Star Trek: Season 6 - Arabella

[Omra]

Yuki shut down her holoemitter.  And started her task, she hated the idea of giving up her cherished collection.  But knew intellectually, if not emotionally it was the right thing to do.  Besides, if she was going to be posted somewhere without Korridan, there would be no one around who would understand her inside jokes or cultural references.

And it all took up a tremendous amount of memory space, that could be put to better use, like learning new skills for where ever she would be going.

She accessed the Vulcan communications net, and found a reputable and bonded data courier service.  She transferred funds from one of Korridans old business accounts, and purchased a Data Cube.  She prepped it for the download, and briefly considered giving the File Cluster a cute name, but rejected it.  She simply named it Historical Earth Broadcasts, that should peak their intrests.  And began transferring the gigaquads of data.

As the historical files streamed into the Data Cube, she reflected back to how much enjoyment she had felt when she had discovered her window into Earths past.  She had been bored, and began sifting through the EM clutter.  And found patterns among the stellar noise.  She filtered them out, and then deciphered the signals, they turned out to be old radio and television broadcast signals.  It had taken them hundreds of years to travel all the way out to the outer rim.

In one year Yuki had learned more about Earths past, than her Mother had uncovered in her entire career as an archaeologist.  And now she was going to give it all away, as a charitable gift to the archaeological society that had employed her mother.  Twenty years of ancient earth culture.

Yuki paused the download.  She had gotten to the music files; and had decided against a straight transfer.  She gave them copies of her files instead, she just couldn't live without her music.

When the transfer was complete she felt strange.  She thought to herself, "This must be what it feels like when your childrem grow up and move out, leaving you with an empty house."

She addressed the cube to the Terran Archaeological Society, from an Anonymous Donor, in loving memory of Mizuki Yamamoto.  Insured the contents and transferred the necessary funds.  She received her digital receipt, it showed that the cube would be loaded aboard the warp courier probe scheduled to launch in the morning.

She was already mourning the loss, and it hadn't even launched yet.  She tried to focus on the knowledge that people who could truly appreciate her collection, would soon be pouring over its contents with the same level of glee that she had felt.  Those thoughts brought her comfort.

[Jen]

"Drett here," said the Trill as she lifted the cup of coffee to her lips.

The sharp voice of nurse Ortiz echoed within the cave, "Doctor, did you forget your appointment with Radcliffe?"

Ryla stood abruptly and hurriedly brushed the dirt off her pants, "no, of course not. I'm on my way..." a brief pause followed before Ryla continued. "Umm...Nurse? Could you arrange for a beam out from these coordinates?"

The Trill flicked Spring an apologetic glance as the nurse harrumphed, "that's what I thought. Please stand by."

Ryla shrugged. "I hate to cut this short, but I set up an appointment with the Department Head of the hospital. We'll chat more later."

Soon after, Ryla materialized within Doctor Rupert Radcliffe's formally tidy office. His silent appraisal of her muddy boots on his clean carpet caused her to grin sheepishly. "I'm sorry about the mess." she said.

Radcliffe wasn't one to mill around with pleasantries, "What is it Doctor Drett? What did you need to discuss?" Grumbled the silver haired Terran.

She nodded in response, "I've put in for a transfer, sir. Captain Nathan Quinn requested that I rejoin his crew, and I will be accepting his offer."

"You haven't even started your position here!" rumbled Doctor Radcliffe.

She shifted uncomfortably as the room reverberated with the man's craggy base. "Yes..I know, I apologize for any inconvenience."

Doctor Radcliffe had been a Starfleet workaholic for forty years and had only recently come around to the idea of retirement. When he recruited Ryla Drett, he saw a young doctor that could be molded into a capable leader who would fill his shoes and allow him to retire in good conscious. She had just enough experience without all the ego and he thought he had found the perfect canvas for his magnum opus.  But now she was leaving and his hope for leaving his department in good hands was going with her.

His frown slowly melted when he noticed her discomfort. "Bah!" He said, waving off her apology. "No need for that. Tell that former shrink that he owes me one!" He allowed a smile to crack his grouchy demeanor as he added, "look me up if you ever decide to put your feet back on solid ground and pull your head out of the clouds."

Ryla returned his smile and accepted his hand. "I will sir," thank you again for your consideration. I won't forget it."

He released her hand after a firm shake and waved her off, "go park your muddy boots in someone else's office. Dismissed!"

"Yes sir," she replied crispy and proceeded to track cave mud out his door and into the hallway.

Ryla jogged up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, and as usual, ran into George and Pepe at the top. "Hello boys," she said happily.

As was his routine, George followed the Trill to the entrance of her apartment as he briefed her on Pepe's newest ailments. She unlocked the door and invited him to come inside, which took him off guard and abruptly stopped his rambling. "What's wrong?" he asked her.  She waved him in, and he and Pepe crossed the threshold for the very first time.

"Nothing's wrong." She said with a smile. "Just thought I'd have my friends over for a change." As her neighbors examined the view of Guatemala City from Ryla's vantage point, she excused herself to send Spring "Mackie" Farmer a communiqué.

"Hello, Mackie. I'm sorry that I cut our visit short... If you're anything like me, you could probably use a change of scenery. How would you like to go on a trip to Vulcan? I'm booking passage on the U.S.S Aquarena tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice. Let me know if you want to go, and we'll make plans to meet before departing. Think about it. — Ryla"

[Omra]

Joint post Omra and JustX

Aeric quietly sat behind his desk for what might well be the last time. Outside of the room waited two of the new applicants for the Arabella.  He had briefly met them both when he had been a consultant with Aria, regarding an unusual medical condition pertaining to the Bajoran.  He had gone over their records and had made formal inquires as to their character, and had found himself surprised at the results.  Aria had informed him that both could be assets to the new ship, but he was receiving mixed information from the standard inquiries.

With their service records committed to memory and his link to the station's computer systems established, Aeric rose from his desk and headed to the door.

"Mr. Valcore and Mrs. Shyn, would you please step inside."  Aeric said as he motioned for them to enter.  "I am Commander Aeric James and I will be conducting your initial interview for placement on the Arabella."

The Bajoran and the young Phen,rell entered the room, and politely waited for permission, before sitting themselves.

The metallic eyed male leaned forward at his desk, "Thank you both for coming on such short notice."  "As you may, or may not know, I will be joining the crew of the Arabella; and I was asked to look over your transfer requests."

Korridan spoke, "It is an honor to finally meet you sir; I understand you and Aria were both principle players in my operation."  "I am grateful for this opportunity to thank you personally."

"I don't tend to speak for my daughter, but we both found the case interesting and were happy to work on it."  Aeric said with a slight smile.

After a respectful bow, "And I also thank you for your role at Yuki's inquiry, she is eager to be among the stars again, I hope she can be on a ship as fine as one of those," gesturing to the ships outside of the viewport.

"Again I was happy to put my expertise to use, but this isn't about the past."  Commander James stated, "This is about your future and I would be lying if I said that I did not have concerns about  crewman Shyn's issues with social interaction."  His eyes fixed on her, "Are these reports regarding your past behavior exaggerated?"

Shyn paused before answering, "No sir; I will not lie to you, I have had my problems,"  She looked down, "controlling my species nature was harder than I had thought," She looked over to Korridan, "but the help I have received from the Chief has been more than could I ever could have hoped for."

"I have checked around and was quite surprised to see that there were a few officers willing to recommend you for the posting, they are putting themselves on the line for you."  Aeric replied.

Looking back to Aeric, "I know what a risk Keryn and Kira are taking in endorsing my petition," her eyes hopeful, "the last thing I want to do is let them down."

"Shyn, before I can seriously consider you for this position, I need to make sure you realize that captain Quinn is building a family."  "You will need to adapt to a much smaller crew and a more confined lifestyle, do you understand the pressure that this might create for you?"

Shyn nodded, "Yes sir I understand, I not only have my clan's honor at stake, but the welfare of my fellow crewmen as well."  Her eyes were bright, "All I need is the opportunity to prove myself; the beast inside of me, which used to be a burden, can now be used as an asset."

Aeric smiled, "That's good to hear, I will be presenting my recommendations to the captain soon, but I would suggest that you both get familiar with the Intrepid II class."  His eyes went to one outside the viewport, "Your future careers might lie within one."

Korridan smiled, "A ship like that will spoil me, I am not used to something so new and shiny."  He turned to look out at one of them, "I am used to fighting with old and obsolete parts on a daily basis, just to keep things running."  Looking back to Aeric, "I may have to break a few things just to keep busy."  He felt Shyn's glare, he looked at her, "It was a joke..."  He looked to Aeric, "You knew I was kidding right...?"

"I think I understood."  Aeric smirked and rose, "Thank you both for coming, and I look forward to discussing you with Captain Quinn."  "For now, you are dismissed."

[Ricardocameron]

=/\=
"That 'meeting' was very sudden; I wonder what it could be about..and I did not like that student's demeanor,Taryn", said T'Kara, while feeding the baby Sehlat.
Getting no response, she spoke a little more loudly. "I hope all is going well with father.." T'Kara placed the sehlat in a small cage and began her homework.

Ensign Taryn grunted a reply, "I'm sure everything's alright, T'Kara.  I'm contacting Soryn."
Rayna  headed to a desk computer ot call his brother Soryn at the Vulcan Science Academy to ask his help and advice on the sehlat issue. Maybe he would also have an idea on what to do about Starfleet.  Taryn respected his older brother greatly, and knew Soryn would be glad to help him, especially when it involved sehlats.  Soryn still sported the scar of a particularly rambunctious childhood pet. 
Logging in, it was then he saw the incoming message from his old commander Captain Quinn... Surprised, He scanned it quickly.  He knew right then, without any further deliberation, that he had to be crewing on the Captain's new ship, currently in orbit of Vulcan! He aborted his call to Soryn and instead composed a priority communique to Captain Quinn requesting a post on his vessel as a Science Officer.

Ensign Taryn Rayna surprised himself at how quickly he had arrived at a decision upon hearing the news...No longer would ha have to consider whether he should resign his Starfleet commision, accept the Bracchus Scholarship and remain on Vulcan(as his Father wanted him to do), or accept Starfleet's (unexciting) offer of re-assignment as a Medical Assistant at Mars Station.

His Father would be even more surprised at the news of his decision...
=/\=



After the meeting with Master Saapsigo and T'vras, Saryn walked briskly back towards his quarters, and once home he immediately contacted Sevryll.  Taryn and T'Kara had already left for the night.

"Master Sevryll," he began,"there is a matter of great urgency I must relate to you..."

The conversation was short. After Saryn ended his transmission to Sevryll, he was unable to predict what she might do, and the consequences they might all face.  For the first time in years, he struggled with worry....

He had not very long to wait.

The next day, Saryn found that Sevryll had left for Mt. seleya, aparently to visit her great grandmother...
He discovered the facts from an icy-voiced Master Saapsigo, when he told him he would not be
supporting their decisions and would be resigning his post immediately and returning to Mars. 


"Master Saryn, we WERE to record your formal testimony, but we will record THIS in your records today.  Your decision to sympathise with the dissenters is regrettable. I assure you, The High Command and Vulcan will not thank you for your cooperation with her ilk", said Saapsigo.  "Sevryll WILL be dismissed from the Academy and there will most likely also be the very serious declaration of 'outcast' to be bestowed upon her next.  Be careful you don't bring the same misfortune upon yourself and your family, Saryn", he continued curtly, "We will also pursue all avenues of recourse should you attempt to oppose or discredit us."

"So be it.  Peace and Long Life", said Saryn, nodding at T'vras and Saapsigo's images on the screen, and ended the transmission.  He immediately contacted his children to discuss their next move.... =/\=

[KingIsaacLinksr]

As Rava Ronan left the meeting with Kebron, he felt annoyed and upset at the same time.  The meeting had gone poorly and both people's attitudes had been upset.  Kebron had almost thrown Rava out of his office in a threat.  Rava knew that Kebron could have easily done that but was relieved to be shown out.  Kebron had growled that he would making his suggestion to the first officer. 

Not five minutes later, his combadge chirped and it was the Captain.  "Rava Ronan, report to my ready room immediately." 

A couple minutes later found Rava and the Captain of the Trident in a meeting with the captain looking camly at the young ensign.  Captain Desma said, "Ensign, this is most disgraceful.  Your attitude and your meeting with Kebron was and is atroucious to say the least.  By all rights, I should remove you from Starfleet permanently. 

"However, it has come to my attention that you seem to dislike some of the crewmates" said Desma. 

"That is correct Captain.  As such, I request transfer off this vessel.  I can no longer operate after the XD-303 mission on this vessel" said Rava. 

Desma was taken aback.  He looked into the young ensign's eyes and could see he was serious.  The captain had always suspected that something had broken him after his return from the mission.  What that would be, he could not be sure. 

"So be it Ensign.  I'm sending you to the new Vulcan spacedock.  There are several ships that need a new crewman.  I wish you luck Ensign, but this is the last chance you'll get.  Do not disappoint me."

With that, Rava turned around and left the ready room.  The captain sighed and hoped that the young ensign would turn his life around.   

[wraith1701]

After three hours of drinking and reveling, K'Tan was finally growing accustomed to the noise level in the Klingon mess hall. The Lieutenant had forgotten how much he missed the exuberant camaraderie displayed by groups of Klingon shipmates during mealtime, as well as the adrenaline rush that came with knowing that violence  could, and probably would break out at any moment.  Fortunately, aside from the earlier confrontation with Mempa, the fights that had broken out during the meal had not resulted in any fatalities-- the majority of them were resolved with only a few broken bones, bruised heads, and some minor lacerations. 

KoraQ' quirked an eyebrow as K'Tan pushed away a squirming plate of uneaten Gagh.  "What's the matter, Little Claw; have you lost your appetite?"

K'Tan smiled, and replied, "I filled up on Bregit lung.  Besides, you know that I haven't had much of a taste for Gagh since that incident at Murak's ascension ceremony."  K'Tan's hand strayed to his stomach, and he couldn't help but wince at the memory of that day of agony so long ago.

KoraQ' threw back his head to let loose a booming laugh, then replied, "Mother always told you, you must thoroughly chew your Gagh before swallowing.  Otherwise, you risk having your meal eat you! "

KoraQ' filled two metallic mugs with bloodwine, and passed one to K'Tan.  He then raised his mug to his lips, draining it in three gulps, and slammed the mug down with a crash.  "Enough small talk, K'Tan.  Have you had a chance to think about my offer to rejoin the Defense Force?  The Empire could always use more warriors, you know."

K'Tan slowly sipped his bloodwine while he gathered his thoughts.  "I've given your offer much thought, brother, but I must decline.  Captain Quinn recently announced that he is putting together a crew for his new ship.  I intend to be a part of that crew."

KoraQ's good-natured grin quickly turned into a scowl of disapproval.  "Why do you insist on wasting your time with the Federation?  They have proven themselves as valuable allies, but their ways are not ours." 

KoraQ' leaned forward, locking his eyes with K'Tan's.    "A true Klingon soul will eventually wither and die if forced to conform with the Federation.  We are warriors; we crave conflict against which to test ourselves!  We thrive on overcoming adversity, and through that, attaining honor!"

K'Tan shook his head slightly.  "You don't understand, KoraQ'.  Honor is exactly why I have decided to follow Captain Quinn.  He gave me a chance to save my career by giving me a home on the Tiberius.  It would be dishonorable to repay that debt by turning my back on him.  I owe a debt of honor not only to the captain, but to the entire crew.  They accepted me despite my somewhat spotty record.  Thanks to them, my time on the Tiberius has helped me to grow as a person."

K'Tan paused briefly, before adding, "How can improving oneself be interpreted as anything but honorable?"

The large Klingon stared silently at K'Tan for several heartbeats, his face a stern mask that betrayed nothing of what was going on in his head.  He then abruptly stood and headed towards the exit.  "Come with me," he said over his shoulder as he stormed out of the mess hall.

[moyer777]

J'dan hurried towards the holo lab with a worried look on his face.  New job?  What new job?  The waitress had told him exactly what Counselor Margon had said.  He was suspicious anyway, why would Margon want a meeting outside on such short notice to begin with?  He could only hope that Lt. Barkley and Margon had found the piggy back message that he had encrypted and entered into the holo data base as a decoy for the real message that he had to send to the Orion Syndicate.  He had set it up to look suspicious - and he had a very well thought out explanation.  One that if they believed would cause them to look no further.

If the timing was right his buddy J'smarian would be long gone from Earth and no one be able to find the Bajoran who had used J'dan's identity to "hack" the programs.  He held his breath and thought through how he would discover this breach and what he would say to Margon.  He only hoped the message that they would miracously dechiper was good enough.

The doors hissed open to the lab to reveal the Blue Counselor with a smile on his face. 

"J'dan! The captain has called, we have a new ship!  He wants me to be on his senior staff, and I did some checking.  They need a bar keep and chef in the mess hall. -- It looks like if you act quickly you can have the job!"  He said before his exuberance turned to soberness.

"That's great news boss!"  J'dan replied.  "Why the concerned face?"

"look, the reason I needed to talk to you today, wasn't to tell you about our new assignment.   It was to ask you about a breach in our security with the final holo programs that are scheduled for distribution to the fleet.  We found an encrypted message imbedded in one of the programs.  Do you know anything about this?"  The Counselor was still being optomistic about it, after all he felt J'dan had been above board with him.

J'dan didn't even flinch.  If this was going to work, he had to appear like he knew nothing about this.  "Say what?" he mused.  "Why would someone risk something like that?  I'll take a look at it, show me where it's at, maybe I can decipher it"

Margon scooted over and let J'dan sit down next to him.  His hands glided across the computer panel as he brought up the code.  J'dan was a superb actor and looked completely surprised when the code flashed onto the screen.

"I recognize this Counselor." he said without hesitation, "It's Orion, Brex used to deal with them from time to time"  He did a few keypad entries and only the first line cleared up, the rest was still fuzzy. "I picked up a few tricks from you son on tapping into some of their messages"  he smiled.   The word "Quark's"  and "Dabo" appeared. 

"It's an adverstisment boss"  said J'dan coldly.

"What?"  Margon sighed.

"Someone has hacked into our system and installed some holo advertising for what appears to be a place called "Quark's"- it should be easy enough to purge it from the data base."

Margon looked at J'dan- "it's already been taken care of.  The bigger question is who had access to our work besides you, me and Lt. Barkley?"

"I don't know boss" J'dan replied as he looked innocently at the Counselor.

[X]

Inside his quarters aboard the USS Arabella, Aeric unpacked the last of his and Beth's belongings. he couldn't help but notice that more and more people were responding to the call issued by Captain Quinn. Aeric still had yet to speak with Sevryll on the subject, but over the last year they had become close enough for him to make an accurate assumption on her decision. He was sure that she would take the offer and he was more than ready to work with all of his former colleagues again.

There were faces that he would never see again, but he had done his mourning in private. Aeric moved to Beth's room and looked over the decorations that he had chosen for her. He had done his best to blend vulcan and human ascetics, but soon found that harder to do than mentally calculating warp field dynamics.

While he had officially accepted Quinn's officer, he still had a few more days as the head of the VFY. From that position, he had been tracking the new arrivals. Some of them had arrived to see the launch of the new ships. Other of them had arrived to see if they could find postings for themselves.

With his new duties firmly established, he had taken it on himself to go through the dozens of applicants and find potential recommendations in the group. He had worked with Quinn long enough to have some understanding of the dynamic that he was looking to achieve. All he need to was find those candidates that would compliment Quinn's command style and the needs of the Arabella.

Aeric knew that all of the survivors of the Tiberius Incident would not be willing to return. If they managed to reacquire fifty percent of the surviving crew, that would still leave a shortfall of almost a hundred members. When you factored in the different type of ship and that it would be a waste of resources to bring back the marines and most of the flight deck staff. There just wasn't enough ship to support their jobs.

They would have to build the operations department from the ground up. The change in ships would require a crew that could adapt to the new mission requirements. While some of the flight deck support staff would be able to fill needed roles, there were just not enough positions to have them all return. Aeric had worked hard to keep as many of his people together on the VFY, but he knew that some would need to remain there.

As he took one final look at his new quarters, he exited and headed for the transporter room. He needed an assistant for his new position and the sooner he had one, the sooner he could get his work completed.

[Bryancd]

The shimmering effect of the transporter resolved around K'arath. He was now stood on the deck of the USS Arabella, Intrepid II class....and he was the Chief Engineer. He breathed in deeply to smell and taste the ship, his eyes closed. He could feel the faint hum of the anti-matter reactor in the soles of his boots, thrumming quietly like a sleeping cha'bIp, a bird noted for it's speed on the Homeworld of Kronos. He could smell the newness of the carpet, the faint electrical/chemical smell associated with new biopacks coming to.....life. The ship was alive and awaiting her mission and those she would carry into the void.

He realized he had now been standing there for at least a minute and opened his eyes. The transporter operator had a confused look upon his face. "Sir?", he said, cautiously.

K'arath stepped down off the platform. "Permission to come aboard, Ensign!"

The man's expression relaxed, "Granted, sir."

K'arath strode toward the door. These qa'vIn uniforms were not the very comfortable...

[Jen]

The wonderfully fragrant aroma of Gespar, met Nathan Quinn as Sevryll welcomed him into her home. Since ancient times, the rind of the Gespar fruit had been used in the manufacture of soaps and perfume.  It was a light and pleasant fragrance that his former First Officer had worn on a regular basis while serving aboard Tiberius. The fact that this small detail had slipped his mind told Nathan that it had been too long since he had last seen her. "I have to remember to ask her for a bottle to send to mother," he thought.

"Nathan," she said as a Mona Lisa smile betrayed her emotional restraint. "I am pleased to see you. Please come in."

Quinn returned a more robust version of her smile and stepped into her immaculate home. Unlike the perfume, the compulsive orderliness of his friend was one detail that had not escaped his memory. His grin expanded as he remembered the mess she made after she spilled the entire content her glass over his dinner table. That incident had been the first time he noticed that she was ill— she had laughed uncontrollably at the blunder before insisting that she help clean it up.

"Can I offer you a cup of Raktijino?" Klingon coffee was one of Nathan's favorite beverages, and Sevryll had the replicator programmed with the recipe when she learned of his visit.

"Yes... please," he said as he glanced about the room at the various artworks and artifacts displayed throughout.

The whir of the replicator could be heard as she replied, "The children are with their grandparents. They would enjoy seeing you this evening, if you are able stay for dinner."  The melodic ring of a metal spoon within the ceramic cup, accompanied her into the room where Nathan waited.

"Yes, of course. It would be nice to see them again." He paused briefly, considering whether he should mention the events that Aeric had informed him of. "I heard about your dismissal from ShiKahr Academy. I'm so sorry. I wish I could help."

Sevryll inclined her head in gratitude and handed him the cup of Raktijino. "As many non-Vulcans have learned through experience, my people have the propensity for hypercritical judgment...and even we are not immune to our own scrutiny. In addition to Ambassador Spock, my grandmother, were still living, could testify to this." She arced a single brow and added frankly, "My dismissal should not have been unexpected—I mistakenly believed that I could hide my emotional condition; obviously I was wrong. Apparently the political ramifications of my father's involvement with the Unification are far reaching. Those in power, who are in opposition to the movement, have made progress in declaring me an outcast...  the pronouncement is pending an upcoming hearing. I will need to leave Vulcan in order to avoid the summons." 

"It's easier to leave than to fight," uttered Nathan. Sevryll confirmed his verbal thought with a slight nod.  "I'm sorry," he said.

"It seems Vulcan is no longer my home. It is too dangerous...not only for me, but my family as well."

Nathan took a sip of his coffee and set it down. Folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair he said, "Tiberius was a pretty good home... wasn't she?" he inquired wistfully.

Without hesitation the Vulcan softly replied, "yes...she was."

"I believe that people make a home,"  he said cautiously.

Sevryll took a moment to consider his statement and nodded silently, sensing that he was implying more than he was immediately revealing. 

"You have a home with us Sevryll: Margon, Zremm, Aeric, K'ararth, K'Tan, Casey... just about all of the senior staff are joining the crew of my new command. The Arabella isn't quite the Tiberius, but she's the next best thing." Nathan joked to cover his worry that she would turn down the offer, "we need a First Officer, and I'd rather that you accept the position than promote the Counselor... I think the power would go to his head."

"I disagree, Margon would make a fine first officer and I have never known him to be a tyrant," she said failing to detect the sarcasm.  Sevryll tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stood, "I have grown weary sweeping the sand out of my house. It would be an honor to serve with you... I accept the offer."

"Great!" Said Nathan joyfully. "We have a lot to do... I want you to tour the ship and help fill the duty roster."

"Aye, sir." She replied in a slightly emotional undertone. "Nathan, I have a favor to ask of you. In addition to my parents, there is an individual and his family who requires transport to the nearest starbase. To his detriment, he defended me at the academy—I owe him a debt of gratitude."

"Of course... it seems I owe him as well." Smiled Nathan.

[institches]

Spring gazed out at the golden sands of Bagno Elena and sipped at her chianti. The small Naples cafe was host to only two others: healthy humans, clearly compatible by their scent. There was a bittersweet scent coming off the blank-faced woman sitting nearby: loneliness and desire. The male smelled of sunshine and onions, but he was unaware of the scrutiny from both the nearby females, engrossed in a padd, probably some sporting event.

Yes, definitely sports. She could see movement over a green field. "Crickets!" her translator intimated. How odd humans were. But he was clearly enjoying it, unaware of the scent of testosterone he emitted. Funny how humans had no control over their musk.

Spring was reminded of the signals she had been ignoring: just a casual minty beep--nothing urgent-- coming from the communicator in the bottom of her knapsack. Now was as good a time as any. The Italian sunshine had made her feel just a little lazy. She dug around: bathing suit, a change of clothing, uniform, gland covers, journal padd... ah, there it was. She took another sip of chianti and started to read:

"Hello, Mackie. I'm sorry that I cut our visit short... If you're anything like me, you could probably use a change of scenery. How would you like to go on a trip to Vulcan? I'm booking passage on the U.S.S Aquarena tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice. Let me know if you want to go, and we'll make plans to meet before departing. Think about it. — Ryla"

Her eyes widened as she checked the time index. The message had been sent more than 24 hours ago! The chianti splashed as she set it down on the glass table.  Frantically, she tapped controls. The USS Aquarena was due to lift off in ten minutes. Ten minutes! That gave her just enough time.

She grabbed her knapsack and flew out the door, enhancing the woman's signal scent as she passed. What could it hurt?

_________

Spring materialized on the transporter pad five minutes before lift-off. Ryla was there, waiting for her. "Could you have cut it any closer?"

"I know, I know. I would have been here sooner, but there was a wine shop next door to the transport station." She hefted a deep red bottle and emitted the fruity smell of beaujolais and vanilla. "Due Sorrelle, 2350. How could I pass it up?"

Ryla shook her head. "Mackie, we're going to Vulcan. Didn't you study Vulcan?"

"Sure," Spring spoke slowly, hoping to remember more than she did, "It's... hot... and logical. Uhhh, that's all I got."

Drett chose the punchline. "They're ascetics. It's not the best place to enjoy a good bottle of wine."

______________

An hour later, Spring and Ryla sat in the lounge on the Aquarena. Ryla poured the last splash of the deep red liquor into her glass. "You're right. It was worth almost missing the ship. Earth is very good at refining their liquids." She swirled the wine around in the glass. "But if I was your commanding officer, you shouldn't have been quite so truthful about ignoring the communicator."

Mackie took a sip. "Good thing you're not, then."

"You know, Mackie, your honesty is endearing but how did you ever expect to make it in the diplomatic corps? Every diplomat has to lie. Even the Vulcans."

"I'm not a very good liar, that's true. But I've got skills to fall back on..." Mackie appeared to sigh, but actually blew a complex series of subtle scents directly at a table in the corner of the room, where two males, a Cardassian and a human, were in a heated discussion. The Cardassian reacted first, sitting back and saying, "You know, you make a good point." The human nodded and leaned forward, lowering his voice and continuing the conversation. She looked at Ryla and raised her eyebrows.

Ryla drained her glass. "Remind me to bring you along on my next promotion hearing."

[Meds]

The lead framed photograph had not moved from the case. Joe looked down at it and ran his fingers over the glass. He'd done that so many times it almost seemed like a ritual.
"Nearly time" Joe thought. The door com buzzed and Joe shouted "Come". He turned expecting to see AJ Potter but instead was greeted with a sharp smack in the face. The force knocked Joe over the table spilling his case and sending him into the wall. He looked up to a see a hooded figure.
"I am here to heal your anger; I wish to please my Captain"
Before Joe could ask who this man was the stranger's hands grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up so Joe could see straight into the hood of the man. The stranger was wearing a mask and it was the sight of the mask that reminded Joe who this man was.
"You, you're part of the team who killed all those people and..."
Joe couldn't finish the sentence as the stranger threw him back to the floor. Joe looked at the fallen photograph seeing his smiling family.
".. shot your wife. Yes it was me who also killed your children."
The stranger's laugh helped Joe's anger build. The pain in his eye was intense and it started to glow.
"That's what I wanted to see. Your eye is all I want"
The man came forward producing a medi-scalpel.
"Your eye is the final piece to my puzzle Joseph. The chip that produces your anger is what we have been searching for"
Joe scrabbled back attempting to get away, his fingers grasping at the carpet when suddenly his tips felt the cold lead of the photograph frame.
"Wait" Joseph shouted
The hooded figure bent down looking into his victims bleeding face.
"There is no time, your anger is pure"
Josephs hand managed to grab the corner of the photograph frame and he thrust it towards the mask of the stranger. It hit him straight in the centre and shattered the porcelain face.
The stranger fell on his back and remained motionless. Joe stood and carefully peered at the face of the man. It was contorted with a look of horror. The features of him were exactly the same as the three dead men that Star Fleet personnel had found by Joe's unconscious body over a year ago. Joseph placed his hand to his burning eye, momentarily taking his focus off the body and suddenly his legs gave way as the strangers' legs kicked him.
The hideous contorted face did not move as the words came from it. "You have tried my patience once and for all" his free hand produced a phaser and pointed it at Joe "I'll take the eye when your body is limp"
Joe closed his eyes and heard the trigger of the phaser slowly click back, followed by the rasping beam of the energy ray build. Joe's eyes clenched tight waiting for the blast but nothing came. Opening his eyes he saw the body of the stranger lying dead on the floor. Joe looked up to see another figure standing in the door way, his hood removed a phaser pointing into the room.
"Hello Joseph"
Joseph looked at him and mouthed the word "Theran"

[ElfManDan]

David walked his path again. It was daylight now and the water could be seen through the trees glittering in the light. He could hear the noises of the city though he couldn't see it. Halfway through the maze he heard voices in the trees. He stopped to listen, the voices stopped as well. He looked around trying to see anyone, but there was no one. His survival instinct took effect from back on Bigoras. If he ran they might hunt him down. He took a step, then another, slowly he walked down the path. He listened carefully for the voice or footsteps possibly following him, but there was none. He finally reached the clearing. He didn't feel safe though. He was there no less then five minutes and he begin hearing whispers. He knew someone was there. He looked carefully into the forest, not quick he kept a calm mind in the situation. He looked at his feet where a small stick lay on the ground. It was a walking stick, likely once used by him that never made the trip back through the maze. "It would do," he thought. He leaned forward slowly picking up the stick within his hand. He could here footsteps now. He could feel a presence behind him. David turned quickly. He then realized he was a holding a stick to Dylan's neck.
"Dylan, what are you doing?" He said shocked and annoyed that his clearing was not unknown anymore.
"I'm out for a walk, what are you doing?"
"I needed some fresh air. Did you follow me here?"
"No, I come here all the time."
"No one ever comes here Dylan, only me."
"Me and my friends come out here a lot."
"Your friends?"
"Yeah."
"So is that who you were talking to?"
"No, I'm alone."
"I heard talking."
"Yeah, that was me?"
"Dylan you don't talk to yourself you were talking to someone."
"No just me."
"Dylan what's going on?"
"Nothing, I told you I come out here all the time."
"Right." David dropped the stick and returned to his seat. Dylan sat down next to him.
"Sorry I thought you were up to something."
"Yeah, nothing going on?"
"There is something going on, Dylan you got to stop doing this."
"Would you stop judging me." Dylan replied irritated at the comment.
"I'm not judging you, I know something up."
"Trust me when I say there's nothing going on."
"Ok, I assume you just went for a walk." David didn't believe that in the least.
"You don't believe it."
"I'm just trying to watch out for you, I'm not going to be here much longer."
"I don't need anyone looking over my shoulder, I'm doing just fine."
"Course you are." They both looked out over the water, neith trusted the other, they so constantly argued, but they were still brothers. They both cared for the other and they always would. What ever Dylan was up to David decided it might just be best to leave it alone. David was even going to bother, he wouldn't ever change Dylan himself. "He would always be that way," thought David, "I just have to let him."

[Omra]

The air stank with the smells of heated metal, death, ozone and fear.  Shyn's earpiece buzzed with the frantic cries and mutterings of frightened crewmen; and squawks on the command push, lieutenants demanding that the channels be kept clear of unnecessary chatter.  It was obvious from the frantic cries and the status bars of crewmen winking out one by one on the HUD display, that the positions were in danger of being overrun.  Shyn checked her rifles energy cell; it was low, and she only had one replacement left.  She checked the shield emitters they had placed on the overturned dining hall table they were using as a barricade.  They were holding, but not for long.  She then looked down at her squad mate, she reeked of fear, her energy cell was even lower than Shyn's, she fired way too often out of panic.

Shyn could hear footfalls coming down the hall, and the familiar smell of cold flesh and silicates.  She tapped her partners shoulderpad, "I'll take this one, watch my back."  Shyn watched the drones reflection in the dining halls viewport, as it stopped and scanned the room.  After noting its position she popped up and struck it with three quick bursts from her phaser rifle.  The first shot was in the wrong frequency, and it splashed harmlessly of its shield.  But the next two were in frequencies they had not adapted to and they overwhelmed its circuitry and burned deep into its exoskeleton destroying life giving components.  It fell next to its other fallen comrades.

The lieutenant gave Shyn a thumbs up from her position, but her smile quickly vanished as she heard the dreaded sound of Borg transporter beams.  Shyn pivoted to see five forms just beginning to materialize, her squad mate paniced and began firing off wildly at the forms before they properly materialized.  Her shots striking the viewport behind the shimmering forms, causing it to bubble and warp.  Fortunately her power cell died before she could cause further damage.

When they became solid the Lieutenant and Shyn opened up on them; two of them dropped under the withering fire, but the other three adapted.  The luey reached for an EMP grenade in her rigging, while diving over her overturned table for cover. Stun bolts quickly chasing after her eagerly seeking a target.  The quivering squad mate had replaced her energy cell; and offered her own spastic phaser fire, downing one drone before she was overwhelmed by stun bolts.  One drone turned towards Shyn as the other advanced to assimilate the unconscious security crewman.  Shyn strafed the floor in front of the drones, spraying them with globs of molten metal.  The drones howled in warbling electronic agony, twitching and randomly firing off plasma bolts.

One of the random blasts struck the replicator next to the lieutenant; it exploded hurling the luey into the air like a ragdoll. She landed hard her body contorted, her grenade rolled onto the floor next to Shyns foot.  Shyn dove into the drones her claws extended, killing them viciously before they committed any more damage.  She started to head to the Lieutenant to check on her; when she heard more Borg materializing, she primed the grenade and rolled it toward their shimmering forms.  The last thing they ever saw was Shyn's lightly armored form diving behind the table.

As she tended to the lieutenants wounds more heavy footfalls with the sound of overly taxed servos could be heard approaching, she struggled to lift the luey over the table, the shadows of the drones elongated on the tables surface.  She threw herself over the table holding onto the lueys webbing hoping her added weight and inertia would bring her shipmate with her.  But the drones had a hold of her and sought to pull her from Shyns grasp, She reached out and struck the emergency transport beacon on the lueys harness, she shimmered out of existence, the drones now focused their attention on Shyn.

Shyn braced both legs against the table, struggling to keep it between her and the gathering drones.  They reached over the table, struggling to reach her through the slowly waning shield emitters.  Their weight slowly pushing the table and Shyn backwards towards the spider webbing veiwport and bulkhead.  Shyn tried to brace herself and felt the lieutenants phaser rifle behind her and grabbed it, she whirled it in front of her and opened up on the thronging mass before her.  Only three dropped before they adapted, but it was enough to stop her from being pushed further backward.

Shyn looked about for escape, but the only other route was the kitchen, and drones were now coming through that door.  She looked to the damaged wall beside her, and realized she had been pushed beyond the exploded replicator.  She activated the targeting reticule on her HUD, and activated the camera on the phaser rifle, closed her left eye and swung the rifle around the side of the table.  Looking through the rifles camera using the HUD she aimed at the exposed plasma conduit and fired.  The explosion engulfed the mass of drones and propelled the shielded table into the bulkhead, knocking the wind out of her, the clamshell breastplate keeping her from cracking her ribcage or being crushed.

She kicked the now burning table off of her, burning drone bodies littered the floor of the mess hall.  She struggled to her feet, her muscles ached as she leaned against the viewport trying to catch her breath.  She saw movement in the reflection of the hallway behind her, she turned to see upraised arms firing plasma bolts at her.  She ducked, the bolts missed her but hit the stressed viewport, it shattered, the atmosphere screamed through the jagged opening.

The burning table lifted and was propelled out of the open window, the burning bodies slid across the floor to be ejected one after the other. Shyn crawled below the shattered portal trying to avoid flying debris, she made it past the opening and struggled to stand so she could reach the emergency control panel.  The Borg drones which had been firing at her were losing their footing and were being dragged toward the opening, one of them grabbed on to her and sought to take her with him. The impact spun her around, she fought for purchase struggling to hold on, the newly assimilated Borg held on to her arm dragging her inexorably into vacuum.  She struggled to free herself bracing her feet against the window frame and bulkhead; the drone in starfleet uniform looked up at her with eyes that once held compassion, it was a Bajoran whose once tanned and weathered features were now bone white.  Her eyes went wide with horror, it was Korridan!

Tears fell from her eyes, as more and more starfleet uniformed bodies sailed past her into the black void.  "I failed them." she thought, "they counted on me to protect them, and I failed them."  Another Borg drone garbbed her, she looked into its face, it glared at her with metallic eyes, "I told you Quinn was trying to build a family, one always protects ones family."  Her legs were becoming weak and trembled under the strain, her breathing becoming shallow, when one more voice taunted her from behind, it was Keryn's, "I told them you could be trusted, and you let them all die."  Her legs failed her, and she fell into the cold abyss of space.

Shyn awoke gasping for air, her bedding damp from sweat.  She pulled her shredded bed linen off of her and swung her trembling legs over the side.  And tried to calm herself, wiping tears and sleep from her eyes.  She inspected the strips of cloth that had once been her sheets, "Great, I have to go buy another set, that's what?... three this week?"  She shook her head looking at the damaged coiled spring mattress, "Note to self: be sure to never buy an AIR mattress."

[iceman]

Casey's wife had just arrived home to the apartment and greeted her husband with a big kiss, she was excited about going into space with her husband but at the same time worried about how her parents would take the news.

Myella  new in her heart the if she was ever to make it past a Lieutenant Junior Grade then she had to get some experience in space. She quickly entered the sonic shower and cleaned herself up. She was glad to be home and welcomed the chance to remove her uniform and put something more comfortable on. She dressed and left the bedroom and entered the Kitchen.

She looked at Casey and back at the dinning room table, then back at Casey again. The expression on her face said it all. She stared at her husband with her mouth wide open, then spoke.

"You made this from scratch" she replied with a look of Astonishment

Casey looked at his wife and replied,

"Yes dear, I told you I could cook"

Myella smiled back at her husband then stated:

"Yes dear, I know you told me you could cook, but never in my wildest dreams did I think You could cook like this. If I had have known this, I would have Married you a lot sooner"

Dr. Peterson smiled at his wife and said to his wife, "I am glad you approve of this dinner, but don't worry dear, we wont have to say anything to your parents until we get confirmation from Captain Quinn that I have been accepted as the CMO of his new ship.

With that Myella hugged her husband as they both inhaled the cornucopia of smells that now filled the Petersons kitchen