Star Trek: Season 4 - Family Matters

[Geekyfanboy]

Quinn woke from his short but much needed nap. He got up took off the uniform that he fallen asleep in and walked to the bathroom. Quinn stared at himself in the mirror. It felt like weeks since he was on shore leave, but in reality it had only been a day. He through some water on his face then stood in front of the sonic shower for a ten-minute cleansing. Once finished he put on a fresh new uniform, took a look at himself in the mirror and starting to prepare breakfast. As just the day before he had invited Ensign Took over this morning. He replicated some pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, coffee and orange juice. He wasn't sure what Nic would want but wanted to make sure he was prepared. As Nathan placed the last plate on the dining table his doorbell rang. "Enter" Quinn yelled as he looked in the mirror one last time to straighten his hair.  As the doors parted Ensign Nicholas Took stood there with a big smile on his face. "Good morning Captain" Nic said cheerfully. "Good morning Ensign" Nathan replied with a grin.  Nic looked over at the dining table packed with food, "Wow, you didn't have to go through all this trouble sir. I normally just have a few pieces of toast with jam and some coffee."  Quinn motioned for Nic to take the seat opposite him "Well you know my mother, she has taught me well." They both laughed as they started to help themselves to the very delicious looking breakfast.

[Duffster]

Tain was please that Manrique gave him his new assignment, but  was puzzled by the request. He was still getting used to life as an officer, and have never shipped out on a ship the size of the Tiberius. Tain corrected himself, he had been on ships bigger then Tiberius, but they hadn't carried civilians.

Tain always wondered why in the world Starfleet allowed civilians on Fleet ships in the first place. History showed they eventually ended up causing trouble. His opinion was that undisciplined, untrained people should never be allowed on a ship that could find itself in a battle at anytime.

Tain returned to the task at hand....Remore Farock... Let's see what comes up.

"Computer, Starfleet security scan request, priority Alpha"

"Authorization required", chimed back the computer in a friendly voice.

"Lt Cedric Tain, security USS Tiberius, sfs424-442-821-77373."

The computer acknowledged his clearance.

"Computer, please provide me with all Starfleet records and security information pertaining to the Vulcan currently aboard the USS Tiberius registered as Remore Farock."

Tain watched the screen and after the system acknowledged his request he awaited the information. He didn't have to wait long. He read over the information from the computer, then sat back in his chair heaving a heavy sigh.

"Very interesting.", Tain said aloud.

"Computer, provide me with the location of one Firrak Remor."

As Tain awaited the computers response, he couldn't help but feel that his new job may have just gotten a lot more interesting.

[iceman]

The Dr. was glad to see  Lt.  Manrique but asked if he could be excused for a moment while he dealt with a disciplinary issue. The Lt. nodded and said " no problem doc I am going to take care of a security issue which should take a minute or two." " That's fine , I will meet you back in my office in 5 min then."

The Dr. motioned for Dr. Lucas to come to his office. Dr. Lucas could tell that Dr. Peterson was upset. As the door to Petersons office closed, The Dr. proceeded with a verbal thrashing that could be heard all through the corridor of deck 8. The Dr's. verbal thrashing continued. " ...And furthermore, I expect you to conduct yourself with a certain level of professionalism with a much better attitude. These people are not just patients, they are your fellow crewmates and officers, who you may very well owe your life too in the future.. I expect a little bit more compassion and a much better bedside manner from you in the future. do I make myself clear.

Dr. Lucas nodded hesitantly. Dr Peterson continued. ....I do not want to have to pull you in my office for this again is that understood, I will not put you on report this time, but this is the only break you will get. You need to ask youself why you wanted to become a doctor, If you cant answer that question then I can have you removed from this ship. I will not have a member of my staff handle patients with the bedside manner that I have observed from you.

It would be a good thing for you to remember that future promotions will be based on your ability to conduct yourself in a professional and compassionate manner. That is all, You are dismissed.

Yes Sir, Dr. Lucas replied. Dr. Peterson did not like being a disciplinarian, but their was something about Dr. Lucas that he did not like, he could see that his verbal lashing had had the desired effect on the Lt and hoped that he would not be required to do any further disciplinary actions against the Dr.

Dr. Lucas left Petersons office and continued with his work with a much better understanding of  Dr. Peterson and realized that he was a man that it was not a good idea to get on the bad side of.  Dr. Lucas continued with his duties with a much better bedside manner after his verbal  Lashing and was glad when his shift was over.

Lt. Manrique having heard and witnessed part of the reprimand of Dr. Lucas stood their with his mouth opened in shock of what he had just witnessed, he knew that the Dr. was full of suprises having seen what he was capable of from the last mission, but this was absolutely shocking.

The Dr. looked at the Lt, and said " whats the matter, haven't you seen anybody disciplined before" they stared at each other momentarily then both broke out in Laughter. Lt. Manrique said " remind me not to get on your bad side." Dr Peterson replied, He had that coming or along time, there is something about that Dr. I just don't like, but the way he responded to Commander Syvrll was the last straw, I cant have my officers going around treating anyone the way he was treating patients.

So how about you and I go to five forward and have some dinner. The Lt responded, sounds great how about I meet you their in about ten , that would be fine replied the Dr. I will see you their then...

You made this department look bad today in front of Commander Sevryll and this type of behavior will not be tolerated

[3 Ducks in a Man Costume]

Remor found his way to 5 Forward again. It was nearly empty and Brex wasn't in, but a tall, bored human male stood behind the bar. Remor ordered a glass of warm milk, which actually did help calm his stomach. It wasn't as soothing as a nice, warm fish juice would have been, but for some reason, perhaps because of their renowned constitution, Cardassians were the only ones who could enjoy it. And he had to remain undercover.

Taking the seat by the window he had had earlier, he began mulling over the possibility of a Maquis being on board. Of all the people in the quadrant, the Cardassians by far had the largest file on and paid the most attention to the Maquis and their associates. Even ex-Maquis had been tracked until the decimation of Cardassia. During the reconstruction, he had heard that there were a few members of the new government that kept tabs on the Maquis remnants, but these rumors, even though from reliable sources, were still rumors. One of the more disturbing rumors was that some of the ex-Maquis, blaming the Federation for their slaughter at the hands of the Jem'Hadar, were out for revenge. The only thing he knew for sure was that the man in Sickbay was up to something.

To successfully leave the Tal'Shiar behind and go back to Cardassia, Remor needed the Federation intact, and if this man was planning something, Remor needed to know exactly what it was. He decided that if the topic came up again, he would suggest the idea that he had been associated with the Maquis, as well, and would further a rapport with this Dr. Lucas. And now that he knew who the Tal'Shiar watcher was, he began to formulate his plan.

[Jen]

"NO!" shouted David and Sevryll in unison.

Dennis' eyes widened as he responded to Sevryll's tone. "Please, don't embarrass me in front of our guest! You know how bashful I get when you shower praise on me," said Dennis cynically. " By the way...you're welcome."

Sevryll, practically rolled her eyes as she thanked the hologram for his vigilance then requested that he deactivate himself. He glared down the interloper, pointed at his own eyes with two fingers then pointed at David with one, and vanished from their presence.

David cursed the friend who programmed the hologram before asking Sevryll why she changed the command codes. "Because I knew you would be coming aboard and I did not want you to tamper with him. You should not be here. If you were sighted coming into my quarters..."

"Relax, no one saw me enter. But if they did, I'll just say I met you in Five Forward and wanted to pick your brain on Vulcan/ Romulan relations," he smiled as he bent to kiss her.

She pulled away after a moment and asked him to leave, "your partner told me if you were compromised that he would 'clean up the mess'."

"Guias is melodramatic—don't worry about him. I just wanted to see you...I've missed you." He walked over to a chair, plopped down in it and put his feet up on the table. "I miss you as well," she said as she pushed his boots off the glass tabletop. "My mother is aboard, she and the children are expecting me...you should leave. And even if your excuse is a believable one, it would not be appropriate for Colonel Kehv to be in the First Officer's quarters."

Ignoring her last statement he replied, "I've never had the pleasure of meeting your mother. Maybe you can 'semi-introduce' us," a grin stretched across his face at the thought of finally meeting the woman who had been so critical of his wife. "Really, I just want to see our children," his smile shrank as a wash of sadness came over him.  It was not likely they would recognize him, but she wasn't sure he should take the chance. If they did, he would be compromised and they would all be in danger. "I am not certain that it is a good idea," she replied regretfully.

"I'm a good actor—I have to be to survive in this business. They won't recognize me...I promise."

"I did," she said.

"The children don't have the same bond we have. It's different..."

She felt anguish grip her heart as she considered her children's questions regarding their father. 

"Where is papa?"

"Why is papa gone?"

"When is papa going to come live with us?"

He noticed the change in her expression and reached for her hand to grasp it. "I'm sorry I've done this to you all." The pain in his face was grief he had brought upon himself, but she knew he felt it all the same.

In the quiet of her empty quarters, they planed their strategy for a meeting with the children and Sareth in Five Forward then left for the lounge separately.

[wraith1701]

Like an armor-clad bird of prey, the Defiant Class U.S.S. Ranger soared through the cold, harsh vacuum of space.

The elongated streaks of starlight flitting past its dark and lethal form were the only testament to the speed with which it flew as it made its way to the rendezvous with the Tiberius.

With a brilliant flash of light, the starship left warp and engaged its impulse engines; their red glow sharply contrasting with the streaks of white that were now shrinking back into the familiar pinpoints of a thousand stars.  As the ship drifted to a halt, its gunship-gray duranium hull gleamed dully with the reflected light of a nearby proto-star. 

On the bridge, the Vulcan at conn turned and addressed the Captain.  "We have reached the rendezvous point, sir.  No sign yet of the Tiberius."

"Don't worry, Mr. Suran," the Captain replied.  " I'm sure they will be along shortly.  Maintain this position." 

[X]

Joint post from X and Jen

Having spent almost too much time alone in recent days, Aria was almost excited when the doors to five forward opened. She looked as if she was one of those terran elves of myth brought to life. Her eyes moved over the people gathered as she made her way to an open seat at the bar. She had barely settled into the stool when she noticed three faces that were all too familiar. Aria froze for a moment. She hadn't thought to activate her emotion suppressors and the astonishment on her face was obvious.

She had no clue her grandmother would be there. She had no idea her siblings would be in attendance as well. Aria could only stare at them, oblivious to everything else. Once she caught the attention of the older vulcanoid, she gave her a polite nod of greeting. She could see the family resemblance in the three and she had to wonder if they saw it in her.

Feeling the sensation of eyes upon her, Sareth glanced up from her meal to find a young Vulcan girl watching them from the bar. Right away she noticed a resemblance to her daughter. There were slight differences, but even so, the individual studying them did indeed appeared to be a younger version of Sevryll.

When Aria realized that she had lured Sareth's attention, she had signaled a greeting with a slight nod. M'rynn watched as her grandmother responded with an dip of her head. The toddler turned in her chair in anticipation of her mother's approach. Looking about the room, M'rynn's search ended as her gaze fell upon a pretty girl in a blue dress. M'rynn had decided, in her toddler's logic, that the pretty stranger was a lonely girl. As her brother continued to chatter away about the various shuttlecraft he saw at space dock, his sister, an ordinarily reclusive child, left the table and traversed the busy room to say hello to the stranger.

"Peace and long life," Aria said as she offered a slight smile to the child. "I am Aria and you must be M'rynn. It is nice to meet you. You are as inquisitive as our mother, but we should not worry grandmother. May I accompany you back?" Aria offered a hand to the little girl as she cast a gaze back towards their grandmother. She didn't think about activating the suppressors, she wanted this moment. She needed to feel the sensations that reminded her that she was alive again. Without saying a word, M'rynn took the older girl's hand and smiled up at her. Then the two walked to where Sareth and N'Vall were still seated.

Sareth exchanged greetings with Aria and wasted no time in remarking at how she bore a striking resemblance to Sevryll. The older woman then offered Aria a chair as N'Vall parted his fingers in an attempt to make the gesture his mother had taught him to use, when saying hello. Aria returned the traditional greeting and complemented him on his ability to form the salute.

"Do you live on the ship?" asked the boy. M'rynn continued to hold Aria's hand, which Sareth could not help but notice. The child seemed curiously taken with the stranger.

Aria didn't want to just drop into their lives without her mother's approval. She didn't want to cause the children undue stress by knowledge her existence, but she also couldn't just turn her back on them and leave once she saw them. She had no idea what the logical course of action would be; she only knew that her heart told her to stay. She watched her grandmother for a moment more before gathering the courage to say,"it is agreeable to meet you again, for the first time," said Aria.

Sareth had not been informed of the incident that created the girl in the blue dress. As far as she was concerned, Aria was simply an adolescent Vulcan who's features were similar to her daughter's. "Forgive me, but I do not believe we have met before," said Sareth, confused by the girl's odd choice in words.

"That is both a correct and incorrect statement. You and I have not met, but in another timeline, a version of you was at the birth of another version of me, " began Aria. "You felt it was illogical to not be at the delivery of your first grandchild."

Aria thought that it would be enough to provide clarity to the situation, without forcing her existence on her grandmother. What she chose to do with that information was now up to Sareth. Aria found herself refusing to let go of the hand of her little sister; it was as if that slight connection gave her additional strength to weather the rejection that might come next.

Aria's words hung in the air for a moment, but Sareth merely stared at her curiously, making no immediate effort to step into the conversational breach. Logic told her that it was more likely the girl was mentally disturbed than a product of an alternate time line, but her story was intriguing. "A peculiar assertion Aria," Sareth looked down at to see that the girl still held on to M'rynn's hand...like a tether to reality, she thought. Sareth analyzed the situation, and determined the girl was no threat to the children.

"Is Sareth your grandmother too?" asked N'Vall inquisitively, his mind incapable of making the jump to the next logical question—are you my sister?

"In a manner of speaking, yes, she is my grandmother as well," replied Aria softly.

M'rynn, looking up at her new friend and offered, "don't worry, our mother will like you." The little girl then looked up at Sevryll, who had been standing behind them. "Sit by us!" said M'rynn as she tried to move her chair closer to Aria to make room for her mother.

Aria smiled to M'rynn as she moved closer then looked from mother to grandmother. She had become more than a little nervous, but being near her sister calmed her.

Still not knowing what to say Aria apologized, "I am sorry if I am intruding. I didn't want things to happen like this."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Sareth. "While this hasn't been the best introduction, I assure you that it is a truthful one. I was born in the family home after certain events place—my mother in close quarters to my father during a chance chemical imbalance. As I grew older, you were exceedingly strict about me using my abilities to pry into the minds of others. You told me that I took after my mother with regards to my fondness for inquiry. I don't believe you meant it as a compliment, but I took it as one because it runs in all of the females of this family."

Aria then looked at her mother. "Has she offered to allow the children to audit one of her classes? I was only a few years older when I first saw her teach."

Sevryll was not certain whether the added stress of Aria's presence had begun to chip away at what little control she maintained over her emotions, or if it was something else all together. As she approached the table, she saw that Aria was sitting with her children and she felt anger sweeping over her emotional continence. They had discussed their unlikely relationship when she met Aria aboard The Aurora. Sevryll was under the impression they had come to an understanding—Aria was simply another passenger, until trust could be earned. It had been less than a day since that conversation was had, and her trust remained deficient. Yet the commander noticed M'rynn's demeanor, something had changed inside of her timid child. The situation had become more complicated and would continue to grow in complexity, for she knew David was carefully observing from across the room. Sevryll avoided looking back at him, in part to prevent undo suspicion from the other patrons, though she was also intent upon keeping his suspicions down. She was uncertain how her husband would react to the knowledge of Aria and how she came to be. She could only estimate that he would not take it well.

Sevryll accepted the chair M'rynn offered as she struggled to maintain her composure. "No, they have not been invited to any of their grandmother's classes," replied Sevryll in an attempt to answer Aria's question with an even, unaffected tone. She fought to preserve an austere expression as she turned her gaze from M'rynn to the adolescent seated on the other side of her toddler.

Within the emotional tempest raging in her mind, Sevryll heard a quiet voice of reason. It whispered so softly that she scarcely perceived the logic of its suggestion. An instant later, she determined the best strategy was to prevent a spectacle before her small children. Sareth gave her a questioning glance, unsure of what was occurring. Sevryll tipped her head slightly signaling that she would inform her later then mustered the ability to make polite conversation, "How are you adjusting to your new quarters, Aria?"

"I am adjusting well," Aria said. "Father wanted me to meet others on the ship, but I did not expect to meet M'rynn and N'vall this soon. I also didn't want to seem impolite when she came over to greet me. I apologize for not handling this situation better and I regret any discomfort that this situation might have caused."

Aria bit her lip softly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I didn't want it to happen like this, but my parents taught me not to lie and I found myself unable to turn away. Perhaps I should leave until this is resolved. I will remain in my quarters until you can come to terms with this."

Aria rose slowly then paused. She could sense her mother's turmoil and could only surmise that it was because of her presence. She had never wanted to force this situation. She had never wanted to cause her mother discomfort. "I know that this is not my place, but are you feeling well Commander?  You don't quite seem to be yourself."

"I am fine," said Sevryl, the chaotic contest within her ending as her restraint successfully pinned her emotions. She was thankful that Aria was leaving the table...but M'rynn was not. The child could detect the tension between the two and searched her mother's face for answers. She met the toddler's eyes and after a moment, decided to allow the girl to remain. Sevryll stood, "please stay," her eyes moved cautiously to the last place she saw David—he was gone. Careful not to imply that the situation between she and Aria had changed Sevryll warily worded her next statement. "M'rynn would be disappointed if you left."

"I understand," Aria replied and found herself again sitting next to M'rynn. She wasted no time in turning her attention to the children. "M'rynn and N'vall, how do you find life aboard a starship?"

Aria's mind found itself compartmentalizing. Part of her was enjoying the acceptance of her siblings, but another part was concerned for her mother. Even as she smiled to her brother and sister, that logical part of her raced in attempts to diagnose her mother's condition. If Sevryll wasn't as young as young as she was, Aria would have suspected the first stages of Bendii Syndrome, a degenerative neurological illness affecting a minority of elderly Vulcans. Even if that were the case, it wasn't something she could bring up at the table. She needed more information and was quite sure that her mother was not going to be in the mood to provide it. If something was wrong with her mother, she would find out. With that resolved, she focused her attention on her siblings.

[Jen]

David's heart bounded into a quickened pace when he caught sight of his kids.  A broad, proud smile stretched across his face as he watched N'Vall press his nose against the transparent barrier that was the observation lounge viewport—he always loved the stars. Sareth skillfully directed him back into a chair as their food was delivered. David Lock, alias Colonel Kehv found a table in the corner at the back of the lounge, where he could casually watch them eat their dinner. He had his own only an hour or two before, so he ordered a glass of Kavit wine from Brex and began reviewing the political climate of Romulus on his Personal Access Display Device. He watched over his PADD as his daughter M'rynn left the table unaccompanied and walked, with all the determination of her mother, across the room to a person sitting at the bar. The angle he had on the bar wasn't the best, so he couldn't quiet see who it was she had wandered off to meet. He did noticed Sareth start to stand, presumably to apprehend her granddaughter, before sitting back down as M'rynn escorted a girl in a blue dress, back to the table. The girl's back was to him, and all he could see was that her hair was dark and she was tall and slender. She joined them at the table and after ten minutes he saw Sevryll entered the lounge. She noted his position and walked past him on her way towards the table. Halfway in between she paused—David assumed the girl at the table took her off guard. She stood there for sometime, watching the proceedings at their children's table, maybe she was listening, he wasn't sure...all he could hear was the chatter of the Starfleet officers around him. David glanced back at his PADD and back up again. M'rynn had noticed her mother, and the girl in the blue dress turned to see Sevryll. In that instant he recognized something in the girl's face. Were they related—a younger sister perhaps? It was then he detected through their bond, that Sevryll was angry and he could tell that she was struggling to hold it down. He wished he had a better vantage point, and that his Romulan ears were actually functional and not simply apart of his disguise.

David could see M'rynn still holding the girl's hand and marveled at her connection to the stranger—Sevryll apparently noticed it as well. The girl stood and tucked her hair behind her ear...a habit his wife developed as a child. He scanned the PADD again, careful not to look too interested in the scene unfolding on the other side of Five Forward. His eyes nonchalantly roamed the room—no one else seemed to notice—they were busy with a dozen unique conversations and scenes all their own. He took his glass of Kavit and his PADD and moved to a corner, closer to Sevryll's table. An Ensign sat alone eating a plate of Soft Rice Four Cake; apparently it was the Tellarite's first attempt at the Chinese cuisine. "Your motor skills are lacking, perhaps your chubby fingers aren't nimble enough to operate chopsticks," said David. Tellarites often began an interaction with a series of complaints. If they had nothing to complain about they would simply hurl insults. A good argument was considered a sport on Tellar and David was well aware of their customs. "An inadequately designed culinary implement... and a testament to an innate lack of Human ingenuity," responded the bearded being with a distinctly upturned snout. David laughed and slapped the Tellarite on the back, signaling that he was granting the Ensign the victory. The Ensign joined the guffaw and invited the Romulan to sit with him. David positioned himself so that he could see Sevryll's table and watched as she looked across the room to where he was originally seated. She then asked the girl..."Aria" was her name...to stay. The girl had asked if she was OK...she must have felt the same stir of emotions that David did. Perhaps she was her sister.

"I'm three!" said N'Vall holding his thumb down with his pinky to reveal three fingers on his small hand. A task most children his age found somewhat difficult. Apparently his ability to part his fingers in the Vulcan salutation, had provided him with a bit more agility than most...a skill his new Tellarite friend could use. The ensign dropped the same piece of Rice flour cake on the plate three more times before picking it up with his fingers and eating it. "What is a Romulan doing on a Starfleet vessel in a Starfleet uniform?" he asked with his mouth full of cake. "I'm with Admiral Talbot," said David, unwilling to give him anymore than that. "Oh, yes. The Admiral is half Romulan as I recall," said the ensign. "You're a marine? Will you be stationed aboard, or are you headed somewhere in particular?" The Tellarite was beginning to disrupt his ability to listen to Sevryll's conversation. "I'm accompanying the Admiral...that's all I can say," replied David. "Oh. I understand completely," said the ensign as he abandoned the chopsticks and continued to eat the cake with his hands. 

Now that Tellarite's mouth was full, David could heard the conversation at the near by table once again. He overheard Sareth address Aria, but all she got out was "forgive me, but how can you be from..." Aria interrupted her, yet the words she spoke were no longer Federation Standard or modern Vulcan for that matter—she was speaking Ancient Golic. Sareth was a professor of Vulcan History and Sevryll—an archaeolgist, both were proficient in reading and speaking the early Vulcan language—it only made sense that they would use it to mask their conversation. Obviously, the girl wanted it to remain private and David cursed himself for not learning it...but how could he really? It took decades to learn even to read the simplest script. He strained to translate the foreign tongue and only picked out the words keshtan (birth), tevakh (death), ko-mekh (mother), sa-mekh (father). The words were the same in Modern Vulcan as they were in Ancient Golic. Sprinkled in between were Sevryll's name and another that he did not recognize: Areic James. Slowly, David began to get the sinking feeling that Aria was not his wife's sister...but her daughter.

[X]

Aeric stood on the flight deck as he reviewed the inspection data of the shuttle and fighter fleet. He still had not submitted any additional recommendations beyond what was discussed in the meeting. The Aurora was built for mission like the one they were on, but it had the Tiberius as a weak link in that plan. There was only one ship in Starfleet that was currently allowed a cloaking device and unfortunately it wasn't either of his ships. He knew from experience that the sensor net surrounding the neutral zone wasn't something to ignore. They would need a way to disable the sensor net and while he could shut down a few of the node, he couldn't shut down all those that were necessary to hide the crossing of a ship the size of the Tiberius.

"Chief," Aeric called to a blonde human woman, "where is that status report on those scoutships?"

"Right here sir," Chief Grant said as she handed Aeric a PADD. "We've done a full diagnostic on the fleet and all ships are ready. Crewman Stevens has begun fitting the scoutships with a full load out of weapons. When the Aurora gets ready to leave, we'll have two armed escorts ready to go with her. Microtorpedo systems should be installed within the hour."

"Very good," Aeric said as he smiled to his chief. "I'll look over the pilot list to see who I want to assign to the mission. Thela and Carson have both been looking for some flight time outside of the simulators."

"Sir, should we run any tests on the Aurora?" Grant asked. Since the ship arrived she had been eager to see the inside of the classified vessel. It wasn't every day that a mechanic got to tinker under the hood.

Aeric laughed. "I promise you that you'll get a chance to look her over when the time is right, but for now I want you to focus on the Drake and the Wyvern."

When the scoutships were assigned to the Tiberius, they were given the names of mythological flying creatures of Earth. The four ships, Drake, Wyvern, Roc, and Dragon, were starting to become the backbone of the flight deck. Aeric had his pilots spend hours training to perfect their skill on the systems.

"Sir, are we adjusting the payload of the Roc and Dragon for the mission?" Grant asked as she reviewed data from her padd.

"I think we should keep them in the scout configuration for now. I don't foresee them needing any extra armaments. We just need to make sure that the Drake and Wyvern are ready to move when we reach the departure point."

"Aye sir," Grant responded. Without another word, she headed toward a collection of crewmen that were in the process of installing a microtorpedo magazine into the Drake. "Okay guys listen up! CAG wants these refits done in four hours. I want them done yesterday! Let's get a move on people!"

Aeric smiled. He had a good crew and they knew their work. Ensign Thela wasn't even supposed to be on duty, yet she was in the cockpit of the Wyvern helping to connect the new weapons systems. Her white hair was pulled back as her antenna twitched lightly as she worked.

"Chief," Thela said over the com of the craft. "I'm seeing a .04 discrepancy in the plasma manifolds, can you get someone on that?"

"No problem sir," Grant said as she opened an access hatch to the craft and began to manually adjust the plasma flow. For the chief, it was a simple fix. She had spent most of her life around shuttles and starships. She had grown up in a family owned civilian transport service and had long dreamed of being able to work on advanced Starfleet ships.

She had become a master chief in less than twelve years due to her hard work and she wasn't about to let success slow her down. This was where she wanted to be and she had earned it.

Aeric knew his flight deck was in good hands, there was no finer crew on any other sharship. Normally, he would have stayed to help, but he needed to put together his reports for the XO and his recommendation for the mission. Even with the Aurora as the lead ship, he would be remiss in his duties if he didn't recommend an escort. There was going to be a fleet officer on the mission and that required extra precautions.

[Darkmolerman]

Suder stood up from his personal Computer after deleting many "where is our rental ship" communiqués from the rental agency on Earth. He realized that he needed the lantinum to cover his awesome ship as well as the damage they said he caused. It was a classic and worth quite a bit. When Suder thought about what he owed the agency, and his lack of a Starfleet salary, he began to worry. It wasn't that much, but he still couldn't afford it. He sat back down and checked some stock that he invested in a Ferengi pyramid scheme a few months back. He  barely  earned enough latinum off of that con to buy new clothes or a pet (he always wanted a cool pet yet his idea of "cool" was quite different from most other peoples definition of "cool').  After noting his losing stock, he quickly sent a message to Counselor Margon:

Counselor Margon, Sir,
That was the best shore leave ever, and I hope to do it again soon. Thanks for setting that up. Yeah... remember that ship? Well, if you have a few extra strips sitting around I really need to borrow them. Don't worry, I will pay you back...I promise. And I haven't forgotten the latinum strips I borrowed the last time. I'll pay it all back somehow...with interest...

Have a great Day,
Ensign Andrus Suder

P.S. I looked through the ship's records  and apparently, there aren't many officers who have managed to get themselves into my predicament. And the ones who have, seem to end up  missing...probably kidnapped by Orion loan sharks... If you hear from any Orions, please, PLEASE put in a good word for me. Thanks.

[wraith1701]

K'Tan sat alone at a table, nursing a mug of spicy-sweet raktajino.  The steam from the beverage gently curled up into the cool air of the Ranger's mess hall.  Of all the locations on the ship, this was the one spot at which he felt most comfortable.  He glanced at the large viewscreen adorning a wall, and silently acknowledged the psychological benefits the screen provided.  Though not standard issue on a ship of this class, the communal view-screen helped alleviate the sense of claustrophobia that some felt when serving on a ship with so few actual viewports. 

As was the norm, the viewscreen provided a view of what lay directly in front of the Ranger, creating the illusion that the room sat at the fore of the ship-  much like the Ten-Forward area of the Galaxy-Class starships.  Right now, the view was dominated by a class-3 proto-star.  The pre-star mass consisted of a vast molecular cloud of matter that gave off a faint violet glow; the glow lightened to bright blue as one neared the heart of the slowly swirling mass.

As K'Tan stood and headed to the replicator to refresh his raktajino, his attention was caught by a bright flash in the upper right corner of the viewscreen.  The flash of light faded, revealing the rapidly approaching form of a starfleet vessel.

K'Tan paused, mesmerized by the form of the approaching ship.  The craft was of medium size; far larger than the Ranger, but smaller than the titanic Galaxy or Sovereign class vessels.  And unlike its more ponderous sisters, this ship had a decidedly athletic structure.  Instead of being borne on struts extending up and behind the saucer section, the ship's warp nacelles extended down and to either side, giving the ship an aggressive, almost predatory bearing.  The winglike structures bearing the warp nacelles arced inward to join with a two-pronged secondary hull.  The twin halves of the secondary hull were in turn connected directly to the saucer-section, giving the ship a lean, flattened profile. 

The ship's hull was primarily gray in color, marked by lighter gray and blue-gray highlights, giving it a dignified, regal appearance.  As it drew nearer to the Ranger, He could barely make out several phaser banks.  One described a semicircle around the leading edge of the upper saucer section, and was matched by two more phaser strips adorning the lower half of the primary hull.

"Beautiful and deadly" K'Tan thought to himself as his comm-badge chirped for his attention.  He tapped the communicator, opening a channel.  " K'Tan here."

"Lt. K'Tan, report to the transporter room and prepare to beam over to the Tiberius ," came the Captain's reply. 

"Aye, Sir" K'Tan stated, and headed towards the replicator to dispose of his now cold raktajino.  As the ceramic mug lit up, then swirled into a scattered swarm of lights before fading into nothingness, K'Tan made a conscious effort to calm himself.
He was excited by the prospect of a fresh start, and looked forward to being a crew member of such a magnificent ship. But he was also far more nervous than he cared to admit to himself. 

[Geekyfanboy]

Quinn's morning was moving along nicely. His breakfast with Ensign Took was fantastic and a perfect way to start off his day. After an hour and a half of dining and conversation they both exited the Captain's quarters, Took turning left toward Engineering and Quinn right towards the turbolift which would take him to the bridge. A few moments passed and Quinn walked on to the bridge. He acknowledged his crew with a smile and nod as various hellos and good mornings were addressed to him. He entered his ready room, walked over to the replicator and ordered a Raktijino. As he sat down he picked up a padd and started reading over today's duty roster. Ten minutes passed when his badge chirped. "Sir" Lt. O'Rorke's voice could be heard " We have reached the coordinates of the USS Ranger and there is a Lieutenant K'Tan waiting for permission to come aboard. " Quinn pressed his comm badge " Thank you Lt. Please grant Lt. K'Tan permission to come aboard. I'll met him in Transporter room three."  It wasn't normal for a Captain to greet new transfers, that was the duty of the first officer, but this was a special case, a favor to an admiral and he wanted to meet this man who he was told can be a handful at times. Quinn stood, took another sip of his drink and exited his ready room. Three minutes later Quinn walked into transporter room three and said "Energize!!!"

[Jen]

The meditation lamp cast dancing shadows on the walls and colored the ambiance with a warm yellow glow. The low monotonous murmur of chanting, joined with the rumble of the ships engines and flooded the emptiness of Sareth's guest quarters. The mingled mumbles of man and machine surrounded her motionless form as she sat meditating in the center of room.  She remained that way for an hour or more before here eyes suddenly opened. "Computer, cease audio." The computer responded with a succession of chimes and the enveloping sound was reduced to the hum of engines.

Sareth thought about the episode in Five Forward as she prepared for bed. The girl who had introduced her self as "Aria", had offered an implausible story of alternate timelines and duplicate family members, who faded from existence. Sareth was a scholar and rarely accepted information such as this, as fact, until she had ample time to research it first. Yet there was no evidence left to examine, how was she to draw a conclusion if she had no source with which to scrutinize? All she had was Aria's words...words spoken in Ancient Golic, a language that took decades to learn to read, much less speak fluently. And then there was Aria's connection to M'rynn. Sareth could not claim to know the toddler well, but she had been in her company long enough to know that the small child trusted few and spoke rarely.

Aria was Vulcan in appearance, baring a striking resemblance to Sevryll, yet she was not completely Vulcanoid. A fact Sareth knew not only from the girl's admission, but also because of her lack of stoicism—a trait that obviously came from her father...and augmented by her relation to Sevryll. Sareth's own daughter always had trouble suppressing emotion. As a child she was once declared "continually and unrepentantly over-emotional" by her professors and expelled from school. They recommended that she be sent to a Master for rigorous mental training to combat the emotions she continually displayed. Though her daughter underwent the Nath-Pal-Nahr training, and learned to hold her emotions at bay, they sometimes surfaced when she was stressed. Sareth often wondered if her struggle was genetic.

"Logic is the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos, using reason as our guide," her whisper broke the silence as she extinguished the flame of her meditation lamp and climbed into her bed.

On the same deck, several cabins away, Sevryll lay awake in her own bed recalling the events of the day. David's appearance in her cabin, Aria's arrival in Five Forward...M'rynn's odd reaction to Aria. Her head swam with images and ancient tongues. She tossed and turned for some time before throwing back the blankets and sitting up. Her room was dark and the hum of travel was the only sound permeating her otherwise quiet quarters. She stood and traversed the common area, to look in on her slumbering children. As she drew near to their room, the sound of their sleep met her ears. She watched them for some time before replicating a cup of Spice Tea. As she sipped the soothing warmth of the Vulcan Herbs she thought about her father and wondered if he was well.

The images of Krell's bruised face filled Sareth's subconscious mind. His haunted eyes pierced her dream and called to her from a great distance. The echo of his cries slowly rose in volume and she gasped as she broke from the nightmare. Breathing heavily she gathered her robes and exited her quarters. Rounding the corner on Deck Two, she activated the chime at Sevryll's door. Her daughter, clad in white, met her in the entry and escorted her inside.

As her mother relayed the disturbing details of her vision, Sevryll weighed the consequences of revealing their mission.  She offered her mother a cup of Spice Tea and determined that her duty called for silence—she would speak to the Captain about her mother's vision in the morning.

[X]

"I met some of my family today," Aria said to her father as she entered their quarters. "I believe that it went well."

"How did your mother take it?" Aeric asked as he turned from his desk and to face her.

"She had an emotional response, but she asked me to stay."

"That's a good first step, but you need to be cautious. You were born with Vulcan logic, but you were also born a listener and that comes from your heart. I don't want you to make a mistake that will ruin an already fragile relationship." Aeric said as he moved to hug Aria. "You are also a watcher now, an observer of the secrets of time. That is a heavy burden for anyone Aria. I don't want you to fall under the weight."

"I know father, but what is the purpose of this gift if we are left alone?" Aria asked as they broke the embrace. "How can I listen to my heart and the heart of others if I must also keep it distant?"

"You can't. Nor can I. We will get attached to people and we will lose them. The pain doesn't fade and now you are also stuck with the memories."

"I know, but I can savor the joys." Aria said as she smiled to her father. "I met my grandmother and she didn't outright reject me. I know that my existence isn't logical, but I think that there is hope for acceptance."

"How is she? It has been years since I last saw her in any timeline." Aeric said.

"She's everything I remember. You should talk to her, I think that she might find you ... intriguing."

"At least she won't remember the trouble I caused on Vulcan," Aeric smiled. "I think I might meet her just to pay my respects. I wouldn't be the scientist that I am if I didn't have to deal with the Vulcans at such an early age."

"Well, I'm going to get some rest. I need to look over the Aurora in the morning and I don't need to make a fool out of myself. She's going to be 100% for this upcoming mission."

Aeric nodded to her and watched her leave. He knew that she needed to find acceptance so that she could be at peace. It was his duty as a father to help her. Thinking on the subject, he tapped his combadge.

"Aurora, please transmit all personal logs regarding Aria to my quarters here. Also include all medical data from any relevant timeline in the temporal database and any family holo and photographs of her youth. I need review a few things."

"Request received. Compiling all relevant data."
Aeric sighed and returned to his desk. He needed to introduce his daughter to the captain and there was information in those files that would help explain the situation. He would also need to restore her to his life. The pictures would look good on the wall of their quarters. She could never go home again, but that didn't mean that the Tiberius couldn't become their home. 

[wraith1701]

K'Tan stood at attention on the transporter platform, and drank in what would be his last look at the U.S.S. Ranger.  A few feet before him, facing him from behind the transporter-control console, stood the Ranger's Deltan transporter Technician.   As  the tech held her hand poised over the control interface, K'Tan found himself staring into her beautiful amber eyes.  He regretted having never taken the time to get to know the young lieutenant, or any of his other crewmates for that matter. 

As if reading his thoughts, the lieutenant smiled, and winked at K'Tan.  Taken aback, K'Tan found himself blushing, and returned the woman's smile.

"I'm glad to see that you are in such high spirits, Mr. K'Tan," said the Admiral, as he stepped from behind the transporter technician.  As the Admiral crossed the distance to the transporter platform, the smile instantly vanished from K'Tan's face, and his blush turned into one of embarrassment.  "I was simply recalling an amusing anecdote, sir" K'Tan said as he snapped to attention.

Admiral Santana glanced at the transporter technician, then back at K'Tan.  "Yes, I'm sure." 

The Admiral leaned towards K'Tan,and offered a smile of his own; one that failed to reach his eyes.  K'Tan imagined it was the kind of smile a targ might give to a mouse, right before it ate it. 

"Do not let me down, Mr. K'Tan," he said grimly.  "Captain Quinn is doing me a huge favor in accepting your transfer so willingly, and I do not intend to repay his generosity by dumping someone else's problem into his lap.  You will therefore dedicate every fiber of your being towards not being a problem.  You will in fact aspire to be the ideal Starfleet officer.  If I hear anything less than glowing praise regarding your loyalty, dedication, and positive attitude, I will make it my personal mission to break you, and bury you beneath the most remote penal outpost in the federation."  The Admiral stepped back.  "Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

Stinging from the Admiral's rebuke, K'Tan struggled to maintain a calm demeanor.  As he began to respond in the affirmative, K'Tan felt his words cut short by the familiar tingling effect of the transporter beam.  He found himself immobilized, and as a low-pitched hum slowly grew to drown out all other sounds, the Ranger's transporter room, the technician, and the Admiral seemed to loose resolution.  As the beam continued to translate his very essence into a complex pattern of energy, his surroundings grew even more vague, gradually fading towards a vista of white nothingness.  Just as the last lingering details of his surroundings faded away, the humming sound began to subside.  As the hum faded, K'Tan's surroundings began to come back into focus.  The hazy white nothingness slowly coalesced, and began to take on familiar, normal coloration.  Indistinct, fuzzy shapes came into sharper focus, eventually resolving to reveal a different, larger transporter room.  The Admiral no longer faced him; instead, he found himself facing a muscular, humanoid male with piercing greenish-gray eyes.  The man carried himself with an air of quiet confidence that radiated authority, and his gaze seemed to effortlessly cut through K'Tan, as though he could peer into his very soul if he so wished.  K'Tan didn't have to look at the Captian's pips adorning the man's uniform to know that it could only be Captian Nathaniel Quinn.

The Admiral's last words still echoing in his head, K'Tan snapped to attention.  "Lt. K'Tan reporting for duty, Captain.  I am honored by the opportunity to serve on your ship.  I swear to you; I won't let you down."