TREKS IN SCI-FI FORUM

collaboration between Just X and Jen
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A glittering eddy of particles, combined to create the graceful form of woman, within the confines of Aurora's forward cabin. When Sevryll had fully materialized, Aria greeted her in the fashion customary to Vulcans—it had been a long time since she last made the ancient gesture. "Peace and long life," she said to her guest. Some how, the parting of her fingers and the utterance of the greeting, felt like an affirmation of her existence as a living, breathing person.

Sevryll studied the face of the young woman standing before her—the resemblance was extraordinary. She was tall and slight, like herself, and bore a number of comparable facial features. She raised her hand and returned the salutation.

Aria stared back at Sevryll for a moment, trying to gauge her disposition,"there was none that she could see, for her face was completely impassive. The young woman motioned to a chair nearby and Sevryll sat down, tucked her hair behind her ear and waited for Aria to begin.

"Thank you for meeting with me. I assume that my creation has caused you some discomfort, and I regret that, but it was a necessary act that needed to occur within a specific timeframe," she said as she moved to a chair across from her biological mother. "I am not aware of the exact reasons, but I am fortunate that the process was successful." Sevryll held Aria's gaze, and when she failed to respond, the clone continued. Drawing upon the information that Aurora had left her about the project, she gave Sevryll a detailed summary of her lineage in an alternate time line.


"Aurora selected you as a donor, because you are a near genetic duplicate to my birth mother," she said. "In my time line, Charles Tucker and T'Pol had two children, a daughter named Elisabeth and a son named Krell." Aria folded her hands and placed them in her lap as she continued. "My version of Krell met and married your mother, and another version of you was born. The Sevryll in my time line, met my father, Aeric James, through my great-aunt: Admiral Elisabeth Tucker—the first Human/Vulcan hybrid. In this time line, had she survived, she would have been your aunt." She paused momentarily to allow Sevryll the time to digest the information she had just given her. Sevryll inclined her head coolly, signaling Aria to continue.  "My mother and father, worked on early projects for my great-aunt. It was during an extended mission with him, a little over two decades ago, that my mother entered an earlier than expected Pon Far, which resulted in my conception. When the time line changed and Elisabeth died, it set forth a chain of events that would prevent my parents from ever meeting."

"Up until her temporal dissolution five years ago, you and my mother's lives, except for my birth, were virtually identical," Aria took a deep breath and let the nanites inside her do the work of suppressing the anxiety that should have been raging in her.

Aria's story, regarding parallel time lines, was intriguing. When Sevryll agreed to meet the clone, she never imagined that the subject of temporal shifts would be apart of her explanation. Yet, regardless of her scientific interests, Sevryll was troubled by the lack of regard shown for her rights as an individual. "Had I been approached initially, I may have contributed the genetic material necessary for your attempt. Instead, my DNA was collected without my permission. My right to make that decision was disallowed. Why?"

Quinn rushed around trying to pack up all his things. The crew of the Tiberius still had three days left on its shore leave but the appearance of the Admiral last night plans have changed. Took appeared outside Quinn's door. "Nathan you ready to head back". Quinn zipped up his bag "Yep.. all packed and ready". Quinn and Took headed down stairs where Anashta and Jerrad sat waiting. As Quinn approached his father he took him into a one armed hug. "It was great seeing you again, good luck Captain". Anashta then pulled Quinn into a tight bear hug. "I wish you would visit more my special one," said Anashta with tears in her eyes as they separated she pushed a bag into Quinn's arms.  Quinn looked down at the bag and smiled "Mother we have replicators for this." Anashta waved her hand in the air, "It's not the same, there is nothing like home cooking". Quinn gave Took a look and saw him holding back a smile. Anashta then turned to Took. "It was a great pleasure to meet you.  I can see that you make my son very happy" Both Quinn and Took blushed as Quinn quickly headed out the door while Jerrad patted Took on the back.

The doctor was relieved that shoreleave was over, to him it had been anything but relaxing, The trauma of the last mission had left him scarred and emotionally drained, but shoreleave although traumatic for him had allowed him to come to accept his friends death and accept The purple heart, that he had come through much trauma to realize that he deserved.

It would take time for him to get over the last mission and it would leave him with a deep psychological scar that would take some time to heal, but he knew with the help of his friends, lots of Romulan ale and time he would heal.

For now he was glad to be back in an environment that he was comfortable in and looked forward to the routine. He was now ready for the next mission to begin....

Collaboration between Just X and Jen
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"Had I been approached initially, I may have contributed the genetic material necessary for your attempt. Instead, my DNA was collected without my permission. My right to make that decision was disallowed. Why?"

Aria answered quickly, "if it were my decision alone, I would have sought your permission before obtaining your genetic sample, but I am certain that Aurora made her determination based on legal precedence, and did not wish to entertain the possibility of your refusing her request."

Sevryll intuitively raised a single brow, "the legalities concern me less than the lack of ethics involved in your methods. Whatever your intentions may be, the process nonetheless, proceeded without my knowledge or consent. Lab animals are managed with more consideration than you have offered me." Sevryll's voice never deviated from an even tone, yet her words rolled with a crispness that suggested she harbored a deep indignation beyond the composed, emotionless facade.

"Had there been time for discussion, I am certain that Aurora would have consulted with you," the younger woman responded. She understood that there was an invasion, but she also knew that Aurora had been driven to complete the project.

"Also, to be clear, it was not my doing. Aurora and I are two distinct beings. She was the custodian of my katra and I was the core of her matrix. While I possess much of Aurora's knowledge, there are certain memories that I was not privy to when my katra was restored to flesh. It is my summation that an unexpected occurrence caused Aurora to take drastic measures, but there is insufficient information as to the event that transpired. Aurora felt that you and Aeric, my mother and father, would need my help in the coming times. What little I could access of Aurora's logs, indicated that she was also concerned for my siblings, your children—I will not apologize for my birth, if I was brought forth to protect them."

She looked away from Sevryll's glare...it was obvious Sevryll was not pleased that Aria had brought M'rynn and N'Vall, her children in this time line,  into the conversation. After a short pause, she took a breath and managed to meet the commander's eyes once more, " A void was formed with the loss of my family, yet the greater emptiness is the discovery that the family I once knew, never existed. I believe Aurora did this to save me from non-existence, and I will not ignore the sacrifice that she made for my sake. I was not responsible for the time shift that altered you and erased me—my choice in this matter was refuted as well."

Sevryll stood abruptly in preparation to depart, but hesitated to tap her com badge. Seeing that Sevryll was preparing to leave, Aria rose with her. She hoped to convince her 'would-be mother' to stay, for she wanted more time to reverse the affront and turn the direction of the conversation. Aria opened her mouth to speak, but Sevryll cut her short,"I recognize your right to exist and I consent to your presence aboard the Tiberius, but do not expect to be received as a daughter. My husband and I chose to create our children, but where you are concerned, my free will was denied. You say that you were created to protect us, but all I know for certain is that I have been violated for the purpose of your continuation, and because of your actions...Aurora's actions, my perception of you...her" Sevryll closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to mentally, detangle, the nest of confusion. After a few seconds, she managed to dredge the appropriate words from her vocabulary, "my perception of those involved in your creation...is not a positive one."

She knew the terms expressed were difficult to hear, but they were honest and she did not believe it was right to entertain Aria's hopes of creating a mother/daughter relationship. Aria had mentioned "protecting" the twins, but Sevryll could not be sure any of what she was told was the truth. She glanced down briefly, in an attempt to compose herself. After a long moment, she forced herself to look at the young woman once more, only another Vulcan would recognize that Aria was shaken. She noted the astonishment in Aria's eyes and softened her manner, "a day may come when my opinion is amended, but earning my trust is requisite to my acceptance of you as anything other than a passenger aboard the Tiberius." The last words trailed away wistfully as she tapped her badge to request transport back to the ship.

Aria watched as the woman vanished. The nanites regulating her emotions had to triple their activity to keep her from crumbling into tears. It wasn't the meeting that she had imagined, nor was it within the extremes that she had anticipated. Yet Servyll, the mirror image of the woman that first gave birth to her, had not closed the door on a familial relationship. Despite the emotional suppression, Sevryll's parting words gave Aria hope. She had a full life ahead of her now, and time to make things right with her mother. Aurora's gift was now protected from temporal non-existence,and she would not make the same mistakes as her father. She would not allow her new family to vanish, due to the folly of inconsiderate time travelers. Soon she would have the means to protect them from one threat, but she could only wonder if it was the threat that she was born to help them against.

Aeric stood at the controls of the newly converted reactors. In a few moments, he would be shutting down the fusion reactors and bringing the quantum generators fully online. Taking a look over the newly integrated quantum generator room, Aeric smiled at the progress.

Due to the small size of the four micro reactors, they would only double the output of the reactors, but that would be more than enough for him to continue the projected upgrades. Had they remained in drydock, full size reactors and more than enough power to fuel the drives, but they would have to make due with the smaller reactors until a full refit could begin.

"James to engineering," Aeric said as he linked his mind to the communications systems. "Permission to shut down all onboard fusion reactors and bring the quantum generator room online."

Aeric needed the power transfer to be done perfectly. The power conduits weren't designed, even with the upgrades, to handle a sudden flow of power from both systems. At the same time, there were still issues with just shutting down the power and activating the other. It had to be synchronized. Hopefully the chief would appreciate the new doubling in power from the reactors.

The spaceport buzzed with activity. People and creatures of all shapes and sizes walked purposefully this way and that, all looking for their morning transports to a hundred different places. A lone Breen looked lost and confused, its enormous refrigerator-suited frame bumping into just about everyone in his meandering path. A pair of rosy-cheeked Starfleet cadets sprinted through the crowd, ducking and dodging, being especially careful to avoid a collision with a trio of Nausicaans.

Firrak Remor adjusted his lone duffel bag and made his way through the crowd toward terminal 12 Delta, the departure point for the USS Tiberius. Booking passage as a civilian had not been difficult, but given the characteristically lax security at Federation spaceports, he doubted going through official channels would have been necessary. Still, if anything, it provided him with an open legitimacy that allowed him to relax and concentrate on preparing his mind for possible telepathic probing. Perhaps the most irritating aspect of Federation living was all the telepaths. For the most part, he sensed that they were keeping their minds to themselves (Federation social etiquette!), but occasionally, he felt someone probing his thoughts. As a child on Cardassia, he had been a privileged Gul's son and had attended the most prestigious school in the entire Union. Although at the time, the mind training programs he had gone through were most unpleasant, they ended up providing him with unparalleled discipline and focus. Combined with his Obsidian Order training, his mind had been practically restructured and forged into a nearly impenetrable fortress against psychic incursion. Still, it took a fair amount of preparation to camouflage himself against powerful telepaths like the Betazoids.

Remor boarded the shuttle with a few minutes to spare before takeoff and took a seat next to a nervous-looking Vulcan junior officer. "This is your first mission, ensign?" Remor asked with the steady, measured meter expected of Vulcans. The emotionless existence of the Vulcan was another irritating aspect of his cover, but for some reason, his Vulcan ears itched much less than his Romulan ears had.

"Yes,"? said the young ensign, regaining some of his composure. Then he added, "Was it so obvious?"

"I had a first mission, once," Remor said. The ensign nodded in acknowledgement.

The conversation with the young Vulcan would have to wait, though, because through the hatch walked a man Remor had heard about: Nathan Quinn. The captain took a seat several rows away, sitting next to a Bolian civilian with an unusually wrinkly head. This was going to be a test of his mind's discipline. He knew he would eventually be discovered as a Tal'Shiar agent, but his identity as a Cardassian must remain hidden. Being a spy for the Tal'Shiar was dangerous enough; doing it as a double agent for a defunct Obsidian Order was ludicrous. And keeping tabs on a rumored Section 31 presence all the while would be practically suicidal.

As the shuttle rose through the atmosphere, Remor caught a glimpse of the Tiberius through the porthole. He had heard it was an unusually big ship, but seeing it firsthand was incredible. It was massive. But the bigger the ship and the more passengers there were, the easier it would be to camouflage oneself and one's thoughts.

Remor's Vulcan exterior almost cracked a smile.

Lt. Aeric's message sounded through K'arath's com badge. He briefly hesitated, his hand paused above the device to activate his response. Although intrigued by the Lt's plans to upgrade the primary ship power system by utilizing zero point reactors which draw power from subspace as opposed to a more traditional matter anti-matter reactor, he had concerns. The system was a complete mystery to him, he had never read about it in any Starfleet technical journals and though the concept was sound, the partical application might be anything but. The Captain had approved all of Aeric's work, and K'arath's Klingon dedication to duty would allow no further debate.

"Acknowledged," he replied after taping the com badge. He glanced over at the quantum reactor which in a moment would become active, silencing the main warp core in the cenetr of his engineering bay.

"Khalis, give us stregnth," he said to himself, looking around at the anxious eye's of his staff.

Isaac had beamed aboard the Tiberius with his two Sugar Gliders and Joseph.  He said his goodbye to Joseph who went straight to his quarters which Isaac went to what some called the "Main Replicator Station" room.**  It was essentially a room with several advanced, high power replicators that were more suited to complex items that standard replicators couldn't handle such as fancy wine glasses and complex art.  Though not perfect, they were still very accurate.  There was also a station where a crewmember could reorganize and add things to his room.  This was done with a combination of replicators, transporters, and an ensign if needed.  Of course, depending on your rank, you have a limit of how much you can do.  His quarters were made up of two small rooms.  One being the main living/sleeping area and the other being the closet/sink area.  He had a small part of his living area farthest from the door transformed into a mini-habitat for his two new pets.  It was nothing complex, just a bunch of wooden poles, branches and vines that made the small area resemble a very tiny sparce forest.  After inputing all this into the computer, it stated that it would take 20 minutes for the changes to be complete.  Before it started, he put his things into his room. 

However, when he left the room, he heard the Sugar Gliders make a lot of fuss.  He quickly reentered the room and found that they had actually knocked over the cage.  He reached out with his mind to sooth the upset creatures.  'Apparently they are so attached to me that they cannot be out of my sight.'  Of course, he remebered that the store clerk had stated that they were still very young.  He had the replicators change his uniform so that he could have his Sugar Gliders in his pocket.  When he looked at the changes in a mirror, it looked as though he an invisible phaser on his right side.  'These things are already trouble' he sighed. 

He left his quarters as the computer began making the neccessary changes.  He decided to go to Five Forward and get a drink.  Occasionally, as he walked to the nearest turbolift, the Sugar Gliders would peek their heads out of his pocket but for the most part would stay asleep.  Which, he found, was preferable to when they were awake.  He found himself in Five Forward and ordered a glass of water.  He sat at a table nearest to the windows looking into space.  The Sugar Gliders themselves also looked out of his pocket.  Isaac decided to open his mind and envelop Tiberius.  He wasn't probing, just simply gathering the general emotions of the crew and the nearby drydock.  Once again, he sensed two minds...both were nearby yet he couldn't figure out who they were.  'Its like touching evil itself' he thought.  He became concerned as he suspected that this new mission was more dangerous than any he had ever been on before. 

TBC

King Linksr


**For a visual reference, see the TNG episode: Data's Day

Andrus, Margon, and the Doctor then passed the ship rental.

"you passed it" Said Margon

"I know! I sort of errrr beat it up enough to buy it..."

"But this ship looks perfect!"

"Well the computer thinks I can buy the ship."

The computer screen on the dashboard chirped.

*would you like to buy your damaged ship?*

"Yes...*would you like... "Credit Card"

*please swipe*

Andrus swiped it, it then said "insufficient Funds" "pay now or later?" Andrus pressed later. Andrus then pushed the pedal down and then flew to the Tiberius

Remor stepped through the shuttle hatch and onto the Tiberius. He paused briefly to give his thumb scan to an eager young ensign, who then gave him a padd containing a welcome message, quarters assignment (which he instantly memorized), and a map of the vessel with both permitted and restricted areas clearly marked. Sliding the padd into the side pocket of his duffel, he thought to himself how lax these Starfleet types were on security. Not that it was all bad. In his years collecting information for the Tal'Shiar, he noticed that the freedom of movement was actually quite refreshing. It certainly made his job easier. But there was something more to it. Some part of him knew that of all the people who could have conquered Cardassia and the Dominion, the Federation wasn't a bad option. Certainly better than the Klingons, those savages. Or the Romulans. After living with them--being one of them--for years, he was certain they would be as bad as the Klingons, if not worse. Of course, he'd never openly admit this to anyone, even himself.

Reaching his quarters, he punched in the code to unlock his door. If Romulus was notorious for its never-ending grays, Federation starships were known for their solid beige interiors. For such an imaginative race, they seemed to give little thought to a decent color scheme. Ah, well. Now that the ship had begun filling with officers, crew, and civilians, he let his mental shield relax a bit, though he did feel a tingle in the back of his head. A few telepaths on board must be orienting themselves to the emotions on board, he thought. No matter. It wouldn't even scratch the surface.

Finally alone, he sat on the edge of his bed and then laid back, his short Vulcan hair falling back from his forehead. "How do they stand it, all that hair just above their eyes?" he asked himself for the billionth time. He missed his own hair, though he had almost forgotten what he really looked like. Hopefully he would be able to get his old body back soon. All he had to do was find a way to get away from the Tal'Shiar, but here he was, headed right back to Romulus.

For now, it was time for a nap. He would need his strength and wits about him soon.

Aeric issues the commands that shifted power to the new systems and deactivated the old. It was a near flawless transfer with less than a picosecond of interuption to the power. There was almost no drain on the batteries that held the systems on in that brief time.

"James to engineering," Aeric said as he adjusted his uniform. "Transfer was successful and new power flow is functioning well within specifications."

He had done his part to get the ship ready for this new mission, but it was time for him to deal with other matters. With the new influx of crew a passengers, he needed to make sure that the shuttlebay for the Aurora was classified correctly. Biometrics had been installed to only allow the proper personel into the shuttle bay and there was no way anyone was getting on the Aurora without his personal approval.

Aeric's mind reached out to the ship as he moved towards it. Internal sensors revealed that Aria was still aboard and that her guest had already gone. He wasn't excatly avoiding the XO, but with the past that no longer existed and a present that was more than complicated, he wanted to take his time in meeting the mother of his child.

With everything that was happening, he wasn't in a hurry to make new friends. The windows that he had given himself to initiate the upgrades had suddenly been changed and he hadn't even had the time to run new completion projections.

It would have to wait until after dinner. He had plans to meet the girls on the holosuite and visit a nice little cafe in Roma. He wasn't going to miss it for a few reports that no one was even expecting yet.

Mr. Mouse ran to meet the Counselor.  He purred loudly and rubbed up against Margon's legs. 

"Hey little fellow!  How are you?  You must have missed me!" he said in silly sweet overtones.  He picked up the cat and rubbed it's ears.  The cat squinted it's eyes and relished in the attention. 

The counselor sat the cat down on the counter and unpacked his things.  He was glad to have had some quality time with Dr. Peterson and Andrus.  They were getting to be some great friends, and Margon trusted them. 

The Counselor went to the replicator "Root beer, cold with ice" the soothing sound of the replicator made Margon feel at home.  He took the glass and sat down at his desk. 

"Computer, update me" he called out.  The data screen came alive and began to update the counselor on the new crew members, status of ship operations and appointments for the next couple of weeks. 

"I can't believe all of the telepaths we have on board" he chuckled, "I'm the counselor and my only advantage is that I'm blue!"  He smiled and thought how it was nice to be able to sleep at night without anyone elses thoughts in his head. 

The computer inquired "Please re-state your request"

"Oh, don't worry about it computer.  Disregard."  he sipped on his drink.

Margon got up and sighed.  Looking out the window at the stars, he wondered what the next adventure would be for the crew of the Tiberius.  This is what he liked about serving aboard a ship like this.  The adventure.    His fellow crewmates were from such different backgrounds that his job was much more complex than a ship full of humans.   His research on the social development of the many cultures on board was fascinating to say the least. 

He was rested and ready. He took a deep breath and patted Mr. Mouse one more time.   Now, to his first task... finding Brex.

David slowly traced two up-swept eyebrows with his index fingers, as he examined the unfamiliar features reflected in the mirror before him. The Adigeon Carvers had done a number on him, but their work was utterly flawless—it had to be where he was going.

Not only were his outward features altered, but his internal organs had been rearranged as well. The change was necessary in order to fool nosy Romulans equipped with medical scanners. In addition to the awkward placement of his heart, he now sported inner eyelids, resequenced genes and additional sub dermal tissues that would bleed green blood if damaged. Essentially, David Lock was indistinguishable from the Romulans he would soon be surrounded by.

The Romulan raised a single eyebrow. He often mimicked his wife's tendency, and was fairly confident that his imitation of her would be the icing on the proverbial cake. Yet, he knew the physical alterations would never fool Sevryll—lucky for him, they didn't have to.

David was an agent of Section 31—an organization that existed outside Starfleet Intelligence's authority. It was often compared to organizations such as the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order. However, unlike those organizations, Section 31 did not exist to enforce government policy or punish traitors, but rather to defend against external threats to the Federation. And, unlike the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order, both of whom were greatly feared within their populaces, most Federation citizens had never heard of Section 31 and most likely would never encounter it.

David smoothed his raven hair and winked at his reflection. A wry smile crossed his face as he closed the remaining fasteners on his uniform. His new alias was Lieutenant Colonel Khev—the son of Romulan soldiers who were exiled on Vulcan. The story was that his "military roots" didn't like the soil on Vulcan, so he spread his wings and flew to Earth in hopes of becoming a Starfleet Marine...a touching story. David only recently became apart of Admiral Talbot's elite marine duo. The genuine Lieutenant Colonel Khev met with an untimely end, no thanks to Gaius. The real Khev just needed to go away on a long vacation, but his partner saw to it that the Marine would never come home. David always thought Gaius, or Mr. Smith as he was fond of calling himself, enjoyed his job a little too much.

Khev grabbed his bag and hurried to the Admiral's office. After a debriefing, the three men would depart for the Tiberius. His new assignment would be as critical as any other mission he had accepted, but this one had side benefits. Though it was unlikely he would have an opportunity to speak with her alone, he was anxious to "run into" Sevryll, on the trip to Romulus. Additional precautions would be required, but he longed to see his children as well.

"How  did your meeting go?" Aeric asked as he watched his daughter work on the Aurora's power relays.

"It was adequate," she said as she sat up and faced her father. " In theory, it could have been worse, but it still hurt to see her and explain what happened."

Aeric nodded and sat beside her on the floor. "That bad?"

Aria nodded. "How do you do it? How do you go through these timelines, watching people you care for change or vanish? How do you look into faces that are familiar to you and only see confusion or unfamiliarity reflected back at you?"

"Sometimes I don't know myself. When I lost you, I tried to never get attached to anyone again, but it's not a life worth living. I can't tell you how to deal with this existence; I'm still trying to learn that for myself. I was born like this and you were reborn like it. Even while you were connected to Aurora, you lived the same existence. Things change and people die, but it is our fortune and burden to weather these temporal changes."

"Why?" Aria asked as she pushed stray strands of hair behind her ears. "This wasn't something that you signed up for."

"No, it was something that I was born for. Something you were born for. We are gifted to not just live in this universe. We exist and are aware of the multiverse. We can look into places that few have knowledge of existing. We can see the folly of time travel and remember what was lost. If there are no witnessed to a tragedy, then how do we know it exists? How do we learn from past mistakes if others are not even allowed to know of those mistakes?"

Aria nodded. "We are witnesses. We are scientists that have the honor to see the multiverse for what it is. We can learn from those actions and build a better tomorrow. I can see how that can give you some comfort, but does the pain ever stop? If I didn't have my supressors, I would still be in tears. My own mother doesn't know me. To her I am little more than a thief or worse. How is it that in one lifetime she loves me and is there for me, but in this one, I never existed simply because Elizabeth never survived?"
"That's the problem with time travel. Even breathing the air of the past changes it and once that folly is open, this universe and every other one suffers. For most of my life, I thought that the Borg was the greatest threat to life, but in recent years, I've seen otherwise. The Borg, in all of their incarnations, are in the pursuit of perfection on a racial level. Most time travelers are only in pursuit of their own gains or remaking the universe into the image that they want."

Aria nodded again. "So we have taken it upon ourselves to be protectors and not just silent witnesses."

"Something like that. When I watched you vanish, I knew that it was impossible to save everyone in the universe, but looking at you here and now, I see that it is possible to protect individual people. Even when the Tiberius gets all of the upgrades, we still can't save everyone, but what if we can protect the people here? What if we can use what we have learned to keep what happen to you from happening to the people on this ship?"

"Wouldn't that only share our burden and let them lose as we have?"

"Yes, but I think that if given the choice between potential pain and potential non-existence, people will choose to exist. We can give some of the crew here that choice and we can, as a crew, protect the timeline. Sure, we might loose some of those that we care for if the timeline changes, but a shuttle doesn't really compare to the resources of a fully crewed starship."

"I need you to convince my mother to agree to this. Even if she doesn't remember me, I don't want to lose her again."

"As soon as the process is ready, I swear to you that I'll bring it up to your mother. I still haven't met her yet, so it might be a difficult task to convince her of the project."

Aria stood. "Have her mind meld with you, but explain the risks to her. She can see herself, she can see our family through your eyes and maybe she will agree. Maybe she will find a place in her heart for me."

"Aria, it's not that simple. I have a lot of memories. I have a lot of pain."

"You can use your own psychic abilities to filter the transfer. She doesn't have to be in danger, but I need her to know me."

Aeric sighed, there was no way he could win this argument. There was no way that he was going to deny his child. All he could do was take a deep breath and nod. "Fine, I will speak to your mother about the quantum stabilization nanites and her previous timeline. I wouldn't like to become so involved, but I'll do it this time."

Sareth sat alone in Five Forward, watching the shuttlecraft moving crewmen to and from Tiberius. After wandering the corridors in search of her quarters, for what seemed like decades, she decided to have a glass of water in the lounge that she had passed for the second time.

Brex flashed a brilliant smile as he set the glass of lukewarm water before her. The contrast between his teeth and the blue of his face was quite distinct, and she found it difficult not to stare. Sareth was relieved when the Bolian's grin tapered to a closed-lip smile. "Can I get you anything else?" He asked.

"No, thank you, the water is sufficient," she nodded politely and returned her gaze to the glowing blue orb that filled the viewport before her.

"Beautiful isn't she? I've been to a lot of planets, but Earth has the prettiest blue hue, of all the oceanic worlds I've visited."

"Beauty is irrelevant, yet Earth has unique qualities I find agreeable," replied Sareth.

Brex's smile shrank a little. Vulcans' and their logic—they are always so uptight. "Pardon me for prying, but will you be staying aboard long?" Brex pulled out a chair at Sareth's table, and sat across from her.

She turned her head slowly in his direction. He was clearly what humans called an "extrovert". Sareth raised her brows and replied, "I am a guest—I will be aboard as long as my host is willing to continue offering hospitality."

Brex smiled, "if you don't mind my asking, who's your host?"
Sareth inclined her head and considered the Blue bartender before answering. His incessant questions reminded her of her daughter. "Commander Sevryll." She answered flatly.

Before Brex could continue his interview, Ensign Enoch Iblis approached the table. "Excuse the interruption," he said in a gruff voice. "You talk to much. Leave this lady alone to her thoughts, you little blue inquisitor."

Brex turned to look up at the rude individual standing behind him, his face was blank for all of two seconds, before a laugh erupted from deep within. "ENOCH! My friend! What can I get for you?"

Enoch presented a grin of sharp Klingon teeth. "Brex, I would like you to meet my wife!"
The tall Klingon motioned to a woman seated across the room from them. Lieutenant Abby Brant waved and smiled from the bar. "We were wed during shore leave," said Enoch.

"You got married!? And to a red head no less!" Laughed Brex. "Watch out Enoch, humans say red heads are as fiery as Klingon women."

Enoch let a full belly laugh fill the room. "What they say is true Brex! That's why I married her!"

Tain stretched out on his bed, wide awake. He found himself contemplating the last few days. He was still getting used to the fact that he had his own quarters. It was definitely a nice perk, but different. He had spent the last few days getting used to the Tiberius and it's crew. From what he saw so far, it looked to be a well run ship. Maybe he had just had bad luck over his career, and been assigned ships with idiot officers. Time would tell though, as Tain new well and good, there are idiots everywhere.

Some of his sleeplessness came from the irritation he felt after reading an article from someone named Zoen Vearne. The article was full of a lot of innuendos and misunderstandings about "peace". Tain new from long years in the Fleet, that peace was only attainable from a position of strength. It was crazy to think that the Federation could ever have existed without it's ships having weapons. Tain had seen too many of his friends and comrades killed, and he truly believed that they had died for a reason. Strength begets peace, and without strength, you are nothing but a victim.

Tain got off of his bed in disgust. There was no way he would be getting any sleep for now. He decided it was high time he checked out Five Forward. He had avoided the lounge for the time being, as trouble seemed to find him in spots like that. Tain decided that it was silly to avoid it any longer. Tain firmly believed that those days of trouble were long behind him.

Tain entered the lounge, ordered Saurian Whiskey, and found a seat with a good view.

Remor woke from his nap with a start. He had been dreaming of the year he spent on Bajor just before he was recalled to work with the Romulans. It still bothered him, having to kill another Cardassian agent. Cardassians don't usually kill their own so flippantly, and killing a loyal Order operative had seemed absurd--too brutal somehow. But if the Order needed a Legate's daughter dead, it probably had good reason. At least that's what he thought at the time, standing over the poisoned corpse of Iliana Ghemor. When he inevitably found out the whole story, he was disappointed. The Obsidian Order was matched only by Section 31 in covert ops and information gathering; both organizations worked with scalpels, so to speak. To use such blunt tactics was sloppy and unprofessional.

Shaking off these worries and bad memories, Remor decided to change his clothes. The gray tunic so typical of Vulcans was wrinkled from his nap and had begun to feel stale. He sorted through his duffel, hanging up clothes in the closet as necessary. Blue, he thought. Vulcans always look strapping in blue, even if they can't appreciate it. He slipped out of the gray tunic and into the cobalt-blue suit he had bought from a Ferengi tailor on Bolarus IX. Much better.

After leaving his quarters, he walked the seemingly endless corridors of the ship, getting a feel for its geography. He would, of course, have to explore the restricted areas later, but for now this would do.

On his stroll, he came upon the door marked "5 Forward." A good a time as any to observe the crew, he thought. Just as he was about to step through the door, a Klingon and a redheaded human female barged past laughing on their way out. Something struck him as odd about the human, but he couldn't place a finger on it. He would have to give it some thought, but it might be nothing. Still, there was something familiar about her.

Remor took a seat at the bar, and a confident looking Bolian strode up. "Hey! My man from Vulcan!" he said, slapping a hand on Remor's shoulder, probably trying to elicit a supposedly nonexistent emotional response. "Don't get many Vulcans sitting at the bar. What can I get you?"?

"Vulcan port," Remor said in his practiced Vulcan cool. "Thank you."

"Sure,"? said the barman, ducking behind the counter for a bottle and glass. "Nice suit, by the way. Really highlights your ears."

"Then you might be interested to know that I purchased it from a Ferengi on your home world," said Remor, evenly, ignoring the racial slur.

"Figures,"? said the barman, setting the glass of port in front of Remor. "Probably was the only one of its kind in the sector. What Bolian would need more blue?"?

"That is true."

"The name's Brex, by the way."

K'arath finished some last m adjustments to the newly modified fusion recators as per Lt. James modifcations. All seemed staisfactory and he looked forward to seeing the results once they were underway. He decided he needed to take a break before departure and headed up to 5 Forward.
As he entered the lounge he saw...well, heard over the din of noise, Ensign Iblis. He was at the bar with his new bride, a Lt. Brandt whom K'arath had met upon thier return from shore leave, and a Vulcan woman he didn't recognize. Brex was sharing a good laugh with the newly weds. K'arath walked over to join them.

"Q'pla!" he bellowed and slapped Iblis on the shoulder, nearly knocking the fellow Klingon off his feet. Brex laughed harder and the Vulcan woman looked even more uncomfortable.

Margon walked through the door of five forward.  Laughter and noise was coming from the bar.  It seemed that every head turned and looked at the counselor. 

Just like a scene from the ancient West the patrons moved quickly from the bar as Margon approached leaving Brex staring at his father.  It was rare for Klingon's to be intimidated, but they anticipated an "emotional" response that none of them wanted to hear was coming.

Margon took a data pad out of his vest pocket and placed it on the bar.

"Take it son"  he said softly looking at Brex.

Brex frowned and then rubbed his ridge.  "Counselor, don't you have other things you could be doing, why come in and sour the mood?"

Margon pushed the pad toward Brex.  "I need your help son, just read it and let me know what you think.  I am willing, but I will need your help"

Brex laughed nervously and then quickly put the pad in his pocket.  "You want a drink?" he said musingly.

"Why yes son, I would-  Root Beer with ice."  he said.

Sevryll unpacked her belongings before activating "Dennis", the hologram that David had programmed to watch and protect their children while she worked. The tall, stout replica of her husband appeared in an instant. "Hi-ya!" He said cheerfully as he towered over her. He watched as her eyes moved to the top of his head—his blond hair looked as though he had been sleeping prior to his activation. "Oh!" He said with an embarrassed chuckle, then proceeded to run his fingers through the mess to brush it out. She watched as he then rubbed the sleep from his blue eyes, and smoothed his black jumpsuit.

"I want you to change your appearance." She said after he finished his hurried grooming. "You can do that, can you not?" She asked. Her meeting with Aria had prompted her to request this of the holographic duplicate of her husband.

Dennis blinked in confusion, "yes, I can—I've been programmed to blend into any crowd. No self-respecting Section 31 geek would leave that capability out of their programming." He smiled as the children chased each other around the room, using his legs as a barrier.

"Please alter your default appearance. I do not want you to look like my husband," she said as she put her bag away in the alcove within her bedroom.

Dennis raised his eyebrows and called out from the living space, in the center of her quarters, "Uh, sure. Okay...Why?"

The Vulcan reentered the area where Dennis stood dumbfounded, and replied "there is only one David Lock, and I do not wish the children to be confused by your resemblance to him."

"Yessss, but David wanted the children to remember what he looks like... If I change my default appearance, I will not be implementing all of his objectives for me."

"We have holovids and holophotos to remind ourselves of him." She moved back into her room and closed the door. Dennis walked over to a chair, in the center living space, and plopped down in it. As she changed in the other room, she suggested alternate forms he could take—a sehlat was one of her suggestions. He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"I want to be able to move about the ship at some point—wouldn't it be conspicuous for a sehlat to saunter into Five Forward and order a drink?" He laughed at his own joke and put his feet up on the table.

Sevryll came back into the room as she finished putting her hair up. "You cannot leave my quarters anyway," she replied as she pushed his feet off the table then straightened her uniform jacket.

Dennis frowned, folded his hands in his lap, and began twirling his thumbs in frustration. "I checked the ship's computer and found that they plan to  install holo-emitters all over the Tiberius. There's another hologram on board—I want the freedom they have."

"Your existence was a detail Section 31 conveniently forgot to relay to the Captain. He will not be happy to know that you are present on this vessel, and I have not yet found the proper way to inform him of the fact." Sevryll sighed quietly, "there are several things I must tell him, and you are at the bottom of the list."

Isaac was amused at the din of noise in Five Forward.  Although he wasn't much for company, after the recent events, he felt he needed the noise.  He had watched as unnamed faces and Enoch with his new bride had come in.  Then he noticed the a new Vulcan face.  'He must be a passenger because I would have been aware of a new Vulcan crewmate'.  His attempts at gaining the Vulcan's mood were typically useless.Yet, something about this Vulcan concerned him.  He wasn't sure what yet.  Perhaps it was just his mind picking up some ensign somewhere about to do something stupid.

But then he sighed...he was still alone.  He still didn't consider anyone a true friend.  Anyone he knew was just merely another recognized face in the crowd of the ship.  He started to feel a little depressed at the idea. 

At that point, his two Sugar Gliders decided they wanted in on the action and they sprang out of his pocket.  "Uh-oh"


King Linksr

Well into his third glass of port, Remor looked down the bar at the other Bolian, Margon, the ship's counselor, sipping a root beer. The barman seemed to be consciously avoiding him. Family, maybe, Remor thought. He had memorized the crew roster, including family affiliations and known associates, before coming aboard, but this Brex character was the only anomaly so far--besides, of course, for the redhead.

"So what brings you to the Tiberius?"? Brex asked, polishing a glass with a rag.

"I have come to witness the Unification," Remor said.

"I didn't expect such sentimentality from a Vulcan."

"On the contrary," said Remor, "it should be quite fascinating. I am a poet, so observing people and events is necessary for my work."

"So you're here to write an epic poem about the historic joining of the Romulan and Vulcan peoples?"? Brex grabbed another glass and began to polish. "I thought poetry required emotional content."

"And you would be correct. The tempering of one's emotions can take many forms. Some Vulcans choose to meditate, others solve puzzles, and still others choose physical activity. I explore my hidden emotions through my poetry."

Before the conversation got too deep, though, a commotion rose from another part of the lounge. An odd looking but strikingly handsome human male had begun running between the tables, grasping for something neither Remor nor the barman could see.

"Looks like Isaac's finally lost it,"? Brex said, shaking his blue head.

"Lost what," Remor asked fatuously in a naive Vulcan tone.

"His mind."

And then Remor spotted something crawling up the pants leg of a female Vulcan. It appeared to be some sort of rodent. The woman calmly gripped the animal by the back of its neck and held it up, examining it curiously. Examining the Vulcan, he recognized her as Sareth, mother of the ship's first officer, Cmdr. Sevryll. Interesting, he thought, that one of the Unification's leaders is Sevryll's father. Looks like it'll be a family affair.

"I believe he lost more than just his mind,"? Remor said.

"Hey!" Brex shouted over the din, grabbing Isaac's attention as he returned the rodent to his pocket. "You can't bring those in here! It's not sanitary!"

And then, suddenly--maybe because of all the commotion about rats--Remor remembered who the redhead was. If his memory was correct, which it most certainly was, then he had more to worry about than rodents and telepaths on the ship. He would have to have a word with this Lt. Brandt, if that's what she was still calling herself.

Remor quickly but politely excused himself, got up from his barstool, and returned to his quarters. He was going to need the Vulcan's old uniform for this next part.

Quinn and Took just made it Terminal 12 Delta to catch the transport back to the Tiberius. Quinn noticed several familiar faces and politely nodded. As First Officer he was one of them, he could mingle with his fellow crewmen, but now that he was Captain protocol called for him to distance himself from his crew. They had to respect him as their Captain, but wouldn't they respect him more if he were their friend.  This was a constant battle going on in Quinn's mind. When he started his career in Starfleet he was a counselor, he enjoyed being a people person, and now that he is in command of his very own Starship it's tough for him not to be that same people person. "To hell with protocol" Quinn mumbled under his breath. Took looked over at him "What was that Nath... I mean Captain." Took looked around as his face went red.  Quinn smiled and shook his head "Just thinking out loud." Quinn turned to the people in the shuttle craft, "So how was everyone's shore leave?" The shuttle lifted off and we headed back to the Tiberius.

Ten minutes later Quinn and Took exited the turbolift and made their way down the hall to Took's quarters. As Nicholas entered Quinn stood in the doorway. Nick turned back to Nathan. "Sir I just wanted to thank you again for making this a very relaxing shore leave. You're family was great and it was very nice getting to know you better." Quinn smiled, I'm glad you enjoyed your shore leave, my family can be a bit overwhelming at times But I think everyone had fun." Took smile "So I guess I'll see you around" Took shook his head and mumbled under his breath, "what a stupid thing to say... of course I'll see him around he's my Captain." Quinn laughed and started to walk out the door when he stopped and turned around. "How would you feel about having breakfast tomorrow 700 hours."  Took looked surprise but pleased "Sounds good". Quinn exited the room and the door shut behind him. He made his way to the turbolift. There was a lot to do before we headed out.

    Admiral Talbot moved his rook of the Tri-dimensional chess board in front of him up one level.  Across from Talbot, in the quarters he had been assigned aboard the Tiberius, sat his Marine guard, Lieutenant Colonel Khev.
    "Hmm.  Interesting move Admiral.  I had the chance to play chess quite often growing up on Vulcan and even thought I had gotten pretty good.  But I can see I have let my skills get rusty."  The disguised Section 31 agent said to the Admiral.  He could tell the Admiral was toying with him.  He knew the game well enough to know when he was beat.
    "Chess is game of almost infinite possibilities Colonel.  So don't count yourself out just yet.  I thought it might be good to get to know each other a bit better over a game.  You can learn a lot about a person by seeing how they play chess.  Do they play aggressively or do they wait and watch how the other player plays the game?  Are they willing to sacrifice a piece or two for a final goal of winning the game?  Not only does it help you learn how they form strategies in the game, but perhaps in their lives as well."  Talbot said to the young Romulan across the board from him.  Khev moved a bishop in an attempt to counter the Admiral's rook move.
    "Well, all that from a game of chess.  Why do I have the feeling that you are just toying with me Admiral?"  The agent said as he stared into the Admiral's keen eyes.
    "Not at all Colonel.  But I am curious as to why Starfleet felt it was necessary to assign a personal guard to me.  I've always been quite capable of taking care of myself.  This isn't the 'mirror universe' you know.  It's not like someone's about to assassinate me or something to jump up the rank totem pole.  Isn't that right Colonel Khev?"  Admiral Talbot said.  Even though he knew that Admiral Talbot has little telepathic ability, the agent almost thought he felt a slight weak probe trying to enter his thoughts.  As an agent of Section 31, he had been well trained in guarding his surface thoughts from such probes.  He wasn't even sure it was a probe.  More just a feeling washing across him from the intense gaze of Admiral Talbot as he made a quick move on the board in front of them.
    "Admiral, you and I both know that you are a valuable Starfleet asset.  And my superiors felt it best to give you some more protection.  That way you will be free to focus on the business at hand, sir."  The undercover agent said as he again attempted to counter Talbot's move by placing his own queen on the board in danger.
    "Ahh, Colonel Khev I can see you are willing to put the needs of the many above the few or the one queen in your case.  However, sometimes that isn't quite enough to detract someone from their goal.  Check."  Talbot said as he ignored the queen and instead moved a knight to a new level putting his opponent's king into check.
    "Well, I do believe the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the one.  Everyone has to make sacrifices Admiral."  The agent said as he moved his queen down in a last attempt to stop the Admiral's gambit on the board.
    "Oh, I don't disagree Colonel.  However, I do think that's a sacrifice I'm not always willing to make.  Check and mate, Colonel Khev."  Admiral Talbot said as he moved a small pawn, blocking any chance for his opponent's king to escape.
    "Well, I didn't even see that pawn on the side level.  I can see even the weakest pieces can be a threat at times.  A lesson there Admiral."  He said to Talbot with a grin.  He had to admire how easily the Admiral had seen through him.  He was going to have to be very careful around the Admiral if he was to keep his mission a secret.
    "Perhaps Colonel.  Now, let me buy you a drink.  It's the least I can do.  Then we can continue our discussion on strategy and chess!  I hear the Tiberius has an excellent lounge area in 5 Forward."  Admiral Talbot said as he stood up and headed towards the door.
    "I'd like that sir.  And thanks for the game.  But I do want a rematch."  The disguised Colonel said as he and the Admiral headed out into the busy corridor.

Aeric said in the quiet calm of the Aurora's command chair as he reviewed the data concerning the Tiberius' recent upgrades. He would have liked to be mingling with others, but he couldn't afford that until he made sure that a temporal wake wouldn't just erase all of their work. The passive quantum modulation shielding, or temporal shielding as some called it, would be online within the hour. After that, he could relax and spend time getting to know the people of his new home.

"Father, I've finished the modifications of the warp nacelles," Aria said as she walked onto the bridge. "If they work as projected, we should be able to surpass the warp nine threshhold of the Interlaced Warp Field."

"Good job," Aeric said as he watched the dark haired teen take her seat at the Conn. "I think I would be lost without you and Aurora."

"You have had less time to work on the Aurora since we arrived," she said as she turned to face him. "Intergrating quantum technology into a new ship isn't an easy task. I am more than capible of making the modification to the ship since your time requires you to be else where. This is also my home."

"I managed to repair Aurora despite that."

Aria smiled. "That should give me someone to talk to while we attempt to finalize the modifications."

"How have you been feeling?" Aeric asked. Resurections were not something to take for granted and it was hard not to worry.

"I'm fine father," Aurora said. "Aurora's notes mentioned activating my Nacene genes, but as of yet, I have not seen any results from this. I would think that you would be the first to know what those activated genes mean."

"I didn't even know my father's species until Aurora discovered it in the database when she was working on you."

"Speaking of Aurora, I think that we should consider the idea that she and I would benefit from meeting others on the crew."

Aeric nodded. "I didn't mean to suggest that you just sit around here all day.  You should be meeting people. You are not exactly Starfleet, but I'm sure that as the holosystems come online, your expertise might be welcome."

"Can you make sure that it's cleared? I don't want to cause any further trouble with the crew."

Aeric nodded again. "I will. In the mean time, let's get to work on finishing the HEART device for Aurora. If her assistance is needed, there are places where the emitters are still not online."

Aria smiled and pulled up the schematics and began to work where she and her father had last left off.

Sareth's insistence on maintaining the purity of Vulcan culture, had taken a step towards prejudice. Her beliefs regarding her grandchildren's mixed Vulcan/Human heritage, as well as her insistence that they be taught to observe Surakian principals, were a constant source of contention between she and Sevryll.

Less than two weeks prior, Quinn ordered Sevryll to go on shore leave. When she informed him of her reasons for staying aboard, he asserted that a relaxing stay at his parent's home in San Francisco was the answer. Sevryll was not keen on visiting Earth, for her mother was a professor of Vulcan history at Starfleet Academy, and she was well aware that the Tiberius was in orbit.

After sending several communiques, inviting her daughter to stay at her home, Doctor Sareth made the decision to locate Captain Quinn's father, a colleague at the Academy.  Despite Sevryll's best efforts to avoid her mother during shore leave, Captain Quinn's parents invited her mother to dinner. A conversation followed in the Quinns' guest room that poured salt on old wounds.

"You have always held your emotions close to the surface, Sevryll. Emotion is illogical, thus making you impure, and deterrent to truth. You were once referred to a Master for training—your children require the same discipline." Sevryll was willing to ignore the incessant harassment when it pertained only to herself, but her mother criticized her children, and she was never remiss where they were concerned.

"You readily disregard the fact that M'rynn and N'vall are also human—they are incapable of denying the traits that were predetermined by their father's genetic contribution."

"It is not too late, they can yet be trained to still their emotions," replied Sareth.

"Your persistence in this matter denotes pretension mother. Truth would be better served, if you simply acknowledged the reality of your bigotry. Your perception of my children is superficial—you criticize them for their lack of stoicism, though you know them not. Perhaps you should attempt to form a meaningful relationship with your grandchildren, rather than judge them for their humanity."

Sevryll's remarks caused her mother to momentarily lose her poise. She was clearly hurt by the truth of Sevryll's words. Her daughter had always been respectful, it was the first time she had ever become defensive.

Sevryll determined that the only way to improve their relationship was to build a new foundation. "I apologize for being blunt..." her mother cut her off.  "No, you are correct—I do not know them...and I wish too." There was a brief silence between the two before Sevryll spoke again, "The children and... I... would benefit greatly from having you in their lives. Would you consider, staying with us aboard the Tiberius?" Asked Sevryll. Several minutes passed before Sareth responded.

"I will give it thought," she replied.

------------------------------------

"Computer, locate Doctor Sareth."  Requested the Commander.

"Doctor Sareth is in Five Forward." Sevryll raised an eyebrow at the computer's unexpected answer. Why would she be in the lounge? She was not one for crowds or company.

"Hit'n the hooch a little early isn't she?" Asked Dennis sarcastically.

Sevryll arched a disapprovingly eyebrow at the hologram, as she knelt to say good-by to her children. Her shift would begin soon, but she wanted to greet her mother first.

Commander Sevryll entered Five Forward and noted that several bridge officers were enjoying drinks and sharing accounts of their shore leave adventures. She paused just inside the doorway, and scanned the crowded room for her mother. There were several new faces in the crowd—a distinguished Vulcan male, sat at a table near the bar. By his garb, she determined that he was a civilian. The commander was unaware that the Tiberius would be taking passengers aboard during such a mission—perhaps he was apart of the Admiral's team. Sevryll decided that after she found her mother, she would introduce herself to him. She strode across the room to a table near the viewports, where Sareth  sipped a glass of water.

"Are you lost mother?" asked Sevryll

"Yes," responded the older woman matter of factly.

"I regret that I could not meet you in the shuttle bay to escort you to your quarters. I can show you there now, if you are ready to go."

"Not yet—I am enjoying the view."

As Sevryll sat with her mother, she scanned the room for the Vulcan man who had been seated by the bar. He was gone...She lifted her Data PADD to the table and accessed the passenger manifests.

"Where will the Tiberius be going?" Asked Sareth. Her daughter lifted her eyes from the PADD to address her mother's question. She had not been debriefed, and was not certain how much she could tell her mother, with regards to Krell's situation.

"I am not certain." It was an honest reply, but she would not be able to continue to use that excuse in the coming days.

"How is it that the ship's commander is unaware of where her vessel is going?" Sareth asked as she lifted her glass of lukewarm water to her lips.

Sevryll diverted her attention back to the Data PADD, and ignored the question.
At that moment Admiral Talbot and two Starfleet Marines entered Five Forward. She set her PADD down—no longer able to concentrate on the information she had found—her eyes followed the Romulan that accompanied Talbot across the room to the bar. Though there were three men, including Talbot, she only observed the Romulan Starfleet Marine.

"Sirach Dar Talbot...I have not seen him in many years," said her mother. Sevryll did not seem to hear her, so Sareth stood. "I am going to speak with him," she said. Sevryll was brought too, by Sareth's declaration. She rose from the table and approached Talbot with her mother.

Commander Sevryll felt the Marine's eyes on her as they made their way through the crowd. She met his lingering stare and found something familiar in his manner. Though they had never met, she was certain she knew him.

The admiral turned to see that the marine's focus was directed elsewhere—Talbot followed his gaze and saw Commander Sevryll and Doctor Sareth approaching the bar.

"Sareth! How good it is to see you again!" He stood from his chair to greet her.

"Sirach. It is agreeable to see you as well," she replied.
Sevryll focused on the Admiral, though she could still feel the marine watching her.

"Commander, you didn't tell me your mother would be aboard," said Talbot. Inwardly wondering if she had revealed their mission to Krell's wife.

"It was a last minute decision admiral," she replied, hoping he could sense that she had not exposed the details of her father's situation. Her eyes betrayed her and she casually rolled them towards the Romulan who stood beside Talbot.

"Oh, forgive me...this is Colonel Khev" he said "and this is Colonel Arcturus Mowembe," he motioned to the man standing to his left. Sevryll nodded to them both.

Khev smiled warmly at Sevryll and instantly she knew who he was...David.

Isaac picked up his Sugar Glider from the woman Vulcan then turned to face Brex.  "If they were 'unsanitary' as you say Brex, do you think I would have brought them here??" Brex was surprised at the venom in Isaac's voice.  His eyes glared at him like he was his mortal enemy.  But then, as though coming out of a reverie, Isaac's eyes cooled.  "Sorry...Brex, I won't bring them in again." Brex replied, "just make sure you keep them out of sight." "Ok"

Putting the Sugar Gliders back in his pocket, he walked back to his table near the viewports.  Not that far from him, sat the Vulcan woman who had given his Sugar Glider back.  He didn't know who she was, but she seemed oddly familiar.  He could sense nothing from her, but then his senses tingled as the Vulcan passenger seemed to be staring at him.  He turned his head to look back and the Vulcan looked away.  Isaac was suspicious because the mission seemed to be...too covert to bring aboard passangers.  Even though they had been told nothing.  He then noticed that Sevryll had come in and then realized who the Vulcan woman was.  'Her mother. Talk about a change of events...'  Then he saw an Admiral walk in surrounded by two Marines.  Sevryll and Sareth had gotten up to greet him, but Isaac merely turned around and stared back into space.   

His Sugar Gliders had fallen asleep after their little excitement.  'Troublemakers....' he thought with a laugh.  Yet...as he stared into space, the cold touch of loneliness hit him again.  His mission had prevented him from making any good friends.  It also didn't help that he wasn't very good at making friends.  In fact, his outburst in front of Brex had more than sealed the deal.  'What is wrong with me?!  Why am I so inept...so...impossible to be friendly with??!!  Why did I do that?!'  As he sat at the table staring out into the cold darkness of space, a single tear rolled down Isaac Starstriker's cheek. 


King Linksr

Lt. Colonel Arcturus Mowembe's eyes could not finish looking all over the decks and details the USS Tiberius had in every single place.

"Remember that your eyes create a symphony of details for you. Pay attention to them because they can save your life." His father, Bokumlo Mowembe, always said to him on the letters he got from him at the academy.

Being inside the Tiberius, however, poised no threat at all. If anything, he was mesmerized at the size and technology inside and outside the ship.

From experience, he had learned that the bigger the place he was, the more attention he had to pay to details because that would let him pin point the exact location of exit doors, cover up places and most important, weapons caches. He had spent the first hours after being beamed up to the Tiberius, roaming the ship and creating a mental map of it. If things went wrong he wanted to have choices to fulfill his duty: to protect and defend the Admiral and crew.

Admiral Talbot had proven to be somewhat tough. That was alright to Arcturus since he was there to accomplish missions, not making a lot of friends.

But now was not time to pay attention to details. Right now he had to put attention to the words being said in the Five Forward.

"Oh, forgive me...this is Colonel Khev" he said "and this is Colonel Arcturus Mowembe," said Admiral Sirach Dar Talbot to Commander Sevril.

With his back as straight as he could and worrying a little about the perfection of his gray cammo uniform, Arcturus nodded.

He noted how Sevril quickly changed back to look at Talbot with some strange reaction.

A moment of silence followed and Mowembe stood there, waiting.

Johnny Manrique had been as busy as he was going to be. Those were the consequences of coming back from shore leave newly promoted. He had to deal with all kinds of new protocols and personnel changes. He'd spent a lot of time in the Chief of Security office and now on the bridge. In reality it wasnt' too bad. Manrique had followed every good superior officer's advice: "Learn your job and the job one rank above yours."

The young Lt. JG wanted some free time for once. At least he wasn't the only one who was busy. The chief engineer was always busy when a ship departed from shore leave. Both needed a break indeed. . .

. . .Johnny's mind suddenly shifted to his eagerness to go on a date. It took a long time for Manrique to feel that way since the woman he loved suddenly left him and disappeared a few years ago. But Manrique didn't want to think about his lost love at the moment. The hectic missions of the Tiberius hadn't allowed him to think about girls. Perhaps now was the time. And it suddenly dawned on Johnny that he was on a starship with a limited number of available girls. "Margon," exclaimed Manrique. "Excuse me lieutenant?" asked the young, pretty, human female ensign at the science station. "Oh, nothing. I'm just talking to myself," replied Johhny somewhat embarrassed. He pretended to focus back on his task. Margon, he needed to see counselor Margon.

Quinn sat in his ready room awaiting his senior staff. The meeting would start at 900 hours and it was just about that time. Quinn sat there contemplating on how much information he was going to give his senior staff. He trusted his crew with his life, but this wasn't going to be your normal Federation mission. Admiral Talbot made it clear that this would be a need to know mission. Quinn wasn't fully comfortable with not knowing every piece of information but he trusted Admiral Talbot, now his crew would have to trust their Captain. Quinn sipped his raktajino as he looked over his data padd.

Aeric sat at his console and finalized the last of the subroutines that would create Aurora Mark II. Without Aria's katra as a template, he and his daughter had to build the new personality subroutines from scratch and give her a new visual look.

"Aurora Mark II is ready for activation," Aria said as she worked her holographic interface.

"Computer, activate Aurora hologram," Aeric said as he leaned back in his chair and rested his chin on his hand.

With a shimmer of light, a dark-haired human looking woman appeared wearing a modified red command uniform.

"Please state the purpose of activation," came the soft throaty voice of the woman.

"Aurora, wecome back," Aeric said as he smiled at the rebuilt woman. "What do you remember?"

"My prior memory files are still fragmented, but I can recall roughly 86% of the data. The last few weeks are corrupted and unable to be accessed." Aurora said as she surveyed the bridge.

"It's a start. I need you and Aria to run a full diagnostic on all system. I have something to take care of on the ship, but I want a complete report by the time I return." Aeric said as he moved from his console. "I'm still testing the quantum encrypted comms, so I want to use that as our only means of communication until testing is done."

"Aye Sir." Aurora said as she took his chair.

"Father, I will contact you if there are any issues," Aria said as she opened the airlocks for her father to exit.

Aeric exited the ship and headed into the halls of the Tiberius. Linking to the Tiberius, he sealed the shuttlebay and headed down to begin his work for the day.

Sevryll made an attempt at indifference, with regards to Khev, and turned her eyes from the marine back to Talbot. "If you will excuse us Admiral," said Sevryll "I have a  debriefing to attend and I would like to show my mother to her quarters beforehand".

"Yes, of course commander," Admiral Talbot replied with a smile. "It was good to see you again Sareth. Perhaps we should have a cup of tea together one evening."

"That would be most agreeable, Sirach," said Sareth. Colonel Khev watched as the two Vulcan women exited the lounge before remarking, "the commander's not one for small talk is she?" He grinned slyly, then downed the glass of replicated Romulan Ale and turned it over on the bar.

The guest cabin on Deck 3, was decorated with various Vulcan artifacts that Sevryll had personally donated from her own quarters. After a brief tour of the facilities, the two made plans for dinner that evening and Sevryll headed off to the debriefing. She was glad to be back on duty, for she always found work preferable to shore leave.

As she entered the turbolift, at the end of the corridor, Sevryll met Chief Engineer K'arath. The Klingon's hazel eyes narrowed as she entered the lift. He straightened his posture and nodded curtly when she greeted him. Sevryll had long ago decided the clean-shaven Klingon was a bit of a recluse...more so than any other Klingon she had known, though admittedly, she was acquainted with very few. Not wishing to make him uncomfortable, she refrained from small talk. To her surprise, K'arath engaged her in polite conversation regarding Selhats and Targs. He seemed particularly interested in a battle to the death between the two animals. He even went as far as proposing that they create a simulation, on the holodeck, to determine the answer. Sevryll couldn't help but be mildly interested in the outcome, and agreed to aid him in the creation of a program that would end the debate.

When the Turbo lift doors opened, they walked together to the captain's ready room. They found him seated at his desk sipping a cup of raktajino. He welcomed them both and motioned for them to sit as they awaited the remainder of the senior staff.

The Dr was glad to be back in an environment he was used to, he had been in his office for many hours, going over the list of new recruits and additions to his staff which included two nurses and a new Dr.

He decided it had been awhile since he had been in 5 forward and decided to take a stroll down their for some food and a drink or two.

The doors to 5 forward opened to a loud hum of laughter and noise with crew enjoying each others company. He strolled over to a corner table where he set and ordered a drink well watching the crew interact with each other.

He finished his drink quickly then headed over to the briefing room to hear what the Tiberius's next mission would be.

    "Well, how do you like the Tiberius so far Colonel Mowembe?  Finding her to your liking?"  Admiral told the young Colonel sitting next to him in 5 Forward.  Talbot watched the slight nervousness in Mowembe and was trying to put him more at ease. 

    "It's an amazing ship, Admiral.  I don't think I've been on one this advanced before."  Lt. Colonel Arcturus Mowembe said to the Starfleet Admiral he was assigned to protect.  With his life, if necessary.  Mowembe was a very dedicated officer and had no plans to let the Admiral down on this mission.

    "Yes, it's a fine vessel Colonel.  But I learned a long time ago that any ship, even a Starship, is only as good as her crew.  But in this case, Tiberius seems to of managed to find herself a fine crew."  Admiral Talbot said as he sipped his drink.  He looked over his security team.  Mowembe seemed eager to please him and appeared to be very excited by the mission ahead.  It was Colonel Khev he was having trouble pinning down.  Something in the back of Talbot's mind kept telling him that there was something more to this Colonel Khev than he was aware of.
   
    "How long have you know Commander Sevryll and her mother if I may ask, Admiral?"  Colonel Khev said, breaking the Admiral out of his thoughtful gaze.

    "Oh, I've known the family for years.  Sareth is actually quite a warm person.  Well for a Vulcan, of course.  But she is one of the most strong willed people I have ever known.  I'm not as close to her daughter but I can see she takes quite a bit after her mother.  Maybe in more ways than she might want to admit.  I wish they had stayed a bit longer, it would of been good to catch up.  Well, I'm certain during our upcoming voyage we will have the chance to get reacquainted."  The Admiral told his elite team.  He noticed Khev especially seemed very interested in his opinion of Commander Sevryll.

    "Yes, Commander Sevryll seems like a very interesting Vulcan.  Perhaps I might discuss the various ideologies of our two species if we have overlapping off-duty time during our mission."  Khev said, smiling on the inside to himself.  Of course he knew that Sevryll had recognized him, even under his elaborate disguise.  One thing even skilled doctor's couldn't alter were the expressiveness in the eyes.  When he managed to get a free moment he would of course find a quiet place to discuss matters with his wife.  And there was much to discuss between them, Khev realized.  Just then, Admiral Talbot's comm badge chirped.

    "Talbot here."  The Admiral said, giving his badge a quick tap.

    "Admiral, this is Captain Quinn.  Could you please join me in my ready room?"  Quinn said to the Admiral.  Talbot quickly surmised that Quinn was about to brief his staff about the mission ahead.  Even though he wanted to keep as much of the mission details a secret for as long as possible, Talbot knew that the senior crew would have to know the basics of what they were about to get involved in.  The mission's success could depend on anyone of them at any given time.

    "I'm on my way Captain."  Admiral Talbot said as he rose and quickly drained the rest of his drink.  His tall strides already two steps away from the table before Khev rose.

    "Admiral, shall we accompany you?"  Khev asked, almost rhetorically. 

    "Not for this one Colonel.  I'll brief the two of you later on.  Now enjoy yourselves and get to know the ship and crew.  A good soldier relies on others just as much as himself.  It's how great things are done, Colonel Khev!"  Admiral Talbot said as he gave his two Marines a warm smile as he strode quickly from 5 Forward.

    "Well, that was interesting.  Colonel Khev, do you feel like we are a bit out of the loop on this one?"  Mowembe asked his partner.

    "Perhaps Colonel.  But I don't intend to let that last for long."  The disguised Section 31 agent said as he sat back down and picked up his drink.

Though Khev had turned over his glass, the admiral talked him into another round. Soon after Talbot left, Khev finished his second drink and said good night to his fellow marine. "I'm going to find my quarters and settle in—I'll see you tomorrow." The counterfeit  Romulan stood and gave Mowembe a sarcastic salute. The broad shouldered marine then strode with a long, purposeful gate towards the door. The man who portrayed Colonel Khev, was always on guard but gave a great show of casual charm. Yet the charm wasn't really an act, it was a part of his true identity...the only element that he allowed to permeate the faux facade. He liked to add a dash of himself to the act, for artistic flare—just enough to give life to the rendering. 

Instead of finding his quarters, the Romulan thought he'd familiarize himself with the layout of the ship. He had, of course, done his due diligence regarding the Tiberius, but memorizing a schematic and exploring the ship were two different things. First stop, engineering. The systems there obviously weren't his main priority, but he had time to kill and thought he'd at least look around.

He thought again about Sevryll's reaction to him. She obviously could sense a familiarity long before she got a good look at his face—their bond saw to that. It was likely they would be working together during the mission, though he looked forward to being near her again, he hoped the bond, which alerted her to his presence, wouldn't interfere with his job. No matter what feelings he had for her, his duty would always come first. She of all people should understand that—the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and all that jazz. But she couldn't empathize and so, here she was with their twins, living and serving as First Officer aboard a Federation Starship.

His wife had never wanted anything other than to go on her digs and perhaps, one day, captain a science vessel, but fate had chosen a different path for her. David couldn't help but be proud of Sevryll and hoped that one day, she would be proud of him as well.

Aeric heard the request and altered his direction for the captain's ready room. It was going to be his first meeting with the senior staff and he needed to make sure that he made the right impression.

Aeric adjusted his uniform and entered the turbolift. Within a few moments, Aeric found himself entering the ready room and taking a seat. As the Flight Conn officer, it was his duty to be there. As a scientist, he was curious to see what was mission had brought an admiral to the Tiberius.

Quinn sat reading his padd as his senior staff entered his ready room.  As the last person, Admiral Talbot, entered the room and sat down the room became silent. Quinn put down the padd, stood and looked around at his senior staff.

"I hope you all had a very relaxing shore leave. I am very sorry that we had to cut it short but duty calls. I can not disclose too much information about our next mission, but I can tell you this, it will be a diplomatic mission to Romulas. " Several people looked around the room. Quinn continued "Admiral Talbot will be joining us for this mission. Is there anything you would like to say Admiral?"

Yes, Manrique had to see Margon but not tonight. He had to be in the captain's ready room with the rest of the senior staff. Lt. JG Johnny Manrique was now part of the senior staff. That made him feel good. So it was time to focus on the briefing. Hopefully the briefing wouldn't be a routine one. He wanted to continue to have exciting adventures.

After he entered the room he greeted everyone. Then Admiral Talbot entered surprising Manrique. It seemed that the exciting adventures were going to keep on happening. Johnny liked that.

Isaac closed his eyes and opened his mind to the ship.  He fully enveloped it with his mind and the crew didn't notice a thing.  As he looked over the ship with his mind, he noticed that some officers were congregating in the ready room.  Curiosity took a hold of the young ensign as he concentrated on the people in there.  Apparently Captain Quinn, an admiral he didn't know, Commander Sevryll and more were in there.  He unobtrusively began reading Captain Quinn's thoughts.  'Where is Ensign Starstriker?  He should have gotten here.'  'Uh oh...' thought Isaac.  'Hm?!  Who is there?! Starstriker?!' wondered Quinn.  Isaac immediately withdrew his mind.  He opened his eyes and got up from his table.  He quickly walked to the nearest turbo lift and ordered it to the bridge. 

Isaac entered the ready room just as Quinn had finished saying "Is there anything you would like to say Admiral?"  Looking sheepish Isaac immediately sat down.  Quinn raised an eyebrow in his direction but said nothing.  The Admiral began to talk.


King Linksr

    "Ensign I will only say this once.  I don't appreciate having my mind probed.  Not even casually.  Even a half Romulan like myself can pick up on such probing.  Do I make myself clear, Ensign."  Admiral Talbot said as he stood up.
   
    "Yes sir Admiral.  Perfectly.  I apologize sir.  It won't happen again."  Ensign Starstriker said to the Admiral, somewhat nervously.
   
    "Good.  Now to the mission at hand.  First, I want to let you all know that what I am about to reveal is highly sensitive information.  It is for the eyes and ears of those within this room for the time being.  Even Starfleet Command is not fully aware of our mission.  If they did, they would be accountable and that's something we have to avoid.  Captain Quinn, I'm sure you will vouch for your officers and their ability to keep this material confidential."  Talbot said looking down at the Captain seated at his Ready Room desk.
   
    "Certainly Admiral.  I trust them implicitly."  Quinn said, giving a slight look over at his First Officer Sevryll.  She gave just the slightest nod towards Quinn.  Sevryll knew with her husband (an agent of Section 31) aboard keeping secrecy was going to be difficult.
   
    "Excellent Captain.  Now I have brought a briefing data chip.  I want to show everyone our route to Romulus."  Admiral Talbot said as he slipped the isolinear chip into a nearby display terminal.  The screen came to life and showed an overview of the course the Tiberius would have to take to Romulus.
   
    "Well, that doesn't appear to be the most direct route Admiral."  Quinn said first, but noticed others had picked up on it as well.
   
    "You are of course correct Captain.  However, this course will get us past most of the common trade routes that commercial freighters take back and forth to Romulus.  I want to keep our mission a secret for as long as possible.  We will of course still have to pass by some heavily patrolled areas near the Romulan Neutral Zone and of course once we near the main star system it will be difficult to avoid detection.  I'm open to ideas on that little problem."  The Admiral said as he pressed a control padd near the terminal and red highlighted areas appeared on the course they would have to follow.
   
    "Don't worry Admiral.  I've piloted in tougher situations sir."  Ensign Starstriker said, trying to gain back the Admiral's good graces.

    "I have a feeling we are going to put those skills to the test Ensign.  Now, as far as the exact details of the mission they are two-fold.  The first being getting myself to Romulus and the second to lend aid to certain individuals there.  However, if the Romulan government learns what we are up to we are on our own.  They won't exactly be rolling out the red carpet for us."  Admiral Talbot said, smiling at the senior staff that Quinn had gathered.  They all looked so young and eager to him.  He wondered slightly if he was maybe getting a bit old for all this.  He had logged many star miles in his years and the weight of all those missions, both the good and the bad ones sometimes was a heavy load to carry.

    "Admiral, the Tiberius and her crew will make certain you get to Romulus and we will offer any aid we can.  You can count on us sir!"  Quinn said as he got up and walked over to Talbot.

    "I knew I could Captain.  I will turn the meeting over to Captain Quinn and field any questions or comments anyone has.  But bear in mind, I do want to keep some of the finer details off record for the time being.  But rest assured by the time we enter Romulan space everything will be out on the table."  The Admiral said as he took a seat.

Aeric listened quietly as the Admiral informed them that they would be violating the neutral zone on a secret mission. Not since his childhood had he been on such an assignment. It was one worthy of Kirk's exploits.

If anything was troubling him, it was his promise to his daughter and the attempted intrusion on his mind. Aeric couldn't fault the ensign for being curious, but there were rules in Starfleet that prevented such actions. The kid was quite luck that those who he touched didn't respond with their own powers.

Aeric could see that he was still young, so he wouldn't make an issue of it. He was going to need his strength when he discussed his child with the XO. With a thought to the Aurora, he started her on a full diagnostic of weapons and defenses. They were going to be dealing with the Romulans and in his experience, someone would be shooting at them on some part of the mission. He did have one question for the Admiral, but he would save it until everyone else had a chance to voice their questions.

After making preparations in his quarters,Remor found himself in front of 5 Forward again. Unlike earlier, the lounge was strangely deserted. There were a bunch of junior officers, crew, and civilians sitting around the tables, but the command officers were gone, as were many of the lieutenants and noncom engineers. "They must be in meetings," Remor thought. "We should be departing soon." He strode up to the bar.

"Back so soon?" Brex asked him.

"Yes," Remor said. "I decided to explore the arboretum. This ship has some fascinating specimens."

"Hmm," Brex said, clearly feigning interest. "In all this time, I've never been. But I'm not a big fan of the humidity."

"I see," Remor said, glad that Brex hadn't quizzed him.

"What can I get you?"

"Romulan ale," Remor said matter-of-factly.

"Shh!" Brex said, moving in closer, his voice dimming to a whisper. "Keep your voice down!"

"Romulan ale," Remor said again, this time in a hushed voice.

"I'm sorry," Brex said, glaring into Remor's eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Remor pulled a strip—not a slip—of latinum from his jacket pocket and laid it on the bar with a loud *clink*. He took a private, perverse pleasure in testing the barman's nerves. Brex immediately covered it with his rag, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. No one had.

"How did you know?" the blue man asked.

"You are a bartender," Remor said. "It's in your interest."

Brex paused for a moment, staring at Remor's Vulcan features quizzically. Then, slowly, he took out a metal Klingon cup, ducked behind the bar, and, from what Remor could hear, rummaged around behind a false panel. Brex came back up with the opaque stein full almost to the brim. At first, Remor thought it odd that he would have to drink Romulan ale from a Klingon cup, but then he realized that he couldn't simply stroll around 5 Forward with the sky-blue liquid sloshing around in the traditional crystal tumbler for all to see.

"Thank you," Remor said, turning away to find a seat by the windows.

"Hey," Brex said, pinching the sleeve of Remor's jacket. "You're not like any Vulcan I've met before. You sure you're feeling OK?"

"I cleared my preboarding health exam," Remor said.

"Yeah . . ." Brex said, letting go of the sleeve.

Remor found a seat by the window and sat sipping his ale while watching the shuttles buzz around outside.

There was an unusual number of telepaths aboard Tiberius and most of them did their best to keep their minds to themselves. Yet, on occasion, Sevryll could feel an experimental exploration of her thoughts—and just before the briefing, she sensed one such probe. The meld she reluctantly preformed with Ensign Isaac Starstriker, to pull him out of his coma, had given her an impression of his abilities as well as an imprint of his thoughts, and she was certain the invasion she felt was him. Once she detected his presence in her mind, the Vulcan woman pushed the uninvited guest out and glanced at Quinn and Talbot. She apparently was not the only person he had probed.

"Did you feel that?" Quinn asked.

"Indeed. Ensign Starstriker has made an innocent attempt to gage the temperament of the crew—yet he has inadvertently overstepped the boundary of private thought," replied Sevryll. "I will speak to him sir," she said.

"No, I'll handle it Commander," said Admiral Talbot and Quinn in unison.

The admiral began the briefing, once everyone had arrived, and indicated that questions should be directed to the Captain. Sevryll turned to Quinn and asked "is there a strategy in place for our recovery mission? Should we begin forming teams for the task?" She searched the Captain's face for any indication of subtle communication. Her father was the individual they would be recovering and her concerns were focused on his safe return.

Dr. Casey , spoke up and asked the captain if their would be any need for minor medical modifcations for the landing party to blend into their environment for as long as possible, or if any special medical equipment would be needed other than the standard med kit.

Dr. Peterson waited for the Captains response to his questions.

"Sir, if an away mission is involved, I recomend that the Aurora be used as the primary means of transportation. She has abilities that you won't find on a standard Starfleet vessel and she is not registered as a part of the fleet," Aeric said. He didn't want to bring it up, but he needed to make sure that all the resources the crew needed were available.

He didn't feel the need to yet mention that the nanites within himself and Aria could be reconfigured to send out false biosigns and effectivly disguise their races on a technological level. That would come in due time and there was not enough nanites to innoculate the entire crew or mission team. It would also take time to configure the machines to each new host.

Isaac was annoyed with himself.  'What is wrong with me?  No one has ever been able to detect me when I'm scanning the crew.  Of course...I shouldn't have to read the Captain's mind.  What was I thinking??  I don't even have to read his mind to know that he is going to talk to me later.  Maybe its because of my mood lately.  That mind-meld...perhaps that's the cause?'  He talked up and volunteered to be the pilot during the rough parts of the mission.  It was with hopes that he could get back on the Admiral's good side.  He needed it.  He was more than positive he could do it. 

He sighed to himself.  Doctor Peterson asked a question but Isaac tuned it out.  'What is happening to me?' 

Then at the worst possible moment, his Sugar Gliders decided to jump out and they went straight for Aeric and Peterson.  'Oh no...'


King Linksr

Just before the Captain addressed the various questions asked by his senior staff, Sevryll noticed Ensign Starstriker's facial expression transform. At the start of the meeting he seemed to be distracted, but now his face reflected alarm. It was not long before she discovered why—Sevryll's eye caught the flash of two small animals edging towards Lt. James and Doctor Peterson. Her mother had told her of the animals she captured for the young ensign in Five Forward and she instantly recognized the event unfolding as a repeat of her mother's account. Without delay Sevryll detained the small creatures before the staff noticed the occurrence. As it was, the ensign was in enough trouble—the Commander then discretely handed the two back to Isaac, with a look only another Vulcan would recognize as scorn. He met her eye reluctantly and gave her a furtive nod of thanks and apology.

He gave Sevryll a furtive nod of thanks and apology.  'What a bad day.  Now both the commander and the captain are going to have my heads.'  He immediately put the Sugar Gliders in his pocket, reached out with his mind and told them not to move.  They weren't very intelligent, but they could figure out what he meant.  They immediately calmed down and curled up in his pocket.  He was happy, however, that Sevryll had restrained them before the staff noticed.  He was in enough trouble as it was and having the little Gliders distracting the meeting would be nothing short of doom.  He laid back in his chair, took a deep breath and listened to the Captain's answers. 

King Linksr

As the Admiral sat down Quinn looked around the room for questions. Commander Servyll was the first to speak up. "is there a strategy in place for our recovery mission? Should we begin forming teams for the task?" Quinn could hear the concern in Servyll's voice every so slightly and though she was a Vulcan and had immense control over her emotions she still had them. Quinn smiled and nodded. "Yes Commander please see to this. I would like you to lead the away team.

Doctor Peterson then spoke up. " Captain would there be any need for minor medical modifications for the landing party to blend into their environment for as long as possible, or any special medical equipment needed other than the standard med kit." Quinn turned to the Doctor. "There may be some modifications needed. We are going to try and limit ourselves to our Vulcan crewmembers for this away mission. And I don't foresee any need for anything other than the standard med kit."

Quinn looked around the room "Anything else?"

Lt. James spoke up. "Sir, if an away mission is involved, I recommend that the Aurora be used as the primary means of transportation. She has abilities that you won't find on a standard Starfleet vessel and she is not registered as a part of the fleet," Aeric said. He didn't want to bring it up, but he needed to make sure that all the resources the crew needed were available.

Quinn nodded "Very good Lt. Please have the ship ready and on standby." Lt. James gave Quinn a quick nod. Quinn continued "Very good.. if there are no other questions. Commander please take us out of dry dock and set a course for Romulas warp 5." Servyll nodded as Quinn announced "Dismissed" Everyone started to get up. Quinn spoke up "Ensign Starstriker" could you please wait for a minute I would like to speak with you." As the last person left the ready room Quinn sat down behind his desk and gestured for Starstriker to take a seat. "Ensign we have a problem"

The Dr. left the briefing and set out to prepare a set of field medical kits to be used on the mission and and prepare his staff for the possibility of modification that may be needed for the mission.

Collaboration between Just X and Jen
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As Sevryll entered the turbolift on the bridge, Lieutenant James rushed in after. "Commander Sevryll," Aeric started. "If you are not busy, could I speak with you for a few moments in regards to Aria?"

Despite her distrust of him, she nodded politely, willing herself to maintain a proper amount of civility. "Deck 14, she said aloud and the turbolift began its descent. She turned to face the door.

"I recently spoke with Aria about your meeting," he said as he glanced down at the woman that he once knew. "She attempted to explain her existence to you, but I think that she might have failed to adequately describe the more important details. Not having been trained to suppress her emotions, she was somewhat hurt by the content of the conversation."

Annoyed, Sevryll's eyes swept over him in silent appraisal. While she understood why the girl would be upset, an ethical incursion had occurred, and it could not be swiftly forgotten. "It was not my desire to upset her, but trust is based on truth—and when there is no trust, there can be no rapport." Honesty was sacred to Sevryll; she thought about the many half-truths and falsehoods David had told her. Though he eventually revealed the truth in full, the wound his deceptions made left scars. She had become much more careful—less credulous, since the time her husband finally came forward with the truth of who he really was.

"After Aria and I spoke, I decided to approach you with the idea of performing a mind meld so that you can gain a better understanding of her position," said the nervous Lieutenant.

Her ability to meld was not common knowledge—she kept it secret for the simple fact that she did not enjoy performing them.  And when others learned of her abilities, they frequently made requests for her 'services'. "Mind melds are intensely personal experiences—in fact, I rarely conduct them at all, especially with individuals with whom I am not closely acquainted," she shifted her weight and grasped her hands tightly behind her back.

He was silent for a moment, considering how to approach the next detail. He glanced nervously down at his shoes and swallowed hard, "in one of my previous timelines, we knew each other," Aeric started. "We spent time as friends on Vulcan, and were connected through several friends and family members. I know that, in this timeline, you don't know me, and I have long accepted these changes as a fact of my existence, but Aria can't. She needs her mother and this is the only way I know to restore the connection that a mother and daughter should share." Lifting his gaze from the floor to her familiar face, he tried in vane to identify any subtle variances in her features.

Uncomfortable with the unorthodox proposition, Sevryll stepped around the Lieutenant as the turbolift doors parted. She paused in the corridor and with her back still to him she replied, "I....I am sorry. I can not accommodate her." The doors closed behind her leaving Aeric alone in the lift.

"Shuttlebay," Aeric said as he absorbed the refusal. He needed to find a way to achieve the impossible. He needed to create a mother daughter bond between a Vulcan and a child she didn't really give birth to.

Tapping his communications badge, he readied a plan. "James to Aurora."

"Sir," replied Aurora's new voice.

"I need you to transfer all personal and data files pertaining to Aria's birth timeline to Commander Sevryll's computers from the temporal database." Aeric said. It was one thing to be offended by what was done to bring Aria back, but it would be harder for a Vulcan to deny the facts contained in those files.

"Orders confirmed and transmitted," Aurora said as she tranfered what would have otherwise been classified information.

Aeric sighed as the doors to the turbolift opened to his destination. Aria stood in the airlock as she waited for her father.

"How did it go?" she asked. There was an undercurrent of anticipation on every word.

"It's moving slowly. We can't force a bond to be established," he said as he moved to his child. "I think that she is going to come around once she deals with her emotions about all of this. You know first hand that Vulcans, as much as they pretend to not have emotions, are only supressing them. At this point, any reaction is a positive one."

Aria nodded slowly. She didn't want to know the detail because she needed to focus on something else. She needed to focus on work. "Aurora recieved your mind link after the meeting. She'll be ready for anything the captain needs her for."

She gave a brief smile to her father as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Without a word, she used the machines inside her to assist in supressing her emotions. She had work to do and she couldn't afford to be distracted.

As Ensign Starstriker sat down, Quinn clasped his fingers and placed his hands in front of him on his desk. He took a deep breath and began.

" Ensign, I am sure you are aware of why I asked you to stay behind." Starstriker gave Quinn a slight nod. "I think Admiral Talbot say everything that needed to be said, but I would like to add a few personal thoughts." Quinn looked into Isaac's eyes. He reached out with his thoughts oO I was the one who requested you for this ship. I read your Starfleet records and was very impressed. I knew you would be a perfect fit for this crew, was I wrong? I don't know, I hope not. I do know that I am very disappointed in you ensign, I expect more from my senior staff. I understand the urge to read minds, but you must learn to control that urge. There are fundamental laws that strictly forbid what you did. An unlawful invasion of someone's thoughts without permission is cause for an official reprimand, but I will not be putting this incident in your permanent record. Everyone deserves a second chance. You've just used yours. You may have been able to get away with this on your other assignments but this ship is unique in the fact that  there are quite a few telepaths aboard, keep that in mind. Oo 

As Quinn stood Isaac did the same, he was about to say something when Quinn said, "Dismissed Ensign". Isaac turned and started to head toward the door. "One last thing Mr. Starstriker," Quinn said with a stern look, "from here on out pets will remain in our quarters.... Understood!!! "  Isaac's hand reached for his pocket, he nodded and exited the ready room. Quinn sat back down and took a sit of his now cold raktajino.

Isaac Starstriker headed straight for his quarters.  He was very unhappy and felt crushed.  Despite his best attempts, he had embarrassed himself in front of the Admiral and in front of his Captain.  He felt more depressed then ever before.  He entered his quarters and fell onto his bed.  A few tears fell onto his cheek.  The whole incident with his telepathic powers should  never have happened.  'What is going on with me?  I've never been this irresponsible or stupid.'  He racked his brain in an attempt at a self-diagnostic.  The only thing he could think of was the mind-meld with Sevryll.  'Did it have more effects on me than I first thought?  I never realized it could damage me like this for so long but then again, I'm not exactly human.'

His Sugar Gliders slid out of pocket and ran over to the new changes to his room.  He did not hate them, but he wanted nothing to do with them at the moment.  They were troublesome, but then, he had also been stupid by carrying them around.  The new changes to his room were some nice trees and a "dispenser" that contained their food.  It was actually quite neat, but he was too depressed to bother looking at them.  The Sugar Gliders in the mean time got used to their new room.

Isaac still laid on his stomach for a while with tears rolling down his cheeks.  It felt like his defenses were crashing down upon him.  He had never felt so alone in his life.  He got up from his bed and walked out of his room.  As he walked down the corridor..he didn't know what would happen next.


King Linksr

Margon rounded the corner and came face to face with Isaac.

"Ensign" said Margon, "are you ok?"

Isaac just stared at him.  What was he supposed to say, of course he wasn't "OK"  but he really didn't know what to say to the counselor.  This was all such a strange situation.

"I'll be ok Counselor."  Starstriker mumbled.  He managed to crack a small smile.

"Well, if you need me, I'm around", just say the word.  I know things were a little intense in the meeting.  The captain asked you to stay back and talk?"

"Yes, Counselor, he did.  I just need to work some things out", he turned red and looked flustered.

"Well, I can help, so maybe we could talk sometime."  Margon smiled and placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I'll get back to you on that"  he said and kept walking down the corridor.

Margon made a mental note- "visit Isaac in a couple of days"

As Remor sat drinking his tankard of Romulan ale, he thought back to his time at the Order's mind training facility. At the time, it had taken all his concentration to hide his thoughts and emotions from the powerful telepaths they hired to test agents' abilities. And the idea of sending out false readings had seemed impossible. But, as they say, nothing is impossible when it comes to the Obsidian Order.

After a month, he started to find it easier to shield himself, even while concentrating on other tasks. The supervisors had hundreds of different simulations they used to test him. They started out easy, perhaps a single Betazoid asking him questions in a briefing room. Then, it would be a Lethean. Then they would have him disarming a torpedo while multiple telepaths tried to break into his head. They would run battle simulations (with the safeties off, of course) and stage personal combat against other agents, all while the mind readers tried to gain access. If they did gain access, letting even the most minute detail slip, the punishments were harsh. After punishments, he would be briefed again, and then the telepaths who had broken in would explain how they had done it and coach him.

After he had mastered these tests, they started teaching him how to send out false signals. This was significantly more difficult, but in time, he had become proficient enough that the Order felt confident enough to send him into the field. His final destination was Bajor, but he would be taking the long route to get there. The Order had to make sure he could handle small assignments before going up against a trained and seasoned rogue agent. They couldn't afford a sloppy job this time.

And then, of course, there was the implant . . .

Suddenly, outside the window, all the stars became a single blur and then seemed to whiz past on all sides. The ship had gone to warp—warp five, if he wasn't mistaken. Remor was glad that they were finally underway.

Charged with the task of assembling teams, Sevryll began her search for individuals qualified for the mission. The captain's stipulation was clear, the away team must be made up of Vulcans. Surprisingly, Sevryll was one of only a hand full aboard the Tiberius... a fact that made her job all the more challenging.

After some time, the commander found one crewmember experienced enough to join the team— doctor Peterson's head nurse, Lieutenant Relas. Nurse Relas had served in Starfleet for sixty years and had quite an extensive résumé. Sevryll added her summary to the dossier containing team member profiles. Then she called up a list of Vulcan civilians in hopes of finding one among them qualified for the task.

Aside from her own family, and including the individual she saw earlier in Five Forward, there were six civilians hailing from her home world. Seated at her desk in the CSO's office, Sevryll scanned the files for any qualified persons; listed among the civilians was a botanist, a Suss Mahn instructor, a retired astronomer, an artist and a youth—the clone known as Aria. Her file was marked classified and Sevryll did not possess the clearance necessary to access the file. As Sevryll stood in preparation to leave, the commander's computer pealed a series of electronic chimes—gaining her full attention. She glanced down and noticed the summary marked "classified" had been made accessible. She hesitated to request the girl's profile; yet after a few minutes of fighting the temptation to know more, she surrendered to her own inquisitive nature.

Sevryll forced herself to skip the girl's personal history, opting instead to review her skill sets. It seemed during the transfer from a hologram to clone, she had kept all her memories regarding Mark I Aurora...giving her an advanced medical and engineering background. Next to Aeric, she was the only other living person with a knowledge of the Aurora and her systems.

Sevryll pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and dug deeper into the summary, finding medical logs and entries regarding the incorporation of nanites. Sevryll found this information alarming. Certainly nanite technology had been used in the treatment of disease but Aria's records indicated the nanites the girl had been infused with, allowed her to interface with Aurora—an alteration that bore a striking resemblance to Borg capabilities. Yet the nanites also gave Aria many abilities that Sevryll determined would make her an asset to the mission. She tentatively added the clone to the short list of away team members and contacted Captain Quinn.

Tapping her combadge she spoke aloud, "Commander Sevryll to Captain Quinn."

"Quinn here," came his quick reply.

"I have a provisional listing of away team members ready for your review. Can you meet me in my office, on deck fourteen? I require your approval for an unorthodox candidate I included."

    Admiral Talbot sat back in the desk chair in his quarters aboard the Tiberius.  He was thinking a lot about what had happened recently, especially in the meeting he had just had with Captain Quinn and his staff.  He wasn't in the habit of disciplining lower ranking officers in front of others, but Ensign Starstriker had hit a nerve with him.  Many years ago he had been on an away mission exploring a new Class M planet.  Before he knew it, his team was attacked and quickly taken prisoner.  The race of beings were known as the Strilarni and were highly telepathic he found out.  Before his team could be rescued he and the others were subjected to intense mind probing.  Very invasive and very disturbing even to this day to the Admiral.  Even though he was half Romulan he had never really tried to develop or discipline himself with the limited telepathic talents he had.  After the mission with the Strilarni, Talbot decided to never let something like that happen again.  He began to take each of his leaves over the next few years on Vulcan.  There he studied among some of the most gifted Vulcan telepaths.  Even though he never was able to link minds for more than a short time and even then it was limited, he was still able to learn the needed to skills to keep telepaths out of his mind.  Even to this day, he unconsciously kept a small mind shield up at almost all times he was awake.  He had vowed to never let another uninvited being into his thoughts if he could help it.  Therefore, the young Ensign had opened an old wound for the Admiral.  Talbot knew the young Ensign was merely inexperienced and was certain it was an innocent mistake.  But he wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.  Just then Talbot's door chimed.

    "Enter."  He said, pulling out of his thoughts.

    "Excuse me for disturbing you Admiral, but I see we have left Earth orbit and gone to warp.  I was hoping for a rematch on our chess game."  The disguised section 31 agent currently known as Khev said to the Admiral.  He gave the Admiral a weak smile. 

    "Certainly Colonel.  It will be good to focus on something else for a time.  I have always found it helpful when working out a problem to focus one's mind on something else for a time.  In that way a new solution may present itself."  Admiral Talbot said as he tapped a control padd on the side of the desk, a replicated tridimensional chess board appeared on the larger padd area in the center of the desk in front of him.

    "Well, Admiral.  I've had quite a bit of tactical and combat training sir.  If you would like any help on planning the mission ahead I would be glad to be of assistance."  The imposter Khev said, this time smiling on the inside.  He knew the basic outline of the mission, but the details were still unknown to him.  Talbot was still keeping much of the mission ahead private.  But he surmised that there were at least two people aboard who would have to know the full extent of what was to come.  Captain Quinn of course, a man the agent respected.  And of course the agent's own wife, Sevryll who was currently second in command of the Tiberius.  He was certain he could get the information from Sevryll if needed, but it might be easier to get it from the Admiral himself.  He was, after all, currently part of his protective staff.  He and Colonel Mowembe would have to know the details fully if they were to carry out their mission to protect Admiral Talbot.

    "I may take you up on your offer, Colonel.  But for now, lets just enjoy a quiet game.  I have a feeling we soon will wish for quiet times like this once we reach our destination.  If not sooner, Colonel."  Talbot said to the eager young Colonel sitting across from him and watching him take the first move on the board with one of his pawns.  The Admiral was beginning to like the young Colonel, but there was still something about him that made him slightly uncomfortable.  He brushed those thoughts aside as he settled into his chair and ran through the moves he had used over the years when starting a new game.  Talbot decided that Khev appeared to be a quick learner and he would have his work cut out for him with each successive game they played. 

The Dr. thought for a moment, then decided to ask Commander to come to sick bay, he had an idea he wanted to discuss with her, After the last mission, he thought that perhaps a small transponder implanted under the skin and  left inactive only to be activated in case of an emergency would be a good idea.

Especially  because of the nature of this mission, and the capture of an Admiral by the Romulans would be a great prize as well as a diplomatic nightmare.

It could be made of a material that would not show up in a scan because it would be inactive but would be away to trac the party if they ran into trouble.

The Dr. sent his request to the Commander and then waited for her reply.

A collaboration between Startrekfanatic5 and Jen
----
Nathan Quinn was sitting behind his desk, reviewing new crewmember reports, when his comm badge chirped.

He tapped his badge in response, "Quinn here, "
Commander Sevryll's steady voice permeated his ready room, "I have a provisional listing of away team members ready for your review. Can you meet me in my office, on deck fourteen? I require your approval for an unorthodox candidate I included."

Quinn put down the PADD, " I'll see you in ten minutes, Quinn out. "

Nathan rose from his chair, pulled his tunic down and headed out of his ready room. As he exited onto the bridge, he noticed Ensign Iblis at the helm. "I hear Congratulations are in order Mr. Iblis"  Enoch smiled and stood from his station to shake the hand Quinn offered him. "Lt. Brant is a fine woman. I'm just disappointed that you didn't invite your Captain" Quinn said with a wink.

" Well sir, it was a spur of the moment event. " Enoch said with sheepish grin.

"I understand Ensign, I wish you the best of luck... Kapla Mr. Iblis." Enoch nodded and sat down at helm as Captain Quinn headed toward the turbolift. Ten minutes later he presses the door chime and waited for Sevryll's voice to grant him entry.

"You wanted to discuss the away team?" Quinn asked with a smile. Sevryll glanced up at the Captain, "yes sir, but first I need to explain my behavior during shore leave at your parents home." Quinn's smiling expression transitioned to a concerned frown. "Are you referring to the data PADD you were reading that made you so upset?"

"Yes sir", Sevryll answered quietly.

Reverting back to his days as a ships' counselor, Nathan opted to sit on the couch near her desk and motioned for her to sit next to him. Sevryll had been quite distressed by the matter-of-fact content of the mysterious message, which Quinn had found her reading at his parent's home. Since then, she had time to center herself. When she had considered herself ready, Sevryll accepted the invitation sent by the young woman who had called her "mother". 


Commander Sevryll tucked her hair behind her ear and described the situation to Nathan. "After obtaining her communiqué, I agreed to meet with her aboard Aurora." She narrowed her eyes as she reflected upon the meeting, "upon encountering her, I was immediately struck by our physical similarities and analogous characteristics; they are quite extraordinary. As a scientist I consider the procedure that cloned her...fascinating...yet as a Vulcan, I can not ignore the lack of regard shown for my rights as an individual."

Quinn sat there in shock; his Betazoid and El Aurian chemistry made him calm by nature, but his temper was getting the best of him for the first time in ten years. This was a violation of basic Federation law—what was going on with his crew? Quinn took a deep breath. "How did this happen?"

Sevryll intertwined her fingers and placed her folded hands on her lap, "Aria is a binary clone—an organism created from the DNA of two individuals—myself and her father, Lieutenant Areic James." Sevryll looked down at her hands as she continued, "she informed me that, in another time line, I was her natural mother and an event occurred that altered her history: my aunt, Elizabeth Tucker, died as an infant. According to Aria, we were once a family—her father affirmed this when he told me, that Aria wishes to reestablish a familial relationship." Sevryll paused, noting the wash of color that had flooded the Captain's face. She proceeded gently, "Aria explained that my DNA was taken to protect myself and my children, though I do not know that I understand, or believe their story."

Quinn sat back, his brow furrowed, as he listened to his first officer's extraordinary story. He shook his head in exasperation, " I still don't understand how this "person" took your DNA, especially if she did not exist until the hour she drew breath as a clone."

Sevryll nodded, understanding his confusion. She was not all together sure she understood it herself. "Before her temporal demise, Aria transferred her Katra to Lieutenant James and after some time, he transmitted her essence to a hologram created in her image. The hologram was somehow interconnected with the Aurora's mainframe. Aria explained that, while she was apart of the ship's computer, they are two separate individuals...Aurora created her."

Quinn sat beside her, in total shock, not believing what he was hearing. "Lieutenant James knew about this "person" and didn't bother to tell his commanding officer? We have a new sentient life form on board and no one thinks the Captain needs to know?  Excuse me one second number one."

Nathan pressed his combadge. "Security, please located Lt. James and place him in the brig. I will be down there shortly... Quinn out."

The captain turned his attention back to his first officer, "how do you feel about all this? Have you had the doctor do any tests to verify her claims?"

"I try not to feel anything...though it proves harder to accomplish with every day that passes," she stated flatly. "I have not substantiated their claims, but I have recently been given access to a computer file that may reveal more information." Without pausing she asked, "captain...is his incarceration necessary?" Though Sevryll was not at all pleased with the events that had taken place in recent days, she had no wish to create more havoc.

Nathan took in the hint of concern, emanating from his first officer. She had several days to let the fire burn down to a smolder. He on the other hand, had only now learned that his friend had been violated...it would be a while before his fire was doused.

"This should not have happened to you, Sevryll. I can't let it go unpunished—Lieutenant James is the only individual I can hold accountable and I will make sure he pays the consequences." Noting that Sevryll's concern had grown since she first began her conversation with him, he forced a comforting smile. I am your friend Sevryll...I'll take care of this. Can we discuss your team later? I would like to take care of this matter straight away."

Sevryll nodded in defeat as she watched the captain briskly leave her office. Her computer chimed as a message from the doctor crossed her screen. Accessing the message, she skimmed its contents and  sent a reply.

Aeric stretched as he entered turbolift two. It was finally the end to a long duty shift. With all of the work going on to make sure the new systems were running smoothly, he had found himself working double shifts to get his tasks done.

He had already informed Aria that he would be running late and it would be best if she started dinner without him. She had been eager to discuss some of her theories about the new modification and just to have someone else to talk to.

Aeric exited the on deck 12 and found himself met by armed security officers. This puzzled him as he had not experienced any temporal changes.

"Sir, we have been ordered to escort you to the brig," Crewman Bowers said as he placed a hand on his phaser to show the seriousness of the situation. There were two other security officers with Bowers, but James had yet to meet them so he didn't know their names.
"Who ordered you to do that and what are the charges?" Aeric asked as he mentally prepared himself for a longer night.
"I was not informed of the charges, but it is the captain's orders," Bowers replied.
"If it's the captain's orders, who am I to argue?" Aeric said as he returned to the turbolift with Bowers in tow. "I'm sure he has his reasons."
"He's not resisting, I can take it from here." Bowers said as he and Aeric watched the doors close.  "Deck four, brig."

Aeric sighed softly and mentally activated his comm. "Aeric to Aria. There is a situation that has come up. I am going to be later than expected."
"Situation father?" came Aria's reply over the comm.
"I've been arrested. I will speak to you when I find out the charges."
"Understood, Aria out."

Aeric waited calmly for the lift to reach their destination. It wasn't the first time he had been arrested for something. That was part and parcel of his journey. It was the first time that he had been arrested in this timeline, but there was always a first time.

Lt. James and crewman Bowers made their way to the brig once the doors to the lift opened. Not wanting to cause a problem, Aeric had already removed his combadge and set it on the table as they reached the holding cells. Aeric, still tired from the long shift, headed straight for the bunk and barely had time to lay down before the forcefield hummed into life.

"Thank you for your cooperation sir," Bowers said. It wasn't often that someone entered the brig so willingly. Seeing how the lieutenant seemed to be quite familiar with the process, Bowers assumed that this wasn't his first time being arrested.
"There was really no need to make your job any more complicated. I am sure there is a misunderstanding and I am quite confident that it will be worked out," Aeric replied as he closed his eyes. At least he would be getting a few hours of rest.

Colonel Khev found Admiral Talbot to be a cunning man. He wasn't about to prematurely reveal the details of the mission, even to his elite marine guards. Despite this fact, the Section31 agent respected Talbot for his prudence. A wise man once said; "strategy requires thought; tactics requires observation." Agent Lock was confident that Talbot was constantly thinking in terms of strategy—he also knew that that the half Romulan Admiral was an extremely observant man.

Thought and observation were two very important skills required in the games of chess and espionage. By the way the Admiral analyzed his every move, the agent decided that Talbot most likely had some measure of experience... in both sports. He would have to be very careful.

"Check," declared the Admiral Talbot in a low baritone.
"Fvadt," swore Khev under his breath.
The admiral offered him a wry smile and a friendly suggestion, "when you see a good move wait - look for a better one."

The Admiral was wise and "Khev" was certain that if he gained anything at all from this assignment, he would most likely learn a great deal about his own craft.

When the game was over, Khev went to Five Forward for dinner—he didn't much care for Romulan food, but he wasn't about to blow his cover ordering some namby-pamby Terrain dish. Agent Lock ordered the most disgusting plate he could think of: Jumbo Romulan Mollusk... a gourmet delicacy to the Romulans. The steaming pile of slime wiggled distastefully as Khev stabbed it with his fork. He took care to savor its nauseating taste, forcing a very convincing smile as he swallowed the gelatinous blob down piece by piece. "Ummm...I'll never get enough of Romulan Mollusk. Even replicated, its sumptuous flavor inspires dance," he said sarcastically to J'Dan, as the waiter wiped down a table near by. 

Remor woke slowly, his eyes cracking open into little slits. Outside the window, the stars whizzed past. Once again he had underestimated the power of Romulan ale. Oddly, he hadn't been particularly intoxicated when he had made his way back to his quarters the previous night. There was just something about the beverage that refused to agree with his body. But for some reason, he found it irresistible.

Head pounding and stomach churning, he dragged himself out of bed and to the sink, where he splashed water on his face. Grabbing the towel off the hook on the wall, he dried himself off. As he straightened his hair in the mirror, he ran his hands over his slightly pudgy Vulcan face, under which was a slightly less doughy Romulan mask. He couldn't wait to get his bony Cardassian body back. These other creatures had such frustratingly soft features.

Throwing on a simple brown suit, Remor left his quarters and began making his way to sickbay. Perhaps the doctor would have something for his stomach. He, of course, didn't allow his discomfort to show through his cold Vulcan front. At some point he would need to find someone in the Federation to whom he could reveal his identity (at least his Romulan one at first), but not today.


In the corridors, he made a point of reviewing in his head the names, ranks, quarters, and duties of every crewmember he passed. The crew and passenger manifest hadn't been terribly difficult to get his hands on; he had learned over the years that a little latinum, nimble fingers, and a certain one-armed Ferengi friend were often worth more than all the covert training in the galaxy. The access codes to the Tiberius' minor systems had been significantly harder to obtain. Not even the one-armed Ferengi could get those. No, this had been when his time in the Order really paid off. The best part—what made him most proud of this particular piece of snooping—was that no one had died in the process. It was clean and methodical, just the way it had been in the good ol' days.

Finding himself finally outside of sickbay, he stepped through the door.

Isaac Starstriker walked quickly away from Margon.  He cursed the blue being for being so rude.  'Dumb Margon, how dare he intrude upon me.  I don't need his help....I don't need anyone's help!!!'  He strode quickly into the nearest turbolift and shouted a floor level that he didn't know or care about.  When he exited he stopped and cursed himself.  'What is wrong with me??  Why am I acting like this??  I've never been so emotional.'  With that thought, he sat down in a hallway that was between the two main hallways of this floor.  He thought he heard someone, but as he looked around he saw nothing. 

As he sat, he became depressed again.  Some part of him began to wonder what was wrong but was consumed by the flood of emotion that seemed to be pouring into him.  He felt even more depressed as he had no one to turn to.  No friends...no one that respected him anymore.  He had embarrassed himself in front of his own captain.  'And I have reaped the rewards'  As he curled into a ball, his body rocked with silent sobs and tears fell down his face.  'Why me??!!'


King Linksr

On the bridge of the Defiant Class U.S.S. Ranger, Lt. K'Tan gazed pensively at the field of stars streaking by on the forward viewscreen. He glanced furtively at the sealed door of the readyroom, where Capt. O'Neil, the commander of this vessel, and Fleet Admiral Santana were discussing his future, or his lack thereof.

It had been 3 days since he almost came to blows with the ships XO, Commander Madden.  At the time, he had wanted nothing so much as to wipe the smug look of superiority off of the pompous idiot's face; preferably with the aid of his boot-heel.  Now, thinking back on the incident, he marveled at the fact that he wasn't in the brig awaiting court-martial.  His face burning with shame, K'Tan thought back on the latest in a string of unfortunate incidents...

As Tactical Officer of the Ranger, K'Tan had been tasked with finding the optimal power-sharing ratio for the ship's cloaking device and shield generators.  The trick was to determine just how much power could be diverted from the cloaking device to the defensive shields to provide the maximum coverage possible without jeopardizing the stability of the cloaking field.  Having trained on several different Klingon ships before leaving the Empire and joining Starfleet, K'Tan was very familiar with cloaking technology, and had come up with the desired equations within a relatively short time.

While briefing the XO on his recommendations, the commander had made an offhand comment about how ironic it was that a technological advancement like the cloaking device had made its way to the federation via a brutish, non-research oriented race like the Klingons.  He had further intimated that the Klingons had most likely stolen the technology from the Romulans.

Apparently oblivious to the inherently racist tone of his remarks, the Commander had attempted to shake K'Tan's hand and congratulate him on a job well-done.  He was therefore quite surprised when K'Tan had grasped the extended hand, and with a snarl of rage, twisted it up and around behind the Commander's back.  Without pausing, K'Tan had then slammed the XO against the bulkhead, pinning him in place.

From behind the immobilized XO, K'Tan had snarled into his ear- "You are an ignorant petaQ!  I may appear like any other human, but I assure you; In my heart, I remain Klingon!"  As the enormity of what he was doing dawned on K'Tan, he had released the XO. 

K'Tan struggled to regain his composure.  "The Klingons are an intelligent and honorable race!  They were exploring the stars long before humans discovered warp travel. I recommend that you keep that in mind before you think about spewing further insults."

After taking a moment to straighten his uniform, the Commander had whirled around in outrage.  "Are you crazy, Lieutenant?!?  How dare you lay hands on a superior officer!  I'll see you court-martialed for this!"

Fortunately for K'Tan, Fleet Admiral Santana, who was being ferried back to Earth on board the Ranger after attending a summit near Beta-Zed, had intervened and diffused the situation.  He seemed to have come up with a solution that would appease the XO's demands for punishment without resorting to a general court-martial.  At least, K'Tan hoped that it wouldn't involve a court-martial.

After being confined to his quarters for the past 3 days, K'Tan had received a summons to meet the Admiral and the Captain on the bridge.  He had made his way to the bridge quickly, eager to see the situation resolved, one way or another.  It appeared that the resolution was going to be delayed a bit longer, however- the Admiral and the Captain were still in conference in the readyroom. 

As a nerve-induced bead of sweat slowly followed the trail of the old scar on the left side of his face, K'Tan heard the readyroom doors whisk open.

"In here, now, Lt. K'Tan" the Captain's voice called out.  Steeling himself for the worst, K'Tan stepped inside.  As the door whisked closed behind him, he turned to face the Admiral and Captian, his back ramrod straight and his eyes focused on a point behind the two officers.

The Admiral looked up from his PADD and quietly regarded K'Tan for a few painfully long moments, then mercifully broke the silence.
 
"You have had quite an interesting career, Mr. K'Tan.  Your jacket has more black marks than I care to list.  There are many former officers who have been tossed out on their behinds for accruing far less infractions than you have accumulated."

The Admiral switched off his PAAD.  "Nevertheless, there are those among the Admiralty who have been watching your career with interest.  They are impressed with your past.  Not many human children would be capable of living in the Klingon Empire, and as a Klingon no less, and survived to reach adulthood. In addition, we have been receiving requests on a regular basis from some of our friends in the Klingon Defense Fleet.  They would very much like to see you serving on one of their ships." 

The admiral stood and approached K'Tan.  "Let me be frank, Lieutenant.  There are some very influential people who think that you have quite a bit of potential.  If you could resolve whatever personal issues you have that are interfering with your performance, you could go far in Starfleet.   But if you can not pull it together, I assure you; you will soon find yourself and all of that potential tossed out like yesterday's garbage."

The admiral turned to the Captain and gave a nod.  Returning the nod, the Captain tapped his communicator.

"Helm,this is the Captain.  Take us out of warp at sector Y6-45-055-14, and hold that position until further notice.  Ops, the Admiral has recorded and logged a subspace communiqué for the Captain of the U.S.S. Tiberius.  Please dispatch it and notify me when you receive a response.  Captain out."   The Captain glanced at K'Tan, and shaking his head in resignation, took a seat.  The Admiral gestured for K'Tan to take a seat as well.

"You are being given one final lifeline, Mr. K'Tan," the Admiral said. "I have requested your transfer to the U.S.S. Tiberius. Assuming that Captain Quinn accepts the transfer, this will be your final chance to save your career.  I strongly suggest that you take this opportunity and straighten up your act."

***this is a collaboration between X and I***

Quinn walked briskly down the hallway, nodding here and there to passerbies. When he reached the brig he stopped at the door, pulled down his tunic, took a deep breath and entered.

Aeric lay quietly on the bunk of the cell as he mentally processed the last data from the ship's diagnostics. Hearing the brig door open, Aeric glance to see the captain enter. He didn't look happy to see the lieutenant.

"Sir!" Aeric said as he popped up and snapped to attention. Aeric steadied his thoughts and he waited to be informed of the charges facing him.

Quinn stood in front of his new officer, his mind racing. How was he going to handle this? What he did was wrong and a clear violation of Sevryll's civil rights as a member of the Federation. "At ease Lt.." Quinn said with a stern look. " I'm sure you are wondering why you are now sitting in the brig. Well let me enlighten you Mr. James. I was just informed by my first officer that you have been performing experimental and I might add illegal cloning without the authorization of the DNA donor?"

"You have been informed incorrectly sir. I have not performed any illegal actions nor has anyone on the Aurora." Aeric said curtly trying to control himself with the accusation. "A procedure was performed by the hologram aboard the Aurora without my authorization, but it was done in accords to several Starfleet regulations. My daughter's physical form was destroyed by a temporal incursion and the hologram resolved that issue."

Quinn didn't need to be telepathic to know that Lt. James was getting angry, but he wasn't going to let him get away with what he did.  "You may not have authorized it but you are responsible for that ship and it's actions. If you can not control it then it will be removed from my ship.  As for Starfleet regulations, where does it say that it is okay to steal DNA from someone without his or her permission?

"Sir, you are correct about this being my responsibility and I have been addressing the issues to the best of my ability. You are also correct that there is no law stating that it is okay to steal someones DNA without their permission, but there are also no laws that say that it is illegal to use 50% of someones DNA in what is deemed a necessary medical procedure." Aeric said with a sigh. "I agree that what was done could have been handled better, but I am sure that it was done out of necessity and not malice."

Quinn knew that Lt. James meant no harm or malice toward Sevryll and the deed was done. Quinn clasped his hands behind his back. "One other thing I don't understand Lt. Is why you did not come to me with this information. I am your commanding officer. I should have been informed of this... person as soon as you found out. I understand that our relationship is new and that I may not have your trust just yet, but I am still your commanding officer. "

"Sir, the incident happened on my watch. Once it occurred, I began an investigation on why it happened," Aeric started. "Aurora receive a command to perform the experiment. The source of that command became a possible issue due to the temporal prime directive. I could not confirm the source and to mention it might cause damage to the timeline. I remained silent because Aurora had no motive to do what she did unless Aria was dying or she was commanded to by someone with the clearance. I didn't give the order."

Aeric paused and paced in the cell. "The Commander and I found out about the events at the same time as our daughter reached out to both of her parents. I felt it was in the best interest of Sevryll and Aria if I remained silent until they resolved their issues. Once those issues could be resolved, I would have personally reported the events to you. I also needed to deal with helping a young woman adjust to her new life. I regret that it happened this way, but I didn't see the need to inform you until I had answers."

Quinn stood face to face with Lt. James with just the forcefield in-between. "Well you thought wrong Lt. This is my ship, everything that happens aboard this ship is my responsibility. You keep that in mind." Quinn took a step back. "I would like to keep you here in the brig for a while but circumstances and our next mission would make that quite impossible." Quinn turned to the Ensign on his left "Release the forcefield". As the forcefield dropped Lt. James walked cautiously toward Quinn. Quinn looked Lt. James straight in the eyes "You are dismissed Lieutenant". James gave Quinn a nod and exited the Brig. Quinn took a deep breath and exited a few moments later.

Quinn entered his quarters and unbuttoned this tunic. He couldn't wait to get some rest. His conversation down in the brig with Lt. James drained so much energy.  Quinn walked over to the replicator and asked for a large glass of warm milk. As it materialized he turned to his left to look at his two rats Phil and Grant that he had inherited from his friend Lt. Peters. "Hey guys how are you doing?" Quinn said as he tapped the cage.  He smiled as he felt their contentment. "Well that's good I'm glad you guys are happy with your new living arrangements. Quinn walked over to his bed and laid down. Just as his head hit the pillow the computer spoke.

***SUBSPACE MESSAGE FROM FLEET ADMIRAL AZREAL SANTANA TO CAPTAIN QUINN, U.S.S. TIBERIOUS***

Quinn sighed and rose from the bed and headed towards his monitor. "Computer active message"  Quinn hadn't spoken with Admiral Santana in many years so it was nice to see his face. The message began.

"Captian Quinn.  I have a promising yet troubled young officer with whom I need your assistance.  I am forwarding his service record in an attached file.  This Officer, Lt. K'Tan of the House of Gal, is quite a unique case.  He is of human origin, yet due to a complex set of circumstances, he ended up being raised as a Klingon on a colony bordering the Klingon/Romulan frontier.  He was being groomed as an officer in the Klingon Defense fleet, but for some reason, he left the Empire to attend Starfleet Academy.  He is, in effect, a man with one foot in the Federation, and the other in the Klingon Empire.  I'm sure that you can see how such a person could possibly serve to strengthen our alliance with the Empire.

Lt. K'Tan is a little rough around the edges.  He has had several incidents over the course of his career, incidents which I feel are the result of cultural misunderstandings stemming from his unique upbringing. I've studied your file, captain, as well as that of your crew.  I believe that it is in our best interest to try and salvage Lt. K'Tan, and I feel that you and your rather unique crew are the only ones in the fleet capable of doing so.  I am therefore requesting that he be transferred to your ship, effective immediately.  Please rendezvous with the U.S.S. Ranger at sector Y6-45-055-14 as soon as possible.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation; the favor will not be forgotten.

Regards, Admiral Azreal Santana "

***END OF TRANSMISSION***

Quinn stared at the blank screen for a moment before pressing his comm badge. "Bridge this is Captain Quinn, we're going to make a slight detour and pick up a new officer on our way to Romulas. Please set coordinates for Y6-45-055-14 we will be meeting up with the U.S.S. Ranger. " Lt. Westling's voice responded. "Aye Captain". Quinn then pressed his comm badge again "Computer please send message to the U.S.S. Ranger and acknowledge  rendezvous coordinates."

Quinn sat back down on his bed and thought to himself,  oO Like we need another problem crewmen Oo Quinn rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath, oO but the Admiral wouldn't have asked for the transfer if he thought it was a hopeless cause.Oo

"Computer please forward the Admirals message to Commander Sevryll" Quinn asked as he laid his head down on the pillow.. the computer chirped "And lower lights".

The doors to sickbay obediently parted as Commander Sevryll approached, and she entered the room with a purposeful stride. Doctor Peterson met her in the center of the room and showed her the implant he referred to in his message. Over his shoulder she could see that Doctor Lucas was treating a patient...the Vulcan man that she saw that morning in Five Forward. When Lucas noticed her gaze, he nodded respectfully and lowered his voice. Sevryll's eyes turned back to Peterson—she had missed the first part of his very detailed, and very lengthy description of the device. She asked his pardon and requested that he start again.  An embarrassed smile spread across his face, "I'm sorry, sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself. The subdermal implants are composed of tritonium isotopes. In the event of capture, the implants could be activated to leave a trail that could be followed. During the Occupation of Bajor, members of the Bajoran Resistance found them quiet useful." He offered the small implant to Sevryll for her assessment and she took the microdevice in her hands and carefully examined them.

"Thank you doctor. Once I have determined the away team members, I will have them report to you."  She handed it back to him and shifted her attention to the medbay. Through the transparent wall of his office she could see that the Vulcan man was still being treated. "Who is the individual being treated by Doctor Lucas? What is wrong with him?" She asked curiously. 

Aeric retrieved has combadge and phaser as he left the brig. It had gone quicker than he expected, but there were issues that needed to be worked out.

"Aeric to Aria," Aeric said.

"Aria here."

"Everything has been worked out," Aeric said as he moved towards the turbolift. "I'm on the way."

"That's good to hear," Aria replied. "I'll start dinner."

"Change of plans. I want you to meet me on deck two. I've arranged for quarters for us on ship."

"Is that a wise course of action?" Aria asked, somewhat concerned about the safety of the ship.

"We can both maintain a link to the ship with no problem," Aeric said."She's also designed to protect herself."

"Very well father. I will meet you in our new quarters, Aria out."

"Deck two," Aeric said as he stood in the turbolift.

While he enjoyed the comforts of the Aurora, Aeric knew that his daughter needed to be near others. She needed to live outside of the Aurora's bulkheads. It didn't take much to requisition family quarters through his neural link. She would have her own room in their quarters, her own space.

He was happy that the captain didn't pry too deeply into Aeric investigation. He had made almost no progress. He had too many questions and in trying to find the answers, and he found himself ignoring the needs of his child. After they settled into their new home, Aeric could push the questions aside and start working on his part in the upcoming mission.

On the U.S.S. Ranger, Lt. K'Tan exited the turbolift and slowly made his way down the muted-gray corridor.  Shortly after The Admiral's message had been sent to the Tiberius, the Captain had ordered him to return to his quarters and await further orders. 

The Captain's last words still echoed in his head:
"You will be notified once we receive a reply from Capt. Quinn.  In the meantime, I suggest that you do some soul-searching, and ask yourself- do you truly desire a career in Starfleet?  Because if you do, there is one fact that you must keep in mind--  while you have every right to be proud of your Klingon heritage, this is most definitely not the Klingon Defense Fleet.  This is Starfleet, and you will at all times be expected to carry yourself in a manner befitting a Starfleet officer.  Anything else is unacceptable.  Dismissed."

K'Tan's reverie was interrupted by the chirp of his communicator badge.  His hand taped the badge, opening a channel.  "K'Tan here."

"Congratulations, Mr. K'Tan," the Captain replied.  "Your transfer has been accepted.  Gather up your belongings; your new home will be the U.S.S. Tiberius."

"So, what's the nature of the medical emergency?" Dr. Lucas asked brusquely, leaning against a biobed, reading something on a padd. His psychographic profile was right on the money: somewhat lax in protocol, wanting when it came to bedside manner—yet driven. Driven toward or by what seemed to be a mystery, even to the Tal'Shiar. This doctor, like Brex the barman, was one of the puzzles aboard the ship, and it bothered Remor much more than it bothered his Romulan superiors. If there is one thing Cardassians hate, it's a loose end.

"I believe I ingested something last night," Remor said, and then paused to choose his words. ". . . that did not agree with me."

"Ah, Vulcans," Dr. Lucas sighed sarcastically. "Ever so modest. Well, have a seat, and we'll see what's wrong with your tum-tum." The doctor patted a nearby biobed patronizingly. Had Remor the luxury of it, he would have strangled the man right there and then. Not even Romulan doctors are this rude, he thought, sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed. Lucas brought out his scanner and began to scan Remor up and down. Although he couldn't feel it, one of the many implants he had crammed into his body hummed to life, giving off a false bio signature.

The other doctor in sickbay, one Dr. Peterson, occasionally glanced in their direction, visibly appalled by Lucas' behavior, but seemingly resigned to it at the same time.

"Well," said Lucas, "I know what's wrong with you."

"Do you, now?" Remor said darkly, his stomach still churning.

"Hey, hey. Leave the sarcasm to me," Lucas said. "It just doesn't sound right coming from a Vulcan. You're a little hungover and having a mild allergic reaction to . . . let's see. . . ."

Just then, a Vulcan female walked through the door. The ship's first officer, Remor knew. The daughter of the rodent handler in the bar. She glanced in his direction before turning to Dr. Peterson.

"Romulan wheat?" Lucas asked in a whisper. "Let me guess: you sampled something from Brex's not-so-secret stash."

"Perhaps," Remor said.

"Right. Well, apparently you're mildly allergic to Romulan wheat," Lucas whispered. "It's odd that you are, being a Vulcan and all, but I've seen Cardassians who were allergic to yamok sauce—the poor suckers—so I suppose it's really not that odd. Anyway, it's nothing serious. I'm not going to give you anything for it. Just go back to your quarters and rest. Maybe have some warm milk."

"When did you meet these Cardassians?" Remor said, trying not to sound too excited.

"Oh, a long time ago, when I was a young medic," Lucas began, "I served on the front lines during the border wars. You see all sorts of strange stuff out on the frontier. I got a chance to meet that shapeshifter on that space station. Nice guy. A little gruff, though. I even met some of the Maquis. Now those are some nice folks—or were, anyway, before the Dominion wiped them out. I heard that a few survived, though. Hid out on Earth and on starships."

Remor had heard only rumors of these survivors, and might have doubted the veracity of the claim had the doctor not seemed so proud. For an instant, although he kept his mind shielded, his body betrayed him. The Maquis had killed his cousin Serick in a raid.

"Odd," Lucas said. "Your blood pressure just rose a few points."

"It's probably my head," Remor said, standing up. "I think I will take your advice and have some warm milk. Thank you, doctor."

Remor got up and left sickbay, brushing by Commander Sevryll on his way out. "Pardon me," he said, barely breaking his stride.

What would an ex-Maquis or Maquis sympathizer be doing aboard a Federation starship? he asked himself.

Doctor Peterson did not know the Vulcan patient that his counterpart was treating, so he escorted the Commander out into his medbay, to ask Doctor Lucas for an introduction.

As they neared, Sevryll noticed that Lucas seemed puzzled by something the Vulcan man said. He then watched, with fained concern, as the man swept past Sevryll on his way out of the facility.

She stopped where she was, and allowed the Vulcan to leave. Keeping her eyes on Doctor Lucas, she waited for the doors to shut before she asked her questions. Sevryll did not particularly like or trust Lucas—his arrogant persistence that she carry out a mind meld, resulted in her unremitting wariness. Before she went on shore leave, he had insisted quite brusquely, that she perform a meld on Ensign Starstriker. The fact that she was a melder was confidential information, known only to one individual aboard Tiberius: Counselor Margon. Sevryll did not wish her ability to be common knowledge—melds were deeply personal and she never performed them at random or with those she was not closely acquainted—so she had that part of her record classified. Often, when it is known that a Vulcan is capable of such an art, his or her skills are requested regularly...Sevryll did not want the intimate procedure to become a cure-all practice that would result in constant appeals for her services.  She was not certain whether Doctor Lucas had accessed Margon's records, pertaining to her psionic abilities, or if he had simply made a supposition based on the fact that she was Vulcan. She had yet to discuss the matter with Margon and until she did, Sevryll would keep her accusations to herself.

"He just had an adverse reaction to a dish he tried in Five Forward. It seems that carrots give him painful gas," offered Lucas in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

Sevryll lifted an eyebrow in a high arc, in response to his candid answer. She already knew he was a bit rude—crudeness apparently was another of his endearing qualities. "I presume that detail is not protected under doctor-patient privileges," countered Sevryll allowing a hint of her own sarcasm to chide the doctor.

"Nope," he replied haughtily. Doctor Peterson smirked disapprovingly at the other physician as Sevryll thanked him again for his help. She then gave Doctor Richard Lucas a sidelong glance and left Sickbay.

Sevryll was now off duty as an officer and on duty as a mother.  As she entered her quarters she found Dennis, the hologram/guard dog programmed to watch her children during the day, restraining a Romulan man on the floor with a Mok'bara choke hold. "You're just in time Sevryll. I was just about to render this man unconscious, would you care to do the honors? Go ahead and do that pinch thing, " said Dennis.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU IDIOT!" Grunted a red faced Colonel Kehv, through clinched teeth.

"Where are the children Dennis?" asked Sevryll—the concern bubbling up from deep within and breaking the surface like ancient Earth submarine. "Your mother took them to dinner in Five Forward a few minutes ago... she asked me to have you meet them there. When they left, this bozo entered our quarters," replied the hologram nonchalantly.

Release him Dennis," she said.

"Oh...of course," he said with a smile, "you want to take him out while he's standing up...that's the honorable thing to do and quite admirable I might add," said Dennis with a wink as the Romulan continued to struggle futilely to break the hologram's grip.

"The command I issued... to end it's program... failed...I...can't...breath. Get... it... off ...m-". The Romulan said as he started to pass out.

"Let him go Dennis," repeated Sevryll, a little more sternly.

"Aye aye commander," replied the hologram crisply.

"I altered your command codes David," Sevryll said as her husband gasped for air. "what are you doing here? You should not be in my quarters."

"Aren't you going to do the Vulcan nerve pinch thing?" asked Dennis disappointingly.

Sevryll and David both turned to face the hologram, and shouted in unison, "NO!"

Johnny Manrique's shift was now over. He wanted to pay Dr. Peterson a visit. They'd spent a dangerous time together on Altair III where the Dr. witnessed Lt. Peters death.

But first, he was going to go to the brig and ask one of his officers why Lt. James was put in there suddenly and then quickly released. There were certainly all kinds of things going on in the ship already; most of them were due to personnel matters. There was the incident in the briefing room with Admiral Talbot  verbally reprimanding Ensign Starstriker for mind-probing. On top of that, Manrique did notice his sugar-gliders and how Commander Sevryll saved him from further trouble. Johnny shook his head in disbelief and a degree of condescension. He wondered how a Starfleet officer could come into the briefing room with pets. Then there was the last minute course change in order to pick up a new officer.  What other crew-related things could happen?

Manrique entered the brig and turned to see the empty and turned back to face, the young Trill security officer, Ensign Thesh.. "Interesting day today Ensign Thesh?"

"Actually, yes lieutenant. It's strange to have had a Starfleet lieutenant in the brig."

"So what was all that about?" inquired Manrique and then listened intently as Thesh told her narrative. "So there's a Vulcan girl on this ship who is technically Commander Sevryll's daughter? That is other than the small little girl we all know?"

"Apparently, sir."

"The people in this ship are so. . ."

"Strange?" said Ensign Thesh completing Manrique's sentence.

"Yes. . .I suppose you could say that. Thank you Thesh for all the information."

"Anytime."

The young chief of security walked out of the brig and proceeded to sickbay on deck 8. As the turbo-lift doors opened, he noticed a Vulcan man enter it as Johnny walked out. Manrique observed him very carefully. He was obviously not a crew member and Johnny wondered why a Vulcan was aboard the ship. Perhaps he was here to help with the mission to Romulus? Johnny didn't know and he continued to watch the Vulcan until the doors closed. Manrique then proceeded to walk towards sickbay. Commander Sevryll exited sickbay, Johnny greeted her then walked in.  He saw Dr. Peterson, in his office. It looked like Johnny was going to find out who that man was.

"Good day doctor," said Manrique.

"Hey, how's it going Manrique?"  said the doctor gladly.

"Interesting day, doctor. For example, who was that Vulcan who walked out of here? I haven't seen him before and I haven't had time to go over the ship's manifest." 

"I don't know either. I didn't treat him but Dr. Lucas said carrots made him sick.  His name is Ramore Farock."

"I just keep finding out strange things about the crew and now I find out about a Vulcan I've never seen before. I'm going to have Lt. Tain keep a close eye on him. In fact, I'll do it right now before I find out about more strange people. Give me a second doctor." said Manrique as he pressed his comm badge. "Lt. Tain."

"Go ahead lieutenant."

"Do a background check on a  Ramore Farock, a Vulcan male civilian. And keep a close eye on him. Find out why he's on this ship."

"I will do, sir."

"Oh, by the way, I just came in here to say hello doctor," said Manrique.

"Thank you Manrique. . ."

Aria wandered through the quarters that she now shared with her father. She had her own room as she did on the Aurora. In fact the room was larger than her other quarters. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the air or the hum of the ship. She had spent the last few hours redecorating the room and replicating various texts that she had found both interesting and comforting. Between the redecorating, she and her father had discussed her interacting more with the crew.

Aeric had left a few minutes earlier to go over some issues on the flight deck. She was actually proud that he had been getting out more. She held the same concerns about her father's personal life as he did for her's. She had even been half tempted to play matchmaker, but found that many of those single females aboard the ship weren't quite worthy of her father. She would have to work on that. The sooner that she could help him find a personal life, the sooner that he would focus on it rather than hers.

"Computer, locate Aeric James." Aria said as she moved out of her room.

"Lieutenant James is currently located in the CAG office."

"Thank you," Aria replied.

At that, Aria adjusted her newly replicated azure dress and headed for the door. She had decided it was past time to visit the bar at five forward. She needed to get out of her shell and get to know the people aboard her new home.

Quinn woke from his short but much needed nap. He got up took off the uniform that he fallen asleep in and walked to the bathroom. Quinn stared at himself in the mirror. It felt like weeks since he was on shore leave, but in reality it had only been a day. He through some water on his face then stood in front of the sonic shower for a ten-minute cleansing. Once finished he put on a fresh new uniform, took a look at himself in the mirror and starting to prepare breakfast. As just the day before he had invited Ensign Took over this morning. He replicated some pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, coffee and orange juice. He wasn't sure what Nic would want but wanted to make sure he was prepared. As Nathan placed the last plate on the dining table his doorbell rang. "Enter" Quinn yelled as he looked in the mirror one last time to straighten his hair.  As the doors parted Ensign Nicholas Took stood there with a big smile on his face. "Good morning Captain" Nic said cheerfully. "Good morning Ensign" Nathan replied with a grin.  Nic looked over at the dining table packed with food, "Wow, you didn't have to go through all this trouble sir. I normally just have a few pieces of toast with jam and some coffee."  Quinn motioned for Nic to take the seat opposite him "Well you know my mother, she has taught me well." They both laughed as they started to help themselves to the very delicious looking breakfast.

Tain was please that Manrique gave him his new assignment, but  was puzzled by the request. He was still getting used to life as an officer, and have never shipped out on a ship the size of the Tiberius. Tain corrected himself, he had been on ships bigger then Tiberius, but they hadn't carried civilians.

Tain always wondered why in the world Starfleet allowed civilians on Fleet ships in the first place. History showed they eventually ended up causing trouble. His opinion was that undisciplined, untrained people should never be allowed on a ship that could find itself in a battle at anytime.

Tain returned to the task at hand....Remore Farock... Let's see what comes up.

"Computer, Starfleet security scan request, priority Alpha"

"Authorization required", chimed back the computer in a friendly voice.

"Lt Cedric Tain, security USS Tiberius, sfs424-442-821-77373."

The computer acknowledged his clearance.

"Computer, please provide me with all Starfleet records and security information pertaining to the Vulcan currently aboard the USS Tiberius registered as Remore Farock."

Tain watched the screen and after the system acknowledged his request he awaited the information. He didn't have to wait long. He read over the information from the computer, then sat back in his chair heaving a heavy sigh.

"Very interesting.", Tain said aloud.

"Computer, provide me with the location of one Firrak Remor."

As Tain awaited the computers response, he couldn't help but feel that his new job may have just gotten a lot more interesting.

The Dr. was glad to see  Lt.  Manrique but asked if he could be excused for a moment while he dealt with a disciplinary issue. The Lt. nodded and said " no problem doc I am going to take care of a security issue which should take a minute or two." " That's fine , I will meet you back in my office in 5 min then."

The Dr. motioned for Dr. Lucas to come to his office. Dr. Lucas could tell that Dr. Peterson was upset. As the door to Petersons office closed, The Dr. proceeded with a verbal thrashing that could be heard all through the corridor of deck 8. The Dr's. verbal thrashing continued. " ...And furthermore, I expect you to conduct yourself with a certain level of professionalism with a much better attitude. These people are not just patients, they are your fellow crewmates and officers, who you may very well owe your life too in the future.. I expect a little bit more compassion and a much better bedside manner from you in the future. do I make myself clear.

Dr. Lucas nodded hesitantly. Dr Peterson continued. ....I do not want to have to pull you in my office for this again is that understood, I will not put you on report this time, but this is the only break you will get. You need to ask youself why you wanted to become a doctor, If you cant answer that question then I can have you removed from this ship. I will not have a member of my staff handle patients with the bedside manner that I have observed from you.

It would be a good thing for you to remember that future promotions will be based on your ability to conduct yourself in a professional and compassionate manner. That is all, You are dismissed.

Yes Sir, Dr. Lucas replied. Dr. Peterson did not like being a disciplinarian, but their was something about Dr. Lucas that he did not like, he could see that his verbal lashing had had the desired effect on the Lt and hoped that he would not be required to do any further disciplinary actions against the Dr.

Dr. Lucas left Petersons office and continued with his work with a much better understanding of  Dr. Peterson and realized that he was a man that it was not a good idea to get on the bad side of.  Dr. Lucas continued with his duties with a much better bedside manner after his verbal  Lashing and was glad when his shift was over.

Lt. Manrique having heard and witnessed part of the reprimand of Dr. Lucas stood their with his mouth opened in shock of what he had just witnessed, he knew that the Dr. was full of suprises having seen what he was capable of from the last mission, but this was absolutely shocking.

The Dr. looked at the Lt, and said " whats the matter, haven't you seen anybody disciplined before" they stared at each other momentarily then both broke out in Laughter. Lt. Manrique said " remind me not to get on your bad side." Dr Peterson replied, He had that coming or along time, there is something about that Dr. I just don't like, but the way he responded to Commander Syvrll was the last straw, I cant have my officers going around treating anyone the way he was treating patients.

So how about you and I go to five forward and have some dinner. The Lt responded, sounds great how about I meet you their in about ten , that would be fine replied the Dr. I will see you their then...

You made this department look bad today in front of Commander Sevryll and this type of behavior will not be tolerated

Remor found his way to 5 Forward again. It was nearly empty and Brex wasn't in, but a tall, bored human male stood behind the bar. Remor ordered a glass of warm milk, which actually did help calm his stomach. It wasn't as soothing as a nice, warm fish juice would have been, but for some reason, perhaps because of their renowned constitution, Cardassians were the only ones who could enjoy it. And he had to remain undercover.

Taking the seat by the window he had had earlier, he began mulling over the possibility of a Maquis being on board. Of all the people in the quadrant, the Cardassians by far had the largest file on and paid the most attention to the Maquis and their associates. Even ex-Maquis had been tracked until the decimation of Cardassia. During the reconstruction, he had heard that there were a few members of the new government that kept tabs on the Maquis remnants, but these rumors, even though from reliable sources, were still rumors. One of the more disturbing rumors was that some of the ex-Maquis, blaming the Federation for their slaughter at the hands of the Jem'Hadar, were out for revenge. The only thing he knew for sure was that the man in Sickbay was up to something.

To successfully leave the Tal'Shiar behind and go back to Cardassia, Remor needed the Federation intact, and if this man was planning something, Remor needed to know exactly what it was. He decided that if the topic came up again, he would suggest the idea that he had been associated with the Maquis, as well, and would further a rapport with this Dr. Lucas. And now that he knew who the Tal'Shiar watcher was, he began to formulate his plan.

"NO!" shouted David and Sevryll in unison.

Dennis' eyes widened as he responded to Sevryll's tone. "Please, don't embarrass me in front of our guest! You know how bashful I get when you shower praise on me," said Dennis cynically. " By the way...you're welcome."

Sevryll, practically rolled her eyes as she thanked the hologram for his vigilance then requested that he deactivate himself. He glared down the interloper, pointed at his own eyes with two fingers then pointed at David with one, and vanished from their presence.

David cursed the friend who programmed the hologram before asking Sevryll why she changed the command codes. "Because I knew you would be coming aboard and I did not want you to tamper with him. You should not be here. If you were sighted coming into my quarters..."

"Relax, no one saw me enter. But if they did, I'll just say I met you in Five Forward and wanted to pick your brain on Vulcan/ Romulan relations," he smiled as he bent to kiss her.

She pulled away after a moment and asked him to leave, "your partner told me if you were compromised that he would 'clean up the mess'."

"Guias is melodramatic—don't worry about him. I just wanted to see you...I've missed you." He walked over to a chair, plopped down in it and put his feet up on the table. "I miss you as well," she said as she pushed his boots off the glass tabletop. "My mother is aboard, she and the children are expecting me...you should leave. And even if your excuse is a believable one, it would not be appropriate for Colonel Kehv to be in the First Officer's quarters."

Ignoring her last statement he replied, "I've never had the pleasure of meeting your mother. Maybe you can 'semi-introduce' us," a grin stretched across his face at the thought of finally meeting the woman who had been so critical of his wife. "Really, I just want to see our children," his smile shrank as a wash of sadness came over him.  It was not likely they would recognize him, but she wasn't sure he should take the chance. If they did, he would be compromised and they would all be in danger. "I am not certain that it is a good idea," she replied regretfully.

"I'm a good actor—I have to be to survive in this business. They won't recognize me...I promise."

"I did," she said.

"The children don't have the same bond we have. It's different..."

She felt anguish grip her heart as she considered her children's questions regarding their father. 

"Where is papa?"

"Why is papa gone?"

"When is papa going to come live with us?"

He noticed the change in her expression and reached for her hand to grasp it. "I'm sorry I've done this to you all." The pain in his face was grief he had brought upon himself, but she knew he felt it all the same.

In the quiet of her empty quarters, they planed their strategy for a meeting with the children and Sareth in Five Forward then left for the lounge separately.

Like an armor-clad bird of prey, the Defiant Class U.S.S. Ranger soared through the cold, harsh vacuum of space.

The elongated streaks of starlight flitting past its dark and lethal form were the only testament to the speed with which it flew as it made its way to the rendezvous with the Tiberius.

With a brilliant flash of light, the starship left warp and engaged its impulse engines; their red glow sharply contrasting with the streaks of white that were now shrinking back into the familiar pinpoints of a thousand stars.  As the ship drifted to a halt, its gunship-gray duranium hull gleamed dully with the reflected light of a nearby proto-star. 

On the bridge, the Vulcan at conn turned and addressed the Captain.  "We have reached the rendezvous point, sir.  No sign yet of the Tiberius."

"Don't worry, Mr. Suran," the Captain replied.  " I'm sure they will be along shortly.  Maintain this position." 

Joint post from X and Jen

Having spent almost too much time alone in recent days, Aria was almost excited when the doors to five forward opened. She looked as if she was one of those terran elves of myth brought to life. Her eyes moved over the people gathered as she made her way to an open seat at the bar. She had barely settled into the stool when she noticed three faces that were all too familiar. Aria froze for a moment. She hadn't thought to activate her emotion suppressors and the astonishment on her face was obvious.

She had no clue her grandmother would be there. She had no idea her siblings would be in attendance as well. Aria could only stare at them, oblivious to everything else. Once she caught the attention of the older vulcanoid, she gave her a polite nod of greeting. She could see the family resemblance in the three and she had to wonder if they saw it in her.

Feeling the sensation of eyes upon her, Sareth glanced up from her meal to find a young Vulcan girl watching them from the bar. Right away she noticed a resemblance to her daughter. There were slight differences, but even so, the individual studying them did indeed appeared to be a younger version of Sevryll.

When Aria realized that she had lured Sareth's attention, she had signaled a greeting with a slight nod. M'rynn watched as her grandmother responded with an dip of her head. The toddler turned in her chair in anticipation of her mother's approach. Looking about the room, M'rynn's search ended as her gaze fell upon a pretty girl in a blue dress. M'rynn had decided, in her toddler's logic, that the pretty stranger was a lonely girl. As her brother continued to chatter away about the various shuttlecraft he saw at space dock, his sister, an ordinarily reclusive child, left the table and traversed the busy room to say hello to the stranger.

"Peace and long life," Aria said as she offered a slight smile to the child. "I am Aria and you must be M'rynn. It is nice to meet you. You are as inquisitive as our mother, but we should not worry grandmother. May I accompany you back?" Aria offered a hand to the little girl as she cast a gaze back towards their grandmother. She didn't think about activating the suppressors, she wanted this moment. She needed to feel the sensations that reminded her that she was alive again. Without saying a word, M'rynn took the older girl's hand and smiled up at her. Then the two walked to where Sareth and N'Vall were still seated.

Sareth exchanged greetings with Aria and wasted no time in remarking at how she bore a striking resemblance to Sevryll. The older woman then offered Aria a chair as N'Vall parted his fingers in an attempt to make the gesture his mother had taught him to use, when saying hello. Aria returned the traditional greeting and complemented him on his ability to form the salute.

"Do you live on the ship?" asked the boy. M'rynn continued to hold Aria's hand, which Sareth could not help but notice. The child seemed curiously taken with the stranger.

Aria didn't want to just drop into their lives without her mother's approval. She didn't want to cause the children undue stress by knowledge her existence, but she also couldn't just turn her back on them and leave once she saw them. She had no idea what the logical course of action would be; she only knew that her heart told her to stay. She watched her grandmother for a moment more before gathering the courage to say,"it is agreeable to meet you again, for the first time," said Aria.

Sareth had not been informed of the incident that created the girl in the blue dress. As far as she was concerned, Aria was simply an adolescent Vulcan who's features were similar to her daughter's. "Forgive me, but I do not believe we have met before," said Sareth, confused by the girl's odd choice in words.

"That is both a correct and incorrect statement. You and I have not met, but in another timeline, a version of you was at the birth of another version of me, " began Aria. "You felt it was illogical to not be at the delivery of your first grandchild."

Aria thought that it would be enough to provide clarity to the situation, without forcing her existence on her grandmother. What she chose to do with that information was now up to Sareth. Aria found herself refusing to let go of the hand of her little sister; it was as if that slight connection gave her additional strength to weather the rejection that might come next.

Aria's words hung in the air for a moment, but Sareth merely stared at her curiously, making no immediate effort to step into the conversational breach. Logic told her that it was more likely the girl was mentally disturbed than a product of an alternate time line, but her story was intriguing. "A peculiar assertion Aria," Sareth looked down at to see that the girl still held on to M'rynn's hand...like a tether to reality, she thought. Sareth analyzed the situation, and determined the girl was no threat to the children.

"Is Sareth your grandmother too?" asked N'Vall inquisitively, his mind incapable of making the jump to the next logical question—are you my sister?

"In a manner of speaking, yes, she is my grandmother as well," replied Aria softly.

M'rynn, looking up at her new friend and offered, "don't worry, our mother will like you." The little girl then looked up at Sevryll, who had been standing behind them. "Sit by us!" said M'rynn as she tried to move her chair closer to Aria to make room for her mother.

Aria smiled to M'rynn as she moved closer then looked from mother to grandmother. She had become more than a little nervous, but being near her sister calmed her.

Still not knowing what to say Aria apologized, "I am sorry if I am intruding. I didn't want things to happen like this."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Sareth. "While this hasn't been the best introduction, I assure you that it is a truthful one. I was born in the family home after certain events place—my mother in close quarters to my father during a chance chemical imbalance. As I grew older, you were exceedingly strict about me using my abilities to pry into the minds of others. You told me that I took after my mother with regards to my fondness for inquiry. I don't believe you meant it as a compliment, but I took it as one because it runs in all of the females of this family."

Aria then looked at her mother. "Has she offered to allow the children to audit one of her classes? I was only a few years older when I first saw her teach."

Sevryll was not certain whether the added stress of Aria's presence had begun to chip away at what little control she maintained over her emotions, or if it was something else all together. As she approached the table, she saw that Aria was sitting with her children and she felt anger sweeping over her emotional continence. They had discussed their unlikely relationship when she met Aria aboard The Aurora. Sevryll was under the impression they had come to an understanding—Aria was simply another passenger, until trust could be earned. It had been less than a day since that conversation was had, and her trust remained deficient. Yet the commander noticed M'rynn's demeanor, something had changed inside of her timid child. The situation had become more complicated and would continue to grow in complexity, for she knew David was carefully observing from across the room. Sevryll avoided looking back at him, in part to prevent undo suspicion from the other patrons, though she was also intent upon keeping his suspicions down. She was uncertain how her husband would react to the knowledge of Aria and how she came to be. She could only estimate that he would not take it well.

Sevryll accepted the chair M'rynn offered as she struggled to maintain her composure. "No, they have not been invited to any of their grandmother's classes," replied Sevryll in an attempt to answer Aria's question with an even, unaffected tone. She fought to preserve an austere expression as she turned her gaze from M'rynn to the adolescent seated on the other side of her toddler.

Within the emotional tempest raging in her mind, Sevryll heard a quiet voice of reason. It whispered so softly that she scarcely perceived the logic of its suggestion. An instant later, she determined the best strategy was to prevent a spectacle before her small children. Sareth gave her a questioning glance, unsure of what was occurring. Sevryll tipped her head slightly signaling that she would inform her later then mustered the ability to make polite conversation, "How are you adjusting to your new quarters, Aria?"

"I am adjusting well," Aria said. "Father wanted me to meet others on the ship, but I did not expect to meet M'rynn and N'vall this soon. I also didn't want to seem impolite when she came over to greet me. I apologize for not handling this situation better and I regret any discomfort that this situation might have caused."

Aria bit her lip softly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I didn't want it to happen like this, but my parents taught me not to lie and I found myself unable to turn away. Perhaps I should leave until this is resolved. I will remain in my quarters until you can come to terms with this."

Aria rose slowly then paused. She could sense her mother's turmoil and could only surmise that it was because of her presence. She had never wanted to force this situation. She had never wanted to cause her mother discomfort. "I know that this is not my place, but are you feeling well Commander?  You don't quite seem to be yourself."

"I am fine," said Sevryl, the chaotic contest within her ending as her restraint successfully pinned her emotions. She was thankful that Aria was leaving the table...but M'rynn was not. The child could detect the tension between the two and searched her mother's face for answers. She met the toddler's eyes and after a moment, decided to allow the girl to remain. Sevryll stood, "please stay," her eyes moved cautiously to the last place she saw David—he was gone. Careful not to imply that the situation between she and Aria had changed Sevryll warily worded her next statement. "M'rynn would be disappointed if you left."

"I understand," Aria replied and found herself again sitting next to M'rynn. She wasted no time in turning her attention to the children. "M'rynn and N'vall, how do you find life aboard a starship?"

Aria's mind found itself compartmentalizing. Part of her was enjoying the acceptance of her siblings, but another part was concerned for her mother. Even as she smiled to her brother and sister, that logical part of her raced in attempts to diagnose her mother's condition. If Sevryll wasn't as young as young as she was, Aria would have suspected the first stages of Bendii Syndrome, a degenerative neurological illness affecting a minority of elderly Vulcans. Even if that were the case, it wasn't something she could bring up at the table. She needed more information and was quite sure that her mother was not going to be in the mood to provide it. If something was wrong with her mother, she would find out. With that resolved, she focused her attention on her siblings.

David's heart bounded into a quickened pace when he caught sight of his kids.  A broad, proud smile stretched across his face as he watched N'Vall press his nose against the transparent barrier that was the observation lounge viewport—he always loved the stars. Sareth skillfully directed him back into a chair as their food was delivered. David Lock, alias Colonel Kehv found a table in the corner at the back of the lounge, where he could casually watch them eat their dinner. He had his own only an hour or two before, so he ordered a glass of Kavit wine from Brex and began reviewing the political climate of Romulus on his Personal Access Display Device. He watched over his PADD as his daughter M'rynn left the table unaccompanied and walked, with all the determination of her mother, across the room to a person sitting at the bar. The angle he had on the bar wasn't the best, so he couldn't quiet see who it was she had wandered off to meet. He did noticed Sareth start to stand, presumably to apprehend her granddaughter, before sitting back down as M'rynn escorted a girl in a blue dress, back to the table. The girl's back was to him, and all he could see was that her hair was dark and she was tall and slender. She joined them at the table and after ten minutes he saw Sevryll entered the lounge. She noted his position and walked past him on her way towards the table. Halfway in between she paused—David assumed the girl at the table took her off guard. She stood there for sometime, watching the proceedings at their children's table, maybe she was listening, he wasn't sure...all he could hear was the chatter of the Starfleet officers around him. David glanced back at his PADD and back up again. M'rynn had noticed her mother, and the girl in the blue dress turned to see Sevryll. In that instant he recognized something in the girl's face. Were they related—a younger sister perhaps? It was then he detected through their bond, that Sevryll was angry and he could tell that she was struggling to hold it down. He wished he had a better vantage point, and that his Romulan ears were actually functional and not simply apart of his disguise.

David could see M'rynn still holding the girl's hand and marveled at her connection to the stranger—Sevryll apparently noticed it as well. The girl stood and tucked her hair behind her ear...a habit his wife developed as a child. He scanned the PADD again, careful not to look too interested in the scene unfolding on the other side of Five Forward. His eyes nonchalantly roamed the room—no one else seemed to notice—they were busy with a dozen unique conversations and scenes all their own. He took his glass of Kavit and his PADD and moved to a corner, closer to Sevryll's table. An Ensign sat alone eating a plate of Soft Rice Four Cake; apparently it was the Tellarite's first attempt at the Chinese cuisine. "Your motor skills are lacking, perhaps your chubby fingers aren't nimble enough to operate chopsticks," said David. Tellarites often began an interaction with a series of complaints. If they had nothing to complain about they would simply hurl insults. A good argument was considered a sport on Tellar and David was well aware of their customs. "An inadequately designed culinary implement... and a testament to an innate lack of Human ingenuity," responded the bearded being with a distinctly upturned snout. David laughed and slapped the Tellarite on the back, signaling that he was granting the Ensign the victory. The Ensign joined the guffaw and invited the Romulan to sit with him. David positioned himself so that he could see Sevryll's table and watched as she looked across the room to where he was originally seated. She then asked the girl..."Aria" was her name...to stay. The girl had asked if she was OK...she must have felt the same stir of emotions that David did. Perhaps she was her sister.

"I'm three!" said N'Vall holding his thumb down with his pinky to reveal three fingers on his small hand. A task most children his age found somewhat difficult. Apparently his ability to part his fingers in the Vulcan salutation, had provided him with a bit more agility than most...a skill his new Tellarite friend could use. The ensign dropped the same piece of Rice flour cake on the plate three more times before picking it up with his fingers and eating it. "What is a Romulan doing on a Starfleet vessel in a Starfleet uniform?" he asked with his mouth full of cake. "I'm with Admiral Talbot," said David, unwilling to give him anymore than that. "Oh, yes. The Admiral is half Romulan as I recall," said the ensign. "You're a marine? Will you be stationed aboard, or are you headed somewhere in particular?" The Tellarite was beginning to disrupt his ability to listen to Sevryll's conversation. "I'm accompanying the Admiral...that's all I can say," replied David. "Oh. I understand completely," said the ensign as he abandoned the chopsticks and continued to eat the cake with his hands. 

Now that Tellarite's mouth was full, David could heard the conversation at the near by table once again. He overheard Sareth address Aria, but all she got out was "forgive me, but how can you be from..." Aria interrupted her, yet the words she spoke were no longer Federation Standard or modern Vulcan for that matter—she was speaking Ancient Golic. Sareth was a professor of Vulcan History and Sevryll—an archaeolgist, both were proficient in reading and speaking the early Vulcan language—it only made sense that they would use it to mask their conversation. Obviously, the girl wanted it to remain private and David cursed himself for not learning it...but how could he really? It took decades to learn even to read the simplest script. He strained to translate the foreign tongue and only picked out the words keshtan (birth), tevakh (death), ko-mekh (mother), sa-mekh (father). The words were the same in Modern Vulcan as they were in Ancient Golic. Sprinkled in between were Sevryll's name and another that he did not recognize: Areic James. Slowly, David began to get the sinking feeling that Aria was not his wife's sister...but her daughter.

Aeric stood on the flight deck as he reviewed the inspection data of the shuttle and fighter fleet. He still had not submitted any additional recommendations beyond what was discussed in the meeting. The Aurora was built for mission like the one they were on, but it had the Tiberius as a weak link in that plan. There was only one ship in Starfleet that was currently allowed a cloaking device and unfortunately it wasn't either of his ships. He knew from experience that the sensor net surrounding the neutral zone wasn't something to ignore. They would need a way to disable the sensor net and while he could shut down a few of the node, he couldn't shut down all those that were necessary to hide the crossing of a ship the size of the Tiberius.

"Chief," Aeric called to a blonde human woman, "where is that status report on those scoutships?"

"Right here sir," Chief Grant said as she handed Aeric a PADD. "We've done a full diagnostic on the fleet and all ships are ready. Crewman Stevens has begun fitting the scoutships with a full load out of weapons. When the Aurora gets ready to leave, we'll have two armed escorts ready to go with her. Microtorpedo systems should be installed within the hour."

"Very good," Aeric said as he smiled to his chief. "I'll look over the pilot list to see who I want to assign to the mission. Thela and Carson have both been looking for some flight time outside of the simulators."

"Sir, should we run any tests on the Aurora?" Grant asked. Since the ship arrived she had been eager to see the inside of the classified vessel. It wasn't every day that a mechanic got to tinker under the hood.

Aeric laughed. "I promise you that you'll get a chance to look her over when the time is right, but for now I want you to focus on the Drake and the Wyvern."

When the scoutships were assigned to the Tiberius, they were given the names of mythological flying creatures of Earth. The four ships, Drake, Wyvern, Roc, and Dragon, were starting to become the backbone of the flight deck. Aeric had his pilots spend hours training to perfect their skill on the systems.

"Sir, are we adjusting the payload of the Roc and Dragon for the mission?" Grant asked as she reviewed data from her padd.

"I think we should keep them in the scout configuration for now. I don't foresee them needing any extra armaments. We just need to make sure that the Drake and Wyvern are ready to move when we reach the departure point."

"Aye sir," Grant responded. Without another word, she headed toward a collection of crewmen that were in the process of installing a microtorpedo magazine into the Drake. "Okay guys listen up! CAG wants these refits done in four hours. I want them done yesterday! Let's get a move on people!"

Aeric smiled. He had a good crew and they knew their work. Ensign Thela wasn't even supposed to be on duty, yet she was in the cockpit of the Wyvern helping to connect the new weapons systems. Her white hair was pulled back as her antenna twitched lightly as she worked.

"Chief," Thela said over the com of the craft. "I'm seeing a .04 discrepancy in the plasma manifolds, can you get someone on that?"

"No problem sir," Grant said as she opened an access hatch to the craft and began to manually adjust the plasma flow. For the chief, it was a simple fix. She had spent most of her life around shuttles and starships. She had grown up in a family owned civilian transport service and had long dreamed of being able to work on advanced Starfleet ships.

She had become a master chief in less than twelve years due to her hard work and she wasn't about to let success slow her down. This was where she wanted to be and she had earned it.

Aeric knew his flight deck was in good hands, there was no finer crew on any other sharship. Normally, he would have stayed to help, but he needed to put together his reports for the XO and his recommendation for the mission. Even with the Aurora as the lead ship, he would be remiss in his duties if he didn't recommend an escort. There was going to be a fleet officer on the mission and that required extra precautions.

Suder stood up from his personal Computer after deleting many "where is our rental ship" communiqués from the rental agency on Earth. He realized that he needed the lantinum to cover his awesome ship as well as the damage they said he caused. It was a classic and worth quite a bit. When Suder thought about what he owed the agency, and his lack of a Starfleet salary, he began to worry. It wasn't that much, but he still couldn't afford it. He sat back down and checked some stock that he invested in a Ferengi pyramid scheme a few months back. He  barely  earned enough latinum off of that con to buy new clothes or a pet (he always wanted a cool pet yet his idea of "cool" was quite different from most other peoples definition of "cool').  After noting his losing stock, he quickly sent a message to Counselor Margon:

Counselor Margon, Sir,
That was the best shore leave ever, and I hope to do it again soon. Thanks for setting that up. Yeah... remember that ship? Well, if you have a few extra strips sitting around I really need to borrow them. Don't worry, I will pay you back...I promise. And I haven't forgotten the latinum strips I borrowed the last time. I'll pay it all back somehow...with interest...

Have a great Day,
Ensign Andrus Suder

P.S. I looked through the ship's records  and apparently, there aren't many officers who have managed to get themselves into my predicament. And the ones who have, seem to end up  missing...probably kidnapped by Orion loan sharks... If you hear from any Orions, please, PLEASE put in a good word for me. Thanks.

K'Tan sat alone at a table, nursing a mug of spicy-sweet raktajino.  The steam from the beverage gently curled up into the cool air of the Ranger's mess hall.  Of all the locations on the ship, this was the one spot at which he felt most comfortable.  He glanced at the large viewscreen adorning a wall, and silently acknowledged the psychological benefits the screen provided.  Though not standard issue on a ship of this class, the communal view-screen helped alleviate the sense of claustrophobia that some felt when serving on a ship with so few actual viewports. 

As was the norm, the viewscreen provided a view of what lay directly in front of the Ranger, creating the illusion that the room sat at the fore of the ship-  much like the Ten-Forward area of the Galaxy-Class starships.  Right now, the view was dominated by a class-3 proto-star.  The pre-star mass consisted of a vast molecular cloud of matter that gave off a faint violet glow; the glow lightened to bright blue as one neared the heart of the slowly swirling mass.

As K'Tan stood and headed to the replicator to refresh his raktajino, his attention was caught by a bright flash in the upper right corner of the viewscreen.  The flash of light faded, revealing the rapidly approaching form of a starfleet vessel.

K'Tan paused, mesmerized by the form of the approaching ship.  The craft was of medium size; far larger than the Ranger, but smaller than the titanic Galaxy or Sovereign class vessels.  And unlike its more ponderous sisters, this ship had a decidedly athletic structure.  Instead of being borne on struts extending up and behind the saucer section, the ship's warp nacelles extended down and to either side, giving the ship an aggressive, almost predatory bearing.  The winglike structures bearing the warp nacelles arced inward to join with a two-pronged secondary hull.  The twin halves of the secondary hull were in turn connected directly to the saucer-section, giving the ship a lean, flattened profile. 

The ship's hull was primarily gray in color, marked by lighter gray and blue-gray highlights, giving it a dignified, regal appearance.  As it drew nearer to the Ranger, He could barely make out several phaser banks.  One described a semicircle around the leading edge of the upper saucer section, and was matched by two more phaser strips adorning the lower half of the primary hull.

"Beautiful and deadly" K'Tan thought to himself as his comm-badge chirped for his attention.  He tapped the communicator, opening a channel.  " K'Tan here."

"Lt. K'Tan, report to the transporter room and prepare to beam over to the Tiberius ," came the Captain's reply. 

"Aye, Sir" K'Tan stated, and headed towards the replicator to dispose of his now cold raktajino.  As the ceramic mug lit up, then swirled into a scattered swarm of lights before fading into nothingness, K'Tan made a conscious effort to calm himself.
He was excited by the prospect of a fresh start, and looked forward to being a crew member of such a magnificent ship. But he was also far more nervous than he cared to admit to himself. 

Quinn's morning was moving along nicely. His breakfast with Ensign Took was fantastic and a perfect way to start off his day. After an hour and a half of dining and conversation they both exited the Captain's quarters, Took turning left toward Engineering and Quinn right towards the turbolift which would take him to the bridge. A few moments passed and Quinn walked on to the bridge. He acknowledged his crew with a smile and nod as various hellos and good mornings were addressed to him. He entered his ready room, walked over to the replicator and ordered a Raktijino. As he sat down he picked up a padd and started reading over today's duty roster. Ten minutes passed when his badge chirped. "Sir" Lt. O'Rorke's voice could be heard " We have reached the coordinates of the USS Ranger and there is a Lieutenant K'Tan waiting for permission to come aboard. " Quinn pressed his comm badge " Thank you Lt. Please grant Lt. K'Tan permission to come aboard. I'll met him in Transporter room three."  It wasn't normal for a Captain to greet new transfers, that was the duty of the first officer, but this was a special case, a favor to an admiral and he wanted to meet this man who he was told can be a handful at times. Quinn stood, took another sip of his drink and exited his ready room. Three minutes later Quinn walked into transporter room three and said "Energize!!!"

The meditation lamp cast dancing shadows on the walls and colored the ambiance with a warm yellow glow. The low monotonous murmur of chanting, joined with the rumble of the ships engines and flooded the emptiness of Sareth's guest quarters. The mingled mumbles of man and machine surrounded her motionless form as she sat meditating in the center of room.  She remained that way for an hour or more before here eyes suddenly opened. "Computer, cease audio." The computer responded with a succession of chimes and the enveloping sound was reduced to the hum of engines.

Sareth thought about the episode in Five Forward as she prepared for bed. The girl who had introduced her self as "Aria", had offered an implausible story of alternate timelines and duplicate family members, who faded from existence. Sareth was a scholar and rarely accepted information such as this, as fact, until she had ample time to research it first. Yet there was no evidence left to examine, how was she to draw a conclusion if she had no source with which to scrutinize? All she had was Aria's words...words spoken in Ancient Golic, a language that took decades to learn to read, much less speak fluently. And then there was Aria's connection to M'rynn. Sareth could not claim to know the toddler well, but she had been in her company long enough to know that the small child trusted few and spoke rarely.

Aria was Vulcan in appearance, baring a striking resemblance to Sevryll, yet she was not completely Vulcanoid. A fact Sareth knew not only from the girl's admission, but also because of her lack of stoicism—a trait that obviously came from her father...and augmented by her relation to Sevryll. Sareth's own daughter always had trouble suppressing emotion. As a child she was once declared "continually and unrepentantly over-emotional" by her professors and expelled from school. They recommended that she be sent to a Master for rigorous mental training to combat the emotions she continually displayed. Though her daughter underwent the Nath-Pal-Nahr training, and learned to hold her emotions at bay, they sometimes surfaced when she was stressed. Sareth often wondered if her struggle was genetic.

"Logic is the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos, using reason as our guide," her whisper broke the silence as she extinguished the flame of her meditation lamp and climbed into her bed.

On the same deck, several cabins away, Sevryll lay awake in her own bed recalling the events of the day. David's appearance in her cabin, Aria's arrival in Five Forward...M'rynn's odd reaction to Aria. Her head swam with images and ancient tongues. She tossed and turned for some time before throwing back the blankets and sitting up. Her room was dark and the hum of travel was the only sound permeating her otherwise quiet quarters. She stood and traversed the common area, to look in on her slumbering children. As she drew near to their room, the sound of their sleep met her ears. She watched them for some time before replicating a cup of Spice Tea. As she sipped the soothing warmth of the Vulcan Herbs she thought about her father and wondered if he was well.

The images of Krell's bruised face filled Sareth's subconscious mind. His haunted eyes pierced her dream and called to her from a great distance. The echo of his cries slowly rose in volume and she gasped as she broke from the nightmare. Breathing heavily she gathered her robes and exited her quarters. Rounding the corner on Deck Two, she activated the chime at Sevryll's door. Her daughter, clad in white, met her in the entry and escorted her inside.

As her mother relayed the disturbing details of her vision, Sevryll weighed the consequences of revealing their mission.  She offered her mother a cup of Spice Tea and determined that her duty called for silence—she would speak to the Captain about her mother's vision in the morning.

"I met some of my family today," Aria said to her father as she entered their quarters. "I believe that it went well."

"How did your mother take it?" Aeric asked as he turned from his desk and to face her.

"She had an emotional response, but she asked me to stay."

"That's a good first step, but you need to be cautious. You were born with Vulcan logic, but you were also born a listener and that comes from your heart. I don't want you to make a mistake that will ruin an already fragile relationship." Aeric said as he moved to hug Aria. "You are also a watcher now, an observer of the secrets of time. That is a heavy burden for anyone Aria. I don't want you to fall under the weight."

"I know father, but what is the purpose of this gift if we are left alone?" Aria asked as they broke the embrace. "How can I listen to my heart and the heart of others if I must also keep it distant?"

"You can't. Nor can I. We will get attached to people and we will lose them. The pain doesn't fade and now you are also stuck with the memories."

"I know, but I can savor the joys." Aria said as she smiled to her father. "I met my grandmother and she didn't outright reject me. I know that my existence isn't logical, but I think that there is hope for acceptance."

"How is she? It has been years since I last saw her in any timeline." Aeric said.

"She's everything I remember. You should talk to her, I think that she might find you ... intriguing."

"At least she won't remember the trouble I caused on Vulcan," Aeric smiled. "I think I might meet her just to pay my respects. I wouldn't be the scientist that I am if I didn't have to deal with the Vulcans at such an early age."

"Well, I'm going to get some rest. I need to look over the Aurora in the morning and I don't need to make a fool out of myself. She's going to be 100% for this upcoming mission."

Aeric nodded to her and watched her leave. He knew that she needed to find acceptance so that she could be at peace. It was his duty as a father to help her. Thinking on the subject, he tapped his combadge.

"Aurora, please transmit all personal logs regarding Aria to my quarters here. Also include all medical data from any relevant timeline in the temporal database and any family holo and photographs of her youth. I need review a few things."

"Request received. Compiling all relevant data."
Aeric sighed and returned to his desk. He needed to introduce his daughter to the captain and there was information in those files that would help explain the situation. He would also need to restore her to his life. The pictures would look good on the wall of their quarters. She could never go home again, but that didn't mean that the Tiberius couldn't become their home. 

K'Tan stood at attention on the transporter platform, and drank in what would be his last look at the U.S.S. Ranger.  A few feet before him, facing him from behind the transporter-control console, stood the Ranger's Deltan transporter Technician.   As  the tech held her hand poised over the control interface, K'Tan found himself staring into her beautiful amber eyes.  He regretted having never taken the time to get to know the young lieutenant, or any of his other crewmates for that matter. 

As if reading his thoughts, the lieutenant smiled, and winked at K'Tan.  Taken aback, K'Tan found himself blushing, and returned the woman's smile.

"I'm glad to see that you are in such high spirits, Mr. K'Tan," said the Admiral, as he stepped from behind the transporter technician.  As the Admiral crossed the distance to the transporter platform, the smile instantly vanished from K'Tan's face, and his blush turned into one of embarrassment.  "I was simply recalling an amusing anecdote, sir" K'Tan said as he snapped to attention.

Admiral Santana glanced at the transporter technician, then back at K'Tan.  "Yes, I'm sure." 

The Admiral leaned towards K'Tan,and offered a smile of his own; one that failed to reach his eyes.  K'Tan imagined it was the kind of smile a targ might give to a mouse, right before it ate it. 

"Do not let me down, Mr. K'Tan," he said grimly.  "Captain Quinn is doing me a huge favor in accepting your transfer so willingly, and I do not intend to repay his generosity by dumping someone else's problem into his lap.  You will therefore dedicate every fiber of your being towards not being a problem.  You will in fact aspire to be the ideal Starfleet officer.  If I hear anything less than glowing praise regarding your loyalty, dedication, and positive attitude, I will make it my personal mission to break you, and bury you beneath the most remote penal outpost in the federation."  The Admiral stepped back.  "Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

Stinging from the Admiral's rebuke, K'Tan struggled to maintain a calm demeanor.  As he began to respond in the affirmative, K'Tan felt his words cut short by the familiar tingling effect of the transporter beam.  He found himself immobilized, and as a low-pitched hum slowly grew to drown out all other sounds, the Ranger's transporter room, the technician, and the Admiral seemed to loose resolution.  As the beam continued to translate his very essence into a complex pattern of energy, his surroundings grew even more vague, gradually fading towards a vista of white nothingness.  Just as the last lingering details of his surroundings faded away, the humming sound began to subside.  As the hum faded, K'Tan's surroundings began to come back into focus.  The hazy white nothingness slowly coalesced, and began to take on familiar, normal coloration.  Indistinct, fuzzy shapes came into sharper focus, eventually resolving to reveal a different, larger transporter room.  The Admiral no longer faced him; instead, he found himself facing a muscular, humanoid male with piercing greenish-gray eyes.  The man carried himself with an air of quiet confidence that radiated authority, and his gaze seemed to effortlessly cut through K'Tan, as though he could peer into his very soul if he so wished.  K'Tan didn't have to look at the Captian's pips adorning the man's uniform to know that it could only be Captian Nathaniel Quinn.

The Admiral's last words still echoing in his head, K'Tan snapped to attention.  "Lt. K'Tan reporting for duty, Captain.  I am honored by the opportunity to serve on your ship.  I swear to you; I won't let you down."

    As Admiral Talbot rounded the corner jogging on his way to Engineering he nearly crashed into a young ensign who was working on getting herself down from a Jeffries tube.

    "Sorry, ensign.  Didn't see you there.  Good to see the engineers on the Tiberius don't just depend on their computer readouts and still crawl up in the ship's tubes to do some of their work."  Admiral Talbot said to the somewhat flustered ensign.

    "Yes sir Admiral.  Chief Engineer K'arath doesn't like us to become completely reliant on the various engineering computers.  He says it is important to calibrate and double check systems first hand from time to time."  Ensign Barton said.  She was fresh out of the Academy on her first assignment aboard a Starship.

    "Sounds like a wise man.  In fact I was planning on paying him a visit this morning if you think that would be ok?  I was trying to finish up my morning run and end up on the engineering deck.  So it's not really a coincidence that I nearly bowled you over.  Sorry again about that."  Talbot said, smiling at the now less nervous ensign.

    "I'm sure the Chief would love to show you his engine room, sir.  May I ask the Admiral why you were joggin in the corridors?  Tiberius has some excellent exercise and recreation rooms.  Not to mention the holodecks."  She said, trying not to pry too much into the Admiral's affairs.

    "Habit I picked up on my first Starship command assignment.  I like to get a feel for the ship and crew in the early morning by going for a short jog before the day shift starts.  Helps me clear my head and plan the day.  It also let's me see things that a captain or even an admiral wouldn't normally get a chance to see.  Now, Ensign, ahhh....."  Talbot paused for a moment.

    "Barton sir.  Ensign Marie Barton.  Just came aboard Tiberius before we left Earth, sir."  The young ensign said to Talbot, trying not to look to eager.

    "Ah, another new recruit.  Glad to have you with us Ensign Barton.  Your first deep space assignment.  Enjoy it Ensign Barton.  You'll always remember your first Starship fondly.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go meet this Chief Engineer K'arath.  He sounds like my kind of engineer."  Admiral Talbot said as he wiped the perspiration from his brow and started to move away.

    "Thank you for the advice, sir.  I appreciate it.  Good day to you sir."  Barton said, standing more formally than she had tried to do.

    "And to you as well, ensign."  Talbot said as he moved towards main engineering.

Commander Sevryll affixed three solid pips to the collar of her duty uniform, then  reached for her combadge that lay beside a holoimage of David holding their infant children. Her hand slowed as it approached the badge and she stared down at the photo. Lost in the moment of that day, she unconsciously lifted the gold communication device and brought it to her chest.  Before she had a chance to fasten the delta shield to her black and gray jacket, the voice of Ensign Tev-Awsh came through in a quick succession of eager words, bringing Sevryll crashing back to reality. She was a very enthusiastic young woman and apparently the new ensign happened to be twenty minutes early to a meeting that Sevryll had called among her science officers. The commander recommended that Ensign Tev-Awash replicate a beverage and relax then she turned to her two small children who were waiting patiently near the door. Today was their first day of preschool and they were just as eager as the young ensign. Sevryll  pulled back her long brown hair and secured it with the bronze fastener David had given her on their anniversary. She then offered the children each a hand and accompanied them to their class.

Commander Sevryll anticipated reluctance from M'rynn, but the little girl seemed comfortable as long as N'Vall was with her. After meeting their teacher, they joined a small group of children who were busy with blocks. Mrs. Noguchi reassured Sevryll as the Vulcan mother watched them from her place near the door, "they will be fine commander, and I will see to it that they save a place for you at their table at lunch later today." Sevryll thanked the woman and lingered long enough to see M'rynn smile at her. Then the child came to hug her mother. It was only then that N'vall noticed Sevryll was leaving and he reluctantly left the company of his new friends to offer her an obligatory good-bye hug.

Sevryll found it difficult to leave them after their parting embrace. She knew that she would see them again in a few hours, and was puzzled as to why she would feel so distressed. It was illogical to have such feelings—she shook off the superfluous emotional sensations and abruptly exited the classroom.

On her way to the first of several meetings, Sevryll contacted Captain Quinn. " Sevryll to Quinn," came her cool voice.

"Quinn here. Good morning Sevryll."

"Good morning Captain. When it is convenient, I would like to meet with you regarding the officers I have been considering for the away mission." Of course, during that meeting, she would bring up the vision her mother had the night before. Sevryll's mind still dwelt on her father and his condition—and she hoped that her work would keep her mind too occupied to remain transfixed by the details of Sareth's dream.

"Certainly Commander. I'll check my schedule and get back to you. Are the children off to their first day of school?" he asked cheerfully.

She thought back to the image of David holding their newborn infants, it seemed as vivid as yesterday—then all the instances in between that moment and the present flashed by her eyes in a blur of swiftly passing time. An eddy of emotion churned inside her before she could gather the ability to answer Nathan in an even tone, "yes captain...thank you for asking."

K'Tan snapped to attention.  "Lt. K'Tan reporting for duty, Captain.  I am honored by the opportunity to serve on your ship.  I swear to you; I won't let you down."

Quinn's smile broadened, " At ease Lieutenant, I am Captain Quinn... welcome to the Tiberius " Quinn extended his hand as K'Tan stepped down from the transporter padd and took it. K'Tan smiled and started to talk "Sir.. let me just say that I will..." Quinn raised his hand to stop him, K'Tan fell silent at once.  Quinn escorted K'Tan out of the transporter room and down the hall. "Let me first say that I read your..." Quinn thought for a moment for the appropriate word, " colorful history in Starfleet.  We will not tolerate that kind of behavior here." Quinn said this not in a threatening manner but as a matter of fact. " I am one who believes in second chances and even third and fourth chances if the situation calls for it. I expect only the best on my ship. Admiral Santana speaks very highly of you and I have to say that is a great accomplishment. He doesn't take many people under his wing.  He sees potential in you and so do I. Your past is behind you and that is where it will remain." By the time Quinn was finish talking they have arrived at K'Tan's quarters. "Settle in and go visit five forward, your duty shift starts at 1500 hours." Quinn took K'Tan's hand, shook it and gave it a little squeeze. "You're going to be a fine addition to this crew Lt.". And with that Quinn turned and headed down the corridor.

As he turned the corner his comm badge chirped.

"Quinn here. Good morning Sevryll."

"Good morning Captain. When it is convenient, I would like to meet with you regarding the officers I have been considering for the away mission."

"Certainly Commander. I'll check my schedule and get back to you. Are the children off to their first day of school?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yes captain...thank you for asking, Sevryll out.."

Quinn could hear something was not right in his first officers voice, but figured he would ask her when they had their meeting. Quinn entered the turbolift and said politely "Bridge".

A collaboration post between Jen, Just X, Moyer777, and Kinglinksr


Isaac Starstriker stopped his erratic emotional display and picked himself off the floor.  "What am I doing?  I'm a Starfleet officer, I'm better than this!"  This was not normal behavior, "there's something wrong with me," he whispered to himself as he tried to dry his wet face with the palms of his hands. He slowly straightened and forced himself to concentrate.

"OK, what am I going to do?  If I this continues, the Captain will remove me from duty, perhaps permanently considering the trouble I've made for him." He was certain that if he didn't get help quickly, his mental breakdown would continue to worsen. Not sure what to do next, he walked to the nearest turbolift, "Deck four," he said in a defeated voice. As he exited the lift, a rapidly moving blue body ran straight into him.  The ensign stumbled back—the wall in the turbolift stopping his decent.

"Ensign Starstriker! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" said the familiar voice.  His back literally against the wall, the ensign looked up to see Counselor Margon, "no, Counselor I'm not...I could really use your help." 

"Something has been bothering you hasn't it? I've noticed Ensign, in fact, I was on my way to see you" said Margon in a worried tone. Isaac heard the concern and was certain he had come to the right man. "Let's talk, come with me Ensign."

In recent days, the counselor had noticed how Isaac had become unbalanced and withdrawn from the crew, and he was sure the reason would be difficult for Isaac to talk about. "So, why don't you tell me what happened at the senior officer's meeting recently," said the Bolian Couselor as he handed the ensign a cold glass of water.

"Are you going to inform the Captain?" asked Isaac nervously. 

"I would only tell the Captain if I consider you to be a danger to the ship or crew" replied Margon truthfully. 

"I acted stupidly.  I should never have probed the minds of the senior staff. I don't usually act like this, and I certainly don't reach out to others that way." He closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration.

"It's OK, ensign," replied Margon in a gentle voice.

"Bringing my Sugar Gliders to the meeting was perhaps the most idiotic thing I've done yet!"  Margon raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  "I embarrassed myself in front of my Captain and the Admiral—I've never felt so ashamed," said Isaac quietly. 

"Its nothing to beat yourself up about Isaac.  It was a mistake and I happen to know that our captain is a very forgiving man," stated Margon with a smile. 

"It's more than that counselor, I've been weeping uncontrollably. I'm not used to emotions Counselor. I can't sleep, I feel restless, angry, distracted, depressed, I hear voices... I just feel out of control. I don't know what to do and I'm afraid I'll be relieved from duty if I don't get it under control."

The symptoms Isaac described sounded distinctly like the warning signs of bipolar mania. Many of his outbreaks seemed to fit that diagnosis: distractibility, irritability, lack of insight, impulsive behaviors—the early indications were all there. "I believe you have Bipolar disorder—Oh, don't worry, it's quite common and very curable.  But I would like to start seeing you no a regular basis. Everyday to start...then when all your symptoms disappear, we can change your appointments to once a month."

Isaac was elated that Margon held the answer to all his problems. "Yes, of course Counselor! Thank you so much."

"Can we meet this time everyday?" he asked Isaac.

"I think I can arrange that.."

"Ensign Isaac Starstriker report to the bridge!" said the familiar voice of Captain Quinn. 

The ensign tapped his combadge, "On my way sir."  As he left the room, he wondered, 'Can I control my emotions?...Yes, I can.  I just have to believe that I can do some good again.'


King Linksr

Lieutenant James reviewed incoming flight data as he stood behind Lieutenant Jaxa, the bajorian flight controller that was currently on duty. She cautiously monitored the progress of the Aurora and her escort of two scoutships as they prepared to descend to Romulas.

"Sir six unidentified vessels have just left Romulan atmosphere." Jaxa shouted as her fingers moved over the control panel. The convoy on her instruments was still outside of the thermosphere. The ships were on an intercept course and the Tiberius was out of weapons range.

"I need identification Jaxa. We need to let our birds know what they're up against!" Aeric shouted as he moved over to the secondary console.

"Sir, threat identified. Incomming craft appear to be Scorpion Class attack fighters and they are on an intercept course." Jaxa said as she relayed the information to the escorts.

"Open a channel to the convoy," Aeric said as he looked over the telemetry data. Jaxa responded to the orders by typing in a series of commands that opened audio communications with the escorts. She entered a second series of commands and brought up the image of the convoy on the flight control viewer.

"Channel open sir," Jaxa said as she kept an eye on her instruments.

"Tiberius to convoy, we have six Scorpions moving towards you on an intercept course, do you have them on your sensors?" Aeric asked. His fingers work the controls of the view screen to bring the convoy into better resolution.

"Negative on sensor contact," Lt Thane said and was quickly confirmed by the other two craft.

"I am transmitting telemetry to convoy now," Jaxa said as she transferred sensor data to the convoy. "They are experiencing sensor problems due to atmosphere issues. We're going to have to be their eyes until they come into visual range."

"Understood," Aeric replied as he reviewed the incoming tactical data. They were out numbered and the Tiberius wouldn't arrive in time to be of any real assistance. "Aurora, this is Tiberius. I am going to send you an alternate route to landing site."

Aeric started transmitting a new heading for the Aurora as he looked over sensor data. "Jaxa, I need you to get on an open channel to the scoutships and have them intercept the attack craft."

"Confirmed," Jaxa said and turn her attention to the tactical display. She quickly plotted an intercept course that would shield the Aurora's escape from the battle. With another glance at the boards, she sent the data to the scoutships. "Tiberius to scoutships, I am sending you new tactical orders. You have now been tasked to provide Aurora with cover. "

"Orders confirmed," replied both Carson and Thane in almost unison as their tactical update reached their systems. As the pilot of Scout One, Thane took the lead as their craft pulled away from the Aurora.

"Sir, do they have authorization to fire?" Jaxa asked Lt. James as she now focused her attention on the two birds in her care.

"Yes," James replied as he paused his communications with the Aurora. "They are clear to use all assets to defend the Aurora."

Jaxa relayed the orders as she undated their tactical information. They should be entering visual and combat range soon and she needed to give them any edge that she could. "Tiberius to Scouts One and Two, do you have visual?"

"Affermative Tiberius, we are moving into weapons range," Thane said. The excitement of the pending battle could be heard in the voice of the young Andorian. "Shields are up and weapons are online. This should not be an issue."

"Stay focused Scout One," Jaxa reprimanded. "You are still outnumbered."

"We are now entering combat," Thane replied a few moments later.

"Recommend attack pattern alpha-six," Jaxa said. "Scout Two seems to be taking heavy fire."

"Shields are down. Repeat shield are down!" shouted Carson. "Unidentified weapon in use."

"Scout One, move to cover Scout Two!" Jaxa shouted as her heart pounded in her chest. She prepared to send another update to the ships when Scout Two and a pair of the fighers blinked off of sensors. "Scout Two, we lost contact, are you there? Repeat, are you there?"

"Scout Two is gone," replied Thane as the sound of exploding electronics came in over the audio. "Weapons are down. Shields are at ten percent. Request assistance. Repeat request assistance."

Jaxa paused only for a split second as the realization of the lost ship hit her. "Scout One, Aurora is in the clear. Get out of there. Repeat get –"

A crimson explosion on the viewer coincided with the loss of Scout One from sensors. Jaxa's heart raced but she needed to focus. "Flight Conn Two to Aurora, escort is down. Three enemy fighters with unknown weapons are now moving to intercept."

"Computer end program." Aeric said as he entered the holodeck. His holographic self and the flight conn tower faded as the program halted. Aeric looked at Jaxa as she stood. "What happened Lieutenant?"

"Sir, atmospheric conditions hid that the Scorpions were armed with a non-standard payload. Separating the convoy was also a significant tactical error. The weapons and defenses of the Aurora would have made a significant difference in the battle."

"Why didn't you voice your concerns?"

"I don't know sir," Jaxa replied. "I assumed that you had considered that in your assessment of the situation."

"When you are in that chair Lieutenant, I expect you to voice your concerns. Had you done so, it might have saved lives. Your job as flight controller is to provide insight and options that other might not see."  Lt. James said as he watched her expressions.

"Yes sir." Jaxa said.

"Good, now I need to get to the flight simulators. I have two pilots that I need to discuss their tactics with. Their formations were sloppy and they should have known that a combat designation gave them discretion to use weapons. I am also disappointed that they didn't attempt to realign their sensors to pick up the enemy craft. They should have been able to compensate for the interference, but Scout One was more interesting in going into combat."

"Yes sir." Jaxa said again. "I should have reigned Scout One in a little more."

"Lieutenant, this is your team when you are in that chair. Make sure that they know what to expect. You are dismissed."

Jaxa nodded and exited the holodeck. This was the fourth simulation and each one was vastly different from the ones before it. Each simulation had ended in some sort of failure, but she had learned much. After the Lieutenant finished reaming out her pilots, she would give them her own opinion of the operations. They needed to be on the same page before any ship left the hanger. She need to make sure that they were also able to complete the mission without dying or getting anyone else killed.

After the Captain took his leave, K'Tan entered his quarters.  He was pleasantly surprised to see his battered starfleet footlocker waiting for him in the middle of the floor.  They must have beamed it here at the same time I was transported to the Tiberius , he thought with a slight smile.  Very considerate.

K'Tan debated taking the time to unpack his few belongings, then reconsidered.  He had a few hours before his shift was scheduled to begin, and the Captain had suggested that he visit Five Forward.  If he was to turn over a new leaf, his first move should be to break out of his old behavioral patterns and get to know his fellow crew mates.  The ship's designated communal gathering spot seemed like the most logical place to start.

With the aid of the ship's computer, he made his way to the communal area in just under five minutes.  K'Tan stood before the twin doors of Five Forward, and took a deep breath.  It was not in his nature to casually socialize with complete strangers, and the prospect was daunting.  Yet he reminded himself- he had survived unarmed combat with opponents twice his size and strength; he could therefore survive this ordeal as well. K'Tan strode forward, and the doors parted to admit him.

He was awestruck by the size of the place.  It was easily 3 times as large as the mess hall on the Ranger, and there were quite a few tables and booths arranged artfully around the room.  Many of the seating areas were positioned near vertically elongated windows, offering the patrons an impressive view of the stars flitting past outside.  The room was mostly empty right now, however; he only spotted a few couples engaged in deep conversation here and there, and a solitary sharp-featured Vulcan man nursing what appeared to be a glass of milk seated near one of the many windows.  K'Tan made his way past the Vulcan, offering a nod in greeting, and walked to the ornately carved bar at the opposite end of the room.

As he approached the bar, he was greeted by a bored-looking human bartender.  "How are you doing, pal; what'll it be?"

K'Tan took a seat.  "Raktajino.  Extra large; double sweet."  He decided to take the opportunity to practice his socializing skills.  "It doesn't appear to be very busy this afternoon."

"It's always like this, this time of the day," the bartender replied.  "Most of the senior staff are working first shift.  When the shift change happens, though, we usually get slammed.  Most folks like to head here to unwind before heading back to their quarters.  The difference is like night and day."

K'Tan gave a noncommittal nod, then abruptly stood, turned his back, and walked away. 

As K'Tan headed towards the seated Vulcan, the bartender shrugged his shoulders and returned to polishing glasses.  The Vulcan apparently heard K'Tan's approach from the distance; he set down his drink and regarded him with a cool, level stare. 

Without thinking to wait for an invite, K'Tan sat opposite the man and paused to take a sip of his Raktajino; it was nearly perfect- a strong, bittersweet flavor undercut by a bitting, smokey spiciness.  He set his steaming cup down and introduced himself.  "I am Lieutenant K'Tan, recently transferred here from the U.S.S. Ranger.  I am attempting to get to know my crewmates.  Who are you?"

As the door to the Chief Science Officer's office swept open, Ensign Tev-Awash abruptly stood, bumping her cup of hot chocolate and spilling it all over the large, black table she sat behind. Commander Sevryll paused just inside the entry and watched the nervous young officer proceeded to use the sleeve of her uniform to mop up the sticky brown lake that rapidly spread across the surface and dripped onto the taupe carpeting. Ensigns Morgen and Bandana swiftly recovered their padds before they were claimed by the chocolate deluge and gawked at Tev-Awash as she continued to swab the mess. Lieutenant Kretzmeyer nodded to Sevryll and calmly walked to the replicator, "two large cotton towels, one dampened with water, the other dry." The replicator responded with a melodic whir as two thick white towels appeared in the alcove. He tossed one to Tev-Awash as an amused grin spread across his face— he used the other towel to stop the river of brown liquid from falling to the floor.

"I'm sorry Commander, I don't know...I can't believe I..." The anxious Ensign started to apologize before Sevryll quieted her with a gesture of her hand. "It is all right. I hardly believe that your inadvertent discharge constitutes as a toxic spill. I trust that you were able to enjoy a portion, before your unfortunate accident."

"Yes ma'am," replied Tev-Awash with an awkward smile.

The Tiberius was the Ensign's first assignment and she was a bundle of nervous energy. Sevryll was confident that the inexperienced officer would eventually hit her stride. She wasn't the first green recruit the Vulcan had worked with—they were always anxious to please, yet they seemed to find their place as well as their confidence once they began their initial duties.

The commander found her seat at the head of the table as the Lieutenant tossed the sullied towels into the replicator and spoke the command that resulted in their abrupt disappearance. During the hour that followed the scientists discussed the various research projects as well as the on going mission preparations. Afterwards the commander spoke to Kretzmeyer privately, regarding the Doctor's subdermal implants and asked him to attempt to increase their range to compensate for the great distance the Tiberius would be from Romulus.

Tev-Awash rushed to match the Vulcan's long strided as Commander Sevryll left the office and headed to her next meeting. "Commander, I just wanted to apologize again for being so clumsy. I...I'm not sure that I'm the right person for this assignment."

Sevryll stopped in the corridor and turned towards the young ensign, "I would not have selected you if I believed you incapable, ensign."

"Thank you ma'am, but I'm just not as experienced as the others... Their experience makes me feel so inferior; I don't want you to be disappointed in me."

The Vulcan woman raised an eyebrow, "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent Ensign. Put aside your apprehension and preform your duties." 

The ensign looked down at her shaking hands, "easier said than done," she thought as Sevryll entered the turbolift. The young ensign returned the Vulcan's nod and slowly turned and walked back to the lab to join the others.

The Dr. Headed to 5 forward to meet Lt Manrique for dinner, he welcomed the break after his disciplining action of Dr. Lucas. It was the one part of his job that he disliked, but found it to be a necessary evil that was required from time to time as head of his department.

He preferred a much differrent style of command but this time he felt it was necessary to make an example of Dr. Lucas who had seemed to forget the need to have compassion when dealing with patients.

The doors to five forward opened to the welcomed noise of idle conversation that was accompanied by the large consumption of alcoholic beverages, both synthetic and real. He looked around the room and did not spot his dinner companion as of yet and decided to take a table and wait for the young Lt. to arrive.

The Dr. enjoyed to sit and observe the social interaction between the crew and found the observation of interspecie relations to be fascination.. He ordered a drink and waited for Lt Manrique to arrive.

Seated across from a stoic Vulcan in the Tiberius' Five-Forward lounge, K'Tan's attention was drawn by the entrance of a tallish, brown-haired man wearing the blue piping of a starfleet medical uniform.  The man looked about the room, as though trying to find someone, then took a seat at one of the unoccupied booths.  K'Tan turned back to the Vulcan.

The Vulcan took a sip of his drink.  "I am many things," the Vulcan said, "but one might say that I am first and foremost a student of life.  I am also an artist; but while some artists might choose to create their works using a brush and paints, I prefer the use of a more maleable medium- the written word.  I guess you could say that I am a poet."

"I see; you are a civilian."  Without intending to, K'Tan made the word sound like a curse.  "So What brings you to the Tiberius?"

The Vulcan arched an eyebrow, and took another sip of his drink.  "When creating a new work, a painter will endeavor to avail himself of as wide a variety of different colors and hues as possible.  As an artist of the written word, I find that the diversity of the passangers and crew of this vessel provides me with a varied pallet of experiences and viewpoints to choose from when composing my work." 

While the idea of a Vulcan poet was mildly interesting, K'Tan felt that it was a waste of his time to mingle with the ship's non-starfleet passengers.  His time would be better served forging relationships with the actual members of the crew. 

"Good luck with your poetry," he said as he rose to leave.  "It is nearly time for me to report for duty."  K'Tan turned, and headed towards the table being occupied by the Medical Officer.

As he neared the table, the Doctor stood and extended a hand in greeting.  "Hello, I'm Dr. Peterson, Chief Medical Officer of the Tiberius.  And you are..."

"Lt. K'Tan, formerly of the starship U.S.S. Ranger" K'Tan said, giving the hand a firm shake.  "I was just leaving, but thought that I'd first take a moment to introduce myself."  K'Tan raised his arms, gesturing at the surroundings.  "This is quite an impressive ship; much larger than my last posting.  I trust that the crew are equally impressive."  K'Tan turned to leave.  "Now, if you will excuse me doctor, my shift begins shortly." 

As he headed towards the exit, K'Tan made a mental note to return to the lounge once his shift was over.  He was curious to see if they served Bloodwine, and if so, he hoped that it would be as good as the Raktajino.

Aeric stretched as he rose from his desk. He had spent the last few hours reviewing the reports of his team on their holodeck training. Before that he had been working with his deck chief on selecting the proper escort craft and equipment payload for the mission.

Given all the variables, Aeric was satisfied with his selection of personnel and payload for the mission. He would need to go over his ideas with the XO before he could finalize their duty assignments, but the team was solid.

As Aeric exited his office, he tapped his combadge. "Computer, transmit the following message to Commander Sevryll's office. Commander Sevryll, I would like to meet with you at your convenience to discuss the duty list for the upcoming away missions. I have assembled a detailed list of crew and ships that would significantly increase the odds of success."

Sevryll entered the First Officers' office and slowly lowered herself into the chair behind her desk. Oddly, she was feeling a bit fatigued—the Vulcan woman rubbed her eyes and leaned back in the brown, high-back chair.  Her second meeting had been an utter waist of time. Useless briefings such as the one Hydroponics called, should not require the presence of the Chief Science Officer especially if she was also the First Officer... But they requested that she "sit in on the presentation" and insisted that her attendance was necessary. Less than halfway through the meeting, Sevryll determined that estimation to be in error—the assembly was nothing short of ineffectual, and its only positive aspect was the fact that it ended early.

She sat up as the computer announced the receipt of a new message—Lieutenant James had requested a meeting to discuss the duty roster for the impending mission. She still had not completed her own list and decided that it would be best to discuss her considerations with the Lieutenant, before the Captain's meeting later in the day.

The Vulcan replied to Areic's message, "I am compiling my own list of personnel and have tentatively added Aria to the roster. Before I present my recommendations to the Captain, perhaps we should discuss your thoughts regarding her addition. I will be awaiting your arrival in the First Officer's office. —Commander Sevryll"

Sevryll stood and walked to the viewport to gaze upon the ribbons of light that stretch against the infinite darkness of space. The stars' distortion signified their forward progression, as well as their swift advance towards the Neutral Zone. As she focused on the blur of stars, her thoughts drifted away in search of her father. She found herself forming suppositions regarding his circumstances. After outlining a number of dreadful possibilities, she decided her assumptions were based on little, if any, evidence and they were therefore just as ineffectual as the Hydroponics meeting. The light from the streaking stars danced on her face as she closed her eyes to meditated. Time passed rapidly and before she was aware of its advancement, the door chimed. She rubbed her eyes once more, straightened her jacket and turned to face the passage, "enter," she said in a haggard voice. The door swept open and Lieutenant James stepped into the room. She greeted him formally, in an attempt to maintain the proper amount of civility.  "Lieutenant," she said as she inclined her head in Vulcan courtesy.

(Joint post by Jen and X)

"Commander," Lieutenant James said with a slight nod as he entered the office.
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I hope that you are doing well."


"Please, be seated," Sevryll gestured to the chair in front of her desk then moved to the other side and settled into her own. Lieutenant James glanced down to his PADD and entered the commands that brought up his recommendations for the meeting. "After the mission briefing, I began work with my team to address possible situations that might happen during the mission and assembled a list based on their performance."


He passed the PADD to Sevryll and she studied it's contents, only pausing long enough to slide her own across the surface of her desk to him—the first name on her roster was "Aria James".


He scanned the list on the device, "I fully agree with your suggestion to include Aria and the Aurora on this mission. As it is not a Starfleet mission, she would be a valuable asset in maintaining distance from Starfleet."
Sevryll looked up from Aeric's PADD. "I presume the authorization I recently attained, which granted me access her classified profile, came through you."


"It did," Aeric said. "I felt that you should be entitled to full disclosure of her history as you decide on the extent of your relationship. We can continue to discuss this, but I would like to explain my recommendations."


"Resume," she said as she flicked her gaze back to the display device.


"In addition, I recommend Lieutenants Thane and Carson to provide tactical escorts in two scoutships. I will remain on the Tiberius and work with a team of lieutenants Tenmei and Jaxa in the flight tower as mission control to monitor the mission aspects and provide support," he cleared his throat and continued.


"For the sake of appearances, the scoutships will not breach atmosphere unless tactical support is needed. We will also maintain a contingent of marines on both craft if a rapid deployment rescue is needed."


Sevryll nodded in response, "I appreciate your effort to organize security for the operation, but I am concerned that the number of ships you have proposed will draw interest from patrolling Warbirds. How will your scoutships avoid detection? It is perilous enough when one ship crosses the neutral zone. Romulus may currently have disheveled defenses, but I doubt they are any less suspicious."


"I was under the impression that the Tiberius would be crossing the neutral zone as well. If I am wrong in that assumption, it only makes sense to include the escorts. From the Tiberius, I can interface with the sensor network and mask the crossing of the three vessels" Aeric said as he reviewed the data on her PADD.


"Scoutships are also designed with a low sensor profile to aid in their primary mission of information gathering, so they will be less likely to be detected in casual sensor sweeps."


"I do not have to inform you of the paranoid nature of the Romulan Star Empire. They do not perform 'casual sensor sweeps'. Nevertheless, your proposed solution is intriguing. I would like to see a scenario played out on the holodeck before I endorse your measures."


"My team has run over a dozen separate holodeck drills and I assure you that they are prepared for all aspects of the mission. As we have already assembled several combat scenarios, they would have no problems with your attendance in the simulations."


"Though I am not certain the escort is necessary, I look forward to the demonstration," she replied.
Taken aback by her mention of his unnecessary escort he replied, "to be honest, I am not going to let you, your mother, or our daughter enter a dangerous situation that could be prevented with proper preparation." Aeric took a slow breath and looked at the commander. "With all due respect, I don't want a situation to occur where the captain has to explain to certain children that most of their family is not coming back. I told your aunt that I would look after her family and I will keep that promise regardless of any timeline changes."


Sevryll straightened at the Lieutenant's slight tone. Did he just say 'I'm not going to let you?' She chose to ignore the overstep and addressed the addition of Sareth to his list of individuals 'who required his protection'.
She pushed the building emotions down to prevent them from overflowing to her voice, "I have not been given the authorization to reveal the nature of this operation to my mother—and she is unaware of my father's message to the Admiral. Even if she had been briefed on the particulars of our assignment, I would not allow her to go for the very reasons you mentioned."


Sevryll suppressed a frown, stood from her desk and walked to the replicator. "Vulcan Spice Tea," as the mechanism produced the cup of warm tea, she turned to Areic and forced herself to ask him if he wanted a beverage.


"Extra sweet vulcan mocha," Aeric said as he observed the commander. "I have no doubts that the mission will be successful, but I wish to ensure that casualties are kept as low as possible. Aria also knows the importance of this mission and she won't fail. She is a dedicated young woman and would not hesitate to give her life to make sure that everyone else makes it back. Despite her never serving in this Starfleet, I have never meet a finer officer."


The vulcan woman ordered the mocha and watched as it materialized in the niche. Picking up the mug, she walked back to her desk and handed the beverage to Areic. "I do not doubt Aria's abilities. I have reviewed her skill sets and, though I have reservations regarding the claims of when she acquired those skills, I believe she possesses programmed knowledge that will prove useful to our operation. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to safeguard...your daughter during the away mission. I will not permit her to sacrifice herself in order to ensure success; it will not be necessary."


Aeric took the drink and offered and small nod. "Commander, I don't need you to believe in the existence of an alternant timeline. However, our daughter  would feel better if you did, but that does not change the fact that there will always be things that one group instinctively knows to be fact and another will always demand proof to support their claims. If you want undeniable proof, look into the Aurora project."


Sevryll lifted her chin and raised her brow. She should have predicted the conversation would turn back to the story of an 'alternate timeline '. Frankly she was growing weary of hearing it.


Aeric gathered his thoughts and continued, "why would two prototypes need to be created? Better still, why does the quantum signature of my ship not match this reality? I did not spend years with your family to not notice how stubborn you can be when things are difficult to explain through logic, but as it turns out, you are exactly the same woman that I've grown up with. The only difference is that you did not get a chance to meet your toz'ot Elizabeth, and because of that we never crashed and you didn't end up k'kan."


"Kroykah!" she shouted. Barely able to keep her seat, Sevryll's outburst in Vulcan denoted that she had heard quite enough.


"My attention, Lieutenant, is focused on finding my father and bringing him safely home to Vulcan. I have not had the luxury of time, to review your reports on the Aurora Project. Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you refrained from addressing me as though we have any sort of history. I am not your friend, nor am I your daughter's mother; I am your superior officer and I would appreciate it if you maintained a certain degree of professionalism when addressing me."  She felt a slight tremble in her hands and she clasped them together and placed them on her lap beneath the desk once more.


Aeric raised a brow at that, but kept his tone cool and centered. "Of course commander, I did not mean to imply any sort of closeness between us. I forget that there are those who can never understand my path. Ozhika palik t'kau ri shaht*. While I might have facts to support Aria's tveshu I have not wisely shared that knowledge. It was not my intention to upset you and I deeply regret my conversation. You are not the young ko-kan I grew up with. I will not forget that again and I will not approach this subject again, until you bring it up ."


"However, I will say one final thing. I know first hand what it is like to lose a child from a temporal incursion. I am glad that you can not remember such a thing. I would never wish that on you and when the time comes that you decide that you wish to protect your children from what might come without notice, please inform me. Had I found a means to do this then, we would not be having this dispute."


Sevryll broke the momentary silence, "I ask forgiveness." She was ashamed that she allowed her fury to break the surface. Even if duty required that she admonish the tone he took with his superior, her Vulcan heritage demanded that she never raise her voice. She chose to disregard, for the moment, his offer and turned the conversation back to the mission. "When may I observe your team's holodeck drill?"


"Nam-tor du bifik ri wak na'kur-bosh plem-at?" Aeric asked with a slight smile. "It was a simple misunderstanding brought on by a unique situation. I am quite sure that Surak himself would find his emotions tested under these conditions. In fact, he was older than us both before he gained true mastery of his emotions. I will inform my team of your visit and they will be within the hour."


Turning to exit, he looked back at the commander. "Ki'nam-tor nash-veh heh kwon-sum dungau nam-tor t'hai'la t'du."

After the Lieutenant left, Sevryll pulled up Aria's profile once more and read the portions she skipped the day before.

Tain parried his opponents spear thrust, rushed his defense, and buried his sword deep in his belly. He let loose a primal scream as he quickly spun and engaged the final opponent. Tain felt his blood boiling as he forced the fight. He rained blow after blow against the enemy. He noticed his opponent make a small misstep and a small slip. That was all the opening Tain needed. With a final flurry he passed the others defenses, and another enemy slipped to the ground, lifeless.

Tain looked about at the carnage, lifted his sword high overhead and roared triumphantly. As his breathing slowed, and the blood rage ebbed, his control returned to him.

"Computer...end program."

As the landscape faded around him, Tain couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. These trips to the holodeck were becoming more and more necessary for him, as his restlessness and frustration mounted.

At first his new position aboard the Tiberius kept him interested. There were so many things to learn. As time went by he began to be overwhelmed my the monotony of it all. Tain had always been in the middle of action during his Federation career. He came to think of himself of less of a man, and more of a weapon used by his superiors. The brass picked the target, and unleashed Tain and his men upon it.

This new position was anything but exciting. As an officer he had to maintain a certain "decorum". A lot of the normal camaraderie he felt with his former squads was missing. His job now was to make sure that order was maintained, jobs were carried out, and above all his fellow crewmen, and passengers were kept safe.

Tain had no problems with his crewmates. They all seemed like fine people. Tains main issues were with the lack of action. He had become addicted to danger, and it was a hard addiction to break. At least there was the holodeck. It wasn't exactly the same. but it was good enough to "take the edge off".

Tain headed out of the holodeck, and back to his quarters. He had just enough time to get himself cleaned up , and report for his shift. He would complete his report on Firrak Remor for Lt. Manrique. It bothered him that he had not found out more information on the Vulcan, in fact the lack of information was almost more troubling then if he had found incriminating information. Tain wondered again why Manrique had asked him to look into Firrak.

He sighed as he thought to himself that the completion of this report would probably be the highlight of his shift.

    Chief Engineer K'arath had just finished going over the latest warp core injector modifications he had made to the Tiberius with Admiral Talbot listening attentively.

    "I have to say Admiral, it's nice to find an Admiral who know a impulse conduit from a Jeffries tube.  I've not run into many brass in Starfleet that started out in engineering."  K'arath said, trying to not sound too familiar with the Admiral.  He was quickly finding he had much in common with the half-Romulan Admiral that he had just given a tour of engineering to.

    "I appreciate that Chief.  I think it might do some of the brass good to learn that a Starship runs just as much from engineering as it does from the bridge.  And it looks like Tiberius is in good hands.  I'm very impressed by what I have seen.  You've done well here and I hope you decided to publish some of your modifications in one of the Starfleet Engineering Journals.  I know other ships could greatly benefit from your work here."  Talbot said, feeling very comfortable with the Klingon chief engineer.

    "Certainly sir.  If you think they would be interested.  I'm not the best of writers actually.  I tend to prefer doing things more than writing about them, sir."  The unusually lanky Klingon said to Admiral Talbot.

    "Perhaps you could get some help with the writing.  I just ran into an Ensign Barton in the corridor on my way in here.  She seemed eager.  It might be a good assignment for a fresh faced ensign out of the academy Chief.  Give her a shot of confidence and all that."  Talbot said.  He had always believed at building strong relationships between the various crew's he had served with and commanded.  He felt strongly that a tight knit group performed better as a team and could be more depended on when things got rough.  Which they always seemed to do aboard a Starship.

    "Good idea, sir.  I'll speak to her about it right away.  Was there anything else right now you would like to see, Admiral?  I do have an impulse isolinear drive circuit that requires some maintenance, sir."  K'arath didn't want to be rude, but he did have several items on duty list today to get done.  And while he enjoyed chatting with the Admiral he was also the chief engineer and typically very busy.  More so lately with some of the repairs and modifications to Tiberius.

    "I must be going myself, I need to speak with Commander Sevryll.  After a quick sonic shower.  Have a good rest of the day, Chief.  And thanks again for showing an old engineer around your engine room."  Talbot said, reaching out his hand and shaking K'arath's offered hand.

    "My pleasure, sir.  Come back anytime."  The Klingon engineer said, noticing the Admiral had quite a firm handshake.  Again, not typical of the few Admirals he had met over his career in Starfleet.  He knew the mission ahead was in good hands after spending some time with this former engineer now turned Starfleet Admiral.  Talbot gave the chief a quick smile as he exited engineering.

Quinn exited the turbolift onto the bridge. Gamma shift was ending and Alpha shift was arriving. Quinn walked over to the Captain's chair as Lieutenant O'Rorke stood.

"Captain, the bridge is yours" O'Rorke said with a slight nod.

"Thank you Lt." Quinn said with a return nod. "Anything interesting happen last night?" .

"No sir, a fairly quiet night. We are on schedule to rendezvous with the diplomatic caravan heading to Romulas, we should arrive in a day and half."

"Thank you Lt. you're dismissed"

Quinn sat down in the Captain's chair and turned toward his console to review information on the USS Titan. This was the ship leading the diplomatic mission and at her helm was the famous Captain William T. Riker. Quinn had met Captain Riker a few years ago when he married Quinn's second cousin Deanna and found him a very charismatic guy. He wasn't sure how Riker would take it when his ship joined the caravan, even if only for a short time. Admiral Talbot assured Quinn that he had taken care of everything.

As the alpha shift settled in he noticed that Ensign Bradolk was still at her post in Ops. Quinn gave her a quizzical raise of an eyebrow and pressed his comm badge.

"Ensign Isaac Starstriker report to the bridge!" Quinn announced.

Quinn waited for a response "On my way sir"

A few moments past and Ensign Starstriker exited the turbolift looking a bit disheveled. Quinn turned around in his chair.

"Nice of you to join us Ensign, so glad we promoted you to Chief Ops." Quinn said with a smile. He knew Starstriker was having a bad few days and was willing to give him some slake. "Take your station Ensign". Starstriker gave Quinn a slight smile and took over at Ops.

I joint post by Duffster and Jen
---

The human man disguised as a Romulan, had taken it upon himself to program a few training scenarios for Sevryll and her away team. He'd be going on the mission too, but if it got messy he'd need capable individuals... her team would need to be trained to survive hand-to-hand combat. The agent had yet to try any of the programs himself, and thought he might as well burn off some steam in the holodeck as he tested the programs' effectiveness.

David's plan to spend time with his family the night before, had fallen flat thanks to the stranger his daughter M'rynn had taken a fancy to. As he watched from afar, he sensed Sevryll's reaction to the vulcan girl who favored his wife in almost every way. Through his bond with her, he could tell that Sevryll was angry and concerned. Her attempt to hide this fact from her husband was unsuccessful, and he moved closer to listen to their conversation. It was at that point that he determined the girl was not a long lost sister...but Sevryll's daughter.

Since that evening, David had done everything he could to learn more about the girl and where she came from, but even his clearance as an operative of Section 31 could not gain him access to the records that he knew would reveal her identity...which was somehow tied to the Aurora Project and Lieutenant Areic James.  He decided the lieutenant was his only hope of uncovering the elusive details, he needed to figure things out. David couldn't just walk up to the guy and ask him; he'd have to be a bit more creative than that and creativity didn't exactly flow when one was ticked-off. A little skull bashing with a mob of burly holodeck creations was just what he needed to gain the creative inspiration he currently lacked.

Colonel Khev, stood before the control panel of Holodeck Two—evidently, it was still in use. The glossy black screen indicated that it's current program had run past the allotted time and well into the time that he had scheduled the day before. Khev anxiously waited ten more minutes before deciding 'enough was enough'. "This is getting ridiculous," he said as he keyed a command into the panel.  The doors opened with a mechanical whine and "the jolly green giant" walked out. Well, he was a green giant, but jolly... he wasn't.

Preoccupied, Tain walked out of the holodeck. Lost in his thoughts he didn't even noticed as he barreled into the Colonel. Caught off guard, Kehv almost fell, but caught his balance at the last moment.

"Errgh... ya bloody dunderhead, what the heck are you do'n stand'n in the doorway like that!!!", Tain blurted without thinking.

Tain looked at the man he just ran into, and finally noticed the rank insignia on the officers uniform. He sucked in his breath as he
watched the Marine officer straighten his uniform and look up athim.

"Bloody Dunderhead? Don't you know any proper profanities?" The Romulan maintained a straight face for all of ten seconds before cracking a wry smile. "At ease lieutenant...no harm no foul." He noticed the Orion's bruised knuckles, "what have you been doing in there, smashing rocks with your fists?"

Tain looked down at his hands and sheepishly grinned at the Colonel. "I think the Captain would rather I take my aggressions out in the holodeck, instead of my shipmates. I've tweaked a holo-program over the last few years. Whenever I need to ... umm...well, work some things out. Sometimes it gets a little intense."

Lieutenant Tain noticed the ships time, "Ahh, I see why your stand'n here. I took up more than my scheduled time didn't I!? I can give you some of my upcoming Holodeck time, if that will make amends."

"Oh, that's not necessary lieutenant."

Tain held out his hand, "my name is Cedric Tain, and I apologize to ya. I hate it when I don't get all my time in, and I can't blame you if you hold it against me"

David shook his hand, "I'm Colonel Khev, pleased to meet you lieutenant—you're security, right?  Don't worry about the holodeck time." David glanced once more at the Orion's battered hands, "I don't think I'd want to hold anything against you anyway...that would be a dangerous grudge to maintain." The Romulan chuckled as he stepped in side of the holodeck. "If you don't have any place to be Mr. Tain, I'd like to see your simulation. I've been working on one myself, maybe we could compare notes." If this officer was as skilled as David suspected, he definitely wanted Tain to be apart of the training he planned for the away team.

"Computer, begin program Kaleh One".  In an instant, the empty hologrid transformed into a street, crowded with stern Romulan men and women, bustling on foot to various destinations. "Keleh? I assume it's Romulan. What's it mean?" asked Tain as a grim faced, elderly man bumped into his massive left shoulder and continued on. Without turning to face the security officer, Colonel Khev began pushing through the current of on coming Romulans and replied,  "dagger." A devious grin slowly spread across Lieutenant Cedric Tain's green face ,as he followed the marine toward a darkened street.

The quiet splash of water echoed in the alleyway, as their boots traversed the cold, wet pavement. "When does the fun start?" asked Tain, gripping the hilt of his blade with uninhibited eagerness. Khev looked back at Tain and then up, "now!" he grunted,  as a shadowy figure landed on him from above. Just as Tain stepped in to help the marine, six more figures entered the alley to challenge them. His green face contrasted with the white of his clinched teeth as Tain waded through the mob, menacingly brandishing his blade.

Khev threw his assailant and drew his honor blade from its sheath in his boot. The aggressor hit the ground and rolled back on this feet drawing his own dagger. The light glinted off the flat of blade, as he arced it towards Khev. The Starfleet marine blocked the downward strike and parried the attack, catching the attacker in the neck. The man fell in a slump to the ground, but not before Khev kicked him backwards into a puddle of water. Then the tall, Romulan, Starfleet marine joined Tain in his fight against the other six aggressors.

One particularly brutish foe caught Khev in the face with a knee, causing him to stumble backwards. The human disguised as a Romulan, saw a blaze of white and heard the ring of a thousand bells as he fell towards the pavement. Tain pushed the man off of Khev and helped the dazed marine up. Though the alley still spun, Khev was able to burry the point of his honor blade into the left kidney of his would-be-assassin. The man gasped and crumpled to the ground as Tain threw another Romulan atop of him.

That left them with three shadowy assailants. As the blade wielding Romulan assasins encircled them, Tain and Khev maneuvered so that they stood back to back. Just as another attacker lunged for Cedric he shouted, "computer, freeze program!" Instantly, the man halted in mid strike, his face contorted with furry, his dagger bent towards Cedric's blocking forearm.

"Why did you stop the program!?" Khev asked panting hard.

"It's all wrong," replied Cedric disappointedly.

As the turbolift sped its way towards the bridge of the Tiberius, K'Tan cleared his throat. "Computer; what is the current time?"  After an acknowledging electronic chirp, the computer replied "The current time is 1445 hours."

Fifteen minutes until my shift begins, K'Tan thought.  Not as early as I'd like, but acceptable. 

The turbolift slowed, then came to a halt.  The doors whisked open, revealing a room whose occupants emanated a sense of cool competence and professionalism. In the center seat, Capt. Quinn was studying a PADD.  Behind him, to the right, a human woman with short, reddish-blonde hair was manning the tactical station.

As K'Tan snapped to attention, the Captain gave him an encouraging smile.  "I appreciate your promptness, Lieutenant."  The captain gestured towards the woman at tactical.  "This is Commander Westling, my Second Officer.  Commander Westling?"

"Yes, sir" the woman replied, and stepped from behind the tactical station.  As she walked towards K'Tan, she locked his eyes in a steely, emerald stare, then gave his hand a surprisingly firm shake. 

"Welcome aboard.  As your immediate supervisor, I'll be in charge of seeing to it that your acclimation is as painless as possible."  She gestured towards the elevated interface terminal behind and the captain's chair.  "Man your post, Lieutenant." 

"Yes, Sir", K'Tan replied, then walked briskly to the Tactical Station.  As the Commander moved to join him there, K'Tan marveled at the officer's commanding presence.  Though somewhat small in stature, Commander Westling projected an aura of quiet confidence that made her seem larger than life.  The top of her head was barely level with K'Tan's shoulder, yet when speaking to her, he couldn't escape the sensation that he had to look up to meet her eyes.

With a tap, Commander Westling activated the station's LCARS panel.  "I know that you are familiar with a standard tactical station layout, but the Tiberius is a rather unique vessel.  We have had a number of modifications and upgrades; the most notable being the installation of several cutting edge, experimental reactors.  I won't bore you with the details, but I can tell you that our new quantum generators roughly double the amount of power available to all ship systems."

K'Tan started to nod in understanding, then froze and slowly turned back to the commander.  "I'm sorry, sir; It sounded like you said that the ship's generator output has been doubled," he said skeptically.

Commander Westling nodded her head and gave K'Tan a knowing smile.  "You heard me right, Lieutenant.  You'll come to find that the Tiberius is quite a special ship."

As she headed back to the center seat, the commander paused and turned back to K'Tan.   "Take a few minutes now to familiarize yourself with the ship's systems.  You can also reconfigure the station's LCARS layout to a configuration that you are comfortable with.  When you are done, save your settings; You can restore your preferred layout whenever you come on shift."

As his fingers flew over the glowing LCARS interface, K'Tan's eyes grew noticeably larger.  He almost felt intoxicated as he contemplated the ramifications of having this much power available to be routed to shields, phasers, or any other system.   As panel after panel flashed by on the screen before him, K'Tan had to bite his tongue to keep from breaking out into a childish grin.

Joint post by X and Jen

Red lights pulses as Aeric and Sevryll entered the control tower. Aeric quickly settled into his chair as the main viewscreen switched to a display of the two scoutships still in orbit. Commander Sevryll observed the situation as she took position behind Aeric's chair.

"Situation report," Aeric demanded as he manipulated the controls of his LCARS panel.

"Sir, we just received a distress call over emergency channel. The Aurora away team in under attack," Jaxa said as she turned slightly in her chair to face him.

Aeric nodded. "Open up a secure channel to Aurora and escorts."

"Channel open." Jaxa replied after inputting a few commands.

"Aurora Taskforce, this is the Tiberius control, I need a status update." Aeric said as the viewscreen shifted to display the faces of Aurora, Thane and Carson in separate windows. Tiny flares of energy rotated the craft as they took position to prepare to enter lower atmosphere if necessary.

"Away team is currently pinned down by enemy combatants," Aurora said calmly as she manipulated the tactical console of the ship. "Request rapid deployment of recovery teams."

"Understood," Aeric said as he looked to his two flight control officers. "Jaxa, Tenmei, calculate flight paths for scouts to make an overhead pass over combat site."

"We're on it," Tenmei said as she reviewed the telemetry data the ships were providing.

"Commander, I need authorization to deploy the units on the scoutship and to go hot with weapons," Aeric said to Sevryll as he sent a message to the commander of the marines on a potential battle situation.

The Vulcan First Officer was doubtful that such a defensive tactic could lead to anything other than a galactic incident, which was the last thing her father would want. It would be better if they simply avoided being pinned down in the first place. Despite her misgivings, Sevryll allowed Lieutenant James to continue with the demonstration, and stepped to his side to give the authorization. He looked up in time to see her give a terse nod, signaling her consent.

On getting the consent, Aeric wasted no time in giving his next command. "Tiberius command to taskforce. Permission to unlock weapons granted, but keep to the plan. We need our people off planet and back home."

"I can't get a pattern lock on the away team," Aurora said as she brought defensive systems online. "I've located three beacons surrounding their location that's generating a scrambling field."

"Noted Aurora," Aeric said as the control operators were already generating navigational data to the locations.

"Tactical objectives updated. Our scouts have their targets." Tenmei said as she turned to Aeric.

"Scout One, deploy your team to site A. Mission objective, shutdown site A and rendezvous with Away Team. Scout Two, deploy your team at site B. Mission objective, shutdown of sites B and C. Once field is down, recover all away teams and return to ship." Aeric ordered as the ships broke orbit.

"Aurora, I need you to transmit a tight band communication of the plan to Aria. Have her tag any additional targets that we need to transport. Have her also attempt to shut down site C if she is in range." Aeric said, knowing the risk of putting his daughter on the frontlines.

Commander Sevryll would be apart of the ground operation being played out in the Holodeck, and as she listened to the chatter between the escort and her away team, her mind flashed through the proper ground procedures for situations such as these.  Despite her specialization in science, the academy prepared her for firefights and skirmishes, as it did for all its students. But this scenario was more intense than any she had been trained to survive. This demonstration was, of course, an example of how the escort would react under extreme circumstances. Yet, Sevryll understood that the survival of her team and the success of the mission required her to be prepared for anything...including this situation. She clasped her hands behind her back and lifted her chin as she took a breath to settle her nerves.  The light from the monitors danced over her face as she wondered if David and his "fellow marine" would be accompanying she and the admiral on the operation.

"Change of plans Lieutenant," Aurora said as she rapidly entered in a series of commands. "Aria has tagged all key personnel with locator beacons. She requests a switch to the Tartarus protocols. She believes that she can open a thirteen second window in the interference grid."

Aeric hesitated for a second. "Agreed. Scout One and Two move into short ranged transporter distance after deploying the marines and ready for emergency beam out of key personnel. Aurora move into position to recover non-key personnel as soon as scouts are away."

"Aria will go to ground with remaining forces until I can get into position to extract them," Aurora said as she powered up the ship's systems.

"Tactical data updated," Carson said over the open channel. "I should be over target area in 90 seconds."

"Agreed, will reach target in 90 seconds," replied Thane as he adjusted his flight pattern to move in tandem with his wing mate. "Make sure that the field is down."

"Lieutenant James," Jaxa said. "Tartarus will begin in 90 seconds. All assets have reported a ready status."

"Engage," Aeric said as the viewscreen transformed its view to that of a tactical battle grid, displaying the location of all assets and enemies.

Ninety seconds later, the field surrounding the extraction site shuttered and the biosigns of all the Tiberius' ranking officers, the admiral, and the ambassador faded from the surface battle and reappeared within the scoutships. There were still others on the ground including Aria and the admiral's security detail. Moments later, the field restored itself, preventing the extraction of the others.

"Recovery success," Thane said. "In route to Tiberius."

"Passengers confirmed," Carson said. "Heading for Tiberius at maximum warp."

"Aurora to Tiberius," Aurora said as she appeared on the view screen. "Aria and remaining away team are still pinned down. Entering interphase mode to being rescue. Will maintain com silence until the mission is completed."

"Confirmed Aurora," Aeric said. "As soon as that field is down, get our people home. Tiberius will be waiting."

Aeric leaned back in his chair. While the had who they came for, they still need to get the birds back home and rescue their remaining team members.

"Commander, now we need to wait." Aeric said as he turned to Sevryll. "Ground forces are instructed to shut down field and acquire a means to escape Romulus undetected. Aria should be searching for cloak-equipped shuttles, for undetected means of escape. Once the field is down, Aurora will begin transporting those left planetside to the ship until they can recover the necessary equipment to escape."

Aeric didn't even want to say that it might require the theft of a cloaking device from one of the shuttle and the time it would take to modify the Aurora to support the technology. He had to place his faith in the team and his daughter. They would find a way home.

Sevryll shifted her weight and narrowed her eyes.  She was quite aware of what the Lieutenant meant by, "acquire undetected means of escape". And in truth, she did not care as long as it meant her father's safe return and ensured that the Romulans had no proof of their role in his recovery.

Various melodic chirps and chimes, emanating from the control tower's array of computers, highlighted the comm silence. Sevryll watched the pilots via the split screen display, as they monitored their controls and awaited orders. She looked down at the Lieutenant as he patiently awaited Aria's reply.

Taking a deep breath, Aeric turned to Sevryll. "Aria and the remaining team members will rendezvous at the Aurora and from there, they will maintain their covers as they acquire a means to escape Romulus undetected. The mission to recover Federation citizens shall be completed when the scouts return. Should they be further compromised, Aurora will enter auto destruct and prevent the recovery of her technology."


"Computer, pause program. The stranded team will have access to Aurora's medical bay and resources as they come up with a plan for escape. Aria isn't going to leave the planet until everyone is accounted for. It's now up to the ground forces to do their part to complete the extraction." Aeric said softly. "This is not a perfect outcome, but when you review the data of this simulation or any other we have run, you will see that the Aero Group and controllers have done everything that they can to make the mission a success."

Sevryll nodded in agreement. "Thank you for the demonstration... your team is well qualified." She paused a moment before continuing, "Lieutenant, this mission falls into the category of plausible deniability—the Federation will claim no responsibility for our actions if we are detected or captured." She gestured towards the split-screen display, "in the event that such an extraction becomes necessary, no evidence of our presence should remain behind. If our withdrawal becomes impossible...you must regard the awayteam as you would the Aurora.  Our recovery is secondary to Krell's recovery and the mission's secrecy...." She swept her eyes over the split screen display before meeting the Lieutenant's. "Aria should remain aboard Tiberius."

Aeric thought about her words as he dismissed the control officers. Once they left the holodeck, he turned to Sevryll.

"That would be a problem commander. Only Aira and myself know the systems of the Aurora well enough to pilot it on a mission. I can take her place, but she naturally looks the role and can serve as a field medic if need be. I don't see how I can ask my team to continue the mission if I pull Aria. She has put in more time on the Aurora than anyone. She has been training for this with every available minute. The Aurora needs one of us there to complete this mission and I have no problem saying that she is more qualified for what might be needed. To pull her from the mission implies that I don't think the mission will succeed."

Sevryll took a undetected breath before addressing his comment. "We must be prepared for any situation, including failure, Lieutenant. If we are captured..." she  paused to steel her voice with cool impassivity, "the Romulans will not abide by the conventions of the Federation—they revel in their abilities to wring information from unfortunate captives."

Aeric worked his jaw as she continued, "your demonstration has reminded me of the dangerous position I may will be placing your young daughter in... I should have considered this before suggesting her inclusion to you. You are correct, her abilities are complementary to this operation and her appearance further separates her from additional candidates." She leveled her gaze and softened her tone, "but she must clearly understand those hazards before she accepts the mission. If she is not already familiar with the psychological torture that Captain Picard endured as a Cardassian  captive, she should view his report." She turned towards the door and they made their way into the busy corridor together.

"I will speak with her, but she is aware of the risk. Torture is something that we considered and she still wishes to go." Aeric said as they walked. "I don't think that Aria is unprepared for this, but I will speak with her again. I am also going to work with her to make sure that her enhancements are fully functioning. I don't plan on losing her again and she has more than enough motivation to survive."

They parted at the turbolift, "I will await her decision before I submit my recommendations to the Captain."

"What a strange human," he thought to himself after the new arrival, K'Tan, got up and left abruptly. He was, at this point in his career, used to the often fickle and temperamental nature of humans, but sometimes they could still surprise him. And given the look and behavior of this man, Remor thought it wise to look into his background. After finishing his milk, he got up and went back to his quarters.

Sitting at his desk, retuning a subspace shunt, Remor felt the satisfaction that came with the challenge of breaking into the Tiberius' databanks and main communications array. The real challenge wasn't extreme, though. If it were, he wouldn't risk working on the equipment in his own quarters. A real challenge, for example, had been forging and updating his medical records every year, and then planting them in the Tal'Shiar archives. This made sure he never had to attend a single yearly medical examination. And it gained him access to the records of those who occasionally got too close. The Romulans are not particularly fond of traitors, and it seemed that during his stint on Romulus, they "uncovered" many. Even then—perhaps a result of the fiasco in the Gamma Quadrant—the Romulan government performed random screenings of all its personnel. Those had been harder to get around, and he had been relieved when he learned he would be sent off into the Federation. Perhaps this was the reason they sent the one who called herself Brandt—to look after him.

When he had finished modifications to the electronics he had scavenged from various parts of the ship on his "tours," he found Dr. Lucas' quarters. Lucas, he knew, would be on duty in Sickbay for another few hours, so he didn't bother to ring before running the descrambler on the lock. The doctor's quarters were neither neat, nor in disarray. There was a careful balance of order and disorder at work here, and Remor admired its aesthetic properties. Sitting at Lucas' personal desk, Remor set to work. From the onboard database, he brought up K'Tan's personnel record and personal logs and committed them to memory. Normally, he would have broken into the communications array with the intention of sending out a coded subspace link, but with Brandt loose on board, he had become concerned that there were possibly more operatives on the Tiberius than there were telepaths. No, breaking into the communications array was a feint, a false trail that would lead whoever was expert enough to actually notice the break-in into a dead end. The real signal was coded and disguised as subspace distortion from the warp engines.

"Well," said the one-armed Ferengi, who leered back at Remor over the comm screen. "If it isn't my favorite peeping Vulcan. What's the job this time?"

"Nothing major," Remor said. "I just need you to get some information for me."

The Ferengi looked disappointed, but sighed and said, "OK. Send me the specs and I'll see what I can do."

Remor hit a button, which sent the basic information on K'Tan to the Ferengi, who looked at his screen and smiled. "You want me to break into the Klingon Central Computer?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it," Remor said, returning a cold Vulcan smile.

"Shouldn't take a minute," said the Ferengi, still smiling. A fake Orion Syndicate "stand by" message accompanied by turbolift muzak replaced the Ferengi's image, and Remor chuckled at the tongue-in-cheek goofiness of it, given the high stakes. After a few minutes, an archive file appeared on screen and Remor downloaded it to a padd.

The Ferengi's image reappeared on screen. "That's everything they have on him. Not too exciting, I have to say. Seems like just another Klingon," he said, and then added, "except human."

"Like I said: nothing major."

"I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I've got a Breen privateer on the line," said the Ferengi. "And you know how they hate to be kept waiting. So, should I take the fifty strips of latinum from the same account as last time?"

"No," Remor said, hitting another button. "Take it from this one."

"Autorization," said the Ferengi, obviously looking at another screen that was no doubt keyed to the Bank of Bolias. Remor hit another button. The Ferengi fiddled around with the other screen for a bit, and then looked back up. "A pleasure, as always, mister . . . mister . . . what did you say your name was, again?"

"I didn't," said Remor, flatly. The Ferengi smiled a toothy grin, and then the screen went dark.

After erasing the evidence of his tampering and wiping down the computer display to remove evidence of his physical presence at the machine, Remor stepped out of Lucas' quarters and back into the hallway, relocking the door behind him. Now, he had to get rid of the equipment he had used, but that would be easy.

"Are you going to let me die?" Aria asked as she adjusted the sleeves on what could only be disguised as a tactical cat-suit.

"No," Aeric said as handed her a newly modified equipment belt. In it were various engineering tools and replacement micro-electronics. She had a newly redesigned phaser that had a pistol design that looked closer to earlier phasers, but something decidedly different than current Starfleet aesthetics. "How is the new phaser design?"

"A return to the pistol design seems more efficient and accurate," Aria said as she pulled a romulan cloak over her other clothing. "As I was saying before, I have no intention of dying and you have no intention of letting me die. Beyond that, there is a job to do. I have run the simulations and I know the risks. I might be young for the standards of our species, but I am as old as many of the human officers on this ship. This mission will be successful."

"Is that your opinion or do you have some fact to base that on?"

"My parents won't let the mission fail and will be motivated to greater levels of success because of the presence of family on the mission," Aria said with a slight smile. "It also helps that we have included replicated equipment from the new uniform prototypes. That will further distance me from being a member of Starfleet. I conquered death, with your help of course. I will not fail my role in this mission. "

Aeric nodded as he moved his tricorder over her form. Despite the delicate elven appearance, she inherited the dense musculature of a vulcanoid and the enhanced strength to go with it. Various nanite clusters that were distributed throughout her body were designed to heighten muscle reaction and efficiency. Other clusters were designed to regulate and enhance other biological systems. Aeric had spent years studying and reverse engineering every piece of Borg technology he could get his hands on. The mark III nanosystems were the finest that he could have designed, but they still didn't offer all of the abilities of Borg systems.

"If you really wanted to ensure the success of the mission, you would finish those Borg inspired personal shields," Aria said with a grin, knowing that her father's creation did not have the ability to generate personal shields. That would require implanted hardware that was beyond the scope of his project. Nanoclusters were as far as he was willing to go in terms of hardware above the nano scale.

"You should be happy to know that while shields are beyond the project, I am only a year or two away from creating a modified field that will allow you to bypass traditional shields." Aeric said.

"There's no way to get a rush job on that in the event of capture and incarceration?" the young hybrid asked as she double checked the fit of her clothing and the access to her equipment that it provided. "I'm going to need a field kit, but I will need the equipment to have a similar non-federation design and it would help if they received their power charge from the quantum technology. Not only will it allow for us to continue distancing our mission from Starfleet, the power signature would be decidedly different from standard Federation power signatures."

Aeric nodded. "I will see if engineering can cobble together some of the standard away team technology into the clothing hardware. I'm sure that someone has thought of a way to trim the equipment one needs to carry on an away mission."
"I agree. I was also thinking about adding a data storage device to my new girdle. I can access it without need for other external hardware and if I link it to my senses, I can create a detailed log of the events. If we outfit someone else with a similar girdle and one of the noetic communicators, we might be able to create a new standard in away mission equipment."

"The noetic communicators aren't ready for field use. If not configured precisely to the neural patterns of the user suffers from headaches and other potential neural trauma. We're going to have to hold off on issuing them to the away team. I doubt that I could attune more than one or two before you set off for the mission."

"I could do the same. That would give us four communicators that are nothing like the Federation standard. Do you think that the Romulans can decrypt digital transmissions on a psionic bandwidth?" Aria asked. "Two to four additional communicators would be a significant asset to the mission father."

"Speaking of parents," Aeric started. "Commander Sevryll doesn't want you going on the mission. She is acutely aware of the dangers that we are placing you in and I don't think she wants to risk you to that danger."

Aria smiled deeply. "That's the best news I've heard in some time, but I'm still going. I've been training for this. I know the risks. I know what to do if I get captured. My equipment is set. I'm going to take off my equipment and take a shower. Please inform the commander that I am aware of the requirement of the mission and the events to take should we encounter mission failure. Having been reminded of the potential danger, inform her that I am still committed to the success of the mission and the necessary actions should failure occur."

Aeric nodded. He didn't want to voice what would need to be done. Aria would destroy the Aurora, herself, and the away team if the mission required it. She knew the importance of the mission and the necessity of keeping their involvement secret. Part of him saw this as a young girl's attempt to impress her mother, but going on a mission together might give them the chance to bond in a way that that just passing each other on the ship prevented. Perhaps the potential of death would allow them to establish the bond that they were missing.

"Well first of all we are going to need to tone things down a bit.", Tain said. "I mean this is all good fun for us Colonel, but after all we already have a lifetime of close combat fighting to fall back on."

Khev looked at the Orion barely able to hide his surprise.  Did Tain really think what they just went through was fun??

Tain looked about the simulation.

"The setting for this sim is pretty good, but I think we need to start from scratch on the attack strategies. Have ya ever heard of the Stymian training technique? I've had really good results with it when I need to get some grunts trained quickly. The best thing we have going for us is that at least the party members already have some close combat training. Let me show ya an example"

Tain ordered the computer to modify the simulation, limited to one attacker with Stymian interaction. As the Romulan formed and attacked Tain, Khev noticed that for a brief moment before Tain struck the attacker, the exact spot where Tain struck him had been highlighted by a pulse of light.

Tain looked over to Khev.

"I see ya noticed the Stym target. That is the beauty of this training technique. Once the computer has been instructed to use Stymian protocol, it evaluated by hand to hand expertise from previous data, and quickly hightighted the best target for me. The Stym target will vary in it's duration and location dependent on the trainee's expertise."

Khev looked excitedly at Tain.

"I see, and the computer will adapt as the trainee improves?"

"Exactly.", Tain nodded. "Like I said I have had good success turnin maggots into men quickly using this technique."

"Well Mr. Tain, I think we need to contact Lt. Manrique right away. It looks like the three of us have some work ahead of us."

"Ya we do Colonel, we certainly do." Tain looked down at the Colonel and smiled evilly.

"Computer, restart program."

Tain roared in laughter as he dispatched his assailant, and saw the Colonel knocked to the ground, surprised by the sudden restart of the sim.

Sevryll entered the lift and turned to face the entrance just as the door closed ahead of her. "Deck 1," she ordered. After a few seconds of staring at the flashing lights, pulsing through the frosted lift panes, Sevryll remembered yet another engagement. "Computer, what is the current time?" she asked in a smooth, inexpressive tone. The computer met her impassiveness and raised it —responding in a pleasant yet detached feminine alto, "ship's time is 1100 hours."

Soon her children would have their midday meal, and their teacher had promised Sevryll a chair at their table. She planned on keeping that appointment and would watch the time closely to ensure that she did.

The lights slowed as the lift eased to a stop and the door swept open. The bridge was alive with the hum of the ships engines and the melodic tones of commands being keyed. She stepped out and someone announced, "commander on the bridge."

As she made her way to the First Officer's chair, Sevryll watched the viewscreen. A current of stars streamed passed them—they were headed for the neutral zone.  Captain Quinn turned when he heard the announcement and greeted the vulcan, "hello Commander."

"Captain." She nodded as she took her seat beside him.
"Are we on schedule?" She was referring to the rendezvous with the caravan of star ships, headed for peace negotiations. The head of that cavalcade was the USS Titan, and its Captain William Riker.

Will Riker...the man was known throughout the Federation as a valiant and dedicated officer. Unfortunately he also had quite the reputation as a ladies man, though Sevryll never could understand the fascination with the smug Terran. She reflected on her husband's overconfident nature... maybe she could understand the allure after-all.

"Nice of you to join us Ensign, so glad we promoted you to Chief Ops. Take your station Ensign". Starstriker gave Quinn a slight smile and took over at Ops. 

I'm sure my tardiness is great reassurance that my promotion is deserved, he thought to himself as he tried hard to hold his emotion at bay.  He could tell that the Captain understood that he was just going through a rough period and that he still believed Isaac could pull through.  I will come through this,  he thought to himself...I'll make him proud of me.   

As he glanced down at the ops board, Isaac heard the turbolift doors open. He turned to see a human walk onto the bridge. The man just had a presence about him... one of a warrior.  He dared not read the human's mind, after the Captain's reprimand.  Yet, if my mind wasn't in its current shape, no one would ever know.  He was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to, but supposed that his current condition was a lesson in humility. 

The feeling of the crew's presence gave him comfort.  Instead of probing individual thoughts, he merely wrapped their collective presence around him. It was at that point he realized why it comforted him... as long as he felt the crew, he was no longer alone. 

He turned back around and began to configure the board to his personal settings.  Since the battle with Acamarians, his settings had been lost and he hadn't had a chance to save new ones.

Would people distrust me after the stunts I've pulled?  He knew the senior officers would not speak to any of their subordinates regarding the incident  at the briefing, but he had also probed the thoughts of many outside the briefing. If they had detected him, their accounts of the young ensign's actions would spread across the ship like a wildfire.  Would they fear him or be angry with him?  Would they ever forgive him for his mistakes?  All he could do was wait and see. 

He saved his settings just as Quinn gave him a course heading.


King Linksr

Curious about her new home, Sareth desired to learn more and departed her quarters in pursuit of knowledge. Wrapped in an ornate robe, typical of Vulcan fashion, the professor casually wandered the corridors in search of interesting subjects with which to observe.

Diligent crew members brushed past her with unknown objectives, towards unknown destinations. She pondered the faces of those who indulged her with a courteous nod—each one distinctly different from the other. It was not unexpected to find an especially diverse crew serving aboard Tiberius; she was after all a professor at the Starfleet Academy and was accustom to the variance of species on campus.

Sareth entered a turbolift with two yeomen, who obviously were quite taken with each other. Though she stood beside them, they paid her no regard—each seemed disoriented by the company of the other. Sareth shifted uncomfortably as the couple preformed their ballet of coy conversation and she was thankful when they left the lift together at the next deck.

Unsure of where she was going, Sareth remained aboard the turbolift. A Terran-looking man entered soon after, and turned to face the door. Creases formed around his brown eyes as he greeted her with a friendly smile. "Deck 11, " he said. She nodded politely and wondered at the memoir of personal history scribed in lines upon his bronze face. When she looked away, he addressed her again, "we don't usually have many passengers aboard professor," he said in an attempt to make conversation.

"Indeed?" she replied inclining her head. The fact was not known to her, as she was not familiar with Akira Class vessels. "Are there no families aboard?" she asked. "Well, a few, but not many." He said, waiting for her to recognize him.

When she didn't, he introduced himself, "I'm Lieutenant Enapay Tashunka Witko. I was once a student of yours." She lifted an eyebrow in response. She never forgot her students...ever. She and her daughter were gifted with photographic memories, but somehow Sareth had managed to forget this man. "Forgive me, Lieutenant...."

He quickly interrupted, "Sioux tribal names are often difficult to pronounce. Call me Enapay ma'am," he replied with another quick smile.

The disturbing dreams I have been experiencing recently, must be disrupting more than just my sleep, she thought. She had tried in vain to contact her husband Krell, to verify that he was safe. Yet, not a single one of her messages had been answered. Sevryll had promised to look in to this for her and she was anxious to know what her daughter had learned. Sareth shook the image of Krell's bruised face from her mind and met Enapay's gaze.

"Forgive me Lieutenant Enapay, I had forgotten you until now. Yes, I remember... Your last name means 'Crazy Horse', does it not?"

"Yes it does. We once discussed my family lineage following class. I am glad you remembered me. By the way, you were my favorite professor."
She nodded at his complement. "What area would you suggest I visit next Lieutenant Enapay?"

"Oh, uh...I could show you the Machine Shop, but somehow I don't think you would be very impressed with it," his eyes were framed once more by deep creases as his grin pushed his cheeks upward. "The Primary Maintenance Support Center, Upper Flight Deck, and Flight Operations are  located on that level as well...I could direct you towards the areas that aren't restricted."

"I would like to see your machine shop first, Lieutenant Enapay," she replied.

"I'd be happy to show you ma'am...and please, just call me Enapay."

"Thank you, Enapay."

As they made their way through the corridor, Sareth's eyes fell on a young woman in the distance. Aria, stood in a door way, talking to a man. Before the girl looked up, Enapay showed Sareth through the entrance of the machine shop. "Here we are, "the Primary Machine Shop." The room was filled with equipment, operated by focused individuals. Periodically a crewman would look up from their project, to watch the lieutenant educating his guest on the function of a gadget another crewman was utilizing. She admired the care a particular ensign took as she tenderly repaired a segment of a damaged shuttle part.

Enapay lifted the part to inspect it, "Well done," he exclaimed as he handed it back to her.

"Hello Commander," said Nathan.

"Captain." Sevryll nodded as she took her seat beside him. "Are we on schedule?"

"Yes we should be rendezvousing with The Titian at 1600 hours," he replied.

Sevryll turned slightly to him, "I have compiled a short list of candidates for the away mission. Yet, I am sure that the Admiral has additions of his own; perhaps we should meet with him to discuss the mission further, so that our choices will be better suited for the operation. "

Quinn nodded his agreement, " I would like to take care of this before we meet up with the Titan. Let's set up a meeting at the Admiral's earliest convenience."

"Very well... I will inform him," Sevryll said as she stared at the stars stretching in bands of light on the viewscreen

As Sevryll stood, she turned her head to face Nathan, "there is another matter I would like to discuss with you sir; it involves my mother and father." She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze back at the viewscreen.

Quinn nodded and began to stand, " let's discuss this in my ready room. Lieutenant Tucker you have the bridge."

Sevryll followed as he made his way towards the room. Quinn entered and  walked over to the replicator, "Raktijino please, would you like anything Commander?"

"Vulcan Spice Tea," replied the first officer equably as she seated herself on the small sofa near the door. He gave the order and a glittering array of light particles formed a cup in the replicator nitche. Instantly, the scent of fragrant spices began to fill the room.

"What would you like to discuss?" asked the captain as he handed her the cup and saucer.

"My mother came to my quarters late last night, in an uncharacteristically, disconcerted state. She described a dream, in which my father appeared beaten and in much pain. I believe my parent's bond has enabled her to sense his condition."

Quinn sat down his cup and gave Sevryll a concerned look. "Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?"

Somehow managing to intercept her surfacing emotions and inter them deep within, she replied, "My mother and I are certain it was a vision."

Quinn stood "Does she know if he's still alive?"

Her voice trailed as she answered, "she does not know."

Quinn looked down at Sevryll and wanted give her a comforting hug, but knew hugging was not a custom to the Vulcan culture, so instead he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze , "I'm sure he's fine, have you told Admiral Talbot about this vision ?

As a contact telepath, she felt an instant gale of sympathetic emotion surge through his hand, and she stiffened slightly as he placed it on her shoulder. He noticed her reaction and removed it quickly. "I'm sorry, Sevryll..."

She held up a hand to still his apology. "No, please... it is alright, I am fine. I appreciate the gesture Captain. "

Quinn started to pace the room and she watched as he moved restlessly back and forth across the floor.   

"We may have to set our plan into motion ahead of schedule," he said.

"I agree. Lieutenant James demonstrated his department's training SIM in the holodeck. I believe his flight crew to be prepared, but there is much I must do to ready the individuals who will join the away team. I know you are aware of the  precarious nature of this mission. If we are discovered, or worse yet, captured, the peace negotiations will fail and the responsibility will rest squarely on our shoulders." Quinn stopped his pacing and sat on the edge of his desk. "Yes, I know," he replied in a voice laced with disquiet.

The doctor had worked the night shift and was ready to end his duty, the shift had been filled with the usual scrapes, sprains strains and usual work related injuries and a few sports related injuries from the holodeck that happen from time to time. He gave the day duty nurse, the day duty list and headed to the bridge.

It had been awhile since he had been their and he had a few special emergency beacons that he thought Commander Sevryll might be able to use in case of an emergency to beam personnel to the ship if it was in range. In any case, it would be an excuse to go some where other then 5 forward and sickbay which had been his life for the last few days.

He entered the turbo lift and headed towards deck one.

"Status report," Lieutenant James asked as he reviewed information on his PADD.

"Everything is a go," Chief Grant said as she closed a panel on one of the scoutships. The rest of the aero group waited to hear their commander's report on their inclusion on the mission.

"As you all know, the XO has sat in on one of our many training sessions and pending the captain's approval, it looks like we will be taking part in the mission." Aeric said. Smiles erupted around the room as they took pride in the success of their demonstration. "We will still need to go over our plans and equipment list with the marines in the event that they need to be deployed. I also want everyone assigned to the mission to get comfortable with the new uniform upgrades that we have been putting together with the aid of the science and engineering departments.  I'll speak with Commander K'arath on the possibility of including an emergency transporter system in the field gear."

While not an actual part of Starfleet, Aria stood with the members of the Aero Group as her father spoke. She was a key part of the plan and even with the Aurora's incursion technology, the addition of the escorts made her feel more comfortable about the success of her mission. "Are we going to have time to retrofit the scouts with the incursion technology?"

"No," Grant answered. "While the ability to generate a holographic exterior would have been an asset on this mission, we just don't have the time to upgrade the power and computer systems to support the technology."

Aeric nodded. "The chief and I reviewed the addition of the incursion technology to the scouts and we just don't have the time to complete the upgrades. I've prepared the reports that need to be submitted and if they are approved, we can complete the upgrades at the close of the mission. In preparation for the upgrades, I want Thela to work with the other pilots on the use of the technology."

Ensign Thela nodded. As one of the two andorian pilots of the alpha team, she had wanted to be in on the mission, but she took pride her new assignment. Since the lieutenant had taken over the department, he had been working with each of the team to make use of their individual talent. He had also been teaching them the basics of the technology and systems of the ship he brought with him. "Sir, do you already have a training program for the incursion system?"

"Yes," Aeric replied as he stood before the dozens of people that made up the aero group. "We need to modify it to better represent the scout systems, but I don't believe that will be a problem.  In other news, we are ahead of schedule with the other aspects of our mission. I am granting every team member two rotating duty shifts off. We have put in more work in the last few days than in the last few weeks.  Until the mission starts, everyone but essential personnel should take some time to relax. I would personally like to thank the pilots, flight controllers, and support crew for doing your parts to get us ready for the mission."

Cheers resounded on the flight deck as the lieutenant gave his orders. He had been working them hard to prepare for the mission. They needed time to refresh themselves and he would be a poor commander if he didn't take that into account.  Having said what he needed, Aeric turned his attention to Grant "Chief, after the break, I want you to begin a JAD session with the pilots on how best to implement the incursion and quantum technology into the scouts. Once that is done, put together a proposal on parts and time needed to upgrade the scout fleet."

"Aye lieutenant," Grant said with a smile. She had been waiting for a chance to get under the hood of the Aurora and using her as a template to adapt the two technologies was a good a reason as any to do that. "I'll assemble a JAD session and then we can see how to plan the upgrades. We can start by striping the current power systems from the remaining scouts and being fabrication of the new power core and holographic emitters."

"After you take time off," Aeric said. "I know that everyone on my team is dedicated and there will be a time when I need you to all pull double shifts for a mission. Enjoy the break now because we don't know when there will be another. Dismissed!"

Aeric watched as his crew began to disperse. He had been doing things alone for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was to be a part of a team. He watch as his daughter mingled with the other member of the crew and smiled to see how well she was integrating with them. Aeric knew how much she longed for a relationship with her mother, but he also knew that she needed to start being a part of this universe. Aeric glanced at his PADD and resolved himself to make an effort to become a true part of the crew.

Aeric tapped his communicator as he exited the flight deck. "Computer, send all department heads and senior staff the following message: Attention senior staff and department heads as we prepare to undertake a vital mission, I realize that we have yet to get to know each other. To remedy the situation, I suggest that we get together for a game of velocity or even poker, if the telepaths are willing to leave their talents at the door. I know that this is short notice, but I would enjoy meeting you all on a more casual level. Please let me know if your schedules will permit such an activity either before or after the current mission."

After her meeting with the Captain, Sevryll left the bridge to speak with Admiral Talbot.  Quinn was calling for another meeting concerning the mission, and she was on her way to personally request the assembly. There was still much they did not know with regards to Talbot's plans, and the Admiral had promised he would tell them more when they approached the neutral zone. The Tiberius was now only hours away from the border and more information was required in order to finalize away team choices and mission strategies.

Sevryll entered the corridor and strode with purpose towards the Admiral's quarters on Deck one. Talbot was toweling his hair when the chime sounded, indicating there was someone outside his door.

Johnny Manrique enjoyed his dinner with the doctor. Now with a full stomach, he satisfyingly walked down the corridor toward the holodeck to meet Lt. Tain and Colonel Khev. He was a bit excited to hear about working on a training simulation for the upcoming mission. However, he also needed to know what information Tain had found about the Vulcan civilian aboard the ship. Manrique entered the holodeck but did not have time to greet the two officers as he was charged by a Romulan wielding a dagger aimed at the lieutenant's head. Manrique prepared himself to neutralize the Romulan. Just before the dagger reached Manrique's head, Manrique saw two pulses of light appear on the Romulan's body—one was the Romulan's wrist wielding the dagger the other was on his face. Manrique leaned forward, raised his left arm and struck and blocked the Romulan's wrist with his left forearm while simultaneously striking the Romulan's face stunning him. He then pushed the attacking arm to the Romulan's body and saw two more pulses on his adversary. This time Manrique was instructed to attack the abdomen and the groin. Manrique violently raised his knee connecting with the Romulan's abdomen twice while still holding his arm. He was then going to kick the Romulan's groin and proceed to the final step of disarming him. But suddenly his attacker disappeared.

"Hahahaha. Sorry Lieutenant—I think you were having a little too much fun!" exclaimed Lt. Tain as he exited the front entrance of a Romulan house along with Marine Colonel Khev.

"I was just getting started! What'd you that for? We're gonna have to talk about you having fun at my expense Tain."

"Actually, I told him to stop the simulation Lieutenant," said Colonel Khev. "I just wanted to show you a little bit of what we've been working on. It was a little amusing though."

"Since you put it that way sir, then I'll say that it's looking good so far. I like the Stymian training technique. It's a great idea."

"Yes, it is. It was Lt. Tain's idea. I want the three of us to work together on the ground training simulation for this mission lieutenant."

"Sounds good to me. As you can already see, Tain is an excellent fighter and trainer. So do we know how many people are going down to the planet? Who is going? How will they be armed?"

"No not yet. However, we should know that shortly from Captain Quinn and Commander Sevryll," answered Khev.

"I think they should be armed with phasers if the mission allows it," said Manrique.

"If not then they'll have a good time using their fists and feet won't they?" remarked Tain.

"Yes they will. And  I'm confident that we'll train them well. However, we need to affirm that fighting for their lives is what they will strive to avoid. So we need to teach them to stay invisible in a sense," said Khev.

"Somewhat like Recon Marines sir?" asked Lieutenant Manrique letting the the Marine Colonel know that he acknowledged the expertise and exploits of Reconnaissance Marines.

"Yes, similar to Recon Marines," said Khev as he stared at Manrique with a glint in his eye.

For a moment, it appeared to Manrique that Khev did not mean to mention Recon Marines but rather something or someone else. Then he finally remembered to ask Tain about the strange Vulcan. "I almost forgot; I need to ask Tain about a security matter before we continue. Tain, what did you find out about our mysterious Vulcan friend?"

Dennis examined his reflection in the floor length mirror within Sevryll's empty quarters. The hologram that David had designed to watch over his family, looked exactly like his creator—something Sevryll evidently had a problem with. She was concerned that the children would be confused by his resemblance to their father and subsequently requested that Dennis create new, default appearance for himself. 

"Computer, alter form to reflect a Ferengi male." immediately, the chiseled features of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Terran were replaced by the snaggle-toothed , big-eared Ferengi. Dennis lifted his chin and turned his head from side to side to view his new appearance. A razor-sharp smile spread across his face and after a minute and he shook his head disapprovingly, "nope, it's just not me...but it would be great to see her reaction. Serves her right for asking me to change my appearance." He blinked at his reflection a few times before he requested another alteration.

"Computer, modify appearance to reflect a Borg male." Again, his image evolved to imitate a pasty face, bald cyborg with two bionic implants jutting from his eye sockets. Red beams of light reflected in the mirror, striking him in the face, "Ah...oh!" He turned away from the mirror as the pared crimson beams moved around the room—highlighting furnishings and bouncing off the viewports. He reached up to feel his face with a metal pincher, striking one of the eye implants hard. After howling in pain he exclaimed in an electronic voice,  "we hate this appearance! Computer, change us back to our original visage!" Right away, his image morphed into a tall, human male.

Thinking for a moment as he stood before the mirror, he finally said, "add a goatee." Upon his face appeared a thick growth of hair, starting below his nose and ending on his chin.

He considered his reflection for a minute before adding, "change hair color to...brown." The computer responded and his hair darkened to a light brown.

"Now we're getting somewhere," he said.

"Change the eye color to green. Now ...give me a strong jaw line. No, that's too much; reduce. That's better. 

Now, increase the thickness of my eyebrows. Great—now I have a unibrow! Subtract the hair between my eyes."

He moved in closer to examine his handy work in the mirror and smiled. "Make me taller."

"Specify parameters," replied the computer.

"OK, ummm...make me seven feet tall." Instantaneously, his height increased by six inches. Once he stopped growing, Dennis walked slowly around the room to try out his new stature. After trying on his size, he realized he'd have to duck to clear the doorframes.

"Uh, on second thought, make me six feet seven inches tall." He shrank three inches.

"Yeah, that's good. Now, increase musculature...but not too much, I don't want to look like a freak show." Dennis watched as his biceps increased to twice their original size and the thickness of his neck and pectorals doubled as well. 

"Great!" he glanced down at his legs, "but you forgot my legs...I look like a chicken. Increase the size of my calf and thigh muscles. Excellent...." Dennis flexed his muscles, changing position often and squeezing them to obtain the optimum effect.

After a few minutes of admiring his own physique, he made another request, "deepen my voice to a baritone. " The next time he spoke his voice was several octaves lower.

"Now, add some gravel to it...make me sound edgy." He tested out his voice, "you look'n at me? YOU look'n at ME?!" He smiled smugly at himself and sat at Sevryll's personal desk. Accessing the computer, he began to check on the progress made towards equipping the ship with holo emitters.  He leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head as his bearded face stretched into a handsome new smile.

A cool wind whipped around Aeric as he stood in the arena. Across from his stood his opponent, his daughter Aria. Both were dressed in black fatigues, boots, and shirts. Sand danced across the ground as he circled his foe.

Even without throwing a blow, they were locked in battle. Both were using their telepathic abilities to read the moves of the other. Both were reacting with possible counter attacks in thought alone. Aeric hadn't spent as many years as he wanted training in the martial arts, but he had learned enough to defend himself. Aria, on the other had, was a competitor. She honed the fury of her vulcan heart, not with logic, but with dedication. She had trained in the arts since her youth and she excelled at it. She was far better a fighter than her father in the holodeck, but when fighting someone with a mind, he was better. He could read more opponents at once than she could. It was her father that taught her how to read a foe for the upper hand and she was sure that he didn't reveal all of his secrets.

Between them, they had dispatched a dozen enemy combatants in half the time that they had been facing off. Both were looking for an opening that was almost impossible to find and the moment it was, the other moved to eliminate that opening. Being more skilled than her father, she found openings in his defenses far easier than he found them in hers, but he was better skilled at responding to her thought to close those openings. Each of these fights, she found that her father was getting better. His skill was increasing as he adapted to her thoughts.

With over a dozen training sessions behind them, the results were always the same. They were at another stalemate. Knowing this, Aeric and Aria bowed in unison to signal the end of the battle.

"You are getting better father," Aria said as she pulled her hair back. "I've noticed that some of your defensive moves in the simulations were based on ones that I had intended on using against your attacks in earlier simulations."

Aeric smiled. "Thank you, but I am not getting close to your skill level. I know what my body is capable of doing and I did pick up moves from you, but there is a vast difference in my thinking about executing them and actually executing them. Some of my thoughts were more bluffs than actual skill. I would have committed to the action, but I don't think that I could have pulled them off as well as I thought I could."

Aria laughed softly. "I know. I also know that as long as you are sure that you are going to commit to the action then I would be a fool to open myself to another attack in hopes that the one that you were thinking of would fail."

Aeric nodded. Due to the nature of his nanites, he had a measure of motor and mental control that could rival trained athletes. They both were at the peak of their physical abilities, but not beyond that. Their bodies and minds were honed to the best of their individual abilities, but nothing beyond that was possible with their systems. Each training session pushed their minds and bodies closer to always operating at peak efficiency and both knew that Aria would need every skill and talent she could muster on this next mission.

She wasn't doing it to save some faceless diplomat that got into trouble they couldn't handle. She was doing it to save her grandfather. She was doing it to show her mother that she was worth caring for. She was doing it to show her father that she wasn't a frail creature that he would lose again. She was doing it so that she could feel alive again, so that she could do something with her gifts that mattered. Perhaps they weren't the best of reasons, but they were her reason and she was comfortable with that.

"While that was fun," Aria said. "I need to get into the sonic shower. I have an appointment later."

"An appointment or a date?" Aeric asked as he moved to the arch and manually shutdown the program.

"I'm meeting with some of the crew from the flight deck for an after duty gathering in Five Forward."

"I hope you enjoy yourself." Aeric said as he gave her a hug then headed back to their quarters.

"Well Lt.", said Tain. "The only strange things I could unearth about are Vulcan, was the lack of information on him. I found some information on his Parisi Squares abilities, his poetry reading, and his love of political debating. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Tain gave Manrique a questioning look.

"In fact I was on my way to file my report when Col. Khev asked for some help. Since there was nothing of interest about Farock, I figured it could wait until we were done here. What was it that made you curious about this particular Vulcan, if I may ask?"

Manrique shrugged.

"There was just something about him that set off my radar. When we're done here, please file that report ASAP Lt. Tain. I will take a look at the data your gathered, and see if I can make anything further out of it."

Manriques brow wrinkled in though.

"It may be nothing, but I still have a weird feeling about Farock."

Manrique shook his head, as to clear away his thoughts.

"Anyway, lets look more at the simulation you and Col. Khev are creating. Oh, and Tain there is one more thing. I was going through some of the security logs, and I saw a discrepency that seems to come from Dr. Lucas's quarters. After you have filed your report, take an ensign and do a more in depth investigation. It's probably a glitch, but with level of sensitivity of this mission, I don't want to leave anything to chance."

Tain nodded back to Manrique.

"Sure thing Lt. We will go over the data with a fine tooth comb. I will let you know what we find. Hey Col., let's show Lt. Manrique what the sim can do on full ineractive mode."

He grinned at Manrique and laughed.

"Are you ready?"

    "Ah, Commander.  Please have a seat I was just cleaning up a bit.  I've been down in engineering poking around a bit.  Tiberius seems to have a fine Chief Engineer and crew down there."  Admiral Talbot said as he motioned for Sevryll to take a seat while he finished dressing.  He moved to open a drawer in a nearby wall panel and pulled out a casual brown tunic.  Talbot tended to prefer more casual clothing when off duty.  The Vulcan science officer noticed as he slipped the tunic on that for someone of the Admiral's age he seemed to keep himself in good shape.  This reassured her as the mission ahead was likely to be both physically and emotionally demanding.

    "Admiral, I don't mean to disturb you, sir.  But Captain Quinn feels we need to discuss further details of the mission ahead.  Would there be a time that is convenient for the three of us to discuss matters, sir."  Sevryll said, a bit more formally than she had intended.

    "Well, I was about to find you and suggest the same thing Commander.  I realized that there are some details we should discuss.  I'm assuming you and the Captain have been discussing the mission and team members.  I will trust your judgment on those areas.  Obviously I will be going as well as my two aides.  What I did want to discuss with you personally is your mother, Sareth."  The Admiral said to Sevryll.  She raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at the mention of her mother.

    "My mother, Admiral?  I'm not sure what you mean, sir."  The young Vulcan woman said as her back stiffened slightly.

    "Well, I'm certain your duty to your Captain and Starfleet has kept you silent with regards to our mission details and for that I am grateful.  However, since your mother is aboard Tiberius I think it might be advisable to inform her of what we are about to attempt."  Talbot said, taking a seat across from Sevryll.

    "And precisely what is it we are going to attempt, Admiral.  I was hoping to have more information by this point, sir."  Sevryll said, trying to contain the slight elevation in her voice.  It was her father that was on the recording that started the events of this mission.

    "First, let me say that I didn't intend to leave you and Captain Quinn in the dark.  I actually have little more to offer beyond what you already know.  I did receive a couple of messages over the past few months from your father on Romulus.  He said that he and Spock had been gaining some ground with various Romulan factions in their unification efforts.  I guess the whole Shinzon incident made the Romulans see the need for a more unified society.  But he did mention that there are still groups on Romulus opposed to any form of unification.  And here is the thing that shocked me.  Krell mentioned that there was talk of an opposing group of Vulcans that were against unification.  I know Vulcans have on occasion been slightly alien phobic over the centuries, however I thought they would see the Romulans as their long lost brethren."  The Admiral said as he got up and went to the replicator.

    "My people at times can be difficult to understand, Admiral.  But I find this news slightly disturbing, sir.  If there are indeed Vulcans opposed to unification we may find ourselves at odds with one of the founding members of the Federation."  Sevryll said.

    "Well, if there are Vulcans against this I have to think is a very small minority.  I spent a long time on Vulcan and I too have trouble understanding this form of logic.  In any case, I do think it would be time to inform your mother of the situation.  My plan is simple.  Slip in to Romulus as quietly as possible, find Krell and Spock and lend whatever assistance we can.  From that last message, Krell appeared to be injured.  I'm hoping it's not serious but we may need medical personnel on the mission too.  And if things are worse than we think, I have no problem pulling your father, Spock and his whole team out if needed.  Of course I hope it doesn't come to that.  I do believe in what they are doing.  Especially considering my own personal mixed heritage.  I know this is a lot to take in at once, Commander.  Perhaps we should continue this with your Captain present.  I'd be happy to go over any plans you have come up with to get us to Romulus and answer any questions I can."  Talbot said as he pulled a glass of iced tea from the replicator.

    "Yes, Admiral.  There is much to consider.  Let me discuss this with Captain Quinn and we shall contact you soon for a briefing meeting."  Sevryll said as she rose and headed to the door.  It opened with a quiet hiss.

    "Sevryll, I've known your mother and father a long time.  They are both strong people.  I can still remember how proud your mother looked at your graduation ceremony from the academy.  Of course she would never admit it, but she is extremely proud of you.  As is your father.  I can see you two perhaps have some issues, but I just wanted to let you know that."  Talbot said, as he smiled at the Vulcan woman's slightly surprised look.

    "Thank you sir.  I appreciate your comments.  I will consider what you have said.  Good afternoon sir."  Sevryll said as she walked quickly out of the door.

    "Well, Sirach you still really know how to put your foot in things."  Talbot said quietly to himself as he went back inside his quarters.

Earlier that day-

At his post at Tactical, K'Tan smiled with satisfaction. Although he was still fairly unfamiliar with the full capabilities of the Tiberius, he felt confident that the power distribution profile that he had just enacted would increase the ship's shield power and phaser output by 15% without draining power from any of the ship's other systems.  Not a staggering improvement, but he felt that he could achieve better results given enough time and experience. 

The LCARS configuration he had set his station to allowed him to run several tasks simultaneously.  Taking advantage of this fact, he had the computer run a software diagnostic on the new system settings while he pulled up yet another power distribution schematic. His heartbeat quickened as he imagined the possibilities.

K'Tan was distracted from his study by the sudden opening of the turbolift doors.  He glanced up just as a statuesque, coldly beautiful Vulcan woman stepped out onto the bridge.  K'Tan felt his breath catch in his throat, and quickly looked back to his station readout.

Vulcans tended to made him a bit uncomfortable.

While he always had an appreciation for the technical prowess of the Vuclans, K'Tan just couldn't bring himself to find merit in their cool, unemotional approach to life.  And having been brought up in a society that elevated warfare above all else, he couldn't come to terms with their decidedly pacifistic leanings.

Far outweighing any of these reasons, however, was the simple fact that physically, they closely resembled Romulans. 

K'Tan's adoptive people, the Klingons, had a long and colorful history with the Romulan Empire.  Dating back from the moment the two races first came into contact with one another, their relationship had been marked by brief periods of cooporation interupted by countless instances of brutality, deceit, and betrayal.  Add to that the fact that his biological parents had been murdered by a Romulan raiding party, and K'Tan felt that his unease was justified. 

It was more or less common knowledge that the Vulcans and Romulans shared a common ancestry.  And while the Vulcans seemed to pride themselves on being more controlled and stable than their warlike cousins, K'Tan sometimes had his doubts.  He had heard rumors about Vulcans sometimes loosing control of their tightly restrained emotions.  He had also heard stories about a Vulcan phase called "Pon-something or other", during which their repressed sexuality would finally overcome their emotional controll.  Fueled by lust, these Vulcans would supposedly be driven to fits of homicidal rage, lashing out at friend and foe alike.  K'Tan suspected that despite their claims, the Vulcans had a lot more in common with the Romulans than they would like to admit.

As the Vuclan woman walked towards the center of the bridge, the Captian looked up and acknowledged her.  "Hello Commander," he said.

So, K'Tan thought.  This must be our first officer.  His suspicion was confirmed  as she took the seat next to Capt. Quinn.  Pretending to study his controll panel, K'Tan strained to overhear their discussion.

The woman settled into her seat, then turned slightly towards Quinn. "Captain.  Are we on schedule?"

"Yes we should be rendezvousing with The Titian at 1600 hours," he answered.

The Titan! K'Tan thought with excitement.  The ship commanded by Capt. William Riker- a living Starfleet legend!

The First Officer regarded the Captain. "I have compiled a short list of candidates for the away mission. Yet, I am sure that the Admiral has additions of his own; perhaps we should meet with him to discuss the mission further, so that our choices will be better suited for the operation."

Away mission? K'Tan thought.  What kind of mission could they be going on involving the Titan,one of the fleet's newest ships?  Surely, it would be something glorious; a mission worthy of a warrior, an adventure worthy of song.  K'Tan's mind spun with possible ways he could get himself included on the mission.

As K'Tan brainstormed furiously, the First Officer stood and turned to face the Captain.

"There is another matter I would like to discuss with you sir; it involves my mother and father."  The Captain nodded knowingly, and rose from his chair.

"Let's discuss this in my ready room. Lieutenant Tucker you have the bridge."

As the Captain and First Officer left the bridge, K'Tan's mind reeled with questions.  What was this mission they were heading out on?  And how could he secure an active role in it?

Sevryll reflected upon Talbot's comments regarding her mother. Though tensions between she and Sareth were, for the moment, deferred, there remained many fractures to mend within their fragile relationship.

The admiral had spoken of xenophobic Vulcans, who were opposed to Unification. Though she did not feel it was the appropriate time to address the inaccuracy, Admiral Talbot was in fact, in error. It was not prejudice that caused those individuals to keep other species at arm's length, it was an innate desire to preserve the Vulcan culture and philosophy... and Sareth was one such individual.

Her father referred to the Romulans as estranged brothers and Sareth viewed them as prodigal sons. During one of their many debates on the subject, her father pointed out that Terrans told a story of a prodigal son who was welcomed back to his father's home with open arms. Sareth dismissed the parable for the mere fact that it was an Earth story. Sareth was accepting of other peoples, as long as they did not dilute Surak's teachings with beliefs of their own.

Sevryll's focus snapped back to the corridor that she strode through and she quickly recalled her next appointment. Addressing the computer she asked, "Computer, what is the time?"

"Current ship's time is 1200 hours."

Sevryll considered the work she had left to do and weighed it against the fact that she may not return from their mission to Romulus. Without a moment's hesitation, she changed her course and proceeded towards the makeshift schoolroom.

As she rounded the corner and entered the turbolift, she patted her combadge, "Sevryll to Captain Quinn."

"Quinn here," came his response.

"Sir, I have spoken with the Admiral. He has asked that you arrange a time for a debriefing between the three of us. Apparently, he has further information with which to divulge."

"Understood," said Quinn. "How does 1300 hours sound?"

"It is acceptable, Captain," she responded evenly.

"Excellent. In the mean time, could I interest you in a bit of lunch Commander?"

"I have a prior engagement sir. If you wish, you may accompany me..." She explained where she was going and reassured him she would only spend a half an hour with the children, before she returned to her duties."

Aurora moved her fingers over the holographic interface reviewing the schematics of a small orb shaped device while Aeric inspected the drive systems of the ship that as was named after. Since she had been brought online, only three people had been allowed to set foot on the ship. Now Aeric had allowed his flight deck chief to not only being training on repairing the Aurora, they were using her aid in fine tuning some of the systems.

Aurora had been discussing the various systems with Chief Grant and even went so far as to suggest that she become outfitted with one of the neural interface units. It was designed to allow members of the crew to directly connect to the ship's systems. Unlike the natural abilities of Aeric and Aria, this was an external piece of hardware specifically calibrated to one person and only allowed access to the Aurora's computer systems and general Starfleet communications. It wasn't just a piece of hardware that could quickly be brought only. Grant would need to undergo a detailed neural scan and that would require her to spend time within the better equipped medical bay of the Tiberius.

Grant was working in the small engineering section of the ship attempting to gain a better understanding of the various systems that made the Aurora unique. She had been more than happy to agree to the hologram's suggestion, but knew that it wasn't as simple as her agreement. For everything that she learned, there were a dozen more that she didn't know. She had yet to be given full clearance to access all of the Aurora's systems. She hadn't even been approved to be equipped with the interface. She would have to go through an additional series of security checks, but felt that her record and career would easily weather the increased scrutiny.

"Grant to Lieutenant James," Rina said as she pulled herself from under the primary quantum interface. "I'm getting a better understanding of the power systems, but my lack of clearance is preventing me from testing that understanding. Is there anyway to speed up the vetting process?"

Aeric leaned back in his chair and tapped his own badge in response. "Chief, I know it's a pain, but I am sure that we can get you cleared by the end of this Romulan mission. I haven't transmitted the requests because of the section of space we are currently in. As soon as we get back to a more secured area, I'll get you officially assigned to the Aurora Project as a part of your duties and that should clear up any of the security issues."

The truth of the matter was that the Aurora Project was Aeric's baby. He had sole ability to assign or refuse people to his project. When Aeric delivered the Corona, he met the obligations of his design agreement with Starfleet. The Aurora was his project alone and even though she and the Corona shared the same systems, they had more than likely branched apart since the completion of the ships. The Aurora was more than a ship to Aeric and his daughter. It was their home. He trusted his chief, but he needed to be absolutely certain of her before he trusted her with all of their secrets.

"Understood sir," Rina said as she glanced at the notes on her PADD. "I am sending you my notes on the power systems. I have been comparing them to the large scaled ones aboard the Tiberius and I've noted what might be a slight phase alignment with the primary plasma conduit."

"Receiving now. Please standby," Aeric said as the report appeared on his display. He quickly reviewed the chief's notes. "Your assessment was right. I'm going to transmit the layouts of the power systems and issue you authorization codes to work on the systems. We need the ship to be operating at full before our people ship out. Remember to store your notes on the onboard systems."

"Thank you sir. Grant out." Rina said. When Aeric invited her to work on the shuttle, he had informed her that all notes and specs would remain on the shuttle until he could get to her background check. Since he had given her access, Rina found herself spending most of her off duty time learning what she could and keeping Aurora company. While there were dozens of new systems and subsystems, they heart of the ship was still of Federation design. It wasn't as if she had to learn an entirely new ship, she just needed to learn on how the new systems interacted with the systems that she already understood. She also had the additional benefit of having been able to study the new power systems on the Tiberius as well. It had helped her in noticing that the power systems on the Aurora could use a little fine tuning.

Back in the cockpit, Aurora and Aeric resumed their individual work assignments. He was finalizing the diagnostics on the interphase and incursion devices while she reviewed the latest simulations of the emitter that her predecessor had began.

"Aeric, I think you are worrying too much," Aurora said as she faced him. "I know that this is the first mission that all three of your children will be going on without you, but you know that we are ready. Aria is more than ready, the ship is more than mission ready, and my new matrix is far more stable than the last one. We're ready for this."

"Is it that obvious?" Aeric asked as he sighed softly. "I'm a little concerned for everyone."

"We will be fine." Aurora said in a way that signaled that it was not up for debate.

"I know. I trust all three of you."

"Then trust us and let us do our jobs."

"Agreed," Aeric said as he rose from his chair. "You have control. I'll be on the bridge if you need me. Make sure you that you help the chief familiarize herself with the quirks of the engines."

"Aye sir," Aurora said with a smile. Although her base outfit was a Starfleet uniform, Aurora wasn't Starfleet. She was an independent hologram on an officially independent shuttle. She was programmed to serve the ship and although she deferred to Aeric and Aurora, she didn't follow the Starfleet chain of command. It was simple reminder that she would do what was best for Aria and the ship. Aeric nodded and moved towards the exit. It was time to finalize his mission plans and get his team briefed on what they would be expected to do. "I'll work to make sure that the chief gets familiar with the systems that she'll need to help fix after this mission."

Aeric just shook his head. Sarcasm and wit were something that he thought was necessary in her subroutines when she was designed and it was only them on the ship. Some decisions came back to bite you, but he couldn't love her any less than he loved his other children.

After an hour of fine-tuning the program, Colonel Khev saved the adjustments and thanked Lieutenants Manrique and Tain for their contributions. "I'm going to speak with Commander Sevryll, to set up a time for her team to begin training. As soon as I find out when, I'll contact you both to let you know." He shook their hands and started to leave, but stopped just inside the doorway, "not that the two of you would need my help, but if you need anything as far as that "Farock" character is concerned, let me know." They nodded and he left the holodeck.

"Computer, locate Commander Sevryll," requested the Colonel brusquely as he wound his way through the corridors.

The computer responded quickly, giving the Section 31 Operative the location of his wife. He smiled when he realized she was having lunch with their children, and promptly requested the deck that the schoolroom was located on. David only wanted to catch a glimpse of them; he'd wait until they were finished before approaching Sevryll.


When he entered, he saw the tall vulcan woman sitting in a miniature chair, at a tiny table, with their small children, eating petite portions plomeek soup. Yet the discomfort did not seem to concern her in the least, and she listened to them intently as they prattled on about their first day of school.

He watched as Sevryll lifted a small spoonful of the broth to her lips, then stopped to indulge their timid three-year-old daughter, as the child halted her mother's hand and blew on the soup to cool it. The act was one that M'rynn had learned from him, and Sevryll had no intention of discouraging the thoughtful gesture. "Thank you M'rynn," she said in a gentle tone. 

David fought the desire to scoop them up in his arms in a smothering embrace. He missed his family and cursed the profession that kept him from them. He watched for several minutes before Mrs. Noguchi approached him.

"Can I help you sir?" she asked.

The woman took him off guard, but his superior acting skills hid the fact. "I came to speak with the commander, but I can see that she's busy. I'll catch up to her later," he said as he turned to walk out of the room.

The teacher touched his arm reassuringly, "Oh, I'm sure she won't mind if you join them. She started across the room towards Sevryll, leaving David no choice but to follow.

Sevryll looked up to see the individual she had long ago felt enter the room. Mrs. Noguchi explained the situation to her and the commander nodded her approval. The children's teacher motioned to a fourth seat. "I'm sorry I can't offer you a larger chair sir," she chuckled. He thanked her and she left them alone.

"Are you sure you don't mind Commander?" asked the human disguised as a Romulan.

"How can I help you Colonel?" she asked coolly.

He lowered himself into the miniature chair and ignoring the question, he smiled down at the M'rynn and N'vall who peered at him curiously. M'rynn made no effort to recoil from the stranger, which both pleased and troubled him. Hopefully she does not suspect that this strange Romulan is actually her father, he thought to himself.

"Let me guess, you're M'rynn and you're N'vall," he said as he pointed at each child.

N'vall was the first to respond. "I am three, " he said proudly displaying three fingers—the response had become his preferred introduction.

"You're practically a man," said David with a chuckle.

He exchanged glances with his wife before turning to M'rynn.

"And you...are you three too?" he asked tenderly.

The little girl smiled, but said nothing.

"Who are you?" asked her twin boldly.

From the corner of his eye, David watched Sevryll straighten slightly. He wished he could answer truthfully, for he was just as tired of the lies as Sevryll was. He worked his jaw a moment as the little dark-eyed boy stared up at him, waiting for a response.

"Call me Khev," he said in a defeated tone.

The boy returned the smile and Sevryll felt a stab of sorrow prick her heart. She swallowed the emotion and interjected before the silence stretched too long.

"What did you come to see me about colonel?" she asked.

He tore his eyes away from their son to answer her question, "I've taken the liberty of creating a hand-to-hand training program on the holodeck. Two of your very capable security officers had a major hand in its development. I was hoping that you and your team would submit to a little extra training before our "trip"."

Sevryll was quite grateful for the opportunity, for she was more than a bit concerned for the outcome of their mission and the safety of her team. She thanked him for the forethought and accepted his offer.

"We should begin right away," he said.

"Of course. I am meeting with the Captain and Admiral in forty minutes, but I will be available afterwards." She replied.

He nodded and began to rise from the table. "Colonel... please stay," she said, resisting the urge to place her hand on his.

He slowly lowered himself back in the small chair and asked, "How's the plomeek soup?"

"It is not as appetizing as my own," she replied.

He countered with a grin, "I knew you would say that."

When crewmen passed them in the corridors, Sevryll and David masked their discussion with talk of the training program. When they were alone, the topic turned to his attempt to leave Section 31. Before his resignation could be formalized, he had to persuade his superiors to let him go. David reminded his wife that this was an exceedingly difficult task to undertake and that it could take years before he would be able to resign completely... he had been trying nonetheless.

"You have a talent for ruse; you could abscond.. change your identity...become someone else," she urged.

"I wouldn't make it far; they know how to track down their own," he said softly, not bothering to tell her about the explosive implant they tagged him with. "I'll figure something out. It's just going to take a little finesse... diplomacy takes time."

She asked the computer to locate Sareth and it pin-pointed her exact location. Sevryll and David entered the turbolift and the Vulcan requested deck 11. As the lift began it's descent, she considered the fact that Aria would be in attendance on the mission. David eyed her, thinking of the scene he watched unfold in Five-Forward with the young woman, who was not his daughter, who called his wife "mother".

Sevryll shifted uncomfortably, as she decided that the logical course of action was to buffer his impending raw emotion, with a cushion of carefully worded essential details. She doubted that it would defuse the inevitable fury, but it was her only option.

He considered his approach regarding "Aria" as well, and decided the best strategy was to simply candidly confront his Vulcan wife. He never was fond of tap dancing.

They turned to each other simultaneously,  and at the same time she said, "there is something we must discuss," he asked, "why exactly does Aria call you "mother"?"

She should not have been surprised that he knew; he was after all a spy, but she was nevertheless stunned. When she didn't respond right away, he continued, "I saw M'rynn approach her in Five Forward and when you entered the lounge, I could tell you were upset. I moved to a closer table so that I could see Aria's face and hear the conversation; I didn't expect the resemblance or the Ancient Golic Vulcan, but I picked out a few words like: "birth", "daughter", "mother" and "father". She's your daughter Sevryll, I heard her refer to you as mother."

Sevryll halted the lift temporarily, "she's not my daughter, she's a binary clone."

"Meeeeaning?" he asked.

"Meaning she was created with the DNA of two individuals," she replied cooly.

Narrowing his eyes he asked, "you had yourself cloned?"

She tilted her head and averted her eyes, "not exactly."

"Then what? How did this happen?"

She could not find a way to delicately word the details so opted for the full truth and proceeded to fill him in on how Aria was cloned. Sevryll was correct in her forecast of his reaction—he was furious, but not at her. It's not her fault...it was the creator of that blasted prototype ship I can't gain file access to! He thought to himself. He gritted his teeth and clinched his fists. She hadn't told him who's DNA made up the rest of Aria, but she didn't have to... David already knew.

"Calm yourself, your anger will solve nothing," she said as she reached for his clinched fist. He took her hand and looked into her eyes; he could see the worry reflected deep within them and he softened his own expression slightly.

He nodded slowly, but she could tell he was still mulling it over in his mind. There was nothing more she could do now, but warn Aria and Areic that a storm was brewing. 

She resumed the turbolift's descent and attempted to continue holding David's hand. She had to let go after only a few seconds, for the anger he held inside was too much for her to manage. When she let go, he understood why and attempted a smile. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm not going to kill him." Within the privacy of his own mind, he pondered how he was going to kick Areic's teeth in without blowing his cover as Colonel Khev. 

"Computer, access all information relating to security contingent for Admiral Talbot." Aeric said as he worked on reconciling the familiar mind that was serving on the detail. Information and images on the marines quickly scrolled in the air above his console as the holographic interface performed its function. "Computer, do a detailed temporal analysis of Colonel Khev's service record in all available timelines."

Aeric closed his eyes as the information processed and linked directly to his ship's systems. Information flowed through his mind as he reviewed the information and looked for a connection between himself and the colonel. The mental presence of the mind was too familiar and without prying directly into Khev's thoughts he wouldn't be able to place the presence without additional research.  Aeric should have done this investigation when he first sensed the familiar mind, but he had instead focused his time on preparing his team for the mission.

The problem with being a temporally aware being was that he encountered numerous familiar faces and minds. Faces and minds that would fade in one timeline only to reappear several timelines later. Aeric knew that this wasn't the case. The mind was familiar, but the face wasn't. For him to remember it that clearly, that mind had to be attached to someone close to him. There were only a few people that he consistently looked after from time to time and that was where this mystery would be solved.

Aeric thought back on where he first encountered that mind. He thought back on the first timeline that he felt the need to impress the man's presence in his memory. When the realization came to him, Aeric disconnected from his link. He knew the man well. He was also quite aware of how persistent the man could be.

"Computer, transmit an invitation to Colonel Khev to meet to discuss his team's role in the upcoming mission." Aeric then turned his thoughts to Aria and Aurora. Using his talents he initiated an encrypted communications channel with Aurora, who was presently testing her new emitter device within the halls of the Tiberius. "Aeric to Aurora. I need you and Aria to go to one of the holodecks on the Tiberius to do a final run through of the mission. I have some private matters that I need to deal with on the Aurora, but I will advise you of the results when complete."

"Understood," Aurora responded. It wasn't the first time that she had to make herself scarce for certain aspects of their mission. With the addition of Aria to the team it had become her job to also keep her biological sibling protected from some of the aspects of their father's missions. She didn't need to ask questions, she trusted her father enough to understand that he would fill them in if and when it became necessary. "Aurora out."

Aeric sat back in his chair and waited for his guest to arrive. If his suspicions were correct, this might become the turning point that would allow him to fulfill his promises to people that didn't survive to this timeline. The colonel could be his best asset in his mission or his staunchest opponent. Aeric needed to do what was necessary to ensure that the colonel took a similar perspective to his objectives. It was only through having a talk with the colonel could Aeric achieve his agenda. Hopefully the few dinners he had had with the man in other timelines gave him enough information on the core personality of the man. If the personality of this man was close to the man he knew, Aeric could use that to his advantage. If he wasn't, Aeric would have to alter his plan on the spot and that could get dangerous.

"Computer, prepare to initiate a level ten communication lockout on my command. No signals should be transmitted or received while we are in our meeting unless it is an emergency." Aeric said. If this man was anything like the many he knew then there were secrets that both men held and those secrets needed to be protected for the sake of family. Aeric thought that if he had a strip of latinum for every rule he bent or broke for the sake of family, he would rival the Grand Nagus in wealth. "When authorization is given, also initiate a level ten lockdown on all systems to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the ship until I establish otherwise."

"Orders confirmed," replied the computer's voice as it processed the command.

David had to be satisfied with a knowing look in Sevryll's eye for after several crew members boarded the lift, there were no further opportunities to speak with his wife. He nodded respectfully to the Commander and left her behind on the turbolift.

As he settled into the chair at his personal desk, David accessed the computer to check for messages from his agency. The encrypted missive he had received did not come from Section 31, but from the man he sought to confront regarding Aria's creation. Lieutenant Aeric James was inviting him to "discuss matters" aboard the Aurora. Sevryll had told David of a similar secretive meeting with Aria, aboard the same vessel...it seemed Aeric and Aria were rather fond of keeping the ball in their own court.

If he was willing put himself in such a predicament, David would need to ensure that all his bases were covered. He wasn't a stupid man and he wouldn't risk being cornered by the individual who was responsible for stealing his wife's DNA.

He removed a modified transporter node from the desk drawer. Section 31 had duplicated the technology found embedded within the body of "One", an advanced Borg drone formed from the merging of nanoprobes from the reformed Borg, Seven of Nine, and a mobile emitter. The original device allowed "One" to transport himself at will, without relying on external technology. Since Voyager's return, the device had proven quite useful to Section 31.

He attached it to his chest and removed four more implements from the drawer. The first was a miniature device that operated much like a Klingon pain stick. The second was a hand held neural neutralizer, designed for the expressed purpose of selectively eliminating memory engrams from the mind of an individual. He concealed the devices within the pocket of his jacket and fitted his right fist with a pair of Tritanium knuckles. In his trousers he placed a pair of binders.

David decided he would honor his beloved wife by endeavoring to refrain from violence, but if Areic didn't cooperate... he wouldn't hesitate to encourage the jerk physically. Never the type to RSVP, he subsequently transported to Aurora from his quarters on Tiberius.

Remor entered the arboretum and pulled the padd from his coat. He had planned to review the history of the new crewman in the privacy the arboretum offered, but when he activated the padd, a message blinked three times. "31. Watch your back," it read. When the message disappeared, the file on K'Tan replaced it, but Remor switched the padd off, too distracted to read further.

By Cardassia's infinite sands! Remor felt his guts twist with unease. Brandt and the Tal'Shiar black ops goons were bad enough, but Section 31? Could the Ferengi be right? If he could be trusted, Remor would need to watch his step. The normal Federation folks might be soft and lax in their security, but Section 31 was not an organization to be crossed. These people made the Order nervous—and no one makes the Order nervous. Remor had personally known nine seasoned Order operatives who had gone up against 31 and were never heard from again. The Tal'Shiar had lost far more agents, and rumor had it that 31 had a sympathizer in the Romulan government. This wasn't to say, however, that 31 won all its battles. The Order had captured its fair share of 31 spooks, many of whom took their own lives before being interrogated. Those who were interrogated provided little, but what they did reveal helped the Order reshape its own methods. These people were serious. Remor almost didn't want to know who the agent was, but he finally regained his composure. If he found out the identity of the agent, he or she would no doubt get wind of it, and Remor's life would be over. But if he didn't find out, the agent would eventually find out about Remor's existence (at least as a Tal'Shiar operative), and kill him anyway. At least by finding out, he would have a fighting chance. Before leaving the arboretum, Remor had one final thought. What if he found the 31 spook and revealed his true identity? As part of a defunct spy organization, maybe he could convince the spook that he was a non-threat. He had a few low-level secrets to trade.

And if it came down to it, he could trade Brandt.

The computer chimed at Aeric's console to let him know that a transport was taking place. Taking a slow breath, Aeric watched as his guest materialized and extended his senses outwards to sense for any technology that might be considered harmful.

"Thank you for coming colonel," Aeric said as he rose from his command chair. He made sure to make eye contact with the colonel as he closed the distance between them. "Computer engage privacy mode."Hearing the word. privacy mode David squeezed his fist so tightly that the Tritainium knuckles dug into them.

With the command given, the Aurora entered interphase mode and began blocking communications and transport to or from the vessel. Aeric knew that this colonel was a trained fighter and if he was the man he suspected he was also a trained killer. If things went bad, Aeric needed to keep the battle in his favor.

"I thought it best that we speak in private. You never know if there is a spy just around the corner." Aeric said as he lifted his PADD and pretended to review the information on the screen. "I have been reviewing your history and I have some concerns. Colonel, for all intents and purposes, you abandoned your family to pursue a career in an organization that is fully opposed to everything your people believe in. Now you might find yourself working hand in hand with them.  For the sake of the mission, I need to know if you are up to that. Have you considered how your family, especially the younger among them, would feel if they knew that you have returned but hid yourself from them for the sake of a career they could never approve of?"

Joint post by Just X and Jen
---

David did not move from the beam in point. "This snake is criticizing me?" he thought to himself. David had become an operative of Section 31 long before he met and married Sevryll. He hadn't abandoned his family, he was trying to abandon the agency. 

It was obvious the man suspected who and what he was; it was also clear to David that he couldn't leave Aeric with that knowledge. He remained calm, his eyes casually scanning the room for countersurveillance. He should have insisted on a neutral area, but that was not a luxury he had aboard Tiberius.

"I came here under the impression that you wanted to discuss the mission, Lieutenant. Instead, you speak to me in riddles." Khev conjured a cheshire smile before continuing,  "I'm no poet, but I have a riddle too, " his smile expanded as he stroked his chin for effect and looked up as if recalling the words.

"Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly; 'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.' You do have a very pretty little ship, Lieutenant Spider. Do you use it for ill of for good? I've heard that it was used for illegal activities ...I believe the word cloning was mentioned once or twice."

At the very moment that Areic and David traded witty remarks, Sevryll contacted Aria on her way to collect Sareth for the next debriefing. "Where are you?" came Sevryll's voice through the com. Surprised, Aria had paused her program to give her full attention to the Commander.

She glanced at Aurora and replied, "I'm in Holodeck 2 with Aurora. Is everything alright," she asked.

Not wishing to give the girl any details, she simply replied, "you and Aeric may be in danger."

"What sort of danger?" Aria asked. Her holographic sibling quickly turned her attention back to her controls. "Father sent Aurora and I to the holodeck and I think Aurora knows more then she's letting on."

"He is having a meeting with the colonel and he didn't want to be disturbed." Aurora said. "I don't see a danger in that." Aria nodded and relayed the information to her mother. Sevryll could do nothing more but hope that David would behave himself. She found Sareth and instead of explaining the mission to her on the spot, she brought her back to the Captain's readyroom to attend the debriefing.

On the Aurora, Aeric smiled brightly at David. "Very well, no riddles. Why are you back David? Why haven't you seen the children using your own face? They deserve better than what you have been giving them. Severyll deserves better than that. You screwed up and I'm going to help you fix it because if I messed up, she would have done the same for me in numerous timelines."

Aeric moved slowly towards Khev, hands open, in a gesture to show that he was unarmed. "We have both lost children due to the missions that we have undertaken, because of what we thought was right. Aria isn't just some clone of Sevryll and myself. Her body was grown using the original genetic sources and then implanted with her original katra. In another timeline, Aria was born to Sevryll. In this one, she had to improvise her rebirth. Yet, her new body has been protected from being erased again."

David was pretty sure the man was a Temporal Investigator. Agents from that bureau were pompous and he didn't particularly care for the tone in Aeric's pretentious voice. Ordinarily, he would skin the man alive for suggesting that he had abandoned his family, yet if he peeled his flesh off the guy's bones it might be bad for his relationship with Sevryll.

David was careful not to give Aeric the impression his feathers had been ruffled; instead of reacting with hostility, he ignored the attack on his integrity and coolly responded, "You people are so full of yourselves...so certain that you're protecting the timeline. How do you know it didn't correct itself when Aria disappeared the first time?" He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes, "you could be in violation of the temporal prime directive simply by bringing back an individual time erased. I won't even ask how that girl came to be the first go-round...I don't want to know. What matters is that you designed something that's a hazard—a potential risk to the Federation. Something that can create life and does it with no regard for the people it violates in order to do so. I can't allow that to continue."

Joint post by Jen and Just X

-------------------------------

Aeric frowned. "There is no correct timeline. From the moment beings gained the ability to travel through time, it has remained contaminated. The Federation and your employers have nothing to worry about; the recreation of Aria was a unique situation. As for the temporal prime directive, Aria existed in several timelines before the current one. By the wording of the edict you mentioned, bringing her back would be required under the Temporal Prime Directive, but that's not why we are here."

It was against his better judgment but Aeric motioned to a PADD on the console. In it were the various divergence points in the timelines where Aria was born and the current one.  "It's a lot to digest... I'll give you time to catch up. Then we can discuss how we save both of our children and the people we care about.  While you read about that I want you to imagine what you would do to save the twins if some idiot tampering with history erased their existence."

David hesitated a moment before taking the PADD from Areic. "What's this?"

"Several timelines worth of your history," Aeric started. He already knew that the PADD contained information on every encounter he had with David over the years. Topics of conversation were noted in each of the entries. Aeric and Sevryll were the closest of friends in many alternate timelines and that connection was clear in the notes, images, and logs provided by the PADD. "As you can see, your relationship with Sevryll is a recent development in this timeline. You were persistent in many others, but this is the first where you actually talked her into marrying you. Should we correct that as well? Are you comfortable with the idea of your children just vanishing the next time someone decides to make a change in an attempt to "better the timeline"?"

Aeric gave the man a moment to absorb the information before he continued. "Since you don't remember the changes, you don't have to worry about coping with a loss like that. I however, do. Servyll and her family are family to me even if they don't remember it. If we work together, we can protect the people that we care about and maybe even put you in a place where M'rynn and N'Vall can be proud of their father.  If we work together, we can protect the people that we care about. Are you interested?"

Aeric didn't wait for the man to respond as he walked past him and headed towards the medical bay of the shuttle. Aeric really didn't approve of the career choice of his guest, but he was Sevryll's husband and that meant that his promise to her aunt, Admiral Elisabeth Tucker, extended to David as well. He needed a way to bridge David's distrust of him and there were only a few things that he could achieve that in the time they had left. "When Aurora returns, she can help you remove your prosthetics. The security of this ship will give you time to spend with your wife and the children as their father, before the mission begins. I need to review the technology that you have hidden on you to see if it can be an asset on the mission, but I can do that while you spend time with your family."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," thought David as Aeric passed him on his way to the Medical Bay. David stood and walked into the corridor so he could keep an eye on Aeric. As he stood in the entry of the hallway, David skimmed through the images and details of he and Sevryll's life in alternate timelines. Apparently he had been nothing more than a unremitting suitor to Sevryll in previous versions of reality; chased off by the cultural intolerances of her mother and Sevryll's submissive respect for the woman.  According to the information Aeric had presented him with, in each time line Sevryll became more independent and self-determining. In David's own timeline, she had finally shrugged off her mother's overbearing narrow-mindedness to pursue her own interests.

He looked up from the PADD and raised his voice so that Aeric could hear him from the medical bay, "you're offering me a job lieutenant? " David stifled a chuckle, "look, I've been trying to leave Section 31 since the day I met Sevryll. They haven't accepted my resignation in the six years that I've known her. What makes you think they'll agree to it now?  Even if I did accept your proposition, there's a device embedded in my neck that will blow my head off the minute they realize I've gone AWOL." He turned back to the PADD. "Then there's the fact that I'm going on this mission with Talbot. The Admiral knows me as 'Colonel Khev', if "David Lock" suddenly shows up... I'll be summarily tossed in the brig. Consequently, I was assigned to this mission to "keep an eye on the old man". I've translated those loosely defined orders to mean: "protect at all costs", and I've naturally extended those commands to encompass my wife and father-in-law.  Nope, I always finish what I start Lieutenant... I'm not going to quit now, too much is at stake."

"I am offering you your freedom." Aeric said as he reentered the hallway. "We have a gentronic replicator aboard that can create body parts on a quantum level. Combine that with my new series of nanites and I'm sure that we can eliminate any unwanted technology inside you. I wasn't suggesting that we remove the prosthetics permanently. They will be put back on after you have had a chance to see your children and tell them that you will be working with their grandfather for a while. Before the mission is complete, the Colonel will suffer a tragic death and what was left of his body will be confirmed by the medical officer aboard the Aurora."

Aeric leaned against the wall and watched his guest as he lowered himself into the chair at the end of the corridor. "When their grandfather finally returns home, he will do so with a close family friend who ends up making a connection with Sevryll and her children," said Lieutenant James

As the Tiberius knifed through the inky blackness of space, the only things separating its crew from the cold, harsh vacuum were the duranium shell of its hull and the invisible, pulsating energy of its warp field.  Within the circular command bridge of the ship, a group of humans and humanoids toiled at their various work stations, each playing his or her role in the operation of this mechanized Avatar of the Federation.

At the tactical station, K'Tan heard his monitor give a soft, warbled beep followed by the familiar feminine voice of the ship's computer- "Diagnostic cycle complete.  All software routines are operating within normal parameters."

Satisfied that his settings were sound, K'Tan forced down his musings on the Tiberius' current mission and focused on his job.  As the tactical officer on duty, his job entailed not only keeping the ships offensive and defensive systems in optimal condition, but also encompassed maintaining short and long range sensor sweeps.  While the ship sped through space at warp speed, these scans served to alert the crew to the approach of any spaceborn objects too dense to be swept aside by the craft's deflector shield, as well as keeping them appraised of the approach of any hostile vessels. 

Still curious about the capabilities of the Tiberius, K'Tan boosted the signal strength to its maximum.  The sensor return revealed scattered traces of harmless stellar dust and ice crystals stretching off to a point two lightyears ahead of the ship, after which the readings dropped off. 

Let's see if we can extend sensor range, K'Tan thought to himself. 

Fingers dancing nimbly across the tactical interface, K'Tan pulled up screen after screen of power distribution schematics.  As his eyes settled on the bio-science department's power usage, an idea began to take root.  K'Tan keyed in a text query- Exactly how many of the ship's science labs were currently being used?  His lip turned up in a grin at the computer's response:  Of the more than 2 dozen science labs currently being fed power by the ship's reactors, only 5 were currently being used by the science team. 

What a waste, he thought to himself.  K'Tan keyed in a set of commands routing power from the idle science labs to the ship's active sensor array.  After a minuscule pause, he saw that the range of the sensors had been tripled.  Instead of two lightyears, he could now scan an area stretching up to six lightyears ahead of the Tiberius.  Sliding his finger along an icon on the interface, K'Tan extended the area currently being scanned to its new limit.  As the sensor range increased, the innocuous ice-crystals and bits of stellar dust being detected were suddenly overshadowed by a glaringly incongruous blip on the tactical monitor.  At this extreme range, it was hard to be certain, but it appeared that there was a mid-sized flotilla of ships approaching on an intercept course with the Tiberius.  Heartbeat quickening in anticipation, K'Tan turned to the officer currently in charge of the bridge.

"Lieutenant Tucker, sensors seem to be picking up the warp signatures of several ships on a direct intercept course with us..."

Ensign Isaac Starstriker looked up from his board.  For some reason he had thought he had heard Quinns voice.  'Maybe in my head'...he heard the new tactical person say "Lieutenant Tucker, sensors seem to be picking up the warp signatures of several ships on a direct intercept course with us..."  Startled by this, he looked down at the sensor portion of his board and sure enough he could see warp signatures.  "Maybe its the convoy of Starfleet ships to the Romulan Neutral Zone?" asked Isaac.  "Or a fleet of Romulan Ships invading our space" rebutted Enoch while smiling at Isaac in the helms position.  Isaac smiled and looked at Lieutenant Tucker.  Tucker asked "Can we get a fix on the ships?"   


King Linksr

Sevryll entered the bridge with her mother. "Can we get a fix on the ships?" barked Lieutenant Tucker as he looked back at the new tactical officer. The tall Vulcan Commander left Sareth standing near the turbolift and approached lieutenant K'Tan's station, to review his data.

Unfortunately, the rigged sensors could not determine the precise stellar coordinates,  but K'Tan could easily read the baring, "bearing three-two-zero mark one-five," meaning the contingent of ships was approaching the Tiberius's port side, slightly forward and slightly below—they were coming from the neutral zone. As K'Tan zoomed out, Sevryll noticed how he was able to detect the distant ships. He had rerouted power from her science stations. She arced an eyebrow and slowly turned her gaze from K'Tan to Tucker. "We are expecting them, lieutenant. It is the Titan." She turned back to K'Tan and nodded in approval of his ingenuity, then escorted her mother into the readyroom where Admiral Talbot and Captain Quinn waited.

Back on the Aurora
Joint post by  Just X and Jen

"When their grandfather finally returns home, he will do so with a close family friend who ends up making a connection with Sevryll and her children."

Aeric drew a breath before continuing, "unfortunately, if you weren't born with my unique ability, the only permanent way to protect an individual from a temporal incursion is the nanite system that I designed. The core purpose of the system is to protect the host from temporal incursion, but each system must be customized to each host and that takes more time than we have now." Aeric said. " If you have any doubts, I am prepared to share thoughts with you, but I will warn you in advance that the human mind isn't designed for easily processing the volume of information I would have to share."

It was an enticing offer and David pondered Aeric's suggestion for a moment in silence. Sevryll detested lies and even though Aeric's proposition allowed David to keep his pledge to her and leave Section 31, it meant he would be forcing her to live the rest of her life dishonestly. If he left the agency on his own terms, there was some hope that he could continue life as the father of her children, rather than some nobody who managed to successfully woo her. No... there was still a lot he needed to know before he could seriously entertain Aeric's scheme.


"That won't work lieutenant. At least I'm working towards leaving the agency with my name in tact. If we do it your way, I have to continue perpetuating a lie. I can't ask her to maintain the deception, it's too much to ask. As it is, keeping my presence on the ship a secret could mean her court-martial."

Aeric nodded. "That's honorable, but we still have a situation. We are coming upon a point in the timeline that may become important to the future. With the new temporal shields, the crew is somewhat protected, but those not on the ship won't be protected."


"My job is to help correct the timeline, but I am not going to risk my friends if there is a means to protect them.  Key events are a possible target of a temporal attack, and without everyone on that away mission protected, we're at a loss. Can I trust you? Will you help me?"

The Romulaan pressed and twisted the Tritanium knuckles into his opposite hand. Though the Section 31 Operative was aware of the existence of alternate timelines, he wasn't sure he believed everything Aeric had told him. Just because the creative details of their alternate lives appeared on a PADD, didn't mean it was gospel; of all he people David should know that. There was no time to do his due diligence, yet he couldn't just take the guy at face value; he'd be one lousy spy if he did. To top it all off, his analytical wife would never agree to the nanite injections, and frankly he didn't blame her. To put it lightly, Borg technology was taboo.

"We'll take our chances Lieutenant. We're not going to inject ourselves or our children with that second-hand borg junk. You can keep it. You want my help? Show me something a little more concrete than some doctored images and imaginative backstories. I want irrefutable, tangible evidence."

Aeric listened to David as he requested proof and thought of only one thing that could convince him and him alone. He was only slightly offended that his technology was being referred to as "second hand Borg junk". As much as he hated the Borg, they were right in adapting their existence to new technology and adjusting to it. Aeric had only begun to fight fire with fire and his system was the first step. "Computer, unlock storage locker containing temporal artifact 37-B. Authorization James fourteen-thirty-alpha-zero."

On Aeric's command, one of the small storage lockers opened to reveal a small jewelry box. Aeric retrieved the box and moved to hand it to David. "This was recovered in another timeline. If you want I can share the memory of that event with you, but her rejection was far from the most pleasant moment in your life. Feel free to quantum scan it or do whatever you need to clear your doubts. After you are done, we can discuss how to protect the team on the away mission and how to give the commander back her family."

Inside the box was a custom made engagement ring that David had given Sevryll, in one of the alternate timelines. When she had refused the proposal he insisted that she keep it. Her Vulcan logic prevented her from seeing any reason for keeping the golden band and had every intention of discarding it. Aeric asked to hold it for her, "you may want it back one day."  Yet he had another reason for taking the object. Because of the ring's small size it could be protected far easier from temporal flux and it would confirm his account of the timeshifts to Starfleet Command. Aeric could only hope that this David had some contact with a similar ring.

The operative opened the box and lifted the small ring to examine it. The 18k white gold band was carved and texturally enhanced with milgrain edging. He rolled it in his hand to count the round full cut diamonds that accented the engagement ring's band. There were twenty four in all, the number of months he had known her.

The day David "acquired" the ring, a pickpocket made the mistake of lifting it from his coat. Apparently the operative's elderly disguise was quite convincing, because the pick perceived him as an easy mark. David knew it was the "sandwich" technique the second it occurred; an individual stall-stopped in front of him suddenly, and the pick bumped David from behind, lifting the ring from his pocket. Before he could stop the man, David's colleague, Gaius, incinerated him with a phaser. David couldn't afford to have a second ring made to the same specifications, so he had another created that would appeal to Sevryll's practical Vulcan sensibilities.

"I don't have the proper equipment to verify your claim. I'll have to scan this back on Tiberius."

Tain sat in the main security briefing room and awaited Lt. Manrique's arrival. As usual Tain was early, something he took pride in. The doors opened and Manrique walked in. He saw Tain sitting there and smiled at him.

"Well Tain, you may have some faults, but punctuality is definitely not one of them."

Manrique took a seat at the table.

"So what do you have for me today?"

Tain looked down at his datapad.

"I guess the biggest event was looking over the security discrepancy in Dr Lucas's quarters. The Dr. was a bit ... well .. upset  with our investigation. I took Ensign Rieman and Brinst with me and had them start looking into things. When I got down there the good Dr. was lighting into them right well. Poor guys looked like they were confronting a Centarian Remorz!!"

Tain chuckled as he remembered the looks on the ensigns paces.

"I showed up and he started up on me."

Tain glanced over at Manrique.

"There is a possibility that you might hear more about this sir. I did have to 'persuade' the good Dr. to let us get about our business."

Manrique suppressed a smile. He had already heard from Ensign Rieman about Tains persuasion. Rieman said that while Dr. Lucas was yelling at Lt. Tain, the Lt. just stood there silently. When Lucas finished Lt. Tain quietly bent down, picked the Dr. up, and deposited him out of the way of then Lt. Tain then laid his hand on Dr. Lucas's shoulder and quietly told the Dr. that he thought it would be a healthy thing, if the Dr. would let security do it's job. Ensign Rieman said that after Dr. Lucas had recovered his color, he remained quiet as the job was completed.

Tain continued with his report.

"Ensigns Rieman and Brinst were very thorough with their investigation. We definitely found what looks like an unauthorized breach of Dr. Lucas's quarters. You know , it's amazing how much the Dr. perked up after we let him know that fact, he almost became friendly!"

Tain passed over the datapad to Manrique.

"That's about the only thing of consequence this morning sir. Well, except for the ongoing tweaks to the training simulation Col. Kheve and I have been making. With your input later today, I think we will be ready."

Tain smiled.

"In fact, I think this may call for a bit of a celebration. Shall we set something up for all three of us in Five Forward for this evening?"

In the privacy of the Captain's ready room, Sareth was carefully informed about the message to Talbot and the apparent disappearance of her husband; she handled the news of her with great poise. Her dreams had told her all that she needed to know, and the information given during the debriefing came as no great surprise.

Refusing Sevryll's escort, Sareth bowed out of the meeting early in order to meditate. After the professor left, three officers continued their meeting. For the sake of appearance, the awayteam  would comprised of mostly Vulcan and Romulan officers. It was decided that  Aria possessed medical knowledge of any capable Star Fleet physician, and that the Vulcan head nurse, Lieutenant  Relas, could remain aboard Tiberius. The team would be composed of Admiral Talbot and his Marine escorts as well as Commander Sevryll and Aria James. Lieutenant Colonel Mowembe would be the only individual to undergo cosmetic surgery.

Their rendezvous with the Titan was still two hours away and in the time that remained, Sevryll would have the team implanted with the Bajoran tracking devices and she and Aria would begin their hand-to-hand combat training in the holodeck with Khev and Tain.

At the conclusion of the meeting with Talbot and Quinn, Sevryll exited the readyroom and strode toward the turbolift. When the doors closed behind her, she contacted the Colonel and then Aria, "we are to report to holodeck two immediately for hand-to-hand combat drills with the members of the awayteam."

Sevryll  headed back to her quarters to change into more appropriate attire. She donned the simple garb of a Suss Mahn student and centered herself through meditation, before making her way to the holodeck. The holodeck doors opened before her and she bowed upon entering, as was customary when entering a Suss Mahn training sanctuary. Within the empty holodeck, Colonel Khev and Lieutenant Tain returned the gesture of respect, to their first student to arrive.

Joint post by Jen and X: Note this takes meeting ends shortly before the new round of combat training beings.


"Do what you need to do. I can wait until you have confirmed your findings," Aeric said. "I also want you to remember that this is only a loan until you can get it tested."

Aeric didn't need to wait to see the man's reaction. He needed to complete his own work. He moved to a work station that contained several pieces of unfinished technology. "I have access to some technology that should offer some protection from and the detection of temporal events. Aria and I have been working with the DTI to develop personal temporal shields and detection systems, but they are still in the prototype phase. When you get back, we'll see if we can put together some field equipment for the away team. Computer, disengage privacy mode."

Aeric didn't exactly dismiss the colonel, but until David had a chance to study the artifact, further conversation was useless. He would have to contact the engineering department to see if they made any progress in adding compatable technology to the new uniform accessories and designs. If he could perfect the temporal shielding then it would remove the need for others to be subjected to the nanite program. "If you need anything, just let me know. Like it or not, we have family in common and we should not see each other as enemies when we could be assets."

    "Captain, I'd like to discuss a few more items with you.  Nothing crucial to the mission Commander."  Admiral Talbot said to Commander Sevryll.  The tall Vulcan woman gave a slight nod to her Captain and exited the ready room.

    "What's on your mind, Admiral?"  Captain Quinn said, standing up from his desk.  Quinn noticed the Admiral looked a bit tired or distracted, he couldn't quite tell which.

    "Captain, before the proverbial stuff hits the fan I just wanted to thank you for undertaking this mission and the way in which your crew has helped.  I know you're taking a risk here and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate it."  Talbot said as he smiled slightly at Quinn.  The Admiral liked the way Quinn had handled the mission so far.  He wish he had the chance to get to know Quinn more before this whole affair had started.  They seemed to have a similar command style he had discovered.

    "Not a problem, sir.  It is my First Officer's father we are going after.  Not to mention the legendary Ambassador Spock.  How could I refuse?"  Quinn said, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

    "Yes, Spock.  I've only met him a few times over the years but he has one of the most logical minds I have ever encountered.  Plays quite the game of chess, too.  If anyone can make this unification thing happen it's him and my old friend Krell.  I just hope were not too late."  Talbot said, pacing a bit in the somewhat small room.

    "I'm certain we still have time, Admiral.  Sevryll or Sareth would know if anything severe had happened to Krell.  But if there isn't anything else Admiral I've got to get to the bridge.  We are nearing the neutral zone."  Quinn said as he moved towards the ready room door.

    "One last thing Captain.  I've recorded a message on this isolinear chip.  I'd appreciate that it get to my wife Lydia if anything were to happen to me on the mission ahead.  Of course, I'll certainly do my best to avoid that as will my aides I'm sure.  But one never knows.  I've actually found it to be good luck over the years to be prepared for such things.  It seems to stack the odds in your favor.  And I have a feeling we may need some extra luck on what's ahead."  Talbot said, handing the chip to Quinn.

    "I'll keep this sir, but I plan on giving it back to you when this is all over.  Now, if you'll excuse me Admiral."  Quinn said as placed the chip on his desk.

    "Of course, Captain.  Luck to all of us!"  Talbot said as he exited the ready room.

Quinn began to follow the Admiral out of his office when he badge chirped.

"Quinn here" he said as he pressed his badge. Lt. Tucker's voice could be heard. "Sir you have a transmission coming in. It's Captain Riker."  A smile came across Nathan's face "I'll take it in my room, thank you Lt."

Quinn walked back to his desk and sat down. A man's broad smile greeted Quinn and his monitor came to life. "Nathan" the man said in his deep voice. "How are you doing?" Quinn returned the smile "I'm going great Will, how are you and Deanna doing?" "Fine.. fine.. " he said "I was surprised to hear that you would be joining us on this mission." Quinn laughed, "well to tell you the truth so was I"  Riker gave him a quizzical look but said nothing "We should be meeting up with you guys in 20 minutes.  I'll beam over once we rendezvous." Quinn nodded " I look forward to seeing you face to face... give Deanna my love" Riker chuckled "Will do... Riker out."

Quinn stood straighten his tunic and exited his ready room. As he entered the bridge and walked over to the Captain's chair, Lt. Tucker stood, nodded and walked over to station 3. Quinn sat down and gazed out at the streaks of light passing by.

From his station at tactical, K'Tan watched the Captain take his place in the center seat.  Captain Quinn slowly stroked his chin as he gazed pensively at the stars streaking by on the sensor screen.  The man looked as though a heavy burden was resting on his shoulders, but he seemed to carry the weight with practiced ease.  Gathering his courage, K'Tan stepped from behind his station and strode towards the captain's chair.

"Excuse me, Sir," he said, after clearing his throat.  "I couldn't help but hear mention of an upcoming away mission.  I have extensive experience in security, and I am proficient in the use of a number of conventional and unconventional weapons. I am also well trained in unarmed combat.  I'm not sure what the particulars of this mission are, but I feel that my experience would be an asset.  I would like to request that I be included on the mission."

Quinn regarded the Lieutenant's scarred visage with a bemused expression.  After a brief pause, the hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Indeed."  Captain Quinn stood from his chair, and gave a slight nod towards the door of his ready room.  "Come with me, Lieutenant, and we can discuss this further.  Mr. Tucker; you have the Conn." 

Lt. colonel Arcturus Mowembe entered the holodeck shortly after Sevryll. Right away she could see that the marine was unwell, for his eyes betrayed the pain that the rest of him had masterfully disguised. "Are you ill colonel?" asked the Vulcan after greetings had been exchanged. "I'm as healthy as a lion, Commander," he said in a thick Tanzanian accent. They all had been to sickbay for their Bajoran tracking injections, and Sevryll knew that Doctor Peterson would have detected any obvious illnesses at that time. Still, it was clear to her that the marine was hiding something. Arcturus forced a smile in a futile attempt to convince her otherwise, and she slowly turned her gaze from him to the doors as Aria entered.

Joint post by wraith1701 and StarTrekFanatic5


As K'Tan followed the captain into the ready room,the doors whispered closed behind him. The captain sat behind his desk, and fixed K'Tan with a steely, piercing stare.  K'Tan couldn't shake the irrational feeling that Quinn was looking beyond the confident, brusque facade that he habitually wore like an emotional suit of armor, and was assessing what lay beneath.  He found himself hoping that he wouldn't be found wanting.

A fine sheen of sweat broke out on K'Tan's brow as the two locked eyes for what seemed to be an eternity.  Finally, the captain gave an almost imperceptible nod, as though satisfied with what he saw, and mercifully broke the silence.   "What I am about to tell you is strictly classified.  I trust that I can count on your discretion."

Quinn steepled his fingers on the desk before him, and continued.  "We are actually on two missions; an official mission that is fully sanctioned and backed by starfleet, and a mission that, for lack of a better description, does not officially exist."

Warning bells began ringing in K'Tan's head as the gravity of what the captain was telling him set in.

"Our official mission is to take part in the ongoing reunification proceedings between Vulcan and Romulus."

At the mention of the word "Romulus", K'Tan felt a brief flare of anger ignite in his chest, a flame which he quickly tried to stamp out.  Curiously, Quinn's left eyebrow seemed to raise slightly as K'Tan worked at reigning in his negative feelings.  If he didn't know better, he would almost swear that the captain was acutely aware of the anger smoldering within him.  K'Tan's suspicion was furthered by the Captains next words:

"I get the impression that you are not very fond of Romulans, Mr. K'Tan."

Before the lieutenant could reply, the captain gave a slight shake of his head, and let out a sigh.

"Let me be frank with you, Lieutenant.  As a result of my betazoid heratige, I have inherited quite a considerable amount of telepathic talent.  As a matter of common courtesy, I try to avoid looking into the thoughts of my crew unless the situation absolutely demands it.  Sometimes, however, picking up on especially strong emotions is unavoidable.  It's not unlike trying to tune out a heated argument taking place right next to you.  You might not want to hear what is being said, but if the shouting gets loud enough, it can be quite impossible to ignore.  Right now, your internal argument is very loud indeed."

K'Tan couldn't prevent his jaw from dropping in astonishment as the captain continued.

"Your personal feelings, and whether or not they will affect the carrying out of your duty, are very real concerns of mine.  Especially considering the fact that our second, unsanctioned mission will involve going to the heart of the Romulan Empire, to Romulus itself, to extract a man we believe is being held prisoner there."

K'Tan tentatively stepped towards the desk, and prepared to plead his case.  He recognized that the only thing that would do when speaking to a man who could see through any attempts at being disingenuous was to simply tell the complete truth.

"You are correct, sir; I do have personal issues when it comes to Romulans.  Having grown up within the Klingon Empire, I couldn't help but absorb some of the prejudices and attitudes of my adoptive people.   There is also the fact that my biological parents were both slaughtered by Romulans."

Despite his best efforts, K'Tan could feel his face heating up with barely controlled fury as he thought of his parents being struck down in cold blood.  After taking a deep breath to calm himself, K'Tan continued.

"I am aware, however, of the irrationality of making sweeping generalizations about an entire group of people.  While at the academy, I had the opportunity to work and learn with beings from all over the Federation.  I've seen that nearly all sentients share the same strengths and shortcomings, and that no one race holds a monopoly on evil deeds.  It has been difficult, but I have been working on reconciling what I know to be logically true with what my heart tells me."

The captain made no reply, but continued to regard K'Tan silently.

K'Tan nervously continued.  "I swear to you sir; I won't let my personal feelings affect my performance."

Quinn took a moment to type a series of commands into his PADD, then turned back to K'Tan.

"I'm inclined to believe you, Lieutenant, but I think I'd like a second opinion.  I've just alerted our Chief Counselor, Mr. Margon, to expect a call from you.  You are to schedule a session with him as soon as possible.  If he shares your belief that you can eventually overcome your prejudice, and that you won't be a liability on this mission, then I will consider making you a part of our away team.  Dismissed."

Joint post from moyer777 and wraith 1701

After finishing his shift on the bridge, K'Tan sat at a table in the Five forward lounge.  He pushed the plate containing the remains of his dinner aside, and took a long sip of his raktajino.  His appointment with Counselor Margon was set to start shortly, and try as he might, he couldn't shake a nagging feeling of nervous anticipation.  For the most part, he felt sure that he would be found fit for duty by the ship's councelor, but the insistent voice of doubt was steadily gnawing away at his confidence.  What if the counselor determined that he was in fact not fit to join the away team?  What if he was found unfit to serve on the ship in any capacity?  K'Tan could not imagine how he would recover from such a setback.     

After a final sip of his raktajino, K'Tan exited the lounge and headed towards Commander Margon's office.  As he strode down the gray carpeted corridor, his communicator badge beeped.  It was the Counselor.

"Lieutenant, meet me on holodeck 2."

"The Holodeck Counselor?  What for?"  K'tan mused.

"You'll see, just get yourself down here we have some work to do"

K'tan made his way to the turbolift and found his way to Holodeck 2.  The counselor was standing by the door with a warm smile on his face.

"Greetings Lt.  I trust you are ready to get to work?" Margon said.

"Of course, Counselor.  But why are we at the holodeck?" K'tan asked.

"Well, after reading your file and consulting with the captain I think the only thing we can do is get your heart into your head"  The counselor smiled and continued "Computer, run Margon Romulan simulation 1.4"

The holodeck doors made their familiar sound and opened into a dark cavernous setting.  The counselor and K'tan stepped in and the arch dissapeard behind them.

Margon looked at K'tan and said "Lt. I want you to do whatever your first impulse is, no matter what is presented to you."

Before the counselor finished speaking, the sounds of Romulan disruptors echoed not far from them.  Several people came running past them.  They were dirty looking, their uniforms were torn and looked as though they were being chased.  One of the young men grabbed K'tan... "Run!  Run!  They are right behind us!".... he practically pulled K'tan over and left a bloody hand print smeared across K'tan's shoulder.

K'tan stared at Margon... "This isn't exactly what I had in mind counselor!"  Before he could think a laser blast hit the rock wall next to him.  He looked over to see a uniformed Romulan raider pointing his disruptor at him. Another blast and Margon was on the floor of the cavern doubled over.  They had shot him!  Before K'tan could even think he reached for his non existing weapon. It was happening again. He felt helpless, like a little kid. They were at Aviskie again. His adrenaline kicked in.   Upon realizing the weapon wasn't on his side he ducked quickly and charged the Romulan officer.  After all, this time he wasn't a three year old.

The disruptor flung out of his hand and K'tan began beating the Romulan with his fists.  His blood boiled.  He couldn't even see straight and he began to loose all sense of control.  His fist came down on the Romulans jaw and he saw a flash of his parents, the next blow and all he could feel was rage.  As his lip curled back in a snarl, one thought echoed repeatedly in his head- This time, he would make them pay.  The Romulan fought back, but it didn't matter.  K'tan had the upper hand and he knew it.  All the years of training kicked in and he was in rare form.   The Romulan began to tire and eventually fell to the ground not moving.  But K'tan didn't stop.  He kept punching and hitting and striking the officer until he barley heard the words...

"Computer Freeze Program"  the counselor said.

K'tan was breathing heavily he began to come to his senses... his emotions raw.

"Lt." said the counselor, "Stop."  He was firm but friendly.

"But they killed them!" he said, not even realizing that tears were streaming down his face, "They killed them!"  He collapsed onto the floor and let out a tremendous sigh.

"I know son, I know, but it's over now."

"What is this some cruel joke counselor?"  asked K'tan heaving now, out of breath.

"No, it's hollo therapy, and you obviously need it. Lt.  We need you, but you aren't ready to go on a live mission to Romulas.  It's my job to help you get ready.  The captain wants you, and you need this."

"So what do we do now?" asked K'tan with a frown on his face.

"We do it again, but this time you will control yourself.  You will create a boundary but you will not seek revenge.   You are more of a man than that.  You must look deep within the discipline of your soul.  Use what you have learned.  Become stronger than the hate and revenge.  Computer!  Repeat program"

In an instant the same humans came running past them.  This time K'tan expected the bloodied man to pull him over and braced himself.

The rock exploded next to him, but this time he immediatley charged the raider and knocked him off his feet.  With the skill of trained warrior K'tan had the Romulan's hands bound and the raider unconscious stacked and leaned against the wall of the cavern as he crouched down hearing the approach of another.

And on it went, different scenarios but similar temptations to lose control.  Two hours went by and finally the counselor smiled.  "Computer end program"  the surroundings changed to the grid lines and the counselor patted K'tan's sweaty shoulder.  "Nice job Lt. tomorrow we have lunch with Romulans!"

K'tan shook his head and actually let out a laugh.  "You've got to be kidding right?"

"Nope" said the counselor. "I'll see you at 1200 hours tomorrow, right here.  Bring your appetite but leave your prejiduce in your quarters"

Aeric felt the soft pulsating hum of the zero-point generator as he moved towards the cargo bay of the Aurora. The crisp and cool air on the shuttle carried the fresh scent of the mountains of Earth. Aeric's mind was connected so deeply to the control systems of the vessel that it was hard to tell where the man stopped and ship began. Like the ship, Aeric was a testament to the technologies that had been recovered from the various timelines that he had encountered.

His mechanical and genetic enhancements bordered on being illegal in many parts of the Federation, but in his mind they were a necessary evil for his mission. His mother's people might have been listeners, but thanks to the blood of his father, Aeric was something more. His duty to the Federation had turned him into a watcher and protector. His early hatred of the Borg had been long ago replaced with a healthy respect for what they could accomplish and a fear of what they could do if they possessed the talents that his birth afforded him.

Without having the need to speak, the replicators hummed into life. His mind poured through the various templates and settled on TAP-SCN12 phaser pistol type II. As soon as the template was selected, the industrial replicator began producing the components to assemble enough of the pistols to arm the away teams. Other shipboard replicators reproduced the components that were needed for the additional technologies as Aeric began construction of the pistols. It was a complicated ballet of thought and action that blended in a fluid motion. Parts were created the moment before the lieutenant reached for them as he worked to complete his tasks before the mission disembarked.

Aeric did not speak much of his past to outsiders, but he had a kinship with Vulcans that went back to several of his timelines. He had the honor of meeting Spock long before many of those on the crew were born, but in the timeline that affected him most, S'chn T'gai Spohkh, like himself had been close to Elizabeth Tucker and he had come to respect the man, but he was not enamored of him. Aeric knew first hand that the icons of history were just beings that gave their all to achieve their goals. Legends were made and unmade by those that had the courage to take their destiny into their own hands. When Elizabeth was lost in subsequent timelines, Aeric still retained his respect and closeness to the vulcans and humans. She was the first woman to raise him and even with other timelines returned his birth mother to him, Aeric still held a place for her in his heart.

Elizabeth had known of Aeric's gifts and has long asked him to take care of her family if he were ever in the position. As Aeric assembled the equipment for the coming mission, he knew that he could not fail her. There were promises that required one to do all in their power to keep. This was one of those promises. For all of the logic that the vulcans possess, Aeric knew first hand how strongly their hearts could beat and of the dedication that it took to restrain those emotions. Aeric's mind wandered on those early memories as his hands moved on their own to complete the tasks before him.

Aria took a deep breath as she approached the doors to the main holodeck. The soft swoosh of the opening doors greeted her as entered the already running program. Through a combination of her natural senses and nanite enhancements she could smells the perspiration of several beings already exerting themselves in physical activity. While it was not the most pleasant of scents, she had long ago become accustomed to that facet of biology. Her metallic silver eyes scanned the horizon of the holographic terrain as she observed the organic beings within the simulation. Many were already deep into combat with holographic opponents, but she was searching for one specifically.

Aria smiled as she found the person she was seeking. Colonel Khev was in the process of instructing members of the team in the basics of hand to hand combat. As she observed the colonel, she found that she had many questions about him. He had been in a closed meeting with her father several hours ago and Aeric had yet to inform her of the nature of that meeting. She could not begin guess the purpose of that meeting and realized that her time would best be served if she ignored that curiosity.

She watched patiently as the two colonels engaged in mock combat and was quite impressed by their techniques.  Without her emotion suppressor engaged, she could feel her vulcan blood pump at the idea of combat. These emotions were somewhat tempered by her father's blood, but she could not deny that her vulcan genes were built for combat. Aria noted with computer-like calculations that the movements of the romulan appearing Mowembe were getting less efficient with each passing moment. Blows that should have caused only slight bruising were causing severe discoloration on the lieutenant colonel. Aria froze as a kick from Khev impacted Mowembe's chest with a sickening crunch. Blood spurted out of the lieutenant colonel's mouth as snapped ribs were driven into his lungs and sent his limb body sliding across the rough gravel floor.

Concern for his fallen comrade quickly registered on Khev's face as he moved the side of Mowembe to begin first aid on the fallen man. Aria's own instincts came to the fore as she raced to the side of Mowembe. Without thinking, Aria had pulled her tricorder from her side and was scanning the extent of the damage.

" Computer pause program," the romulan colonel shouted as he quickly quickly tapped his combadge. "Khev to sick bay, we have a medical emergency in the main holodeck."
He knew that something was seriously wrong. The damage from his attack should have never been that severe. The lieutenant colonel should have had the wind knocked out of him, but the force too low to break bones.
"Colonel, I am reading several broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a punctured lung." Aria said as she linked to the tricorder and processed the information directly in her mind. "I am also reading that his body has gone into anaphylactic shock. It appears that his body has rejecting the modification and causing his immune system to attack even the healthy cells in his body. He needs to be transported directly to medical to remove the implants before the other damage can be repaired."

Aria knew that any attempts to accelerate the healing abilities of the man's body would only increase the speed at which his body attacked itself. Without thinking about it, Aria engaged her emotional supressors and extended her interface to encompass the holodeck systems. Moments later, with safety protocols disabled, a hypospray preloaded with a dose of stenophyl materialized into her waiting hand. Aria quickly pressed the device to the injured man's neck and allowed the contents to empty into his blood stream. It would reduce the severe cardiovascular and respiratory distress and give the CMO the time to remove the implants, but there was little else she could do without real tools to work with. She was so caught up in her work that she had almost failed to notice her mother drawing closer to the scene.
Sevryll said nothing as she observed the young woman working as professionally as any Starfleet trained
Doctor.

Still connected to the computers, Aria transmitted her finding to the medical computers as she requested the emergency transport to be activated. "Aria James to the medical bay. Patient should be arriving shortly and you should have received all medical scans of the injuries."

"The damage was not from any fault of your own. His own body was damaging him, but in my assessment, his injuries will not be repaired in time to join this mission." Aria took a deep breath and watched as the colonel finished transporting to the sick bay. She calmly rose and turned her attention to the remaining colonel and her mother. She extended a hand to the man as she glanced over to her mother. She didn't know the exact chain of command for the mission, so she addressed her words and tone to those gathered in the room. "Aria James reporting as requested for additional mission training. Let us hope that this incident does not mean that we will be down a person for the mission."

With another thought, Aria allowed her emotions to return. She offered the colonel a genuine smile as he took her hand.

"Colonel Khev," he stated as he shook and finally took the chance to get a close look at the girl that was supposed to be his wife's child.

The hulking Orion security officer approached as David accessed the girl's odd metallic colored eyes. "Lieutenant Tain," said the Orion while offering Aria a large green hand. She felt awkward under the Romulan's stern gaze and turned to greet Tain with a smile, "Aria James."

Noting the slight tension, Sevryll met David's glare and with a look that conveyed what words would not sufficiently express. Soon after, her glowering husband suggested they resume training exercises. Wasting no more time, the colonel began teaching them the art of close quarter combat.

"In my Kenpo school on Earth, there was a motto painted on the wall in red paint that mesmerized me as a young cadet: I come to you with empty hands, I have no weapons. But should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be the matter of life and death or right or wrong, then here are my weapons - my empty hands. Poetry, huh? Back then, it smacked to me as a moral speech of ancient wisdom, of superior skills and glorious battle. These were the teachings of the wise master to the young grasshopper. I was inexperienced then... I know today that even little kids pull the legs off bugs like grasshoppers to watch them suffer. Now that I'm older and more cynical, with the "been there/ done that" under my belt... I have seen the real world motto, "always bring a phaser to a knife fight" painted on a few walls in blood, not paint. If you're in a fair fight, you just didn't prepare well enough. The truth is, fighting with empty hands should be the very last thing you do, after you have exhausted every weapon on and around you, tried every trick and spit every last drop of saliva into your attacker's eye."

"Computer create four honor blades," the computer complied and instantly an eddy of light formed the Romulan daggers he requested.

Sevryll arced a single eyebrow at David's candid speech, but she had no time to analyze whether the lecture had been an act or a factual reference. Instantly a Romulan man appeared before her. David handed her a knife and indicated that she should conceal it on her person. "Commander Sevryll, you have been compromised and this man has decided that you will not leave the room alive. The element of surprise is gone. What do you do?"

Before she could answer he called out, "Computer, begin program In-fighting 1." The holographic Romulan moved towards the Vulcan woman with a threatening motion. Sevryll was no warrior, yet growing up she was trained in the Vulcan martial art of Suss Mann. Though she did not practice the art regularly, the forms had long ago become instinctual. Within a fraction of a second, her analytical mind began to evaluate the attack in order to select the first countermove. Should she block or evade the attacker? Which block or move should she make? Her eyes located target areas for possible counterattacks. Once they were observed her mind selected a target. When the targets were chosen she began yet another selection process, to decide which techniques she would use to counter. All these thought processes were done in a split second before any physical technique was executed.

She slid forward with her left leg, into a cat stance, while her open left hand blocked the attacker's elbow and her right hand met his temple with a knuckle strike. With the speed of a le-matya, she stepped back and covered before stepping forward again with her right foot and kicking with the left. The man groaned as her left foot smashed him in the groin. She followed up with a quick chop to the back of his neck then grabbed his shoulder and pulled down as her foot struck the back of his right leg. Taking him down in a heap, she punched the attacker in the face, rendering him unconscious.

The colonel shouted, "computer! Freeze program! Well done commander... but apparently my lecture on open hand combat was wasted. You were supposed to use the knife."

In her haste to defend herself, she had forgotten the honor blade concealed on her person. She pulled it out and offered it to the colonel, hilt first. "The attacker was unarmed. I did not require the knife."

Khev refused to take the dagger and instead called out, "Computer, resume program." Before Sevryll could turn around, the man had stood and attacked her from behind. Sevryll attempted to throw the him, but the holographic Romulan anticipated the move and maneuvered his arm around her neck in a choke hold. As he began to tighten his grip, she raked her right heel down his shin and shifted her body, racking him with a back fist in the groin. He loosened his grip and she struck him in the solar plexus with an elbow. Spinning around she plunged the dagger into his midsection. The man vanished as Khev applauded; Sevryll did not relish the act and did not meet his proud gaze.

He repeated the exercise with Aria before beginning the training program that unleashed multiple attackers on the two Vulcanoid females. By the end of the two-hour session, Sevryll was ready to leave the holodeck for a sonic shower and the quiet comfort of her own bed.

"You both have done very well," said Lieutenant Tain. Colonel Khev watched as Sevryll pushed the hair out of her face and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. He had never seen her in a combat scenario before and though he knew she loathed violence, inwardly he was proud of her abilities.

As Quinn exited his ready room Lt. Tucker called out, "Sir we have rendezvoused with the Titan. Captain Riker is ready to come aboard." Quinn turned on his heals and headed toward the turbolift. "Thank you Lt. I'll meet him in transporter room three," he replied and the trubolift doors slid shut behind him. He pressed is comm badge as the lift began it's descent, "Quinn to Commander Sevryll, meet me in transporter room three to greet our guest."

Quinn didn't wait for a reply and as the turbolift doors opened he headed down the corridor toward the transporter room and entered. A broad smile crossed his face as he watched two forms materialize on the pad, for standing before him was not only Captain Riker but the lovely Deanna Troi. Riker stepped down and reached to shake Quinn's hand. "It's great to see you again...CAPTAIN Quinn," said Will with a smile as Deanna rushed down and embraced her cousin. "Oh Nat.. it's so good see you!"

The training session had just adjourned when Sevryll received Captain Quinn request for her to meet him in transporter room 3. She had anticipated Riker's visit, but he was an hour early. She raised both brows at Quinn's statement, excused herself and dashed out of the holodeck. There was no time to change, but she could not in good conscious present herself in her current state. Still dressed in her Suss Mahn robes, the commander dodged surprised crewmen in the corridors as she sprinted to the turbolift and requested the deck where her quarters were located. After a taking a quick sonic shower and changing into a fresh uniform Sevryll dried her hair as rapidly as possible and pulled it back into a hair clip.  A yeoman jumped out of her way as Sevryll raced out of her quarters and down the corridor to catch the turbolift once again. As soon as she entered the lift, the Vulcan abruptly called out the deck where Transporter 3 was located and leaned back against the wall to rest. After a moment, she realized Quinn and Riker had most likely left the transporter room. Standing straight, she tuggged her jacket down and uttered a new destination, "Bridge." In all her years, the commander had never been late for anything... it seemed this day her impeccable record would be tainted.

Captain Quinn, Deanna Troi and Will Riker exited the tubolift and stepped onto the bridge. Will and Deanna nodded and smiled at several bridge officers who tried not to look too awestruck as they glanced up from their panels curiously. Nathan lead his guests toward the Captain's ready room and motioned for them to sit. "So how is Uncle Jarrad doing?" Deanna asked as she sat down on the couch. "Oh you know, still sparing with mother," Quinn said with a laugh. Deanna laughed and turned to Riker who sat down beside her. "Oh the stories I can tell you... you thought my mother was bad, she's nothing compared to Anashta" Deanna said with a smile. Riker rubbed his ribs, "Oh I remember the hug she gave me at our wedding. I think she cracked a few bones." They all laughed as the ready room doors opened and Commander Sevryll entered.

Slightly out of breath Sevryll stood formally in the entryway, "I apologize for my tardiness Captain," said the commander. In her opinion, there was no excuse for her delay and so she offered none.

Quinn smiled and walked over to Sevryll, "Will, Deanna I would like to introduce you to my first officer, Commander Sevryll."

Sevryll nodded to Deanna and her husband. "It is an honor to meet you both."

"Sevryll has been preparing for an upcoming mission in the holodeck," said Nathan "can I get you anything to drink?" he asked as the slender Vulcan seated herself in the chair near to his desk. "Thank you Captain. Cold water, please." It felt good to finally sit down; she was feeling unusually fatigued, but chalked it up to the intense fighting program Tain and David had created.

"Can I get you anything?" Quinn asked as he turned to his guests.

"No, thank you," said Deanna.

"I'm fine thanks," replied Captain Riker.

Will glanced over at Sevryll and noticed a faint greenish bruise on her cheek, "rough training session commander?" He pointed to his face, "looks like you had a bit of a scuffle."

Sevryll and Nathan exchanged glances as he handed her the glass of water.

A Joint post by Jen and Just X


Called away by Captain Quinn, Sevryll left David alone with Aria and Lieutenant Tain.  As the Orion security officer continued to give Aria tips on technique, David reached down to make sure the ring her father loaned him, was still in his pocket. He needed to test it in order to verify that Aeric was telling him the truth. If he was, David would have to contemplate the consequences of  inoculating Sevryll and their children, without his wife's  knowledge. There was no way she would voluntarily accept the injection of nanites that would protect her from temporal incursions. He was pretty sure he agreed with her, but something deep inside contended the penalties of such an omission. A time shift could remove them from existence and he'd never know they were ever alive. He shivered at the thought.

Aria called him back to reality with a parting statement. "Thank you Colonel."

He cut his gaze towards the girl and met her formally steely gray eyes. Her resemblance to Sevryll was incredible, save that one feature... yet now her eyes were brown...the kid was strange. "Of course," he replied in an uncommitted tone.

Something was odd about the colonel, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Aria turned to Tain and thanked  him as well,  before leaving  the Holodeck.

Cedric smiled as he watched her walk away. "Nice kid," he said. "She looks a lot like the Commander, doesn't' she?"

David grunted at the comment as he started out the door. The romulan paused in the doorway and turned around to face the hulking Orion, "Thanks for all your help Cedric, you're a good man." He offered the security officer a hand and Tain shook it firmly.

"Aye, and you too colonel. Say, would ya be interested in have'n a drink with me 'n Lieutenant Manrique in Five Forward later?"

David flashed a sly grin, "certainly my green friend. Just let me know when, and I'll be there with Vulcan sisteras on. But I want to check on Arcturus first."

He parted ways with the security officer and headed for an empty science lab where he could "borrow" a temporal scanner. The test confirmed Areic's claim that the ring came from another timeline...but could not verify whether there were any threats to his family.

He pocketed the ring and proceeded to the Aurora to return the artifact and obtain more information. He'd check on Arcturus afterwards.


Aboard the Aurora, soft terran music played in the background as Aeric attached the various equipment to his outfit. Given the nature of the mission in quest, he had replicated new black clothing that would not be mistaken for a Starfleet uniform. Newly replicated equipment now fit comfortably on his waist and wrists. Among the new equipment were micronized tools and medical equipment.

The technology was meant to replicate standard away team equipment in an integrated universal platform.  Advanced tricorder sensors, visual communications systems, integrated PADD, and a flip-top display were blended in the wrist units. The waist unit meshed a micro power generator, phaser pistol power cell replacements with recharging ports, pattern enhancers, database systems, and a micro-replicator with various tool patterns.

The combination of technologies was only the beginning of the ideas that the crew was coming up with in response to Aeric's request. It was unfortunate that they had run out of time and could only incorporate proven technologies into the new systems. Given time, the designs that the crew of the Tiberius were coming up with could become a new standard in away team missions.

The design of the pulsed phaser pistols was a departure from current Starfleet handheld phasers, but they were made to be weapons. The pistols were designed to penetrate the personal shields of the Borg instead of attempting to stay ahead of their adaptation. Each phaser was also equipped with the ability to adjust the output levels to allow for both a stun setting and multi-fire modes.

Once fully dressed, Aeric pulled a rich brown romulan cloak over his head and allowed it to drape his form. While it would hide the visual detection of the new equipment, it also hampered the ability to access the phaser pistol. As he analyzed the outfit, Aeric realized that he would need to add a shoulder holster to grant better access to the pistol. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was far more efficient than a waist holster.

While the new systems were efficient, it was their potential for upgrading that brought better value to the new design. Given time and advances, Aeric could see the newly designed system as a practical means to generate personal shields and transporter systems. It was a technology that he could not replicated with his nanites without violating his refusal to incorporate permanent bio-implants into a host. This new system had the potential to bridge that gap. Aeric couldn't help but smile at the success of the engineering team that was assembled to bring this project to life. It reminded of all the time he could have saved developing the Aurora had he had a team as efficient as those on the Tiberius.

Aeric was working towards  finishing the equipment for the mission, when the ship's systems notified him of the arrival of the colonel. Aeric had assumed that he would have returned much earlier; a thought later and he had cleared the colonel to enter the ship and put away his tools.

"Thank you for returning. I actually expected you much sooner." Aeric said as he approached the faux romulan. "So, where should we begin with this conversation? Before you ask, Sevryll and I never had the type of relationship that would normally be required to produce a child. We were close friends that solved a medical situation and didn't let that hamper our friendship."

He knew that he didn't have to explain, but Aeric felt that it was best that the man realized that he was not after his wife. Aeric and Sevryll's relationship just wasn't like that.

"It's good you let me know, I had plans to filet you," said David with a sinister grin. He reached into his pocket and tossed the ring to Aeric,"it checks out, but I can't verify your claims regarding the threat to my wife and children.  How do you suppose I authenticate  that?"

After providing David with information regarding the timeline changes that he personally experienced, Aeric gave the man time to think about that information and headed to the flight deck. His team had been pulling double shifts for the last few days in an effort to modify two of the Volga class runabouts.

Both the newly renamed Styx and the Lethe were in the finishing stages of their power upgrades and holographic infiltration systems. Early in the conversion of the scoutships, the chief realized that the hull of the vessels would need to be rebuilt to support the new holoemitters. They didn't have the time to redesign the entire ship, so when the chief suggested that they apply the modification to a redesigned Volga class runabout, the entire flight deck jumped at the chance.  To distinguish the ships from their base class, the chief designated the redesigned runabouts as Styx Class.

"How is the work going Chief?" the lieutenant asked as he entered the repair bay. Teams of crewmen were swarming over the two runabout as they attached the modified hull plating and tested the new power systems. With over a dozen people working on each shuttle, it would be hard for them not to complete their tasks on time.

"With the increased power, we decided to fit the Acheron and the Lethe with new plasma injectors that will improve her speed by an entire warp factor." Rina said as she closed a panel of one of the Lethe's nacelles. She retrieved a PADD from on the top of her tool box and headed to the lieutenant. "We've installed the new Infiltration systems and databases to support the holomatrix generation. Due to the time factor, we have only included Federation and Romulan skins so far."

"I'm impressed," Aeric said as he took the PADD that Chief Grant offered him. "The efforts of you teams have been amazing."

Rina laughed. "Thank you sir, but I think that the level of their work has something to do with most of them coming up for review at the end of the month. I think that Stevens is bucking for a promotion. He hasn't taken more than a few hours off to get some sleep while working on this. I also hear that you've been burning the midnight oil to get things done for this mission."

Aeric laughed. "I think you and I both know that the things we are working on are going to go further than just this mission. If these technologies work in the field, we will be in a better position for future missions."

"You came just in time for lunch," Rina said as she nodded to expectant crew. "Would you care to join us?"

Aeric nodded. "I'd love to. Speaking of eating, I have another idea that we are going to try for the flight deck."

"Idea sir?" Rina asked as she led the lieutenant to the Styx. Inside the work teams were already making use of the replicators to produce their meals. As soon as they entered the back of the runabout, both Rina and Aeric were presented with large glasses of replicated terran lemonade.

"Anytime that we need to perform a mission of this magnitude or just to keep the spirits of the flight deck up, we're going to have what I'm calling a family dinner. Officers and enlisted of the Aero Group are going to all gather together for a banquet dinner. Rank will be left at the door and we all have a chance to let our hair down." Aeric said. He wasn't sure how everyone would take the dinners, but he knew that they needed them. As he analyzed his team he quickly realized that the deck crew worked harder when their efforts were respected by the flight teams. He also saw how the pilots and controllers were more comfortable to push themselves when they trusted their equipment and the people that worked on them.

"I think our people are going to enjoy that."

"Good, I'm bringing a case of non-replicated champagne for the crew to enjoy. Those people that are stuck with duties for the mission will each get a bottle to enjoy after the mission and everyone else can enjoy the remainder at the dinner." Aeric said as he took a sip of the lemonade.  For the past week he had been taking his breakfast on the holodeck with the key members of his staff. In those breakfasts, they ignored rank and were able to bounce ideas off each other while enjoying the favorite places of those attending the breakfasts. It helped them to become closer and that seemed to increase the productivity of the entire department. "Thank you for the drink Rina, but I need to start distributing the equipment to the away team and the marines. I should return soon and we can see what the department wants to have for breakfast tomorrow."

"Aye sir," Rina said. "You might also want to pay a visit to the bridge. I know that we've been busy down here, but it wouldn't hurt the department if our head was actually seen occasionally working on the bridge. We don't want other departments to think that we somehow need direct supervision even when the entire department knows that's not the case."

Aeric laughed "I guess I can pay a visit and remind the rest of the bridge crew that our department is still hard at work."

Will glanced over at Sevryll and noticed a faint greenish bruise on her cheek, "rough training session commander?" He pointed to his face, "looks like you had a bit of a scuffle."

Sevryll and Nathan exchanged glances as he handed her the glass of water. "It's OK commander, he knows the fundamentals of the mission."

Riker lifted his chin and smiled—his blue eyes narrowing to slits as his bearded cheeks pushed upward.  "Your secret is safe with us. We've been on a few of these unsanctioned missions ourselves."

"Nat couldn't hide anything from me anyway. I've always been the stronger empath," joked Deanna.

Everyone but Sevryll shared the laugh...

"There are only a select few who know of this mission and Captain Riker is one of them. The Admiral consulted with him before he made the decision to go after your father. Will's the one who suggested we tag along with the cavalcade of Federation Starships," said Nathan. "The ships were headed to Romulus for peace negotiations...it was the perfect cover for Tiberius."

Sevryll nodded once in understanding and took a sip of water. "Captain, Lieutenant Colonel Mowembe was injured on the holodeck. Aria believes his body rejected the tracking implants. On my way to the Bridge, I contacted Doctor Peterson; he reported that the Colonel is in stable condition, but is in no state to join the mission."

"I'm sorry to hear he's been hurt," said Nathan as he furrowed his brow. "But I believe I have a replacement for him: Lieutenant K'Tan will be going in his stead." Counselor Morgan had given K'Tan his stamp of approval. The man still had a few issues to work through, but Margon didn't believe he would be a liability to the mission.

"I want you to prepare your team for departure. You'll be leaving tomorrow at 0200 hours. Your team will be landing in the Krocton Segment...the early morning should give you the cover you need to find the safe house. I want an update, if possible, every five hours."

"Yes, Captain," replied Sevryll. She took another long sip of cold water, stood, and placed the glass in the replicator.

"I will have the away members gather for a team debriefing as soon as possible."

She nodded politely to Captain Riker and Counselor Troi, "it was an honor to meet you."

Riker stood and tilted his head in a lopsided nod, "likewise commander. Nathan has every confidence in you and your team. And Admiral Talbot is an extremely capable man...I trust them both implicitly. I assume you are aware of the fact that the failure of your mission could affect the outcome of our negotiations. There is no other option but success, Commander."

Sevryll inclined her head in response to Riker's statement.

Standing at his side, Deanna smiled, "good luck, Commander."

As she strode across the Bridge, Sevryll called out to K'Tan. "Lieutenant K'Tan, come with me." They entered the turbolift  together and she turned to face the doors. "Deck 12" she said aloud. She glanced at K'Tan who wore a curious expression, and tapped her com badge.

"Sevryll to Lieutenant James."

Areic was on his way to the bridge when he received her com,"James here."

"Are your preparations complete?"

"Yes commander."

"Assemble the flight crew and Aria in the Aero Group Briefing Room, for an mission debriefing. I'm on my way."

"Understood,"

She tapped her badge again, "Commander Sevryll to Colonel Khev and Admiral Talbot."

David smirked to himself when he heard his wife contact him so formally, "Go ahead Commander, he replied abruptly.

Admiral Talbot tapped his badge and replied, "Talbot here."

"Colonel, meet me in the Aero Group Briefing Room on Deck 12—we're finalizing the mission strategy. Admiral, if you are available?"

"Of course," replied the Admiral.

David nodded to no one in particular as he left his quarters and responded, "on my way."

    Admiral Talbot had managed a few hours sleep prior to the rendezvous with the Titan.  He had learned long ago that it was important to be able to rest when you could.  With the mission ahead he knew he would need all his strength.  Even though the Admiral was still relatively young, his years of service in Star Fleet and certain old injuries gave him trouble now and then.  There was a particularly nasty bit of business during the borg attack at Wolf 359 when several borg had managed to board his ship.  His back had been injured during a struggle on the bridge when they attempted to take control of his ship.  They managed to stop the borg then and retreat to a safe distance thanks to the quick thinking of his XO who assumed command and for the weeks Talbot was at Star Fleet medical.  He knew without recent medical advances his injury might of caused permanent paralysis and put him at a desk for the rest of his career.  Also, he knew his mother's romulan blood had helped him recuperate faster than the average human could.  Still, it wasn't surprising that his back still ached from time to time, most notably when he became tense prior to a mission.  He attempted to counter this with some exercise and stretching in his quarters.  He was also thinking about one of his aides, Lt. Colonel Mowembe.  He was now in sickbay and off the mission.  Sevryll and Quinn had found a replacement but it was a bit troubling to the Admiral to have to change the team at the last minute like this.  But he trusted their judgment in this matter.

    The Admiral moved over to his standard issue Star Fleet carry all.  He always tried to travel as light as possible, but there were certain essentials one always needed.  He dug around inside the bag and found the inner pocket he was looking for.  At first he had been afraid he had left it back in his office at Star Fleet.  However, after feeling around inside the pocket his hand found the small object he had been searching for.  He pulled it out and turned it over a few times in his hands.  During one of Talbot's earliest missions when he was just a green ensign on his first tour of duty he had been exploring a small city on a planet new to the Federation.  Even though the planet had warp drive and space flight they had not ventured out far in the galaxy.  They preferred to use technology to improve their way of life on their home planet.  Being an engineer, he was fascinated by this culture.  It was here Talbot was given the small device he eventually nicknamed, "Betsy."  He had seen a small shopkeeper who had been working on their air recycling system behind their business.  Talbot had offered to help as he recognized the design of the system.  After an hour or so and a few romulan curses later, Talbot had the system up and running again.  The shopkeep was so grateful that he had insisted on giving Talbot a reward.  At first the young ensign had refused, but the man insisted.  So Talbot took the device not wanting to insult the shopkeeper.  He had given him some basic instructions on it's use but told Talbot that the device would help him learn to use it on it's own. 

    Basically, "Betsy" was a small multifunction tool about the size of a standard phaser.  This particular tool had several unique abilities.  It was capable of mimicking many other tools simply by scanning a tool near it.  It could store this information for later use.  Talbot remembered all the many off duties hours he had spent in the engineering tool locker "teaching Betsy" many of the common hand tools used aboard a Starship.  The device also had a small holo emitter and could appear as something else of a similar size.  "Betsy" was able to respond to voice commands and had taken on a distinct personality over the years, Talbot thought as he looked over the small device.  It also had the ability to emit a very small EM field which made it almost impossible to detect on standard electronic scans.  The device was obviously extremely useful and handy.  Talbot had attempted over the years with the help of some of the top engineers at Star Fleet to reverse engineer the device but there were certain components that they just couldn't duplicate.  So for now, it was one of a kind.

    "Good day, Sirach.  I am assuming a new and exciting mission to save the universe is about to happen for us."  Betsy said in a feminine and slightly sarcastic tone.

    "Now Betsy, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.  Besides, I thought you'd welcome the adventure.  You know I never go anywhere without you."  Talbot said in a somewhat placating voice.

    "Oh yes.  I'm sure I make Lydia very jealous that I'm the one you take to the far corners of the galaxy on your, adventures."  She said back to him.

    "I don't think Lydia is the jealous type Betts.  You know that."  The Admiral said.

    "So what is the mission this time, Admiral?  Or am I not privy to that type of hush-hush information."  Betsy said, again with her typical biting tone.  Talbot thought she was becoming a bit neurotic over the years.

    "Let's just say that we are off to help an old friend.  As always I hope things go smoothly, but as usual I'd like to have you along just in case."  Talbot said.

    "Of course, Sirach.  Any friend of yours and all that."  Betsy said, trying to sound sincere.  Just then the wall comm activated.

    "Commander Sevryll to Colonel Khev and Admiral Talbot."  Sevryll's voice said via the ship's comm system.  Talbot had left his comm badge on the desk turned off.  He moved to the comm panel and pressed the control.

    "Talbot here."  The Admiral said into the panel.

    "Colonel, meet me in the Aero Group Briefing Room on Deck 12—we're finalizing the mission strategy. Admiral, if you are available?"  The vulcan commander said.

    "Of course."  Talbot said and signed off.

    "She sounds like a real cold fish, Sirach."  Betsy said.

    "That is Commander Sevryll to you, Betsy.  And she is a vulcan.  She and her family are friends of mine so I expect you to behave."  Talbot said to the device, still in his hand.

    "Of course, Admiral.  Have I ever behaved otherwise?"  Betsy said, with a slight giggle.

    "Right."  Admiral Sirach Talbot said as he slipped Betsy under his shirt tunic into a special pocket on his belt he had made for the device.  This is when things started to get interesting he thought as he started to work his back muscles to remove the knot that he felt forming.  After a quick couple of stretches he pulled his tunic down and headed out the door to the briefing.

Standing at the Tactical Station, Lt K'Tan gazed in awe at the image dominating the main viewscreen.  Like a mother goose leading her offspring, the U.S.S. Titan drifted through the void, trailed by a scattering of smaller starships of various classes.  There was an older Excelsior class vessel, its saucer and nacelle configuration reminiscent of the old Constitution class ship made famous by the legendary James Tiberius Kirk.  Trailing the Titan at port was a quick little Saber class escort.  Barely larger than a Defiant class ship, the Saber had a unique appearance- the two warp nacelles were attached directly to the angular, saucer-shaped primary hull.  K'Tan thought that it gave the Saber an organic, almost predatory appearance.  There were also a number of Nebula and Ambassador class ships, but K'Tan felt his attention magnetically drawn back to the striking form of the Titan. 

Roughly the same size as the Tiberius, the Luna class Titan looked like a strange melding of the Sovereign and Akira class.  She had the Sovereign's elongated, oval shaped primary hull, attached directly to the streamlined secondary hull.  But instead of having her nacelles arranged in the up and back-swept configuration of the Sovereign class starships, they were mounted on down-swept pylons protruding from either side of the secondary hull, much like those of the Tiberius.  Looking at her, K'Tan couldn't help but think of a Terran falcon, poised to swoop down on an unsuspecting field mouse. 

K'Tan paused to reflect on his reaction to the sight of the flotilla before him.  In a way, he felt like a child encountering the wonders of the universe for the first time.  His sessions with Counselor Margon had been quite eyeopening.  Over the course of a rapid-fire barrage of emotionally draining holodeck simulations and discussions, he had begun to reconcile what he knew to be intellectually true with his baser, emotionally driven viewpoints.

His experiences at the Academy and at the different postings he had held since graduation had shown him the folly of his warped opinions about Romulans and their Vulcan cousins, but it was only now that he had begun to take that realization to heart.  He felt overwhelmed with gratitude towards the Counselor for taking the time and effort to help him open his eyes, and to see past the cloud of anger, hate and resentment that had warped his thinking for much of his life. 

K'Tan's attention was drawn by the opening of the Captain's ready room door.  The ship's Vulcan First Officer strode out with a steady, determined gait, and turned briefly to him.

"Lieutenant K'Tan, come with me."

K'Tan immediately logged off of his station and followed her into the turbolift.  As he turned to face the closing doors, K'Tan could see one of the ensigns move to take over his post.

"Deck 12," the First Officer said. She glanced at K'Tan, and he couldn't help but notice a faint, greenish bruise on her cheek.  His eyebrows raised in surprise.  His years of experience in hand to hand combat had given him a more than passing familiarity with the various contusions and bruises associated with a good old-fashioned, knockdown,drag-out fight, and he instantly recognized the mark for what it was. 

He stole a surreptitious glance down at the Commander's hands and noticed a slight, green-hued swelling around her knuckles and the edges of her hands.  Obviously, she had given at least as well as she had received.  K'Tan quickly averted his gaze back to the closed turbolift doors.  Clearly, there was more to the First Officer than just repressed emotions and pacifism, traits he had previously assigned to her and all other Vulcans.  If necessary, she could obviously handle herself in close combat.  As the turbolift sped on to its destination, K'Tan realized that despite the progress he had made with Counselor Margon, he still had much to learn.  He was determined to make the continuing reformation of his views a guiding principle of his life from this day forward.

Ominous shadows stretched their fingers of darkness towards the forlorn figure that struggled in vain to flee their pursuit. The gaunt visage gasped as a black hand grasped his weary body and squeezed the last drop of resolve from his punished form. His hollow eyes widened and his cracked lips moved to shape words that refused to traverse the void between he and Sareth. Krell reached for his wife's desperate hand, but mere centimeter's prevented their touch. Her efforts to free him were ineffectual and she watched in silent horror as he was dragged away into the bleak horizon. As a last stitch effort, Sareth fought to memorize the surroundings, but darkness cloaked the details and blanketed her sight with swirling black vapor.

Doctor Sareth's eyes opened abruptly and darted about the room searching for familiarity. After a moment, the disoriented sensation subsided and she recognized her surroundings. She was seated on the floor, before the meditation lamp in her quarters.

Unable to contend with the imagery of her husband's suffering, she fell upon the floor and wept. The sobs rolled from the depths of her Vulcan heart and spread throughout her quarters in waves of desperation. Unaccustomed to the raw emotion emanating from within, her heaving body felt as though it was secured to the floor by a magnetic field and she laid there alone, powerless to seize control of her wayward emotions.

Joint post by Rico and Jen
---
As they rode the lift down to Deck 12, Sevryll informed K'Tan that he would be joining the away team. There was a sudden light in his eyes that the Vulcan recognized as scarcely contained exhilaration. No thanks to her husband's occupation, she learned long ago how to identify eager warriors by the gleam in their fierce eyes. Sevryll was uncertain whether she herself would have chosen K'Tan for the operation, but Captain Quinn wanted him on the away team and she refused to question his judgment.

Commander Sevryll saw K'Tan steal a glance at her hands clasped before her. She was not accustom to using them in self defense... they were the hands of a scientist not a soldier. But in times like these, one must be prepared for any situation. The commander moved her stiff and sore hands behind her back and shifted her weight. She would have to visit sickbay to have her bruises mended before the mission.

"For obvious reasons, you will require physical alterations," she said as she stared at the door before her. "After the briefing, please report to sickbay for surgery."

K'Tan nodded in response, and from the corner of her eye the commander thought she saw a thin, ironic smile split his stern features.

Admiral Talbot and Colonel Khev strode towards Sevryll, as she and K'Tan entered the Aero Group Briefing room. She introduced the tactical officer and informed them that Captain Quinn had chosen K'tan to go in Mowembe's stead.

"Glad you could join the party, Lieutenant. I appreciate you stepping in for my security aide; it's not going to be an easy mission. I trust we can count on you to follow orders to the letter on this assignment.  I'm pretty certain this mission will require stealth and tact just as much as brute force, Lieutenant,"  the Admiral said as he held out his hand to K'Tan.

"Certainly sir. You can count on me," replied Lieutenant K'Tan, as he took the Admiral's hand in his.  The young officer found himself averting his eyes a bit.  K'Tan hadn't crossed paths with many Admirals in his days with Star Fleet, and certainly never this closely.

David noted the slightest hint of discomfort in K'Tan's posture as the tactical officer shook the Admiral's hand. Perhaps it was merely the Admiral's rank that made him uneasy. Colonel Khev offered his hand in turn to K'Tan as Commander Sevryll moved toward the table and surveyed the faces seated around it.

Aria James nodded to her from across the way. Sevryll had been too busy to think anymore about her "introduction" to her mother and children  in Five Forward the night before. She had to push any negative perceptions aside for the sake of the mission...her father's life depended on it. The fact remained that the girl possessed the necessary field skills and Sevryll could not allow her personal opinion to affect her own duties. The first officer returned the girl's nod and repeated the gesture to Lieutenant James who was seated next to Aria.

Sevryll approached the large display panel set in the wall at the head of the room, then lifted her PADD and quickly keyed a sequence into it. A second later the Starfleet emblem, centered on the display, was replaced by an image of her father. The picture reflected a distinguished looking middle aged Vulcan, dressed in ornate, diplomatic robes. She depressed a key on her PADD and the picture was enlarged, so that his face was clear to all viewing the display.

"Our mission, as many of you already know, is to locate a Vulcan diplomat named 'Krell'. He and Ambassador Spock are working towards Vulcan/Romulan reunification on Romulus. What you may not know, is that he is also my father. This mission is not only important to the future of Vulcan and Romulus, but to me personally." She gestured to Admiral Talbot and he gave them a description of the last message received from the man who was his friend and Sevryll's father.

"I have known Krell for many years. He's not only a skilled diplomat, but he's also a close personal friend. Krell and Ambassador Spock have been working covertly on Romulus for quite some time now. As Commander Sevryll mentioned, their ultimate goal is the reunification of the Vulcan and Romulan people. I also support this movement for both professional and personal reasons. We are not entirely sure what has gone wrong. There are factions who have tried to disrupt this mission from the start, and it's possible they have discovered Krell and have taken him hostage. The recording I received, along with additional information we have obtained," he glanced to Sevryll—her mother's dreams were the additional information, "indicates my friend may be injured. But I have every confidence he is still alive. The plan is fairly simple. We locate Krell, extract him if need be, and provide any further assistance to Ambassador Spock and his operation. I obviously have some experience and knowledge of Romulus, so hopefully that will give us an edge," Talbot said as he lightly rubbed the top of his pointed, right ear and gave the team a slight smile. His comment seemed to put the group at ease and some even chuckled at the Admiral's obvious point.

Sevryll's fingers quickly walked across the PADD and successive computer chirps ensued. Instantly, the image of Krell eased to the right of the screen and an aerial view of a Romulan home filled the opposite side. "This is the safe house where several of Spock and Krell's supporters await us. Among them is our contact; we will meet that individual first in order to determine our next objective."

With a quick combination of additional commands, a roster of personnel scrolled into appearance, replacing both images on the display. The commander announced the roles of various team members during the operation, starting with the fight crews who would escort the Aurora. When she had finished announcing the responsibilities of the escorts, she moved to the next officers on the list.

"Aria James, you will pilot the Aurora. Your task is to provide medical assistance, should it be required."

"Lieutenant James will head up mission operations from the control tower. As I mentioned before, his team will be providing both air and ground support."

"Lieutenant K'Tan, you will assist Colonel Khev in defending the away team." The terran glanced at Colonel Khev and inclined his head in acknowledgment.

Then Sevryll addressed the group as a whole, "the dangers of this operation are obvious, and failure will do more than endanger my father...it will impair the peace negotiations and weaken any prospect of further dialogue. Despite these possibilities, I am confident that we will succeed. My assurance rests in the knowledge of your individual talents and dedication. Because of your presence on this team, I have no doubt we will succeed." As she spoke, Sevryll cut her eyes to Aria then her swept her gaze from one team member to another, before resting it on Colonel Khev; he offered a slight smile in response.

She turned her eyes away and asked, "Lieutenant James, is there anything you would like to add?"

Aeirc sat up and replied, "My team, in conjunction with the engineering and science departments, have put together new equipment for the mission in the form of upgraded weapons and gear that are not standard Federation design. Before departure, my team would like to do a one on one briefing with everyone regarding the use of the new systems."

Sevryll nodded in response and added, "we will departing at 0200 hours, early tomorrow morning—the away team will be landing in the Krocton Segment. We will meet in the Main Level Flight Deck at 0100, for Lieutenant James' equipment demonstrations. Are there any questions?"

Several officers lingered about the briefing room after the meeting was adjourned. Colonel Khev had been speaking to Lieutenant James, when he noticed that Commander Sevryll was preparing to leave. He over heard her explanation of the bruises on her hands and face—she was on her way to sickbay to have them treated. The colonel excused himself from the conversation and approached Sevryll. "I'm headed there myself, to check on Mowembe's condition. Would you mind if I joined you?"  She nodded her approval and they left together.

Little was said on the way to sickbay. David could tell his wife was apprehensive about the mission...she looked tired. He left her alone with her thoughts and when it was safe to do so, he occasionally brushed his hand against hers...it was the only consolation he could offer as Colonel Khev.

In sickbay, Sevryll refused treatment from Doctor Lucas and requested Peterson instead. David assumed that she bypassed Lucas because she had a matter to discuss with the CMO. Yet the uneasy tension he felt between his wife and Lucas, was something to note and he watched the gangly officer from Mowembe's bedside with interest.

Sevryll spoke with Peterson regarding the injured marine as he healed her contusions.
"The girl was right...he rejected the implant, but he should be fine in a few days." said Peterson with a smile. When the therapy was finished, Sevryll thanked him and stood. Her eyes briefly met her husband's before she left sickbay. A few minutes later, Colonel Khev returned to his own cabin—0100 would come very soon, and he was in need of rest.

As the door to her quarters swept open, Sevryll was met by her children and her mother. They enjoyed a meal together before Sevryll put the twins to sleep for the evening. The young Vulcan mother sat in a chair in their room, watching as they slept; doing so had always given her a peace that meditation could not provide. In the darkness, she thought upon the request she made of her mother: "if I do not return from Romulus, please care for my children."

Sevryll slept in the chair near M'rynn and N'Vall's bedside until the quiet chime of the computer awoke her at 0000 hours...midnight.  She silently exited her children's room and prepared to meet the team on the Main Flight Deck. After a shower and another change of clothes, she woke Sareth who had spent the night in their quarters.

"I am leaving mother," whispered Sevryll.

Sareth sat up and touched her daughter's hand; it was unusual for her to make such a gesture and the signal spoke what words could not adequately express. Sareth watched as her daughter's silhouetted form backed from the room. The sound of the door opening and closing told the elder woman that her daughter had left, and she sank back into her pillow and stared into the darkness above her.

One by one the members of the operation reported for duty. Sevryll entered the Main Flight Deck and approached the group.

Joint post by X and Jenn:

They had a good hour before departure, so Lieutenant James had the group move from the Main Flight Deck to his office. There he focused on demonstrating the new equipment with Sevryll, Khev, and Aria.

Aeric entered his office and moved towards the three Starfleet issue supply cases. He opened the cases and turned towards the individuals and prepared to give them the same briefing that their companions would be receieving.

"In an effort to anticipate potential threats, various teams on the Tiberius have put together some new tools for this and future missions. All standard Starfleet equipment has been consolidated into wrist mounted sensor and communications systems. These units also serve as both field and medical tricorders that can be access by the integrated PADD. Communications systems are also independent units that have an effective range of 500,000 kilometers, but that range is extended to around 200 AU by using the subspace transmitters of the tactical belt."

As he explained how the wrist units were also equipped with visual communications systems, he handed each of his guest their equipment to put on. He wasted no time in pulling out the pistol shaped devices next. Aeric couldn't help but notice how the operative's eyes sparkled with anticipation. The weapons were a throwback to a time when phasers looked like weapons. These units were designed for combat and did not have the same utility as other phasers.

"Next up is a redesigned personal sidearm. The pulse phaser pistol was designed to fire pulsed phaser bolts for greater penetration through personal shield systems." Aeric said as he handed each of them a pistol shaped phaser device. David hefted the sidearm before taking aim at the opposite wall to test its balance. Sevryll accepted the the phase pistol and inspected it impassively.

"The weapons were created as a tactic against the Borg, but never field tested against their targets. Instead of allowing them to adapt to the phaser modulation, the pulse phaser pistols fire randomly modulated bolts, but are designed to punch through Borg shielding as opposed to keeping ahead of them. We have modified the design to include a lower yield stun setting that the earlier models were lacking."

"Due to the pulsed nature, these weapons use more power than per firing than other Starfleet issue weapons," Aeric said as he explained the pistols and demonstrated the ejecting power cell. He also showed them how each power cell had a visual sensor to display remaining charge. "As part of the system, we have included two spare power cells that are located in the tactical belt."

"The tactical belt is the combination of a microreactor, temporal shield generator, pattern enhancers, subspace communications, and recharging system for power cells that can be accessed via the wrist mounted PADD device." Aeric explained. "We have also incorporated a microreplicator that can create specific patterns up to 250 grams in weight on a full charge. This allows for field specific tools and even rations, but it takes upwards of twelve hours for the power cell to recharge. It is our hope that these systems provide you with the additional resources to complete your mission safely. Do you have any questions?"

David's attention remained on the phase pistol. "You've eliminated the discharge of nadion particles...good. Their detection could give us away. Can they be set to overload?"

"They can, but I believe that the people that designed it would rather you use the microreplicators that they included to create plasma charges or other explosive devices." Aeric said with a slight smile.

"In addition to this field kit, Aria and I have finished the temporal protection injection," Aeric started. "It will insert a synthetic gene based on our genetic immunity to temporal events into your mitochondria. This will turn your own bioelectrical field into a natural temporal shield. We are only offering this injection to select persons for now. You both are on our short list of candidates for injection along with your children, parents, and the captain. Since you are going to be in areas that are not protected from temporal incursion, I advise you to take the injection as soon as possible, as the injection needs time to integrate into your systems."

As her father spoke, Aria looked at her mother and hoped that she would see the logic in taking the shot. She knew first hand the dangers of temporal change, but it was not something that many people were willing to hear. The only other person that could truly understand the threat had been working hard to protect those he cared about. The gene therapy was only one of the ideas that he had been working on. She also knew of his attempts to use his natural connection with subspace to generate temporal shields, but also knew that he had made little progress in that path. The nanites and the injections were the only viable means to create consistent personal temporal shields.

Sevryll had given no further thought to the offer Aeric made earlier in the day regarding the temporal injections, and she did not know where she stood with regards to his story concerning shifting timelines. What she did know was that she would not allow the experimental treatment to be administered to her children without years of proper testing to prove its effectiveness. David had not spoken to her about his meeting with Aeric, yet it was obvious by his unaffected expression that he was well aware of the lieutenant's "temporal protection injection". Her anxious eyes searched his for support, and found nothing but persuasion. Aria watched as Sevryll rolled her gaze from David to her father.

"As you have indicated lieutenant, the belt includes a temporal shield generator...it will have to suffice. As for my children, you have had little time to develop and assess this treatment. I will not submit them to untested, superfluous remedies," she replied. Sevryll forced her voice into submission as she smoothly added, "the equipment modifications are impressive and I appreciate your team's diligence."

"You are welcome Commander," Aeric said. "As for the injection, what you decide is your choice. I can only provide the solution. Each person involved will have to make the choice of receiving it as an inoculation or hope we can correct a timeline change and bring them back."

"The ship is protected from these 'temporal incursions' is it not?" asked the commander evenly.

The proof of danger that Aeric had provided David was enough for him to make the decision to inoculate his wife and children whether she wanted it or not. In his mind, the threat far outweighed the risk. The Section 31 operative exchanged glances with Lieutenant James; he could only hope the synthetic gene would not cause any harm.

"The ship is protected by a temporal field that is generated by onboard systems," Aria said to her mother. "We have put the technology into place, but it is a system that requires power to operate. That means it is not as effective as a biological system. If we are planetside and hit by a temporal wave, the personal systems will offer protection, if they are worn and active. The biological solution is the most efficient in terms of protection and duration."

Aeric nodded to his daughter's words. "Your children will be protected while on the Tiberius, but I can't say that you will be as protected because you will be relying on external equipment. I trust the technology to work, but given the nature of your mission commander, do you believe that you will be able to constantly wear your temporal shield system? Each innoculation has been tailored to the specific genes of those recieving the injection. I spent all the time I had to make sure that the vulcan strain would work for any member of your family. I also took the liberty of creating a strain that would work for the colonel after a detailed scan was done on the Aurora."

"Commander," Aria started again. She didn't attempt to supress her emotions because it would not have mattered. All she wanted to do was give the commander additional information to make an informed decision. "I know it is a difficult decision and there is no pressure. I would suggest that you consider the results of not taking the injection and taking the injection. If the Aurora does detect an approaching event, I will do my best to get the team protected within the ship, but it would be more efficient if we could protect as many people as we can. So far, my father has only be able to manufacture the strains that will help vulcanoids and humans. If fact, I would recommend that anyone on the teams that falls into those groups receive the injection."

"If you have any doubts as to how it will effect the children, I will submit myself to the injection," said David.

"That will prove nothing, they are not fully Terran or Vulcan—it would effect them differently," replied Sevryll. "I will accept the injection, but do not administer the gene to the children. They will remain aboard Tiberius; if there truly is a threat, the shields will protect them. When I am certain the gene is harmless, I will allow the children to be inoculated, but not until it has been proven safe," said the commander evenly.

"I will administer the shots aboard the Aurora, but we must prepare for depature." Aria said. "I can hear that the ships are ready to go."

Feeling self-conscious of his new, surgically altered appearance, K'Tan tried to avoid the glances of the other crewmen as he made his way to the main flight deck.  As he entered the expansive, brightly lit bay, he spied Lt. James, Commander Sevryll, and the tall Romulan bodyguard named Khev step into the Aero Group Commander's office. 

K'Tan absently rubbed his now hairless chin.  As part of the surgical alterations he had received for the mission, not only had his goatee been shaved off, but his thick mane of black hair had been shorn down to mimic the short, pageboy style worn by the majority of Romulans.  A stray air-current whispered against the back of K'Tan's neck, and the unfamiliar sensation caused the hairs on his arms to stand on end.  Repressing a shudder, he couldn't help but think of how naked he felt without his hair.

He glanced down at his hands.  Like all of his skin, their normal, deep-brown shade had been lightened to a pale, bronze color, which had an almost greenish tint to it.  While he found the color intriguing, he fervently hoped that the med techs would be able to fully restore his former appearance.

All in all, the changes were quite a lot to wrap his mind around.     The only concession the med techs had made was to allow him to keep the scar traversing the left side of his face, and that was only after he had forcefully explained that he regarded it as a badge of honor, and would sooner pluck out an eye than have it removed. 

He tried not to think about what had been done to his ears.

K'Tan glanced at a large chrono-display on the far wall of the hanger.  He still had 15 minutes until the scheduled 0100 equipment briefing, but he was eager to get started.  He walked to the Lieutenant's office, and pressed the annunciation key.  "Come in," replied a voice as the door whisked open.  K'Tan stepped inside to see James, Aria, Sevryll, and Khev looking over an eclectic and decidedly lethal looking array of weapons.  Despite the sessions with Counselor Margon, he couldn't help but feel a bit odd to see the Romulan bodyguard handling what was obviously cutting-edge starfleet technology.

Their was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and K'Tan thought that he detected a furtive glance pass between the First Officer and the Admiral's  bodyguard.  He got the distinct impression that he was walking in on a private conversation.

"I apologize for the intrusion," he said awkwardly, stroking his now absent goatee.  "I thought that I might get a head start on familiarizing myself with our equipment.  One can never be too prepared."

From the pilot's chair, Aria spoke aloud, "Flight control, please verify clearance for Aurora NX-72675."

Areic's voice replied immediately, "NX-72675, you're cleared for departure.... safe travels."

Commander Sevryll sat in a secondary seat positioned behind the ship's holographic representation, Aurora, and her pilot Aria James. The vulcan woman watched as the containment field dropped and the runabout passed through the shuttlebay doors at the rear of the ship. Disguised as Romulan merchant ships, the Aurora and her escorts slipped across the neutral zone, undetected.

As the distance between Tiberius and Aurora slowly increased, Captain Quinn's steady voice came over the comm. "I'm not going to wish you luck, because you won't be needing it. I have no doubt that you will exceed in your actions.... Tiberius will be waiting your safe return—Quinn out."

A few short hours later the escort vessels parted ways, and the Aurora sank into the atmosphere to skim the billowing clouds of Romulus. Aurora broke the silence as she spoke the appropriate clearance code to the Romulan Planetary Sentries. The away team breathed a collective sigh of relief when the ship was approved for entry.

As the runabout flew low over the darkened Apnex Sea, Sevryll observed the reflection of moonlight on a thousand waves below. The distant lights of Krocton soon grew to fill the Aurora's bridge and the small vessel banked as it took the flight path of a multitude of other craft, criss-crossing the handsome city that stretched before them. A moment later, she set down lightly on a private landing pad at the south end of the municipality.

In the early morning darkness, the Aurora's crew was met by individuals waiting at the end of the pad. Admiral Talbot acted as the group's spokes person as he greeted the small contingent. To Sevryll's surprise, he embraced one of the individuals who met them. After a moment, the old woman turned towards the away team, "come," she said in a husky voice, as she lead the admiral by the hand towards the near by home.

The individuals who accompanied the old woman watched Sevryll and Aria with curiosity. Apparently, their Romulan hosts were unaccustomed to non-Romulan guests. Sevryll nodded respectfully as she met their inquisitive eyes. Talbot entered the home first, followed by Sevryll, Aria, Khev and K'Tan. As they passed through the main entryway, the Commander recognized the face of a Vulcan waiting inside... Ambassador Spock. When the door closed behind them, Sevryll bowed in Vulcan courtesy and returned his split fingered gesture, along with Aria and Admiral Talbot. 

"Ambassador Spock.  It's good to see you again.  I have to admit I'm a bit surprised to find you here."  Admiral Talbot said as he lowered his hand after greeting Spock with the traditional Vulcan salute.

"It is agreeable to see you again as well, Admiral.  I have missed our chess games.  Your mother has been kind enough to offer myself and others shelter and protection during these uncertain times."  Ambassador Spock said, raising an eyebrow as he finished speaking.

"Ah, yes.  I can see introductions are in order.  Let me present my away team.  Commander Sevryll, XO of the Tiberius. My personal "bodyguard" Colonel Khev.  Lt. K'Tan also from the Tiberius.  And our very skilled pilot, Aria James, ah, a civilian.  Everyone, if you didn't know already, this is Ambassador Spock and my mother, Caithlin Dar Talbot."  The Admiral said, giving his mother a slight smile and nod as he introduced her.  The Romulan woman had long hair that was still mainly dark in color but with strands of silver hair weaving through it.  She appeared to be of Romulan middle age but carried herself with grace and a quickness that was in opposition to her years.  She was fairly small of stature but had a presence that seemed to radiate a quiet power.  No doubt from her many years as a Romulan ambassador herself to various Federation worlds.

"Ambassador Spock.  Mrs. Talbot.  It is an honor to meet both of you."  Commander Sevryll said, giving a slight bow of her head to the tall Vulcan ambassador and small, Romulan woman.

"Sirach, will tell you that I'm not one for titles and ceremony.  Please, call me Caithlin.  Welcome to my home to you and your group."  The Romulan woman said with a warm smile for them all.

"It is an honor for me as well.  Peace and long life."  Colonel Khev said, raising his hand also in the Vulcan hand salute.  He had been around vulcans long enough to know the drill.  K'Tan also greeted the larger than life figures he was presented with as did Aria.  She seemed particularly intrigued by the Admiral's mother, never having met someone as old as she was before.  Mrs. Talbot seemed to pick up on this and moved to take Aria's hand.

"Now, how did a civilian end up going off on one of my Sirach's missions?  Come everyone and sit at the table.  I have tea and some small treats prepared for you.  There is much to discuss."  Mrs. Talbot said as she lead Aria followed by the others to a small kitchen and dining area.  There was a large round table around which everyone had a seat except Colonel Khev.

"Admiral, with your permission I'd like to monitor the perimeter.  Make sure we weren't followed here, sir."  Khev said briskly to the Admiral.

"Certainly Colonel.  A wise precaution.  But take a cup of my mother's tea with you or I'll never hear the end of it."  The Admiral said handing the Colonel a cup of the warm, aromatic blend.  He took the cup and made his way outside.

"Aria, dear.  Could you pass these around to my guests.  And make sure they each take at least one.  Even you, Spock.  And don't take no for an answer."  Talbot's mother said as she handed the young woman a plate of small cakes and cookies.

"Admiral, I surmise you are here in response to Krell's message.  Several weeks ago the members of the unification effort started to suspect we had spies within our group.  As you no doubt know, there are several factions on Romulus currently.  The government is in disarray and this has only made the situation worse.  One faction in particular wants to eliminate any possibility of unification between Romulus and Vulcan.  And they do not seem to care how they accomplish this.  Krell and two others were discovered and taken away.  We have been trying to pinpoint their exact location but have not discovered it yet.  We have however, discovered the Romulan who betrayed us.  A man name Torvane.  We have him nearby in another safe house.  So far he has not provided us with Krell's location."  Ambassador Spock said before taking a small sip of the tea.  Aria placed the plate of treats in front of the Ambassador and waited patiently until he selected a small cookie.

"Ambassador Spock.  I am sure you aware that Krell is my father.  We have reason to believe my father may not be well or being coerced for information.  Do you have a better idea of his present condition from this, Torvane person?"  Sevryll said, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.  The news of her father until now had been somewhat not real.  But hearing these facts from Ambassador Spock had made them all too real to the young Vulcan woman.

"Your father is alive Commander.  That is the extent of our knowledge.  I regret we do not have more information at this time."  Spock said, with a small tinge of apology in his tone.  He felt responsible for what had happened and would do everything he could to fix the situation his friend had been put into.

"Well, then Ambassador.  I think it's time we all meet this Torvane.  I think we might persuade him to tell us a bit more.  Isn't that right Lieutenant K'Tan?"  The Admiral said looking at the surgically altered officer.

"Yes, sir.  It would be a pleas,....  I mean yes, Admiral."  K'Tan said, catching himself.  He had to remember that not all Romulans were enemies.  But he did have to admit it wouldn't bother him to get one to be more cooperative.

"Very well Admiral.  I shall escort you there personally.  We shall leave in one standard hour.  If you and your team will excuse me Admiral.  I would like to meditate and clear my thoughts."  Spock said as he rose and excused himself.  He went into a small room off the kitchen area and shut the door.

"Well, opinions people."  The Admiral said.

"The cookies are quite good Admiral."  Aria said.  This elicited a chuckle from the Admiral.

"I like her, Sirach.  At least someone appreciates real cooking still and not just replicated food."  Talbot's mother said giving Aria a small squeeze on her arm.

"Thank you mother.  Now, opinions on the mission and information we have people."  Talbot said, turning to the away team.

Deanna, Will and Nathan walked toward the transporter room. As they got to the door Deanna turned to Will "I'm going to stay here for a while, catch up with Nat" Will nodded, shook Nathan's hand and entered the transporter room. Deanna link arms with Nathan and they strolled down the corridor on there way to Quinn's quarters.  "I think I'm in the mood for some double chocolate ice cream.. care to join me" Nathan said with a smile. Deanna laughed "Oh twist my arm". Nathan walked over to the replicator and made his request, seconds later there were two large bowls of double chocolate ice cream sitting there. Nathan picked them up walked over to Deanna who was sitting at the dining table. He placed a bowl in front of her and took the seat across from her.  They both clinked their spoons together and started to enjoy the ice cream. There was a moment of silence when all you could hear were the scrapping of spoons against the bowl. Deanna looked up at Quinn. " So you want to talk about it? " Quinn was about to put a spoon full of ice cream into his mouth " Talk about what? " he asked sheepishly. "Nat I may not be as telepathic as you but I do know something is wrong. " Quinn took a deep breath and put down his spoon "I am the Captain of a Federation Starship. This has been my dream for as long as I can remember,." Deanna grabbed Nathan's hand on the table. "I know, the family is so proud of you" Nathan gave her hand a squeeze, " But why do I feel like this really isn't my ship, that this crew isn't my crew. " Deanna got up and took the seat next to Nathan. "This was Captain Bell's ship and crew. You were his first officer. It is always hard to take over command of a ship and crew especially under the circumstance of which Captain Bell's disappearance.  This crew respected you as their First Officer and they will respect you as their Captain." Quinn looked into Deanna's dark brown eyes. " I know but..." Deanna cut across him " This is your ship Nathan, your crew. You are their strength, their leader.....their Captain." Nathan bent over and gave Deanna a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you". They continued to chat about marriage, family and Starfleet. Two hours had passed and Deanna had to get back to her ship before the Tiberius departed for their mission.

*****
Several hours had passed since Admiral Talbot shuttle departed the Tiberius. Quinn knew there would be no way of communicating with the away team. The Tiberius was heading back to the caravan of ships in the neutral zone.

"Captain Quinn to the bridge" Lt. Tuckers voice could be heard over the comm.

"I'll be right there" Quinn stood and exited his ready room.

"Sir we are detecting a ship on an intercept course." Said Lt. Tucker with concern in his voice.

Quinn sat in the Captain's chair "Can you identify the ship?"

Ensign Starstriker ran his fingers over his console. As he looked up, Quinn could see panic in his face "It's Romulan sir"

"Now, opinions on the mission, people."  Talbot said, turning to the away team.

Sevryll quickly responded, "We can expect to learn very little from the Romulan operative through torture, sir. It is likely he would die, rather than betray his family and the Empire."

K'Tan's dark brown eyes flashed, yet his voice maintained a note of decorum as he replied, "then he will have the honor of dying for his cause."

Something inside of the commander wanted to kill the Romulan betrayer herself, but she knew all hopes of finding her father would die with him. Sevryll pushed a single brow upward as she regarded K'Tan curiously. "But his death will permit him an honor he does not deserve, and for that reason I suggest we refrain from such a tactic."

Talbot grumbled, "She's right. What do you suggest we do instead?"

Turning her gaze from K'Tan to the Admiral she replied pensively, "I may be able to obtain the information we seek through a meld."

Sevryll did not perform melds with random individuals—the technique was deeply personal and never casually executed. Aside from that, her people considered forced melds to be taboo. Yet her father's life depended upon the information locked within the captive's mind.

K'Tan found himself admiring Commander Sevryll's levelheadedness and commitment to the mission.

I guess there's something to be said for Vulcan emotional discipline, he thought to himself.

K'Tan knew that despite being undemonstrative, Vulcans placed a lot of value on family ties.  And here was an officer who's father was most likely in mortal danger, yet she didn't let thoughts of revenge cloud her judgement. 

Not only that; she was considering linking minds with one of the pe'taq responsible for her father's disappearance. 

While his knowledge of Vulcan mysticism was limited, K'Tan knew that this was not something that Vulcan's took lightly.  If the Commander was determined to subject herself to a mind-meld to extract information from the traitor, then K'Tan would do whatever he could to facilitate the procedure.

He gently cleared his throat to attract the Admiral and Commander's attention.  "I have an idea," he said as they turned to face him.

"During my first year at the academy, I had a Denobulan roomate who had a strange fascination with late 20th century Earth law-enforcement entertainment programs.  In many of the programs, the law-enforcement officials would use a certain strategy to coerce criminals into divulging important information.  It was called 'good top/bad top', or something like that.  The strategy involved one official taking an overly threatening and aggressive stance with the criminal, in an effort to 'soften them up'.  After being subjected to this treatment, the criminal would then be interrogated by another official using a decidedly milder approach."

"Perhaps we can use a similar strategy here.  I could spend some time 'aggressively questioning' the traitor; being careful not to violate any of the guidelines set out in the Khitomer Accords, of course.  Faced with the prospect of me intensifying my interrogation style, the traitor might be more receptive to the idea of a mind-meld."

Hell; when I get done with him, he'll be begging for a mind-meld, K'Tan thought to himself, the hint of a grin forming on his face.

Aeric quietly paced the floor of the control tower as his team monitored the progress of the away team. They had long since made their landing, but that was only the start of the mission. They had done everything that they could to support the away team and the mission was in their hands now.

"Sir," came the voice a female human ensign, "should we divert some of our team members to monitor the situation with the incoming ship?"

"No," Aeric said. "If the bridge needs additional eyes, they will contact us. I need us to stay focused on the away team. However, we should be ready if neccessary. Contact the flight deck and have them prepare one of the scout ships for possible departure."

"Aye sir." the young woman said as she relayed the orders. "The chief says that the modifications of the Shadow are complete and she is ready for use. We have several pilots on standby for order to go to ready reserve."

"That won't be necessary," Aeric said. "If it becomes necessary to launch, I'll be the one at the helm. I will be on the flight deck if you need me."

Joint post by Jen and wraith1701


After completing his meditation, Ambassador Spock led Admiral Talbot, Commander Sevryll, and Lt. K'Tan to the safehouse holding the Romulan agent.  Once there, the trio followed Spock down a carved-stone stairway leading beneath the house.  Their faces grim, the group descended into the darkness.  The feeble glow of several wall-mounted light strips lent their faces a stark, atavistic appearance.  As they reached the landing, K'Tan could hear the distant echo of water dripping steadily onto the cold, stone floor.  Spock gestured to a closed door set into the far wall.  "You will find him in there."

K'Tan glanced at Commander Sevryll, who gave a quick, short nod.

Without another word, K'Tan opened the door to find a middle-aged Romulan man bound to a chair in the center of a small, dimly-lit room.  An empty chair sat across from the prisoner, and a single antique glow-globe hung suspended from a length of rope directly above him.  K'Tan grabbed the empty chair and slid it towards the bound Romulan.  As the legs scrapped across the rough floor, the Romulan strained against the ropes holding him in place.

K'Tan took a seat and regarded the prisoner coldly.  "I'll make this short.  Tell me where Krell is being held, or I will kill you."

As the Romulan lifted his head to look K'Tan in the eye, his lip curled up into a smirk.  "Your disguise is good; my compliments to whoever altered your appearance.  But your accent clearly marks you as an offworlder.  And since no self-respecting Vulcan would threaten to kill an unarmed man, I can only assume that you are a human Federation agent."

The Romulan's smirk grew into a sneer of disdain.  "Your threats don't scare me, Earther.   Causing harm to an unarmed prisoner would violate any number of your Federation's laws.  And then there's the fact that you humans simply lack the fortitude required to torture a prisoner."

"Who said I was human?" K'Tan snarled.  He sprang up, sending his chair crashing to the floor behind him.  Picking up the chair by a leg, K'Tan whirled and smashed it against the wall, sending pieces of wood flying.  Chest heaving with rage, he turned back to face the bound prisoner.  Spittle flew from his lips as he leaned down and yelled "Qu'vatlh guy'cha b'aka!"

The Romulan's eyes widened in surprise as K'Tan pulled a dak'tagh from a sheath at his waist.  With the press of a button, two small, inward-curving blades sprang from the hilt of the knife to flank the coldly-gleaming center blade.  K'Tan leaned in close to the prisoner, his nose scant inches away from the Romulan's.  The tip of the three-bladed Klingon knife pressed cruelly against the Romulan's throat.

"Who's to say that I'm not a Klingon, surgically altered to appear Romulan?"

The Romulan trembled visibly, though whether in fear or anger, K'Tan could not tell.

"I'm sure you've heard of Aviskie," K'Tan continued.   "My people wrested the world from the Romulans' grasp decades ago through honorable conquest.  But true to character, Romulus just couldn't accept being bested by the Klingon empire.  Time and again, your people raided Aviskie, killing civilians and children like the sniveling  bIHnuch that you are.  Well, you made a mistake on your last raid,  Ha'DIbaH!  You left one of the children alive!  I could care less about the whereabouts of the Vulcan.  My parent's blood is on your hands, and I intend to make you pay for what you've done!"

K'Tan was snapped out of his tirade by slender yet strong hand that suddenly grasped his wrist.  With a strength that belied her graceful appearance, Commander Sevryll slowly but steadily pulled  K'Tan's blade away from the Romulan's throat.  "That's enough," she said.  "step away."

As K'Tan reluctantly withdrew, Sevryll turned to the wide-eyed Romulan captive.  "I will give you one last chance to give me the information that I need.  If you do not cooperate, I will have no choice but to let my comrade interrogate you."

The captive's gaze followed K'Tan as he stepped into the shadows that enveloped the circumference of the small room. His eyes were filled with trepidation and locked on the man who had spat Klingon words upon him like a vile poison. They remained fixed on K'Tan as Sevryll knelt before the bound man and gently turned his face to hers. His eyes rolled to meet the Vulcan's, as her soothing voice spoke again, "he is not the "ideal" Starfleet officer...you should heed his words." He swallowed as she slowly removed her warm hand from his cold face. "I need the location of the man you betrayed. I can forcibly remove that information, which I would prefer not to do, or you can submit to a meld and your experience will be less distressing."

The man's features slowly morphed into a leer, "I have been trained to defend against such mental probes."

Sevryll held his gaze for a minute, before looking over her shoulder at K'Tan. The Romulan watched nervously as a wordless exchange transpired and K'Tan stepped eagerly into the light. As much as she abhorred violence, the captive required encouragement. If K'Tan could "persuade" the man enough, his mental guard would be dropped and she could take the information from him freely. It was a loathsome act but she knew no other option. 

K'Tan removed the gloves from his hands as the Vulcan woman slowly stood and turned her back on the brutality that she had just invited.

As K'Tan approached the bound prisoner, the Romulan spat at him.  "What happened to the 'Klingon Honor' you people pride yourselves on?  What honor is there to be had in beating a defenseless man?"

K'Tan stepped forward, then drew his right knee up with blinding speed.  The knee connected with the Romulan's outthrust chin, causing his jaws to snap shut with a sickening CRAK.  As the prisoner's head snapped back violently, a small spray of emerald blood and tooth fragments flew from his lips.

"Honor has no place when dealing with animals," K'Tan replied with a snarl. 

The Romulan's head rocked forward, his chin coming to rest against his chest, locks of his graying hair falling forward to obscure his face.  K'Tan grabbed a handful of the Romulan's hair, and forced his head back up.  "Don't try and pass out so soon, petaQ !  We're just getting started!"

The Romulan's eyes slowly flickered open, then rolled lazily about; he seemed to be having trouble focusing. 

Still holding a handfull of the prisoner's hair in his left hand, K'Tan drew his right hand back; fingers tucked in and curled up, palm facing out.  Like a steel piston, his arm shot forward, the heel of his right hand crashing into the Romulan's nose.  There was a meaty smack, undercut by the SNAP of the prisoner's nose breaking.

As the Romulan let out a muffled cry, an emerald  stream began to flow steadily from his damaged nose, painting his lower face and top of his shirt in a slowly spreading green stain. 

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and K'tan felt as though he were hearing the prisoner's plaintive cries from a great distance.  The man's pleas were punctuated by the repeated, muted SMACK of fist hitting flesh.  Although he knew that he was the one inflicting pain on the man, K'Tan felt as though he were watching someone else play out the grisly scene, and he was sickened by what he saw.  K'Tan's thoughts drifted back to just a few hours ago; he remembered having tea and snacks in the home of Admiral Talbot's mother.  The house had been filled with the smells and sounds of home; it was the perfect scene of domestic tranquility.  And the affection shared by the Romulan Admiral and his mother had been clearly evident. 

K'Tan's sessions with Counselor Margon came crashing home.  Romulans weren't the evil monsters he had been brought up to believe them to be.  They had the same hopes, dreams, and fears that he had; the same potential to do harm as well as good.  Unfortunately, the bruised and bleeding man before him had forsaken good and chosen to do harm.  K'Tan's mission was to try and undo the harm caused by the Romulan prisoner, and if that involved hurting him, then so be it. 

He would do what he needed to do to get the man to cooperate. 

Time seemed to resume it's normal pace, and with it came the sounds and scents of the prisoner's cell.  The sharp, coppery smell of blood.  The ragged, plaintive whimpers of the Romulan prisoner.  K'Tan's own breathing, sounding labored from his exertion. 

K'Tan glanced at his hands; they were stained green from the blood of his victim.   

As recently as a few days earlier, K'Tan would have thought that he would derive joy from having the chance to visit some of his own pain on a Romulan.  His eyes stung with the realization of how wrong he was.  Fighting against an evenly matched opponent was one thing, but there was no glory in what he was doing.

As he mentally gathered his strength to continue, one thought echoed over and over in his head:

I hope that Commander Sevryll ends this soon.

When she turned the captive's face towards her's, Sevryll felt a feral fear coursing through her fingertips. She did not have to lay her hand on him now, to know that the emotion had swelled to a heightened degree of horror.

The Vulcan woman flinched with the sound of each impact, and her stomach turned at the thought of her involvement in such barbaric mercilessness. She forced herself to turn and face the event that she had ordered with a mere glance. The scene wounded her as though she herself bore the punishment inflicted by K'Tan. Though the beating had only lasted a little over a minute, it felt like hours to her; unable to stand the sickening scene any longer, she ordered K'Tan to stop. The Vulcan's quiet command came to his ears like a scream, and he abruptly halted his barrage— all to happy to oblige.

Sevryll stepped forward and knelt before the Romulan captive once more. His swollen face hung low, yet he mustered the energy to lift his chin and look her in the eye as she wistfully addressed him. "I do not wish this to continue any further...please...allow me to meld with you so that I might stop this abuse." He had always been a loyal servant to the powerful and privileged, but his punished body cried out for him to submit to her, and against his better judgment he finally did. The Romulan nodded once in response.

Commander Sevryll wasted no time in performing the meld. She lifted her hand to his swollen face and gently positioned her fingers on the appropriate nerve synapses. He jerked involuntarily, feeling himself surging forward, like flood waters spilling over a dam. Then he rushed in to a place of peace and his body relaxed. His muscles went numb, leaving him conscious but incapable of moving. Instantly, Sevryll felt a tingling in her hand, which flowed like electricity along her arm until it charged her mind. The Romulan almost lost consciousness but Sevryll caught him, supporting his shoulder with her hand she held him upright. Her touch on his shoulder completed a circuit of sorts, and she flowed into his mind.

The tears came uninvited to her eyes and she could do nothing to stop them...the physical pain she felt...was insufferable. The Vulcan pushed through the curtain of anguish, in search of the knowledge that would lead them to Krell. Soon, Sevryll saw the Romulan's life poured out before her like a pool of water—his story reflected in the mirror of its surface. The man had a wife and two children, now grown with children of their own. She experienced his joy and sorrows, his glories and his defeats. The images and emotions passed through her with increasing speed, before at last arriving at the scene that would direct her to her father.

Less than two weeks before, the man had met with centurions outside his home...the prefect was with them. "My liege," Sevryll said aloud as the Romulan formed the words in the vision. The betrayer bowed before escorting the men to Krell, a guest in his home. Her father did not resist as they arrested him. Before thanking the Romulan for his loyalty, the prefect mentioned that they were taking the Vulcan statesman to the Administrative District for interrogation.

She let her hand fall from his face, breaking the contact between them. Slowly, Sevryll stood—disoriented from the meld she stumbled backwards  a few steps before finding her feet. K'Tan stepped forward to steady her, but she refused his help with a gesture of her hand. "They have taken him to the Administrative District. He knows nothing more. Please.... bring Aria here.... He requires her immediate attention."

David stiffened at his post outside the first safe house, as a figure jogged out of the shadows towards him. It was K'Tan...but where was Sevryll? When the tactical officer neared, he gestured for David to follow and they both entered the home where it was safe to speak. "Where is Aria? Commander Sevyll asked me to bring her back to the second den," said K'Tan. David noticed the green blood on K'Tan's clothing and instantly he felt himself start to panic. He pushed it down and forced himself to speak as Colonel Khev, "is she injured?"

Looking about the home for Aria, K'Tan responded, "no...the captive is. I had to enable the Commander's ability to meld with him, which required a physical thrashing." David noticed the ring of remorsefulness in the tactical officer's words. The operative lifted his brows in shock that Sevryll would allow such a thing.

Aria came out of a back room with Talbot's mother and met K'Tan in the center of the room. "Grab a med kit, the captive requires your expertise."

"I'm coming with you," said Khev.

Joint post by X and Jen:

Aria could only frown as she quietly entered the dimly lit room where the romulan prisoner was bound to a chair. Medical sensors in her new accessories were already providing the details of his condition. Even without the sensors, the coppery smell of the romulan's blood was heavy in the air. Part of her, a very small part, was horrified at what had happened, but her more finely trained logical side saw the use of such a tactic.

"Broken nose, lacerations, and a concussion," the young woman said as she glanced to the colonel. "I am not going to question what happened here, but the actions were flawed. Brute force as a means of information extraction is faulty in the best situations."

Aria quickly silenced herself as she interfaced with her microreplicator and began to produce the tools that she would need to repair the man. Inside her mind, emotional suppressors shifted into action as she began to move the newly replicated dermal regenerator over the romulan's broken skin. "Surely they realized how inefficient this information extraction method was.  Did they realize what would need to be done after two Starfleet officers, one of which was not disguised, had effectively tortured an unarmed prisoner?"

Commander Sevryll recalled the discussion she had with Admiral Talbot, regarding his proposed interrogation tactics. She had advised against violence, stating that it was likely the man would die rather than surrender the information they sought. Yet hostility was not absent from the interview she ultimately conducted, and she alone had been the one to order the abuse he endured. Sevryll wiped the remnants of tears from her cheeks, which had flowed uninhibited during the meld. She had never found the task of emotional suppression to be simple, yet ever since the day she learned of her father's disappearance the feat had become more and more difficult. The fright she touched in the Romulan had towed her own fears to the surface and in effect, the meld had overwhelmed the delicate suppressive balance within her, tipping the scales in emotion's favor.

Without pausing in her duties, Aria began to repair the broken nose of their captive as she continued speaking to the colonel. "A forced mindmeld or even neural stimulators would have been a more effective means and left far less physical evidence of the incident. If this man tells his story, it would be the end of the careers of two good Starfleet officers and a serious black mark on the reputation of the Federation."

David glanced at his wife, who watched quietly from the shadows—he offered her a supportive half smile. The Section 31 Operative believed K'Tan's actions to be the only solution to the captive's stiff-lipped stance to questioning, and he definitely did not disapprove of them. Sevryll took a weary step towards Aria and her patient. In the low light of the globe lamp David could see that her face remained impassive, but her dark eyes looked atypically downcast.

"Were you able to meld with him?" he asked. It was at that point Aria noticed her mother's presence. Sevryll nodded in response as she replied despondently, "any words spoken by the Romulan would be untrustworthy. A meld was necessary to insure the information learned was factual...and I expected that I would have to force the meld. I did not anticipated that the captive would possess the skills necessary to resist various mental probes. If I had attempted to meld without his consent, the damage would have been permanent."

She avoided meeting Aria's eyes as she continued, "you would not be capable of healing the wounds I would have undoubtedly inflicted, by forcing a meld on an individual trained to resist such procedures."  Aria turned back to the captive and Sevryll watched as she continued to work. She could not help but admire the young woman's concern for the man...

"So, you were able to gain his permission after K'Tan worked him over?" David asked as he shifted his eyes to the tactical officer, who had remained silent throughout Aria's lecture. The operative wanted to pat K'Tan on the back...but he knew he couldn't do that in front of the vulcanoids... he'd speak with the officer later.

Sevryll shifted uncomfortably and gave K'Tan an apologetic glance. "Yes," she replied.

David pressed for more information, "what did you learn?"

Sevryll had gleaned more information than what she was willing to divulge to anyone other than Admiral Talbot. For the moment, the details shared with the away team would be limited. She knew David had his own mission, and she intended to be cautious where he was concerned.

The commander softly replied, "Krell was taken to the administrative district by centurions."

Aria paused her work to stare at the Romulan captive, shutting the emotional suppressors off and allowing cold logic to be replaced by deep concern for her mother. She refocused her thought on the prisoner, and centered her mental abilities on him, as she administered a hypospray dose that brought him back to semi-consciousness. She took a deep breath and spoke in a honey sweet voice that hid the true nature of her actions. "Your thoughts run deep, share them with me."

Aria shaped her power like a dagger and forced it into the mind of the captive. This was not an attempt to share thoughts, for sharing thoughts often gave the subject information about the person conducting the meld. Without hesitation, she used her telepathic abilities to cut away the incriminating memories and of the time that the man spent as a captive. Linking her mind to the database of her equipment, event by event, she replaced the missing memories with those of her patient being tortured by Shinzon loyalist, for information that might return them to power. Working swiftly, she covered those recollections with a memory of an accident to explain his missing time. She quietly explained her work aloud to those in the room, as she made sure that the memories of the accident would falter under close scrutiny. The surface memories would erode under time or pressure only to reveal the skillfully implanted ones.

Aria lost herself in her work as she wove lie into truth to protect her family and the reputation of the Federation. She was unsure of how long she had been at work when she turned to the colonel. "I have removed the threat, but I will need assistance in getting him to a hospital as well as altering the records to have him as a patient. For believability's sake, we should perform the latter task poorly so the records show that he has been a patient since his abduction."


Her medical training had come with an oath to do no harm, but she now found herself skating close to that line. Her genetically and nanotech enhanced mind, quickly calculated the possible results of her actions and confirmed that memory modification or the death of the prisoner were the only viable ways to correct the situation that the torture caused. She could not find it in herself to commit murder, but that did not give her absolution for her actions. Aria sighed softly as she brushed the thick black hair from the man's face.

Without warning, a single nanite injection tube extended from her lower wrist and impelled itself into the neck of the semi-aware romulan. Sixty thousand microscopic machines flowed from her body into the brain of her patient. Mentally linked to the machines, she slowly guided them to continue the repairs that her medical equipment had began. Her thoughts guided each machine to migrate to the sensory systems of the romulan. It was a slow process, but the only way that she knew of to attach the proper sensory information to the buried memories that she created. When her patient safely awoke in the hospital, his artificial memories would have all of the necessary sensory information to convince him and others that the memories were real.

As the young woman completed her efforts, she recalled the microscopic machines that enhanced the mental efforts she had undertaken. Aria had gone deeply into his mind to generate the proper cover story and the lies that were required to protect the away team and the mission. This was the first time that she had to apply her mental abilities in tandem and on a nanoscale. It was an experience that she found taxing beyond words. Aria was mentally drained as she ended the connection and made sure that her nanites had all been accounted for.  Resolving the situation had pushed her to the edge of abilities, and quickly pushed her own body past its personal limits into a deep mental fatigue.

Once her efforts were completed, Aria ended the process by retracting the injection tube back into her wrist. Even as she struggled to move to a seat, she knew of the fear that such an accessory would create in those ignorant to its function. In her young mind she knew that the uninformed would only see the Borg when they looked at her actions from the outside. Many observers would be too close-minded to see that the only way to defend against a Borg nanoprobe injection would be a counter injection of combatant nanites that would fight the invading machines within the host's body. To Aria and her father, the addition of their own injection tubes were simply efficient means of quickly dispersing their machines to combat assimilation. This was just one of the costs that they paid to be ready to battle the threat of assimilation, but it was a cost that she understood well.

Joint post by Jen and X
---

David watched with wide eyes as the girl retracted the mechanical tubule from the Romulan's neck. Clearly there was more to this clone than he was originally told and that fact concerned him greatly. He began to worry that the gene treatment, he encouraged his wife to accept, would produce similar results. Second hand Borg junk,  he thought to himself. What was Areic really up to?

Sevryll could see that the procedure had weakened Aria and the elder Vulcan stepped forward to offer the girl a supportive arm. The touch telepath modus operandi, generally required one to avoid physical contact with others for fear of breaching the privacy of both individuals. But in her own state, the commander felt sympathy for the girl and disregarded the prudence her people ordinarily observed.

"Thank you," Aria said softly as she slowly drew a breath. "father didn't design the Borg countermeasures to function like that. It took more out of me than I expected, but the task is complete."

The girl softly flexed her hand to adjust to the tingling sensation in her arm. She had neglected to consider the consequences of revealing the nature of the countermeasures. "I will be fine in a few moments, I just need a couple of minutes to recover my center." As David turned his attention back to the Romulan, Sevryll found another chair and helped lower Aria into it.

Bending over to examine the unconscious captive, who's chin rested upon his chest, David asked, " are you sure your reprogramming will be sucessful? There's no chance anyone will detect your handy work?" He thought it would be better, perhaps to eliminate the captive with the new phase pistol and vaporize his body to destroy the evidence.

Aria considered him with a frankness that he found disconcerting. Nonplussed she replied, "yes. I destroyed selected memory engrams. They were disassembled and are gone forever. The ones that remain have been altered. The primary advantage of altering a memory engram is that it is much more difficult to detect, because it leaves no chemical traces or temporal synaptic gaps."

"Riiiiiiiiiight," replied David sarcastically. "How do you propose we get this guy to a hospital without anyone noticing the fact that he wasn't there before we placed him in the bed?"

"I'm sorry if I was unclear. We want him to be discovered." Aria said with a slight smirk. "We want them to question why he was there and discover that his memories were altered. When this happens, he will recover a very detailed second layer of memories that implicate Shinzon loyalist. If they somehow manage to detect tampering, they will assume it is from the false front of being in a transportation accident."

Standing, she took a few steps towards the prisoner and tilted her head as she observed him. "I believe we should transport him as soon as possible so that he doesn't wake here. I would offer to forge the hospital documents, but that is not my field of expertise. Perhaps the colonel can come up with false documents to have him as a patient."

David gave Aria a snide smile, "What gave you the impression I have any experience forging documents?"

K'Tan and Colonel Khev formulated a strategy for taking the captive to a near by hospital while Aria and Sevryll returned to the Dar Talbot home.

The two vulcaniod women walked ahead of the individuals who escorted them back to the safe house. Sevryll looked back at the three Romulans who  actively and nervously scanned the darkness behind them. She turned to Aria and speaking in a hushed voice, the commander thanked the girl for her efforts and apologized for giving her such an onerous task. "I asked your father to explain the dangers before I finalized you as an member of the away team.  I was concerned that you did not understand the implications of such an operation." She paused before continuing, "I am sorry that you were forced to compromise your ethics... I should not have involved you in this mission."

"My ethics were not compromised commander," Aria said as she turned her face to Sevryll. "I only made my comments in regards to efficiency. I was fully briefed on the dangers as well as any tasks that I may be required to preform, and I accepted without hesitation. I realize that it is sometimes necessary to go beyond the regulations of Starfleet. And I know that the path I have chosen will cause people to die by our defense of family and Federation."

Aria drew a deep breath, "My words were out of place. I should have realized that you would not be skilled at information extraction. And I should have spoken up and did what was needed. You shouldn't have been in a place to damage your oath to the Federation... I should have been the one to question him. This was my fault."

In the low light of early morning Sevryll looked upon Aria with a new respect. Something stirred within her momentarily, then she lifted her chin with determination and with a considerable effort, she ineffectually cast off the fleeting emotion. "You were chosen for this mission because of your many specialized proficiencies, and you have preformed them with a deftness that many individuals, more experienced than yourself, could never achieve. You have done nothing wrong, Aria."

They entered the house and Sevryll left the younger woman with Mrs. Dar Talbot, and went in search of Admiral. She entered the room he occupied, and the feeling of anxiety hit her... an emotion she rarely suffered, and never in the presence of the Admiral. She focused her breathing in an attempt to lower her quickened heartbeat. A bead of perspiration developed on her forehead and she brushed it away quickly with her hand and approached the man who sat, quietly discussing the political climate with several supporters. He detected her advance and politely asked the Romulans to leave he and the commander alone.

With great effort, she managed an impassive expression as she debriefed the Admiral on her findings. The Reunification movement had been infiltrated the Tal Shiar, but there was more to this than it appeared. The diluted Romulan intelligence organization was now employed by a group working outside the Romulan Star Empire. "Unfortunately, the agent I interrogated did not possess the clearance necessary to know who he worked for. The only solid information I obtained from him was the location of my father. He was taken to the Administration District and is being held within the prefect's home, in a chamber above the main dwelling." She paused before continuing, " I have not shared this information in its entirety with the team members. I leave that for you to determine Admiral."

K'Tan sat across from Colonel Khev in the second safehouse, studying the PADD on the table between them.  Downstairs, the Romulan prisoner appeared to be recovering from the injuries he had sustained during the interrogation session.

  While K'Tan was glad to see that he had caused the man no permanent harm, a part of him wondered if the cure might be worse than the injuries that had necessitated it.  The treatment that Aria had employed looked uncomfortably similar to Borg assimilation. 

With a mental shrug, K'Tan pushed the thought aside.  There were more pressing issues to deal with.  Namely, how to infiltrate a Romulan hospital and drop off their guest without raising any alarms. 

K'Tan tapped the PADD a few times, bringing up a small map of the medical center located only a few kilometers away. 

"Getting the prisoner to the medical facility is problematic.   The public transporter system is out of the question.  While you and the prisoner would encounter no problems, my human bio-signature would without a doubt arouse the suspicions of the transporter operators.  And since I'd rather not carry our guest all the way to the hospital, it seems as though we will have to get our hands on some form of personal transport craft.  My only concern is the possibility of encountering any checkpoints along the way.  While I might look Romulan, I only know a few words of the language, and our guest made a point of mentioning that my accent marks me as being an offworlder.  Your thoughts, Colonel Khev?"

Ensign Starstriker ran his fingers over his console. As he looked up, Quinn could see panic in his face "its Romulan sir"

Quinn stood quickly, "What, why aren't they cloaked?"

Starstriker looked down at his console, "They are damaged sir, looks like they been hit by some heavy fire."

Lt. Tucker turned from his console, 'Sir we are being hailed."

"Who's hailing us? Quinn asked sharply.

"It's the Romulan ship, they are asking for you Captain by name."

Quinn looked at Tucker with a bit of confusion then said "On screen"

As the screen came to life and an unfamiliar face could be seen. "Raise your shields" the Romulan screamed. "Raise your shields now!!!"  Quinn could feel the panic in his voice. He turned to Starstriker and yelled "RAISED SHEILDS". Just as Starstriker ran his hands across the console the Tiberius was rocked back and forth.

"Sir" Lt. Tucker yelled, "Another Romulan ship decloaking off our bow."

Quinn quickly turned back to the Romulan on screen, who's ship was also being hit hard with fire. "We are part of the reunification, friends of Ambassador Spock. We have a message, please help us."

For a split second Quinn reached out and connect with the Romulan, he knew he was telling the truth. "Ensign Starstriker extend our shields around that ship." Quinn turned to Tucker, "What's the status of the other Romulan ship."

Lt. Tucker looked down at his console, "Sir it looks like they re-cloaked, they are not showing up on sensors." 

"Not for long" Quinn mumbled to himself.

Aeric's mind raced to process the information as a second romulan ship suddenly decloaked. While his primary team continued to provide assistance to the away team, Aeric turned his attention to the secondary team. As the second ship quickly recloaked, Aeric caculated the problem in his head. Without thinking, Aeric rushed to a console and turned his attention to addressing the problem.

Aeric quickly sent a inquiry to engineering and the science labs, he needed to know how many birds they would need to put in the air to create a tachyon search grid. He knew that the Aurora and the modified ships were fitted for the operation, but they would need more than the single scoutship that was currently complete.

Aeric fingers raced over the controls as he accessed the schematics of the remaining support craft. He needed to figure out which ships would take the modifications with the most efficency. He could only mentally kick himself from failing to consider the possible event.

"Lt. James to the bridge," Aeric said as he transmitted ready orders to the Aero Group. "The support craft are ready to launch at your discression, but with some time, we might be able to configure a detection grid."

Even as he spoke, Aeric realized the dangers that they face from a cloaked vessel would also endanger the safe recovery of the away team.

Joint post by Jen and Wraith
---
"Getting the prisoner to the medical facility is problematic.   The public transporter system is out of the question.  While you and the prisoner would encounter no problems, my human bio-signature would without a doubt arouse the suspicions of the transporter operators.  And, since I'd rather not carry our guest all the way to the hospital, it seems as though we will have to get our hands on some form of personal transport craft.  My only concern is the possibility of encountering any checkpoints along the way.  While I might look Romulan, I only know a few words of the language, and our guest made a point of mentioning that my accent marks me as being an offworlder.  Your thoughts, Colonel Khev?"

David chuckled to himself. He was not exactly Romulan either, but his own disguise was a bit more extensive than the superficial cosmetic alterations the Tiberius was capable of mustering. For one thing, his organs had been surgically reorganized. That was the hardest to get use to. He had listened to Sevryll's measured heartbeats many times, yet it was more than a little strange to feel his own heart pounding away in his own side. Nosy doctors and their wayword bio-sensors would detect nothing out of the ordinary as far as he was concerned, and he was fluent in many languages, including Romulan. If he was going to be compromised, it would be the company he brought along with him that would be the reason for it.

"It looks like I'll have to employ a couple of  Spock's cronies to help ferry the would-be patient to a hospital. Of course, I'll need your help to verify that we have no more moles infiltrating the group." He gestured to the PADD and K'Tan handed it to him, "I'm sure the Ambassador can arrange for transport.  Those new devices Aeric and his team put together can replicate the rest of items I'll need to pull this off."  He scanned the information on the tactical officer's PADD and handed it back to K'Tan.

"By the way, you did a good job—don't feel guilty about it. Commander Sevryll couldn't have pulled the information without your help."

K'Tan allowed the hint of a smile to peek through his normally stern mien.  "Thank you, Colonel.  I needed to hear that." 

Would wonders never cease?  He was actually warming up to Khev.  He would never have guessed that he might one day actually consider a Romulan to be a friend. 

Hours later, K'Tan gazed out the window of a speeding aircar at the cityscape flashing by.  He, Khev,and a small group of Unification supporters hand picked by ambassador Spock had piled into the weathered transport after securing sets of hastily fabricated identification papers.  In the back of he transport, across from K'Tan, the unconscious prisoner slumped between two of Spock's assistants.

K'Tan marveled at the graceful yet somehow fiercely harsh beauty of the Romulan architecture.  Most of the tall, sandstone colored towers were adorned with sharp, upward curving projections which reminded K'Tan of gigantic claws grasping hungrily at the turquoise sky.  Gently tapering spires and towering arches dominated the skyline, and there was a symmetrical grid of broad, marble walkways leading to and from the various public buildings.  Small, meticulously maintained park areas dotted the sprawling marble and permacrete metropolis with splashes of vibrant green, offsetting the militaristic greys and earthtones dominating the vista.   

There were relatively few transports sharing the airways with the borrowed aircar; it seemed as though most of the population either couldn't afford them or simply preferred to travel by foot.  K'Tan looked down on the steady stream of pedestrians going to and fro meters beneath them.  All wore similarly nondescript clothing.  Like the city itself, the most common colors were muted earth tones.   Curiously, the citizens all seemed to avoid making contact with one another, and went about their business with eyes locked forward. It was almost as though they were socialized to avoid drawing attention to themselves. 

At the front of the cabin, Khev sat next to the aircar's driver, a Romulan woman named Vress.  After briefly consulting his PADD, he nodded towards a relatively humble looking dome shaped structure ahead of them.  "Vaed'rae.  d'Rihannsu sthea'hwill, mnek'nra?" 

K'Tan could only make out a few words of what Khev was saying; fortunately, their driver chose to reply in Federation Standard.  "Yes, that is our target."   K'Tan looked out the viewport and felt his muscles clench; there were several Romulans wearing the stiff, broad-shouldered uniforms of the military's security division guarding the main entrance to the hospital dome.

The driver turned back and regarded K'Tan with a raised eyebrow.  "Don't be alarmed by the large number of guards.  Ever since the coup attempt by Shinzon of Remus, things have been a little chaotic here.  Different factions have been struggling to fill the power vacuum he left us with, and we have had to rely heavily on the military to maintain order. Many fear a repeat of the terroristic acts committed by Shinzon, and so all possible targets are in a constant state of alert." 

She turned back to he transport's main canopy as the ship descended. " The majority of the citizens feel afraid and confused, and their feelings are shared by many high ranking officials.  There have even been rumours that the Tal Shiar itself is splintered.  It is believed that some elements remain loyal to the current government, while others pursue their own agenda.  This pervasive paranoia and uncertainty has swelled the ranks of those who support our reunification with our Vulcan cousins.  Unfortunately, there are many others who seek to shut out the outside world." 

As the transport settled down to land at a relatively empty lot adjacent to the hospital, The driver's expression turned bitter.  Her next words contained an undeniable trace of sadness.  "An acquaintance of mine even hinted that the isolationists views held by the Tal Shiar are shared by some of the Vulcans."  She turned back once again to regard K'Tan, her eyes shining with angry, unshed tears.  "Wouldn't it be ironic if Vulcan and Romulus finally came together, but with the intention of preventing reunification?"

The morning sun painted the cold buildings with a blanket of golden warmth—artfully disguising the true nature of the city they found themselves in. Khev spoke openly with K'Tan in the Romulan tongue as they passed a rigid pair of Civil Guards. Their side mission was now complete and the two Federation officers were on their way out of the hospital. The klingon-raised-human simply nodded in agreement, as though he understood every word the colonel was saying. It was all a part of the rouse; being brought up on Kronos had most certainly limited his practical application of the Romulan language. For all K'Tan knew, Khev was insulting his intelligence. But the tactical officer's concern for words that may or may not be spoken against him was diminutive. Instead, his focus was set upon getting the colonel back to the safe house with no further incidents.

Colonel Khev had insisted that K'Tan accompany him into the facility to deliver the burden that had been locked in the cellar below the safe house. The man needed to be discarded before they could begin their mission, for he was a major liability. If one of them were captured in the process of rescuing Krell, centurion patrols would scour the city for the safe house and there they would find "Mr. Turncoat", in all his battered glory. His discovery would surely secure an end to all of Spock's hard work.

The two undercover officers wheeled the man into a corridor, lined with occupied gurneys, and left him on his stretcher with a Romulan Data PADD resting on his chest. Uploaded to the PADD were Aria's creative medical history and a surfeit of forged documents giving him ample reason for being in the facility. The task had been easy...or so K'Tan had thought.  As he and the colonel turned to leave the corridor, a medical aide carrying a tray of crude surgical implements slammed into Khev. All but one of the sharp tools tumbled harmlessly onto the floor. Failing to notice that one of his scalpels was buried in Khev's upper torso, the aide cursed him for having sullied his freshly sterilized tools and rushed to pick them up before anyone noticed the blunder.

David held a facial expression born from decades of experience. He apologized to the man and made some excuse, which K'Tan could not decipher, before motioning to his partner with a quick gesture of his chin towards the exit. No one paid them any heed as they strolled confidently down the hallways. Just before exiting the building, K'Tan noticed the way in which the colonel kept his arms folded tightly across his chest. It was then that the tactical officer discovered the fact that Khev had been injured in the collision with the clumsy nurse. Though the flow of blood seemed to be contained for the moment, the younger man quickened his pace to ensure that they left the facility before it became a problem. K'Tan nodded in response to Colonel Khev's Romulan gibberish, spoken for the benefit of the Civil Guards posted outside the entrance. Ignoring the helmed sentries, the two men strolled with assurance down the stone steps, toward the airship, and boarded the vessel with no further occurrence.

David kept his arms folded across the wound that still bore the implement, not only to slow the flow of blood, but also to prevent the notice of his injury. He was well aware that the scalpel had gone beyond the surgically placed sub-dermal tissues, designed to hide the fact he was human. The injury was deep and he was bleeding a mixture of his own, red blood, and the synthetic green blood that coursed through the superficial, sub-dermal tissue. That fact would blow his cover and threaten his life in more than one way.

David was sure Aria knew of his real identity, for she had made some snide comment regarding his ability to forge documents.  When they made it back to the safe house, perhaps she could repair the damage before anyone noticed and Sevryll and her team could begin the next step of their mission and he could continue his own.

As the aircar sped back towards the away team's safehouse, K'Tan glanced back at  Colonel Khev.  The Bodyguard had obviously sustained an injury in his collision with the Romulan med tech, but he had repeatedly assured K'Tan and the others that the damage was superficial.

The shuttle's pilot turned back, a quizzical expression on her face.  "Are you sure you wouldn't like us to land for a moment and tend to your injury, Colonel?"

Khev's lips curved into a forced-looking smile.  "For the last time; it's just a scratch.  I'll dress it myself when we get back to the safehouse.  Now just focus on getting us back there in one piece."

K'Tan's brow creased with concern.  Khev was sitting at an odd, simi-reposed angle, and a fine sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead.

Khev's arms were still held crossed over the site of his wound.

As the Romulan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, K'Tan briefly glimpsed the cold glint of steel behind the man's crossed arms.

Not wanting to openly contradict the Colonel,  K'Tan nonchalantly activated his PADD and keyed in a quick entry-

We should be back at the safehouse shortly.  Be advised that Colonel Khev may need immediate medical attention.

After keying in the address for Commander Sevryll's PADD, K'Tan hit the "send text message" icon, and tucked the PADD back into his tunic. 

Through the cabin's rear viewport, K'Tan watched the sun drift behind a thick bank of clouds, giving them a warm, red-orange glow.  He glanced back at Khev.  The scene outside was profoundly serene, a stark contrast to the grimace of pain etched on the Romulan bodyguard's face.

The commander watched the admiral's distinguished features gradually transition to display concern, as she debriefed him on the information she discovered during the meld. Talbot was anxious to find Krell, and if his expression was not a clear indication of this fact, the trench he wore into the stone floor as he paced was a telltale sign. His boots clacked lightly with each long stride, and ground the grit into the floor with their hard soles as he pivoted in place and retraced his steps. Commander Sevryll watched the low light from the wall-mounted lamps, travel over Talbot as he walked back and forth before her. She found his proclivities curious, but pacing the floor seemed to facilitate the Admiral's ability to think. Apart from that, the vulcan could not deny that there was some logic in dispelling nervous energy through such movements. In fact, she was tempted to join him in forming his trench in the floor, for she found herself wringing her hands restlessly in a tightly bound vice of unease. The meld was not without its side effects, she thought to herself, and she separated her hands and placed them on the arms of the chair she sat within. 

As he walked, the admiral exchanged ideas with the vulcan woman concerning their next move. With each step, his mind wove together the strands of strategy in an effort to form the greater details of their course of action.

Just as they finalized their plans, the commander received a communiqué on the PADD, resting in her lap. The soft chime called her attention away from the admiral, and she raised the device to view the message. A wash of dread assailed her crumbled ramparts, which typically restrained the emotions that were considered detrimental to her people. She lifted a single brow and turned a concerned eye towards the admiral. "They successfully delivered the Romulan to the medical facility and are on their way back to the safehouse. But their mission was not without casualties. Your aide has sustained an injury that will require immediate attention upon their arrival."

Quinn stood on the bridge as the red lights flashed and the familiar klaxons of Red Alert could be heard.  Quinn turned back to the Romulan who was still on screen. "We are going to beam you directly to the bridge so we can further discuss this situation." The Romulan nodded as Quinn glanced over at Ensign Starstriker with a quick nod of his head. Moments later the Romulan materialized on the bridge.  The Romulan looked around suspiciously as he said in a low voice, "is there somewhere private we can talk?" Quinn gestured towards his ready room and followed the Romulan in.

As soon as the Romulan entered he turned and gave his hand to Quinn to shake. "I am Ejiul D'varo" Quinn shook his hand and gestures for him to sit. Ejiul shook his head, "There is no time for pleasantries Captain, there is a spy aboard your ship." Quinn looked a bit confused by this news "How do you know this?" he asked.  "We intercepted a transmission from your ship to the warbird out there. We have been shadowing you since you entered the neutral zone. Ambassador Spock ordered us to make sure everything went as planned for your rescue mission. When the transmission was sent from your ship we followed it to it's source and found the two cloaked warbirds. We managed to destroy one of the ships but we were no match for two. We have sustained heavy damage to our ship but our primary goal was to return to you with this news." Quinn sat down behind his desk "So you are saying the Romulans know about our secret rescue plans?" Quinn asked with dread in his voice. "No Captain, this isn't a government ship it's the Tal Shiar.", Ejiul said with panic in his voice.  "I thought the Tal Shiar were no longer a threat and have been dispursed." Quinn asked,  "There are still members out there and though they might be a small group they still hold a lot of power."  Quinn relaxed slightly " So the government of Romulas still has no idea of the rescue mission." Ejiul smiled, "That's correct and we have to keep it that way. We mustn't interfere with these negotiations talks that Captain Riker is heading up. We can not let this warbird make it back to Romulas. We have managed to destroy their communication array so they won't be sending any messages, but our ship is too heavily damaged to battle the warbird." Quinn stood, "Of course, do you know who the spy is on board my ship?" Ejiul started to follow the Captain out of his ready room, "No Captain, all we know is that it's a Tal Shiar agent. " Quinn walked back to his Captain's chair and turned toward his bridge crew. "I need suggestion on how we are going to locate this cloaked ship... and I need them now"

Admiral Talbot continued to pace after Sevryll informed him that his aide had been injured while taking the romulan to the medical facility.  This was disturbing.  They couldn't afford to either be discovered at this point or loose a member of the team.  He was also disturbed by reports of spies within their midst.  He felt absolutely certain he could trust Sevryll.  He had know her and her parent for years and had placed his own life in her father's hands on more than one occasion.  But the others he was less certain of.  Especially the klingon who had joined their party at the last minute.  Of course being a klingon made it pretty unlikely he was going to be working for the romulans or any of their agents.  But still, Talbot was uneasy.  He knew the rest of the team would be returning shortly and he felt it was time to act.

"Commander Sevryll, may I have a moment please."  Admiral Talbot said to the young vulcan officer as he stopped his pacing.

"Certainly, Admiral.  The rest of the team should be returning shortly."  She said.  Trying to keep the concern she had for her disguised husband David, from both her thoughts and voice.

"Good.  Once we determine the extent of Khev's injury I feel we need to proceed with the mission with haste.  It's possible we have been discovered and if that is true the romulans will not stop until they find us.  They are most diligent in these matters."  Talbot said quickly.

"I agree, Admiral.  I still sense my father is alive, but I get the occasional flash that he is not well.  If we are to succeed in extracting him it has to be soon."  Sevryll said with some force.

"Exactly how I feel, Commander.  We haven't come this far to go back empty handed.  Now, I know the area fairly well where the romulan indicated Krell is being held.  It's relatively unguarded, but there are of course several detection and monitoring systems that will have to be taken out.  I have spoken with Ambassador Spock on this situation.  He has offered his support, of course.  But I told him we can't take the chance of him coming along.  If he was spotted or worse during the rescue the damage could be monumental.  I know your father would not wish to risk the unification efforts, even to save his life.  But Spock did offer one of his men, a vulcan he trusts named Sturm who will guide us to the administrative area.  We we be able to take some underground tunnels to get us near to the area but we will have to make our way to street level about a kilometer away.  Sturm knows the sub-junction facility we will have to infiltrate to take out the monitoring devices in order to slip in undetected.  Of course, once that happens the romulans will know something is up.  I suggest one of us will need to stay and drop the monitors for the shortest time and bring them back online once we are clear.  Both Spock and Sturm feel this may then be seen as a simple malfunction and no create quite so much attention."  Talbot said, taking a slight pause to collect his thoughts.

"Sounds most logical, Admiral.  Perhaps Aria could perform that task.  She is most adept with computer systems and electronics."  Sevryll said.

"Good idea, Commander.  I have to admit though, she gives me a funny feeling whenever I look at her.  She looks so much like you it's a bit unnerving."  Talbot said.

"I understand, sir.  I also admit to a slight unease in her company.  But I know she is most reliable and can be trusted."  Sevryll commented.

"That's good enough for me.  Commander,....ah, Sevryll.  I know this mission has not be easy for you and I just wanted to say I know your father would be very proud of how much you have done on his behalf."  Talbot said.

"As I have hear Ambassador Spock say on occasion, sometimes Admiral the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many."  Sevryll said as she raised and eyebrow.

"Indeed.  Now, let's wait to finalize the rest of the plans until the others get here.  I want to make sure we all are on board with this plan.  We won't have another shot at this."  The Admiral said as he moved to the door to watch for the returning team members.  Sevryll also stood watch.  She felt confident in the Admiral's plan.  It had to work, her father's life depended on it she thought to herself as the two of them waited in silence.

As Captain Quinn stepped on the bridge, he asked "Can anyone give me any suggestions on finding the cloaked ship.  He heard Lt. James suggest "The support craft are ready to launch at your discression, but with some time, we might be able to configure a detection grid." 

Lt. Tucker suggested, "Sir, we could use unmanned probes linked together to create a tachyon sensor net.  We could spread the probes out and possibly detect the ship.  It would be a safer and easier way than using manned shuttles. 

Isaac spoke immediately against his better judgment.  "Sir, I would highly suggest against using any sort of support craft or probes."  Captain Quinn raised an eyebrow at the young ensign who's head had turned to him.  "And may I ask why Ensign Starstriker?"  Isaac replied without pause "Sir, using support craft would be dangerous.  All the Romulan Warbird would have to do is decloak and destroy them.  We cannot extend our shields around both the Romulan Ship and the support craft.  Its too much of a risk to the ship and crew.  Also, a probe sensor net would not be extend to a large enough area to detect the Romulan ship."  Quinn answered, "What would your suggestion be then Ensign?" 

"Sir, I have read about a research project that a man named Jonathan Retan did about permanently breaking the advantage of the cloaking device.  Its called the Tachyon Dish Disruptor.  The theory behind this 'disruptor', is that a starship's deflector array could be modified to shoot a high amount of tachyons before of a cloaked ship.  Because it is such a concentrated amount of tachyons, it would take a long time for them to dissipate. The potential advantage being that the area you fire the tachyons in will not be 'cloak-friendly' for about 5-10 minutes." said Isaac. 

Quinn then asked, "Why was this disruptor never fully explored?"

"The project ran into issues with the high-energy drain, possible damage to the deflector array, and the problem that there was not enough area covered by the tachyons." replied Isaac.  "However, I think that the Tiberius' high amount of energy, its upgraded deflector array, and the fact that the disruptor has never been used in the field means it could work." 

Quinn thought it over quickly and then said "alright ensign, work with Ensign Tev-Awash and Chief Engineer K'arath and get this idea set up.  How long will it take?" 

"If I get lucky, it will take me 25 minutes,"  said starstriker.

"You have 15 minutes Ensign". 

For professional reasons, Talbot rarely acknowledged their extended kinship and the Vulcan woman had always been content to respect that fact. His kind words were encouraging and she was appreciative of the Admiral's short note of support.  After they finalized their plan, they waited quietly for the return of Khev and K'Tan.

Breaking the silence Sevryll turned to the admiral, "Thank you...toz'ot." Before he could reply, the shuffling of feet outside the room they waited in, stole his notice. Talbot and Sevryll stood in unison and entered the main room where they found Aria scanning the ashen Colonel Khev.

Despite Lieutenant K'Tan's offer of help, Khev entered the Safe house on his own power. As soon as he stepped through the entry to the home, the clone was there with her medical scanner assessing his condition. The injured 31 operative smirked to himself, either K'Tan had sent a message for medical assistance without his knowledge... or Aria's weird Borg implants gave her precognizant powers in addition to everything else she was capable of.

Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way, he thought to himself. Some super spy I am—this is embarrassing. Admiral Talbot and Commander Sevryll hovered in the background, yet only one held the look of concern in her eyes; the injured man could only give her a half-nod of reassurance as he fought to remain conscious.

Aria requested that the colonel sit in a chair but he insisted that they go into another room, away from the others. He couldn't let them see the red blood that he had kept hidden behind crossed arms. David was fairly certain that Aria's "father", Lieutenant Aeric James, had informed her of his meeting with the operative and warned the girl of the Colonel's true identity...information that until now, had only been know to David's wife, Sevryll. David hoped it would remain limited to the four of them. For if anyone else found out...

As Commander Sevryll watched Aria leave the room with David, she felt Lieutenant K'Tan watching her in turn. Their eyes met briefly before she looked down and away. She forced a calm, cool impassive expression to flood her face before meeting his gaze again. The admiral motioned the lieutenant over to them and briefed the officer on the strategy that he and Sevryll had forged together. "We will leave at sunset, with or without Colonel Khev. Make any preparations you deem necessary," said the admiral.

"This is my wake up call. . .caught you in the morning with another one in my bed. Don't you care about me anymore? Don't you care about me?" asked Johnny Manrique who was standing in the middle of his bedroom.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry Johnny! Please forgive me!" said the attractive blond girl who was in her early twenties.

"I don't think so. I don't think I can forgive you Sherry. One thing is certain though: he won't come around here anymore. I don't think so." said Johnny still standing in the middle of the room looking at the sitting figure of Sherry on the bed.

"What did you do Johnny?" asked Sherry with anguish and concern as she put her right foot on the floor while keeping her left leg bent at the knee on the mattress. Johnny finally noticed the somewhat sexy and feminine, red satin sleepshirt she was wearing which was mid thigh in length. It had a button front with a notch collar. Johnny had never seen Sherry wear that sleepshirt. The main reason was because he had never slept with Sherry despite their two year relationship. He took to heart his parents' values. He'd thought that Sherry shared the same values.

"He was at least six foot tall—taller and brawnier than me—had the build of a fine Klingon. I guess that's how you like them huh? You ask what I did. Well, he was six foot tall, came without a warning so I had to shoot him dead. He won't come around here anymore. He won't come around here. I don't feel so bad."

"Do you realize what you're saying? What you did? Oh my. . .did you really kill him Johnny?" Sherry asked this time getting up entirely off the bed while facing Johnny.

"What? You think I'd lie or play about something like that at a time like this?"

"You didn't have to kill him!"

"I would've bared all to make you happy. You didn't need to treat me that way."

"Oh. . .Johnny. . .please forgive me. I know I made a mistake." Sherry took three steps and put her arms  on Johnny's shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure why I did it. I think I felt lonely with you spending so much time on Academy work. I didn't feel loved."

"So you  shack up with some guy to feel loved?"  Johnny looked at Sherry's eyes and saw that he could not figure out the answer to his question. He looked down, shook his head, looked up again and then he put his hands on Sherry's bare shoulders. "If you needed love, well then ask for love. I could have given love. . .now I'm taking love," taking my love thought Johnny, "and it's not my fault. 'Cause you deserve what's coming now so don't say a word." Johnny paused once more and searched Sherry's eyes again for answers but didn't find any except that Sherry's explanation wasn't the complete answer. Out of frustration Johnny dropped his arms to his side letting go of his love. "I'm not kind if you betray me. . ." Yet he wanted to ask her about the other real reasons she betrayed him but he couldn't. He almost impulsively put his hands on her shoulders again and he just looked at her and she looked back. Time stood still for a few moments. Then Johnny inexplicably heard a man's voice say "Wake up call." Suddenly he woke from his dream.

He woke to hear the familiar sound of the Red Alert Klaxon and felt the ship shake. He got up, put on his uniform and headed out the door to the the turbolift. On his way there Johnny couldn't help but to think about the dream he'd just had. Sherry had been his Academy sweetheart. He'd met her in his sophomore year and fell in love with her. During their senior year she disappeared only telling Johnny that she was leaving the Academy and Earth to find out her reason for living. Heartbroken Johnny has never seen or heard from Sherry since that day.

He finally reached the turbolift. "Bridge," said Johnny and he then heard the soft humming of the lift as it proceeded toward the bridge. He's fairly certain she didn't cheat on him; and he never did sleep with her. On graduation he was going to ask her to marry him. But it never happened. And Johnny wouldn't kill a man with a phaser just because the other man was bigger. Johnny was a match for any man, human or Klingon. He would've killed the man with his hands thought the young ensign. If he had killed him at all. It was such a strange dream.

It was Johnny's mind, or heart, trying to understand and come to terms with the pain. He knew he had to move on—to let go of his love as he tried to in the dream. But he just couldn't. He wanted--needed-- to know why Sherry left everything, including the man she loved.

Hours later, Sevryll entered the small room as her injured husband endeavored to pull his boots on. She watched silently while he sat on the edge of his cot, struggling to finish the task. Sitting back against the wall to catch his breath, David turned a weary eye towards the woman standing just inside the doorway, "Hello commander. Are we ready to go?"

Looking about the room for Aria, she nodded in response. The operative followed her searching gaze before replying, "she stepped out a minute. Would you mind giving me a hand?"

Sevryll took a few short steps towards the cot where the disguised terran waited. She offered her arm for support, but he took her hand instead, holding it in his for some time before making the effort to haul himself up. He stood on shaky legs, looking down at his wife—a glance between them was all the unspoken communication necessary. David was staying behind.

The sounds of a busy city enveloped the team of three, waiting in the shadows just outside the structure that held Krell. The vulcan guide that Spock had assigned to lead them, had brought them through the underground tunnels and to the home of the prefect. With his task complete, the man left to their mission.

Commander Sevryll's eyes stabbed at the darkness as she whispered into the prototype communicator on her wrist. "Now," she uttered softly.

The response heard by Talbot and K'Tan came through the small devices they wore in their left ears. "Understood. Stand by commander." Aria's voice had been steady and calm, providing Talbot with an extra amount of faith in her abilities as a hacker. A few minutes later, the girl replied brightly, "the system has been bypassed. You may proceed at your convenience commander."

The Vulcan woman pushed a questioning eyebrow upward and glanced at Talbot and K'Tan. Though the light was dim, she could see them each nod, indicating they were ready. Commander Sevryll stepped lightly towards the rear entrance, all the while scanning the area with her wrist-mounted tricorder for company. Admiral Talbot waited for the distance between them to grow, before he advanced towards her. Lieutenant K'Tan, who walked backwards with his phaser drawn, followed the admiral in turn.

K'Tan's heartbeat pounded like a triphammer in his chest as he backed towards the target building. The slate-gray structure stood at the border of city and wilderness; the front faced a sprawling, bustling metropolis, while the rear was closely bordered by untamed woods. 

K'Tan took a deep breath.  The familiar sensation of adrenaline coursing through his veins brought him to a state of hyper-alertness.  The phaser held out before him swept to and fro, mimicking the movement of his unblinking eyes as he studied the shadow-shrouded surroundings for possible threats.  As the last remnants of light from the setting sun peeked through the trees on the horizon, K'Tan realized that the growing darkness was a double edged sword.  On the one hand, the darkness would help the team avoid being spotted by roving sentries, increasing the likelihood of the mission's success.  But the darkness worked against them as well- it would be twice as hard to spot any agents who might be closing in on them. 

As he joined the Admiral and Commander Sevryll at the building's rear entrance, K'Tan leaned back for a second to savor the moment.  Although human by birth, his klingon upbringing had conditioned him to enjoy the thrill of danger that came with missions like this.  In fact, many of his commanding officers had accused him of being an adrenaline junky; a truth that he didn't bother to deny.  He simply felt most alive when facing his possible death; every sense seemed amplified.  It was as though his body understood that  its end could occur at any moment, and it therefore drank in every sight, sound and smell like it would be its last. 

K'Tan glanced to his right to see Sevryll put away her tricorder and approach the keypad beside the sealed door.  Aria's earlier transmission had indicated that all security systems had been bypassed, which should leave the commander clear to override the door's locking mechanism.  The Commander's fingers flew with practiced ease over the keypad, entering multiple combinations of characters.  As her first few entries were rejected with a soft yet rude sounding beep, K'Tan redirected his attention to the clearing they had just crossed. 

The clearing, which consisted of a ten meter wide swath of well manicured grass, circled the building.  In the distance, he could barely make out the point at which the clearing abruptly ended, to be replaced by a stretch of thick forest that extended for the next few kilometers.  Somewhere in that forest, their shuttle lay hidden by a combination of holo-technology and artfully placed tree branches.  Inside the shuttle, Aria monitored the team's progress with passive sensors as she awaited their return.

The silence of the growing dark was broken only by the song of the Neiirrhs, small, brilliantly colored birds who possessed tiny, poisonous spurs.

On K'Tan's left, Admiral Talbot turned slightly towards Sevryll.  In a barely audible voice, he asked "How's it coming along, Commander?"

Pausing to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead, she glanced back at the Admiral.    "Ambassador Spock supplied me with 132 different access codes before we left.  One of them is sure to work." 

Sevryll's statement was proven true an instant later.  The readout on the access panel gave a final beep, then grew dark.

"I have shut down the magnetic locks.  We are now free to enter the bui*"

Sevryll's words were cut short by K'Tan's hand, which suddenly flew up and clamped over her mouth.  As her eyes widened in consternation, she noticed that something had changed... the  shrill song of the Neiirrhs had abruptly ceased.

With startling speed, K'Tan whirled back to face the gloom at the trio's back.  Like a striking snake, his free hand whipped up, releasing a small, cruelly edged knife.  The blade whistled off into the darkness; there was a soft thud, followed by a half strangled, gurgling cry of pain.  Suddenly realizing his breach of protocol, K'Tan hastily removed his hand from the Commander's mouth and sprinted off to vanish into the gloom-shrouded tree line.  There were sounds of a brief struggle, followed by a barely audible snap.  Moments later, K'Tan emerged from the trees, sheathing his blade in his utility belt.  As he returned to the doorway, he cast his eyes down in contrition.

"I apologize, Commander."  He nodded his head towards the treeline.  "There was a lone sentry, but he won't be reporting in."  K'Tan's explanation was interrupted by the voice of Aria in the trios'  earpieces:  "I've detected movement in the treeline near your location, Commander."

K'Tan eyed the Admiral and Commander in turn.  "I suggest we hurry, sir.  When the sentry fails to report in, others will show up to investigate."

Their footsteps were hushed by the splendid azure carpet, which covered the floor of Prefect Havid's residence.  The senior official's home, was adorned with an opulence that brashly declared his influence to all who entered the dwelling. Yet to Sevryll, the affluence suggested nothing more than his corrupt nature, for she knew that district administrators on Romulus did not earn an income that might purchase the extravagancies he surrounded himself with. She suspected that they were illegitimate private gains, acquired in secrecy through individuals paying high prices for the prefect's alliance. It is no wonder the Empire finds itself in this predicament ,  she whispered to herself.

As Admiral Talbot motioned to K'Tan to take point, the vulcan commander lifted her wrist and activated the tricorder once more. The lieutenant maneuvered passed them with confidence, and led the team to a junction in the corridor. Unsure of which direction to head, the three slipped into an inset doorway, in order to sheath themselves in shadow, while the commander sent her scan to Aria for assessment. A moment later, the girl's composed tone indicated that they should turn right at the divergence.

Lieutenant K'Tan drew his blade and motioned for Sevryll and Talbot to wait. The commander glanced quickly at the admiral, who watched intently as K'Tan disappeared around the corner. After a moment the tactical officer reappeared, and gestured for them to follow.

The three slipped through hallways festooned with art, yet none of them stopped to admire it for they were not in the mood, or the position, to appreciate anything other than the exit. Armed men patrolled every floor of the multilayered domicile, which made negotiating the passages, without detection, increasingly difficult. The team ducked briefly into a darkened nook, to allow one particularly stocky guard to pass. He moved painfully slow and Sevryll could feel herself becoming impatient with his sluggishness. Her eyes flicked from K'Tan to Talbot as she fought to keep herself from shifting uncomfortably. After what seemed like hours, he turned a corner and left the passage to the Starfleet officers.   

In the distance lay a stairwell, and beyond that the floor where Krell was located. They darted quickly toward the stairs and slithered up the steps to find the next floor guarded by more armed men. The men were not soldiers, for they wore no formal military uniforms... simply the dull attire typical of Romulan citizens.

Talbot formulated a plan as they listened to the guards brag about their sons' athletic prowess. The admiral rolled his eyes at their absurd assertions of strength and agility, each trying to "one-up" the other. He turned to Sevryll and mouthed a command. She nodded, quickly keying a message into her wrist device and sending it to Aria. A second later, the response was transferred through the devices worn in their ears, "acknowledged. Stand by, commander."

The lights on the floor went out soon after, and K'Tan, Talbot and Sevryll took the opportunity to clear the hallway of the obstacles that impeded their progress.Though her heart kicked her chest and pounded in her ears, she could still hear K'Tan and Talbot scuffling with the others. Blinded by the sudden darkness, one of the guards fumbled awkwardly in search of the panel that would return illumination to the hall. As he tramped down the corridor, the brawny man slammed into Sevryll and reflexively grabbed her arm.

The slight vulcan twisted, breaking the attacker's grip but before she could block the attack... a hammer struck her jaw. Instantly, a nebula of color and orbiting stars filled her vision and clouded her mind. She dropped to one knee and fell to the floor. Through the haze she detected the man's form lowering itself to her level to inspect his victim. Instinctively, she reached for the point between his neck and shoulder and gripped. The hologram, Dennis, would be proud to witness this rare occurrence, she thought. A millisecond later the dead weight of the man fell across her, knocking the wind from her lungs. She lay there gasping for air as his heavy head rolled on her shoulder. When her breathing returned to some semblance of normalcy, she clutched the material of his sleeve with her free hand, and pulled, rolling him off of her. Though dazed by the blow, she managed to sit up—the hall was eerily quiet and she saw no sign of K'Tan or Talbot in the darkness surrounding of her. 

Ensign Nareen Tev-Awash entered the turbolift and announced the deck where Ensign Starstriker and Chief Engineer K'ararth waited for her arrival. Only a few days before, the young, blond, Lorillian woman had spilled the entire contents of her hot chocolate all over Commander Sevryll's conference table during a Science Department meeting. Unfortunately that act had been the first impression she made on her senior officer. After the meeting's conclusion, Narren chased down the XO in the passageway.

"I...I'm not sure that I'm the right person for this assignment," she said.

Sevryll stopped in the corridor and turned towards the young ensign, "I would not have selected you if I believed you incapable, ensign."

"Thank you ma'am, but I'm just not as practiced as the others... Their experience makes me feel... inferior; I don't want you to be disappointed in me, commander."

The stolid vulcan woman raised an eyebrow, "put aside your apprehension and perform your duties, ensign." 

Tev-Awash looked down at her shaking hands, "easier said than done," she thought. Yet it was now time to do just that... "put aside her apprehension and perform her duties." Taking that step reminded her of being weaned off the methyl oxide that she breathed as a child. Though her mother was gentle and patient in introducing her to oxygen, the experience had been a painful one. In some regards, overcoming her anxiety was equally agonizing. Nareen swallowed a lump in her throat and lifted her chin. "I can do this," she said aloud.

"Please rephrase your request," replied the computer.

Rolling her eyes Nareen replied emphatically, "mind your own business". With that, she exited the lift and strode into engineering with as much self-confidence as she could possibly muster.

"Detecting a vessel concealed by a phased cloak is essentially impossible through passive means. If the presence of such a cloaking device is suspected, the only theoretical method of detecting it is to run a high-power scan for localized subspace phase distortion that might be as discreet as 0.3 millicocharnes from normal phase,"  declared Ensign Tev-Awash semi-confidently.

"We tried that... it got us no where," said the broad shouldered Ensign Starstriker. Inwardly, Nareen chided herself for thinking that he wouldn't have attempted that option first.

"Oh," was all she could say in response.

She was just as unsure of herself as he was. Noting her discomfort, Starstriker smiled at Nareen and replied, "this is the only thing I could think of that could work... and we have less than fifteen minutes to pull it off."

Lieutenant Commander K'ararth showed them to their stations and Starstriker and Tev-Awash began running the algorithms necessary to make the adjustments to the deflector. After ten minutes of work, the two compared notes and ran their modifications by the Chief Engineer.

"Good work," he grunted in his typically brusque Klingon tone.
Nareen couldn't help but beam in response to K'arath's complement, yet her large smile was only met with a curt nod as the Klingon turned back to his work in engineering. Her smile shrank in response.

Ensign Starstriker raised his brows sympathetically at Nareen, and tapped his com badge.

"Starstriker to Captain Quinn."

"Quinn here."

"Sir, we've finished our modifications. Ensign Tev-Awash and I are headed to the bridge."

"Acknowleged. Make it fast Ensign," replied Quinn.

Tev-Awash and Starstriker said very little as they rode the lift to deck one, but every now and then they exchanged uneasy glances. When the door slid open to reveal the main bridge, Isaac quickly took over ops as Nareen took in the sights and sounds of the bridge that she had never once stepped upon—she was simply awestruck. From the command chair, Captain Quinn turned in her direction and met her wide-eyed gaze. "Take the science station Ensign Tev-Awash."

"Yes sir!" she replied, a little more strident than she intended.
The young ensign rushed to the chair and seated herself behind the panel.

"Find that ship Mr. Starstriker," ordered the Captain.

"Aye sir!"

Nareen watched Ensign Starstriker smile as he activated the tachyon dish disruptor from the other side of the bridge. Soon after, a concentrated beam of energy erupted from the dish and burst toward the designated coordinates. His smile grew twice its size as a formerly cloaked Romulan vessel appeared aft of the damaged ship, which floated before them on the viewscreen.

Back on Romulus, K'Tan found himself trying to navigate the darkened hallway by touch.  As he crept along at a crouch, he kept his left arm extended to his side with his hand trailing along the wall.  He silently cursed the power outage, and the chaos that the darkness brought with it. 

Moments after the lights had gone out, he, Commander Sevryll, and Admiral Talbot had been set upon by a group of Romulan guards.  In the brief but fierce melee that followed, he had somehow gotten separated from the others.  K'Tan bit off a curse of frustration, and tried to focus on the job at hand.  His priorities were clear:  rejoin his comrades, and then exfiltrate the Vulcan captive.

Somewhere up ahead, he could hear Admiral Talbot struggling with a Romulan guard.  Phaser drawn and held before him, K'Tan cautiously made his way down the darkened hall.  As he inched his way forward, the sounds of the fighting grew gradually louder.  A feral smile lit K'Tan's face.  He was frankly quite impressed with with the iron-haired Romulan Admiral's martial prowess.  He had initially questioned the decision to include one of Starfleet's brass on an extraction mission; he had always felt that the admiralty were more or less a group of desk-bound PADD pushers.  Granted, many of the fleet's most highly ranked officers had displayed uncommon courage and ingenuity in their early careers, which was undoubtedly the reason for their elevation.  But once they traded the command chair for a cushy office, K'Tan felt that they were better suited to tackling paperwork than tackling enemy combatants. 

K'Tan's eyes were gradually adjusting to the lack of light.  As he peered into the darkness, he could barely make out the form of the Admiral grapeling with a towering Romulan guard.  After ducking to avoid a vicious roundhouse punch, Talbot quickly dispatched the musclebound guard with a swift kick to his head.  As the guard collapsed to the floor in an unconscious heap, K'Tan found the last of his doubts about the Admiral's fighting ability fading away.  The Lieuenant quickly jogged ahead, glancing back briefly to ensure that he wasn't being followed.

After pausing to straighten his black field jacket, The admiral turned to greet K'Tan.  "Krell's room should be up ahead," Talbot said.  He then glanced around, a frown forming on his face.  "Where is Commander Sevryll, Lieutenant?" 

K'Tan looked about in confusion.  "I thought that she was with you, Sir." 

Talbot's brow furrowed with determination.  "We'd better go back, she may need our help.  I have no intention of leaving Romulus without both her and Krell." 

As the pair made their way back to the stairwell, the darkness was violently split by an angry red disruptor blast tearing through the air.  The beam ripped into a painting on the far wall, instantly transforming it into charred, smoking ruin. The pair simultaneously dropped into a defensive crouch, both aiming their phasers at the source of the blast.  Several more disruptor beams followed the first in quick succession, cutting the darkness with a red strobe-light effect.   The evil, high-pitched whine of the disruptors was suddenly dwarfed by the loud, piercing wail of an alarm system. 

So much for a covert extraction, K'Tan thought to himself.

Talbot sprung forward onto the floor on K'tan's right, landing on his stomach with his phaser held before him at eye level.  Keeping low to present as small a target as possible, the Admiral slowly crept forward, the light from the intermittent disruptor blasts highlighting the severe angles of his face. 

K'Tan sought cover between a pair of waist-high decorative pillars, furiously trying to plot the best course of attack.  A stray disruptor blast flashed by his left cheek, turning the pillar behind him into a hail of molten shrapnel.  As the Lieutenant lunged forward, he could feel bits of semi-molten plaster pelting his back.  He was suddenly caught in a spasm of agony; the bits of shrapnel felt like hundreds of tiny teeth chewing into his flesh.  The ozone-laced smell of burning meat and fabric triggered the beginnings of a panic attack, and he quickly clamped down on the response.  K'tan swore a silent oath of gratitude to his adoptive Klingon parents.  Compared to what he had endured during his passage to adulthood on his homeworld, the pain he was now experiencing was trivial. 

As he inched forward behind Admiral Talbot, K'Tan noticed a new smell assaulting his senses- the smell of a chemical fire.  He glanced back to see flames creeping along the carpet near the destroyed pillar.  The smoke from the burning material was slowly building, and threatened to eventually engulf him.  He returned his attention to the front in time to see Talbot fire off two bursts of phaser fire at the stairwell ahead of them.  In the darkness ahead, someone gave out a short cry of pain, and the intensity of the enemy fire faltered.  Taking advantage of the brief respite, the pair quickened their advanced.  K'Tan risked another glance behind him, and instantly regretted it.  The flames on the carpet had quickly grown into a raging inferno.  The waves of fire were lapping against the walls, and finding little to consume there, were now rapidly advancing on the two Starfleet officers.

As the disruptor fire ahead once again increased in ferocity, Admiral Talbot called back to K'Tan.  "We have to fall back; those guards have us pinned down!"

"I don't think that'll be possible, Admiral!" K'Tan replied.  "The disruptor blasts have started a fire; if we go back, we'll be roasted alive!"

Talbot gave a small, mirthless chuckle.  "Damn.  Out of the frying pan, into the fire, eh Lieutenant?"

All at once, the unmistakable sound of a Starfleet issue phaser set at full auto-fire echoed from the stairwell ahead.  The thunder of the staccato bursts of phased energy almost drowned out the cries of alarm issuing from the guards ahead.  After what seemed like an eternity, both the phaser and disruptor blasts halted, giving ground to an almost deafening silence.  As K'Tan and Talbot exchanged confused glances, the only sound was the sinister, muted roar of the fire creeping towards them from the rear.  Talbot looked at K'Tan, then silently gestured at the now silent stairwell ahead of them.  His muscles tensed like coiled springs, K'Tan followed the Admiral as he cautiously inched forward.

The two instantly froze in place as the sound of footsteps echoed ahead of them.

They tensed as a slim, lethal looking figure emerged from the shadows.  Holding what appeared to be a smoking phaser, the figure approached them with calm, athletic grace. 

K'Tan's finger tightened on the trigger of his phaser, ready to fire at the slightest sign of aggression. 

The Admiral suddenly gave a quick exhalation of joy as the figure emerged into the light to reveal the calm, stoic visage of Commander Sevryll.  An angry bruise discolored her cheek, and as she saw the pair laying prone on the carpet, her right eyebrow raised inquisitively.  "It appeared that you were in need of assistance,"  she said.

Both the Admiral and Lieutenant sprang up from the carpet, grins of relief plastered on their faces.  The Admiral gave Sevryll a brief nod of approval.  "We've seen better days, but I think we're allright.  Krell is being held right around the corner; let's get him out of here before this place burns down around us."

Lt. James quietly observed the displays as he attempted to monitor communications with the Aurora and track the status of the events happening arround the Tiberius. His ships were still on standby, but it appeared as if the crew had come up with another solution.

"Lt. James to shuttlebay," Aeric said as he kept an eye on the sensors. "stand down until further notice. It appears that the situation has returned to our favor."

"Aye sir," replied the voice of his deck chief as she distributed the command to the waiting pilots. "Pilots are on stand down."

Aeric took a deep breath and sighed in relief. There was danger all around them, but at least they one this slight victory. He could only hope that the mission on the surface was also yielding it's own little victories.

As Talbot and K'Tan rejoined up with Commander Sevryll, the fire suppression system of the complex engaged.  Even though the fire had quickly spread the chemical blanket being emitted from various locations was quickly keeping it contained.

"Talbot to Aria."  The Admiral said activating his ear comm.

"Aria here, sir."  The young woman replied.

"I need to you to tap into the network once more and shut down the alarm system.  A fire has been started and the romulans may just think that it was the fire that set off the alarms.  At least for now.  You need to buy us just a little more time.  Then get yourself to the rendezvous point.  We are almost to our target.  Understood?"  Talbot said briskly.

"Yes.  Understood sir.  Aria out."  She said.  The trio of Talbot, Sevryll and K'Tan made their way to the door they had been searching for.  After a moments pause just outside the door, the alarms subsided.

"That Aria is a gifted operative, Commander.  I'm glad she is with us on this."  The Admiral said with a slight grin to Sevryll.  In response, Sevryll raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Admiral, let me go in first sir.  I can divert the guards attention.  And frankly sir, I am more expandable than either you or Commander Sevryll."  K'Tan said in a surprisingly quiet voice for the officer brought up with klingons.  He raised himself up proud to face what was beyond the door.

"I appreciate the sentiment lieutenant, but no need for more heroics quite yet.  Let's try and use our heads a bit."  The admiral said in a quiet, yet firm tone.  Talbot reached down to his boot and pulled out the small tool he had nicknamed, 'Betsy.'  He quickly pressed a small tab on the device and held it in front of the electronic door lock.  After several seconds a small, soft light beam was emitted by 'Betsy' towards the lock.  Romulan symbols flashed across the keypad in a blur and quickly settled on four symbols.  There was a small click and a green indicator lamp activated on the panel.  Talbot patted 'Betsy' affectionately and returned her to his boot.  The admiral then motioned for Sevryll and K'Tan to step to the door side.  He had gone over the end point of this mission many times in his head over the last several days.  The admiral had already seen people injured on a mission he had started.  He wasn't about to let that continue, if he could avoid it.  As he slowly inched the door open, Talbot could just make out one guard about 5 meters away.  He had his back mostly to the door, the admiral decided to make his move before they were detected.  He pushed the door open and fired at the romulan guard.  Before the guard could react, the stun blast knocked him to the ground.  Just then the door was shoved back on to Talbot from the opposite side and the admiral was almost knocked down.

"No!  Arghhh...."  K'Tan yelled and charged the door.  The second guard inside was caught off balance and K'Tan knocked him back.  The larger disguised Starfleet officer side swiped the romulan across his head and then sent him backwards with a quick blow to his chin.  K'Tan made sure he was down before checking on the admiral.  Sevryll was already helping Talbot to his feet.

"Hmm, maybe I will let you go in first next time lieutenant."  The admiral said with a slight chuckle.  Sevryll and the others quickly entered the room and shut the door behind them.  All three of them noticed at the same time the aged vulcan man strapped to an examination table at the back of the room.

"Father!"  Sevryll said, with more emotion than she would normally allow.  She rushed to Krell's side and began to release his bonds.  Talbot followed while K'Tan watched the romulan guards and the door.

"Who's there?  I won't tell you what you want to know Vercious.  Don't you understand that yet?"  Krell said in a ragged and rough voice.

"Krell!  Old friend it's Sirach.  And Sevryll.  We're here to get you out."  Talbot said quickly.

"Father, it's me father.  What have they done to you?"  Sevryll said, with concern cracking in her voice.

"Sevryll?  No it's a trick.  You are not my little one?!  Do you hear me Vercious, you will not fool me!"  Krell said, in a wild and haunting voice as Sevryll and Talbot finished releasing him of his bonds.  Krell look very thin and his face bore the marks of both old and new injuries.  But it was his eyes that were causing even his vulcan daughter to be afraid.  They had a haunted and hollow look that seemed quite unlike any vulcan's eyes Sevryll had ever seen.

"We don't have time for this.  Sevryll, you need to soothe him so we can get out of here.  Tell him something quickly.  A story from your childhood.  Something to get through to him and convince him to trust you.  But quickly, we need to move soon!"  Talbot said as he helped the weakened vulcan up.

Krell spoke in labored whispers. " I will not help you," he groaned.

His daughter placed her trembling hand on his to reassure him and felt a wave of pain at the touch... nausea threatened to buckle Sevryll's knees, but Talbot's stern voice shored her up.

"Tell him something quickly—a story from your childhood. Something to get through to him, and convince him to trust you. "

Krell shrieked in pain as Talbot helped him sit up. Noting the painful cry, Sevryll activated the wrist-mounted tricorder and scanned her father. "His right arm is broken as well as his left foot. He has a number of internal injuries, lacerations, contusions, fractured ribs, broken teeth...fingers..." Sevryll's voice trailed away, unable to continue relaying the information.

"I'll carry him if I have too... now, do something to calm him," insisted the admiral.

Krell's interrogators could have easily ripped information from his mind through their neural probes. Her father knew it, which was why it was likely that he would continue to distrust them despite any personal information Sevryll could to impart to him. They had no time to perform an irrefutable meld and because of Krell's apparent mental state, the process could potentially be dangerous to them both.  Sevryll closed her eyes and conjured a shared memory, then whispered it in her father's ear. Talbot and K'Tan exchanged bemused glances as large tears poured down Krell's bruised cheeks. His bloodshot eyes moved to meet Sevryll's and his haggard voice uttered a single word, "daughter?"

At the moment, sleep was the only relief she could offer her broken parent. The commander spoke a quiet phrase of comfort in vulcan, "let'theiri sa-mekh", meaning be at peace father, and grasped the point between her father's neck and shoulder—instantly rendered him unconscious. He slumped against Talbot, who quickly lifted the emaciated form of his friend. Drawing their phasers, K'Tan and Sevryll covered the admiral as he bore Krell out the door and back through the corridors.

The turbolift came to a stop and the doors slid open. Time to get my game face on thought Johnny Manrique as he exited the lift and stepped into the bridge. He noticed Ensign Starstriker quickly enter the turbolift after he came out of it. Manrique then proceeded to man the tactical station relieving the ensign who had been on duty when Manrique had been asleep. When he had been dreaming of Sherry. However, there would be other times to think about her. This was not one of those times.

"Glad you could join us lieutenant, Manrique," said Captain Quinn.

"My pleasure sir," replied Manrique with a slight smirk on his face.

Captain Quinn gave him a quick brief of what had transpired. "Check your station for additional details lieutenant. Hopefully, within the next 20 minutes you'll put them to good use once we find that Romulan ship. But first I want you to have your people look into finding that spy."

"Yes, sir. Manrique to Lieutenant Tain and ensign Thesh. Report to the bridge."

Manrique wanted to meet the two security officers in person to keep the investigation of the spy as secret as possible. Within a few minutes, the two security officers entered the bridge. The chief of security led them to the ready room.

"We have a spy on board. I want you two to look into this matter. Check for possible ways that the signals could have been sent from the Tiberius without alerting security systems or any of the crew. Also, concerning who might be the spy, look into all new crew members first, particularly those who joined us after we left Earth. The spy is here; that's a fact. He or she is not leaving this ship. We, you, will find that spy and make him pay."

Lt. Tain looked up at Manrique with a questioning yet quizzical look on his face and said, "I can't wait to make him pay. One thing's nagging me though."

"What's that?" asked Manrique.

"Well, I'm a new crew member; I'm one of those who is more likely to be the spy," said Tain with an amusing expression.

"Tain, if you're the spy, then you're the absolutely best spy in the galaxy," said Manrique tapping Tain's shoulder, "and I congratulate you for that right now. I tell you what. . .I'll investigate you if it makes you feel any better. How's that?"

"That's more like it. A good spy—like me that is—should have the chief of security investigating him. You just made my day Manrique," remarked Tain with a big grin on his face. Manrique couldn't help but laugh. Lt. Tain was a funny character. However, he had made a valid point; Manrique would need to look into him, although he was quite certain that Tain was not the spy. He was not as certain of all the other new crew members though.

With the frail Krell across his shoulders, Admiral Talbot followed Sevryll and K'Tan back through the corridors and back down to the complex exit.  When rounding one corner they did encounter one lone romulan  He was unarmed and surprised to see the group of them come around a corner.  Before he could speak out or call for help, K'Tan discharged his weapon and the romulan slumped to the floor from the stun blast.  The admiral was so focused on getting all of them out of the complex and to safety he had little time to think about the condition of his friend.  However, due to how light he felt across Talbot's shoulders thoughts of what the romulans had put him through did slowly creep into his mind.  He quickened his pace as they moved to meet up with Aria.  Sevryll was watching her father closely as they moved to the tunnel entrance.  Like Talbot, she too was trying to focus on completing their escape and had to use her vulcan disciplines even more than normal to keep her emotions in check.  How could another living being do this to another she thought to herself as she walked beside the admiral and her unconscious father on his back.  A few minutes after the group entered the tunnels they found Aria calmly waiting for them at the rendezvous point.

"Hello.  It is agreeable to see all of you unharmed.  Sevryll, your father is injured.  I may be able to assist with that."  Aria offered.

"No time for that right now.  We need to keep moving.  I'm fairly certain our little rescue will be discovered very soon, if it hasn't already.  Let's keep moving people."  Talbot said, pushing them all forward.  He had been in enough of these situations through his career to know if they stopped they would be discovered and captured - or worse.  After about 20 minutes of winding their way through the tunnel system that Spock's vulcan guide had marked for them they made their way to the surface and were happy to discover the small ground vehicle still waiting there for them.  Once they were all inside K'Tan engaged the vehicle controls and headed them back to the safe house.

"How's your father doing, Commander?"  K'Tan asked as he tried to distract the vulcan woman.

"My father is a strong man, lieutenant.  He will recover, in time."  Sevryll said with as much confidence as she could put into her words.  It was obvious to her that her father had suffered greatly at the hands of the romulans.  She was fairly certain he would recover from the physical trauma and injuries.  Vulcans were quite resilient in those matters.  However, it was his mind that she had concern for.  The expression he had given her back at the complex when he said, "daughter" to her was what truly troubled her.  Aria was scanning Krell as Sevryll cradled her fathers head and face in her small hands.

"He is stable commander.  I have given him a very small dose of cordrazine.  I cannot risk doing more until he can be examined more closely."  Aria said as she put her hand on top of Sevryll's.

"Thank you Aria."  Was all Sevryll could say as she looked at the vulcan woman who reminded her too much of herself in another time, another place. 

The cloaked Romulan ship appeared on screen. 

Quinn turned to Ensign Starstriker and Ensign Tev-Awash "Good job!!"

"Sir, the Romulan vessel is now decloaking and charging weapons." announced Lt. Tucker

"Aversive maneuver Delta Seven Alpha" Quinn yelled.

The ship veered sideways as laser passed by the bottom side of the Tiberius, Everything shook...

"Return fire" Quinn demanded. Tucker's fingers ran across the console as torpedoes and laser fire shot at the approaching Romulan ship.

"Sir there shields are holding.. they are firing again."

Quinn prepared himself for the hit as the ship shook back and forth.

"Sir shields are holding, no damage"

Quinn turned to Ejiul D'varo "Do you have any suggestions, we seem to be evenly matched"

"If I go back to my ship maybe we can distract them long enough for you to find a weakness." Ejiul said.

"But your ship is heavily damaged, there is no way you'll be able to sustain future damage.

"Will hold our own Captain.. beam me back to my ship."

Quinn gave a nod to Ejiul and shook his hand. Moment's later Ejiul disappeared from the bridge. The Tiberius shook back and forth as more fire hit it.

"Sir, Lt. Tucker announced, "Ejiul ship has set a collision course for the Romulan vessel", "What" Quinn said, "Open a channel." Ejiul face appeared on screen.  Quinn stood and approached. "Ejiul change your course.. this is..." Ejiul cut across Quinn " Our only choice...Captain our job was to make sure your mission succeeded. This is the only way to prevent my people knowing what has happened, if we do not do this then Riker's negations will be for not. My people need this reunification, we do this for our children's future. jolan true Captain Quinn."a moment of silenced passed "Jolan True Ejiul D'varo" Quinn said with a heavy heart.

"To Reunification!!" Ejiul said before the screen went blank and was replaced with a view of the Romulan warbird being bombarded by laser fire as it rammed the other Romulan warbird erupting into a large fiery explosion... then nothing.

Aeric could only stare mutely as he watched the predatory ships wink out of existence in a massive ball of plasma and debris. His mind shuttered as the hum and noise of the technological giants abruptly halted. Thousands of lives had been reduced to nothing more than stardust and Aeric could only wonder if this was not a sign of things to come.

For every Romulan that was attempting to move towards reunification, there were dozens more that would die and kill to protect their way of being. As Lieutenant James rose from his station chair, he slowly ran a hand through his short black hair. Those that had just given their lives for their beliefs would be nothing more than a statistical note in the ship's logs. There was often blood shed in the sake of peace, but who decided when enough had been given?

"Ensign," Aeric said softly as his face hid any emotion that he was experiencing. "Please scan the debris for any lifesigns or escape pods. Also scan to determine to condition of the Romulan singularity cores. If they are unstable, we are going to need to inform the captain."

"Aye Sir. We'll have to remodulate the sensors to account for the interference."

"Contact me with the results."

Aeric continued to observe the silent starscape of the viewer. He had seen so much death in his life, but never had it affected him as it did now. He had long hid behind the illusion of statistics and raw data that his mind had simply glossed over the horrors he bore witness to. Now two ships of beings were dead and he could not help but be distracted by the loss. There was no truly guilty party in that battle, both groups wer fighing and died to protect what they believed in.

As Aeric walked out of the command center, he could only imagine that the dust that was created in that battle would be one day reborn within the heart of a new star. He could only hope that the light of that star would give back more lives than those that were taken on this day.

Isaac's smiling face turned into a horrified expression.  His mind had been open during the fight and he felt the thousands of lives suddenly no longer living.  He felt the screams of the crewmen in their dying breath for a mere second, but that second of time was horrible. 

He slumped back into his chair and felt almost numb.  'My....design....theory, weapon.  IT killed those people on those ships.  I'M responsible for what happened.'  He looked at his board and began scanning for any life signs.  So far, there was no one to detect. 

Then Isaac looked at his left hand and it was blue.  'What in the world?  What is going on?'  He shook his head and looked again and it was pink.  'Could it be?  How could I?  No, it couldn't be...not now...'


King Linksr

Sevryll watched her father throw his head from side to side in anguish as he slept. Though she had informed K'Tan that her father was a strong man, he was a shell of the man she knew— his gaunt face foreign, nerves raw, mind impaired, his emotions uncontrolled... She was gratified to have him back, but he was far from whole. If she were alone, Krell's daughter may have wept for her broken father. Instead, Sevryll somehow summoned the tenacity necessary to hold her despondency at bay.

Aria focused her medical skills on the commander and began treating the fresh contusion on her mother's swollen face. Sevryll had suffered a mild concussion and was feeling it's effects. She closed her eyes to combat the relentless pounding in her head. In the privacy of her mind, Sevryll decided that, when they returned to Tiberius, she would become better acquainted with girl who worked so diligently to ease Krell's pain.

The journey back to the safe house was a blur and time seemed to move faster than Sevryll could register. Before she knew it, they were exiting the vehicle and entering the Dar Talbot home. Sirach carried Krell as Sevryll, Aria and K'Tan followed close behind.

It was late in the evening, and the only people who met them were the sentries posted outside, Mrs. Dar Talbot and David who was elated to see his that wife had returned safely. With the excellent medical treatment that Aria had given David, he was able to stand and walk.  The operative joined the team in the center room, and watched as Talbot and Sevryll maneuvered their patient to a cot.

"How is he?" he asked.

"His mental condition is..." Aria glanced at Sevryll before continuing.."undetermined," replied Aria as she began mending Krell's broken bones.

Commander Sevryll remained at her father's side, but noted the fact that David was doing well. Inwardly she allowed herself to be pleased by this, but her focus remained on Krell and she refused to leave him. Mrs. Talbot brought the commander a cup of tea and a blanket—the temperature on Romulus was not as arid as Sevryll would like, and the old woman's considerate gesture was much appreciated.

When Aria had completed her field procedures, Sevryll finally took the time to send an encrypted subspace message to Captain Quinn. He had asked for a briefing every five hours, but she was only capable of sending the one. The communiqué was brief but explanatory, "Our objective has been met." Upon sending the communication she and the admiral found a quiet place to discuss the situation.

"How is your father doing?" Admiral Talbot said to Sevryll as they found a quiet corner in the house to talk.

"Aria has done a remarkable job with his physical injuries admiral, but it is my father's mental state that,....concerns me."  Sevryll said with slight hesitation.  To a vulcan, not being in full control of your mental being was the worst possible thing that could happen.

"Yes, I noticed that when we extracted him.  I've known Krell a long time and am quite aware of both his loyalty and stubborn nature.  He would of course reveal nothing about Spock or the unification efforts.  At least if it was up to him.  The romulans must of probed his mind deeply, perhaps using reman telepaths.  I hate to say it commander but your father may take a long time to recover from this sort of mental invasion."  Talbot said trying to lessen the blow of the condition he knew Sevryll already was aware of.

"My father is strong and as you would say, stubborn admiral.  I believe he can get over this,... affliction.  I know of a group of vulcan experts that have had some success in treating this type of condition."  Sevryll said somewhat quietly.

"That's good to hear.  Which brings me to my main point.  Krell needs to leave Romulus.  It's dangerous for him to stay here any longer and frankly he isn't go to be able to function fully for quite some time.  I've spoken with Spock about this already.  He of course understood but also knows this is a blow to their efforts at unification.  So commander, I've decided to stay on Romulus and help them."  Talbot said with determination in his tone.

"Admiral.  Sir, are you certain that is wise?  We don't know what the romulans may have seen during our rescue.  They may know you are involved."  Sevryll said.

"Possibly commander.  But I think Aria did a very good job at keeping the surveillance down.  It's a chance I'm willing to take.  Besides, my mother will be happy to have me around to bother her for a time.  I've encoded a message on this chip for you to hand over to the Starfleet brass.  Basically, I'm taking a leave from active duty.  Personal reasons I say.  I think I've earned that by now.  It's important that officially they not know exactly where I am.  It could lead back to Quinn and the Tiberius and I won't let that happen.  I've also encoded another chip with a message for my wife Lydia.  I would appreciate it if you would see to it that she gets it."  Talbot said as he handed the two small clear chips to the vulcan woman.

"You have my word admiral that I will make certain the messages are received."  Sevryll said to the tall half-romulan admiral she had come to know much better in the last few weeks.  She understood why her father and he had become friends.  They had many similar qualities she thought to herself as her thoughts drifted back to her father.

"Good, I knew I could count on you.  I assume you have contacted the Tiberius.  Once the rest of you are ready to move and Quinn can meet you at the coordinates we previously set I think you should be going.  It's hard to know how much we covered our escape.  And the romulans can be quite diligent in their searches."  The admiral said as he stood up and put his hand on Sevryll's shoulder.  He thought she was trembling slightly, perhaps from the cool romulan air, or something else he wondered.

Aboard Tiberius

The red headed terran rolled over, twisting the sheets about her as she did. "Klingons are so dissimilar from our own people," she thought as she ran her finger over the ridges of her sleeping husband's forehead then flipped a strand of his dark hair. True, they were each militaristic but Klingons were passionate. To their determent, they thought with their hearts instead of their brains.  This was one of several facts that made the hot-blooded oafs easily manipulated... as was proven by the Founders when they infiltrated their ranks in 2371. The Klingons were so blinded by their zeal that they were lead by their noses. General Martok had been replaced by a Changeling who convinced Chancellor Gowron that the coup on Cardassia Prime was influenced by the Dominion. After leading a fleet to Deep Space 9, the Klingons invaded Cardassian space. The two later led the Klingons into battle against Deep Space 9, the skirmish caused a conflict between the Klingon Empire and the Federation known as the second Federation-Klingon War.

"In contrast", she thought "Romulans are cold-hearted, focusing instead on social eminence, power and supremacy, rather than honor and glory." Yet, Reunification threatened to destroy everything  she believed in, and she would do anything to impede their progress, even if it meant marrying a Klingon. She hated the fact that the prosthetics she wore were beginning to feel natural and counted the days until she could shed the role of "Lieutenant Abby Brant" for her true persona, "Llaiir, Operative of the Tal Shiar".

Enoch stirred in his sleep beside her. Though she considered herself "cold-hearted" he had won a small portion of it. Initially, the helmsman was simply a means to an end... but now he was something a bit more. She left the bedroom and prepared for her assumed duties as an engineer. There she worked under yet another Klingon... one who was obviously not as familiar as she was with coded subspace signals. It was time to see if her superiors had any new orders for her.

Lieutenant Brandt glanced about Main Engineering to ensure that no one was watching. Then she quickly entered her message. By establishing a simple oscillation in the subspace field masking algorithm, a short repetitive pulse-type signal was encoded into the background static of a vessel's warp signature. It would be picked up by the Tal-Shiar ship that shadowed them and they would answer her question in much the same way.

Suddenly the deck plates shook and klaxons rang out. Crewmen darted to their duty stations as the Captain's voice announced the Red Alert. She noticed the Chief Engineer watching her from the other side of Engineering, with a stone cold gaze that was rare even for him. Something was wrong...he knew what she was doing. K'ararth watched as she exited Engineering and entered the corridor where Enoch was waiting.  His expression was just as severe and his words were angry. 

"I didn't believe the vulcan when he told me who you really were. I almost killed him for it."

"What are you talking about Enoch?" she laughed as she approached her husband, placing her hands on his chest. 

Intent on correcting the damage he had done to his ship and crew, Ensign Enoch pulled the Dak'Tag that belonged to his father.

Tain looked over Ensign Thesh's shoulder as he type the latest search parameters into the security monitor.

"Well Ensign", said Tain. "If this latest scan doesn't show us anything, I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I would hate to tell our Lt. that we couldn't find anything at all. Whoever this spy is has done a great job of covering their tracks."

One of the monitoring probes registered a strange string of numbers.

"Hold on...", exclaimed Tain. "Our crafty spy may have just made a mistake. Come on Thesh, we need to get down to Engineering pronto!!"

Thesh looked at Tain with a puzzled look.

Tain started running for the door.

"It means right now Ensign!!"

Tain tapped his communicator.

"Security, this is Lt. Tain. Seal off all access to Engineering immediately, take no actions, but allow no entry. Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way down."

The security officers entered the turbolift.
"Engineering, Security Priority Delta Five", bellowed Tain
Tain tapped his communicator again.

"Lt. Manrique, this is Tain. I believe we have discovered a signal sent by the spy from Engineering. I have ordered the area sealed off and Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way".

The doors opened and Tain was greeted with the sight of Ensign Enoch holding a knife to his wifes throat.

"Ensign.. FREEZE!!", bellowed Tain while pulling his phaser.

Enoch looked at the security officer with a look of pure hatred.

"You don't understand Lieutenant, this P'tak has stained my honor, my families honor, and the honor of this crew. I will have vengence!!"

Tain lowered his phaser a bit.

"Enoch, you will stand down. We need answers from her, vengence can come later!".

Tain noticed Enoch wavering and tapped his communicator again.

"Lt. Manrique...You need to get down here right away sir."

"Enoch, wait until Manrique gets here and listen to what he has to say first".

Tain hoped that Manrique would hurry, maybe the fact that he knew this ensign better then Tain did would make a difference.

The gravity of the deck plates felt stronger as Aeric moved through the normally brightly lit corridor. Pulsing red light glinted across his face as the lieutenant continued on his path. Aeric felt the anger and tension radiate from him like a binary star cluster.  He could not help but think of those lives that were lost. He could not understand the mistakes that allowed not one, but two ships to be destroyed. Aeric knew that he should have been out there. He knew that he should have been fighting the threat directly.

Passive observance was not his strength. He had spent his entire life as someone that contributed to the whole. Had they heeded his suggestions, lives could have been spared. Aeric's head throbbed as he continued towards the safety of his quarter. Statistical data and doubt filled his mind as the door slid open to his quarters.

Aeric could not remember the last time he experienced even the slightest headache. His nanotech systems were specifically designed to keep his body functioning at optimal levels. As he removed the red tunic of his new uniform, he sighed softly. He had seen death before, he had seen far more dead in vastly more painful means, but the loss of the two ships ate away at his resolve.

In his heart, he knew that it wasn't the ships that troubled him. It was that very fact that his daughter was out there an in far more danger than he was. He knew that his concerns for Aria, Aurora, and the rest of the away team were justified, but he could not understand why he projected that concern on to two ships that he knew nothing of.

"Computer," Aeric said as he moved deeper into the eclectically decorated quarters, "transmit all sensor information from the last thirty minutes to my personal terminal."

"Working." The soft female voice of the computer replied.

Even with the headache, he could have processed the information directly, but the pain of his current condition would have hampered his efficiency.  As he took a seat, Aeric realized that he would not be fit company for the evening. He would have to cancel the date that he had planned after his daughter requested that he stepped out of his forcefield and actually attempt to build new personal relationships. He knew that his date and his daughter would both be disappointed by his decision, but there was just too much going on.

Aeric's fingers danced over the controls of his terminal as he reviewed the incoming data. Every scan confirmed that there had been no survivors. It wasn't that he had expected survivors, but he had held out hope. Now he focused his hope elsewhere. He needed to focus that attention on the away team returning back to the Tiberius.

Even with the power of his abilities, the Aurora was still out of range. While the Tiberius' communications system could be used to link him to the Aurora, it was not the same. He could talk to the shuttle, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't explain the difference but it was a critical one. Aeric took another breath and leaned back in the soft synthetic leather chair and tried to push all of the noise out of his mind.

With the threat averted for the time being, Aeric could take a few hours to himself. He had been pushing himself and it was starting to show. He had been awake since the final planning stages of the away mission and he was becoming inefficient. He had no reason to question the events leading up to the destruction of the two ships. It was not his place to question the actions of the captain, but that's exactly what he found himself doing.

He just needed to rest and he would be fine. He knew exactly what he needed, but with his children gone he couldn't find the center that he needed to calm himself enough to rest. Aeric knew that all he needed was just a few solid hours of sleep and he would be back to himself.

"Computer," Aeric said, "Reduce ambient light by 75% and play music selection James two-two-alpha."

As the lights dimmed, the soft violins and piano of past Earth music softly filled the room.

Back at the safehouse on Romulus, K'Tan slowly eased himself onto a couch.  Now that the extraction mission had been successfully completed, he felt overcome with exhaustion.  K'Tan tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander... back to a time long ago, when the future he envisioned for himself was quite different from that which reality had dealt him...

In his youth, he had been something of a prodigy; a Non-Klingon who had not only survived, but thrived on the often brutal and deadly Klingon world Askive.  After repeatedly proving his worth through numerous trials, both physical and mental, he seemed to have finally earned the respect and acceptance of his Klingon peers.    With the end of his training in the Klingon Defense Force in sight, he had received offers to serve as Tactical Officer on several different ships. 

But even more important to him, he had won the favor of a queen among women; a fiery, passionate jewel whose beauty was rivaled only by her courage.  As he drifted off to sleep, he found himself silently muttering her name... K'Lara...

K'Tan dreamed, and in his dreams, he was back on his homeworld-

Askive.

It was a dark, humid and overcast world, covered by a dense cloud cover that created a feeling of perpetual twilight.  The constant shroud of clouds severely limited the amount of light that the planet's aging red sun could cast upon the surface, and so the native flora and fauna had adapted.  Dense growths of scaly, titanic trees carpeted the entire surface of the world; their dark, purple-green leaves thirstily drinking in the ultraviolet rays that made it through the thick cloud-cover.  A vast network of winding rivers and streams criss-crossed the landscape like the web of some huge demented spider.  Scattered near the intersection points of the various waterways were a scattering of angular, fierce looking settlements.  Each varied in size, but all shared a common aspect: they were each surrounded by towering, ebon walls.  On the outskirts of one of the larger settlements,  a young man raced through the unforgiving underbrush; the stalks and leaves of the coarse plants leaving red welts on the exposed areas of his skin.

The young man stopped for a moment to catch his breath.  As he bent over with hands on knees, his panting was nearly drowned out by the constant whispering of the wind playing through the leaves of the surrounding trees. 

"K'Lara!" he yelled.  "Come back here; we need to talk!  Your mother is wrong; there is no dishonor in our love!" 

From the distance, he heard a young woman's faint reply- "It is too late for talking, K'Tan!  Catch up with me, if you can, and perhaps we can both recapture our honor!"

The young man stood back up.  He hadn't expected his call to be heeded; one of the things that first drew him to K'Lara was her willful stubbornness.  Her answer had served its purpose, however; he now knew exactly which direction she was heading.  He altered his course slightly, and resumed the chase. 

As he raced through the jungle, effortlessly leaping over the numerous logs and rocks that threatened to take him down with a broken ankle, the young man noticed three things that caused his stomach to sink with a growing sense of alarm.  The further he went, the wetter the ground became; the formerly firm surface was becoming increasingly spongy and water logged.

He was nearing a river.

The second thing that he noticed was actually the absence of someting-- namely, the calls and songs of the various creatures that normally gathered near the planet's many waterways. 

The third thing that he noticed nearly caused him to stop in his tracks.  It was a vague yet noisome smell, the stench of corruption and of rotting flesh.  So preoccupied had he been with catching up with K'Lara, he hadn't noticed the smell until it was no longer possible to ignore it.  Now, the evil stench was growing stronger. 

Like a dagger sliding into his chest, his realization of K'Lara's intent  froze him in place with an overwhelming sense of despair.  Along with the crushing despair came a feeling that he hadn't felt very often in his short, violent life: terror. 

His terror was given voice by a bloodcurdling roar that suddenly erupted from the thicket ahead of him.  The roar repeated; an excruciating sound that seemed to belong to something spawned not in this reality, but rather, in the darkest pits of hell.  The bestial roar was answered by K'Lara's challenging battle cry:  "Face me, creature!  One of us will surely die here, but no matter which of us falls, I will have regained my family's honor!"

Like a supernova of the purest white light, K'Tan's love for this fierce and beautiful Klingon woman exploded in his chest, obliterating his fear for himself and carrying him forward.  His fear of loosing this precious jewel of a woman, who was his only beacon of hope and joy in an otherwise bleak and grim life, was far greater than any concern over his own safety.

K'Tan ran on, the swampy, marshy ground sucking at his feet as though the very planet was conspiring to prevent him from joining with his love.  His heart thundering in his chest, K'Tan finally emerged from the swampy, tree covered darkness and emerged into a small clearing.  Before him was a slow, muddy tributary of one of the planet's many rivers.  The filthy black water lapped lazily at the shore.  A few meters in front of him, standing ankle-deep in the muck, was his beloved K'Lara.  Her beautiful, wavy mane of auburn streaked hair flowed down to her waist, and clenched in each hand were the hilts of two coldly gleaming, razor-sharp Dak'Tags.

Looming over her was a vision out of a nightmare; a hideous beast that seemed to be all corded muscle and gleaming talons.  It was the Kal-Tark, a creature known for both its voracious appetite and difficulty to kill. 

With a warrior's cry of challenge, K'Lara sprung on the beast, a fierce, predatory smile on her face.  The Kal-Tark gave another bloodcurdling roar... and then... horror...


K'Tan awoke with a start, his heart thudding in his chest.  Out of reflex, his hand sprung up to the the old scar etched onto his face.  His fingers absently traced the old mark, his only reminder of what he had lost so long ago.

As the Lieutenant struggled to bring his breathing back under control, Colonel Khev walked in and wandered over to the replicator.  The Colonel paused,  turned towards K'Tan and asked "Are you allright, Lieutenant?"

k'Tan forced a smile, and replied "I'm fine, Colonel.  Just a nightmare."

K'Tan straightened up in his chair, and stared silently at Khev. 

The two locked eyes for several seconds.

K'Tan finally broke the silence, and asked "So; how is your injury, Colonel?"

Khev's expression remained neutral, his voice even and controlled.  "I'm recovering nicely.  Why do you ask?"

K'Tan paused a moment before finally answering. "It might just be my imagination, but as we were returning to the safehouse earlier, I thought that I saw red blood seeping from your wound.  But that couldn't be the case; we all know that Romulans bleed green."

K'Tan's lip quirked up in an enigmatic smile.  "Isn't that right, Colonel?"

Sitting at the tactical station, Chief of Security Lieutenant Johnny Manrique received a message on his computer panel. It was from Chief Engineer K'arath: Possible spy on board. One of my engineers used the background static of the ship's warp signature to send out a message. Then he heard Lt. Tain's voice through his communicator, "Lt. Manrique, this is Tain. I believe we have discovered a signal sent by the spy from Engineering. I have ordered the area sealed off and Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way."

"That was fast," said captain Quinn.

"Yes it was. We have some good people, sir." Manrique wondered if Tain and Thesh had discovered the signal on their own or if they had also been alerted by K'arath.

"Agreed. Now join them and make sure that the individual is properly detained. He or she will be very valuable to Starfleet intelligence."

"Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant Manrique. . .You need to get down here right away sir," exclaimed Lt. Tain. Manrique, who had already left the tactical station walked briskly towards the turbolift. He couldn't wait to reach engineering. All of his focus was now on the situation taking place there not on what was happening on  the bridge. He was definitely going to need need that focus because he found an extremely volatile situation when he entered main engineering. Helmsman Enoch Iblis was holding Lieutenant Abby Brant with a knife to her throat.

"Put the knife down ensign. We know that she's a traitor," said Lt. Tain. Manrique realized that Tain had said those words more to inform him than in an effort to persuade Iblis. The reason Tain had called him was to try to diffuse the situation between Iblis and his wife. It was amazing to Manrique that all the relevant people found out at the same time who Brant really was. "Stand down helmsman! We need to take her into custody," said Manrique.

"Sir, she has dishonored everyone on this ship! She deserves to die!"

"Iblis you are not on a Klingon ship. You will follow Starfleet regulations or you will pay the consequences. You know what duty means to you." The ensign looked at Manrique with rage but not towards him; it was rage at the dilemma he was now in. His honor would be stained whether he killed his wife or not. For a brief instant he was at a loss as to what to do. His grip on his wife lessened a little.

Nobody involved in the volatile situation knew that the Tiberius had engaged the cloaked Romulan ship in battle. "Let her go. . ." Manrique couldn't finish his sentence as the ship shook violently. Brant took advantage of the ships' battle to make her move. It was fast and effective. She momentarily freed herself from Iblis, took out a blade hidden inside her sleeve and slit her throat. She was incredibly fast—too fast for any of the security officers to stun her with their phasers. She dropped to the floor slowly with green blood gushing out of her with a waning smile on her face.

"Romulan. Must have been Tal Shiar. Very professional," said a disappointed Johnny Manrique.

Lieutenant K'Tan reminded the operative a lot of himself at that age—he was all pride with a bit of attitude mixed in for good measure; a trait which frequently got him in trouble. The operative hadn't known K'Tan for long, but he had a healthy respect for the man.

David fixed a deadpan gaze on the young lieutenant before returning a slight smile. Addressing K'Tan in Klingon, Lock replied, "Maqoch... it is considered rude to question the color of a Romulan's blood." Outwardly David chuckled... inwardly he thought, "You're too quick for your own good, K'Tan."

Though the intensity was reduced to a dull pain, the headache Sevryll suffered from still remained. The pounding briefly intensified as the vulcan stood and she shut her eyes in an attempt to will away the pain. When the pounding eased, she left the room where she and Talbot had spoken in hushed tones.

Commander Sevryll paused briefly in the dimly lit empty hallway and opened her hand to glimpse the data chips that he entrusted to her for delivery. At that moment, standing alone in the hallway, it occurred to Sevryll that she had become the harbinger of change for Mrs. Talbot. Upon receipt of the message, the admiral's wife would experience emotions that often accompanied the news that a loved one would not be coming home for a long time...if ever. Sevryll could relate to the position that the admiral had placed his wife in, for David had chosen a similar path. Yet, she understood how necessary Talbot's absence was and hoped that Lydia Dar Talbot could as well.

As the vulcan stared down at the translucent data chips, she noticed her hand trembling slightly and folded it in to a fist, squeezing together the items that she still held. Sevryll felt a surge of frustration and instinctively clinched her sore jaw. "The meld", she thought. "I should not have preformed it. The Romulan was too traumatized and obviously I am not skilled enough to prevent the aftereffects." But that event did not explain the perspiration that formed on her brow—she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. Romulus was not a temperate world, and even if it were, it would have little effect on a vulcan. She tossed the thought aside and proceeded into the room where David's cot was located. Commander Sevryll was preparing the team for departure, and anticipated the likelihood that her husband would be remaining on Romulus. The operative's vulcan wife wanted an affirmation that his presence would not be detrimental to the Reunification moement...

Lieutenant K'Tan and Colonel Khev turned to see Sevryll enter the room. Instantly the slight vulcan woman realized she had interrupted a conversation intended for no on else. Yet, rather than leave, she found a chair and lowered herself gingerly into it.

"Is there a problem gentlemen?" she inquired in a weary voice.

"No, Commander," K'Tan replied. 

As Khev eyed him expectantly, K'Tan thought back on their earlier mission to drop off the Romulan prisoner.  Khev had not only carried out his part of the mission flawlessly, he had silently endured an injury that would have left a lesser man screaming on the floor in agony.   Regardless of the secrets Khev might be keeping, K'Tan's instincts told him that the Colonel was a man of honor.   More to the point, the Colonel had K'Tan's respect, something that he didn't give out casually.

K'Tan's scarred visage quirked into a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"I was just joking around with the Colonel about the freak accident back at the hospital. "

K'Tan extended his hand to Khev.  "I apologize if my joking was out of line, Colonel.  Truth be told, It's an honor to serve with you."

Khev returned K'Tan's smile as he gave his hand a firm shake.  "The feeling is mutual, Lieutenant.  No harm, no foul." 

K'Tan gave the Colonel and Commander Sevryll a brief nod, then turned to leave the room.  "If you'll excuse me; I'm going to grab a field ration pack.  Dodging phaser bolts always gives me an appetite."

Sevryll held David's eye as the operative watched K'Tan leave the small room. "He's a good officer...Tiberius is lucky to have him," he remarked with a small smile.

She slowly stood from her chair; rubbing her eyes she replied, "indeed...he is an asset that we are fortunate to count among our crew." When she opened her eyes once more, David was before her. Looking up at her husband she said, "I am pleased to see that your condition has improved. How are you feeling now?"

He lifted a large hand and pushed a lock of hair away from her face, "better than you," he replied. He then brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, "you look tired."

"I have not meditated..." she replied "...I presume you will be remaining on Romulus."

"Yes," he answered regretfully.

" I am concerned that your assignment will thwart Reunification and endanger Admiral Talbot."

"That's what I like about you...always right to the point." His smile shrank as he addressed her concerns, "Quite the opposite... I assure you. I have no intention of stopping Spock or his pet project."

Sevryll regarded him a moment, searching for an indication of deceit. Yet she could see nothing in his blue eyes, which would alert her to any deception. After some time, she accepted his promise by extending two fingers to his. They exchanged a silent goodbye as David met the amorous vulcan gesture and then stooped to kiss his wife.

The absence of Colonel Khev and Admiral Talbot caused an uneasiness among them and the journey back to Tiberius was quiet.  The commander watched as Aria's fingers slid deftly over Aurora's controls. Beside the girl, in the co-pilot's chair, sat the holographic representation of the ship they traveled in. The woman shifted her gaze from her station to Sevryll, and offered the vulcan a warm smile. The commander nodded politely and turned her face toward the viewport and the shrinking blue planet of Romulus.

One uneventful hour later, the Aurora passed gracefully through the containment field and settled gently upon the deck within Tiberius' main shuttle bay. The Commander thanked Lieutenant K'Tan and Aria for their efforts to recover her father. They had risked their lives to ensure his safe return and she was eternally grateful to them.

Outside the craft, a medical team stood ready to take Krell to sickbay. Sevryll jogged beside Doctor Peterson, across the cold tritanium deck of Shuttle Bay One, as Aria debriefed his team on the drugs she had administered to the patient. Minutes later, they were in the infirmary watching the team of doctors and nurses swarm about the unconscious Krell. The hiss of the parting door caused Sevryll to turn—Captain Quinn had entered the medical bay with her mother. Doctor Sareth wanted to rush to her husband's side, but refrained from doing so... it would be illogical. She understood that her presence would only hinder the doctors' efforts. Instead, she and the captain crossed sickbay to stand beside her daughter and the young girl who Sareth had met a few days before in Five Forward.   

Isaac somberly looked up at the viewscreen and began to remember.  He remember his first mission on the Tiberius. How the Iconians played with the Tiberius crew and took Captain Bell from them.  He remember how Captain Quinn took command over the Tiberius and led them on a mission against the Gatherers.  He also remembered how Lt. Peters had sacrificed himself to save his crewmates.  Shore leave and his two sugar gliders gave him a small smile.  'I haven't even named them two...'

Out in space somewhere, was two Romulan Warbird ship's hulks.  One to destroy Unification and the other to save it.   In the heart of the Romulan Star Empire, Mr. Spoke and Admiral Talbot were working to unify Vulcan and Romulus.  Not far from the Romulan ships was the Federation and Romulan fleet in space.  Both were discussing their own form of Unification.  Perhaps both missions might finally succeed and change the future of both worlds.  'Perhaps, there is hope of peace.'

Isaac heard them talking about the spy and became concerned.  'Was she the dark one I sensed?'  Something told him, that she wasn't it.  Isaac could not help but wonder, 'what does the future hold?'  Isaac had a feeling that the whatever happened next would affect him, the Tiberius, its crew, and maybe even the Federation itself.  He looked out into the viewscreen's stars.  "It has just begun."

Anything but the End. 

King Linksr

"How was the mission?" Aeric asked the raven hair hologram as he entered the cockpit of the Aurora.

"I did as you asked." Aurora said as she turned to Aeric. "I let Aria get a feel for the mission and I let her make her own choices. You would have been proud of her performance."

"I'm proud of you both." Aeric said as he took a seat in his command chair. It felt like ages since he had been in his ship. "We should begin with a level four diagnostic to review the status and wear on the systems."

Aurora smiled. "The ship works fine. It was a single mission and all systems functioned according to design.. Sometimes I think that you attempting to strive for Borg perfection."

"Fine cancel the diagnostic." Aeric said with a sigh. Aurora was right. He spent too much time second guessing his work in the past few days. The Federation has signed off on the key systems of the Aurora testbed months ago and he had not once been contacted with errors in the designs. Even the newly installed quantum power generation systems of the Tiberius were functioning according to the projections. He just needed to let go of the doubt. "How are the mobility projects progressing?"

"You do realize that you are not required to constantly be on duty, right Aeric?"

"I'm not."

"Then stop with the constant working. You push yourself harder than the humans around you as if you are going to burn out as soon as they do. You should be thinking in years and decades, not the hours and days that drive a human. You should be running your own race Aeric. You should be out there enjoying the life that you have created, not stuck on this ship doing the jobs that you designed me to do. If you are not willing to do that for yourself, then do it for me. Live the life that I can't live yet."

Aeric nodded and moved over to the hologram and hugged her deeply. "I think that you've made your point. I'll try that living thing and do what I can to help you have greater mobility."

"Aeric, that's all that I've ever asked of you." Aurora said as she returned the hug of her creator. It was also the hug of her father. A father that she knew cared as much for her as he did his biological child. "When Aria returns from visting sickbay, we can have a family dinner and discuss what we've missed while we were away."

Joint post by Kenny and Jen
---
The next evening, the first officer joined the captain for dinner in his quarters. Sevryll sat across from Captain Quinn and pushed the vegetables around her plate with a fork as he spoke, "you're to deliver these data chips to Starfleet and Mrs. Talbot? The brass isn't going to very pleased with his furlough...  "

"I doubt Mrs. Talbot will either," replied Sevryll. Nathan nodded as he lifted a glass of wine to his lips. He sipped the vintage Twin Sister Merlot and set gently down on the table.

"Would you like something else? You haven't eaten a bite." He remarked as he glanced down at her grilled beets.

The commander looked up from her plate and cocked a single eyebrow, "I suppose I am not as hungry as I believed."

"You've left room for desert, I hope. I've made Strawberry Cheese cake...I programmed the replicator with a vegan version of my mother's recipe.

"I would be willing to try a small portion," she replied.

Quinn smiled and took another sip of his wine. "How is your mother doing?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected. I was able to coax her away from Sickbay last night for dinner and I walked her back to her quarters. An hour later, she returned to sickbay...she spent the night there."

" I'm sure he will recovery nicely once we get him back to Vulcan. " Quinn said with a smile of reinsurance.

Sevryll remained silent as Quinn continued, "I read in your report that Colonel Khev was injured....how is David doing now?" Sevryll stopped pushing around her vegetables around on her plate as her eyes found Quinn's.

She glanced away momentarily then pitched her gaze back at the captain, "how long... have you known?" she asked.

"The moment he came aboard" Quinn said with a slight laugh. "I didn't need my telepathic abilities to know that this man loves you. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at you." He paused a moment, regarding the stunned expression worn by his first officer. He couldn't recall a time when he ever saw her impassive face replaced by one so emotional...it was... peculiar.

"Please, forgive me for not alerting you to his presence..." The words were awash with expressive tones.  "...If I had suspected his mission would negatively effect our crew or our own mission, I would not have hesitated to risked the retribution."

"... I can understand your dilemma. I can't stand these covert Federation agencies, but I believe them to be a necessary evil." Nathan lifted his napkin and dabbed the side of his mouth. "I... can tell that your husband does not wish to remain in Section 31 and that he is seeking an out. Perhaps it won't be long before he will choose another occupation." Sevryll's face morphed to one of relief.

Quinn considered her new expression...then quickly changed the topic. "Did you manage to read my report on Abby Bryant."?

"Yes sir. Still, I do not understand why Starfleet ordered us not to take action when we discovered her a month ago."

Quinn put down his fork," I think they were hoping that she would lead us to the Tal Shiar... but things didn't go as planned. Rather than giving herself up... she cut her own throat." Quinn took another sip of wine.

Sevryll frowned at the thought of the woman's horrible death then reached for her glass of water, spilling it all over the captain. Captain Quinn stood quickly, in a belatedly attempt to avoid the deluge. As she watched Nathan's futile effort, a memory instantly flashed in Sevryll's mind. In the meeting with her science officers a few days before, Ensign Tev-Awash had dumped the entire contents of her hot chocolate all over the conference table. The two instances suddenly struck Sevryll as humorous and she stifled the initial stages of laughter. Sevryll endeavored to sop the water from the surface of the table with her napkin. Before long she realized the fabric was saturated and entirely ineffectual. The first officer felt a new wave of hilarity rushing her like a tidal wave. Her disciplined Vulcan restraint attempted to flee the tsunamis but was drowned in the flood of inescapable emotion and Sevryll fell back into her chair as an eruption of giggles and snorts spewed forth to fill the room.


END OF SEASON FOUR