Star Trek: Season 3 - Shore Leave

[PepperDude]

"So you never saw the captain?" Manrique asked Lt. Tain incredulously.

"You mean the captain never saw me. I was in my quarters waiting for him to summon me. I waited for some time. . .I eventually fell asleep with my clothes as I was waiting."

"Well he's gone now.  Oh, well.  He must have a lot on his mind or maybe something family-related came up. It seemed to me that he really wanted to talk to you."

"Well, maybe something did come up. Hey! I don't mind one bit. So what what happens now?" asked Tain somewhat expectantly.

"I'm not going to bother Captain Quinn again. I'm sure you don't want to stay here for the remaining days while the rest of the crew is on leave."

"You sure can read my mind lieutenant. You must be half betazed or something like that."

Manrique smiled and said, "I know I wouldn't want to stay here.  I'll tell you what, I'll let you go on leave. You're under my command anyway.  I hope the captain doesn't object about it. . .I doubt he will."

"Whatever you say.  Just don't get into too much trouble."

"It won't be. So what will you do down there?"

"Oh I don't know. . .go to bars and get into more trouble," said Tain and laughed afterward.  Manrique chuckled. It seemed that Tain didn't have plans, for obvious reasons, thought Johnny. So the young lieutenant proposed a plan to the older officer. "Hey, why don't you come with me to the jungles of Nicaragua. I'm going down there to see my family and then go off on a little jungle adventure. Want to come along?"

"Jungle adventure. . .?" asked Tain.

"Yeah, you know, surviving in the jungle for a few days with almost no sophisticated technology--with only a few items in fact.  So what do you say?" Manrique asked Tain in a frienly, taunting manner.

[Duffster]

Tain glanced over at Manrique.

"Lieutenant, I appreciate the gesture, but I am sure your family woul...."

Manrique interrupted.

"Lieutenant Tain, let me be the judge of how my family feels about a guest. If you think I am doing this because I am feeling sorry for you, forget it. If I allow you to go on leave, and you get yourself in trouble again, well now how do you think that will reflect on me???"

Manrique's stare bored into the Orions eyes.

"Of course if you don't think your up for the jungle survival..well then maybe you should relax here and watch some vids."

Tain felt the anger wash over him like a wave. How dare this young kid question his abilities.

"Manrique, I'll have you know I was survivn in rougher places then your little jungle before you...."

Tain stopped talking in mid sentence,  felt his anger start to subside as he noticed the edges of Manriques mouth twitch, and twitch again....almost as he was trying to surpress...that's it. Manrique was trying not to smile!

Manrique looked at Tains perplexed look and couldn't hold in his laugh anymore.

"Wow Tain...you're too easy!!", Manrique got out between his laughter. "So you ready to go?"

Tain tried to stay angry, but couldn't help himself. He smiled at the Lieutenant.

"Well, at least it will give us a chance for that drink and cigar!"

Tain walked over to a shelf and picked up the bottle of evil looking black liquid he had brought from the surface. He picked up a duffle kit and threw a change of clothes, the bottle and a handful of cigars into it.

"Well Lieutenant Manrique... I hope you know what your gettin yourself into!", roared Tain. He slipped the kit over his arms, and slapped the Lientenant  on the back.

"Let's go!!", Tain said as he exited his quarters.

If anyone would have been watching, they may have noticed that Lieutenant Manrique had a vaguely worried look on his face. He shook his head and headed out the door after Tain.

[moyer777]

Andrus looked at Margon. 

"So this is Coney Island?"

"Yes siree!" the Counselor said with grin.  "And around us you can see some carnival rides."

"Yeah, I know what rides are Margon" Andrus said sarcastically.  "What about this "Hot Dog" you mentioned.

"with mustard" the counselor said popping another piece of carmel corn in his mouth.

The Dr. was quiet.  The whole day was kind of hard for him.  Maybe a nice meal and some time off of his feet would be nice.  He strolled over to the food booth with the other guys and ordered the recommendation of the Counselor's. 

"One dog, with the works"  he mumbled.  "I thought I was picking dinner tonight" 

"You were, but you just have to try this, it's really quite good"  said Margon.

The men got their food and sat at a small table and started to eat.
Andrus wolfed his hot dog down so quickly that the Dr. and Margon just kind of stared at him. 

Then Andrus spoke.  "Counselor, I have been meaning to talk to you about something important."

Margon responded, "What would that be?"

"Well, I thought that I should talk to you privately."  he kind of looked sideways at him.

"Oh, go ahead, if the Dr. doesn't mind, I'm not shy."  the Bolian smirked.

"Ok," said Sudder.  "J'dan, your son's friend and co worker contacted me.  He says you and your son need to get some things worked out.  That your son needs you."

Margon stopped eating and looked down for a moment.  "This is a little uncomfortable Mr. Sudder.  I haven't really talked about this for a long time, besides, I tried talking to Brex, but he won't give me the time of day.  Believe me, I want things to work out.  I think I've hit a dead end."

"Well, he's losing it Counselor" said Sudder, "He's drinking himself to death and your a big reason for it."

"What? don't pin that on me, I don't make him drink"  the Counselor said defensively.

"It's the memory enhancement Counselor.  He feels you have artificially forgotten his mothers. And you left him, he still feels like you have left him, even though you are on the same ship with him."

Margon took a drink of an old fashioned lemonaid and looked into Sudder's eyes.  He tried to understand.  But the surgery that he had undergone wouldn't allow him to feel anything when it came to his former life.  He mustered up a small smile and cleared his throat.  "I don't know what to do Andrus, I'm at a loss here.  I didn't think Brex and I would be in the same proximity.  This wasn't in the plan, and I had no idea he had taken all of this so hard."

Andrus put a hand on Margon's shoulder.  "Ah, the counselor needs a counselor.  Maybe with the help of our Captain we could explore some options, maybe even Sevryll could help with a mind meld or something" 

"Maybe" said Margon. "What do you think Dr?"

The Dr. was a million miles away.  He had hardly heard the conversation.  He was tired and now full.  He wanted to rest.  "I'm sorry, but gentlemen I'm running out of steam here."   

"Hey, before we go home, let's try one of the rides out." said Margon changing the subject, "I hear the roller coaster is great."

Andrus looked at Margon, "Alright, but I want to talk about this more next week Counselor." He smirked and threw a french fry at the Dr.

"Knock it off" the Dr. said dryly. 

"Whatever my friend, let's go get in line for the roller coaster"  Andrus said jumping to his feet.

"Do I have to?" said the Dr.

"You have to." said Margon.

A seagull flew down and grabbed the fry next to the Dr.  He jumped back and sighed.  "lead on Counselor, lead on."

"I told you this would be an adventure Dr."  the Bolian said with a grin.

[iceman]

The Dr. was mentally exhausted from his morning of Unorthodox therapy. It was what he needed but still felt at a loss he still did not understand why Lt. Rye's death hit him so hard. It was not like he had not lost patients before, He had.

He knew and had always known that there was nothing he cold have done to prevent the death of the Lt., but the loss had still stung.The Dr. new that over time this wound would heal , but new that the emotional scars from the last mission would be with him for the rest of his life.

He let out a heavy sigh and under his breath he said. "Goodbye Lt. rest in peace my friend."

At that moment he jumped on the Roller Coaster and waited for his stomach to jump out of chest as the chains that pulled this ancient contraption slowly inched  higher and high towards the top of the first hill...

He wondered who's bright idea this was and thought that this must be some form of ancient torture or the dream of someone twisted. In any case, he just held his breath and waited for this nightmare to be over...

[Geekyfanboy]

Nathan entered the room where Servyll sat staring with unfocused eyes at the PADD in her hands. "Dinner's rea....." a wave of confusion struck him like a clinched fist. "What wrong?" he asked with concern in his voice. Servyll rose, "nothing". Quinn placed he hand on her shoulder, "Servyll". She smiled "Nathan, please". Quinn removed his hand and she continued toward the dining area. Quinn stood there for a moment and tried to probe her thoughts but she was well verse in closing her mind. He sighed and returned to the dining area, where Servyll wouldn't make eye contact with him. Quinn sat down next to Took and gave him a friendly smile. Anashta spoke up "Enjoy everyone". Everyone began to pass plates and dishes around.

[Duffster]

The sun was starting to set in the jungle and the sounds of the nocturnal creatures were starting. Tain sat silently, nestled down in the branches of a tree. As he once again checked to make sure that he was completely hidden, he thought back on the last few days in Nicaragua.

Manriques family had been a pleasant surprise. Tain had very little reference on what a normal, functional family should be, but he figured that the Manrique family was probably as close to one as he would ever see. Everyone had been friendly, and they welcomed Tain as if he was family. Tain smiled to himself as he remembered the obvious pride they had in Johnny Manrique. Tain wondered how he would have turned out, if raised in that type of environment.

There was the vaguest whisper of a sound from down the path, and Tain tensed.

After a couple of days lounging around the Manrique household, Johnny and Cedric had started their jungle adventure. What started out as an adventure had turned into a competition. Of course Cedric thought it was Manriques way of trying to get some revenge on him for the Centarian whiskey and cigars. Tain almost laughed out loud as he remembered they way Johnny reacted to the combination of the whiskey and the cigars. Johnny seemed to handle the whiskey fairly well, although he looked a bit distressed, but the cigars...well Tain mentioned to him that they could be brothers, although Manrique was probably a darker shade of green then Tain was at the time. Manriques revenge was what they were presently involved in.

Johnny had suggested to Tain that they have a survival competition against each other. They would take turns being the hunter and the prey. At the beginning of the morning they would set an objective to where they would travel The hunter would take off, and then the prey would start off an hour later.

It had been and interesting few days. Tain had been impressed by the young Lieutenants survival skills. He had obviously learned from someone with a lot of knowledge, and had definitely practice his skills before. The person acting as prey had yet to make it to the end objective without being "caught". And of course after each capture, there was some good natured taunting and razzing.  Each of the Lieutenants had had two opprotunities to make it. Today was the last day of the competition. Tomorrow morning they would be heading back the house, and then the ship.

Tain had decided to try and different tactic today, it was risky but he had a feeling it would work.

"Ahhh ", Tain thought to himself. " There he is."

Manrique stealthily slid from tree to tree, quietly making his way toward the clearing. He had a rather smug look on his face, as he could see his objective ahead. Tain waited until the last moment and then made his move. As he swung off his perch, a twig broke as he prepared to jump.

Manriques eyes shot up toward the noise. He spied Tain preparing to jump, and laughed in victory. Manrique took off down the path racing towards the clearing.

"Woohoo!!", shouted Johnny Manrique. "One little mistake Tain, that's all it took. The prey is  about to win!!"

Cedric jumped down from the branch and raced after Manrique, his face locked in grim determination. As he watched Manrique about the enter the clearing, an evil smile came across his face.

As Manrique felt his foot hit the disguised rope, he knew he had been had. From all around him the net erupted, and trapped him neatly.
He hung in it dejectedly. He had been so close!! He watched upside down, Tain approached the net.

"You're right Lieutenant." Tain grinned as he taunted Johnny. "One mistake was all it took!"

Tain roared in laughter as he saw the look of consternation cross Manriques face. Manrique soon found himself joining Tain in laughter.

"Ok Cedric, you got me good."

Cedric looked at Manrique handing awkwardly in the net.

"Manrique, I gotta thank you again. These last few days have been some of the most enjoyable days I have had in a looooong time. It's too bad they have to end."

Cedric smiled evilly at the Lieutenant.

"Of course I do have one last victory to enjoy."

Johnny watched as Tains hand slowly creep into one of his pockets and slowly pulled out...

"Tain!!!! You keep that nasty cigar away from me!!! "

"Tain!!!!!"

"Tain" *cough* *cough.* "man..you are soooo gonna get it"  *cough* *cough*

[Jen]

The last mission had been emotionally draining, and shore leave was the prescribed remedy for the entire crew...or so it was intended to be. Sevryll had elected to remain aboard the Tiberius, arguing that she had no need to recover emotionally. In truth she was attempting to avoid the company of her estranged mother—Sevryll admitted as much to the captain, who insisted that she leave the solace of work to "relax" in the quiet comfort of his parents' home. Their hospitality was appreciated and her children certainly benefited from the stay. Yet, despite the Quinns' good nature, Sevryll found shore leave to be anything but cathartic.

The Vulcan had been away from the Tiberius for less than seven hours, and in that time she was snared by her mother and had received two disconcerting encrypted messages—one from a "Mr. Smith", and one from a self-purported, "self-made" clone, who had somehow acquired a sample of her DNA.

Nathan had found her reading the latter communiqué, in the sitting room adjacent to the kitchen. With great concern he asked if anything was wrong. She replied that she was fine, but the empathic abilities, inherited from his father, told him otherwise. Nathan pressed her for the truth. As she looked up at Nathan, drawn facial muscles trembled with years of neglect and her lips quavered slightly. Stress had permitted the slightest semblance of an uneasy smile, to fracture an otherwise impassive expression. "Nathan please," she said in a placid whisper. The growing turmoil emanating from Sevryll had been enough to gain his full attention, but the diminutive, pseudo smile, troubled him more. She looked away, ashamed by her emotional slip. Something was indeed very wrong with his first officer, and the gesture was the only proof he needed. Nathan wanted to discuss it further, but she insisted that the matter be saved for a more appropriate time—perhaps after they were aboard the Tiberius. Sevryll slowly rose from the sofa and the two rejoined the table of waiting guests and family members.

The dinner conversation, was a distant murmur as Sevryll dwelled upon the communiqué. Her mind had instantly memorized each word she viewed on her PADD, and etched it permanently within her memory. She had always considered the skill a gift, but now the "gift" acted as a nuisance—for it prevented her from concentrating on anything else.

Nathan passed the dish of Zucchini Herb Casserole to Sevryll, in an attempt to rouse her from her thoughts. She broke from her trance and took the dish. Spooning a small helping onto her plate, she avoided the captain's questioning gaze. Sevryll was well aware that the half-Betazoid could sense her distress, and could not bring herself to look at him for fear she would divulge the information, before she had the time to digest it fully herself. When she had successfully downed the small amount of food that had been served, she excused herself from the table to brave the chill autumn air. Captain Quinn watched from the bay window, near the table, as she disappeared in the shadows of his parents' large rose garden.  Sareth stood to follow her daughter, but Nathan suggested they leave her to her thoughts. "She mentioned, before dinner, that she wanted to meditate. The garden is the perfect place to do so," he said and then proceeded to change the subject.

The tall Vulcan woman pulled the hood of her robe over her head, in an effort to keep herself warm, and lowered herself upon the bench in the center of the garden. The sound of falling water and the rustling of autumn leaves filled the surrounding atmosphere. Sevryll folded her hands and began to meditate.  Drawing in the cool air she focused on confronting the emotion that had cracked the impression, of a stolid Vulcan composure. She took another breath and slowly let it out, focusing on the contrary emotion—the emotion opposite of anger. She began to force the invading feeling deep within her. She drew another breath and slowly released it in a rolling cloud of vapor, which was caught by the breeze and swept away in the night. She visualized her emotions being carried away with each breath, as she sank deep into calming meditation.

After an hour, she opened her eyes and took in the sounds of the garden—night birds sang and the bubbling waterfall soothed her. She sat for some time allowing the sonnets to replenish her. Before long a new sound filled her ears—the crunch of fallen leaves under foot. She awaited the individual's approach with a renewed calm, fragile though it was. The footsteps stopped just behind her and a deep voice that she did not recognize, warned her to remain seated and facing the pond. It seemed that "Mr. Smith" had found her alone.

[X]

Aeric sat quietly at his console as Aurora rested. Usually he tuned out the background hum of the ship’s machinery, but this time he found comfort in the lack of silence. He had spent years in space as he followed his research. In those years he had come to learn and almost fear true silence. In the depths of space, true silence was death. Even in the most advanced starships, there was the hum. That beautiful noise that told anyone willing to listen that life-support was still functional, that air was still present, and that the ship and her crew was still around.

He had spent so many years in space that the hum had become as constant to him as those on earth would find reassurance in the crickets and night creatures on a cool summer’s evening. From Aeric’s perspective, a starship was as alive as he was. His fingers danced lightly over the holographic interface of his command console as he reviewed data and information regarding precedence in what his daughter had done. He had the legal information of a dozen timelines stored in the Aurora. As Aria slept, Aeric worked hard to insure the survival of his child. She might have been rash in what she had done, but he could understand her motives. To suddenly go from living to being forced to exist in an unfeeling shell of forcefields and photons had been a trauma that he alone had forced upon her. He did what he thought would save her, but it was her own talents that brought her salvation.

Aeric adjusted his uniform as he stood while he used his mind to continue to manipulate the digital models that represented the data he was reviewing. It this timeline, the very timeline that cost him his child, there was no precedence that covered what she had done. There was nothing that he could find that began to cover what had been done. If it were illegal, there was yet to be a law written against it in this timeline. It was even hardly unethical from her perspective. She modified what she considered to be discarded DNA that was the closest match to her original mother that she had encountered. She then used existing technology to remake herself and transferred her katra to that new form. If anything she had only done in practice what Ambassador Spock had accidently done when he faced death so long ago. Was it not her right to self preservation?

Aeric didn’t know and a part of him didn’t care. He had his child back and he would deal with any threats to her existence as any loving parent would to protect their child. He could only do what was in his ability and she had already made sure that she had this time inherited her father’s temporal abilities. Had they noticed that she was not fully protected before the time change, this would have never become a problem.

He had also been quite impressed by the symmetry of her rebirth. He also had gone through the joy and burden of living once before he was born. He had lived a lifetime in the place of his birth and was returned to infancy when they were rescued from the Nexus. It took decades before his mind developed enough for him to actually remember those events, but as they became clearer, they helped to shape his course. Aria was now following in his footsteps, but she had the blessing of being restored to a form that allowed her to retain those memories. She wouldn’t have to deal with the sudden realization of memories from a earlier life. She had been reborn with them as a part of her and with her ability to contribute to their mission greatly enhanced.

He had already noticed how much she had changed. She was no longer bound by programmed rules of synthetic emotion. She was a flesh and blood young woman that suddenly had all of the emotional ranges that went with the title. Aria was not simply Aurora in organic form, she was the combination of the girl she was and the officer that Aurora had been programmed to be. Like her father, she possessed the same genetic abilities and nanite enhancements that her father had. Aurora also had the foresight to enhance the programming of Aria’s nanite and include protocols that would, under her orders, suppress the production and absorption of the various chemicals and hormones that controlled her emotions.

In her new incarnation, Aria was slightly more Vulcan that she was in her first form. Without the time and training of a Vulcan to control their strong emotions, she needed something that would not only replicate that training, but exceed it. It was a way to enjoy the emotions that she had been denied for so long and at the same time, she had the ability to suppress or completely shut off those emotions and enter a state of cool logic. She wanted to be able to respect the logical side of her heritage, but at the same time she also needed to respect the emotions that she had been blessed with again.

All that was left for him to do now was wait and perhaps a bit of suborbital skydiving. That was always a tension breaker.

[Jen]

"I have word from your husband...Mrs. Lock." The cynicism dripped from his last words like blood on a dagger's blade. The man remained in the shadows, just behind Sevryll, but he moved closer to hand her two small packages. She took them, without turning and asked, "Are you a friend of David's?" He grunted at the question and released a raspy chuckle, "We're colleagues." His laugh held a disconcerting edge, which reminded Sevryll of the aversion she held for her husband's dark occupation.

"You should expect a visit from him soon. He will be working undercover on an assignment that you will be a part of...an unofficial operation that involves your father's efforts on Romulus." She continued to keep her head facing the pond, but her eyes followed the obscure form as he moved towards the trees on her right.

"Though I do not deny that I long for the company of my husband, I have no wish to be a part of Section 31's sanctioned or unsanctioned operations'." The disturbing chuckle returned and he replied in a hoarse voice, "the task was not planned by our agency—it's Admiral Talbot's undertaking. We intercepted a message that he received from your father, and have decided to shadow his venture. He knows nothing about it, and you're going to keep it that way. Don't be surprised to find David waiting for you on the ship...blow his cover and I'll have to clean up the mess...which creates a mess in and of itself, if you know what I mean." The man wiped his hands upon his shirt as if he was attempting to clean them, then he backed into the trees. Sevryll heard him transport away, leaving her alone once more in the garden.

She looked down at the packages she held in her hands. They were each wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon.  A tag was inserted under the ribbon on both packages; one bore the names of their children, the other held her own. She tucked the parcels in her robe, entered the home once again, and made her way up stairs to the room Mrs. Quinn had assigned them. In her luggage she found her tricorder—a  scan of the packages told her they were free of any harmful devices that may have been inserted by Mr. Smith. Yet, she opened the packages anyway, just to make sure they were safe.

Inside she found a tiny silver bracelet, with a heart on the top, engraved with M'rynn's name. Next to the bracelet she found a metallic object shaped like a star. She lifted the item and found the words "Sheriff" etched on the surface. When she turned the object over, she found it had a fastener incorporated on the back. Sevryll was unsure of the antique item's purpose, but was confident that it was harmless. At the bottom of the box, she found a hand written note—the first sentence read: "Happy Birthday". The remainder informed the children, that their father loved them and wished that he could always be with them. The children would enjoy unwrapping the package, so she folded the letter, placed the items back in the box, and meticulously reassembled the packaging.

She then opened the gift that was labeled "Sevryll". Inside she found a letter and a pair of elegant, gold earrings, adorned with cobalt blue beads. As an archaeologist, she was able to determine them to be to be ancient Roman. By inspecting the glass, she surmised they were circa 100 - 300 AD. David had often posed as an archaeologist in his undercover operations. In fact, when they were first introduced, he was posing as a member of her archaeological team. When Sevryll was the U.S.S. Anasazi's Archaeology and Anthropology Officer, he had infiltrated the dig in order to protect the artifacts they uncovered as well as the scientists who studied them. He often told her that he considered meeting her, to be an unexpected bonus.  The jewelry was indeed an extraordinary gift, and she did not wish to know how he attained them.

Sevryll hesitated to open the note, left in the box for her. What would he do if he learned that her DNA was obtained without her consent? The "father" of this cloned "child" would be severely punished, to say the least. Perhaps that truth was the basis of her anxiety. Though David was her husband, she did not know him completely...and she definitely did not know all that he was capable of.

She opened the letter and read the words of a remorseful husband aching for the presence of his beloved wife. Sevryll closed her eyes and drew a breath, she wished he would leave the agency and join her on the Tiberius—the children required a father, and she needed her spouse. A knock on the door gained her attention and she quickly hid the gifts in a near by dresser drawer. Sevryll opened the door to find her mother standing in the hallway.

"Mother...come in," she said. The elder Vulcan entered the room and closed the door behind them. "What are you hiding daughter?" She asked in an even tone. "Nothing mother." Sareth gaged her daughter's body language and determined she was withholding the truth. She let it go momentarily and informed her daughter that the children were waiting for her, "apparently they are celebrating a birthday. An insignificant observation humans keep."

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

"ENOUGH. You readily disregard the fact that M'rynn and N'vall are also human—they cannot deny the traits that were predetermined by their father's genetic contribution."

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

"Your persistence in this matter denotes pretension, mother."

"I am unclear as to your implication."

"Truth would be better served, if you simply acknowledged the reality of your bigotry. Need I summarize the symptoms for you?" Stated Sevryll in a voice that trembled with irritation.

"No, in retrospect, I believe that I prefer ambiguity."

Ignoring her mother's last statement she continued, "allow me to extrapolate—your perception of my children is superficial...you criticize them for their lack of stoicism, though you know them not. Perhaps you should attempt to form a meaningful relationship with your grandchildren, rather than judge them for their humanity."

The air chilled with the truth of Sevryll's crisp statement, and for a moment, the elevated rate of her own heartbeat was the only sound she heard.

Her mother turned her face away from Sevryll, and clasped her hands behind her back. Sevryll could tell that her sharp words plunged deep, as she watched her mother's, ordinarily unaffected, facial expression, wince in pain. Sareth's eyelids flit rapidly as she fought to regain her composure. And the elder woman's chest heaved with each breath she drew, in an attempt to force the unwanted emotions, back into the depths of her, typically impassive, Vulcan heart.

Sevrylll was instantly regretful that she had caused her mother to momentarily lose her poise, and she reluctantly determined that her next statement was the best way to mend the rift between she and her mother. "I apologize for being blunt..." her mother cut her off "No, you are correct...I do not know them...and I wish too." There was a brief silence between the two before Sevryll spoke again, "The children....and I... would benefit greatly from having you in their lives. Would you consider, staying with us aboard the Tiberius?" Asked Sevryll. Several minutes passed before Sareth responded.
"I will give it thought,"she replied.

[X]

"Check the systems now," Aria said as she crawled out of the access conduit that lead to the EPS lines of the Aurora.  Her hair was slightly out of place, sweat beaded on her forehead, and she had the scent of someone that had just put in several hours of labor. They were simple reminders that she was alive. They were things that even the most advanced holograms had trouble replicating. "I realigned the plasma manifolds and the energy distribution flow according to your new calculations."

"Good job," Aerc replied as he mentally processes the new readings. The changes had increased the ship's efficiency by 1.6% and would possibly increase the output of the phaser cannons by a similar level. They would need to test the cannons to confirm if the increases were across the board. In truth, the work that they were doing wasn't about bettering the ship. It was about reestablishing their relationship. It was about rebuilding connections that had changed yet again as she regained her corporeal form. "The modifications are falling into the projected ranges. We need to run a level five diagnostic to confirm."

Before Aeric could issue the command, Aria used her own link to the systems to initate the diagnostic. Having lived a part of her life as a part of the system, she had no difficulties establishing a link to the computers. She was as much a part of the ship and crew now as she had been as a hologram.

"How is the recompiling of Aurora going?" Aeric asked. She had retained her knowledge of holograms and worked to rebuild her former shell, but it would never be the Aurora that she once was.

"It's ... going. Without my katra providing the basis for the personality subroutines, I have to create new subroutines from scratch. When I'm done, the new Aurora isn't going to be anything like the last one."

"Is that bad? I don't think I could deal with two of you running around."

Aria quirked a brow at her father. "I'll do my best to make her someone that can contribute to the systems. It will help if you can decide a role for her to start off with."

"Aurora Mark II should be an engineer. With your medical knowledge and ops knowledge, an extra engineer would help fill out our team."

Aria nodded. "That will cut my work from several months to several weeks. It will also give me time to find a new template for her look. I don't think I could or should use the original form. It would be an insult to all that was done to return me."

Aeric nodded. He agreed with his daughter's assessment. The first Aurora had given her existence to bringing Aria back. It only made sense to respect the sacrifice that she made. "How are your nanites functioning?"

"Emotion suppressers are functional and currently set at 80%. My interface tubes are fully integrated and all other systems appear to be working within listed specifications," Aria said softly. "I understand that our systems are counter Borg measures, but with our interlink abilities and the other possible adaptations, are we not in danger of becoming that which we are working to neutralize?"

Aeric pondered the question and then nodded softly. "Yes we are, but at the same time we are not. All of our adaptations are not to recreate the hive mind or the Borg quest for perfection. The work we are doing will enhance cooperation and the quality of life. I know the threat that the Borg represent, but we would be fools if we didn't learn from them and adapt to deal with them. Our nanites aren't the same as the Borg's. I designed ours to enhance the biology of their host, not to replace functioning organs with unnecessary machinery."

Aria took a seat at her station as she allowed her mind to link to the network that Aeric was already connected to. As part of the work to allow an individual to maintain their privacy, the network was designed only to share thoughts that the user projected. It was there in the network that they finished their conversation. In the time that it would have taken to exchange a few sentences, they had an entire conversation, compete with the sharing and modifications of schematics and other scientific data.

In that space between the moments, they gathered and processed research data stored with the computer systems. They had become one with the ship and directed the onboard nanotech through modifications that they brainstormed and simulated at levels that would overwhelm an unenhanced mind. As the machines complied with their new instructions, the two minds worked as one to review and design the modifications that would be necessary to integrate duplicates of their systems into the Tiberius.

As Aeric formulated the warp core, tactical, and defensive modifications, Aria worked in tandem to design a ship-wide hologrid and relay the power requirements back to her father so that they could be factored into his calculation on the size of the zero-point energy generator needed to completely power the modifications. They worked together to design perspective work schedules, resource allocations, and project completion projections. In the span of a few minutes, they had completed several days, if not weeks, of work.

Taking a deep breath, Aeric disconnected from the network and transmitted their work to the Tiberius and the appropriate crew members. Part of his assignment was to assist in the integration of some of the less classified systems of the Aurora into the Tiberius. If they followed his recommendations, the modifications would be completed before the Tiberius was scheduled to leave. Many of the more advanced systems were not going to be included in the first upgrade as he was not yet comfortable with the changes that would be needed for integration, but some of the changes, like the modified shields, would be as simple as modifying the emitters and uploading a new program.

It wasn't long before Aria disconnected herself from the interlink and looked at her father. "I apologize for questioning the logic in your path father. In time, I could see how this technology could vastly benefit all of the Federation."

Aeric smiled and rose from his chair. "You have the conn. I'm going to my quarter and take a nap, the effort we used has made me more tired than I thought it would."

"Perhaps we should look into uploading the software enhancements that you used for my nanites. I haven't experienced the draining effects as acutely as you have."

"I'm well over due for a software patch, but it will take days for the upgrades to fully integrate. We don't have the time for that."

"Your logic is flawed father. If you complete the upgrade, then you can make up the down time by the increase in productivity that the new enhancements will allow. By delaying the procedure, you are actually reducing your productivity by 48.6%."

"I don't want to argue your numbers. Initate the upgrade and I'll rest while the major modifications are processed," Aeric said as he headed from the helm. His head was throbbing and as soon as his nanites were realigned, that would be a problem of the past.

Aria reconnected to the computers and began transmitting the new updates to her father's nanites.

"Computer. Random music track. Earth Circa 1990's. Alternative category," Aria said as she deactivated her emotion supressors. Her father had long ago made it clear that to understand music, you needed to feel the song.

"Working," replied the computer as it accessed the temporal core and its collection of music. Within moments, a song called Everlong by a Terran band called the Foo Fighters began to filter into the cabin as Aria returned to work.

[PepperDude]

"Son, why don't you communicate with me more often when you're away in your starship?" asked Mary Stanton, Johnny Manrique's mother. Oh boy, here we go again—just when I thought she wasn't going to mention anything thought Manrique. At least she asked him when Lt. Tain wasn't in the room. He went out fishing for the evening; Johnny was actually looking forward to eating catfish from Lake Nicaragua . Tain would probably be back soon and Johnny didn't want him to hear the conversation with his mother.

"Mom, you already know why. I just don't like talking too much. You've known I've always been like that since I was a kid. How often do you want me to talk to you? Every week? Two weeks? You know that's not a lot of time. The reason I talk to you about every month or longer than that is because it's actually meaningful. I have things I can actually talk to you about."

"But son, don't you miss me and your sister?"

"Yes I do mom but it's different. . .I can't really explain it OK."

"It's just that I also worry about you."

"Most of the time nothing spectacular or dangerous happens aboard a starship. That's how I see it mom though a lot of people don't. I just don't want you to worry so much about me mom OK. That's why I don't communicate with you more often. Out-of-sight out-of-mind." Manrique regretted saying those last words. He didn't want his family to think that he wanted to love them any less or that he wanted them to love him any less. He just didn't want them to  be very concerned about his safety and he didn't want to worry about them being concerned. Johnny noticed that his mom's feelings had been hurt. He awkwardly reached out and hugged her.

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean that. . ."

"Why do you say such things. You have no idea how much I love you and your siblings. How can you expect me to simply not worry. I'm your mother--what kind of mother would I be if I didn't worry?"

"You're a great mom," Johnny told him his mom as he gave her a kiss on the forehead and then hugged her even tighter. The truth was that Johnny always communicated with his family when something dangerous had happened to him or the starship he was serving on. However, he didn't want to tell his mother about such fact—it'd make her feel worse. "Mom. Mom. How about I talk to you every two weeks? How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful Johnny," said his mother while smiling at him.

Mother and son then sat down on the sofa. "So dad and Jr. are having a good time doing their mining thing in Bajor," said Manrique referring to his father Carlos and his older brother, "what about that little sis of mine Clarissa? We haven't really talked much about her and I haven't really had a chance to talk to her.  Where is she anyway?"

"She's doing well in school," said Mary somewhat dodgingly.

"Good, that's always good to hear. So where is she?"

"She's out with her friends. Girls and boys."

"Let me guess, one of those boys is her boyfriend?" said Johnny a little upset.  He didn't think any boy was good enough for his sister. They were boys after all. She needed to get a higher education first. Then she could think about boys. Even then, 99 percent of the men wouldn't be worthy of Clarissa.

"Well yes Johnny. Don't get too upset. He's a good boy."

"How do you know? There's no such thing as a good boy, mom. Trust me."

"You mean you weren't a good boy?" asked his mom in a somewhat curious manner.

"Just trust me on this mom. You should know that too. I shouldn't have to be telling you this."

"I trust Clarissa."

"Oh C'mon! You can't fully trust her either. She's a good girl but. . ." Then Lt. Tain barged through the door with 5 catfish ranging between one and one and a half feet in length. One of them slipped out his hand and fell on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry m'am. I'll pick that up. Dinner's finally here. What do you think huh? Not bad eh?. Hey Manrique, I caught one of them with my bare hands! What a slippery boy he was."

"I think you deserve a cookie for that Tain," said Manrique somewhat jovially. Seeing his comrade with fresh dinner made him change his attitude quite quickly. Of course, Johnny was still thinking about how he was going to get back at Tain for that cigar incident in the jungle. . .

[KingIsaacLinksr]

After a long night of partying at the Old Arcade, Isaac and Joseph got two rooms near by. They both said their goodnights and turned in for the night.  It had been a long, but enjoyable day for Isaac and he fell asleep very quickly.

Sleep came easy, but his dreams were not as pleasant as the day had been.  "Murderers, traitors...how could they??!!  How dare they?!" he muttered aloud in his sleep. 

Joseph awoke suddenly to the distressed voice of his friendâ€"his shouts could be heard clearly through the walls. He sat up, and again heard the cry, " they have broken through! Mom...Dad..no...don't leave.......help! help!"  Now wide awake Joseph listened intently and after a minute determined that his friend was dreaming.  Concerned, he decided to ask Isaac about the dream in the morning. “Dealing with inner demons can hamper one’s abilities as an officer” thought Joseph. The next day Isaac was moody and distant.

At breakfast, Joseph confronted his friend about his dream.  "What’s going on Isaac? Don't tell me 'everything is alright, because I know everything its not." 

Isaac sighed, "you heard me then?"  Joseph nodded. 

Isaac looked away embarrassed.  "I thought...I thought I had forgotten the whole experience...my memory of it now, must be due to the mind-meld.  Long ago, my family had lived in an outpost on the fringe of the Federation.  There was a traitor in our midst, who allowed invaders to come through our defenses.  Many people were slaughtered that day.  My parents were killed, but not before I was put into an emergency shuttlecraft'. They sent me deep into the Alpha Quadrant and out of reach of the enemy."

Joseph as unsure of what to say, yet he felt sympathy for Isaac. “Maybe you should speak to the counselor when we return,” he suggested.

Isaac ignored his proposition and continued to eat his breakfast.  They paid for their meal and prepared to leave, unsure of where they were headed next.

On the way out the door Isaac’s Extra Sensory Perception sensed an unusual presence nearby and a familiar emotion suddenly struck him.  'What the...I...can...recognize it.  But, I didn't think, how can I sense both of them??'


King Linksr

[Rico]

    Admiral Talbot approached the front door of the Quinn residence.  He hesitated before knocking on the door.  The hour was late and he had never liked uninvited guests himself, especially at such an hour.  Just then he heard scratching coming from inside the door.  Talbot's keen pointed ears detected footsteps approaching the front door from inside the house.  The door opened slightly and a small dog burst out.  Talbot instinctively bent down as the small animal jumped on his leg.  He petted the dog making sure to rub behind the ears.  The Admiral had a fondness for most small animals.  The small collie licked his hand appreciatively. 
   "Well, you are a cute little one.  I wish I had something more to offer you than the rough hand of an old Admiral."  Talbot said as he continued to stroke the dog.  Just then he heard someone clear their throat and he stood fully upright again.
   "Admiral Talbot?  Sir, what brings you to this neck of the woods and at this late hour?"  Captain Quinn said from the doorway.
   "I'm sorry to intrude on your shore leave Captain, but I have some information that I need to show you and your first officer.  I apologize, but it couldn't wait."  The Admiral said as he noticed the colorful off duty robe Nathan Quinn had wrapped around him to keep out the chill night air.
   "Certainly sir.  Please come in.  By the way, how did you know where to find us?"  Quinn said as the two men moved back inside, the small collie following the Admiral with a tail that wagged excitedly.
   "Captain, I didn't get to be a Starfleet Admiral without knowing my way around Starship protocols.  Regulations dictate that officers, even when on shore leave, have to let their ship and therefore the computers aboard her where they are at all times.  The two of you were not hard to find."  Talbot said as he and Quinn made their way to the kitchen.
   "Well, I heard the dog wanted out and couldn't sleep much anyway.  Could I offer you some coffee Admiral?"  Quinn said getting out some mugs and setting them on the counter.
   "That would be most welcome.  But first, go get Commander Sevryll.  The news I want to share concerns both of you."  The Admiral said as petted his new four-legged friend more.
   "Yes sir.  I will be right back."  Nathan Quinn said as he moved from the room.  Sirach Talbot surveyed the home he was in.  It was very cozy and warm.  Just the type of place to raise a family he thought.  His mind drifted to his own wife and child and how little he had been able to see them lately.  The demands of a life in Starfleet made having a family difficult he knew very well.  But he had always tried to find a balance between the two worlds.  Much like finding a balance in himself due to his mixed heritage.  Being half-Romulan and in Starfleet had certainly not been an easy life.  But it had been interesting and exciting at times.  He wondered if more new adventures were just around the corner due to recent events.  Talbot was not much of a psychic or telepath, but he did have very good instincts.  And right about now his instincts were running at yellow alert.
   "Admiral Talbot.  It is agreeable to see you again."  Quinn's First Officer Sevryll said as she entered the kitchen.
   "And you as well Commander.  I wish it were under different circumstances.  I'll get right to the point.  I'm sure you are aware that your father and I have been friends for many years.  Krell and I got in quite a few sticky situations in our time but always managed to pull out of things in one piece."  Talbot said as he sat down.  Quinn quickly replicated two cups of coffee and one of tea.  Handing the tea to Sevryll he sat down next to Talbot.
   "My father has mentioned you with fondness many times Admiral.  I know he has always valued your friendship."  Sevryll said as she sipped her tea lightly.
   "And I value his friendship just as much.  There are only a few people in this galaxy that I trust completely.  But I would trust Krell with my life and I have.  Are you aware of your father's current location and activites Commander Sevryll?"  Talbot said to the young Vulcan woman.  He hadn't been sure how much Sevryll knew about her father's current mission.
   "As far as I am aware, my father is on Romulus aiding Ambassador Spock in his Unification efforts there.  A most difficult assignment I am sure."  Sevryll said as she held the cup in her hands, enjoying the warmth it provided.
   "Admiral,  is there some type of problem involving Sevryll's father?"  Quinn said as he took another long sip of his coffee.
   "In a way.  I just recently received a coded message from Krell.  I want you both to see this.  I have to warn you Sevryll, this message may disturb you."  Talbot said as he pull a small PADD from his jacket pocket.  He set the device on the counter and tapped in an access code.  An image quickly appeared on the screen of an aged Vulcan.  His light green skin appeared pale and his eyes somewhat glassy.
   "Sirach, my old friend.  I hope this message will find it's way to you.  As you may know, I have been on Romulus for months now working on the Unification effort started by Spock.  We had made some significant progress in forming alliances with several key Romulan senators in order to get our message to the various factions on Romulus.  But after the whole Shinzon mess, things have just gone from bad to worse.  Trust is in very little supply here now my friend.  The military is attempting to take over control of the government and declare a form of martial law.  It has made it very difficult to accomplish anything or meet with the remaining leadership.  We also discovered a traitor among us.  But not before he killed two sympathetic Romulan Unification supporters.  I was slightly injured myself in the attack by a small knife, but the wound was small.  I'm not as quick as I was in our younger days Sirach.  Those were enjoyable times, old friend.  It is getting increasingly difficult to even move about safely here.  We are still trying to have small discrete meetings, but the Romulans are having a hard time trusting us.  I told them I would find someone they could trust in.  Sirach, that's you.  I'm sorry to ask this of you, but we need your help here.  Badly.  Spock and I both think that the remaining Romulans interested in Unification would listen to our words with you standing beside us.  Your mother is thought of very highly still here and her son as well.  Again, I know Lydia won't be happy with me pulling her husband off on such a dangerous mission but it's important Sirach.  And I know you feel that way as well.  We discussed Unification for many years, especially when it appeared that the Romulan government was failing.  I am tiring now and someone is coming.  I have a courier that I trust that is on his way to a nearby Starbase.  Please consider this seriously Sirach.  I need your support and guidance here more than I have ever needed them before.  Ahhh, oh my.  My head feels,......."  Krell said, grimacing in sudden pain and slumping over the recording device.  The message faded out after a few more seconds.
   "Father!"  Sevryll said, standing up quickly grabbing the PADD off the counter.
   "Admiral, when did you get this communication?  Have you reported it to Starfleet yet?"  Nathan Quinn said, looking a bit agitated.  He could sense the normally suppressed emotions of his first officer rising a little to the surface.  Sevryll quickly composed herself and sat back down with the PADD.  She replayed the last few sentences, watching carefully for anything that would reveal if her father's condition.
   "I just played the recording for the first time a short while ago myself Captain.  And for now, Starfleet doesn't need to know about this for what I'm going to propose."  Talbot said as he stood up as well.
   "And what are you proposing Admiral?"  Quinn asked quickly, trying to detect the Admiral's mood.  He found it difficult to get a lock on the Admiral's emotions.
   "I'm planning on helping my friend Captain.  I want you to get me to Romulus!"  Talbot said as he finished the now cold coffee in his cup.

[Jen]

Sirach Talbot was like a brother to Sevryll's father. He had been present at Sevryll's betrothal and at her Kas-Wan ceremony—privileges granted only to close relatives. He was, by all intensive purposes, her Thanai Ezyak or adopted uncle. Yet, because of his superior rank, he maintained a degree of professionalism...a facade he kept up for the Captain's benefit.  Sevryll respected the distance he kept and responded formally, "My father has mentioned you with fondness many times Admiral.  I know he has always valued your friendship."

He presented the PADD and warned that the message was disturbing—it was indeed. The sight of her father's disheveled appearance was disconcerting. Yet his mention of the knife attack caused the irrational emotions, that she fought so hard to force down, to break the surface of her fragile self-control yet again. It seemed losing control was becoming a habit.

Subconsciously, she shouted aloud and quickly stood to grab the PADD from the counter. She had to hear the words once more...perhaps there was some information she had missed, some hidden message meant only for her.

They were going to Romulus—Mr. Smith had informed her that this mission would come, though he failed to mention her father's situation.

Mr. Smith had also informed her that David would be waiting aboard the ship—his assignment—to shadow the venture. Failing to mention the existence of a husband was not a lie, it was an avoidance of topic. Yet now that he would be aboard the Tiberius, failure to mention that he was working for Section 31, and infiltrating the Tiberius crew, was an offense worthy of court martial...It was also a burden forced upon her by an organization she loathed. On Vulcan, it was taboo to lie, yet in this case telling the truth meant certain death... Despite this fact, Krell's plight dwarfed her legitimate concerns regarding the clone, Section 31, and all the lies she would have to perpetuate.

[iceman]

The doctor was feeling rather queasy as the roller coaster twisted and turned his body in unnatural positions at a high rate of speed. He felt like a rat in a cage who was being propelled at high speed out a torpedo tube.

What seemed like an eternity was soon follwed by a rapid deceleration and a sense of relief. He was glad this was over.

The Dr. motioned for the counsellor. The counsellor walked over to the Dr. with a big smile on his face. " Wasn't that Awesome... he exclaimed. Want to go Again." The Dr. replied " I think I will Pass Thanks...

The Dr. said to Counsellor Morgan "I don't quite remember all the events that happened with the Ceremony, but I think I was given sometype of medal, Is this true?

The counsellor briefly filled the Dr. in on the events that took place at the ceremony and pulled out a box and said to the Dr.  " I think you are finally ready to receive this" and handed  the box to his friend.  " Go ahead and open it. "The Captain, Senior staff and crew of the Tiberius are very proud of you Dr.

The Dr. Stared at the box for a moment then slowly opened it.....