Star Trek: Season 4 - Family Matters

[X]

Aeric could only stare mutely as he watched the predatory ships wink out of existence in a massive ball of plasma and debris. His mind shuttered as the hum and noise of the technological giants abruptly halted. Thousands of lives had been reduced to nothing more than stardust and Aeric could only wonder if this was not a sign of things to come.

For every Romulan that was attempting to move towards reunification, there were dozens more that would die and kill to protect their way of being. As Lieutenant James rose from his station chair, he slowly ran a hand through his short black hair. Those that had just given their lives for their beliefs would be nothing more than a statistical note in the ship's logs. There was often blood shed in the sake of peace, but who decided when enough had been given?

"Ensign," Aeric said softly as his face hid any emotion that he was experiencing. "Please scan the debris for any lifesigns or escape pods. Also scan to determine to condition of the Romulan singularity cores. If they are unstable, we are going to need to inform the captain."

"Aye Sir. We'll have to remodulate the sensors to account for the interference."

"Contact me with the results."

Aeric continued to observe the silent starscape of the viewer. He had seen so much death in his life, but never had it affected him as it did now. He had long hid behind the illusion of statistics and raw data that his mind had simply glossed over the horrors he bore witness to. Now two ships of beings were dead and he could not help but be distracted by the loss. There was no truly guilty party in that battle, both groups wer fighing and died to protect what they believed in.

As Aeric walked out of the command center, he could only imagine that the dust that was created in that battle would be one day reborn within the heart of a new star. He could only hope that the light of that star would give back more lives than those that were taken on this day.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Isaac's smiling face turned into a horrified expression.  His mind had been open during the fight and he felt the thousands of lives suddenly no longer living.  He felt the screams of the crewmen in their dying breath for a mere second, but that second of time was horrible. 

He slumped back into his chair and felt almost numb.  'My....design....theory, weapon.  IT killed those people on those ships.  I'M responsible for what happened.'  He looked at his board and began scanning for any life signs.  So far, there was no one to detect. 

Then Isaac looked at his left hand and it was blue.  'What in the world?  What is going on?'  He shook his head and looked again and it was pink.  'Could it be?  How could I?  No, it couldn't be...not now...'


King Linksr

[Jen]

Sevryll watched her father throw his head from side to side in anguish as he slept. Though she had informed K'Tan that her father was a strong man, he was a shell of the man she knew— his gaunt face foreign, nerves raw, mind impaired, his emotions uncontrolled... She was gratified to have him back, but he was far from whole. If she were alone, Krell's daughter may have wept for her broken father. Instead, Sevryll somehow summoned the tenacity necessary to hold her despondency at bay.

Aria focused her medical skills on the commander and began treating the fresh contusion on her mother's swollen face. Sevryll had suffered a mild concussion and was feeling it's effects. She closed her eyes to combat the relentless pounding in her head. In the privacy of her mind, Sevryll decided that, when they returned to Tiberius, she would become better acquainted with girl who worked so diligently to ease Krell's pain.

The journey back to the safe house was a blur and time seemed to move faster than Sevryll could register. Before she knew it, they were exiting the vehicle and entering the Dar Talbot home. Sirach carried Krell as Sevryll, Aria and K'Tan followed close behind.

It was late in the evening, and the only people who met them were the sentries posted outside, Mrs. Dar Talbot and David who was elated to see his that wife had returned safely. With the excellent medical treatment that Aria had given David, he was able to stand and walk.  The operative joined the team in the center room, and watched as Talbot and Sevryll maneuvered their patient to a cot.

"How is he?" he asked.

"His mental condition is..." Aria glanced at Sevryll before continuing.."undetermined," replied Aria as she began mending Krell's broken bones.

Commander Sevryll remained at her father's side, but noted the fact that David was doing well. Inwardly she allowed herself to be pleased by this, but her focus remained on Krell and she refused to leave him. Mrs. Talbot brought the commander a cup of tea and a blanket—the temperature on Romulus was not as arid as Sevryll would like, and the old woman's considerate gesture was much appreciated.

When Aria had completed her field procedures, Sevryll finally took the time to send an encrypted subspace message to Captain Quinn. He had asked for a briefing every five hours, but she was only capable of sending the one. The communiqué was brief but explanatory, "Our objective has been met." Upon sending the communication she and the admiral found a quiet place to discuss the situation.

[Rico]

"How is your father doing?" Admiral Talbot said to Sevryll as they found a quiet corner in the house to talk.

"Aria has done a remarkable job with his physical injuries admiral, but it is my father's mental state that,....concerns me."  Sevryll said with slight hesitation.  To a vulcan, not being in full control of your mental being was the worst possible thing that could happen.

"Yes, I noticed that when we extracted him.  I've known Krell a long time and am quite aware of both his loyalty and stubborn nature.  He would of course reveal nothing about Spock or the unification efforts.  At least if it was up to him.  The romulans must of probed his mind deeply, perhaps using reman telepaths.  I hate to say it commander but your father may take a long time to recover from this sort of mental invasion."  Talbot said trying to lessen the blow of the condition he knew Sevryll already was aware of.

"My father is strong and as you would say, stubborn admiral.  I believe he can get over this,... affliction.  I know of a group of vulcan experts that have had some success in treating this type of condition."  Sevryll said somewhat quietly.

"That's good to hear.  Which brings me to my main point.  Krell needs to leave Romulus.  It's dangerous for him to stay here any longer and frankly he isn't go to be able to function fully for quite some time.  I've spoken with Spock about this already.  He of course understood but also knows this is a blow to their efforts at unification.  So commander, I've decided to stay on Romulus and help them."  Talbot said with determination in his tone.

"Admiral.  Sir, are you certain that is wise?  We don't know what the romulans may have seen during our rescue.  They may know you are involved."  Sevryll said.

"Possibly commander.  But I think Aria did a very good job at keeping the surveillance down.  It's a chance I'm willing to take.  Besides, my mother will be happy to have me around to bother her for a time.  I've encoded a message on this chip for you to hand over to the Starfleet brass.  Basically, I'm taking a leave from active duty.  Personal reasons I say.  I think I've earned that by now.  It's important that officially they not know exactly where I am.  It could lead back to Quinn and the Tiberius and I won't let that happen.  I've also encoded another chip with a message for my wife Lydia.  I would appreciate it if you would see to it that she gets it."  Talbot said as he handed the two small clear chips to the vulcan woman.

"You have my word admiral that I will make certain the messages are received."  Sevryll said to the tall half-romulan admiral she had come to know much better in the last few weeks.  She understood why her father and he had become friends.  They had many similar qualities she thought to herself as her thoughts drifted back to her father.

"Good, I knew I could count on you.  I assume you have contacted the Tiberius.  Once the rest of you are ready to move and Quinn can meet you at the coordinates we previously set I think you should be going.  It's hard to know how much we covered our escape.  And the romulans can be quite diligent in their searches."  The admiral said as he stood up and put his hand on Sevryll's shoulder.  He thought she was trembling slightly, perhaps from the cool romulan air, or something else he wondered.

[Jen]

Aboard Tiberius

The red headed terran rolled over, twisting the sheets about her as she did. "Klingons are so dissimilar from our own people," she thought as she ran her finger over the ridges of her sleeping husband's forehead then flipped a strand of his dark hair. True, they were each militaristic but Klingons were passionate. To their determent, they thought with their hearts instead of their brains.  This was one of several facts that made the hot-blooded oafs easily manipulated... as was proven by the Founders when they infiltrated their ranks in 2371. The Klingons were so blinded by their zeal that they were lead by their noses. General Martok had been replaced by a Changeling who convinced Chancellor Gowron that the coup on Cardassia Prime was influenced by the Dominion. After leading a fleet to Deep Space 9, the Klingons invaded Cardassian space. The two later led the Klingons into battle against Deep Space 9, the skirmish caused a conflict between the Klingon Empire and the Federation known as the second Federation-Klingon War.

"In contrast", she thought "Romulans are cold-hearted, focusing instead on social eminence, power and supremacy, rather than honor and glory." Yet, Reunification threatened to destroy everything  she believed in, and she would do anything to impede their progress, even if it meant marrying a Klingon. She hated the fact that the prosthetics she wore were beginning to feel natural and counted the days until she could shed the role of "Lieutenant Abby Brant" for her true persona, "Llaiir, Operative of the Tal Shiar".

Enoch stirred in his sleep beside her. Though she considered herself "cold-hearted" he had won a small portion of it. Initially, the helmsman was simply a means to an end... but now he was something a bit more. She left the bedroom and prepared for her assumed duties as an engineer. There she worked under yet another Klingon... one who was obviously not as familiar as she was with coded subspace signals. It was time to see if her superiors had any new orders for her.

Lieutenant Brandt glanced about Main Engineering to ensure that no one was watching. Then she quickly entered her message. By establishing a simple oscillation in the subspace field masking algorithm, a short repetitive pulse-type signal was encoded into the background static of a vessel's warp signature. It would be picked up by the Tal-Shiar ship that shadowed them and they would answer her question in much the same way.

Suddenly the deck plates shook and klaxons rang out. Crewmen darted to their duty stations as the Captain's voice announced the Red Alert. She noticed the Chief Engineer watching her from the other side of Engineering, with a stone cold gaze that was rare even for him. Something was wrong...he knew what she was doing. K'ararth watched as she exited Engineering and entered the corridor where Enoch was waiting.  His expression was just as severe and his words were angry. 

"I didn't believe the vulcan when he told me who you really were. I almost killed him for it."

"What are you talking about Enoch?" she laughed as she approached her husband, placing her hands on his chest. 

Intent on correcting the damage he had done to his ship and crew, Ensign Enoch pulled the Dak'Tag that belonged to his father.

[Duffster]

Tain looked over Ensign Thesh's shoulder as he type the latest search parameters into the security monitor.

"Well Ensign", said Tain. "If this latest scan doesn't show us anything, I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I would hate to tell our Lt. that we couldn't find anything at all. Whoever this spy is has done a great job of covering their tracks."

One of the monitoring probes registered a strange string of numbers.

"Hold on...", exclaimed Tain. "Our crafty spy may have just made a mistake. Come on Thesh, we need to get down to Engineering pronto!!"

Thesh looked at Tain with a puzzled look.

Tain started running for the door.

"It means right now Ensign!!"

Tain tapped his communicator.

"Security, this is Lt. Tain. Seal off all access to Engineering immediately, take no actions, but allow no entry. Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way down."

The security officers entered the turbolift.
"Engineering, Security Priority Delta Five", bellowed Tain
Tain tapped his communicator again.

"Lt. Manrique, this is Tain. I believe we have discovered a signal sent by the spy from Engineering. I have ordered the area sealed off and Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way".

The doors opened and Tain was greeted with the sight of Ensign Enoch holding a knife to his wifes throat.

"Ensign.. FREEZE!!", bellowed Tain while pulling his phaser.

Enoch looked at the security officer with a look of pure hatred.

"You don't understand Lieutenant, this P'tak has stained my honor, my families honor, and the honor of this crew. I will have vengence!!"

Tain lowered his phaser a bit.

"Enoch, you will stand down. We need answers from her, vengence can come later!".

Tain noticed Enoch wavering and tapped his communicator again.

"Lt. Manrique...You need to get down here right away sir."

"Enoch, wait until Manrique gets here and listen to what he has to say first".

Tain hoped that Manrique would hurry, maybe the fact that he knew this ensign better then Tain did would make a difference.

[X]

The gravity of the deck plates felt stronger as Aeric moved through the normally brightly lit corridor. Pulsing red light glinted across his face as the lieutenant continued on his path. Aeric felt the anger and tension radiate from him like a binary star cluster.  He could not help but think of those lives that were lost. He could not understand the mistakes that allowed not one, but two ships to be destroyed. Aeric knew that he should have been out there. He knew that he should have been fighting the threat directly.

Passive observance was not his strength. He had spent his entire life as someone that contributed to the whole. Had they heeded his suggestions, lives could have been spared. Aeric's head throbbed as he continued towards the safety of his quarter. Statistical data and doubt filled his mind as the door slid open to his quarters.

Aeric could not remember the last time he experienced even the slightest headache. His nanotech systems were specifically designed to keep his body functioning at optimal levels. As he removed the red tunic of his new uniform, he sighed softly. He had seen death before, he had seen far more dead in vastly more painful means, but the loss of the two ships ate away at his resolve.

In his heart, he knew that it wasn't the ships that troubled him. It was that very fact that his daughter was out there an in far more danger than he was. He knew that his concerns for Aria, Aurora, and the rest of the away team were justified, but he could not understand why he projected that concern on to two ships that he knew nothing of.

"Computer," Aeric said as he moved deeper into the eclectically decorated quarters, "transmit all sensor information from the last thirty minutes to my personal terminal."

"Working." The soft female voice of the computer replied.

Even with the headache, he could have processed the information directly, but the pain of his current condition would have hampered his efficiency.  As he took a seat, Aeric realized that he would not be fit company for the evening. He would have to cancel the date that he had planned after his daughter requested that he stepped out of his forcefield and actually attempt to build new personal relationships. He knew that his date and his daughter would both be disappointed by his decision, but there was just too much going on.

Aeric's fingers danced over the controls of his terminal as he reviewed the incoming data. Every scan confirmed that there had been no survivors. It wasn't that he had expected survivors, but he had held out hope. Now he focused his hope elsewhere. He needed to focus that attention on the away team returning back to the Tiberius.

Even with the power of his abilities, the Aurora was still out of range. While the Tiberius' communications system could be used to link him to the Aurora, it was not the same. He could talk to the shuttle, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't explain the difference but it was a critical one. Aeric took another breath and leaned back in the soft synthetic leather chair and tried to push all of the noise out of his mind.

With the threat averted for the time being, Aeric could take a few hours to himself. He had been pushing himself and it was starting to show. He had been awake since the final planning stages of the away mission and he was becoming inefficient. He had no reason to question the events leading up to the destruction of the two ships. It was not his place to question the actions of the captain, but that's exactly what he found himself doing.

He just needed to rest and he would be fine. He knew exactly what he needed, but with his children gone he couldn't find the center that he needed to calm himself enough to rest. Aeric knew that all he needed was just a few solid hours of sleep and he would be back to himself.

"Computer," Aeric said, "Reduce ambient light by 75% and play music selection James two-two-alpha."

As the lights dimmed, the soft violins and piano of past Earth music softly filled the room.

[wraith1701]

Back at the safehouse on Romulus, K'Tan slowly eased himself onto a couch.  Now that the extraction mission had been successfully completed, he felt overcome with exhaustion.  K'Tan tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander... back to a time long ago, when the future he envisioned for himself was quite different from that which reality had dealt him...

In his youth, he had been something of a prodigy; a Non-Klingon who had not only survived, but thrived on the often brutal and deadly Klingon world Askive.  After repeatedly proving his worth through numerous trials, both physical and mental, he seemed to have finally earned the respect and acceptance of his Klingon peers.    With the end of his training in the Klingon Defense Force in sight, he had received offers to serve as Tactical Officer on several different ships. 

But even more important to him, he had won the favor of a queen among women; a fiery, passionate jewel whose beauty was rivaled only by her courage.  As he drifted off to sleep, he found himself silently muttering her name... K'Lara...

K'Tan dreamed, and in his dreams, he was back on his homeworld-

Askive.

It was a dark, humid and overcast world, covered by a dense cloud cover that created a feeling of perpetual twilight.  The constant shroud of clouds severely limited the amount of light that the planet's aging red sun could cast upon the surface, and so the native flora and fauna had adapted.  Dense growths of scaly, titanic trees carpeted the entire surface of the world; their dark, purple-green leaves thirstily drinking in the ultraviolet rays that made it through the thick cloud-cover.  A vast network of winding rivers and streams criss-crossed the landscape like the web of some huge demented spider.  Scattered near the intersection points of the various waterways were a scattering of angular, fierce looking settlements.  Each varied in size, but all shared a common aspect: they were each surrounded by towering, ebon walls.  On the outskirts of one of the larger settlements,  a young man raced through the unforgiving underbrush; the stalks and leaves of the coarse plants leaving red welts on the exposed areas of his skin.

The young man stopped for a moment to catch his breath.  As he bent over with hands on knees, his panting was nearly drowned out by the constant whispering of the wind playing through the leaves of the surrounding trees. 

"K'Lara!" he yelled.  "Come back here; we need to talk!  Your mother is wrong; there is no dishonor in our love!" 

From the distance, he heard a young woman's faint reply- "It is too late for talking, K'Tan!  Catch up with me, if you can, and perhaps we can both recapture our honor!"

The young man stood back up.  He hadn't expected his call to be heeded; one of the things that first drew him to K'Lara was her willful stubbornness.  Her answer had served its purpose, however; he now knew exactly which direction she was heading.  He altered his course slightly, and resumed the chase. 

As he raced through the jungle, effortlessly leaping over the numerous logs and rocks that threatened to take him down with a broken ankle, the young man noticed three things that caused his stomach to sink with a growing sense of alarm.  The further he went, the wetter the ground became; the formerly firm surface was becoming increasingly spongy and water logged.

He was nearing a river.

The second thing that he noticed was actually the absence of someting-- namely, the calls and songs of the various creatures that normally gathered near the planet's many waterways. 

The third thing that he noticed nearly caused him to stop in his tracks.  It was a vague yet noisome smell, the stench of corruption and of rotting flesh.  So preoccupied had he been with catching up with K'Lara, he hadn't noticed the smell until it was no longer possible to ignore it.  Now, the evil stench was growing stronger. 

Like a dagger sliding into his chest, his realization of K'Lara's intent  froze him in place with an overwhelming sense of despair.  Along with the crushing despair came a feeling that he hadn't felt very often in his short, violent life: terror. 

His terror was given voice by a bloodcurdling roar that suddenly erupted from the thicket ahead of him.  The roar repeated; an excruciating sound that seemed to belong to something spawned not in this reality, but rather, in the darkest pits of hell.  The bestial roar was answered by K'Lara's challenging battle cry:  "Face me, creature!  One of us will surely die here, but no matter which of us falls, I will have regained my family's honor!"

Like a supernova of the purest white light, K'Tan's love for this fierce and beautiful Klingon woman exploded in his chest, obliterating his fear for himself and carrying him forward.  His fear of loosing this precious jewel of a woman, who was his only beacon of hope and joy in an otherwise bleak and grim life, was far greater than any concern over his own safety.

K'Tan ran on, the swampy, marshy ground sucking at his feet as though the very planet was conspiring to prevent him from joining with his love.  His heart thundering in his chest, K'Tan finally emerged from the swampy, tree covered darkness and emerged into a small clearing.  Before him was a slow, muddy tributary of one of the planet's many rivers.  The filthy black water lapped lazily at the shore.  A few meters in front of him, standing ankle-deep in the muck, was his beloved K'Lara.  Her beautiful, wavy mane of auburn streaked hair flowed down to her waist, and clenched in each hand were the hilts of two coldly gleaming, razor-sharp Dak'Tags.

Looming over her was a vision out of a nightmare; a hideous beast that seemed to be all corded muscle and gleaming talons.  It was the Kal-Tark, a creature known for both its voracious appetite and difficulty to kill. 

With a warrior's cry of challenge, K'Lara sprung on the beast, a fierce, predatory smile on her face.  The Kal-Tark gave another bloodcurdling roar... and then... horror...


K'Tan awoke with a start, his heart thudding in his chest.  Out of reflex, his hand sprung up to the the old scar etched onto his face.  His fingers absently traced the old mark, his only reminder of what he had lost so long ago.

As the Lieutenant struggled to bring his breathing back under control, Colonel Khev walked in and wandered over to the replicator.  The Colonel paused,  turned towards K'Tan and asked "Are you allright, Lieutenant?"

k'Tan forced a smile, and replied "I'm fine, Colonel.  Just a nightmare."

K'Tan straightened up in his chair, and stared silently at Khev. 

The two locked eyes for several seconds.

K'Tan finally broke the silence, and asked "So; how is your injury, Colonel?"

Khev's expression remained neutral, his voice even and controlled.  "I'm recovering nicely.  Why do you ask?"

K'Tan paused a moment before finally answering. "It might just be my imagination, but as we were returning to the safehouse earlier, I thought that I saw red blood seeping from your wound.  But that couldn't be the case; we all know that Romulans bleed green."

K'Tan's lip quirked up in an enigmatic smile.  "Isn't that right, Colonel?"

[PepperDude]

Sitting at the tactical station, Chief of Security Lieutenant Johnny Manrique received a message on his computer panel. It was from Chief Engineer K'arath: Possible spy on board. One of my engineers used the background static of the ship's warp signature to send out a message. Then he heard Lt. Tain's voice through his communicator, "Lt. Manrique, this is Tain. I believe we have discovered a signal sent by the spy from Engineering. I have ordered the area sealed off and Ensign Thesh and myself are on our way."

"That was fast," said captain Quinn.

"Yes it was. We have some good people, sir." Manrique wondered if Tain and Thesh had discovered the signal on their own or if they had also been alerted by K'arath.

"Agreed. Now join them and make sure that the individual is properly detained. He or she will be very valuable to Starfleet intelligence."

"Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant Manrique. . .You need to get down here right away sir," exclaimed Lt. Tain. Manrique, who had already left the tactical station walked briskly towards the turbolift. He couldn't wait to reach engineering. All of his focus was now on the situation taking place there not on what was happening on  the bridge. He was definitely going to need need that focus because he found an extremely volatile situation when he entered main engineering. Helmsman Enoch Iblis was holding Lieutenant Abby Brant with a knife to her throat.

"Put the knife down ensign. We know that she's a traitor," said Lt. Tain. Manrique realized that Tain had said those words more to inform him than in an effort to persuade Iblis. The reason Tain had called him was to try to diffuse the situation between Iblis and his wife. It was amazing to Manrique that all the relevant people found out at the same time who Brant really was. "Stand down helmsman! We need to take her into custody," said Manrique.

"Sir, she has dishonored everyone on this ship! She deserves to die!"

"Iblis you are not on a Klingon ship. You will follow Starfleet regulations or you will pay the consequences. You know what duty means to you." The ensign looked at Manrique with rage but not towards him; it was rage at the dilemma he was now in. His honor would be stained whether he killed his wife or not. For a brief instant he was at a loss as to what to do. His grip on his wife lessened a little.

Nobody involved in the volatile situation knew that the Tiberius had engaged the cloaked Romulan ship in battle. "Let her go. . ." Manrique couldn't finish his sentence as the ship shook violently. Brant took advantage of the ships' battle to make her move. It was fast and effective. She momentarily freed herself from Iblis, took out a blade hidden inside her sleeve and slit her throat. She was incredibly fast—too fast for any of the security officers to stun her with their phasers. She dropped to the floor slowly with green blood gushing out of her with a waning smile on her face.

"Romulan. Must have been Tal Shiar. Very professional," said a disappointed Johnny Manrique.

[Jen]

Lieutenant K'Tan reminded the operative a lot of himself at that age—he was all pride with a bit of attitude mixed in for good measure; a trait which frequently got him in trouble. The operative hadn't known K'Tan for long, but he had a healthy respect for the man.

David fixed a deadpan gaze on the young lieutenant before returning a slight smile. Addressing K'Tan in Klingon, Lock replied, "Maqoch... it is considered rude to question the color of a Romulan's blood." Outwardly David chuckled... inwardly he thought, "You're too quick for your own good, K'Tan."

Though the intensity was reduced to a dull pain, the headache Sevryll suffered from still remained. The pounding briefly intensified as the vulcan stood and she shut her eyes in an attempt to will away the pain. When the pounding eased, she left the room where she and Talbot had spoken in hushed tones.

Commander Sevryll paused briefly in the dimly lit empty hallway and opened her hand to glimpse the data chips that he entrusted to her for delivery. At that moment, standing alone in the hallway, it occurred to Sevryll that she had become the harbinger of change for Mrs. Talbot. Upon receipt of the message, the admiral's wife would experience emotions that often accompanied the news that a loved one would not be coming home for a long time...if ever. Sevryll could relate to the position that the admiral had placed his wife in, for David had chosen a similar path. Yet, she understood how necessary Talbot's absence was and hoped that Lydia Dar Talbot could as well.

As the vulcan stared down at the translucent data chips, she noticed her hand trembling slightly and folded it in to a fist, squeezing together the items that she still held. Sevryll felt a surge of frustration and instinctively clinched her sore jaw. "The meld", she thought. "I should not have preformed it. The Romulan was too traumatized and obviously I am not skilled enough to prevent the aftereffects." But that event did not explain the perspiration that formed on her brow—she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. Romulus was not a temperate world, and even if it were, it would have little effect on a vulcan. She tossed the thought aside and proceeded into the room where David's cot was located. Commander Sevryll was preparing the team for departure, and anticipated the likelihood that her husband would be remaining on Romulus. The operative's vulcan wife wanted an affirmation that his presence would not be detrimental to the Reunification moement...

Lieutenant K'Tan and Colonel Khev turned to see Sevryll enter the room. Instantly the slight vulcan woman realized she had interrupted a conversation intended for no on else. Yet, rather than leave, she found a chair and lowered herself gingerly into it.

"Is there a problem gentlemen?" she inquired in a weary voice.

[wraith1701]

"No, Commander," K'Tan replied. 

As Khev eyed him expectantly, K'Tan thought back on their earlier mission to drop off the Romulan prisoner.  Khev had not only carried out his part of the mission flawlessly, he had silently endured an injury that would have left a lesser man screaming on the floor in agony.   Regardless of the secrets Khev might be keeping, K'Tan's instincts told him that the Colonel was a man of honor.   More to the point, the Colonel had K'Tan's respect, something that he didn't give out casually.

K'Tan's scarred visage quirked into a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"I was just joking around with the Colonel about the freak accident back at the hospital. "

K'Tan extended his hand to Khev.  "I apologize if my joking was out of line, Colonel.  Truth be told, It's an honor to serve with you."

Khev returned K'Tan's smile as he gave his hand a firm shake.  "The feeling is mutual, Lieutenant.  No harm, no foul." 

K'Tan gave the Colonel and Commander Sevryll a brief nod, then turned to leave the room.  "If you'll excuse me; I'm going to grab a field ration pack.  Dodging phaser bolts always gives me an appetite."

[Jen]

Sevryll held David's eye as the operative watched K'Tan leave the small room. "He's a good officer...Tiberius is lucky to have him," he remarked with a small smile.

She slowly stood from her chair; rubbing her eyes she replied, "indeed...he is an asset that we are fortunate to count among our crew." When she opened her eyes once more, David was before her. Looking up at her husband she said, "I am pleased to see that your condition has improved. How are you feeling now?"

He lifted a large hand and pushed a lock of hair away from her face, "better than you," he replied. He then brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, "you look tired."

"I have not meditated..." she replied "...I presume you will be remaining on Romulus."

"Yes," he answered regretfully.

" I am concerned that your assignment will thwart Reunification and endanger Admiral Talbot."

"That's what I like about you...always right to the point." His smile shrank as he addressed her concerns, "Quite the opposite... I assure you. I have no intention of stopping Spock or his pet project."

Sevryll regarded him a moment, searching for an indication of deceit. Yet she could see nothing in his blue eyes, which would alert her to any deception. After some time, she accepted his promise by extending two fingers to his. They exchanged a silent goodbye as David met the amorous vulcan gesture and then stooped to kiss his wife.

The absence of Colonel Khev and Admiral Talbot caused an uneasiness among them and the journey back to Tiberius was quiet.  The commander watched as Aria's fingers slid deftly over Aurora's controls. Beside the girl, in the co-pilot's chair, sat the holographic representation of the ship they traveled in. The woman shifted her gaze from her station to Sevryll, and offered the vulcan a warm smile. The commander nodded politely and turned her face toward the viewport and the shrinking blue planet of Romulus.

One uneventful hour later, the Aurora passed gracefully through the containment field and settled gently upon the deck within Tiberius' main shuttle bay. The Commander thanked Lieutenant K'Tan and Aria for their efforts to recover her father. They had risked their lives to ensure his safe return and she was eternally grateful to them.

Outside the craft, a medical team stood ready to take Krell to sickbay. Sevryll jogged beside Doctor Peterson, across the cold tritanium deck of Shuttle Bay One, as Aria debriefed his team on the drugs she had administered to the patient. Minutes later, they were in the infirmary watching the team of doctors and nurses swarm about the unconscious Krell. The hiss of the parting door caused Sevryll to turn—Captain Quinn had entered the medical bay with her mother. Doctor Sareth wanted to rush to her husband's side, but refrained from doing so... it would be illogical. She understood that her presence would only hinder the doctors' efforts. Instead, she and the captain crossed sickbay to stand beside her daughter and the young girl who Sareth had met a few days before in Five Forward.   

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Isaac somberly looked up at the viewscreen and began to remember.  He remember his first mission on the Tiberius. How the Iconians played with the Tiberius crew and took Captain Bell from them.  He remember how Captain Quinn took command over the Tiberius and led them on a mission against the Gatherers.  He also remembered how Lt. Peters had sacrificed himself to save his crewmates.  Shore leave and his two sugar gliders gave him a small smile.  'I haven't even named them two...'

Out in space somewhere, was two Romulan Warbird ship's hulks.  One to destroy Unification and the other to save it.   In the heart of the Romulan Star Empire, Mr. Spoke and Admiral Talbot were working to unify Vulcan and Romulus.  Not far from the Romulan ships was the Federation and Romulan fleet in space.  Both were discussing their own form of Unification.  Perhaps both missions might finally succeed and change the future of both worlds.  'Perhaps, there is hope of peace.'

Isaac heard them talking about the spy and became concerned.  'Was she the dark one I sensed?'  Something told him, that she wasn't it.  Isaac could not help but wonder, 'what does the future hold?'  Isaac had a feeling that the whatever happened next would affect him, the Tiberius, its crew, and maybe even the Federation itself.  He looked out into the viewscreen's stars.  "It has just begun."

Anything but the End. 

King Linksr

[X]

"How was the mission?" Aeric asked the raven hair hologram as he entered the cockpit of the Aurora.

"I did as you asked." Aurora said as she turned to Aeric. "I let Aria get a feel for the mission and I let her make her own choices. You would have been proud of her performance."

"I'm proud of you both." Aeric said as he took a seat in his command chair. It felt like ages since he had been in his ship. "We should begin with a level four diagnostic to review the status and wear on the systems."

Aurora smiled. "The ship works fine. It was a single mission and all systems functioned according to design.. Sometimes I think that you attempting to strive for Borg perfection."

"Fine cancel the diagnostic." Aeric said with a sigh. Aurora was right. He spent too much time second guessing his work in the past few days. The Federation has signed off on the key systems of the Aurora testbed months ago and he had not once been contacted with errors in the designs. Even the newly installed quantum power generation systems of the Tiberius were functioning according to the projections. He just needed to let go of the doubt. "How are the mobility projects progressing?"

"You do realize that you are not required to constantly be on duty, right Aeric?"

"I'm not."

"Then stop with the constant working. You push yourself harder than the humans around you as if you are going to burn out as soon as they do. You should be thinking in years and decades, not the hours and days that drive a human. You should be running your own race Aeric. You should be out there enjoying the life that you have created, not stuck on this ship doing the jobs that you designed me to do. If you are not willing to do that for yourself, then do it for me. Live the life that I can't live yet."

Aeric nodded and moved over to the hologram and hugged her deeply. "I think that you've made your point. I'll try that living thing and do what I can to help you have greater mobility."

"Aeric, that's all that I've ever asked of you." Aurora said as she returned the hug of her creator. It was also the hug of her father. A father that she knew cared as much for her as he did his biological child. "When Aria returns from visting sickbay, we can have a family dinner and discuss what we've missed while we were away."

[Geekyfanboy]

Joint post by Kenny and Jen
---
The next evening, the first officer joined the captain for dinner in his quarters. Sevryll sat across from Captain Quinn and pushed the vegetables around her plate with a fork as he spoke, "you're to deliver these data chips to Starfleet and Mrs. Talbot? The brass isn't going to very pleased with his furlough...  "

"I doubt Mrs. Talbot will either," replied Sevryll. Nathan nodded as he lifted a glass of wine to his lips. He sipped the vintage Twin Sister Merlot and set gently down on the table.

"Would you like something else? You haven't eaten a bite." He remarked as he glanced down at her grilled beets.

The commander looked up from her plate and cocked a single eyebrow, "I suppose I am not as hungry as I believed."

"You've left room for desert, I hope. I've made Strawberry Cheese cake...I programmed the replicator with a vegan version of my mother's recipe.

"I would be willing to try a small portion," she replied.

Quinn smiled and took another sip of his wine. "How is your mother doing?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected. I was able to coax her away from Sickbay last night for dinner and I walked her back to her quarters. An hour later, she returned to sickbay...she spent the night there."

" I'm sure he will recovery nicely once we get him back to Vulcan. " Quinn said with a smile of reinsurance.

Sevryll remained silent as Quinn continued, "I read in your report that Colonel Khev was injured....how is David doing now?" Sevryll stopped pushing around her vegetables around on her plate as her eyes found Quinn's.

She glanced away momentarily then pitched her gaze back at the captain, "how long... have you known?" she asked.

"The moment he came aboard" Quinn said with a slight laugh. "I didn't need my telepathic abilities to know that this man loves you. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at you." He paused a moment, regarding the stunned expression worn by his first officer. He couldn't recall a time when he ever saw her impassive face replaced by one so emotional...it was... peculiar.

"Please, forgive me for not alerting you to his presence..." The words were awash with expressive tones.  "...If I had suspected his mission would negatively effect our crew or our own mission, I would not have hesitated to risked the retribution."

"... I can understand your dilemma. I can't stand these covert Federation agencies, but I believe them to be a necessary evil." Nathan lifted his napkin and dabbed the side of his mouth. "I... can tell that your husband does not wish to remain in Section 31 and that he is seeking an out. Perhaps it won't be long before he will choose another occupation." Sevryll's face morphed to one of relief.

Quinn considered her new expression...then quickly changed the topic. "Did you manage to read my report on Abby Bryant."?

"Yes sir. Still, I do not understand why Starfleet ordered us not to take action when we discovered her a month ago."

Quinn put down his fork," I think they were hoping that she would lead us to the Tal Shiar... but things didn't go as planned. Rather than giving herself up... she cut her own throat." Quinn took another sip of wine.

Sevryll frowned at the thought of the woman's horrible death then reached for her glass of water, spilling it all over the captain. Captain Quinn stood quickly, in a belatedly attempt to avoid the deluge. As she watched Nathan's futile effort, a memory instantly flashed in Sevryll's mind. In the meeting with her science officers a few days before, Ensign Tev-Awash had dumped the entire contents of her hot chocolate all over the conference table. The two instances suddenly struck Sevryll as humorous and she stifled the initial stages of laughter. Sevryll endeavored to sop the water from the surface of the table with her napkin. Before long she realized the fabric was saturated and entirely ineffectual. The first officer felt a new wave of hilarity rushing her like a tidal wave. Her disciplined Vulcan restraint attempted to flee the tsunamis but was drowned in the flood of inescapable emotion and Sevryll fell back into her chair as an eruption of giggles and snorts spewed forth to fill the room.


END OF SEASON FOUR