Star Trek: Season 6 - Arabella

[Geekyfanboy]

The shuttle glided toward their new home. Nathan and Nic looked out the shuttle's window as the beautiful gray starship came into view. Nic whistled "She's a beauty Nathan." Quinn smiled and placed his arm around Nic's shoulder, "She's our new home."

The shuttle pulled into the shuttle bay and landed softly with a hiss. Quinn stood up, straightened his uniform took a deep breath and exited the ship. Nic exited right behind his Captain. Nathan stood there for a moment and looked around the shuttle bay. There were various crewmembers working on various things all to busy to notice him. Nic cleared his throat and yelled "Captain on board!!" Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and stood at attention. Nathan gave Nic a quick smile before saying "At ease." Everyone relaxed a bit, Quinn smiled and walked up to several crewmen and shook their hands. They greeted him with smiles and "welcomes" as he moved through the shuttle bay. A few minutes later Quinn and Took entered Took's new quarters. Nic looked around "These are all mine?" Quinn laughed "Yep you're a Lieutenant and Assistant Chief of Engineer. You no longer have to share quarters. I'll let you settle in, I need to get to the bridge and see how things are going." Quinn lean in and gave Took a kiss on the cheek. "See you later than," Nic said has Quinn turned and headed down the corridor. 

[iceman]

The Petersons arrived at Vulcan without incident. Casey was anxious to see the Arabella and her sickbay. Myella was also excited as this was her first space assignment and her first time on a starship.

Casey Proceeded to procure seats on a shuttle to the Arabella and gathered his and Myellas belongings, he was happy to be going back into space and for the first time in a year Casey felt like he was home.

Dr. Peterson and his wife stepped into the shuttle and took their seats, they would be sharing this shuttle with a few other crew members. Casey looked at his wife and wondered if they looked that young on their first assignment.

The shuttle began launch procedures and quickly left the atmosphere of Vulcan and entered the darkness of space. In a few moments he would be on board the Arabella and in surroundings that although differrent would be familiar to him as he was coming home to his friends and family.

[Jen]

The bright golden afternoon, silhouetted Sevryll's form as she opened the door to exit the house that had been her home for over a year. The simple stone structure, would await her return... and she would return... some day. Sevryll glanced about the garden, taking in the scent of the various herbs that had been planted centuries before by T'Les. She would miss meditating here, in the open air with the warmth of the sun on her skin. Since her arrival on Vulcan, Sevryll had spent many hours in the small garden, watching the children play, meditating, and thinking of David. The latter was not an invited thought, yet he often crept into her quiet reflections. She preferred not to worry about his wellbeing, but he was, after all, her husband, and his absence was difficult to endure. 

Loneliness was possibly the most challenging emotion to suppress. She played numerous musical pieces, from many worlds, on her violin in an attempt to quell the emotion...but they never seemed to adequately expel it. The various arrangements, meant to express the forlorn feelings, tended to exacerbate rather than alleviate. The only remedy that eased her aching was her children. Their laughter was delightfully distracting—a joy that she had not savored before the onset of the virus. She counted the enjoyment she experienced at the sound of their mirth, as the only benefit gained from the horrible events that robbed her of her emotional restraint. 

M'Rynn giggled as she ran into the courtyard, with five other children close behind. Her twin brother N'Vall, was among the group that chased her into the garden. "Tag!" he shouted as he tapped her on the arm. She laughed and tried to touch him, but he dodged her reach and started to run out the gate.

"N'Vall." Said his mother, calling him from his game. "It's time to leave. Say goodbye to your friends."

The Vulcan children restrained their disappointment, but her own children expressed their dissatisfaction openly. Yet their protests were ceased with a mild tone that coated their mother's words.  It was a timbre that clearly communicated that their whining would not be tolerated. The three-year-old, half-vulcan half-terran children, said their goodbyes and watched as their friends filed out the gate and out of sight. "I'm sorry." Said Sevryll. She wanted nothing more than for her children to be safe and happy, but safety was no longer something she could secure on Vulcan. The young mother hoped there would be other children they could play with onboard Arabella.

"I want to push it!" said M'rynn. "You got to push it last time!" 

"No! It's my turn!" complained her brother.

Sevryll silenced the argument simply by arcing her eyebrow.  When she had their full attention, the tall woman knelt before them and said in a quiet, even alto, "M'rynn is correct, it is her turn to press the combadge."   

The litter girl wasted no time in tapping the insignia pinned to her mother's uniform and giggled at the melodic chime that ensued. "Sevryll to Arabella. Three to beam up."

A bright light enveloped them and a moment later they were standing on the pad in Transporter Room One. "Welcome aboard, Commander Sevryll." Said the ever-cheery Chief Frep. The denoblian's enormous smile stretched awkwardly upward, as he glanced to the twins. "Greetings children!"

Immediately the twins rushed off the pad to hug his leg. "Hi Frep!" said N'vall.

"It is good to see you chief." Said their mother.

The denoblian grinned and nodded in response as the vulcan ushered her children out of the transporter room and to their new quarters. "I'll see you later!" he said as the children waved to him.  It was almost their dinner time, and Sevryll wanted to get them bathed before the went to Aeric's party.





 

[ElfManDan]

David walked up to the door and hit the door loud enough to be heard by anyone inside. The door opened and he stepped in. He could see the commander standing across the room. David stayed close to the door.

"You got my package?"

"Where's Dylan?" The commander gave one of the guards behind him a quick look that told him to bring Dylan. David watched as they dragged Dylan out. He was still tied and he looked like he had been through a beating.

"There you see him, call this an even swap, I take the package and you take the brat."

David reached into the bag to grab the package when he did he felt his phaser with his fingertips. He made slow movements not to draw suspicion. He passed right by the phaser and slide out the package slowly. "Here your package."

"Hand it here." The commander ordered.

"Not till you send over my brother." David had his eye on the way out, as long as there was a clear path he could get out. Soon as he had Dylan he planned to make a run for it.

"I ain't given you your brother without knowing the stuff I want is in that box."

"I can't give it to you till I have my brother."

The commander pulled out a phaser. He aimed it straight as David, "You might want to reconsider that, son." David's hand slipped quickly into his handbag pulling out the phaser. He set it to kill and pointed it at the package.

"How important is your package?" David said now unable to stop the fear in his voice. The commander seemed fearless he pointed his phaser at Dylan's brother. He seemed to have complete control of the situation, now.

"How important is your brother?"

David began to shack, he lowered the phaser just a little to much. One of the guards grabbed him from behind removing the phaser from his hand. The package fell to the floor with a thud. David struggled for a moment to realize there was no way of getting away from the guard. He felt so stupid, he stopped watching the door for a minute and the guard had gotten behind him. The commander walked up slowly picked up the package.

"Thankyou David, you've been a great deal of help. Don't suppose you know what's actually in this box." He said cutting open the top of the box with a small knife. "You might find it surprising to know..." He ripped open the top of the box, David closed his eyes tightly and in the split second got his hand free to use as a shield from the bright light that imitated from the opening.

David stood there in the dark for a moment in the silence of the room. No one moved and he guessed he was the only person left standing. He reached down on the floor to try and find his handbag. Inside he found his comm. badge.

"I can't let you get away, you became my responsibility as soon as I took this job." David was about to send a message telling the admiral everything. He knew this could be the end for him in Starfleet, but he felt it was the right thing to do, he wasn't going to become a thief again. It was the life he never wanted. It was what he feared most, being that person who he had put behind him so long ago.

Before he could make the transmission, he heard clapping. "Good job, Reese. You did well." David looked up, but his eyes were too blind to see who it was walking towards him.

"Computer brighten the lights please." The lights began to rise and the Admiral's face came into focus.

"What?" was the only thing David could think to say in his current situation.

"You passed your test, quite entertaining I must say. Definitely surprised me. I must say I expected you to complete the mission and get away with your brother. Good actor that one, maybe he should go into theater."

David stood up, "All this, it was my psych test?"

"Yeah, you passed with flying colors."

"But I had my phaser on..., I could have actually hurt someone."

"No the phaser is neutralized, Only setting's stun. It's been neutralized ever since you stepped into the storage space. Besides everyone has a personal shield, that it except you of course."

"I don't know what to say." David was shocked, all this was just a test, he had trouble believing it. His plan worked, he had hidden the content of the box and replaced it with a flash bomb, "Oh, crap," David realized what he had just done to everyone, "I'm sorry about the flash bomb, I had thought..."

"Don't worry about it, they can deal with it," David knew Dylan wasn't going to forgive him, "you have something else to worry about, get packing ensign." The admiral passed him a small letter and walked out of the building. A small crew of man and woman rushed into the room and began cleaning up everything and giving aid to everyone unconscious on the floor. David didn't notice as he opened the letter. It was a ticket for an Ensign Reese, a one-way ticket to Vulcan. He then pulled out a small note that simply read "Orders on arrival" signed by Quinn.

Reese slipped the ticket into his bag taking care to put it where he wouldn't loose it. He went to his brother and slung him over his back, "Sorry about this Dylan."

Dylan was beginning to wake up and managed to mutter just a few words, "'id ya pass?" Translated, "Did you pass?"

"Yeah, I did." Reese replied, "I did it."

"Good for you," Dylan said sarcastically, "I'm going to kill you for this." He carried his brother out, he knew Dylan was really proud of him beyond the anger. Reese felt ready for anything now. The Universe had just been given to him and he was eager to explore it.

[wraith1701]

K'Tan materialized in the Arabella's transporter room amid a cloud of shimmering motes which gradually faded away.  As he stepped off of the transporter platform, the Denobulan transporter chief slowly looked him up and down, taken aback by the sight of the tall, scar-faced human wearing a full set of Klingon armor.  "Nice outfit," the chief replied, his lip turned up in a slight smile. 

Lost in thought, K'Tan glanced briefly up from the romulan blade still clutched in his hand, then headed for the rooms exit.  "Hmph," was his only reply.

"What a chatty guy," the chief muttered under his breath as the door closed behind the preoccupied Lieutenant.

After exiting the transporter room, K'Tan walked down the carpeted corridor and headed toward a nearby wall-mounted computer interface terminal.  Before leaving his brother's ship, he had forwarded his acceptance of Quinns' offer to serve aboard the Arabella; the reply had instructed him to find his quarters assignment after coming aboard. 

K'Tan's finger traced the deck layout graphic on the monitor, locating his quarters on deck 2.  He then traced out the most direct route to the Tactical Department on Deck 14.  After I settle in, I'll have to head down and meet the new crewmembers, he thought to himself.

As he headed for the turbolift, K'Tan paused at a large, oval shaped window overlooking the Vulcan shipyard.  As he gazed out, he saw the dark-green form of a Bird Of Prey heading away from the shipyard.  As the craft shrank in the distance, the image gave the telltale waver of an activating cloaking device, then vanished from sight. 

"Goodbye, brother," He said quietly.  "QAPLA'."

[Omra]

Korridans consciousness slowly came to him; and he felt in his mind the presence of his beloved Yuki, she was softly humming something that sounded familiar.  He surmised that she was waiting for him to awaken.  He had always enjoyed her singing, he found it very therapeutic, and he had always suspected it was for her as well.  She softly began singing as if thinking out loud to her self.

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

Her voice faltered, she became aware that he was awake.  When she spoke he could tell she was very nervous, her accent was thick, "I am sorry I made you worry, it was selfish of me..."  He slowly sat up in bed, not wanting to seem agitated at the early morning interuption, "You were angry and frightened."  He absent mindedly nodded as he spoke, "Understandable, for some one who feels powerless to do anything about their situation."  She fidgeted, "I don't want to wind up a slave like those early model EMH's," her accent became so clipped he could barely follow her speech, "Mining or scrubbing plasma conduits..."  

He kept his voice even and steady, trying to calm her,"You won't, we will be in an exploration vessel heading away from the Federation," he spread his hands, "you have nothing to fear from them."  "But you still don't trust them do you?" Her eyes seeking to pierce his calm facade.  "No," he confessed, "I don't trust the Federation, I trust people."  He continued before Yuki could ask another question, "I have read good things about this Captian, and a good Captain surrounds himself with good people."

She looked nervous, pacing back and forth.  Looking at him with eyes that wanted desperately to believe him.  He continued, "There will come a time when I will feel confident enough about the character of his staff to bring you to their attention."  He looked her in the eyes, "And I will request that they give you a job to do, so that you can prove your worth to them and earn their trust."

She stopped pacing, and sat on the bed next to him, "I understand, The Doctor had to earn the trust and respect of the Voyager crew, and I will have to do the same aboard the Arabella."  She looked away from him, not wanting him to see her so fragile, "I... am just so... scared."  

He looked at her wondering what to say.  When an idea came to him, sometimes when a persons own words seem inadequate, they will quote from works of great literature.  For Yuki, her favorite form of expression, when mere words failed her, were song lyrics.  He patted her hand, "Why don't you sing the last chorus?"  She smiled; and nodded.  Realizing the true relevance to their own situation she softly sang the words:

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us,                                   She held out her hand to Korridan.
Hold my hand a we're half way there.                Korridan took her hand and spoke the next line.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there.                 Yuki sang the next word.
Somehow.                                                      He spoke the next word.
Someday,                                                       The both spoke the next word together.
Somewhere.

[Ricardocameron]

=/\=  Master Saryn Rayna's concentration was broken by the sound of his children's arrival at his quarters. Rising from his meditation cushion, he greeted them quietly.  He was comforted by the sight of their hastily-packed luggage, and barely noticed the sehlat cub that Taran was now forced to bring along.

 Saryn's decision to accept Master Sevryll's offer of refuge for him and his daughter had coincided perfectly with Captain Quinn's offer of assignment for his son Taran to the newly minted USS Arabella.  Ensign Taran Rayna would ship out with a new crew after transport with his family to a Vulcan space station, where they would await a ship home to Mars.

Saryn reached for his communicator and called for the scheduled beam-out.
The air shimmered with light, while a high pitched transporter whine filled their ears.....
 A new chapter in their lives was beginning.

[moyer777]

Counselor Margon glanced over at J'dan.  He was checking a cargo manifest for the new mess hall on the Arabella.  The two friends were catching a ride on a cargo transport that was headed for Vulcan.

"Is everything in order?" asked the Counselor.

"Yep, things are good boss" J'dan barked back.

The counselor checked the pet carrier and assured his cat Mr. Mouse.  "It's ok lunkhead, you'll be fine"  The Cat meowed low and began to growl.  "He doesn't like transport" the Bolian grinned.

J'dan sat down and closed his eyes.  This wasn't a very long trip, but he thought he would get some sleep in before all of the preperation in the new mess hall.

Counselor Margon sat next to Mr. Mouse and held a couple of data crystals in his hand.  "I hope these are worth all the work we did" he muttered to himself as the ship rocked back and forth and left the atmosphere of Earth. 

In a few hours he would materialize on to his new ship.  His quarters were vastly different than the Tiberius.  In fact with all of the holo deck work he had been doing he was in for quite a surprise.  His quarters and office were in the same area, and his clients would be very surprised by the surroundings.

He was looking forward to being reunited with his crewmates.  He missed them all, and longed for the adventure.

[X]

Commander Aeric James, Chief of Operations, arrived early for his shift. While most of the crew where still arriving and settling in, he took his place at the operations station on the bridge.

He didn't arrive early to impress anyone, but because there was work to be done. The ship would be free of her docking tethers soon and he needed to make sure that the power systems and crew duty list were all running at peak efficiency. He smiled to himself at the soft purr of the Quantum reactors. They were part of the blessing that allowed the ship the comforts that she had and superior to the old fusion reactors in almost every way. Besides the Aurora, the Arabella was one of the best ships that he had the honor of working on. She was everything that she could be within the scope of her mission.

He was happy that he was at the operations center and that K'arath and K'tan were both in positions that they had helped to refine on the class. With Quinn and Sevryll as their commanding officers, the ship and crew couldn't ask for a better ship. Aeric was relieved when K'arath agreed to continue with the new ship. The klingon would know what to expect of the engines better than any other engineer assigned to the class. K'arath had been there when they first installed the new drive system and had sat in on more than a few of the design sessions that Aeric hosted on the VFY. As Quinn would put it, it was a ship made by family, for family.


On Deck 5, Acting Ensign Aria James made her way to the medical labs. After speaking in detail with Captain Quinn, she knew that she too belonged on the new ship and she would best contribute in the medical department. As a practicing civilian doctor, she had been responsible for repairing the neural interface of another new crew member and while she had signed off on his return to duty, she still wanted to keep an eye on him.

She walked slowly to her destination, distracted by her thoughts. The Bajoran she had helped on Vulcan had been implanted with neural tech that was almost two decades old if not older. It was a well built system, but it wouldn't complete with the advances that had been made since then. She had consulted with several experts, including her father, on a suitable replacement for the aging system and was happen when her father offered to review the case. The resulting hybrid design still impressed her.


Chief Petty Officer Rina Grant sat quietly in the Flight Control Center. She was in the last hour of a sixteen hour double shift. With her assignment as the shuttle bay chief, she had to make sure that all vessels were accounted for and only authorized personal arrived via shuttle. She took a long sip of her coffee and continued to watch the last of the cargo shuttles dock with their final loads.

It was from that room that she knew without a doubt the importance of her job. Transporters might be flashier and faster, but the life and success of any starship depended on their support craft. There were just too many things that were too fragile or special to transport. There were too many unknown worlds that would find it easier to accept a ship landing than people appearing out of the blue. Transporters also didn't have the range and reliability of a good shuttle.

Sure people beaming into a place was faster, but it was the shuttles, her shuttles, that made sure the crew got home when something goes wrong with the transporters.


Rory and the holograpic dog moved about her father's quarters as Beth slept in the adjoining room. It was too early to take her little sister to Mrs. Noguchi, so she opted to spend the time watching over the little one until it was a more reasonable time. She had been informed by her father that he would be working a twenty-four hour cycle the first two days of their departure. He needed to make sure that his new assistant and their Gamma Shift Relief were up to the tasks ahead of them. She could only hope that this Rava person could keep up with her father's standards and she really had no words of wisdom for the Gamma Shift Relief. Hopefully both would realize the blessing that Beth was to keeping Aeric out of their hair constantly.

[Jen]

Ryla Drett entered the small lounge on the Arabella, and headed to an empty table. The place was smaller and not quite as jovial as Five Forward had been. When Brex was running things, the lounge on the Tiberius was always hopping. But then the new ship's lounge hadn't a chance to define itself yet. "It just needs to be broken in," she thought to herself. "A few drinking songs sung by boisterous Klingons, and a rowdy party or two would make it feel just like home."

Doctor Drett had just left sickbay. As the assistant CMO, she would be busy for the next few days as the crew began to trickle in for their physicals. But she enjoyed being back on a starship with people who were going somewhere and doing something adventurous. Adventure always made her feel alive.

When they came aboard earlier in the day, she and her friend Spring, made plans for dinner at the end of their shifts. Doctor Drett expected the Fertilian in the next hour or so, and in the mean time she hoped to see a few of her old shipmates filing in for a drink.

She smiled at the waiter who came to her table.

"Good evening," he said, "what can I get for you?"

"I think I'll have a Mayan Sacrifice."

"A what?" asked the puzzled waiter.

She laughed, "Oh, I'm not referring to a ritual. It's a drink."

"Good. I don't like blood. I don't believe the bartender knows how to make that one." He said with an apologetic smile.

Ryla took a deep breath and began to explain as she waved her hands about to illustrate the intricacies. "That's OK. Here's how you make it. Pour equal parts tequila, triple sec and Kalhua in a brandy snifter. Mix it and set it on fire. Oh... I'll need a straw and a fun-loving crowd to cheer me on."

"I'm sorry, we only serve synthahol here." Said the waiter.

"Oh, I know... I was kidding. I don't need to get drunk to have a good time. Though the cheering crowd would liven this place up. It's pretty stuffy in here." She flashed a pretty smile at him and changed her order. "Just bring me a cup of coffee with a little of that fake Kalhua mixed in it." The waiter left Ryla at the table to people watch. There were many new faces on the ship, and a few she recognized... she would probably be seeing them all in sick bay for their physicals very soon.

Dennis appeared in the living space as the children rushed into the room. The hologram beamed aboard with their belongings and had taken the opportunity to make their new quarters home, by putting everything away for Sevryll. He could tell she was appreciative, but her obsessive-compulsive nature refused to leave anything where he put it. The hologram watched as the vulcan rearranged artifacts and pictures. When she pivoted a sculpture to face the opposite direction he decided to tease her, "now it's crooked."

Sevryll glanced to Dennis and then to the sculpture to consider its placment. After a brief moment she shifted it back into its original position. "You're right," she said. She smoothed out her civilian jump suit and tucked her hair behind her ear. "If we are to arrive at the party on time we should leave now."

"Are your parent's coming?" asked Dennis.

"No. They're staying in their quarters this evening... father was fatigued by the move."

"I heard he was ticked-off that you were making him leave Vulcan," said Dennis as he scooped up the children.

Sevryll resisted the urge to frown at the hologram, "father's physical and mental condition may be limited, but he is still in control of his emotions."

"Of course... I didn't mean anything by that," said Dennis as he followed her out of the quarters to the turbolift. Her father's condition and their move from Vulcan was a touchy subject and he respected Sevryll too much to push that button too many times.

"Mind if we swing by the James' quarters? I'm taking Rory to the party." He said with a grin.

[Omra]

The shuttle climbed out of Vulcan's gravity well, and began a graceful arc toward the Vulcan Shipyard.  Korridan tried his best not to fidget in his seat toward the rear of the craft.  He was not used to letting somebody else pilot, but the shuttle was on loan from Shyn's friend at the Port Authority, and this was the simplest way to get his shuttle back to him once they disembarked.  Shyn sat up front in the copilot's seat so she could get a good view of all the ships being worked on, and of course so she could pester the Vulcan pilot.

Korridan did his best to stay relaxed, he was in the back in case he needed to calm Yuki down.  Talking to someone no one else can see can be disconcerting, to people outside of the circle of trust.  But the pilot was so preoccupied that Korridan doubted he would even notice; between piloting the shuttle and Shyn's attempts to get him to perform a barrel roll he was pretty busy.

"DO it."  "No."  "Do it."  "No."  "Do it."  "No."  "Do it."  "No."  "Do it."  "No."  "Do it."  "No"  "Do it."

Korridan cleared his throat loudly.  The shuttle remained quiet for a few minutes.

"You know you want to..."  Shyn teased the Vulcan.   He stoically replied, "You are in error."

"It'll be fun."  She replied.  He coolly answered, "I have no intrest in fun."

She stuck her lower lip out, "What about MY intrest in fun?"  He looked at her, "When you pilot your own shuttle you may indulge in fun." She smiled, "Ah, so you want ME to do the barrel roll for you?"  An eyebrow went up, "That is not what I said."  She feigned puzzlement, "Well, then what did you say?"  He looked over at her, "Perhaps I should use shorter sentences with smaller words, if you do not understand me."  Shyn grinned widely, "Ooh, we got us a fiesty one here..."

Yuki laughed in Korridans head at Shyn's exchange with the Vulcan.  Korridan had had enough of the nonsense, "Shyn!"  She looked at him startled.  He glared at her, "If we crash, I am holding you responsible; now leave the poor man alone, and let him do his job in peace." 

She slowly and overdramatically turned to face the front.  Crossed her arms and pouted, she turned her head slightly so she could glare at the Vulcan.  The pilot seemingly ignored her glare as he went about his job.  But when checking his Navigational display his eyes looked up at her, and she caught the faintest hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.  Shyn swung around looking at Korridan and pointed accusingly at the Vulcan, "Did you see that?"

Korridan yelled at her, "Shut up!"

She swung back around and faced the front of the shuttle.  She watched the majestic shape of the Arabella grow as they approached, her pearlescent hull shined under the lights of the drydock.  Worker bees and cargo pods buzzed around her, busy with final preparations.

Yuki looked through Korridans eyes, and admired the graceful lines of her hull.  She noticed the name above the shuttle bay and commented on it, "Did you know your ship is named after an Opera?"  Korridan chuckled at that.

Shyn heard the chuckle and cautiously turned to look at him.  She was met with a glare, and a finger gesturing for her keep her eyes front.  She huffed, and turned back around.

Yuki giggled in Korridans head, "Bad Kitty..."

[Rico]

After a brief tour of the ship and the new science station on the bridge, Lieutenant Zremm decided to settle into his new quarters.  He hadn't really had time to unpack on the Arabella yet since arriving, deciding to try and become acquainted with his new home first.  The ship certainly was impressive he thought to himself as he put away several duty uniforms.  He was certain Commander James the new COO was responsible for many of the upgrades he had seen.  She was a beautiful vessel, but Zremm found his thoughts drifting back to his time aboard the Tiberius.  And to meeting Marie.  He sat down on his bed and remembered that day like it had just happened.

"Engineering, where is that Ensign at?  My station is still not calibrating properly.  Sensors are out of alignment.  If Commander Sevryll gets here before this is fixed, my antennae will be in a knot."  Zremm said into the comm panel.  Just then the bridge turbo lift doors opened and a petite blond engineer walked quickly over to Zremm.

"Ensign Marie Barton, reporting as ordered sir.  What's the trouble?"  The woman said with a slight grin.  She hadn't had much contact with Andorians before.  Only two had been in her group at Starfleet Academy.  But she had always found their appearance quite attractive.

"It's about time Ensign, ahh, Barton.  What kind of engineering group is K'arath running down there anyway?  Never mind that.  Just recalibrate my sensors and run a full diagnostic.  They don't seem to want to respond to me."  Zremm said to Ensign Barton.  Usually Zremm was patient which was normally difficult for his people.  But he tended to be frustrated when technology got in the way of what he was trying to do.

"Certainly, sir.  I'll get right to it."  Ensign Barton said, opening her tool kit and pulling out a data spanner.  She pulled the lower panel off Zremm's station and began her work.  The assistant science officer tried to stay out of her way for the next few minutes while she crawled around under his control panels.  For some reason, having her working in such close proximity made him nervous.  Which was a strange feeling and one he didn't have very often.

"How's it going ensign?"  Lieutenant Zremm said after several more minutes.

"Almost there sir.  Try to reinitialize the long range sensors now."  She said from below his station.  Zremm moved his hands across the well known control sequence and the sensors responded.  He couldn't help but smile.  He ran a quick check and found all systems were back online and functioning normally.

"I'm not sure what you did ensign, but it seems to of done the trick."  Zremm said.

"If you would like to come down here lieutenant, I'll show you."  Ensign Barton said.  Zremm moved down to the open panel and had to move his head very close to Ensign Barton's to see where she was pointing her spanner at.

"You see that pair of data modules?  They had burnt out.  Probably a simple power overload during that recent ion storm.  That plus a logic control circuit was all I had to fix.  Everything should be ship shape now, sir."  Marie Barton said to the handsome blue faced lieutenant laying next to her.

"Well, if you say so Ensign Barton.  You're the engineer.  Just glad you got it fixed before Commander Sevryll comes on duty.  You got me out of a jam on this one.  Not sure how I can thank you."  Zremm said before he could stop.  He wasn't really in the habit of thanking other officers for doing their jobs.  But for some reason he seemed to want to be especially polite around this human.

"Well, you could buy me dinner?  Or I mean at least join me later in 5 forward.  I'm off duty in 15 minutes.  Ah, sir."  Marie said, blushing slightly as the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Hmm, ahh, well,....perhaps I might see you down there then, Ensign Barton.  I will be off duty shortly as well."  Zremm said as he got back up quickly.  He reached a hand down and helped pull up the small ensign off the deck.  Her hand was soft and warm in his.  He held it a bit too long after he helped Marie up and she looked down to remind him of that fact as he quickly let go.

"Very well, sir.  If there is nothing else, I will leave you to your duties lieutenant."  Marie Barton said as she quickly gathered her tools and exited the bridge.

As Zremm sat on his new bed aboard the Arabella, he shook his head to try and break his thoughts out from the past.  No use thinking about her now Zremm, he tried to tell himself.  She's most likely on her way back to Earth.  He started to feel almost ill and placed his hands over his face as he leaned forward.  If he couldn't shake these thoughts and feelings he was starting to fear they might interfere with his duty aboard this new ship.  Captain Quinn deserved better he thought.  Perhaps a trip to see Margon was in order, he thought to himself as he tried to shake off the heaviness he felt inside.

[Meds]

The transporter shuttle hovered below the bulk of the USS Arabella.
"You have permission to beam aboard Lt D'Callan"

Joseph picked his case up and pulled his uniform in to place.

"Thank you Ensign. Energise"

The light swirled around Joe and slowly the interior of the shuttle craft melted into the interior of the transporter room aboard his new home. Stepping off the transporter deck he acknowledged the crewman and passed through the doors, he stopped and backed back into the transporter room ans spoke to the transporter engineer.

"Sorry erm, where do i go"

The engineer smiled.

"I'd head to the lounge, that's where a lot of the new crew will be."

Joe smiled back

"Thanks and the lounge is?"

"Turn right and head to the noise"

Joe pointed at the engineer and laughed. The doors gently closed behind him and Joe headed to the lounge to begin his new life.

[Rico]

"Well, it's about time.  I was starting to think you walked to Vulcan."  The dark haired attractive human woman said to the tall half-Romulan making his way across the Vulcan space port.  He couldn't help but smile when he saw the woman attempting to give him a hard time.

"Now Lydia.  You know I like to obey all posted warp speeds during my travels.  Besides, I ran into a few snags along the way.  I mean there was this Tellarite and he,..."  Sirach said as he approached the woman waiting for him, but was interrupted.

"Shut up and get over here."  She said as he moved quickly to take the woman he loved and had put through so much during his time in Starfleet into his arms.  For the next few minutes they just held each other, not wanting to let go.  Sirach could smell the familiar flowery scent in her hair.  During his time away he had pushed down his feelings so much that they now all came rushing back to the surface.  He could feel his eyes moisten as he continued to hold his wife in his arms.  Then she pulled back slightly but only to lean up to kiss her husband that she had been missing for far too long.  Lydia Talbot was a strong woman.  The wife of a Starfleet Admiral had to be.  But it was moments like these that made her realize again just how much she loved this man that her held her tightly.

"Well, maybe you two would like some alone time.  I'll just go find myself a place to stay.  Thanks again for the help, ahh Admiral."  The green Orion woman who was standing near them said as she started to walk away.

"Oh, pardon us Syrette.  It's been awhile since we've seen each other, as I told you.  But where are my manners, Syrette this is my wife Lydia.  Lydia, this is Syrette.  I kind of helped her out of a little trouble she was having."  Sirach said, as he could feel a warmth in his cheeks.  He just realized how it must look showing up with an Orion slave girl to meet his wife after such a long time apart.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Talbot."  The Orion woman said, slightly not meeting the human woman's eyes.

"Orion women now, Sirach.  Aren't you getting a little old for them?"  Lydia Talbot said with a slight grin.

"Oh, Mrs. Talbot please.  Your husband was nothing but a gentleman all the way to Vulcan.  And he did rescue me from some trouble I had gotten myself into."  The Orion woman said wishing she had covered up more before leaving the ship they had been on.

"That's my husband.  Always rushing in to help others in need.  You should meet the pet sehlat cub he rescued from the desert when it's mother was killed.  Of course she's not a cub anymore.  And please, call me Lydia."  The woman said with a large, warm smile.

"Thank you, ahh, Lydia.  You were right Admiral, she is quite a woman."  Syrette said to the tall man she had come to know and trust.

"Yes, not another like Lydia in the galaxy."  Sirach said as he moved slightly away from his wife but continued to hold her hand tightly in his, not wanting to let go.

"And what's this nonsense about finding a place to stay.  Sirach and I would be happy if you stayed with us.  We have a small place just outside the space port.  We tend to be on Vulcan fairly often.  It's not big, but we do have a spare room as it seems with Sirach around we tend to have 'guests' quite often."  Lydia told Syrette with a slight tone that implied she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble.  Maybe just for a few days.  That would be wonderful Mrs., ahh Lydia."  The green skinned woman said with a slight nod of her head.

"Good.  And I'll tell you a few things about Sirach he probably didn't mention.  Liked how he stalked me like a wild sehlat before he got up the nerve to talk to me.  Hehe."  Lydia Talbot said as she grinned at her husband.

"I did not stalk you Lydia.  I just kept you in sensor range.  A good Starfleet officer does that with all unusual phenomenon they encounter."  Sirach said, returning his wife's smile.

"Hmmm.  Well, if that's the way you remember it sweetie.  You know Syrette, he is getting pretty old.  I'm wondering if his memory isn't what it was."  The human woman said as she continued to tease her husband.  She then moved to take Syrette's hand with her free hand and began to lead the two of them toward the space port exit area.  Sirach Dar Talbot was starting to think things might of been easier and certainly less embarrassing on Romulus.

[Omra]

Korridan stopped in front of his assigned room and punched in the code displayed on his PADD.  The door slid open effortlessly, inviting him to enter.  He pulled his antigrav sled behind him and the lights cued up automatically, just enough to keep him from tripping over anything.  He smiled, "this is going to spoil me..."  He almost went to the wall to dial the lights up the rest of the way, but then stopped himself, "Computer, lights normal level."  And the candlepower of the indirect lights rose to a comfortable level.  He shook his head and laughed, "and this isn't even an officers room..."

He saw two bedrooms and shrugged, "Makes sense; I'm not on a large station anymore, room is more scarce."  Since he was there first, he picked the bedroom he wanted.  And started to unpack thinking to himself, "Not having my own quarters will make things with Yuki a little more complicated..."  He unloaded Yuki's hardware in a corner where she looked real nice, disguised now as a decorative piece of metal artwork.  As he admired it, she spoke in his head, "I'm darned sexy ain't I?"

He laughed, and nodded.
__________________________________________________

Elsewhere Shyn arrived in her assigned quarters, she stood and starred at the layout.  A large common area flanked by four bedrooms, she wandered by them and stopped in front of the one she thought looked the most promising. She sighed, "I hope they each have their own bathroom, or this could get REAL ugly..."