited!" She exhaled sharply and muttered an unpleasant comment regarding T'Kal as she gathered up her equipment ill-temperedly. "Sharing a bed with the commander's made you just as uptight," she remarked sourly.

He stepped closer, his face deadly serious. "Lieutenant Tagliesh, one should show proper respect for one's superiors. Mention my personal affairs, or Commander Lyrr in such a manner again and I will take it further. Do not rely on a relationship with the captain to shield you from showing such disrespect. You harm yourself as well as Captain Salinger."

Xay shrugged, her smile one of complete innocence. "I was just saying..." She dropped the last of her equipment into her science kit, and rose in one smooth motion. "And if I were you, Commander T'Kal," she added, shouldering the pack, "I'd desist with the threats. They don't become you or your new rank. Now, if you don't mind," --Xay languidly passed her gaze from his eyes, to his chest, and back again-- "please take a step back. I'm feeling a tad threatened just now."

"It's a promise, Lieutenant. Feel threatened all you like - and it's sir." He leaned in a little closer. "Show proper respect. That's an order." His voice was totally calm.

"Define proper respect...sir." She held his gaze unfalteringly and raised both eyebrows in challenge. "I think we've both gotten ourselves into a very sticky mess here, Commander. If you back off...I will."

He grinned. It wasn't a pleasant one. "Lieutenant, I think you're under the mistaken assumption that you outrank me. Back off? You think I need you to back off? From what, Lieutenant? I allowed you the courtesy of answering your question earlier. I distinctly remember telling you that I did not wish any further discussion relating to my personal matters. That was an order. You disobeyed it. You fail to show either Commander Lyrr or myself the proper respect due our rank and position. You argue, when clearly orders have been issued. I don't allow my crewmen any latitude in that respect and I sure as hell won't allow it to you because you feel like it. Lieutenant, I assure you, don't push me. I will take the matter to the captain. Your attitude is insulting."

A caustic retort was on her lips, and her entire demeanour was changing to one of complete disdain to accompany it, but the wiser, rational part of herself that loved Matt and knew what position a formal report from T'Kal would put him in shut her up quickly enough. She exhaled slowly, releasing her pent up anger, and smiled facetiously at T'Kal. "I won't mention your relationship with Lyrr again," she said through clenched teeth. "My mistake."

"That's my mistake SIR." His voice was sharp as a razor. "And it is Commander Lyrr."

"Of course," she answered tightly. "I'll make sure I get it right next time." With a curt nod, she stepped past him, swallowing down her pride and fighting the urge to tell him what she really thought about him and his beloved Bajoran witch.

"You forgot the sir," he said with a slight smile. "Dismissed, Lieutenant." His voice was once again filled with humour.

Xay tromped back into the building and once within, her shriek of frustration echoed cleanly off the interior's metal walls.

It was a few minutes later when T'Kal's communicator chirped. "Salinger to Commander T'Kal."

"T'Kal here, sir." Benedict looked out over the desolate city as he listened to his captain.

"Commander," Matt said, "I've just received telemetry data from our probes and I've conferred with Lt. Tagliesh. It appears that the planet is clean. Are things ready down there to receive additional teams?"

"So far we have found nothing to indicate an existing threat. Pending Doctor Sefton's examination of the remains of the humanoid inhabitants, I would say that it seems safe sir."

"You would say so," Matt said with a sound to his voice that indicated possible amusement. "Very well, Commander. Would you agree that the planet is safe enough to beam additional teams down too?"

"On the advice of the Chief Science Officer, sir, I have been assured that it is safe. There is certainly no security issues that prevent it." His own voice held amusement. "On that assurance, sir, I'm sure that you can send the teams down. I'm sure that Lieutenant Tagliesh will keep you appraised of our discussion."

"Very good, Commander," the captain said. "We'll begin sending teams down right away. Salinger out."

---

"Generating Answers"
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh, Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant Mark Thaine, Chief Engineer
Ensign Shirik Lektar, Operations Officer
Lieutenant Commander Sam, Chief of Operations
Lieutenant Commander T'Kal, Security Chief

Location: "Computer Core", Surface of Planet JJ324c
Stardate: 57908.15, 13h40

***

"What the hell are these?"

It was an understandable question, though the tone was, as ever with Thaine, probably unnecessary. The strange, 'crystalline' structures around the room, which looked more grown than built, each received a customary glare from the Chief Engineer, who finally shrugged. "Weirdest computers I've ever seen."

The away team stood in the 'Computer Room', as it had been dubbed, discovered abandoned on the planet. It was far cleaner than the rest of the place, for which all were thankful.

But somehow, the air also seemed stiller. Quieter. Silent, in fact. And the eerie silence contained nothing but unanswered questions about what had happened to remove all intelligent life from such a place, apparently leaving their sophisticated technology intact.

Xayella Tagliesh sighed airily and stepped into the Lieutenant's line of sight with arms akimbo and one eyebrow quirked upwards. Her entire demeanour warned Thaine of a sardonic remark to come. "I thought you were an engineer, Lieutenant. Now, if you're just going to stand there looking dumbfounded instead of actually getting these systems functioning, then perhaps you're unqualified to be down here." She smirked. "Is Commander Zareb available, by any chance?"

"No." He glared, obviously wanting to say more, but aware of the rest of the crew around him. Now wasn't the time to start trading insults. Later, he promised himself.

Shirik wasted no time getting right to work as soon as she rematerialized. While the others engaged in witty banter, she was moving over the consoles and the crystal-like structures with her tricorder, already thinking about how it might all operate.

Xay shrugged dismissively and was distracted from voicing another tactless comment by the arrival of another crewman. She didn't recognize him, as she didn't most of the crew she encountered, but didn't waste time in ordering him around. "The power generator?" She nodded, satisfied. "Go ahead and connect it. We've already wasted enough time standing here looking clueless." Her eyes furtively glanced in Thaine's direction, though she did nothing to mask her sly grin. The Chief ignored her.

"Ensign Lektar." Thaine turned to the Drokari while Thompson began the start-up procedure for the portable power generator. "What do you make of the computer systems?"

"At this point, sir, I'm not even certain it is a computer system... It could be something else entirely. Without any power to the systems, it's impossible to tell what function it may perform."

"A portable generator was included in the requested material brought from Sulu," Sam offered. "Once connected, its function should be revealed."

Shirik refrained from comment, but her opinion about androids was being proven correct. This one had a great gift for stating the obvious.

"Well, let's just hope our power supply is compatible with their technology," said Thaine, who had brought his own tricorder out. "And that we can find somewhere to connect the power supply up." He glanced around, looking from his tricorder to the room and back again, and finally pointed to a spot where a large, slightly more opaque 'crystal' jutted out of the wall. "That's where the power normally feeds in, so let's start there."

"Oh, but be careful," Xay called out to them with a smirk in T'Kal's direction. "The chief here has been a little jumpy about it."

Shirik gave a glance in Tagliesh's direction, wondering what she might have missed. She carefully avoided looking at T'Kal, though, and wandered over to where Thompson was working on hooking up the power generator. She stood nearby, watching, partially to make sure it was done correctly, and partially to offer assistance should it be needed.

Benedict pointedly ignored the attitude of the Science Chief. He simply watched the proceedings, as eager to see what would happen as any of them.

Once the generator was hooked up and activated, Shirik went back to the consoles and went to work with her tricorder, following power paths and trying to ascertain the machine's exact function without actually hitting any switches.

"I have been attempting to decipher the markings," Sam said, approaching where Shirik was working. "They appear similar in nature to some ancient Earth forms of communication, as well as the th'Kri writings on Andoria, the kk'tagh'be on Q'onos, and the pictograms used among the various cultures of the Rigel system before the modern methods of communication took hold. The context of the writing, from what I have been able determine so far, appears to be non-technical in nature. The unit is receiving enough power to keep it in a standby mode, with the main power trunk rerouted to an unknown location. Preliminary scans indicate the power conduits lead in the direction of the forest on the outskirts of the city."

Benedict overheard Sam's comment to the dark skinned Ensign and he stepped closer. "Then we have to send a search team into the forest," he said to Sam. "If power is being diverted, I'd rather see what it's being diverted to before we start this thing up. Do you concur?" He was conscious of Shirik working at the terminal and he made a point to ignore her as she was obviously doing with him.

Shirik looked up from her work when Sam spoke, and nodded agreement to T'Kal's suggestion, which she would have voiced herself if he hadn't. "That's definitely prudent, since we still don't know what this thing is or does. It could be this isn't the main core at all, but just a secondary control room of some kind. We may not need our generator if the power controls can be found elsewhere."

"That is a viable conclusion," Sam answered. "However, I believe Dr. Sefton's team is currently searching in that area. Perhaps they might be able to investigate the power that has been diverted."

Benedict nodded, tapping his commbadge. "T'Kal to Sefton."

"Sefton here," the doctor replied.

"Doctor, it seems that there is a power conduit from this location into the area you are currently working. I'd appreciate it if you could conduct a search for the location of the terminus of that conduit. It should be easy to find. We need to know where and what it's going to before we can do anything here."

"Certainly, Commander. It's now at the top of our To Find list," she replied.

"Thank you, Commander. T'Kal out." He turned back to Sam. "Right. We'll see what we see," he grinned.

"Perhaps, while Dr. Sefton's team searches for the destination of the re-routed power, we should determine if it is possible to route the power back to this station. A thorough examination of this building would be advisable as well. It should also be determined if power from the surrounding buildings is being similarly redirected."

"Has anyone checked to see if there is power to anything else in this building?" Shirik asked. "Lights, ventilation...?" She suspected there could be a separate power system for such things. Turning, she headed for the exit to find out, tricorder humming.

Benedict nodded to Sam. "I'll accompany the Ensign. I'm still not comfortable with anyone being alone. I'll leave this bit of exploration to you." With a smile he added, "Just make sure Lieutenant Tagliesh doesn't push any more buttons." He turned on his heel and headed after Lektar.

He caught up with her in the corridor outside. "Mind a bit of company?" he asked as he walked up beside her.

She looked up from her tricorder with a smile. "Certainly not," she said. "It looks like not only that equipment in the room, but the entire building is on standby mode... Nothing will power up. I can only assume that means it's all on the same power system, and that system's control will be found wherever this power's been rerouted to. I don't think anything here should be touched until we examine more closely that other area."

He nodded, looking around as they walked. "This is your first away mission isn't it?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded. "Yes... I was surprised when I got called up for it. I wasn't expecting one so soon into the mission, or at all, really."

"Lieutenant Commander T'Kal," Xay's voice sang through his commbadge.

"T'Kal here, Lieutenant." He had an annoyed expression on his face as he spoke to the woman but kept his voice carefully neutral.

His expression prompted a small amused smile from Shirik. She hadn't spent much time around the Chief Science Officer, but already she could see why he didn't like her.

"Dr. Sefton's just informed Sam that they've found where the power's been rerouted to."

"Excellent," Benedict replied, "I'll leave it to your discretion to send a team from science to their location. T'Kal out."

"Shouldn't an engineer be sent as well?" Shirik asked. "I'm not sure there's much more our team can do here until the other location has been examined."

Benedict nodded. "I'll leave that to our Chief Engineer and Lieutenant Tagliesh to organize." They walked into a room that dwarfed them. Dust lay thickly on the smooth tile floor. Works of art lined one wall and a sculpture dominated the centre. It was a humanoid standing and pointing, one arm thrust forward and finger extended as if to draw attention in that direction. Benedict turned to where it pointed and looked out upon an extended garden that stretched down terraces outside through a floor to a ceiling glass panelled wall. The gardens were overgrown, bushes and trees running riot. It had obviously been a park at one time. Lamp posts lined a barely discernable walk.

Shirik went straight to the light controls for the room, and found them as unresponsive as the rest of the building. "These are on standby too," she mused with a frown. She looked to see what Ben was doing, and just watched him for a moment as he looked out at the garden. It felt strange to be working with him.

"It's so strange being the only living things on the planet. I wonder why they died," he mused, awed by the thought that a race no longer existed, leaving this puzzle behind. He looked at Shirik and noticed that she was watching him. He gave her a quick smile. "I guess we'll find out," he added.

"That's what concerns me," she said. "Something killed them all, and that something could still be here to kill us."

Benedict shook his head. "They died of a planetwide catastrophe that looks to me like a plague. Probably man-made. Long since burned out after killing everything." He stood at the windows, staring out at the city. "What a waste. They seem to be a lot like us.... Karma."

"A plague is what I'm worried about. Just because we haven't detected it doesn't mean it isn't still here, somewhere...dormant..." She tried to shake off the chill that thought sent creeping up her spine. "Most species in the galaxy appear to be a lot like us," she mused.

He nodded thoughtfully. "It worries me too," he said quietly. "But our probes haven't found anything, and our Chief Science Officer guarantees our safety from such things." He gave Shirik a look that said little about his true feelings in that regard. "We are safe, or relatively so. Just as long as we don't wander off alone and get lost." He smiled. He felt at ease with her for perhaps the first time. It was good. For a while he thought that perhaps working together would be a mistake. There seemed to be little in the way of discomfort. "Let's explore," he said, waving a hand in the direction of a set of double doors.

She didn't say how little Tagliesh's guarantee comforted her. "I hope so." She looked in the direction he waved and with a shrug, headed that way, not seeing any harm in it. "What did you just say about not wandering off and getting lost?" she smiled.

"I said alone," he grinned. "You're safe, I've got a good sense of direction, and if all else fails I've got a tricorder too."

"Indeed. So do I," she smiled.

They began to search the rooms, one by one, finding nothing but dust, old furniture and scattered remains of bodies that had fallen where they stood. It was depressing for Benedict - he wanted to find some hint of life, but didn't. He enjoyed Shiriks company, even the long silences as she took tricorder readings and he mapped out the building in greater detail.

Shirik didn't expect to find anything more than that. This place was a tomb, nothing more. Wherever they went, she tested the power, but found nothing that wasn't on standby. So she too turned her attention to mapping out the interior, trying not to dwell on the scattered remains they invariably found along the way.

Eventually they wound up back at the computer core (for want of a better term), and checked in on the team who were still busy working.

---

"Co-Ordination"
By: Lieutenant (J.G.) Arthas Hex

Location: Bridge, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57908.15 13h45

***

Arthas stood, at total attention at the tactical station of the Sulu. He had been slightly disappointed when he had heard that he had not been chosen to beam down to the surface of JJ324c. Although he was the second most senior security officer on the ship, he had never been on an away mission before. Never had the chance. His previous starship, the Blizzard had been a small starship and had only been used in escort duties. And he hadn't had much chance to go on an away mission during the war.

Junior Lt. Hex was still only out of the academy 4 years; sometimes it seemed like yesterday. He had been lucky, he mused, to be sent to a starship where he was quickly promoted.

Lucky that I died you mean? Craz Hex mumbled from inside the Hex symbiont.

Arthas frowned. You know that's not what I meant.

Hmph, Craz mumbled, bitterness heavy in his voice.

Come on, I did everything I could to save you, Craz. As did, Doctor Connor, Arthas replied.

Arthas Yior! Pay attention, Gredala said commandingly. There's an away team down there relying on you. Stop arguing with a bitter man and get to attention.

Arthas nodded, and flicked his hands over the panel.

He read a message from the surface and announced

"Lt. Commander T'Kal has reported in, still no sign of intelligent life. The Commander and Ensign Lektar are currently searching for any external power sources."

The captain nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Hex."

Arthas nodded and continued his scans.

---

"Skeleton Key"
By: Lieutenant Commander Sam
Lieutenant j.g. Tchalla Mel'Chir
Chief Sorien Case
Doctor Damhnait Sefton
Ensign Shirik Lektar
Lieutenant Xayella Tagliesh
Lieutenant Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Forest Lab, Surface of planet JJ324c
Stardate 57908.15, 13h55

***

When Sam arrived at the scientific structure in the forest, now being referred to as the Forest Lab, the small team there was examining the door they'd found and scanning the room beyond. Lt. Mel'Chir had detected some biological signatures matching those of the skeletal remains all over the city, though there appeared to be a variation in her analysis. They would need to open the door to be able to determine what was actually on the inside.

Both Mel'Chir and Dr. Sefton agreed that the danger of contamination was minimal after several detailed scans of the room and surrounding forest. Sam scanned the room as he entered, allowing the tricorder to take in all the available data. He glanced at the data, and then moved to where the Andorian and Betazoids hovered near the hidden door.

"There's a mechanism that opens it," Tchalla said before Sam could say anything. "Though, we haven't been able to find what triggers it. It also appears to be unpowered at the moment. We tried turning on the generator, but it only ran for a couple minutes, and then went back into standby mode."

Sam nodded his understanding and stepped forward. Running his tricorder along the outside of the door, he quickly found what he was seeking. With lightning fast dexterity, he modified his tricorder to serve the function required. Once he was finished, he tapped in a sequence on the scanning device, and a soft click sounded within the wall. With a hiss, the wall began to slide away, revealing a darkened room beyond. The air rushing out was stale and cool, smelling faintly of ozone and unwashed bodies. Strangely, the expected smell of decay that would be expected in such a situation was absent.

Sam switched on his handlamp, and indicated for Chief Case to lead the way. While he would have stepped forward to be first to examine the room, Chief Case's caution with regard to the potential of physical danger was apparent. When dealing with the unknown, caution was always a recommended course of action.

The beam of light from Case's own handlamp trailed over computer consoles. Even to Sorien's untrained eye, he could see that the room's technological decor was far more complex than anything they had seen in the city. Case took a few careful steps inside.

A small red light blinked in the dim every few seconds, drawing Sorien's attention. There were three metallic cylinders beneath the pulsing light. Running the light of his handlamp over the cylinders, Case traced the thick connecting cables back to the computer system. Soft green light streamed from both ends of the connections.

"Commander," Case said, voice low. "I'm in your territory now."

"Thank you, Chief Case," Sam answered, then stepped into the room, tricorder warbling as it scanned. Sam approached the cylinders, watching the readings on his tricorder scroll past. "These chambers appear to be designed to hold a body in stasis," Sam announced. "There are three humanoids, one in each chamber." He turned to Sefton and Case. "The chambers appear to have failed in their function; the humanoids are dead." Sam turned to Dr. Sefton. "I believe this would be...your territory, Doctor?"

"My tricorder's not detecting any signs of life," Damhnait confirmed. "It's not always the best determinant, especially on the thin line between life and death in stasis, but if the stasis units have been inoperable for some time..." She trailed off, since the mortal conclusion was obvious. These might have been the last of their people -- Damhnait supposed just as everyone must have been -- and they were possibly exterminated by a faulty battery.

Sam stepped away from the cylinders and over to the computer equipment. He tapped his communicator. "Sam to T'Kal," he said

Benedict tapped his communicator. "T'Kal here."

"We have found an installation in the forest," Sam said. "There are three stasis chambers located here, each containing a body. There is also a considerable amount of computer equipment. This is also where the power from the city is diverted. I am going to begin my examination of the computers, if there are available personnel at your location, their efforts may be better served here."

Benedict nodded. "Understood, Lieutenant. I'll send Lieutenant Tagliesh and Ensign Lektar to your location via transporter. If you require extra personnel I'm sure the Chief Science Officer will be able to nominate her choices once she assesses the situation. T'Kal out." He made contact with each of the two nominated officers and relayed their orders. Once that was done, he gave instructions to transporter chief Riley to perform a site to site transport for them both.

***

Once Tagliesh and Lektar arrived at the location of the forest lab, Sam turned from his scans and approached. "We have discovered computer systems that, when compared to the other systems we have found here, are quite advanced. Lt. Mel'Chir is examining the generator outside to determine if it can be used reliably. There are also three stasis chambers, each containing a body. They appear to be well-preserved compared to the other bodies discovered so far."

Xay's eyes expanded, and her face lit up with the enthusiasm only a true scientist felt when presented with an intriguing discovery. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she said. "Let's go see!" Leaving behind Sam and Shirik, Xayella hurried inside.

Inside the lab, Chief Case turned towards the commotion by Tagliesh's entrance but fortunately noticed the uniform before he swung his phaser in her direction. "Sir," he said with a polite nod. He stepped away from the equipment and holstered his weapon.

Xay narrowed her eyes icily and scoffed at him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Undisciplined fools," she muttered and strode directly for Sefton.

"Perhaps try observing a situation before dismissing it as undisciplined or foolish," Damhnait icily told Tagliesh.

Snorting derisively at the CMO, Xayella approached the cylinders while pulling out her tricorder. "Don't be so sour, Doctor," she drawled. "It does nothing for your looks." Passing the trilling scanner up and down the nearest cylinder, Xayella made a pensive sound. "We'll need to have them transported directly into a level three stasis field, but we may run into a problem with the transporter scrubbers containing and destroying any foreign organisms or substances that may be crucial to determining a cause of death." She cocked an eyebrow at Damhnait. "Shuttle?"

"I suspect you actually care for my opinion about as much as I care for your aesthetic advice," Damhnait remarked, impatient with Tagliesh's condescension, and so focusing mostly on her tricorder readings.

Xayella smirked. "Does this mean you're handing the bodies over to me and my department?" she asked, batting her eyelashes sweetly. "That's so very gracious of you, Commander."

"It means that I have no need to share my opinions and decisions with an inferior officer," Sefton evenly informed her, before Xayella finished speaking.

Shirik followed Tagliesh inside, and moved off to examine the computer equipment. As she worked her tricorder she rolled her eyes at the squabbling. It seemed wherever Tagliesh went, arguments ensued. She turned her attention to her job, letting the others worry about sniping at one another.

Finding this equipment no more responsive than the last roomful, she followed the power conduits back outside to have a look at the generator.

Tchalla looked up from the generator as Shirik approached. She gave her a nod, and then looked back to the generator. "I think it's something in the power regulation, but I don't have the engineering background to figure out where the problem actually is," she said. "I think it's something here--" she pointed toward a box that appeared to be used to transform power, apparently cobbled onto the generator when the cabling was shunted from the city "--but, it could be there too." Her antennae drooped as she sighed. "Maybe I should study up on this sort of thing when I'm back on the ship."

Shirik examined the generator, took some tricorder readings, and frowned in thought. "It looks like the regulator is faulty," she mused. "It shouldn't be difficult to repair, but I'll need to have some tools and the part beamed down from the ship." She looked up at Tchalla, who she'd not met before. "You're Sciences, aren't you? It's not expected for you to be an engineer, too."

Tchalla smiled. "It may not be expected, but it still would not be a bad skill to acquire. It would have helped considerably here." She glanced back toward the door of the small lab. "We should probably fix this as quickly as possible. Lieutenant Tagliesh does not like to be kept waiting."

She nodded. "I don't know why there wasn't an engineer in your team to begin with." She tapped her communicator. "Lektar to Sulu. I'm sending you a list of equipment I need beamed down to these coordinates." She tapped the list into her tricorder and transmitted it, then looked to T'Challa once more. "From what I've seen, she doesn't like much of anything. But I'm not going to power this thing up without authorization."

Again she tapped her communicator. "Lektar to T'Kal. There's a generator in this location, and I've identified the malfunction. I have equipment coming down for the repair. Shall I proceed to repair the generator when the equipment arrives?"

Benedict tapped his badge. "T'Kal here, Ensign. Go ahead and make the repairs. Be careful. Out."

Once the requested materials beamed down, Shirik set about with the repair. It didn't take long, a simple parts replacement. Taking some readings to make sure the power would stay stable this time and nothing else was damaged, she nodded her satisfaction with the repair.

Inside the building, Sam approached where Xayella was looking over the data her tricorder was receiving. He cocked a head to the side as he took a position at her side. "The life support appears to have failed, though the bodies are well-preserved. I would assess that the life support ceased functioning within the last five years."

Xayella frowned. "How can you tell?"

"Comparing the state of decay on the bodies located in the city and these, my estimate is five years." He handed her the tricorder he held. "If you examine the cellular decay on the body Chief Case and I discovered, with the one in the tube on the right, you should see."

Xayella nodded at the tricorder's readings. "That may help us figure out what killed these people. If it was a contagion or toxin with a short lifespan, they would've been safe. But that they didn't survive...." Xayella was suddenly feeling less than confident in her assessment of the planet's safety. Numbly, she handed the tricorder back to Sam. "Let's finish up here and get moving," she called out to the rest of them. "Doctor Sefton, I know you're simply dying to take orders from me, so could you arrange for a shuttle to have these chambers ferried to the ship?"

Sefton defiantly asked, "In addition to the shuttle I had Chief Case call upon while you were occupied?"

"Well while I was occupied," Xayella replied sardonically, "why didn't you have gravsleds beamed down and have Mr. Trigger-happy here" --her sneer shifted focus to Case-- "begin mounting the chambers? Hm?"

Case looked through Tagliesh. "With respect, sir, being trigger-happy is my job...loading delicate equipment is not." He smiled cheerfully without a trace of insubordination. "However, if you're making it an order..."

Xay smirked. "I am. Get on that immediately." She turned on her heel swiftly and headed for the computer terminal.

Case tapped his combadge. "Chief Case to USS Sulu."

"Sulu here, Chief. Go ahead."

Case unzipped his outer tunic. "I need some equipment beamed to my immediate location, please."

***

Sam tapped his communicator as a green light flicked on his tricorder. "Ensign Lektar, I am detecting an acceptable level of power available to the system in here. The previous instability in the current also appears to be absent." As he spoke, he double-checked the data leads going from his tricorder to an input port on the computer, making certain it was still within tolerance limits. All was set. "If you would return inside, we can activate the computer system."

"On my way," she replied, gathering her tools and heading back inside.

Once back inside the building, she set the tools out of the way and took some more tricorder readings now that there was power flowing through the system. She traced the readings to what appeared to be the main control console, and the controls that should power up the system. "It looks like this is it, here," she indicated to Sam. She had trepidations about activating the system, without really knowing exactly what functions it might have been set up to perform.

"I concur," Sam answered. He turned to where Dr. Sefton and Lt. Tagliesh stood, still examining the bodies. "We are going to activate the system now. Please monitor the chambers for any changes upon reactivation." With that, he turned back to Shirik and nodded.

She took a breath and switched on the controls, taking readings all the while, and ready to shut it back down again should it be required.

A low hum rolled through the floor of the building as the system started up. Slowly at first, lights winked on, some flickering and unsteady. Then, after a moment, the lights grew steady and strong, and the computer system thrummed with power. Data scrolled across one bank of monitors while storage media was accessed for instructions to process. It seemed almost to have a life of its own, and then, it seemed to settle into a steady rhythm, sounding very similar to the computer core of the USS Sulu itself.

"Ah," Sam said as he stepped around to Shirik's side, "it appears fully functional." He looked at his tricorder. "Power flow is stable, and processing centers are active. Perhaps we will be able to access data that will reveal what transpired here."

She nodded. "Everything looks stable," she agreed. "I can try to find an access terminal so we can tap into the system using our own equipment rather than trying to use the alien controls we can't decipher," she suggested.

"That is a logical suggestion," Sam said. Sam indicated the port where he'd attached his tricorder to monitor the system. "I have found an input/output access point from which to monitor the system. There should be additional ports such as this one from which to attach control devices." He turned his attention to the tricorder as it displayed an initial analysis of the system. Sam was impressed.

She nodded and headed off in search of another, to connect her tricorder up to and see if she could gain access to the system.

As Ensign Lektar set to work on the computer system, Sam continued to monitor the data through his tricorder. It was on the third occurrence that he became aware of the pattern he was seeing, a complex fractalized algorithm that appeared to be repeating itself. Using his tricorder, he tried to access the data, but the data type and tricorder weren't compatible enough to make out more than very complex mathematical strings that, after examination, appeared to provide no conclusive information.

The cluster of data repeated once more, but Sam could still find no means to access the information contained within it. He tapped in a few key sequences into his tricorder. A green light at the base of the unit pulsed twice, and then stopped. A quick check indicated the data had been successfully copied, for further analysis on the much more powerful computers aboard ship. Sam set the tricorder into a diagnostic loop, to verify the integrity of the cluster and to ensure that it contained no viral clusters.

He turned to the stasis chambers, where Xayella Tagliesh still worked, with occasional sharp words exchanged between herself and the doctor. Leaving the computer work to Ensign Lektar, Sam moved to where the scientist worked. "Have you made any progress, Lieutenant?"

Xayella's tightly pursed lips indicated her frustration as her narrowed eyes shifted to Sam. "A shuttle has been requested," she snapped. Glancing aside at Damhnait, she added, "I can't wait to get off this planet."

"I am certain Captain Salinger is looking forward to seeing you again as well," Sam answered. A quick deduction on Sam's part, solved the riddle of the purpose of the shuttle. "Will additional personnel be required to transport the stasis chambers for loading onto the shuttle?"

"Of course," she replied. "Unless you can handle them on your own."

"While I may possess the strength to lift the chambers, a risk of damage to them is high. I would recommend gravsleds."

Xay smirked. "I was joking, but you wouldn't know that." She sighed and pocketed her tricorder. "A team's beaming down now with all the necessary equipment. Any success getting that terminal working?"

"I believe our efforts were successful," Sam answered. "Ensign Lektar is currently attempting to access the system to determine the use for this laboratory as well as what transpired on the planet. I have discovered a data cluster within the system. I transferred them to my tricorder for further study."

"I'll leave you to that, then," Xay replied. "And you can leave me to these bodies. Seems the doctor and I have a little understanding to come to regarding who they belong to." She cast a peevish glance in Damhnait's direction.

"Very well, Lieutenant," Sam said. "If you require any additional assistance with the stasis chambers, please alert me. In the meantime, I will be assisting Ensign Lektar with the computer."

Xay waved languidly at Sam and turned back to Damhnait, both women exchanging competitive stares that warned of possible hair-pulling to come.

As Xayella returned to her work, Sam returned to his as they continued to puzzle through the mysteries this planet had to offer.

---

"Ladies First"
By: Lieutenant j.g. Natalia Druschev; Science Officer
Ensign Raina Derrell; Medical Officer
Ensign T'rii; Operations Officer

Location: The Surface
Stardate: 57908.15 14h00

***

T'rii loaded up her tricorder as soon as she returned to physical form, and began scanning.

"This looks like a fine spot, sir," she addressed Druschev. "Shall I signal for the sample containers?"

"Da," she nodded, looking around. The cityscape extended to the hazy distance. It was so quiet that the knowledge of the massed remains littered across the landscape made her shudder. It was a primal feeling. People died here. Probably millions. A wave of sadness crept up on her as she thought about that. What a tragedy! She walked away from the beam-in site, dust curled in lazy spirals as wind eddies picked it up between the streets. Natalia's specialties were Astrophysics and Temporal Mechanics. She didn't really know why she had been ordered down here, but seeing a new world first hand was not something she would deny herself. Domenic would be filled with questions when she returned to the Sulu.

T'rii signalled the Sulu, and a number of crates and boxes were transported down. T'rii went over her supply list as the others looked around.

Throughout her medical school training Raina liked the idea of helping people. Part of that required intervening before death set in, but sometimes it won anyway. It was why she knew that she could never be a coroner, yet some other aspect of Forensic science interested her. "What do we have as part of our supply inventory?"

Natalia turned as the medical officer asked the question and motioned to the stacks of equipment. "Sub-space resonator," she replied, "for seismic readings and deep scans of the subterranean complex beneath the city. Mostly sample containers and a portable field generator and force field emitter. We should move it into the building there," she pointed to a low squared-off building with sloped sides and windows along both visible walls. "We don't know the local weather patterns."

T'rii nodded and keyed up the gravdeck on which the crates rested, and it lifted off the ground. She was initiating the remote-drive function on her tricorder when she cocked her head to one side, listening with a frown.

"Does anyone hear anything?" T'rii asked.

Natalia shook her head as she configured her tricorder to interface with the scanning equipment. "Just wind between buildings," she said distractedly, her Russian accent thick.

"It sounded like--" The Vulcan woman's communicator-chirp interrupted her.

"Farrell to T'rii."

"T'rii here."

"Did you hear singing just a minute ago?"

"I'm not sure. I thought I heard something, but it was very faint. I thought it was just the wind between the buildings. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Don't worry about it. I'll explain later. Farrell out."

T'rii arched an eyebrow, and looked to Derrell and Druschev with a shrug. "He is a man," she said simply, as though this explained everything, and returned her attention to her tricorder and the gravdeck.

Natalia's scowl at the sound of Farrell's voice was hidden as she looked away. She didn't want to share the thoughts running through her head about what Mason Farrell really was.

The dynamic from that one exchange caught Raina's attention but she didn't say anything. After her recent experiences with the nurses she wasn't about to fuel rumors of any sort herself. "I was just checking on the supply contents earlier so we don't go cross contaminating things as we gather samples."

T'rii nodded. "My job here is to catalogue and pack whatever the two of you wish to keep. I am versed in the required protocols to avoid contaminating samples."

Natalia went to the gravdeck and unpacked a holoimager. "Before we touch anything, we make sure we have its position marked and imaged as we found it. Put the sample cases in the range for accurate scale and to record exactly what went where and in which sample case. That should do it. Don't disturb any humanoid remains, we'll leave that to doctor Sefton's team. I don't like the idea of disturbing the last resting place of a sentient being...and this is one big graveyard isn't it?" she said to no one in particular.

She shouldered a science kit, checked her tricorder and started taking a panoramic view of the beam-in site. She would keep a journal from now on, she decided. Holoimage pics would show the worlds she was exploring. It would be a good educational tool for Domenic.

---

"The Second String"
By: Ensign Cristobel Sefton; Nurse
Ensign Mason Farrell; Operations Officer
Ensign Sanat Vijay; Flight Control Officer

Location: Surface of Planet JJ324c
Stardate: 57908.15 14h01

***

"Okay," Farrell said, adjusting his sunshades as he coalesced. "Where's the good stuff?"

"The residential buildings in grid three," Cristobel replied, clad in the vested variant of the Class A uniform. "Which is thhhh..." --Cris pointed towards 9 o'clock from his position, double-checked his tricorder, and then pointed towards 2 o'clock-- "That way."

Sanat blinked a few times until his irises adjusted to the brighter light. One of the few advantages of being partly Vulcan and from a desert planet to boot; an ocular system adapted to intense light. Sanat glanced around them as both Cris and Mason started heading towards the tricorder heading. The helmsman quipped as he caught up, "My, what a lively place we have here."

"You think this is lively? You should have seen the interpretative dance entitled 'hello, strangers' that the corpses put on for the initial away team," Cristobel deadpanned.

Farrell snapped his fingers in mock frustration. "Damn. Those senior staffers get to have all the fun."

Vijay chortled at Cris', as well as his roommate's, repartee and produced a slip of latinum from a small pouch attached to his Class B field uniform. He held it where Farrell could see it. "You wouldn't be interested in a small wager would you?"

"Get thee behind me, Satan," Farrell said with a smirk, "and push as hard as you can. What's the wager?"

The pilot mildly grinned, winked at Cris and then said, "I don't believe you can sing Henry the Eighth loud enough for another away team to hear," Sanat finished with a raised eyebrow.

Farrell gave Vijay a wry look, then cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and bellowed out, "I'm Henery the Eighth, I am! Henery the Eighth I am, I am! I got married to the widow next door! She's been married seven times before." He found what looked like a small garden bench in a deserted front yard and leapt onto it, continuing his serenade of nothing in particular. "And every one was an 'Enery! No she wouldn't cop a Willie or a Sam! I'm her Eighth old man, I'm Henery! Henery the Eighth I am!"

He stopped and looked at Cris, who hadn't moved far from his beam down location and simply stared at Farrell with his eyes narrowed in puzzlement while Sanat stood close by holding his right hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. "Think they heard it?"

"Difficult to say..." Cris responded -- his inability to understand why they would want to hear it apparent in his tone.

Sanat moved the hand slightly, managing to say, "Oh, I definitely think another chorus is needed to make certain," without snickering aloud.

"Second verse! Same as the first!"

With a quick telepathic check telling Cris that the second verse indeed contained simply a louder version of the first verse, Cristobel forced-enthusiastically blurted, "No! I mean, I'm sure they heard. Bravo. Brah-voh."

Dropping the hand, Vijay began to clap silently. He added with mirth in his voice, "Oh, wellll done. Well done. I'm almost positive they heard...something...perhaps you should call to verify it."

Farrell took a bow, stepped off his bench, and tapped his communicator.

"Farrell to T'rii."

"T'rii here."

"Did you hear singing just a minute ago?"

"I'm not sure. I thought I heard something, but it was very faint. I thought it was just the wind between the buildings. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Don't worry about it. I'll explain later. Farrell out." He looked expectantly at Vijay.

Sanat smiled and handed over the slip. "Payment in full." He turned, regarding Cris for a moment. With feigned confusion painted on his coppery-brown face, the helmsman asked, "Now...where were we going?"

"Home," Cristobel stated matter-of-factly. He pointed at a squat building down the avenue. "That one."

As they walked towards the designated location, silence settled in around them like a gloomy fog, broken only by an occasional puff of wind. If the scenery had been more aesthetically pleasant, strolling down the deserted street might have made for a nice change of pace from the daily shipboard routine. But as it was, the lack of life around them made the stillness border on being oppressive.

The half Vulcan let his eyes scan the left side of the road, noting how austere everything appeared on the buildings around them. Obliviously the inhabitants of JJ324c either had a social reason for this noticeable absence of ornamentation on all the dwellings, or they simply couldn't afford such luxuries. He blinked and decided that only after the science team analyzed what was left of this culture would they know for sure.

"I'll send for the sample containers," Farrell said as they approached the yard. "Vijay, fire up your tricorder. Let's talk re-certification."

"Tricorder re-certification, okaaayyyy...." Sanat's voice oozed with a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the task at hand. After all, he was a pilot not a scientist; still, if he wanted to participate in future away missions, re-certifying on the tricorder was a job that had to be done. Regardless of how mundane it could be.

Sanat took out his tricorder and started to open it when he realized it was upside down. Without glancing at Farrell, Vijay quickly righted it and opened it. Punching in a few buttons, he set the device for an area-wide search pattern. "I can pick up away teams of three people each with the nearest one approximately 47 meters away from our present position."

"Good," Farrell said. "Now tune your organic sensor to ghost out the living and brighten up the dead."

Approaching their first building, Cristobel opened the only immediately visible door to gain entrance to a narrow hallway as undecorated as the house's exterior.

"Keep your comm open, Sefton," Farrell said, looking at a spot to bring down material from the Sulu.

"Done," Cris said once he manipulated his commbadge. He stepped into a darkened narrow corridor and followed the readings on his tricorder to a room, lit by sunlight streaming in through the windows, located at the back of the house. Seated in perfunctory chairs at a perfunctory table were the skeletal remains of three individuals. The instant he saw them, Cristobel's eyes dropped to his tricorder, to silently record the precise current conditions of the corpses, rather than seeing any more of it for himself.

Outside, Farrell signaled for the sample containers, a full gravdeck of material shimmering into existence in the street outside the house.

"Let's scan the outer grounds, Sanat," he said as he pulled a crate from the stack. "Let's see if we can't find something worth taking back to the ship."

The pair commenced a walk around the house, scanning the withered lawn, the structure, and the surrounding areas, Vijay in the lead with his tricorder presented, Farrell just behind him watching Vijay work.

"There's something here. 12 Meters, 32 centimeters from where I'm standing." The helmsman tapped a few buttons and changed the orientation of his tricorder. "Over there. It appears to be a bunch of bones...no, wait, a single body." Sanat walked about halfway through the barren yard before stopping and waving the device over a barely perceptible mound. "Yes. Right here, and it seems to be in bad condition according to my tricorder."

"Three distinct sets of remains, to be catalogued and transported, have been confirmed at this location. I'll be joining you now," Cristobel hurriedly said over the comm-channel.

"We've got remains in the yard as well," Farrell answered. He unslung an imager and took a vidscan of the slight mound. It was featureless save for the fact that its presence disrupted the lawn.

Sanat turned from the tricorder to Farrell. "Should we try and dig it up?" His face held a slight look of distaste on it as he asked the question. The thought of digging up a body had little appeal to Sanat. It could stay where it lay for another 1000 years as far as the half human officer was concerned.

"Good question," Farrell answered. "I'd hate to mess it up with an excavation. I wonder if there's some way to extract it cleanly."

Sanat looked over the area before asking, "Is it possible to transport it out without digging? I mean...maybe using a transtag somehow?"

Farrell and Vijay were still staring thoughtfully at the mound when Cristobel strode into the yard. He walked around to the other side of the mound, to be facing the other team members, and to join in on the silent ground pondering.

"Sefton, give us an opinion," Farrell said, all business. "There's a body buried here, and we're thinking of how to get to it without digging that could disrupt the remains. What if we outlined the mound with transtags and beamed an entire cube of ground into a crate?"

"That could work," Cristobel nodded. "Can they filter out the dirt to only transport the remains?"

"Maybe. Let's ask," Farrell smiled. "You guys peg out the mound. I'll run the idea past Davies and Youssenian."

As Sanat took up a transtag gun, Cristobel stepped away from the mound to comm Annikafiore Szerda. "How's your team dealing with the bodies buried in the backyard?"

"Buried bodies?" Szerda asked exasperatedly. "We're still cataloguing the dozen corpses we found in our first building."

"Understood," Cris said. "Sef--"

Annikafiore distressingly continued, "Two of said corpses were leaning against the front door and fell on me, when I opened it."

"Ugh," Cris muttered. "Stay frosty. See you back in the 'bay."

"Not during this shift. Once we're done here, I'm site-to-site transporting into a sonic shower."

"Sefton out." Cris distractedly closed the commchannel, when the results of the detailed scan of the buried remains graced the display of his medical tricorder. He saw Farrell returning with a longish crate, and affirmed, "It's definitely of the good to transport the remains out, rather than digging. The skeleton down here is in notably worse condition than the ones in the house. I'd say it's been cremated or similarly charred." Cris non sequitured, "Maybe it was done to appease a god, or to more quickly reintegrate the body with its environment..."

"Or to kill a contagion?" Farrell said ominously. "What are the bodies like inside?" he asked, setting up the crate alongside the mound and unclamping the top.

"Pretty much all that's left is bone and scraps of clothing. They were just sitting at a table. ...Probably where they died," Cristobel explained in his duty voice, busying himself with sending a completed sensor composite of the back room in the house to Farrell and Vijay's tricorders.

Farrell checked his. "What's on the table? Dinner?"

"Nothing but extra layers of dust," Cristobel said, sounding almost apologetic for the anticlimactic announcement. It would have been greatly preferable to be distracted by any aspect of JJ324c's natives other than their corpses, and yet it was only the corpses that were figuratively (and occasionally literally) jumping out at them.

Sanat shot the last tag into the ground as Mason talked to Cris. "Okay, ready for beaming," he said as the isolinear dart thudded into the dirt just to the left of his original starting position.

"Farrell to Davies. Energize."

Cristobel's attention was ripped away from the composite image on his tricorder, when the buried body materialized inside the open crate. With the scorched, disintegrated condition of the bones, it was easier to look at; it was less identifiable as a person. But there were still plenty more people to identify. Pointing to the house next to the one he came out of, Cristobel somberly remarked, "I'll be in there."

The flight controller dipped his head. Putting the transtag gun down, and picking the tricorder up once again, Vijay calibrated the device for an archeological recording mode. He still needed to finish a detailed scan of the area before Mason would re-certify him on its usage.

"Fair enough," Farrell nodded. He looked to Vijay, studiously scanning everything, and then back to Sefton. "We'll record and pack the bodies inside. Keep your comm open."

---

"Examining Exams"
By: CWO Sikara - Head Chef
Lieutenant JG Nathalie Gui - Ops/Security Officer

Location: Taylor Bennett & Nathalie Gui's quarters
Stardate: 57908.15 16h08

***

Sikara walked down the deck toward Nathalie's quarters. He hadn't had much time to see Gui since he had become the head chef on board, but he was anxious to see her again.

He had met many people over the last two weeks and felt slightly unsettled even scared to be so far from his homeplanet for the first time in his life. He had submerged himself in his work somewhat, redesigning the newly named 'Officer's lounge' and designing numerous new menus for different days, holidays and even the various races on-board ship.

He had been so busy in fact that he had forgotten about the CWO examination he had to pass to keep his rank and position on board ship. He hadn't a clue what was involved, but it couldn't be that hard as he didn't have to man the helm or anything. He had plenty of time he told himself. Smiling to himself, he arrived outside of Gui's quarters and he put the PADD that held the deck plan at his side and searched the unfamiliar panel for the bell. After pressing the wrong button once he found the correct one and pressed.

Gui looked up from the paperback book she was reading in her hands upon hearing the door chime. Frowning confusedly she sat up, wondering who had come to visit her as she was not meeting anyone today unless it was for a pre-arranged sparring match. Closing the book she stood up and walked over to the door whilst calling out, "Come!"

Sikara looked into the now open doorway. "Nathalie," he smiled.

Nathalie smiled, pulling Sikara into a hug. "Sikara! It's so nice to see you. I've been meaning to stop by and see how you've been doing in the Mess Hall but I've been so busy." Pulling back she asked, continuing to speak in Risan, "How have you been?"

Sikara smiled also. He was relieved to speak in Risan again, he didn't have to search for the words in Standard, they now flowed off his tongue. "It has been hectic, but I have not regretted my move. How are you? I've also been meaning to see you, but I've only just figured out how to find you."

"I've been good, please come right in. Can I get you something to drink?" Nathalie asked, walking over to the Replicator.

"Sure, I've had hot chocolate recommended to me by Espinoza," Sikara nodded.

"Computer one Vanilla Red Tea and one hot chocolate." In moments the drinks materialized from the Replicator and Nathalie took her steaming cup of tea in one hand and Sikara's mug of hot chocolate in the other as she walked over to her sofa.

"So, Sikara, please tell me, what brings you to see me?" she asked as she sat down.

Accepting Nathalie's drink, he put it on the table and smiled. "I've been meaning to ever since I came and have come about my exam, next month. My CWO exam."

"Oh yes that's right, you're going to be needing to take it soon aren't you? Well you probably would like to know what it entails. Lemme go bring up a file I have on it...I'm sure I have something that will help you." Standing, Nat walked over to her desk and fished through the drawers. After a bit of digging she pulled out a Data PADD and walked back over to Sikara and handed it to him.

"Here you go. I saved a copy of this for reference after graduating from the Academy. Basically it entails what kind of studying in which areas you would pursue for the test, and what areas you should be familiar with."

Sikara smiled and looked down at the PADD she had given him. His eyebrows rose and he muttered a curse in his language she didn't understand. He looked up at her, flustered.

"Whoa," he said, "I don't know, there's a lot here, Nathalie. I'm having trouble with Federation standard let alone some of the ones listed here."

"Come on I'm sure you have taken some classes on Risa or back in school right?"

Sikara shook his head and frowned, replying to her in his native language, "You don't understand, I'm not a good student. You went to Starfleet Academy, you must have been good at studies. But I can't, never have."

Nathalie sighed and gently placed a comforting hand on Sikara's shoulder. "But you do have talent, Sikara, you're a very excellent cook, surely that must have required some studying? I'm sure you could have this CWO exam licked," she remarked.

"That's different," he said, shaking his head still. "Cooking comes naturally to me. Those courses I went on, they were only to please Tipon'Sa. I could already do the stuff they asked me to do."

"Hey...." Nat cupped his face with her hand, turning his cheek so that they were seeing eye to eye. "If you have gotten this far I'm more than certain you can get past this little obstacle. I know a person with skills when I see them and I believe you have skills to pass this thing." Letting go of his face she took one of his hands in hers and held it to his heart. "If not in your mind, that skill is here, in your heart," she stated softly.

He looked from his hand to her face and his worries eased. Smiling slightly, not wanting to argue with the woman he said, "I suppose."

Sikara grabbed the PADD that sat to his left and looked down at it. Resisting the urge to groan as he saw the length once again. After a quick scan his smile increased.

"Well I'd appreciate help with the languages bit, Nathalie," he said. "My Federation standard isn't that great and I'm not sure which other ones I would need to know."

Nathalie beamed. "Sikara, you've come to the right Linguist. I'd be more than happy to help you out."

Sikara smiled, his thoughts still partially worrying about the endless list of subjects. "Uh, when shall we start?"

"We can start whenever you're ready. How's same time tomorrow sound to you?"

Sikara looked at his Risan watch and nodded. "Sure, sounds good. I've got about an hour or so spare at this time."

"Well I gotta get some things done first today, would tomorrow be okay? I'll probably have to dig up the necessary study materials for you."

Sikara nodded. "Alright." He stood. "Thank you once again, Nathalie."

Nodding, Gui stood also. "Not a problem. If you need any help at all with this feel free to come visit me."

---

"Why Co-Ed Dorming should never have been allowed in the first place"
By Ensign Roades Mouazer - Communications Officer
Ensign Asuka Thuyen - Science Officer AKA Raging Harpy [NPC]

Location: USS Sulu/Crew Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15 16h33

***

"OUT NOW!"

The young spiky, blonde haired man stumbled into the ship's corridor as the other room's occupant screamed at him, quite obviously angry in hurried Vietnamese. His hair was a mess and he was wearing his now rumpled off duty uniform.

"Couldn't we just talk about...whoa!"

Mouse stopped in mid-sentence as he had a standard issue Starfleet boot hurled at his head and he stumbled backwards attempting to catch his bearings. The sole of the boot left a slight imprint on his face and an ever steadily growing pinkish bruise that was slowly turning the colour blue and purple on his face.

Nursing his sore cheekbone he shook his head wondering exactly how he had gotten himself into this mess in the first place.

***20 Minutes Earlier***

Mouse looked around his Quarters and sighed tiredly as he fell down onto his bed, exhausted. He had just finished his shift which consisted mainly of running around doing tech maintenance in the Jefferies Tubes and various other areas of the ship.

More than anything right now he just wanted to kick back and relax. Pushing himself up to a sitting position he hopped off his cot and commanded the computer to play a premixed array of tunes he had programmed from Earth's 20th century by a band called Black Sabbath. Proceeding to remove his uniform he walked to the refresher as he ordered the computer to run a cool water shower. Barely acknowledging the command was received over the loud music he finished removing his clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Only then when he walked into the Refresher he would realize he had company. Mouazer's next few memories of what happened after that would mostly consist of screaming only to be followed by more screaming still coupled with his being yelled and swore at by possibly every known word in the Vietnamese language.

***Present***

"Asuka! Come on! I swear I had no idea you would be off duty!!" Mouse remarked, knocking on the door to his Quarters. Great, he had only been here, what, a week now? and already he had made an enemy.

"Du ma nyu Roadkill!"

"Bull! You said specifically that you would be working a double shift today so you could have free time later to yourself!" Mouse hush whispered to himself then, "Probably to go visit your boy toy..."

"An cut ne con!!" Asuka yelled before proceeding to hurl another round of colorful swears at her room-mate.

Mouse backed away from the door, holding his head in hands. "Perfect, just perfect..." Looking back up he now noticed that the yelling had stopped. Skeptically looking at the door he called out, "Asuka?"

Quickly he stepped back as the door whooshed open, revealing a short Vietnamese woman with a pair of gray sweatpants on her legs, and a white tank top that clung to her still wet form. Her long dark bangs hung around her face seeming to further deepen the anger in her onyx colored eyes.

"I'm giving you two choices, Option A and Option B. A. I throw all your stuff out the Airlock. Or B. I shove you out the nearest Airlock," she hissed, folding her arms over her chest.

Making absolutely sure to keep his eyes focused on the doorframe on off Asuka's ever accentuated form Mouse stated, "Neither, I choose C."

"There is no C!"

"There's always an Option C!" he remarked, tossing his hands up into the air.

"You want an option C? You want an option C? Fine! I'll give you option C! You have two hours to get all your shit out of my Quarters and you get out of my sight!" Turning on her heel Asuka proceeded to head back inside.

"But this ship is practically full! I can't go to someone right now and arrange for new Quarters!!" he remarked, attempting to follow after her.

Spinning on her heel she grinned wolfishly. "Well I guess that's just your problem then." In a mere microsecond she went from angry to innocent. "Bye, Ro, you have fun with your new Quarters now!"

"Wait wait wait! SHIT!" Hissing in pain, Mouse backed away after clonking his head against the door. Sighing he cursed whatever higher-up had decided in the first place that Co-Ed dorming should be allowed in Starfleet between the opposites sexes. In Mouse's case it never quite worked for him.

Period.

---

"The Little One Behind You Is Mouse"
By Ensign Roades Mouazer - Communications Officer
Lieutenant (JG) Nathalie Gui - Communications Specialist
Ensign Mason Farrell - Operations Officer

Location: USS Sulu/Operations Office
Stardate: 57908.15 16h45

***

Mouse blindly stumbled into the Operations Office carefully trying to avoid running into any of his fellow co-workers. Looking around through his unswollen eye he could see that Lieutenant Commander Sam was no-where to be seen in the vicinity. Walking forward he headed over to where an officer sat working at a console and he casually dropped the PADD down.

"Requesting change for Assigned Quarters, sir."

The duty Ensign looked up from his screen. "Fair enough. Grab the file form off the computer and fill it out while I see what I can do." He pointed to the spare console in the office. "Roomie trouble?" he asked, tapping his eye in sympathy.

"Like having my own little private Hell," he deadpanned. "Whatever you do just get me as far away from Ensign Ass-uka Thuyen as possible and bunk me with a room-mate who is anything but female and I can be guaranteed I won't wake up the following morning neutered." Giving a lopsided half grin Mouse walked away from the stunned officer. Moving across the office he plopped himself down in front of the empty console, cracking his knuckles before promptly getting to work on filling out the form.

Gui walked into Ops and over to where Farrell was working at his console. Smirking she crept behind him and wrapped her arms around him in a playful hug. "Heya Peril, miss me?" she remarked, a teasing grin on her face.

"Well hello, Nat, my precious," Farrell said, patting her arms. "Need another roommate?"

"Why Mason I thought you would never agree to wanting to share the same room with me, have a sudden change of heart?" she asked teasingly.

"Tempting," Mason said wryly, "but I've got another Ensign in need of a roommate. Unfortunately, he says he'd prefer no women and no ass-whuppins, so being in a room with both you and Black Belt Bennett would be asking for trouble. Have you met Ensign M--" Farrell frowned at the name. "You're a linguist, tell me how to say this name," he pointed to his screen.

Giving Mason's arms a gentle squeeze she leaned forward to better look at his screen. "Mase you never fail to amaze me given your small lingual skills."

"Hey, I happen to have tremendously cunning lingual skills," Mason said suggestively. "This name just stumps me, is all."

Rolling her eyes, she read the name out aloud phonetically. "Easy, German in origin pronounced mOW-zir...that sounds oddly familiar..." She remarked to herself pulling back to look over at the other officer in the room.

"What the? I could swear someone else was just in here a minute ago..." Nat stated, continuing to scan the office with her eyes as she stood to her full height.

"What?" Farrell looked around. "Where'd he go?"

Turning around Gui noticed a smaller shadow oddly attempting to blend in with Farrell's larger shadow. Remaining totally poker faced she looked at Mason who was totally oblivious to the one hiding behind him. "The little one behind you is Mouse."

"Mouse?"

"The Amazon is referring to the one cowering behind you in self - defense," Mouse remarked as he continued mirroring Farrell's movements in a failed attempt to avoid Gui.

Nathalie rolled her eyes as she turned away. "Amazon? Pfft, please, Mouse..."

"How do you explain when you so lovingly last offered to shove me down the nearest waste chute?" he asked, standing up.

"I would have loved to, Mouse, had I not had to spend the entire rest of my day repairing my ride!"

"My good man the woman lies, I just thought it could use a few upgrades but no; she purposely insisted that I tore apart the drive shaft!"

"He-- you did more than that! I had to totally recalibrate the navigational system!" Nathalie retorted.

"Children?" Farrell asked dramatically.

"You want recalibrations? You want recalibrations?! You can't handle my recalibrations!" Mouse mocked sarcastically. Upon his remark Nat stepped forward quickly towards Mouse.

"Oh I'll give you something to re--"

"Children!" Farrell said, rising between the two, and holding up a hand to each of them, rather like an old-fashioned traffic cop.

Both instantly shut up, Mouse backing down as Farrell stepped between them whilst Gui huffed and shot a look that could kill in the smaller man's direction.

"Alright, you two," Farrell said grimly. "Behave. Now obviously you two have some history. Fine. For the moment, though, suck it the hell up. I've got to get Ensign Mouazer assigned to a room, and he's got to be able to get there under his own power. Sickbay can't transport him there on a gurney. So cool down, Nat."

Turning away Nathalie mumbled a variety of curses in three languages which sounded vaguely to the two like Andorian, Klingon and Japanese; to Mouazer at least. Mouse looked over at Farrell and grinned. "Well finally another human being with common sense, good show, man."

"Don't get too full of yourself, mister Mouazer," Farrell warned, the threat evident in his tone. "Keep cracking wise and I'll walk out and lock the door, and Sickbay can have what's left. Now you sit the hell down and finish the room-change app."

The grin instantly melted from Mouse's face and he quietly backed away from Mason knowing full well he was more than likely overpowered in both height and build here. "Right away, Cap...er sir." Mouse quickly stumbled backwards and moved back to his console to finish up the app.

Nathalie looked back over to Mason and she stopped next to him and whispered something in hushed Andorian. "Tell ya later." Looking back over briefly in Mouse's direction Nat sighed and exited from the Ops Office.

Farrell watched Nat go, and then looked to 'Mouse.' Then back to the closed door, and back to Mouse again. An odd thought occurred to him, but he dismissed it as entirely too silly, even for someone with a past like Nat's.

"So," Mouse said from his console. "I suppose now would be a bad time to ask for a room with a view?"

---

"Lethalities of Showers"
By Ensign Roades Mouazer - Communications Officer
Ensign Amy Reese - Nurse

Location: USS Sulu/Sickbay
Stardate: 57908.15 16h59

***

Groaning, Mouse raised a hand to his puffy eye as he continued walking down the corridor that would lead him to Sickbay. He didn't know how much worse this day could get: first he had a nasty run in with his room-mate Asuka and was now forced to change Quarters lest he risk sleeping in the same area with a young woman possessing a temper rivalling that of a Klingon, and second he also discovered that his former instructor and supervisor Ensign...correction, Lieutenant Gui was also serving with him onboard. Mouse contemplated to himself if things could get any worse today...

Stepping inside Sickbay he looked around with his good eye, searching for someone to treat him. As he did so he quietly pondered whether or not he should use the excuse that he fell in the shower but also that the irony of it would be that this time the excuse would be partially true.

"Wow!" Nurse Reese rushed forward, gaping at the swollen ball of an eye Mouse was brandishing. "What'd you do? Walk into a wall?"

"No, I slipped in the shower," he remarked sarcastically. Sighing, Mouse threw up his hands. "Truthfully, let's just say I have the room-mate from Hell."

Amy giggled and gestured Mouse towards one of the biobeds. "Who is he? And why would you ever think of getting into a fistfight with him?" She visibly sized up his slight frame, then grinned. "I bet even a girl could beat you up...no offense."

Mouse walked over toward the biobed and hopped onto it. "She. Ensign Asuka Thuyen. I accidentally saw her naked." Holding up his hands in defense Mouse added, "And I swear when I say it, it was completely accidental! She didn't even tell me she was going to be home early!" In a hushed voice he then remarked angrily, "Little slut."

Amy gasped at the insult and swiftly swatted his arm. "Don't say that! It's not her fault you weren't paying attention."

"Ow! But it was!" he remarked, holding his arm in defense. "I was paying attention, well, as best as I could considering I was pretty much a zombie by the time I came home. Besides I didn't know the shower was on, kinda hard to hear when I'm blasting my tuneskies," he remarked, grinning. "She has Beta shift. She should have been long gone since I just got off Alpha."

"And you should have turned down the music," Amy riposted. "Now, hold still." She gripped his chin less delicately than she should have and began passing the dermal regenerator over his swollen eye.

"Hey, be gentle! This hurts more than it looks." He pouted. "Okay it was partially my fault - yes I should have turned my music down. How was I supposed to know she'd be home? Wait, don't answer that, I should have checked to see if someone was in the Refresher first, right?"

Amy nodded emphatically.

"I don't know, it just seems for some reason girls are always trying to find a way to beat scrawny little ole me up," he remarked, voice less agitated but still hurt.

"Well...why not work out at the gym?" Amy asked. "Or take self-defense lessons with Chief Case...like I am!"

"Jogging and running isn't enough? I'm in shape but I hardly doubt I could fight back even if I did go into weight training or something. Do I not scream geek, free target or kick me to you?"

Amy giggled. "You sorta do...but you can change that! You may be goofy-looking, but with a set of rippling muscles, no one would dare pick on you."

"I don't know... I don't think I really seem like Schwarzenneger material..." Mouse looked upon her confused look. "He's this really big strong guy from the 20th Century, kinda like Superman only he can't fly."

"Well, you don't need to be big to be scary," Amy pointed out. "Just...develop a really intimidating facial expression. Like...a sneer!"

"A sneer? You mean like this?" Mouse narrowed his eyes as he attempted to make his best attempt at an intimidating facial expression but ended up looking more silly as he attempted not to laugh whilst doing so.

"Not like that," Amy snickered. "Try...try curling your lip...and maybe a growl!" She nudged Mouse. "Go on."

Mouse gave Amy a befuddled look. "Growl? When do mice growl!?"

She sighed and shrugged as she set down the regenerator probe. "Well, if you're content being a docile, timid mouse...."

"I'm not! Well...I'm a nice mouse..." Curling his lip Mouse attempted a growl. "Rawr...was that good?"

Amy stifled a giggle, and instead nodded vigorously. "Oh...that was real good, Mouse. Though, I'd stay away from your roommate while you do that. It might earn you another black eye."

"It sounded too much like a flirtatious growl? Maybe I should keep that in mind...." he thought, a small grin coming to his face. Mouse then thought better of it, "Or not."

"My thoughts exactly," Amy concurred, then patted his back sympathetically. "Well, good luck with the roommate, Mousey. And next time," she said, leaning in confidingly, "remember to duck."

Mouse patted Amy's hand and smiled. "Thanks again...uh um...what's your name?"

She grinned, back straightening and head held proudly high. "Amy Polly Reese." She frowned, then. "What should I call you?"

"My name is Roades Beppe Mouazer...but people just call me Mouse," he remarked, smiling.

"Mouse?" Amy chuckled. "How fitting. Well...it's been a pleasure, Mouse." She thrust a hand out to him. "Maybe I'll see you around, somewhere other than sickbay?"

"That's my name, Ames, don't wear it," he replied, chuckling. "Sure, if I'm not fiddling with computers, I'll probably be in the Holodeck or practicing with my keyboard."

Amy squealed, startling Mouse and jarring him as she used his shoulder for leverage while she bounced. "Keyboard! Oh, perfect! You have to join the Suluists then." She grinned with pride. "I play the guitar. You interested?"

"Whoa whoa hey! Down girl!" he remarked, chuckling, grabbing onto her arms in an attempt to make the very excited Amy stand still. "If I were to say yes would you promise to refrain from bearhugging me in extreme school girlish joy?" he asked as straight faced as possible.

Amy sobered her features and nodded solemnly. "I swear."

"Sure I'll join!"

"Oh! Wonderful!" And not keeping to her promise, Amy flung her arms around Mouse's scrawny frame and squeezed. "This is gonna be so great! Kit will be so happy to finally have someone in the group he doesn't have to strain his neck to look up at!"

Gasping, Mouse caught his breath in his throat as he patted Amy's sides with his hands. "Air...can taste...heart in throat!" Mouse managed to stutter out.

Amy frowned quizzically at him, then noted the bluish hue to his face and abruptly released. "Sorry," she said with a guilty smile. "I'm just really excited about this! A new keyboardist...and with a cool name too!"

Catching his breath Mouse managed a smile. "It's okay, I'm better now...where should I meet you and your band? Do you have a specific meeting place or something?"

"We usually meet in the auditorium," she answered. "And as the saying goes...don't call us, we'll call you." Amy winked at Mouse, then backed away. "Until then, get into as many fights as you want, but protect the hands! You can't play if that fiery roommate of yours breaks every single finger."

Playfully saluting Amy, he remarked, "Yessum." Hopping off the biobed he then turned to face Amy. "I better go, before my roommate takes to actually tossing my things out the Airlock. Thanks for fixing up my eye." Those words said he smiled at Amy before waving goodbye and proceeded to leave Sickbay.

---

"Tough Nuts"
by Doctor Ilan Potts - Assistant Chief Counselor
and Lieutenant Mark Thaine - Chief Engineer

Location: USS Sulu, Doctor Potts' Office
Stardate: 57908.15, 17h07

***

Counsellors. They always meant trouble.

In all his prior experiences, including his friendship (and more) with Andrea Rhea, Mark Thaine had found counsellors to be nothing but trouble, of one sort or another. And Ilan Potts seemed to be one of the worst yet.

It wasn't that they were generally bad people, just...misguided. Very misguided. All their pre-conceived notions of how people should act, the correct ways of thinking, the correct ways of feeling...and they always seemed to be trying to fix him.

Mark had no delusions about his character - he knew he was flawed. The thing that counsellors never seemed to grasp, was that he liked those flaws. They were part of him, and a very definite part of him, and certainly nothing that needed 'fixing'. It would be like trying to 'fix' the hum of a warp engine, or eliminate the bitter taste from coffee, or make a fried breakfast healthy. That was half the point of the thing, and counsellors didn't seem to get that.

Nor did they give up, it seemed. At least, this one didn't. Bombarded with more Starfleet regs and threats with taking it to the Captain than he cared to hear, Mark Thaine had finally relented, and now stood outside Potts' office door.

Taking a deep breath, and letting it out in a forlorn sigh, he pressed the chime.

Thaine clearly heard the bulkhead mutter 'come' just before the door whisked, allowing him to step inside Potts' domain. The place literally white with light - the illumination had to be at least 50% above normal - and Thaine held up a callused hand to shade his eyes from the assault. Doctor Potts, or some brightly lit lump that looked a lot like Doctor Potts, sprang up at Thaine's entrance and ran over to greet him. When the good Doctor finally stepped into his makeshift shade, Thaine could see that he was dressed in the SOB variant even through the bright sparkles swimming across his eyes.

"Mis-ter Thaine," Potts said, grabbing the Chief Engineer's hesitant hand in a long fingered, slightly sweaty grip. "I had a wager with Ensign F'Zal that you would not show without being summoned. I guess I owe him a refreshing cola."

Removing his hand from the doctor's, Thaine quickly folded his arms and scowled at Potts. "Nice to know you're so professional," he dryly commented, before adding, "And what the hell have you done to the lights in here?"

Potts blinked twice just slow enough to convince Thaine that he was utterly mystified at the question. Potts looked over his shoulder and up at the set of supernovas on the ceiling. "There's something wrong with my lights?" he asked innocently.

"Yes," growled the engineer. "And you know full well...this is some damned counselling mind trick or something. Computer, reduce lights by a half!"

The illumination dropped obediently, the change making the room appear quite dark for the moment. Potts felt his way back across his office as a man struck blind while Thaine continued to stand at the door and glower.

"Well, it's beyond me how you expect to see in this dim," Potts said, finding his armrest and sliding back into his chair. "But the customer is always right!" Potts gestured to a similar chair across from his own. "Please, Lieutenant...make yourself comfortable."

With great reluctance, Mark Thaine sat down in one of the seats offered. But he looked anything but comfortable, and seemed to have no intention to ever reach that state.

Potts leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me about your visit planetside today, Lieutenant." Pott gestured vaguely at the single portal in his office. "She looks to be such a lovely blue-green jewel from way up here but you actually got to see her up close!"

Thaine shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Not much to talk about; dead world, nobody about, alien technology." He seemed to be leaning further back the closer Potts leaned to him.

"Sure, an Away Team all in a day's work for you scruffy adventurous types," Potts said, still enthusiastic. "But we counselors don't get quite so many opportunities. It's enviable, Lieutenant."

Once more, the engineer folded his arms. "Are we going to get on with this assessment, then? If all you want is small talk, you can talk to someone else."

"Oh, you're being assessed, Lieutenant," Potts chuckled, leaning back in his chair. Their eyes met. "You feel it, right? The continual evaluation and counseling trickery and educated judgement. You know how we're always trying to get past those folded arms, yes?"

"You're wasting your time," was the annoyed response. He shifted, uncomfortably, in the chair. "How long are you going to keep me here?"

"As long as it takes, Lieutenant," Potts said, not unpleasantly. He leaned back and took a PADD off his desk but didn't look at it. "You're not a very sociable person, are you Lieutenant?

"No," he growled, providing a perfect case-in-point. The signs were pointing toward a very unproductive counselling session.

"That must be quite lonely," Potts said sadly. "No one you would call a friend then on board the Sulu?"

"No."

"No comrades?"

"No."

"No confidants?"

"No."

"You are a relatively young man, Lieutenant," Potts observed the obvious. "Surely you must have some romantic interests."

"None." The tone was flat, emotionless, and carefully neutral.

"None?" Potts repeated, incredulously. "You're in the prime of your life."

"So what?"

Potts was shaking his head but was now finally looking at the PADD in his hand. "Whatever did you do on Risa then?" Potts asked, shrewdly.

"None of your damned business!" The snap was sudden, and left the engineer with one hand raised threateningly, an accusing finger pointing at Potts, with the other hand tightly gripping the arm of the chair. Potts looked up from his PADD to pointed finger then white knuckles and then into Thaine's eyes without uttering a word.

He refolded his arms. "None of your business," he reiterated, a little more calmly.

Potts narrowed his eyes for only a second. "Ah, very good, Lieutenant. It may very well be most improper for me to ask details of your activates on Risa...unless of course you want to..." Potts trailed off into a question mark, took Thaine's glare as a negative then continued "....well, no, of course you don't. Your business is your own, good sir. But may I ask why you lied to me about romantic interests?"

"Because it has nothing to do with you." Frustrated, Thaine rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to talk about it. So I lied, to stop you pestering me about it. Happy now?"

"I'm very nearly always happy," Potts chirped, certainly sounding cheerful enough. "However, I feel inclined to point out that it didn't have anything to do with me until you jumped on me for asking. That I could illicit that kind of response from an admittedly surly yet somewhat stoic man with a mere question definitely has something to do with me...or at least our counseling department." He laid the PADD in his lap and steeled himself. "How did you spend your time on Risa, Lieutenant?"

The Lieutenant shrugged, and remained silent.

"Allow me to ask you a different way, Lieutenant," Potts continued, nonplused. "What's her name?"

"None of your--" the engineer began, and then seemed to metaphorically crumple with a sigh. "Andrea," he said, not meeting Potts' gaze. "Andrea Rhea."

"Andrea Rhea?" Potts asked with a curious head tilt. "Hair like spun gold? Down to the middle of her back? A pair of blue sparklers that remind you of the sky and the sea simultaneously? Extraordinarily lovely?" He held one hand up over his head. "About yay high?"

Thaine's mouth opened, though no words came out. "Hell..." he finally muttered.

"She has the gift, that one," Potts continued, starting to look a little dreamy. "A natural born counselor...she was light years ahead of her Academy classmates, though if you asked me she could have cut her Cadet jumper a wee bit tighter and given the old instructors a small thrill. Still, a remarkably flattering shape even with the baggy uniform." Potts left the PADD on his lap and gestured with his hands, cupping the air in front of him. "I remember that she had the sweetest, firmest little pair of --"

"Counsellor," Thaine growled an interruption, with enough warning in it to stop Potts mid-sentence. When the counsellor merely blinked at him innocently, Mark asked, "Is there a point to this...rambling?"

"Andrea Rhea is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, Lieutenant Thaine," Potts enthused, putting his hands back down on his PADD. "Why if I were involved with her, I'd beam it across subspace and write it in warp plasma from here to the wormhole! I'd engrave it on a star!"

"We're not involved," Thaine said quietly.

"And why is that?" Potts asked, his eyes briefly incredulous before growing shrewd. He closely studied the scruffy, only moderately shaven specimen slumped in the chair and happened on a theory. "Did she ask you to keep your relationship on the down low?" Potts didn't wait for an answer but sighed and shook his bald head sympathetically. "I've been there. A woman as lovely as Andrea certainly has a reputation to keep and can't be seen with any ol' thing the sehlat drug in...why I myself once happened to meet Lady Trysthe of Budurain, heir to the Eighth Seal and the holder of the Trillium Rod. I was her dirty little secret for the better part of a Buderainian half-cycle before her parents happened to find me and her and the Rod in a most compromi --"

Seeing no alternative, Thaine interrupted again. "It wasn't like that."

"Oh. Well, good." Potts smiled broadly. "Secret relationships are quite doomed, let me assure you." Potts looked at Thaine closely. "Would you mind terribly telling me what it was like?"

He shook his head, expression returning to its normal glare. "We're on opposite sides of the galaxy. It wouldn't work. "

Potts started to talk, but Thaine held up a finger, cutting him off. "And," he said, "before you start spouting some psychological babble at me, or start asking me 'why this?' and, 'why that?', it's none of your business. It never was your business, and just because I have to attend to this compulsory assessment doesn't make it your business. So stop using those damned counselling tricks to get me to talk!" The folded arms had returned, as had the steely gaze.

Potts took the interruption in stride and if there was a change in his planned question, it didn't show. "Where is Andrea assigned now, if you don't mind my asking?"

Thaine frowned. "I mind. If you really want to find out, you can check Starfleet records."

"Ah, yes...of course." Potts hugged his PADD to his chest. "Well, I supposed I should do the gentlemanly thing and ask if you mind me calling on Andrea?"

"What? You want to know about her that badly?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no. You misunderstand me, Lieutenant. I meant if you mind if I call on Andrea. I've always been quite fond of her."

Thaine stared at the counsellor in horror.

"We'll be back in the Alpha Quadrant soon enough," Potts pointed out cheerfully, seemingly unaware of Thaine's dark look. "I have to admit that I suspect Andrea's a long shot though it's possible she might be susceptible to the Deltan half of my biology." Potts looked a little at the ceiling, as if trying to dredge something from his mind. "I do recall one day in class she was giving me the most curious, engaging look. I --"

"Don't you dare..." the engineer said coldly, standing up from his seat and leaning over the top of Potts menacingly. "What the hell is this to you? Is this how you counsel people? You poke and prod them, find out the best way to wind them up? Is this some sort of game you play? Bloody counsellors..." He shook his head.

"Why, Lieutenant Thaine," Potts said, concerned only a little that the engineer was hovering over him. "By this reaction, I'd be inclined to say that care quite a bit for Andrea."

"Oh, you think that, do you?"

"You're deeply concerned about her well-being?" It was only barely a question.

"She's a friend."

"You love her."

"Bloody hells..." Thaine shook his head, exasperated. "How many times do I have to say this? This is none of your business! And you know what?" The tall man didn't give the counsellor a chance to answer, instead straightening up to his full height from his previous position of looming over the counsellor. "This session is over. Take it to the Captain, take to the Admirals for all I care! But this is over, and you can find someone else's strings to pull, someone else's personal life to pick apart." The engineer turned, storming toward the door. "Come now, Mister Thai--"

"And you know what else?" snapped Thaine, spinning round and pointing an at the counsellor. "If you dare try and pull rank to get me in here again, I'm filing a complaint as high as I can go, about your sorry excuse for a counselling technique. I've seen a lot of counsellors, and some really, really awful ones, but you've been the worst yet. Stay the hell away from me, and if you've any sense, Andrea, too."

And with that, the engineer was gone.

---

"Returning to the Nest"
by Captain Matthew T. Salinger

Location: USS Sulu, Bridge
Stardate: 57908.15, 17h30

***

Captain's Log. Stardate 57908.15

The away team is beaming back aboard ship now. We've made considerable progress today, though we really have no clear idea yet what transpired down on the planet. The prevailing opinion on the Away Team is that a plague wiped out the population of the planet, though we won't know for certain until Dr. Sefton and her team completes the various tests they need to make that sort of determination. It appears that of all the bodies that were found, three appear to be mostly intact. In fact, they seem to be extremely well preserved, due to time spent in a sophisticated---at least for the technological level we've seen so far on this world---stasis chamber. These too are being examined, as well as the computer data found within that lab. All in all, the discoveries on the planet below are keeping everyone busy.

The tension remains however, the feeling of unease that followed us from the Alpha quadrant. Whether a product of Ensign Storm's disappearance or other events, I cannot say. I only know that something needs to be done. I will be leaving the bridge early tonight, hopefully to get some extra sleep. It appears that Xayella's near-continual fitfulness is keeping me awake at night as well, or at least reducing the amount of rest I am getting. I don't know what we can do to resolve the situation, but I am planning on a meeting with the counselling staff to get to the bottom of the issue. Given the mystery here, I have decided to remain in orbit here, at least until we have more answers. Perhaps the chance to work and immerse ourselves in our work will relieve the stress and tension.

I can only hope.

***

Matt Salinger shut off the log recorder and turned his gaze to the forward viewer. A mystery would help; it had to.

"The away teams have all been brought back aboard, Captain," Ensign Mouazer announced.

"Thank you, Ensign," Matt said with a nod. "Have Commander T'Kal meet me in the Observation Lounge. The rest of the team is free to begin studying what we've collected. Let them know we'll have a briefing at 08h15 tomorrow."

"Aye, sir," the ensign said as he sent the notice to T'Kal.

With that, Matt stood. He tapped his communicator. "Commander Lyrr," he said, "you have the bridge. I'll be in the Observation Lounge, and then I'll be returning to my quarters."

"Aye, Captain," came Lyrr's reply.

With that, Matt stood and started toward the door to the Observation Lounge as Lyrr appeared from his Ready Room. "You have the bridge, Commander." And, then he stepped through into the other room.

He had to lose the feeling of dread. It certainly wouldn't help the morale of the ship if he were bringing the mood down. A little sleep, and then he'd do his best to be the pinnacle of good morale. Until then, he had to find out what happened on the planet.

---

"Aside To The Captain"
By: Captain Matthew Salinger
Lt. Commander Benedict T'Kal

Location: Ready Room, USS Sulu
Stardate: 57908.15, 17h40

***

As T'Kal entered the room, Matt indicated that he should sit in one of the chairs at the table. "Thank you, Commander," Matt said, then smiled. "I'm still not used to calling anyone else on this ship commander other than Commander Lyrr. But, that's not why you're here. I've called a meeting for the morning, but before then, I wanted a report from the mission commander. What's your assessment of what's down there and how do you feel the mission went?"

Benedict sat, looking at the Captain as he spoke and nodded, sitting back. He gave him a smile, though he was immensely tired. Benedict had had a sleepless night, and then the stress of the away mission. He considered what he had to tell Salinger and decided to give him a completely honest appraisal.

"The planet is dead," he sighed. "As far as we can tell it's a graveyard of corpses. They died where they fell, and I would say that it was some kind of toxin or biological hazard. We haven't found a hospital facility yet - and that would give us the biggest clues. If we find something like that, I'd say it may well be packed with the dead - and also may have some data that can give us a hint of what happened." He sat forward and steepled his fingers. "Doctor Sefton nor Lieutenant Tagliesh found anything to indicate any lingering threat, though I have to admit that I feel less than confident. The strange thing is that there's no wreckage anywhere - nothing to indicate chaos at the end of the world. There's nothing to show that a 'normal day' was happening when it occurred. It gives me the distinct impression that whatever it was, they were prepared for it. They were waiting for it to happen. We just don't know. It's a mystery that we have to uncover." He grinned. "That's why we're here after all."

"The labs will be busy tonight," Matt said as he mused over the information. "We'll want to go back down tomorrow, with additional teams. We'll focus our efforts here, and then possibly check in on other areas of the planet. I think finding a medical facility should be first priority. As you said, we'll find answers to what killed them there. Plan teams to search, with holorecorders for additional study. Also, I want a full analysis of the bodies and soil taken. If there was something biological, we need to make sure it's dead and not dormant. If you need any additional resources, you've got them. Any questions?"

"Not on that score, sir." He nodded. "We'll get it done." He pursed his lips and looked up at Salinger with a pensive expression. "Sir, permission to speak frankly?"

Matt nodded. "Go ahead, Commander."

"I'd say that the mission went well, sir, apart from one thing." He rubbed his hands together. "Lieutenant Tagliesh."

"I see," Matt said with a slow nod. The words were ones he dreaded, and had hoped to never hear them because of the difficult position they placed him in. "What happened?"

He sat back and considered what he was going to say carefully. "I've never worked with her before, sir, so this is really a first impression. She made it clear to me that she wanted to command the away team, and seemed more interested in discussing my personal life than the mission..." He sighed and his face was grim. "She said that sleeping with Commander Lyrr was making me uptight. I reminded her that we had a mission to attend to but her attitude to me was disrespectful to say the least. She actually inferred that I was trying to aggrandise my position by taking up a relationship with the commander. She went out of her way to alienate most of the officers in the away team. She openly sniped at Commander Sefton, making disparaging remarks in front of others. It wasn't just the attitude to everyone, sir, when we discovered the alien computer system, the first thing she did was start pressing buttons on a device we didn't know anything about. I wouldn't consider that adequate scientific exploration - and I'm no scientist!"

Matt nodded again then sighed. "I'll talk with Lieutenant Tagliesh about her behaviour on the Away Mission," he said. "Hopefully an amenable resolution can be found."

"Sir, I realize, I think, more than anyone the situation this puts you in. I'm not making this official, and I'm not mentioning it in any of my reports." He looked Salinger in the eyes. "You know that Commander Lyrr and I have decided to share quarters?" He didn't wait for the response. "There's no one else I can really discuss this with, no one that understands the situation better than you would, sir. I can handle Lieutenant Tagliesh, sir. I don't expect you to deal with it. I just wanted to make you aware that she's alienating most of the command staff. I have no idea if she was having a 'bad day,' sir - I would suspect that would be the case."

"Xayella hasn't had a restful night's sleep in over a week," Matt said. "That could be part of the situation. I won't make excuses for her or try to explain away her behaviour, but as the captain of the ship, I'll have a talk with her. Her discipline troubles are no secret, and it's possible she's slipped back into old habits. It could be the animosity she and Commander Lyrr share expressing itself through Lyrr's relationship with you. In the end, I think it may come down to Lieutenant Tagliesh having difficulties with figures of authority. Whatever the case, I do feel I need to talk with her, on a personal and professional level."

Benedict nodded. "As you will, sir." He gave the captain a slight grin. "I know I haven't been aboard long, sir, but with what happened on Risa, perhaps she's just under strain. You almost died, sir, and everyone saw what that did to her. I wouldn't be too hard - I pretty much made it clear where I stood.

"I have my own personal problems," he sighed. "You've known Tayla for a long time.... Pardon me for asking, but are you friends?"

"I'd like to think we were," Matt said, "but we disagree on various ways in which a starship should be commanded and personnel should be treated. It caused strain that we haven't quite been able to repair. And, since Risa, she barely speaks to me at all. As I said, I'd like to think she's a friend, but she keeps me at arm's length, as she does most people."

Ben nodded again. "She certainly has her way of looking at things," he smiled ruefully. "I'd like to make it clear to you that my duty will be served for you and the Sulu first and foremost, Captain. Tayla is of the same mind. As to her distance since Risa...." He shrugged. "That's when we first started seeing each other. I think we've spent almost every spare moment together in the last month and a half...so I'm sorry if I've kept her away from anything. It's been...intense, sir. I know you understand," he grinned. "I think Tayla needs a friend...and I know she respects you, Captain."

"Perhaps she does need a friend," Matt said. "But I can't be a friend if she doesn't want me to be. The times we do have to talk, she's passive and gives little to the conversation. The times I've tried to get her to spend time in the holodeck watching a hockey game, something she previously enjoyed very much, didn't even get a smile from her. No one can force themselves into a friendship with her, and it appears she's making it clear you're the only one she wants to have close."

Benedict shook his head. "No, sir...it's a lot more complicated than that." He considered how much he could tell Salinger but he had to know something of what was going on before the estrangement had an affect on their command relationship. "She's had some issues, sir, that we've been dealing with - past issues, from Bajor. Really, sir - I don't think her lack of communication with you has anything to do with you. It has more to do with herself coming to terms with other things - and I'm afraid I was the main instigator of those issues coming to light. It's personal, sir, and intensely private and I can't say anything else - but I know that things will improve. I'm pretty sure of that." He smiled. "You took her to hockey games? She never told me.... One of my security officers runs a hockey game every week in the holodeck. Maybe we could arrange something."

Matt grinned. "Sounds like it could be fun," he said. "Though, as I said, the last time she wasn't interested in a game. I don't know what else can be done, but right now our working relationship is strained. Perhaps it's because of the issues you've mentioned. Perhaps it's something else. But, I can't force myself into a friendship with her."

"How about a friendship with me?" Benedict asked bluntly. "As Chief of Security we'll be working closely together and I'd like to think that we could be friends." He grinned. "As for Tayla - I'll talk to her."

Matt gave him a grin. "I think that sounds like a great idea," he said. "Perhaps that hockey game might be the first opportunity we have for getting to know each other."

"I think you'd enjoy it," Benedict said with a grin. "As far as I understand it, there's a game every Friday night in the holodeck and the games are encrypted for the whole season. Some of the guys have discreet wagers on the games. I've never been to a game, but I hear they are exciting - and violent." He laughed. "Someone was going to ask Sikara to set up a food stall so they could eat the right foods."

Matt laughed aloud. "I don't know. Lyrr seemed to enjoy the replicated food we had in there," he said. "Though, maybe a little bit of a personal touch would be nice as well. Would be interesting to see Mr. Sikara walking up and down the stands, barking out his wares."

"Beats the hell out of the mess he made of the lounge," Benedict grimaced. "Did you see what he'd done? Prophets, how anyone could eat in a place that was that colour is beyond imagination. Who gave him permission to paint the place? As for bookings...we only have sixty officers aboard and that just doesn't cause those kinds of problems."

"Commander Lyrr and I have talked about it," Matt said. "She's going to be talking to him about it. I know, from the reports I've heard, people are unsettled about it. It's Lyrr's belief that he believes when he joined us, it meant he'd get to run his own restaurant aboard ship. Thankfully he hasn't started charging anyone for using Sikara's Lounge, as some people have taken to calling it. But, the changes will be reversed."

Benedict grinned. "Thank the Prophets," he chuckled. "Is there anything else, sir?"

Matt laughed, and then shook his head. "I can't think of anything further," he said. "I think that's all, Mr. T'Kal. And, should we find the time for it, we should try to hit a hockey gave later this week if you're up for it."

"I would love to, sir," he nodded as he stood. "I'll talk to Tayla and I'll let you know - but either way, I'll be there."

"I look forward to it," Matt said. "But, until then, we should get back to business."

Benedict nodded. "I'll have a security roster for you tonight and we'll start the search teams in earnest in the morning. We'll find what we need. I must say - I find this an exciting business." He gave Salinger a grin. "I'll get to it then." He nodded.

Matt gave him a smile. "This is exciting business, and I wouldn't trade anything for it. Dismissed, Commander."

---

"Family Ties"
By Lieutenant (jg) Natalia Druschev - Science Officer
and Petty Officer 3rd Class Shyla Lynn Moreau - Astrometrics Technician

Location: USS Sulu, Druschev Family Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15, 17h15

***

"Dennis Moreau's Championship Jambalaya," Natalia said at the replicator. "One serve - hot." She waited for the meal to materialize, having absolutely no idea what it would be. She'd never even heard of the word before...let alone that it was connected to something you ate!

The steaming dish appeared in a blue tinged haze and Natalia wafted a hand over the multi-hued concoction to get a full whiff of the smell. It was rich in aromas, spiced and thick. From the look of it, it was a mixed bag of ingredients and she could smell garlic and peppers, meat.... She stirred it with a fork. Chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onions, rice...celery? She dug the fork into it and tasted.

"Hmmmmm..." she nodded appreciatively as she hummed her delight. It was tasty, spicy and rich, just as the aromas promised. "Dom, you have to try this!" she called out to her son in Russian. When they were alone she spoke mostly in her native language. She turned from the replicator and brought the dish to the table. Domenic was sprawled on the sofa with a holovee headset over his eyes and waving his hands like they held guns. He was playing Tomb Raider CMMXCVII again. It was by far his favorite. Natalia thought it had more to do with the female that seemed to accompany the hero where-ever he went. She'd caught him hacking the code in the game so that she was naked. "Domenic!" she raised her voice to attract his attention.

"Just a minute, mom..." He made a couple of gun-shot sounds with his mouth and shot at invisible foes with his fingers. Natalia had to grin. Domenic would be awed if he ever entered one of Natalia's holodeck simulations with Martel. She never let on what it was she was playing - just novels.

She tasted a little more, careful to choose a different portion. It was really good. She told the computer to add it to her quarters' replication list. "Domenic!" she called again, "I'll take that set away in a minute!" It was an empty threat - but it always worked.

"Coming, mom. Geez I just gotta kill a Greekazoid." He made rapid shooting motions but cried out in frustration and threw off the headset with an angry exhalation. "Moom! You made me lose concentration! You got me killed!" He pouted and crossed his arms.

"You will live again I'm sure," she chuckled. "Come over here and taste this. We're having a guest for dinner and this is what we are eating. You've never had it before - you'll love it!" She used that tone of voice that indicated she was more hopeful that he might like it. She held out a fork full of the dripping concoction. It steamed gently - waiting for Domenic to taste it.

He screwed up his face. "Smells horrid, mother," he humphed and bounced on the sofa, still annoyed that he'd been killed in his game. She laughed, knowing exactly what he felt - Natalia had been shot and killed in a game many times...not with Martel though...she couldn't allow that.

"Come over here - now - and taste this. It is good." She emphasised the fork by shaking it a little.

He reluctantly walked over. Wrinkling his face further he peered at it. "Looks like crap." He looked at his mother's face and saw it turn stony. With reluctance he opened his mouth and she shoved it in. He chewed. He chewed some more. He looked at Natalia and then at the plate. "But it tastes okay," he grudgingly admitted. "Needs ketchup," he added as an afterthought.

Natalia shot him a look. "You will not."

He grinned. "Will too."

"No."

"Yes."

"That would be rude and we have a guest. This is her father's recipe and it is special. You will not ruin it with tomato sauce." Natalia said it firmly enough that Domenic understood that it was final.

He gave her his best smile.

"I will revoke your holodeck privileges," she said matter-of-factly.

He sighed. "Okay, m-o-ther!" He spun on his heel and made for his game again. As he got involved once more in raiding some poor culture's archeological wealth, Natalia started setting the table and preparing for dinner. She was pleased that Shyla had accepted her invitation. She knew that this was a bad time for her, and the girl needed friends she could rely on. Natalia liked her. She was dedicated, had recently been promoted, and Saavar had been the one to recommend it too - and everyone knew what level of tolerance Saavar had for subordinates. She was nice to work with. Never a bad word about anyone, and always so polite and sweet. She was a nice girl. Natalia felt sorrow for her loss - and having found out that she was pregnant too. That was just so close to Natalia's own history. She wanted to help her.

The next half hour was spent cleaning up after Domenic, his games and text padds littered the two bedroomed apartment style quarters. It was 1800hrs before she knew it and the door chime sounded right on time.

On Natalia's "Come", the door slid open. Shyla was still in uniform but her auburn hair was down and spilled to her mid-back. Lieutenant Druschev was standing in the midst of her quarters looking only a little frazzled from the last minute cleaning. Shyla smiled big at her.

"I hope I'm not early, sir," she offered, taking a step inside. Moreau had a small box in her hand.

"First thing!" Natalia pointed at her with a rumpled pair of Domenic's socks that she had found under the table. "No sirs! This is private quarters, off duty time...Natya will suffice." She grinned and pointed at Domenic. "This is messy one! Domenic stand up and meet Shyla."

Domenic lifted the VR set and pulled a face before he caught sight of Shyla Moreau. He dropped the VR set on the sofa and stood with a beaming smile. "Hi!" he waved at her. He was tall for his age, blonde haired and blue eyed and he was dressed in jeans and a sweat shirt that had the latest logo for Lara Croft III.

"Hi, Domenic," Shyla said brightly, trying to avoid looking at the woman emblazoned on his shirt - it looked like she had two photon torpedo casings strapped to her chest. "I've heard so much about you but your mother never mentioned those eyes." At the compliment, Domenic's smile became a bit dazed.

Natalia grinned. "Domenic is growing up - I think he's discovered girls..."

"Moooom!!" Domenic's face was appalled, as he cast a sidelong look at Natalia and then back at the newcomer standing inside the door.

"Come on in," Natalia smiled.

The Druschev quarters were tidy and lived-in. Photos and memorabilia from more than two dozen worlds littered shelves, corners and alcoves. Bright colours and earth tones dominated and a large painting of a desert scene looked over the table that had been set with three place settings.

Shyla looked over the space as she walked to the table. The quarters looked huge to the enlisted Moreau, who had been berthing with two other crewmen down on the lower decks. As a newly promoted Petty Officer, Moreau was entitled to transfer to a new set of quarters with a single roommate but had yet to begin the process. She had been distracted by multiple, more important concerns and her personal comfort was never a high priority. Suddenly, Natalia's quarters had her wondering what would be available when the baby came along.

"What have you got there?" Natalia smiled as she motioned to the box in Shyla's hand. She tossed the socks at Domenic with a look that said 'put them away'. He grinned and threw them into his room from the sofa, not caring if they landed on the floor. He was still looking at Shyla with a grin on his face at the compliment she had given him.

Shyla pressed the small box into Natalia's hand. "It's just a little real cayenne pepper I picked up on Deep Space Nine. We can add it for an extra kick." She looked over at the grinning Domenic. "Do you like a little extra spice, doodlebug?" she asked, grinning herself.

Domenic screwed up his face. "Mom likes spices," he smiled as he walked over to her, "but I'll try anything."

Natalia's face said it all. She gave him a shocked look and cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. "Okay, Mister," she grinned. "Go get ready for dinner!"

He giggled and dodged and ran for the refresher, casting a look at Shyla as he vanished.

"Kids..." Natalia grinned. "Thank you," she said, meaning the box of spice. "I do like the extra flavour - I tasted the recipe earlier," she confided. "It's delicious. I hope you don't mind, but I added it to my replication list," she smiled warmly. "Would you like a glass of wine? It's synth, so there's no harm to the baby."

"Yes, si...um...Natya," Shyla answered, looking extremely uncomfortable with the familiarity.

She turned away and poured two glasses of the deep red liquid. "It's a Chianti styled wine," she said as she offered the glass to Shyla. "It should go well with the meal. You know, I'd be totally lost without a replicator. I can't cook to save my life. It makes dinner parties so much better. We can eat as soon as you like."

She walked over to the sofa and had to shift Domenic's gaming toys aside. "Boys...they are so messy!"

Shyla helped Natalia move a few things, as much as she could with one free hand. "Domenic certainly looks to be a handful," she said, smiling. "And I do mean that in the best possible way."

Natalia grinned. "Yes he is...and he's getting older, and he's getting to the stage where being my little boy is no longer amusing for him." She sat and took a sip of wine. It tasted good. "He's nine years old and thinks he's a lot older. I was afraid for him a little while back...when we were attacked. This is no real place to bring up a child..." She realized what she'd said and looked back at Shyla. "Have you decided what you will do? I know that you won't give birth before we get back to the Alpha Quadrant, but are you going to stay on Sulu or are you going somewhere else?"

"If my Daddy has anything to say about it," Shyla began, settling in comfortably on the sofa and accidentally slipping into her Louisiana accent. "I'll be going home when we get back to the Alpha Quadrant." She sipped from her own glass of wine tentatively. "But I'm really not sure what I'm going to do yet. I've made no decisions."

"Your Daddy?" Natalia raised an eyebrow. "It is not important what they want...our parents, they have already lived their own lives. They sometimes seek to live them again through us." She patted Shyla on the knee. "It is important what you want! You love Starfleet yes?"

"Yes, I do...and what you're saying makes so much sense but..." Shyla looked down in her own lap. "My father does have my best interest in his heart and he does have the benefit of seeing the big picture. I'll need his advice, when it comes to it."

Natalia took another sip of wine. She regarded the girl sitting next to her and reached out to clasp the hand in Shyla's lap. Giving it a friendly squeeze she said, "You have just been promoted. From what I hear it was because you saved the ship. I think that you are quite capable of seeing the big picture, Shyla...fathers only see the picture they wish to paint. You have a very promising career. Don't throw it away. I am sure that you will cope with it the same way I have...with your own best interest at heart and the best interest of your child's future."

She sat back and released Shyla's hand. "Domenic is a good boy - he's smart and he'll grow to have high ambitions. Only because Starfleet provides the best education...I made the decision to bring him here instead of Earth. I worry, yes...but that is part of the job. Here he can see new worlds, explore the unknown. He can see things that have not been seen before and live an adventure that children his age only dream about! That is only because I am Starfleet Officer." She smiled. "Like you!"

"You're absolutely right," Shyla said, returning the smile. Moreau didn't know Druschev well enough to reveal the fact that she had Kelway's Syndrome or that her child might not live or that she might not ever see the Alpha Quadrant again. Natalia had good advice but she was dealing it with only half a deck and Shyla was suddenly feeling like a liar allowing it to continue. "Do you think Dom is ready for some almost-home, almost-cooking?" she asked with a grin, seeking to change the subject.

"I think he'd be ready to eat anything a pretty girl tells him to," Natalia whispered with a laugh. "Since Risa he has developed an interest in girls. I dare not ask him what prompted this sudden change in outlook - before they were horrid things...now..." She rolled her eyes. "Risa is a dangerous place...I should know..." She shook her head. "Romance...I think I am better off without it!"

"Me too," Shyla said, managing to not make it morose. She wouldn't have changed her last romance for the galaxy but she wasn't even close to thinking about the next one.

She gave Shyla a smile. "I had better do the cooking then." She stood and had some more wine, the glass more than half empty now. She was getting a nice buzz - synthetic alcohol; all the taste and all the punch - but none of the nasty side effects! She made her way to the replicator and ordered the three dishes, garlic bread, side-salads for two (Domenic disliked green-stuff) and a serve of hash brown potatoes the way Domenic liked them. She laid it all out on the table and called out to her son, who was still absent.

He came out with a new t-shirt (this one sporting a USS Sulu logo). "I'm starved," he grinned. He gave Shyla a shrug. "Mom says it's your family recipe...it's good," he nodded. He passed her and dropped into a chair at the head of the table. He watched Natalia setting out the plates and the baskets of rolls, garlic bread, pitchers of milk and water and the Jambalaya. It steamed and gave a pleasant odour to the dining area.

Natalia waved Shyla to a seat and took the one opposite, filling both their glasses from the decanter of Chianti. She filled Domenic's glass with milk and he pulled a face.

"It's synth," he said with an exasperated expression. "I've had it before."

"No," Natalia smiled. She turned to Shyla. "If only he took orders without question." She shook her head and smiled, redirecting her gaze to her son. "If you get a taste for it, you'll want more and you are not old enough, young man."

He tsked with his mouth at her and turned to Shyla. "What do you do? Are you a science officer or medical?" He motioned at the colour of her collar.

"I'm an Astrometrics Technician, Domenic," Shyla said, smiling brightly and tracing her fork through her food. "Your Mom is my boss," she added with another smile for Natalia before taking a bite of her father's jambalaya. She immediately missed the real thing. As good as her programming job was, it didn't compare to a batch made personally by her Daddy.

Domenic nodded as he reached for the bread. "Same as mom I guess." He gave his mother a quick smile. "She thinks she's my boss too."

Natalia tore off a slice of garlic bread and handed the basket around, as she laughed at Domenic's comment. She was looking forward to settling down to eat and have some pleasant conversation. She reflected that her son was old enough to gain benefit from making his own relationships on the Sulu, even though he may choose the wrong people to meet and get a crush on... He would grow up so fast in the next six months. It would be a lifetime for a nine year old boy who would turn ten in a few months.

"Are you enjoying Ensign V'ral's course structure, Dom?" Shyla took another bite and then looked back at Natalia. "Or are you handling his education personally?"

"A little of both," she smiled. "I supplement his studies, but V'ral is very good."

Domenic nodded vigorously with a smile. "Miss V'ral is cool! She's getting me some holoprograms..."

"Ohhhh," Shyla intoned, sounding truly excited and not at all condescending like some adults when expressing enthusiasm for a child's desire. "Do you know what exactly? I mean, I'm sure they're educational...but what kind of subject matter?"

"Archaeology, Biology, Zoology, Creative Thought Processes," he was counting on his fingers and staring at the ceiling. "Rudimentary Cultural Awareness, History of Ancient Cultures and some other stuff." He gave Shyla a grin. "She said they would appeal to my emerging intellect!" He chuckled, mimicking V'ral's Vulcan tones perfectly.

"That's very impressive, Domenic," she enthused, dragging her fork across her plate again. "When you get the Archaeology holoprogram, will you take me on a walk through? I love Archaeology."

"Sure." He positively glowed.

Natalia watched her son's reaction and glanced over at Shyla. She chuckled softly to herself as she ate. It appeared Ainsley Chambers was going to have some fierce competition. With the attentions of so many women he would soon cease to be the shy boy she had always known. Perhaps that would be good for him. He needed a man though - someone to show him what it was to be a father or to just to be a man. That realization brought a touch of sadness, and her thoughts drifted to Mason again. He'd rejected Domenic without even meeting him. She couldn't forgive that. She wanted to hate him, but knew that she couldn't. She dismissed those thoughts and turned her attentions back to Shyla.

"I think his education is in good hands," she smiled. "Counselor Chambers said that she would take him SCUBA diving on the holodeck." Domenic's head whipped around to look at Natalia with a mixture of expectancy and dread for a moment as Natalia continued, "I said it was okay." She grinned at Domenic. "You're safe in a holodeck - Risa was different!"

"Ohhh wow thanks, mom!" He grinned like it was Christmas morning and he'd got the best possible present. He laughed, "It will be soo cool!" Turning back to Shyla he said, "Miss V'ral said she has an Ocean Adventure program that looks at ship wrecks and ancient Earth history!"

"That sounds like it'll be a lot of fun, doodlebug," Shyla grinned. "I'm feeling very jealous of Counselor Chambers right now," she added with a furtive wink at Domenic's mother.

Domenic frowned. "What's a doodlebug?" he screwed up his face. "You can call me Dom, or Domenic...please!" He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a pre-schooler!"

"Domenic!" Natalia shot him a look and he just shrugged like 'hey'. "Apologise!" she said sternly.

He gave Shyla a grin. "Sorry...can I have some ketchup?" he asked innocently of Shyla.

"As long as it's okay with your mother," Shyla said with a look at Natalia. "And as long as you get me some too...doodlebug," she added, starting to giggle at her own tease.

Domenic gave a delighted giggle, pulled a face at Natalia and shot off the chair and almost ran to the replicator.

Natalia sighed and smiled at Shyla. "You're going to spoil him aren't you?" she asked with a mock frown. "He has tomato sauce with everything! I even caught him trying it with ice cream..." She laughed as he returned to the table and proceeded to add his favourite sauce to his meal in copious quantities. He handed the squeezy-bottle to Shyla with a huge grin.

"I was on the Away Team today," Natalia said, talking to both of them. "Our first undiscovered culture! It was exciting!" She nodded at Domenic. "I took many holopictures for you, they are in your school file, I uploaded them while we were walking around so you can see what I saw...mostly," she added with a quick look at Shyla. "It is edited a little." She had removed the views of the dead. Domenic wasn't old enough to cope with the imagery of a dead population, nor to be involved in the implications of it. It was too depressing. "We will be going back tomorrow."

Shyla was nodding as she finished adding ketchup to her own dish, though not so liberally as Dom. "I'm hoping I get to go planetside but I'm guessing they don't really need any Astro Techs down there." Shyla scooped up some jambalaya while she looked at Natalia's collar wistfully. "Rank does have its privileges," she said, smiling.

"To be honest I have no idea why I was ordered to go." Natalia shrugged as she ate more of the delicious dish. She shot a disapproving glance at the amount of sauce her son had used on the food but he just grinned and shovelled it in, so she didn't argue. "My specialty is Astro-physics and Temporal Mechanics."

Shyla finished chewing before speaking. "The Academy gives science officers such a good broad base that nearly all of you can act as generalists, regardless of your individual specialties. We enlisted types only have a year for technical job training...it's very focused and specific. My guess is that Lieutenant Tagliesh still doesn't have complete confidence in me." She shrugged. "It's understandable."

"Lieutenant Tagliesh has no confidence in anyone," Natalia griped. "She's always dissatisfied and it doesn't matter how hard you try to please her, she just looks down at you like you're some kind of bug she's kindly decided not to step on." She ate some more and chewed thoughtfully. "Today on the away team..." She shook her head. "I don't like being around her, she's so unprofessional in the way she deals with people."

Shyla was nodding only slightly. The conversation was steering itself towards something dangerously akin to gossip and Shyla didn't wish to partake. "I was slightly worried when I first met her," Shyla offered. "But she does seem to know her business, even if she doesn't seem to think we do." Shyla smiled happily. "At least she seems to be regarding Astrometrics with a 'hands off' policy."

"Da!" Natalia lapsed into Russian, and grinned, "I think she can't cope with two beautiful women in Astrometrics." She laughed and shrugged. "I like the peace," she said with a wink at Shyla. "You know I am so excited about Gamma Quadrant! We are to see things that no one has ever seen from Earth! This world...how many other planets will there be? You know...I was thinking today - I wonder if the Dominion caused what happened? It would be like them I think."

"Can I be excused?" Domenic interrupted. He'd finished his plate. "It was nice," he told Shyla.

Natalia nodded and in Russian she said, "Recycle your plate and we can have dessert later if you want to play your game, okay?"

Domenic grinned and nodded. He did as he was told and Natalia turned back to Shyla. "Usually when we are alone we talk in Russian," she explained. "It's important he retains his skills in the language otherwise he would lose it. I'm arranging some language courses for him, he hasn't got any preferences, though he seems to be taken with Vulcan - I think that's V'ral's influence. He will learn so much on the Sulu." She sipped her wine. "I think we all will! Just think - we will get to name stars!" She smiled at Shyla. "You should ask the captain if we can name a star after Ethan. That would be fitting, yes?"

"Very much so," Shyla agreed, finally finishing her wine. "I know his grandfather has one named after him in the Alpha Quadrant." Shyla's thoughts drifted to the baby growing inside her. "It could be the start of a family tradition," she finished, softly.

"Then we definitely do it! I think we should hunt for a suitable star - or perhaps a nebula...something beautiful. I saw Ethan once - in the lounge. He was very handsome...he deserves something beautiful."

"He deserves something," Shyla agreed. She could feel tears trying to well in her eyes but was managing to blink them away with some success. Still, the evocation of Ethan's memory was having the effect of muting her cheerfulness but Shyla didn't want to spoil the evening.

"A proto-star!" Natalia said forcefully. "We will find a star that is about to be born inside a nebula - a new life." She smiled and saw the sadness in Shyla's eyes and immediately was sorry for talking about it so much. She filled Shyla's glass with wine and topped up her own. "Tell me...do you like holodeck programmes?" she asked cheerily to change the subject.

"Yes," Shyla was nodding, some of the hurt fading from her eyes. "I'm a pretty good programmer, if I do say so myself. I just haven't had the time...I've been working a lot of double shifts since I came on board."

Natalia's eyes narrowed. "Double shifts ends now - that is an order. You need rest and relaxation - not work work work - understand?" She gave her a smile, though she was very serious about the double shifts. "Besides, I love holodeck programmes, and I am a fair programmer myself...I dabble," she grinned. "What kind of programs do you write?" she asked with enthusiasm.

"Well, it's not so much that they're anything grand story-wise," Moreau said, becoming shy when it came to explaining. "But I do enjoy incorporating the holodeck for things beyond recreation. Once I tied the system into the communications grid so we could use it as a kind of holocommunicator when talking to Ensign Sefton back on Betazed. He was able to see facsimiles of Ensign Reese and me on a holodeck there and we could interact naturally." She shrugged. "It's not terribly original but it was a programming challenge."

Natalia nodded, understanding the concept involved. She smiled. "I enjoy holodeck adventures," she admitted. "I have a series of them that I am working through, though I have changed a few things in the program and I use a few characters that I have developed on a long term basis. I'm in the middle of an adventure right now that is exciting. I have incorporated a few Starfleet training programs into the adventures so that I gain skills that normally would not be used by Science Officers..." She shrugged and sipped her wine. "It is an interesting diversion."

"It sounds like it," Shyla agreed, looking into her own wine glass. "I suppose there will be no rousing holodeck adventures for me." She looked up at Natalia and smiled. "At least not for the next eight months."

"True," Natalia nodded. "Dessert?" she asked. "At least we can have dessert...calories galore and who cares..." She started clearing dishes and topped the wine up again. "I have a delicious recipe. It is called a Pavlova - very Russian. You will love it!"

"Could I get it to go, Natya?" Shyla asked, standing up. When the older woman turned to her, she gave a smile. "It's been a lovely evening but some of our conversation has reminded me that I have so much to do in the coming months." She looked down at her boots briefly and back up again. "I think I'd like to get an early start."

Natalia nodded and gave her a smile of understanding. "Of course," she said gently. "No more late nights hey? And remember what I said - no more double shifts! I will change the roster tomorrow after speaking with Saavar." She turned to the replicator and a few moments later she returned with a small box with a thick slice of something with egg whites and cream and a lot of fruit draped over it. "Thank you for your company, Shyla. Domenic and I enjoyed it. Please - let us do this again?"

"Of course," Shyla said, smiling and taking the box from Natalia. She looked to the wall that separated the living area from Domenic's bedroom. "G'night, Dom! It was nice meeting you!"

Domenic poked his head out of the room and grinned. "G'night, Ladybug!" he said with a giggle.

She smiled and waved at him until his head disappeared. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she said, slipping back to the usual formality now that the pleasantries were winding down.

"It really was a pleasure," Natalia smiled at Shyla's return to formality. "You know...I really enjoyed this evening. Thank you, Shyla." She leaned in and gave the young woman a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'd like to do this again..." she said as she stepped back.

"So would I," Shyla agreed genuinely. Simultaneously, her brow furrowed and her grin broadened with a thought. "Maybe we could do it once a week. It doesn't always have to be your quarters or dinner but we should make an effort to get together away from Astrometrics."

"Yes!" Natalia smiled warmly and enthusiastically. "We could use the holodeck - have a picnic, or something, perhaps even invite a couple of others...a get to know you thing." The evening had been thoroughly enjoyable and relaxed and Natalia felt totally warmed toward Shyla. She knew that they would be friends and that made Natalia very happy - her first real friend, and someone who was totally genuine. "I'll look forward to it," she smiled and walked with her to the door.

"Thanks again," Natalia said as the door unexpectedly swished only halfway open as Shyla was already stepping through. She hit her swinging hand on the door.

Shyla rubbed her mildly injured hand with the other. "That's odd," Shyla observed with a backward glance at Natalia. Almost tentatively, she reached out to touch the offending portal and it jolted open with an abnormally loud hiss as soon as her fingertips brushed it. Both women startled at the unexpected noise.

Natalia grimaced. "That's all I need," she said irritably. "Don't worry I'll call a duty engineer." She gave Shyla a smile as the Petty Officer slipped through the door quickly, fearing it might shut unexpectedly.

"Good night, sir," Shyla said safely on the other side. She smiled. "I'll see you--"

The door slammed shut hard, putting duranium between the two women.

Natalia shouted, "Goodnight!" and hit the door with the palm of her hand. "Damned door! Pfft!" She scowled at it and tapped her comm-badge to report it.

---

"Promise Not To Tell"
By: Ensign Mason Farrell; Operations Officer
Crewman Second Class Leilani Pfeiffer; Lounge Staff [NPC]

Location: USS Sulu, Ops Office
Stardate: 57908.15 18h16

***

Pfeiffer looked vaguely ill when she walked into the Ops Office. Farrell looked up from his console, and was taken aback.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I don't know," Pfeiffer muttered, sinking into a chair.

"Was it that bad?" Farrell asked, a kind smile just touching his expression.

She gave a heavy sigh. "That's the worst part. It was actually not bad. I," she gave Farrell a haunted look, "I don't always, you know," she made a motion of going over a hill with her hand, "make it when I'm with a guy, but . . .with him--"

"Whoa now," Farrell held up a hand to stop her. "You don't have to tell me things like that."

"I've got to tell somebody," Pfeiffer said mournfully. "And you already know."

"Well," Farrell mused as he rubbed his eye, "okay, I guess." He gave a single chuckle. "You've got to tell me one thing, then: why Potts? The guy cultivates his toenails."

"I know!" Pfeiffer was emphatic, but not loud. "He's disgusting. His teeth," she trailed off with a shudder. "I don't know how it happened. It just . . . did."

"It just did?"

"Yes! I don't understand. Maybe it's because he's Deltan or something."

Mason looked skeptical.

"Look," Pfeiffer said, "I've got to justify it somehow or I'm Amy Reese all over again."

"Justifying it is what makes you Amy Reese," Farrell said gently. "Leilani, there's nothing wrong with sleeping with Doctor Potts. You did it, you enjoyed it, you don't want to do it again. It's over, and you move on."

"Promise you won't tell anyone," Pfeiffer pleaded, leaning forward.

Farrell shrugged. "It's none of my business. I don't know anything about anything."

Pfeiffer smiled weakly. "Thank you, sir."

---

"Mysterious Data"
by Lt. Commander Sam
and Ensign Shirik Lektar

Location: USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15 18h30

***

Sam stood in his quarters, watching the data scroll quickly across the screen before him. On the desk sat his tricorder with a cable connecting it to the computer terminal. The cluster of information was binary, and unrecognized by the ship's computer. He had run every available decryption algorithm at his disposal, but still the cluster remained a mystery.

The possibilities of its actual content were limitless. Literally, it could be anything within that file, at least as far as information contained within a cluster of encrypted data. In essence, Sam was a computer. However, he was a thinking, sentient computer. Despite that, he knew his own limitations. While he had some capacity for improvised and inspired thought, he knew that the positronic network that powered his intellect was insufficient for some of the tasks that required the imagination and leaps of logic to move past a problem whose only solution was illogical.

While he was certain that given enough time he could resolve the issue, he was also acutely aware that multiple processors analyzing and interpreting data were more efficient.

Sam tapped his communicator. "Commander Sam to Ensign Lektar."

Shirik was startled out of her study of her PADD. She so seldom was hailed by anyone, that when it did happen it was unexpected. "Yes... Lektar here."

"Ensign, I am studying a cluster of data from the planet. I am finding that decrypting it is quite a daunting task, and I would like to inquire if you are interested in assisting my study. I believe our combined work will allow for us to make quicker progress."

Well, that was even more surprising. An android, asking her for help? She was intrigued. "Certainly. Where shall I meet you?"

"Let us meet in the main operations office," Sam said. "I will be there in three minutes."

"On my way, Lektar out." She gathered up her notes on the alien machinery and set out for the Operations office. She'd only set foot in it once before, and that was the time she'd met Mason Farrell. Not the fondest of memories. She wasn't looking forward to this trip all that much, either.

***

Sam was already in the Ops office when Shirik arrived, seated at his desk and going over the data recovered from the planet. As she entered the room, he looked up. A terminal had been set up at a desk to the side of the office, and Sam indicated that to her. "I have copied the data cluster to this terminal," he said. "It is a complex piece of programming, though I have been unable to determine the actual function. It is my belief that with multiple people approaching the problem, you and I, we will increase the processing power we have to utilize." He motioned for her to sit at the desk. "It is a design in programming that we have no record or experience with."

She nodded, moving to seat herself at the indicated terminal. She called up the code and started looking it over as she asked, "Where did you find this code? What can you tell me about it?"

"I transferred the data cluster from the computer in the lab to my tricorder while Dr. Sefton and Lt. Tagliesh were examining the stasis chambers. I have been studying it since my return to the Sulu. The algorithms and compression routines are unlike any I have encountered before. At first examination the cluster appears to be encrypted with a fractal encryption code, however, you will notice, that--" he tapped a few keys on the console and several areas of the cluster were highlighted in green "--these code segments do not conform to the algorithms used on the rest of the cluster."

She frowned in thought. "It could be parts of it are encrypted differently," she said. "Or these parts could be data of some sort, rather than part of the actual code... Were you able to decrypt the other pieces?" she asked. "This code could be part of the control code for the chambers, or part of some other system, or even a virus for all we know. I trust you took measures to ensure that if it is a virus, the Sulu's computers won't be infected?"

"I have taken every available precaution," Sam stated. "This access to this terminal is restricted, therefore while the ship's computer may access the data contained within, the terminal itself has no access beyond its own memory store. In addition, a recursive loop has been established by the Sulu to keep the data cluster where it is. I have run various tests, as has the ship's computer, though we have detected no attempts to spread elsewhere. My hypothesis, based on those tests, and what we are observing, is that the data is nothing more than that. Data without any executable code. Data that is stored in a format that is currently unknown to us. Some of the other data in the computer was able to be decrypted and analyzed. Some of it appeared to be executable program code, some of it appeared to be nothing more than data. What we have here, is something different, yet similar."

"Data...in a lab computer..." she mulled this over. "It could be nearly anything, without any context to put it into... Inventories, test results, samples... How big is it? Could it be data relating to the chambers? Perhaps data on the people who were inside?"

"That is a very logical supposition," Sam said. "Have you any theories as to how we might be able to access that information? It is possible the files require the hardware of the computers on the planet."

"That is a possibility," she frowned. "But that would require more deciphering, to figure out the controls and how to work them." She considered. "Perhaps it could be recording data...like log recordings? Or medical data... All I can really do is guess at this point. There's no real frame of reference to know what this data could be."

"A recording is a likely possibility," Sam stated. "Perhaps recorded data of their experimental procedures, though there are too many variations and possibilities to calculate. Perhaps we should focus our time on understanding the terminal on the planet. If the computers here are insufficient or incompatible, it is possible we will only be wasting our time."

She nodded. "I had assumed study of the terminal controls would eventually be one of the objectives of our away missions," she said. "A linguist may be needed to aid in such study." She paused for a moment at another thought. "If this is a recording of some kind... It's possible we might be able to replay it using the holodeck systems..." She looked to him for his opinion of this idea.

"That is a likely possibility," Sam stated. "If it is a recording, the holodeck should be able to interpret that recording into a medium we would be able to observe. Your suggestion has definite merit, Ensign."

"Well, then...shall we take this data to the holodeck and see if we can view it?" she said, getting to her feet.

"That will be acceptable," Sam said as he rose. The door whooshed open at their approach, leaving Sam's office empty.

***

The tricorder was set up in the middle of the empty holodeck, with the data cluster safely stored within. Sam watched Ensign Lektar as she prepared the interface that would render the cluster in holographic form. "Should I contact Lieutenant Flummux, Ensign? According to his file, he is quite skilled with holo-programming."

Shirik worked on the interface, very curious to see what would happen. It would either be a bunch of gibberish, or...it might make an image. "So am I," she said. "I'd like to try it on our own first, anyway... If we need more help, we can always summon him later." Besides knowing she was likely just as skilled as he was, she also didn't want to have to deal with his phobias while trying to decipher alien data. She was hoping Flummux wouldn't be needed.

Sam gave a close approximation of a nod as he checked the monitor in the arch. They had managed to establish a protocol using some of the data from the lab. The odds were not very high that it would help, however the chances were much better than without. "The holomatrix reports ready for us to continue. Are you almost ready, Ensign?"

"Yes, ready," she said. "Proceed." She stood by ready to monitor everything.

Sam rapidly tapped in the sequence of keys to engage the holo- imagers. In the center of the holodeck, an image shimmered briefly, taking on a humanoid shape. As quickly as it appeared, however, it faded out of existence. The android's head cocked to the side, and then looked to Shirik. "I do not know if I would count this as a complete failure," he said, "however I do not believe that was the desired effect."

"No, but it was a start," she said, already at work analyzing what had happened, and what had gone wrong. She ran a diagnostic of the holosystems, and an analysis of the last run program, to see if perhaps the data was incomplete somehow, or if something had malfunctioned. "So far, it's the most promising result we've had."

"Indeed," Sam said as he monitored the results of Lektar's diagnostic. The holodeck reported all systems functioning normally, though there were signs of stress. Quickly reading through the information reported from their test, he cocked his head to the side, his expression one of android curiousity. "Perhaps the holomatrix lacks the imaging capacity to display the data contained within the cluster. If we find a method in which to filter the data, perhaps we can find a way to pre-process the data before it reaches the holo- imagers. It is possible the density of the data we are working with is overloading the imagers."

She frowned as she looked over the results as well. "Yes, that's what it looks like is happening," she said, surprised at that. It took a lot of data density to overwork a holosystem. "We can try some parsing algorithms against the data stream, just to cut down its density enough to get a stable image to form, then work on adding more data back in until we reach the holosystem's limits. We might get lucky, and not all the data is needed to form the image..."

"That will be acceptable," Sam said. "While you begin that process, I will notify Captain Salinger of our progress. Perhaps we will soon have something to show him."

"Very well," she nodded. She moved to the control console and began programming in instructions for the filtering, settling in for what she was sure would be a few more hours' worth of work.

---

"Plaid Aversion"
By: Ensign Kit Markham
Lieutenant j.g. Tchalla Mel'Chir
Ensign Kelzira Rax
Ensign Amy Reese
Head Chef Sikara

Location: Officers Lounge, USS Sulu
Stardate 57908.15, 20h00

***

They walked down the corridor together, happily chattering to each other about their day, including Tchalla Mel'Chir's account of her Away Mission. The quietly delivered story was well-received by her friends, and Kelzira's big smile brought a smile to Tchalla's face. She grinned at Amy as they approached the lounge. "I just wanted to say," she said softly, "that your solo in 'Heart of the Matter' is sounding really good, Amy."

Amy beamed. "Really? It's not too offkey or anything?" She sighed. "Oh, I was so worried I sounded horrible!"

"It wasn't horrible," Tchalla said earnestly. "It was great. You're definitely becoming accustomed to the guitar. I don't think I could ever...it's just so. I envy you, and Kit too. But, I like singing, and it's fun. I'm just...just happy to be able to be a part of it."

"And you're great at it too," Amy told her. "Your voice is so sweet and angelic..." She snickered, and nudged her blue friend. "Which is more than I can say for yourself."

Tchalla blushed brightly and looked away. "I'm not that naughty," she said softly, prompting a laugh from Kit and a proud giggle from Kelzira. "I'm not. It's just...I can't help it... Kelzira is just too...well, it's... You haven't been listening at the walls, have you?"

Amy grinned. "Should I be!" She giggled and leaned upon Kit. "Oh, Kitty...they're more affectionate than we are. I'm feeling threatened!"

"No!" Tchalla squeaked.

Kelzira giggled and slipped her arms around Tchi. "Don't worry, Mel'Chir," she said softly. "If they were really listening, they'd be much more jealous."

"Much," Amy agreed with a nod. "But just to be sure, we'll have to listen tonight." She grinned. "Just to make sure...."

Tchalla gave a frantic look to Kelzira. Kelli gave her a quick, reassuring kiss, allowing her closeness to caress the stress from one of Tchi's antennae. The gesture, that Kelzira had taken to indicate alarm, subsided, and the two blue appendages relaxed slightly. "Much better," Kelli whispered. "Now, come on, let's go have some food."

Amy concurred with a triumphant squeal and hurried to the doors of the lounge, with Kit struggling to keep up. The doors parted and Amy nearly ploughed into the red rope stretched across two black stands and blocking the entrance into the lounge. Amy squeaked softly in confusion. "Hey...what's all this?"

"No, not what's that," Kit said, then pointed inside the now-garishly painted Officer's Lounge, "what's that? Orange? Orange? Who paints anything orange? Ancient earth holidays may have featured orange as a colour on the palette. My hair may occasionally feature orange. A wall, however, a wall should not ever feature the colour orange. It looks...it looks like a pumpkin exploded. Next, we'll probably have some stuffed up, starched-jacket wearing bobo asking us if we have reservations."

Sikara, who was standing just out of view, walked in front of the four officers. "I'm not sure what a stuffed up, starched-jacket wearing bobo is, but if you think it would add to the new lounge, then please tell me where I can find one," he said, lost that it was actually a joke.

Kit looked to Amy, who was stifling her laughter. "We'd like some food," he said. "So, what's with the paint and the barricade? Oh nevermind, come on guys, time to eat." With that, he started forward. Sikara stood in front of him he said "For future reference, I would prefer that you booked, as I cannot guarantee you a table, especially during peak time. Pick a table and I'll be right with you with menus" "Whoa," Kit said quickly, taking a step after Sikara. "Are you telling us that we have to have reservations to come to the ship's officer's lounge?"

Sikara frowned. "How else could I make sure that we aren't overbooked? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to eat in the corridor, no? There is no charge I assure you; it's just that there are many more officers on this ship than there is room for them here."

"Overbooked?" Amy exclaimed. "This isn't a restaurant, this the lounge! No one ever said anything about having to make reservations." Sikara began to be a little annoyed, but his temperament remained and his tone remained the same "I have discussed this with Lt. Commander Sam and the ship's stewards, they do agree that the lounge may become overbooked and should that happen it would be unfair to keep people out that only have a certain amount of free time, for a romantic meal perhaps. Bookings is a very easy solution, and is very simple to do. You can book an hour in advance and, space permitting, you shall have a table. Now, if you would like to sit down at a table, I will bring out today's menu"

Sikara turned and walked away at the conversation that he had had about ten times already, and was becoming bored with it. He got their menus and walked over to their table, depositing the menus before them.

"Please, take your time" Sikara said, bowing traditionally for his species and returning to his kitchen.

Amy lifted an eyebrow at each of her friends, then approached their table. Her disapproval of the lounge's decor was quite vocal, involving jestful dry retches. "What happened in here!"

Kit let out a noise that was somewhere between a harumph and a pfft and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think someone shoved the entire Operations staff up that guy's butt and then they gave him a can of paint."

Amy narrowed her eyes quizzically at Kit. "Huh?" Then took another look around and grimaced. "How can we eat in here?" she asked with distaste. "I'm already feeling nauseous!"

"I don't like the elitism this place seems to reek of," Kit said.

"I've never liked the idea of an Officer's Lounge," Kelzira said. "It's so exclusive, and what if we had a friend who wasn't an officer?"

"We could go to the mess hall," Tchalla answered. "There are more people there, but it's nice and the walls are blue."

Amy flicked at one loose end of the gaudy plaid tablecloth, and quipped, "So's this, but for some reason, it's the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

"There's a place for plaid," Kit said, and then pointed at the table, "and this isn't it."

"Let's just go," Amy said. "I don't like that Sikara guy either. He's too snooty for my tastes."

"Far too snooty," Tchalla answered.

Amy nodded, then raised her chin haughtily and crooked her arm towards Kit. "Let's go, my love. We'll go where we're wanted."

Kit slipped his arm into Amy's. "Or at least not looked down on by someone with too much starch in his shorts."

---

"Session 8"
By: Ensign Galil F'Zal; Counselor

Location: USS Sulu, F'Zal's office
Stardate: 57908.15 20h00

***

"Session log, Counselor Galil F'Zal, USS Sulu. Subject: Ensign Mason Farrell. Stardate five-seven, nine-oh-eight, point one-five. Pause."

F'Zal sat for a short period, frowning thoughtfully as he considered his words.

"Resume. Progress is slow with Mason, but each day seems to inch closer to some truth. The open defiance he showed in our first meetings appears to have passed, and he is now merely indifferent. I feel rather like an anthropologist dealing with a First Contact. In time, I hope that he will complete the behavioral pattern he has begun and accept me into his world, where he has to date only accepted my presence in the room.

"The shift in his behavior, while small in the greater scheme, validates my decision not to report him to command. That he has not been 'forthcoming' as instructed cannot be disputed. However, his closed nature will never fully open without help, and help is hard to find in prison. I cannot bring myself to simply turn him over to command without exhausting every option.

"That said, I have continued my efforts to avoid directly contacting his mind. While the short-term results of probing would likely be extremely fruitful, Mason is human. Such probing would likely destroy the fragile acceptance of me he is building, and turn him back to the path of contempt and cold one-word answers. I can still passively sense his emotional states, and that is sufficient for the time being. My questions and his answers are hardly substantive at this point anyway, and so simple passive empathy is all that I need."

F'Zal rubbed his face with both hands and continued.

"My conclusions thus far are few, as my hypotheses concerning his behavior have not been fully explored. He appears at this stage to be a deeply conflicted individual. He is aggressive and motivated, with a significant need for dominance. This should not be confused with a need for dominion, which he does not possess, I believe. Mason does not wish to rule or be in charge of everything. Rather, he wishes to be in control of himself and his surroundings. The difference is very fine, but important, as Mason's ability to exert control over himself is the crux of this entire therapeutic regimen.

"I sense a considerable quantity of anger in him, but he does not strike me as wildly violent. Indeed, if anything, he controls and channels his anger well. As frightened as I am to admit it, the incident on Bajor appears completely premeditated, down to transport to and from the surface without a trace, and planned avenues of escape and excuse. Were it not for Sam's observational abilities, I have little doubt that Mason would have gone uncaught.

"Something deep in his psyche was touched that night, something I am at a loss to discuss with any certainty. Ironically, given the premeditation of the assault, I concur with Potts' conclusion that Anger Management was not the answer for Mason, and will extend our own sessions accordingly.

"A note in passing. Counselor Chambers has been a model of professionalism thus far. Her connection to Mason is well-known to the counseling staff, if not the entire ship, and concern was expressed from several quarters over her ability to remain uninvolved in Mason's therapy. She has to date proved such suspicions misguided. She does not inquire as to the specifics of my meetings with Mason, and appears to place trust in my abilities. I appreciate her faith, and respect her demeanor in what must be a trying time."

F'Zal nodded. "End Session Log."

---

"Social Experiments"
by Lt. Cmdr. Damhnait Sefton - Chief Medical Officer
and Doctor Ilan Potts - Assistant Chief Counsellor

Location: USS Sulu, Chief Medical Officer's Quarters
Stardate: 57908.15, 20h22

***

"...I firmly told him that I have no qualms with him juggling goslings, but that under no circumstances will he continue to juggle goslings in this establishment. He promptly picked up his pastry and left," the recording of Damhnait's husband, Fortu Sefton, informed her of his day's events on Betazed.

Reclining on the sofa in her sparsely decorated quarters, Damhnait watched the playback on the communication screen mounted to the wall across from her. She was still wearing her uniform slacks and an indigo tank top, but had removed her boots, socks, hairpins, and the outer-layers of her upper uniform. With the considerable time-zone difference between Sulu and where Fortu was located on Betazed, it wasn't common for them to speak in real time. As such, this was a familiar scene in Sefton's quarters; compared to their typical telepathic conversations, it took Damhnait aeons to watch his messages and to record for him everything she wanted to say to him in a day. As she listened to Fortu speak, she couldn't help thinking of everything she needed to tell him.

She wouldn't get the chance, because the doorchime sounded. Once she ordered the pausing of Fortu's message, Damhnait said, "Enter."

The door opened but no one appeared for a heartbeat until finally Doctor Potts' bald head peeked into the room. He spied her on the sofa, half-undressed, and smiled huge. "Good evening, my most lovely Doctor Sefton. You're looking absolutely breathtaking this evening."

"Thank you. I spent entire minutes getting un-ready. Did you want to come in, or have you another costume that will not fit through the door?" Damhnait genially asked of the head in her doorway, smiling warmly all the while. Without any patients around to worry about, Potts seemed relatively harmless.

Potts entered almost sheepishly. He wasn't costumed exactly but he was wearing clothes that looked like they had been made for a Ferengi. Bright yellow pants stuck out from beneath a garish multi-colored jacket that he wore over a white collared shirt. There was a burgundy ascot on his neck and he wore huge red shoes. He had a bottle in his hands that continued with the red color scheme.

Damhnait rose to her feet in a single fluid movement and invited Potts in with a hand gesture. She froze and her right eyebrow arched high, though, when she caught sight of the bottle. Somewhat sceptically - at his ability to procure it and his audacity to bring it to her quarters - she asked, "Cyndrielan Cerulesque?"

"That is what I've been told, on good authority. I had never heard of it but I must say I do like the bottle." He held it up a little, as if to show off its unique shape. "Of course, once I found out it's somewhat a rarity even on your own world, the choice of whom to enjoy it with seemed absolutely clear." He turned his smile on her, his mind abound with highly sexualized thoughts about not only the good Doctor but a number of other female personnel. He let them flow, completely unashamed.

Sauntering towards the replicator to retrieve appropriate goblets, Damhnait briefly wondered how Ilan's fantasies would vary now that his eyes were on her backside. "I haven't enjoyed Cyndrielan Cerulesque since..." Damhnait clearly struggled to recall which occasion was the most recent, when a triad of similar, and yet distinct, memories came to mind. She shrugged it off, once the goblets materialised, and diverted the topic to ask, "I don't suppose you have a toast prepared?"

Potts pulled the cork from the bottle and gave it a sniff as Damhnait set the glasses upright on the table. Immediately, he felt a stir and every last hair stand on end as a warm glow filled him just from the scent. "I should think the most appropriate toast," he began as if mulling it over as he started to pour. "I should think the most appropriate toast would be to the architect of this startling procurement, one Mister Mas --"

"Proxima!" Sefton grinned at having solved the puzzle in her memory. "It was when I was named the Assistant Chief of Medical on the Proxima. Dhia," - her voice was thick with reminiscence - "I think that was the last time I consumed real alcohol."

"Far too long, fairest," Potts said with a slick smile as he filled her glass to the brim. "Though surely an occasion worthy of celebration." He took up his glass and placed hers in her hand. "I regret that this is nothing so grand but having this bottle and not sharing it with you is a little akin to having an answer for the Sphinx and not going to Egypt."

"And what is it that this Sphinx is guarding?" Damhnait asked both suggestively and discouragingly.

"I would say your heart, my dear," Potts chuckled, handing Damhnait one of the glasses. "But we both know I'm thinking considerably lower." He raised his own glass in salute while still managing to look somewhat troubled. "Although I'm sure you're well aware, I suppose personal ethics compel me to mention that Cyndrielan Cerulesque is renown for its aphrodisiacal properties and --"

"I already know," Damhnait said with an assuring smile. She clinked her goblet against his, and took her first drink of the Cerulesque.

***

"You are a counsellor; so, maybe you can help me with my interpersonal quandary," Damhnait said to Ilan - her face flushed, and her elocution lacking its usual precision. "What the hell is going on with the senior staff? Do they report to the bridge just to engage in group sex? Is that how they're all becoming romantically involved. Because, I really wouldn't know. I mean, Medical is not part of the command track, and that seems to be seriously enforced here. There's no position on the bridge for me, they have secret meetings without me, I wasn't even consulted in the decision to bring a city's worth of bones on board the Sulu. My away team was sent out of the city, and they commed me to find out how safe I thought the planet was, and when I checked in with Sickbay, I discovered, second-hand, that we've become gorram grave-robbers."

"If they're keeping you out of the loop," Potts began, shaking the last drops of the Cerulesque into his glass. "It is only because they're threatened by your obvious expertise." Ilan lifted the bottle high and peered into the narrow neck, disappointed at its emptiness. "Many in command are threatened by a strong, capable woman...even today. Why, did you know that it was only over a hundred years or so ago that women were forbidden to command starships?"

"I am aware, but that has never been a problem for me. The Ezell was a hospital ship, for dhia's sake; as the Chief Medical Officer, my opinion virtually determined ship's policy. And on the Oberon, at least I had the Captain's ear. I knew Brant when he was an officer serving aboard the Trillium. He's even Andraia's godfather!" Damhnait enthused, and began to digress, " ...Granted, Andraia has three godfathers and five godmothers - no one explained the intricacies of the Starfleet tradition to Fortu and I, but we wanted to make up for Cristobel not having any godparents."

Potts killed his glass and resisted the urge to lick it. "Andraia is your youngest then," he said, shaking his head obviously and regarding the empty glass sadly. "Is it just the two children?"

"Yes," Damhnait nodded vigorously. "Do you have any children?"

"Not a one," Potts admitted. "I've been very careful." He let his glass roll out of his hand. "Would you like to have more?" Potts asked, resting his cheek on his hand. It sounded vaguely like a proposition.

"No," Damhnait answered vehemently, despite being oblivious to his come on. "I can hardly take care of the two I've got. The Sulu's entire crew seems to be made up of children... Everyone's so young. No wonder they don't want to spend their free time with 'Cris' mom'. ...Not that I suppose many of their conversations would interest me very much..."

"I find many of the younger people absolutely stimulating," Potts said, pushing himself off the floor and onto shaky legs. The two had collapsed at the foot of Damhnait's bed without ever actually getting into it. If there were unique aphrodisiac properties to the Cerulesque, they had yet to take effect. Potts stumbled over to Sefton's closet drunkenly, which whisked open to his proximity.

"It's over there," Damhnait haughtily pointed Potts in the direction of the lavatory, and openly laughed at him. It wasn't as if her quarters were any different than Potts' own.

"Thank you," he muttered, staggering in the direction her finger pointed. He disappeared inside the fresher, not even noticing that the light failed to activate automatically.

Once Ilan was out of sight, Sefton gulped down the last of her own Cerulesque and began to speak louder -- much louder than was necessary for Potts' small distance away. "I've started to develop this theory that the Sulu is more of a social experiment than a proper exploratory starship. Perhaps Starfleet wants to test its psychological screening practices or the feasibility of long-term exploration of other galaxies... Why else would the Sulu be overflowing with officers who are nearly unfit for duty, and sent alone into the Gamma Quadrant? First we were armed with an entire team of counsellors and then some of them were recalled with my nurses. How many are there of you now? Ships didn't have counsellors when I joined Starfleet, and for years a single counsellor could handle a crew compliment of a thousand. The Oberon's crew was well over seven-hundred, and it only had three counsellors. Three!"

"There are five point five counselors aboard the Sulu," Ilan shouted from within his duranium cocoon, his voice tinny and muffled. "If you count Crewman Summers. Which I usually don't." There was the sound of running water.

"What a strange little girl she is," Damhnait loudly remarked. Explaining, she went on, "She was the only one in all of Sickbay who would still wear those class-B uniforms. But now she's all yours."

The door hissed open and Potts emerged from the darkness. "For the time being," he said, almost managing to sound sinister. He looked at Damhnait still on the floor, leaning back against her bed. He felt something stir in him but nothing out of the ordinary. "Are you feeling anything?" he asked, scratching his head.

Damhnait's brow furrowed as she closely concentrated on her self-awareness. "No..." she definitively answered, despite her puzzled expression. She reached out for the empty bottle lying on the floor, and regarded it disappointedly once it was in her grasp. "Perhaps it's from a bad year. Where did you get it anyway?"

"It was a gift from Ensign Farrell," Potts said, crossing back to Doctor Sefton, only this time sinking down on the mattress behind the floored Damhnait. "The lad certainly seems to know his business when it comes to certain procurements. I can't believe he'd be taken in on a flim-flam." Absently, he began rubbing the good Doctor's shoulders.

"Everything he procured for Sickbay, Federation-approved or otherwise, has been quality merchandise," Damhnait remarked, as she bunched her hair over her shoulder to rest on her chest, out of the way of Ilan's hands. "Perhaps he got confused, and this was not even Cyndrielan Cerulesque."

"You've had it before," Potts pointed out, still rubbing her shoulders. "It tasted fine to me...but did it taste right?"

"I suppose it did taste right..." Damhnait admitted, puzzled by her own utter lack of arousal. She had known she would've been able to control herself from completely succumbing to its effects, but she hadn't at all expected it to be so easy.

"Is it possible we're not as attractive as we think we are?" Potts mused, managing to sound somewhat horrified.

"No!" Damhnait declared confidently. Then she looked to one of the hands on her shoulder, and interrogated, "What are you doing?"

"Come now, Doctor," Potts scolded, continuing his rubbing. "I am merely in orbit. It's not like I've formed an Away Team with the intent to beam down."

Damhnait began to laugh uncontrollably; "I have no idea what that means." And made no movement to remove his hands.

"Me neither," Potts admitted. "You'll grow quite used to not understanding what I'm saying at any given moment. I certainly have."

As Potts' hands found their way down either side of Damhnait's spine, and started to make a home for themselves underneath her shirt at her lower back, she understood. "I think it's time to break orbit," Damhnait told him, with a slow cock of her head to the left. "But don't leave the star system."

In Potts' rather cluttered mind, the admonishment and the encouragement cancelled one another out, leaving him where he'd been for the last hour - poised on the very verge of bliss. He regarded Doctor Sefton from that position and smiled fondly.

"Remarkable woman," he said, mostly to himself.

---