Star Trek: Season 7 - Masquerade

[Jen]

The sky transitioned from blue-green to vermillion, as the Ter'Oss sun submerged itself in the sea of grass on the distant horizon. Daylight sank with the Population I Star and took with it, the warmth of the day.  Twelve hours earlier, the sun's rays had welcomed Sevryll by caressing her jade skin with an embrace of heat. Now the cool night air nipped at her like a cornered animal. A bitter breeze stirred, prompting the fine hairs at the nape of her neck to stand on end. Sevryll subdued the urge to shiver, and headed back to the runabout where replicated wool blankets, robes and shawls were stowed. The Vulcan seemed to be swallowed up by the gaping mouth of an invisible monster, as she entered the emitter-cloaked vessel. Striding through the narrow corridor, she soon passed Rina and K'ararth who had begun a game of poker with the crewmen in the ship's small galley.

With their preparations complete, all that remained for her team to do was wait for K'Tan and his small scouting party to return. Chief Rina smiled as Sevryll walked through the room, "join us, Commander," she said as she skillfully shuffled a deck of cards. Sevryll arched an eyebrow at the chief's invitation to sit in on a game. The Vulcan had not played a single hand of poker since her days on the Anasazi, some seven years prior. At the time, the only game she knew was Kal-toh, the Vulcan game of logic. Yet a persistent suitor by the name of David Locke managed to talk her into playing Dom-Jot. When she easily bested him during the first match, he decided to teach her poker.

David often referred to her as a "card shark", even though they never played for money. Little did she know at the time, that the high-stakes wager he lost was his heart. After that, as an excuse to spend time with her, David decided to instruct her in the art of Dabo, tongo, Kadis-Kot, Strategema, Blackjack, Baccarat, Spanish 21 and Dominoes. All were just as quickly mastered.

She could never resist a game that exercised her logic. "Deal me in," she said as she returned with a russet -colored shawl and took a seat between Ensigns Fissual and Bowers.

K'ararth bellowed a hearty Klingon laugh as the Chief exchanged a surprised glance with him. "The name of the game is Seven Card Stud," said Rina as she dealt each crewman two cards face down and one card face up.

[wraith1701]

joint post by Just X and wraith1701-




On the outskirts of the Ter'Ossik settlement, Aria studied the sentry as he moved past their position. Odds, statistics, and other measures of their possible success rate flowed through her thoughts. Once the mount had moved a sufficient distance, she spoke.

"If I can get closer to one of the natives, I can attempt to discover what this festival is via telepathy. Once we are aware of the custom, we could move our people in without making social mistakes that would cause us to be noticed."

Her heart beat strongly in her chest at the anticipation of deeper discovery. While she enjoyed her work in medical, it was in the times where their boots were on soil and danger in the air that she felt most alive. She thought about her next words carefully and what they might imply. It was the most logical course of action, but it was a course that most full vulcans would not consider.

"We need to incapacitate one of these people so that I might retrieve the information that we need without revealing our presence."

K'Tan was taken aback by Aria's proposal.  His first instinct was to dismiss the idea out of hand.  After all, the purpose of the mission was to shield the Ter'Ossiks from contamination by the Federation, and violating the mind of one of the natives flew in the face of that goal.  Then he thought back on a famous quote by one of the Federation's most celebrated diplomats- "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one".  It was true that Aria's proposed mind probe would likely facilitate the team's blending in with the Ter'ossiks, and therefore aid their mission.  But was the price worth it?  And then there was a more practical question:  Was the young woman skilled enough to  cover her tracks after her probe?

K'Tan turned to Aria.  "Your idea has merit, but I have some concerns.  As I understand it, Vulcan telepathic probes are difficult procedures, best performed by highly trained individuals. Are you confident in your ability to successfully extract the needed information?  And with such an intimate connection, is there a risk of your subject acquiring information from you?"

"I am more than vulcan, commander," Aria said matter-of-factly. "I don't need personal contact to probe a mind and in the event that a meld is needed, it might be possible to adapt our anti-discovery techniques from Romulus to this situation."

Aria pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "I don't need to probe very deeply to gather information on the culture specific events, but I have considered the possible problems and concluded that an unconscious target would yield the best results."

K'Tan quietly weighed Aria's words.  Time was a factor in this mission; every moment wasted was a moment during which the missing scientists could possibly infect the society of the Ter'Ossiks.  He gave a nod, and said, "Very well ensign, we will carry out your proposal."  K'Tan took another glance at the armed and armored sentry as he and his mount rounded a bend in the road.  "Let's move in a bit closer to the settlement, and see if we can find a likely candidate."

Moments later, the trio approached a lone, isolated structure.  Light spilled from the ring of windows circling the small dome-shaped building, creating an island of light in the otherwise dark night.  From within issued the sounds of drunken revelry; loud Ter'Ossik voices rang out in alternating bouts of singing and laughter.  As they looked on, an unkempt, silver-haired male stumbled out of the building's elliptical doorway.  After pausing to lift a dark-brown bottle to his lips, the man made his halting, weaving way out into the darkness.  As the man stumbled nearer to the hidden scouts, a smile split K'Tan's face.  "I think we have a winner," he whispered.

Aria nodded softly and assessed the target. He needed to be rendered unconscious with the minimum amount of damage and swiftly. she spoke softly. "Ensign Farmer, will you be able to briefly distract the subject using your pheromones? Aroused males tend to ignore all but the obvious when engaged with the subject of their interest. I can then move behind him and render him unconscious while the Commander provides us with a lookout."

Aria then turned to K'Tan. "Is this plan acceptable commander?"

As the inebriated alien stumbled through the underbrush, K'Tan sighed.  There were aspects of the plan that didn't sit well with him, but he knew that it was the most pragmatic approach available.  Sometimes, one had to venture into morally gray territory to protect the light. 

K'Tan nodded. "Proceed."

[Rico]

Joint post by Rico & Jen


Meanwhile, back aboard the Arabella...

"Sickbay," said Zremm as he entered the turbolift on the bridge. The door quickly closed and the lift descended. Even his brief experience in the 'center seat' couldn't relieve the trepidation he felt now. When Doctor Drett asked him to come to sickbay, Zremm's heart had skipped several beats. He knew Marie wasn't feeling well and he couldn't help but be concerned for her. Counselor Margon would probably tell him that his anxiety stemmed from the trauma he and Marie experienced while aboard the Tiberius. Sometimes it seemed that the virus, which had almost taken Marie from him, followed them to this new starship—it was haunting his steps even now.

Zremm found his mind wandering to the quarantine. "Ch'Fras? Is that you?" The weak, soft voice of his Marie woke him from a brief sleep at her bedside. He lifted his blue head from the mattress where Marie had been confined. She looked so pale and fragile. Zremm had a very hard time meeting her questioning eyes, but he was determined to do just that in hopes of somehow giving her his own strength.

"Yes, Marie. It's me. Are you feeling any better after the injection the doctor gave you?" Zremm recalled asking her, after the latest attempt at a treatment made its rounds in the space station's Critical Care Center.

"Maybe a little. My head seems a little clearer. But look at you. My 'blue boy' is a bit green today. I thought I told you to go get some real sleep, in a real bed." Marie said with a slight smile. Zremm was constantly amazed at how Marie could think so much of his welfare, while she herself was so ill. The doctors did find the virus in his system as well, though the disease hadn't adversely affected his body or mind as it had so many others.

The turbolift doors whisked opened before him and pulled Zremm back to the present. When his mind snapped back to reality, he quickly exited the lift and made his way down the short corridor to Main Sickbay. Marie was seated near Doctor Drett within a cramped, muddled office. They were speaking quietly to one another as he stepped through the doorway. Trying to remain calm and keep his voice steady, Zremm asked, "What is it Marie? Doctor, is she alright?"

Marie quickly stood, moved to the tall Andorian, took his hands in hers and looked up into his ice blue eyes.

"We're fine Ch'Fras." She said with a large smile as her eyes began to well with tears.

"You don't seem that way." He glanced to the doctor who stood and offered her chair to the Lieutenant. "Doctor?" he asked.

"Have a seat Mr. Zremm." She replied pleasantly.

He moved to the stool while continuing to hold tight to Marie's small hands, "what did you mean by 'we're fine', Marie?"

"I'm pregnant, blue boy. You're going to be a daddy." She said in a delightfully melodic tone and then embraced the dumbfounded science officer. Zremm's mouth opened but no words came out. After another brief hug and a kiss on the cheek, Marie directed him to the small couch nearby. The Trill quickly removed the various PADDs, lab coats and other clutter from the blue sofa, so that the couple could sit down.
Ryla couldn't help but smile at the turn of events. The virus had taken so much from them all, yet here was a case where it had actually given something back. She hoped the Andorian was as happy as Ensign Barton that this miracle had happened to them. Perhaps his speechless state was due to the fact that his people could not produce children with Terrans.

"How is this possible?" he asked.

"I'll have to run more tests, but Myella and I believe it is due to the virus and its affect on your DNA, Mr. Zremm." Drett said as Marie looked up at Zremm, waiting for the impact of what he had just learned to sink in. After several more moments he seemed to have his thoughts collected.

"That's incredible Doctor. But I was tested just like everyone else before we left quarantine. The virus was gone from my system." Zremm said as the young ensign shifted slightly closer to him.

"True. The virus was purged, but we think it may have altered your DNA. The change was so subtle, so minute... it evaded my detection. You we're one of the fortunate crewmembers. But as I said before, we'll know more after I run a few tests." The doctor said calmly to both Zremm and Marie. Then the Andorian turned to Ensign Barton and smiled.

"How far along are you?" He asked.

"About three months. The doc says everything looks perfect for now. You still look phaser stunned. Are you happy about this?" Marie asked her closest friend.

"Oh Marie, I've never been happier!" He said as he gave the woman he loved more than anything a gentle hug, not wanting to ever let go.

Ryla left her office, giving the couple a few minutes alone together. As she watched them from her duty station on the floor, the Trill thought back upon all the little ones she... no...Drett's hosts had brought into the world. Her dimpled smile shrank slightly as the memories floated into her thoughts like falling leaves. She missed them. Though Ryla had never been a mother, she had felt the bliss that Zremm and Marie were experiencing in that moment. Life would never be the same for them, but it would change for the better.

[Bryancd]

K'arath had been disappointed at first to not be part of the exploration part, but Lt. Commander K'Tan's decision had been a sound one tactically and he could not argue it's merit. He had been pacing up and down the central corridor of the shuttle like a caged selat, he did so enjoy his encounter with that magnificent cat back on Vulcan. Finally, unable to take much more of his restlessness, Chief Rina had him sit down across from her at the small table in the main hold and broke out a deck of cards, some chips, and a mischievous grin. There game was about to start when Commander Sevryll joined them.
"Deal me in," she said stoically, her face a mask of complete calm and serenity. K'arath knew he was in trouble. The Chief dealt out the first three cards. K'ararth was showing a five of clubs, the Chief had a nine of spades, and the Commander had a Queen of diamonds. K'ararth checked his face down cards and saw a ten of clubs and another five of hearts. He had a feeling two pair would not be enough to carry the hand but decided to raise on the first round of bets. He stared at Sevryll, trying to read her expression and saw only what must be the finest poker face in the Alpha Quadrant.
He knew for sure now he was in trouble... big trouble.

[Jen]

Sevryll examined the cards dealt to her with a casual movement then met the shadowed expression of Lieutenant Commander K'ararth. The Klingon's stern black face remained so, as he worked his square jaw in quiet contemplation. A moment later he nonchalantly toss a few chips to the center of the table. They pieces made a soft clack-clack... clack...clack as they struck the growing pile of colored chips. Without so much as a twitch of his eyes, the Klingon had raised. Sevryll admired his attempt at impassiveness, and would have nodded her approval if she were certain that the gesture would not be interpreted as an affront to his usual mien.

The Vulcan slowly moved her dark brown, deadpan eyes, about the table, making eye contact with each player. It was a strategy she often employed to fluster emotional persons, during games such as these. It wasn't always successful, but the odds were in her favor that at least one individual would find new reason to doubt his or her hand and fold.

In a voice that lacked its usual buoyancy, Ensign Fissual called. A hollow 'clinking', flanked his statement as his chips joined K'ararth's on the table. Rina knew that the Ensign had nothing, but then her own hand was absolutely pathetic. She couldn't blame the dealer's inability to shuffle, because she was that individual.  The pilot smirked in disappointment and folded, turning her upcard face down and discarding the rest. The coated paper cards made a stiff 'fliff' as she tossed them aside.

The game progressed through the night as Rina and Bowers made small talk over the newest advancements in shuttlecraft technology. K'ararth and Sevryll joined the conversation, yet Fissual remained silent. The Ensign didn't want to be distracted by idle chit-chat—he liked to win too much. In an effort to read the Vulcan's thoughts, the fresh-faced Fissual flicked a gaze towards Sevryll. He started to raise, but the Vulcan's tested tactic of quiet intimidation, made him doubt his decision...

"Ahgah," he wailed as he sighed in defeat and tossed his cards on the table. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned back in his chair and pretended to study the ceiling above.  Sevryll resisted the instinct to arch an eyebrow at his overtly irritated response. "Some people are entirely too competitive", she thought. 

Sevryll and K'ararth were the only players left in the game. The Klingon continued his conversation with Rina and Bowers as he raised. "A strategic move," thought Sevryll. It was exceedingly evident that he had played this game many times before. She found her thoughts drifting to her husband—a skilled poker player by his own right. What would he do in this situation?  The Commander spared one more glance to her hand then met the Klingon's blasé expression. "I will call your bet and raise you...everything," she stated coolly. The Vulcan then pushed the three columns of color-coordinated poker chips to the center of the table. A few pieces fell from the stacks, and she picked them up and dropped the stray chips onto the heap dramatically. A stagy clink, clink, clink rang hollowly in the small cabin.

[Jen]

The slight Trill ran a hand through her short, flaxen hair as she stood before the mirror in her cluttered bedroom. Her white, two-piece pajamas glowed softly in the low light of Ter'Oss, as the orb cast a blue hue through the view port behind her. She turned to stare out at the planet they orbited, and wondered how her friend Spring was doing on the surface below. The Trill hoped that the young Ensign was having the time of her life but felt a twinge of envy. " I know I would," she uttered aloud as she smile down at the blue-green world below. The young doctor turned back to her bed and pulled back the sheets. It had been a long day, and she was ready for the rest that her pillow offered. She climbed onto the soft mattress and buried herself beneath the blankets and, as she stared at the barely discernible ceiling above, her mind thought upon the events of the day. She thought of Captain Quinn, Ensign Barton, Lieutenant Zremm, and their unborn child. She dwelt upon faded memories of past lives that she herself did not live, and fought the visions of Lieutenant Commander K'Tan's charming smile and piercing green eyes. After some time, Ryla turned over on her side and gradually slipped into a world of dreams where she could fly.

[Meds]

JOINT POST BY JEN, JUSTX, BRYANCD, ICEMAN AND HAWKEYEMEDS

Night finally crept in as the cloaked runabout, the Courage of Tiberius, rested on the cliff of one of the two massive red tinted mountains that looked down upon a stone and wood Ter'Ossik jungle city that lay almost two kilometers away. As the day transitioned to night, hot sweltering humidity still clung to the valley below.

Commander James headed to the rear of the ship and looked to the away team that had been gathered. "I know that you have all been getting restless, but we're finally ready to begin our mission. With sensors failing to operate properly, we have had to rely on strictly visual observations. That can only go so far and that is what we're here to resolve."

Aeric took a breath then continued. "We are going to do things the old fashioned way. Optical observations combined with deductive reasoning. We will also be moving a group. It will mean we cover less over all ground, but we can be more through and keep our people protected."

Doctor Peterson looked at Aeric for a moment then spoke. "Commander I have a suggestion, perhaps we should contact the Shadowfax and find out what observations they have made, although some of their observations may not be pertanent, some of their general observations may help us make up for some lost time."

Peterson could see that Aeric considered his suggestion for a moment before replying.

"I would rather limit communications for now Doctor. We have missing scientists that might have communicators. Until we know the location of the scientist and the reason they have failed to report, we risk giving away our findings. We don't know if they are in hiding or captured and right now I believe radio silence should be maintained."

"As I see it, we need to start our own survey." Aeric continued. "We might need to separate the Blate from the commoners to avoid suspicions, but we will depart in one hour to begin."

D'Callan waited for his senior officer to finish before offering his suggestion.

"Sir may I suggest myself and Ensign Dunn here do a small sweep around the runabout. It would be wise for us to do a check before we all leave the ship, One or two of us waltzing around isn't too bad but if we all pile out we're bound to cause suspicion. Once safe in our knowledge we have not been detected we can then let Commanders Sevryll and K'Tan know we have arrived safely."

Commander James nodded slowly. "We have been sitting here for over an hour watching to see if we were noticed. I believe that the runabout doesn't need any additional sweeps, but we can never be too careful. I want to send D'Callan and anyone that can pass for the common caste ahead to scout. We need to limit interactions until we can confirm that what we do know about this planet is the correct information."

Aeric knew that there were scientist there, but if they had gone rogue, what was to stop them from distributing false information to alert them to any attempts of recovery. "Until our information is confirmed, treat everything you know as unverified rumor. Once we have boots on the ground we can better plan."

"D'Callan, take Dunn and one other and find us the best trail to the settlement. Maintain radio silence until further notice."

D'Callan crossed his arms and nodded at Dunn to stand up ready. Dunn's once pale complexion brought on by the journey had disappeared and he now looked ready for action.

He checked his gear for what must have been the fourth time since landing, making sure he was not forgetting anything. D'Callan caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"You're good to go, Ensign," he said quietly.

"Sir," Dunn replied with a smile.


The Chief Of Security beckoned Ensign Tev-Awash over and the three of them left the runabout. D'Callan quickly looked all around him and the pointed at the two crewmen. He lifted his hand put one finger to his lips to remind them to be silent and then pointed two fingers to the side of a jagged rock. Dunn nodded and held Tev-Awash's shoulder so she would follow him. Lieutenant D'Callan watched the two go. These were young officers, he had full confidence in Dunn. He had recently read Tev-Awash's record and although she seemed slightly unsure of herself, he was impressed with any officer who showed a willingness to try anything. What better way to build her confidence than to include her on the recon team. Nareen's skills were limited to science, so she followed the two security officers closely, just in case they ran into trouble.

D'Callan joined the two crewmen by the rock and looked straight ahead. His eyes squinted and with his hawk like nose D'Callan seemed to blend into a bird of prey searching for his food. He turned to Dunn and smiled and nodded into the direction he had been looking at. Dunn peered over the rock and in the near distance he saw what looked like movement.


Nareen stole a quick look around the side of the rock and confirmed Dunn's assessment. "It must be our  other party," she whispered. "Now what?"


D'Callan looked at Nareen and Dunn.

"Normally I'd go down and join in on a party"

Dunn leaned forward but D'Callan stopped him.

"Not tonight Ensign. We report back to the Lt Cdr and we let him know our findings. We have the path. ."

[X]

Joint post by Just X, Wraith1701, and Institches

The cool night air clung to the scouting team like a damp cloak as they watched the stumbling male. Frost escaped their mouths with each exhalation but did little to betray their position in the starlit darkness.

Pheromones, oh, boy. This had to be fast: Mackie had to work from memory and without tools. Even taking the time to pull the scent easel from her rucksack was time she did not have.

As she hadn't gotten within whiffing distance of any Ter'ossik females, much less any in heat, Mackie was going to have to extrapolate and, she gulped, guess. She couldn't use the musk of the male himself; most species sought alternate scents for arousal, something other, something perfect. So she took the only other scent she could think of: the warrior they had spied earlier.  She streamlined the scent, combing out the essential "maleness" and added the commonality she had noticed in the female aliens she had encountered, strengthening that pheromone until it was almost too sweet.

She waited until the signal came from Ensign James. Then she puffed out her cheeks and blew, hard.

K'tan's had whipped around. His eyes were dilated. He swallowed and seemed to take control of himself. He nodded, shakily. "Well done, Ensign," he whispered.

Mackie gave a half-smile. She ducked her head and smoothed her blue candy-floss hair.

Aria rose slowly to her full height, shaking her hair loose and making her seem even more the exotic predator that she was. She nodded to her teammates and moved with exaggerated feminine grace towards the male. She watched him as she studied how best to incapacitate him with the least harm. She had every pressure point memorized and her vulcan physique allowed her to effectively use the nerve pinch on a wide range of targets including the Ter'Ossik.

Aria smiled as the male took more notice of the scent and less notice of her action. Without saying a word, she boldly moved close enough to whisper.

The Ter'Ossik word for hello would be the last thing that he would actively remember as a sensual caress of her hand suddenly shifted into a incapacitating strike.

It was time to gather the information they needed.

[wraith1701]

The night passed slowly for the scouting party, but the intelligence they gathered appeared to be quite valuable.  Eventually, they concluded their task, and prepared to return to the Shadowfax.  The intoxicated Ter'Ossik lay unconscious in the grass, a huge grin plastered on his face.  If all went according to plan, all that he would remember was that he had had a legendary night of amorous adventure.

The first rays of the sun were peaking over the horizon as K'Tan's team approached the landing site.  The rays warmed the team's backs, and their shadows stretched before them like 3 arrows pointing towards the cloaked runabout.  As they drew near an apparently empty spot in the grassy clearing, a rectangular doorway sprung into existence, drifting in the air before them.  The weary trio slipped through, relieved to be back in the company of their comrades.

As ensign Farmer slumped into a nearby chair, K'Tan and Aria headed to the crew cabin.  Commander Sevryll sat at the compartment's table, along with Lt. Commander K'arath.  Each of the two held a set of cards fanned out before them like a pair of defensive shields.  Their eyes were locked in an intent stare as they gazed over the multicolored poker chips piled high between them. 

K'Tan found the competitive tension in the room invigorating, but was compelled by duty to break it and give his report.  Reluctantly, the Lt. Commander gently cleared his throat.  As one, Sevryll and K'arath turned their heads to regard the red-skinned tactical officer.

"We were able to gather quite a bit of information," K'Tan said.  Sevryll returned her cards to the deck on the table, and gestured for K'Tan to take a seat. 

Across from her, K'arath quietly fumed.  "Great timing, K'Tan," he swore silently.  "I could have won that hand!"  Sevryll arched an eyebrow at the engineer's comment, and K'Tan struggled to suppress a smile.

"First of all, our database on the Ter'Ossik language appears to be complete," K'Tan said.  "We found no inconsistencies between what's programmed into our translators and what we encountered in the field."

"Our assumptions regarding the society's social stratification appear to be on the mark as well," he continued.  "The Brok and the Blate rarely mix, except on a formal level.  There are exceptions, however."

A smile lit K'Tan's face.  "Last night was the first of a series of five nightly festivals.  These celebrations seem to be marked by a prodigious amount of drinking and revelry, and are akin to the harvest festivals held on many other agrarian worlds.  They are aimed at honoring the work done by the society's farmers and manual laborers; for five nights, the nobles pay respect to the contributions the working class make to their society.  During the festival, most societal restrictions are temporarily lifted, and Brok and Blate are encouraged to interact socially.  I believe that this offers us the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the local settlement.  The relaxed atmosphere of the festival should help to mask all but the most glaring social faux pas."

"Excellent work, Mr. K'Tan," Severyll said.

"Much of the credit goes to ensigns James and Farmer," K'Tan replied with a smile.  "They both performed admirably."

The Lt. Commander steepled his fingers on the table before him, his smile growing into an unabashed grin. 

"There's more, Commander.  It seems as though many Ter'Ossiks believe that their world is under attack from 'the spirit realm'.  They believe that witches and wizards walk hidden among them, and many of the more wealthy nobles employ their own private magicians to counter this threat.  The head of the local settlement is rumored to have his own 'Pet Magician'.  A possible showing of this 'Magician' is one of the main attractions of this year's festival."

[iceman]

Dr. Peterson took his spare time to take some samples of the surrounding vegetation. He wasn't sure they would be useful and may have been done by the missing scientist, but figured it would give him something to do.

Casey took his time and gathered samples of grass, shrubs, weeds and some fruit from the trees. After gathering about Twenty differrent samples, he headed back to the runabout to start his initial scans and begin cataloging his samples.

Peterson took several hours to do a chemical analysis of his samples and meticulously logged his finding, he wanted to be sure that none of the local fruit and vegetation would be poisonous or harmful to the crew. When he was sure that at least the samples of vegetation and fruit he had gathered was safe he preserved his samples to be futher studied by the hydroponics lab and reported his findings to Lt. Commander Aeric.

[X]

As the light of the sun fell on the city below them, Aeric James sat upon one of the many stones in the area to enjoy the sunrise. His mental contact to technology detected something intermittently, but he could not begin to pinpoint the location.

With a thought, he had transfered the information that they gathered to the Aurora. Rory still worked to give them what she could from her position in low orbit, but there was little new information to consider.

Shortly before he took his position on the rock, he had received a burst data package. It had been transmitted from Aria and relayed through the Aurora in a short burst narrow band communication. As the information decompressed, Aeric stood. It was time to work.

Taking cues from the movements and manner of the natives, Aeric boldly strode into the runabout. His words were sharp, direct, and clipped. "We move in thirty minutes. Grab your gear. Leave any high level technology."

[Jen]

"A 'Magician'?"  Said Sevryll curiously, as she laid her ace high straight onto the table and stood. "I wonder if his first trick was to vanish from the Federation?" Questions flitted through her head like butterflies as she turned to her senior officers. "Rest now, we have a long journey ahead of us."

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

Lead by Lieutenant Commander K'Tan, they followed a dirt path worn into the ground by the feet of a thousand eager pilgrims. They passed many as they traveled to the settlement that K'Tan had spoken of.  Sevryll caught fragments of conversation as the Ter'Ossick hikers passed by. Many spoke of the conjurer who could summon 'mirror spawn' to defend the Principal of Eruback. "His magic is old," they said in whispers blended with wonderment and fear. "He spits magic through his teeth," said a mother to her small children, as they brushed past the incognito band of Starfleet personnel. Whoever he was, he held the reverence of many people in the palm of his hand.

After some time, they entered a maze of stalls and awnings. They navigated narrow paths packed with bins and baskets filled with brightly colored fruits and vegetables. The smell of cooking food and animal excrement assaulted their sense of smell, as the pungent aromas drifted on a light breeze.  Music and voices crowded the air. Venders singing the praises of their wares mixed with dialog from numerous individuals. K'Tan searched the crowd warily as the others took in the sights, sounds and smells of the festival—seeking anything out of the ordinary.

Without warning a cavalcade of playful Ter'Ossick rushed K'ararth. His eyes widened as they enveloped him, chanting the word for 'candy' like hatchlings begging their mother for regurgitated worms. Sevryll heard the disruption and turned to see the Chief Engineer surrounded by a ten children. Apparently his upper class disguise was quite convincing to the youth of Eruback.

[Bryancd]

As the children swarmed around the Chief Engineer, he immediately regretted his choice of societal class disguise. Red, blue, green, a veritable riot of colored faces looked up at him expectantly, their small hand palm up awaiting a treat. His experience with children did not extend past a few interaction with Servyll's offsspring, and even those moment had been...awkward. His colleagues seemed to be enjoying the moment immensely. K'arath was not one of them

"Children!",he said,"I...uh....I have no candy ." The looks of disappointment were profound. He thought quickly. "But, perhaps you can assist me and my...staff," he said gesturing to the rest of the landing party.
"We have traveled far to see the Magician whose powers are known throughout our land. Could you help us find him?" He glanced over at the Commander who nodded in silently agreement.

[Jen]

Disappointed by the tightfisted Brock and his company of equally stingy staff members, the children dispersed as quickly as they had descended upon them. All but one dissolved into the throng of Ter'Ossick. A small, azure skinned youngster with dark blue hair remained behind to show them the way. "Follow me!" she squealed suddenly as her bare feet carried her swiftly away.

Sevryll pivoted on her heels and followed as the girl scurried past her like a desert rodent fleeing a predator. The Vulcan's copper eyes were set on the child as she weaved through the crowd. Pushing her way through the tangle of festival goers, Sevryll made a mad effort to keep her eyes fixed on their expeditious guide. The jade woman craned her neck in an attempt to see over the mass of people and caught a fleeting glimpse of the girl, "this way!"  Shouted the child.

Sevryll cut her way through the crowd like an angry lirpa, only to have her path suddenly blocked by a cart pulled by a pair of purple beasts. "Fresh Hoska fruit, straight from the Kerritop Mountains!" The crowd pushed in around her, offering fists of currency to the vender standing beside the cart. Sevryll pressed her way around him but was cut off by another merchant who pushed a spiny, red globe in her face. "Straight from the Kerritop Mountains!"

"No thank you." She said, her voice dripping with annoyance.

"I guarantee that any barren woman will conceive after eating the Hoska fruit. How many shall I set aside for you, good lady?"

Sevryll narrowed her eyes at the purveyor of fertility fruit and, as politely as she could, shoved her way past him to search for the child who promised to take them to the magician. 

[Meds]

D'Callan gave his report to the Lt Cdr and headed off with Dunn to prepare the bags. Looking over to Dunn who was again rechecking his equipment D'Callan leaned to him.

"Are you a Virgo by any chance?"

Dunn looked slightly puzzled.

"Why"

"Well you have checked that bag six times so far Ensign. Only Virgo's would be like that, checking and checking again."

Dunn went to reopen his bag again but stopped when he saw D'Callans eye quickly look up at him. Joe folled the cover over his bag and passed it to Dunn.

"Take these outside will you. Oh and Dunn."

Dunn stopped and looked back to see the Lt holding a small bag.

"I'll bring your food sachets that you forgot to pack then shall i."

Dunn turned his head and left to meet the awaiting party, while D'callan followed him smiling.