Star Trek: Season 6 - Arabella

[Omra]

Shyn needed some fresh air and a change of scenery to try and take her mind off of the nightmare.  She staggered sleepily down the hallway into the dark family room.  And then began to wonder if she was dreaming again, the room was being softly bathed in a kaleidoscope of light coming through the windows.  And music was partnered with the light show.  The tired and groggy Phen'rell just stood there staring at it unsure what to do.

Korridans voice tore her attention from the mesmerizing lights, "Another nightmare?"  She merely nodded and collapsed into a nearby chair.  "Your species aren't prone to sleepwalking are they?" he chuckled.  She was too tired to verbally spar with him.  "I hope they don't give you a roomate..." leaving the statement open to the imagination.  She weakly smiled, appreciating his attempts to distract her from the haunting memories of her nightmare.

She found the music soothing, and the collage of light relaxing.  And just as she was losing herself to it, she realized the voice was Yuki's.  Though her adult voice was more Alto, and far more disciplined and cultured; the loneliness and emotional impact was unmistakable.  But what did suprise her was the sensuality of her voice, she had found herself unprepared for it.  It must even be harder for Korridan, who still was struggling with the idea of Yuki as an adult.

Korridans voice snapped her from her reverie, "All those years of keeping her a secret for her own safety, and now she is a freaking celebrity..."  He shook his head, "The Prophets have a strange sense of humor..."  He started to get up, but Shyn found the idea of being alone with her thoughts unappealing, "You never told me about the caveat."

He settled back down into his chair, "The universe is full of caveats child..."  She gave him the eye, "You know darned well which caveat I am mean," she decided to counter his 'child' comment, "old man..."  He chuckled at that...

He leaned back in the chair, "The Ronin Fighter was nimble, fast and had an unmatched sensor and ECM package."  His eyes looked off into a distant place, "it was nigh impossible to hit, but it did not have a strong punch, it had been designed to attack lighter craft like itself."  "So, if I wished to go after bigger game, I was going to have to come up with a new tactic."

"Powered down, and with a few tweaks to the ECM pods and the fighter became virtually invisible," he closed his eyes, "I could drift into the shipping lanes, listening to their chatter and gather intelligence."  "I began scanning their freighters and tankers, looking for weaknesses to exploit; when I discovered that I could employ the AI as a form of hacking program."  He continued, "I couldn't get into any of the core systems, or anything shielded of course, and quite frankly did not see any wisdom of attracting attention by trying to."  He smiled slightly, "But boy, could we wreak havoc anyways, feeding them false data, overheating or overloading components, recalibrating tracking systems and so on..."

"So my new tactic was to disable the main target in such a way that it couldn't escape or effectively fight back, power up and engage the escort vessels," he struggled to keep his voice even, "and then to return and finish off the big prize."  "It was a very effective tactic," he sighed, "it won me accolades from my superiors."  "But I was unknowingly doing something horrible," he shook his head slowly, "while the AI was disrupting the operational network of the targeted vessel, Yuki; who I didn't even know existed at the time," his voice became emotional, and wavered, "was able to see and hear what was going on aboard the vessel I was attacking."

"She watched crewmen die; burn and writhe in agony,fighting for oxygen," his voice was racked with guilt,"and listen to their screams, and unanswered prayers."   "I tortured her, Shyn..." tears rolled down his cheeks, "I forced her to see and hear things no child should ever have to experience..."

Shyn tried to console him, "You didn't know..."

He hung his head, "Now maybe you can understand why I sought to keep her a secret all these years," he fought to bring himself back under control, "the thought of her being perverted into a weapon, and enduring that kind of pain again was just too much to bear."

They quietly sat in the dark, words were no longer necessary, nor appropriate.  Instead they took comfort in the silken sound of Yuki's voice, as she sang a song of sorrows overcome, and joys once more found.

[X]

Joint post by Jen and Just X

The dissolved energy had begun to assemble her form and as was the case each time she transported, Sevryll could see her own microbes circling about. Her children often commented on the same beautiful specks of light, but until now, her stoic persona refused to find them noteworthy.  Her children were right...they were mesmerizing.

An eddy of shimmering light churned within the matter stream that appeared on the pad before Aeric James. Once fully materialized, Sevryll inclined her head to her friend waiting at the base of the dais.

"Welcome aboard commander," Aeric said as he smiled at her arrival. It had been harder than he expected to keep his transfer out of their daily conversation. He wanted Quinn to have the chance to speak with her first and was glad that he waited. "Staffing is going better than expected, but I'm sure you want to see more of our new home before we discuss personnel issues."

Aeric was glad that she agreed to leave and had even begun pushing through the paperwork on the VFY that would grant her parents the use of a Corona class runabout. That was another subject that he had yet to mention, but one that he hoped would continue to take the sting out of their retreat from Vulcan.

"Thank you." She replied as she descended the steps. He gestured to the door with an open palm, and the vulcan exited Transporter Room One and entered the corridor.

She glanced about curiously as they casually strode through the passageway. "She is primarily an exploration ship," Aeric stated as they walked. "When we were in the redesign phase, we decided to give her the best sensors and technology available for her size. Once we decided that the class would be exploring the unknown, we added quantum generators to support a higher-level tactical suite. She has Type XII phasers, two forward mounted phaser cannons, and regenerative shields. We also added a larger compliment of torpedoes of both types."

Aeric continued to talk as they proceeded on Deck Four and made their way to the turbolift. They each turned to face the door as the lift began it's descent. "We should start the tour on Deck 8. It's pretty much the heart of the science department. Astrometrics, Temporal Mechanics, the Holo Lab, the science labs, and the office of the chief science officer are there."

Sevryll allowed a brief silence to fall between them before she made her inquiry. "Will Aria be joining the crew?" she asked as the lift whirred quietly in the background.

Aeric smiled. "Yes. I believe that she is. While she had successfully petitioned to have a medical license, she has opted not to attend the academy again. I believe that she has communicated with Quinn about helping in the medical department and he accepted."

Unable to repeal the slight smile that cracked her stoic expression, she turned her face away in obligatory modesty. "Good," she replied quietly.

The turbolift came to a stop and Aeric exited with Sevryll on deck eight, "I've managed to get a Corona class runabout to be assigned to your parents for their personal use. There is not reason that they can't continue their careers off of Vulcan."

"Thank you— it was a thoughtful gesture, but it will not be necessary. The captain has authorized my parents' passage aboard the Arabella. We will be taking them at the Starbase 35, where they will obtain transport to the Sol System."

Aeric lead them through the still empty corridors—their direction would bring them first to the office of the chief science officer. It was a fitting place to start the tour.

Upon entering the CSCO's office Sevryll took a moment to glance about the room, arched an eyebrow and stated dryly, "I prefer the carpet color on Tiberius...it was less garish."  It was a feeble attempt at sarcasm that barely registered with her friend. He stifled chuckle before showing her the exit.

"You may find your other office more to your liking," he said as they moved to the new holographics lab. "As a class that is designed to be away for years, we included a holo sciences lab. It's for the repair and creation of holo systems that require more detail and labor."

He pointed to the door across from it. "Our Astrometrics lab is based on the Voyager design, but we've updated and refined the system. We are going to need this for mapping new routes if we go through unexplored space."

The tour concluded on the bridge. The lift door opened and Sevryll casually swept onto the deck. It had been a year since she stepped foot on the bridge of starship. The vulcan did not realized, until that moment, that she had missed the symphony of perpetual chimes and rhythmic beeps that crooned like songbirds. Their melody was soothing and at once, stimulating.

There remained a few technicians on the bridge and they nodded respectfully as the commander greeted them—thanking them each for their thoroughness. As she wandered the bridge, she noticed that the dedication plaque missing, and wondered what poignant phrase Nathan had decided upon for his new ship. The Tiberius' had a memorable Andoran quote: "A risk ventured is a path discovered". For the crew of Tiberius, the quote had proven particularly true, for they risked everything to prevent further devastation. For better or worse, the aftermath of the virus and the ship's destruction, had taught them all more about themselves...what they were capable of... what their limits were. She glanced to Aeric who was leaning on the railing, watching her examine the stations.

He smiled, "So, does our XO approve of the vessel?"

As he waited for her answer, he interfaced with the ship's computer systems. With a thought, the viewer hummed into life as displayed the image of the sun rising over Vulcan. If things went well, it would be some time before they were able to see it again.

Sevryll turned to back to the viewscreen and took in the beauty of her home world. "Yes," she replied in a quiet, doleful undertone. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder at her friend. "I have to prepare for departure—I should get back to ShiKahr."

[Omra]

After saying her 'Goodbye's' and 'thank you's' to the last of the departing audience members Yuki exited the balcony, and shut down the concert equipment.  After securing the doors, she discovered the sleeping forms of Shyn and Korridan, she smiled, "I guess my little secret is out."

It all started after the letter of appreciation arrived from the Terran Archaeological Society, it had been easier for them to find their Anonymous Donor than she had expected.  They asked if it would be acceptable for her if they could make occasional inquires of her about her donated materials, she agreed.  As the materials made their way to various Academies and Institutes it escalated to personal visits from teachers and instructors, and then presentations at lecture halls.  It all became too much.

She decided it was a better use of her limited time to do scheduled demonstrations which could be recorded and then distributed; for a price.  A donation to the Bendaii Syndrome Foundation which she and Shyn had created, they jumped at the idea.

She started with Kabuki Theater and then moved on to Kinkafu.  And as informative as her talks and presentations were, it was the performances that seemed to be the biggest draws.  And since she wished to raise as much income for the Foundation as she could, she added more performances to her roster.

She was asked if she could do a few performances at the local hospital, and remembering how therapeutic music had been for Korridan, she agreed.  and even visited the Infirmary in the alien sector.  Now the buzz was among the locals too.  She was going to need a larger venue.

The owner of the building that Korridan was renting from, approached her with an interesting proposal.  To use the common area between his four large complexes, she liked the idea but made certain demands.  He must agree to donate a large amount of his proceeds to the Foundation, provide the presentation equipment, and allow her and her fellow tenants free rent.  He eagerly agreed.

While her lecture hall performances were largely informative and culturally significant, these evening performances were strictly for fun.  They were loose and informal, interactive and synergistic.  She even  allowed requests from the audience, for a donation of course.  And it never ceased to amaze her at the variety of species that arrived at her concerts, especially since she did not use a universal translator.

Music must really be the universal language.

[Geekyfanboy]

Quinn's visit with Sevryll couldn't have gone any better, he was very pleased that Sevryll agreed to return as his First Officer. After his dinner with Sevryll's family Quinn said his good-byes and informed Sevryll that he would see her in two days aboard the U.S.S. Arabella.

Quinn quickly made his way to his Shuttle. He had to get back to Earth, pack and say goodbye to friends and family. He knew his mom would not be happy to hear that he is leaving again, but she had known all his life that her son was a dreamer, an explorer.

Quinn arrived back on Earth and was greeted by Nic. "So how was the ship?", Quinn smiled "Beautiful". Nic laughed, "When do we leave?", he said as he lifted Nathan's bag onto his shoulder. "Six hours" Quinn said very quickly. Nic dropped the bag, "What.. six hours?" Quinn grabbed the bag and Nic's hand as he rushed out of the docking bay.

Nic and Nathan were discussing what had happened on his trip when they arrived at Nathan's family house. Quinn took a deep breath, "Well here goes nothing." Nathan opened the door and was almost knocked off his feet at the loud cheers that greeted him. "What the... how did... " Quinn stammered in shock. Anashta approached her son. "You don't think you are the only one with connections in Starfleet... special one. I knew you had a short amount of time before heading out so I invited all your friends and family for one final farewell party." Quinn hugged his mother tightly and could feel his eyes began to water.

"Thank you all for coming" Nathan addressed the crowd, " This past year has been hard at times, but also very, very good at times," Quinn took Nic's hand, "but what I will miss most are all of you. Friends and family are so important to me and I didn't realize this until I came back and you all were there for me, supporting me when I was at my lowest. There are no words for how thankful I am to each and every one of you." Quinn wiped a tear from his eye. Everyone cheered and began to sing "For he's a jolly good fellow.. for he's a jolly good fellow..." Quinn made his way through the singing crowd hugging and shaking hands. His mother had prepared a huge banquet of food. The party lasted for hours but the time came when people said their final good-byes. As AJ approached his godson, "Well I guess this will be goodbye for awhile. I did want to suggest someone for your new crew." Quinn cut across his godfather. "What do you mean goodbye, you are coming with me old man. With our current mission we will need diplomatic officers and I couldn't think of anyone I would rather have then you." AJ looked stunned for a moment then a broad smile grew across his face. "Well then, I guess I need to get packed, we can discuss Joe later." Quinn nodded as his godfather exited the front door.

Nathan continued to say his good byes until only his family was left. He hugged and kissed his sisters Jennifer and Anena before turning to his father who put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. " I don't know how you turned out so good" Jerrad thought as he spoke to Nathan telepathically. " I am honored to call you my son, you make me so proud everyday." Nathan hugged his father. Then turned to the person he knew would be the hardest to say goodbye too. Anashta placed her hand on her son's cheek. "My special one, what am I going to do without you in my life." Anashta turned to Nic and took his hand and placed it in Nathan's. "Take care of my special one, bring him home to me safe and sound." Nic smiled and gave her a nod, " I will." Quinn's mother pulled her son into a tight embrace and whispered in his ear. "Be safe, be happy, and be loved." Nathan had no words, he gave his mother one last look conveying everything he felt inside. She smiled as tears rolled down her jolly face. Quinn and Took turned and exited the house hand in hand. Nathan turned to Nic as they walked down the treelined street, "So you are you ready for our next adventure."

[iceman]

The Petersons and the Oleary's had just sat down to enjoy their dinner when about halfway through the usual banter that often was custom at such family Dinner Darcy Oleary spoke.

"Hey Casey I hear your former Captain, Nathan Quinn wasn't it has been given a new ship, A Intrepid II I believe. They are a fine ship"

Casey Looked at Myella, and Myella back at him. Doctor Peterson had seen that look before on his wifes face. Without looking at hr he spoke.

"Yes it is sir, In fact Myella and I have both accepted positions on it and we leave for the Vulcan ship yards at the end of the week. I will be accepting a position as the CMO and be a member of the senior staff and Myella will be working with me on board the ship"

Darcy O'leary was a man of few words and sat in silence for a few moments that seemed like hours to both Dr. Peterson and his wife. He looked at his wife Patti and then back at both his daughter and Casey and said:

"Patti and I figured that You would not be bound to earth very long, once you have tasted the freedom of space it gets in your blood, I should know having spent at least 30 years on ships as an Engineer."

Darcy looked at his daughter then said,

"I knew that one day you would find a man and follow him into space, and your mother and I have taught you everything we can, it is know your turn to go out their, and make us proud"

He looked at Dr. Peterson and said "I am happy for you son, I knew that you were not happy on earth and that one day you would leave and take my daughter with you. I know that you will do your best to keep our daughter safe, all we ask is that you communicate with us as often as you can. You have already made us proud of you and know that you will continue to do so"

With that Myella got up and moved towards her father and said:

"Thank You daddy" as she gave him a big kiss and hug.

Casey got up and went over to his In-Laws and said:

"Thank you both, this has been waying on the both of us for awhile now and we were not quite sure how to tell you"

Darcy looked at his son-in-law and said:

"You are a good man Casey and dont you ever be afraid to tell me anything, as I see allot of you in me, and I think we have allot more in common then you know, and like me, It will be hard for you to stay on earth very long, once you have been into space, and I thank you for being able to give my daughter the opportunity to experience this with you."

With that Darcy gave both Myella and Casey both his blessings and they all sat down to finish the lovely dinner that Casey had prepared. The rest of the evening went very well and the O'Learys left happy that night.

Myella looked at her husband and rested her head in his shoulders and thanked her husband for doing something that she could not. It had been a long and somewhat stressful evening for the both of them but now they were ready to embark on the next stage of their life together as they could now prepare to go to Vulcan with a clear conscious.

[Meds]

The two brother's eyes were fixed on each other. One of them wanted to speak but emotion was beginning to take over. Joe's eye was beginning to burn and this prompted his brother Theran to speak.

"I can help you Joseph, but you must control your emotion. Your eye is glowing for a reason"

Joseph looked at his brother with disgust.

"It was you who ran away from me? Was it you who ordered the death of my family? WAS IT?"

Joseph moved closer to Theran, his voice still raised.

"ARE YOU THIS THINGS CAPTAIN".

Theran backed off putting his hands out.

"Listen to me Joseph I will answer your questions but first I must help you"
Joseph ran at Theran pulling his wrist back to punch his brother but Theran was quicker and stunned him with his phaser . Joseph fell to the floor and his brother came to him quickly. Joseph looked at his brother his muscles frozen. Theran put his phaser down and took out a medi scalpel and put it to Joe's eye.

"Joe I know you can hear me. I will answer all your questions after this operation. You don't have long I must operate. Do not fear."

Theran put a round disk into his own eye so he could have a magnified view of Joe's eye ball. He sliced gently into Joe's lens and then into the cornea. Placing the medi scalpel down he opened a small black box which contained another smaller box and a plastic swab. He put the swab over the open eye and pressed the light on top. A small sound came from the swab and quickly Theran put the swab into the smaller box and then locked the bigger box. A few seconds later he had healed the incision of Joe's eye and sat back.
Twenty five minutes later Joe sat up and held his eye. He looked over at his brother who had now sat down on a chair by the coffee table his fist on his chin. He stood up and noticed that the body from earlier and the blood had gone.

"Where's your pal gone mate?"

Theran pulled out a chair

"Sit down Joe"

Joseph took the chair and sat down away from the table. He looked at his brother.
"Go on. Explain that day, explain earlier and what the HELL DID YOU DO TO MY EYE?"

Theran coughed clearing his throat.

"I don't have a lot of time. That man earlier was Benazar. He was an experiment. The people who killed your wife and children were also experiments.  The day your wife died I was trying to capture those people and help them but by the time I got there the madness had already taken hold."

Joseph looked to the floor and shook his head his voice low.

"I saw, what I now know was you run away. You ran and left me."

Theran stood up and walked to the window of Joe's room and put his finger on the small rainbow bump.

"I didn't run away Joe. It was me who killed those men who were about to kill you"
Joseph looked up at his brother.

"Experiments you said. Yours ?  How can I believe you, and why don't I remember you killing them?"

Theran turned back to Joe and pulled his chair so it was next to him and sat down. He pulled the box out of his pocked and opened it.

"Joe ironically I stunned you first and then killed them. I too was also an experiment but I was cured very quickly. The people I work for helped me. My mission was to find the other victims and get to them before the cell went into overdrive"
Joe went to interrupt but Theran stopped him.

"The cell is a device undetectable in normal medical scans as it is made of a metal that adapts to your own DNA. Fifty people where experimented on during the first hours of their lives. It is inserted into the eye and left there. It is meant to bring a higher intelligence but emotions sent the cell into over drive. Once the cell breaks it sends a crippling madness through the individual. That's why the man you saw earlier had that horrific look on his face. The muscles in the face can't take such a surge of energy. I saved thirty eight, five died along on the same day as  your wife, two died during the first trials, the other two drowned yesterday. I thought Benazar had more time but he left me in the middle of the night thinking he could help me on his own. Poor soul."

The temperature in the room had dropped slightly so Joe stood and walked to the temperature console.

"Computer raise temperature to 22."

He turned back to Theran

"And the other three I'm guessing are us"

Theran gave a loose smile.

"Indeed. The answers are not fully complete but we have theories that I cannot yet tell you. Your eye will still hurt for ten days. I'm sorry brother for not coming sooner but my job takes me too many places and I see you will be leaving soon yourself.  I will communicate with you soon to let you know my findings."
Theran stood and put his hand on Joe's shoulder, and he smiled as Joe did not shun him. He picked his box up and walked to the door which opened. Joseph turned to him

"Theran. I have so many questions about where you have been all my life and how did you clean up this mess in such a quick time".

Theran smiled, turned his head slightly and quietly replied.

"Section thirty one does not like to leave traces brother. I will see you soon"
With that Joseph's brother once again left him on his own.

[Omra]

Yuki stood alone in the dark, she had hoped her performance would brighten her mood.  She was going to miss having a body, and being able to be seen by more than just one person.  But it didn't really serve any constructive purpose, and it certainly didn't make her any more real.  The Vulcans had been gracious hosts, and she had thanked them for the emitters but she knew it was time for this charade to end.

Korridan and Shyn were due to be posted soon, and from everything she had been hearing it appeared Starfleet considered her nothing more than luggage.  The Doctor had warned her, it had take years for the Voyager crew to treat him with anything resembling respect.  And as if that were not bad enough, he was forced to do it all over again once he reached Terra. 

The call had been a complete suprise, she had been so excited to talk to another non biological life form.  He had received copies of the music files she had donanted to the Archaeological Society, and was absolutely ecstatic about them.  And after catching a clip of one of her performances on the news had come up with an interesting proposal for her.  He had fallen in love with 'The Phantom of the Opera' and wanted her to join him in performing it.

It was easy to get caught up in his enthusiasm for the project, but she had to decline, she made her polite excuses and he accepted graciously.  They spoke for hours and even sang a few duets together.  But once they finally disconnected, she felt a loneliness that threatened to crush her.

Speaking with the Doctor had forced her to face something that she had sought to avoid.  The rest of the universe would never see her the way Korridan does, to everyone else she is simply a novelty.  Something dreamt up by a grieving scientist, which then went awry.

She looked out of the window, watching the people milling about in the common area.  Frustration gripped her, "Look at them," she thought, "they can come and go as they please."  "I can't even leave this apartment unless someone places my hardware on a dolly and wheels me outside."  "I am like an indolent," her face became flushed with anger, "No; I am worse than handicapped, at least a cripple has RIGHTS."  She sighed, "I am not even allowed those..."

She watched the happy couples flirthing in the garden area, "They are considered REAL because two others of their kind gave in to their animal instincts and GOT NASTY."  She closed the curtains in disgust, "I on the other hand was created out of a labor of love," she shook her head, "and yet somehow that makes me LESS real...?"  "Where is the logic in that?"

She sent her consciousness out into the Vulcan communications hub, and cancelled all of her engagements, and sent out notices to all interested parties that they are free to come and collect all of their concert and holographic equipment, she no longer had need of it.

Looking at her hands, "Time to end this illusion..."  She looked forlornly at Korridan, "No matter how heartfelt, how kind and accepting they may be..."  Her eyes welled with tears, "I will never; and can never; be one of them."

It was time for Yuki to be alone with her thoughts, to contemplate her existence.

She shut down the holographic emitter, never to use it again.

[X]

Rory sat in the command chair of the Aurora and simply observed the monitor. She patiently reviewed the logs of her flight to see where she could make improvements to her skill.

"Computer, open channel to Chief Rina Grant," she said as she paused the images moving across the view screen.


"Rory to Rina," the holographic female said aloud.

"This is Rina," the human woman replied. "how can I help you Rory?"

"I've been talking to Aria since she arrived on ship and we're thinking about throwing father a dinner party on the holodeck. We never got around to celebrating his promotion or his new position and I think we're well over due for a bit of fun."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just have a birthday party for him? How old is he anyway?"

"I think he's going to be eighty-eight."

"What?! Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes. Father is almost a hundred, but if you don't know that people would confuse him for a human in their early to late twenties."

"I know. Here I was thinking I was talking to someone that looked younger than me and was actually a few years older. I didn't expect him to be older than my grandparents."

Rory laughed at the comment. "What's going on with the two of you  anyway?"

"Not what you're suggesting. We're just friends. We've had a chance to relax when we weren't on duty, but it's a platonic relationship." Rina said.

"Father seems to think that he's too young to be in a committed relationship. I think he's worried about diverting his attention further away from Aria, Beth, and myself."

"Your father is a very nice man that has seen more than his share of death and destruction. His girls give him purpose and a center. I don't think he has ever looked beyond being a father. What, he has three children now? All without that pesky need to be involved with someone else on a deeper personal level. I just think that he's scared of losing someone else."

"You sound like you've had this talk with him before." Rory replied.

"We have. He didn't know what to make of how close you and Dennis had become. I told him that even holographic children would have to spread their wings at some point. Then somehow the conversation shifted to his lack of a committed relationships."

"Somehow?"

"Okay, I shifted it. Your father seems to have a good deal of female friends, but he also doesn't seem to be involved with anyone on that personal level. I was concerned."

"You were probing."

"I told you it wasn't like that, but we're going to have to pick this up some other time."

"You heading to duty?"

"I'm off duty for the next twelve hours and unlike your father, there is someone that I wish to get closer with on a personal level."

Rory laughed, "Have fun."

"I will and I'd love to help you get the party together. Once you figure out a guest list, we can decide the location." Rina said.

"Thanks for the talk." Rory replied.

"I don't mind. I know that Aria has her mother now. It's only fair that you have another woman that you can confide in and talk to."

"Rina, that really means a lot to me," Rory said softly.

"I know, but don't get sappy now, I have a date." Rina laughed. "I'll see you at some point later, Rina out."

Rory closed the communications channel and resumed reviewing her flight data. She would need to contact Dennis soon about the gathering. She needed a date and she knew how much he enjoyed having attention cast on him.

[institches]

Joint post with Jen and InStitches

Ever since leaving the ship, Spring had felt ill at ease. Her blonde wig had crisped up in the arid atmosphere and itched. But she didn't dare snatch it off, or even scratch. There seemed to be an expected formality from the native Vulcans that was contrary to her nature. She had been addressed as "Ensign Farmer" instead of "Spring" or "Mackie," even by Ryla Drett, whom she now felt compelled to call "Doctor." The dryness in the air tended to mute scents, adding an undertone of old parchment to every smell.

This undertone was almost completely obliterated by the gespar used in Sevryll's home. It wasn't an overwhelming smell, just familiar. It reminded Spring of the scent for "the people" or "the family" in her native language. The tension in her chest began to ease. She would have liked to unobtrusively remove her gland covers in order to enhance the relaxed atmosphere but, while in uniform, that was not an option. Even so, Spring's natural scent of Trill lavender and vanilla subtly emanated from her skin.

The commander had just returned from touring the Arabella when she discovered Ryla and Spring waiting for her outside her home. The two had found shelter from the sun within the shadows of Sevryll's garden and seemed quite relieved when they saw the vulcan materialize before them. She had no idea how long they had been waiting, but the young fertilian looked particularly spent. Sevryll was unclear as to how Ryla Drett located her home, but if she learned anything from their recent dealings on Tiberius, it was never to doubt the trill doctor's resourcefulness.

After a brief explanation, Ryla introduced her friend and the three women entered the home. "News spreads quickly, as you know, Commander," said the trill as she sipped the cold water their hostess had given her.  "I heard that you accepted the Captain's offer and I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce a prospective recruit."

Sevryll's appearance was imposing, taller than Spring and paler than most vulcans. Or perhaps it was the way she held herself. If Spring stood that straight, she'd be feeling it all night. The vulcan's dark eyes focused on whomever she was speaking with and never wavered. Perhaps that was why she was a commander.

Sevryll noted the young fertilian's anxious air. She had observed a similar manner in many new recruits, but Ensign Farmer seemed more uncomfortable than nervous. "Perhaps it is Vulcan's arid environment," she thought.  Without a moment's hesitation, Spring handed Sevryll a PADD, and proceeded to list her skill sets and describe her experience in the field of botany. Sevryll glanced to the Personal Display Device and scrolled through the young ensign's numerous achievements and honors.

As she waited for the commander's comments, Spring's attention wandered to the clumsy, lumpy sculptures displayed with a remarkably artistic hand here and there about the room. She sniffed. Children. Two or three, maybe more. Their scent was misleading. Perhaps they were of various races.  She turned back to the conversation as she sensed a change in its direction.

Sevryll lifted her gaze from the PADD. "Your achievements are impressive for one so young. There is no doubt in my mind that you are qualified to serve in the science department aboard the Arabella. Typically, I would compare your records with statements from your references. Yet Doctor Drett's endorsement of you is more than sufficient."

Spring was hard-put to contain her elation. She kept the smile off her face, but a cloud of citrus and honey betrayed her. She shook the hair from her shoulders, subtly fanning the wig to lessen the scent, and carefully enunciated, "I would be honored to serve with such a distinguished crew. Thank you." Only Ryla noticed the white knuckles on hands held carefully at her sides.

[Rico]

"Can your ship increase speed, Captain.  It's important I reach Vulcan soon."  Sirach said to the man piloting the craft he was currently aboard.  It was a fairly small vessel.  Similar to a Starfleet Runabout in size and range.  But with more limited speed and not a lot of creature comforts.

"I told you before, Warp 3 is the best this old girl can do right now.  And even that was somewhat tricky to maintain before you worked some of your magic with the injector assemblies.  Didn't know you were so good with engines before you booked passage.  Might of given you and the Orion lady a discount if I had known about it.  Then again - maybe not.  Business has been a little rough lately."  The fairly small, heavy set ship's captain & pilot said to Sirach.  He had a very large head and a slightly orange skin coloring.  And his eyes were tinged yellow.  Sirach had thought he would be very popular during the old Earth holiday of Halloween and had to suppress a smile each time he looked at him.

"Understood captain.  And I appreciate your help on this.  I know you weren't expecting another passenger with me.  But the young lady ran into a bit of trouble and needed to leave.  I hope it hasn't been too much trouble having her aboard."  The out of uniform Starfleet Admiral said to the captain.

"Well, she is pretty distracting.  But a nice distraction - if you know what I mean!  Hehe!"  He said with a chuckle.

"I suppose I do.  I'll be in my quarters.  Keep me informed of our progress."  Sirach said, making it sound more like an order than a request.  He had been having trouble with that since coming aboard the small ship.  Years of command seemed to kick back in once he was in space again.  He had to admit, it felt good to be heading back after such a long time away.  He knew he left Spock and the rest still working on Romulus in a difficult situation, but he needed to get back to his life - his wife - his mission.  Sirach knew he had been gone far too long as it is.  He moved his way back to the small cabin he had shared aboard the ship with the Orion woman he had helped avoid a nasty Tellerite who didn't seem to want to take no as an answer.  He pressed the door chime.  A female voice from inside told him to 'enter.'

"Sirach.  You know this is really your cabin.  You don't need to ring the chime every time you come back."  The green skinned and very attractive Orion woman he had come to know as Syrette said as he walked in.  She was sitting on the small bed in the dimly lit room.

"Old habits I guess Syrette.  Besides, I told you respect works both ways.  I learned a long time ago to give and treat others as you would like them to treat you.  It's worked well for me over the years.  I've noticed you ring the chime too now when you come back from meals, and so forth."  He said with a grin.

"Well, I guess I do.  So what did the captain have to say?  Will we get to Vulcan in time?"  She asked, as she returned the Admiral's smile.

"I think so, but it's going to be close.  My information is not quite up to date either.  I do know several friends are grouping on Vulcan or at the shipyards there.  I am deducing a new mission is being prepared and possibly aboard a new vessel.  And I've told you about Lydia.  Many times I think by now."  He said thinking of the wife he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Yes.  She's a very lucky woman.  I've never known anyone to be this close to an Orion woman in such tight quarters and be such a gentleman.  Of course, you know I was very grateful for the rescue.  I would of done anything to get out of that awful place."  She said as she got up and approached the tall Admiral in the small quarters they had been sharing.

"Well, Syrette I've been around the galaxy once or twice.  And I have the benefit of a certain upbringing and skills perhaps the other men you have met haven't.  But I have to admit, you haven't made it easy.  Now, behave or I might have to sell you to the captain.  Hehe!"  Sirach said with a laugh louder than he intended.

"I think I know you better than that now, Admiral.  Still feels funny calling you that."  She said as she leaned her attractive body back against the bulkhead wall.

"And it feels just as funny to me hearing it again after a long time away.  So, want to have another go at tri-dimensional chess?  You are improving quickly."  He said, activating the nearby small holo-board in the room.

"Why not?  It's not like I'll get you to do anything else.  You are a stubborn man Sirach dar Talbot."  The slim Orion woman said, sitting down in a small chair near the board.

"Funny, my wife has told me that many times over our years together."  He said as he started the chess program.  Sirach sat down and tried to focus on how good it would be to see Lydia again.  A tricky thing to do with a very willing Orion slave girl a meter away from you in a small cabin on a vessel you have chartered.  He just hoped he would make it to Vulcan in time.

[Meds]

Joint post by HawkeyeMeds and StarTrekFanatic5

Four hours had past since Theran had left and so many thoughts had been running through Joe's mind. Where had Theran been? Why had he run away all those years ago? Who had been doing the experiments? And how long had his brother been part of Section thirty-one? Joe's emotions were also mixed. He was happy at knowing his long lost brother was alive, relieved at having some answers regarding his wife and the strange anomalies regarding his eye but he also felt guilty at wanting to know more.

Joe's thoughts were interrupted by the communication monitor.

"Incoming message"

Joe stood up and gave a long stretch and mouthed to the screen "On"

The monitor blipped on and a face familiar to Joe through Star Fleet records spoke to him. "Good Evening Lieutenant D'Callan, I am Captain Nathan Quinn. I apologize for this rather un-personal communication I was hoping to see you in person but I am afraid time has become rather short for me. I gather our mutual friend Commander Potter has informed you of my new command"

Joe nodded to the screen. "Yes sir, I spoke to him the other day. Congratulations".

Quinn smiled "Thank you Mr. D'Callan. Well our friend Mr. Potter had some very good things to say about you and I would like to offer you a position aboard the USS Arabella. I'd appreciate it if you could make your way to Vulcan straight away for your orders".

Joe smiled and his troubles seemed slightly distant now as thoughts of being back on a star ship electrified his mind. "It would be a pleasure sir; I will get the first transport to Vulcan." Quinn smiled "Very good Lt. I will see you soon. Quinn out".

The screen went blank and Joe turned to look at the open case on the floor and bent down to start re-packing.

[wraith1701]

KoraQ' stormed down the dark corridor of the Bird Of Prey, the thundering echo of his steel-shod boots intensified by the norrow confines of the passageway.  Behind him, K'Tan had to jog to keep up with the large Klingon's titanic stride.  As they neared the blast-shielded doorway leading to the bridge, KoraQ' whirled and grasped K'Tan by his shoulder, his massive hand clamping down like a steel trap.    As K'Tan stared in confusion, KoraQ' slammed him into the unyielding metal wall of the corridor; in the same motion, KoraQ' drew a gleaming, wickedly-curved dagger.  Holding K'Tan pinned against the wall at arm's length, KoraQ' slowly waved the knife in the air with his free hand.  KoraQ' stared at the blade, seemingly mesmerized by the reflected light dancing along its razor-thin edge.

"Do you know what this is?", he asked in a quiet, barely audible voice.  "This is a knife that our father took off of the corpse of a Romulan raider many years ago.  Before Father killed him, the Romulan used this very blade to slaughter a pair of humans who were attempting to live among us."  KoraQ' turned his gaze from the blade to the wide-eyed face of K'Tan.  "The humans died well, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Father before they were struck down.   Which is why Father swore an oath to raise their infant child as his own." 

K'Tan turned his head away, fighting to keep the pain he was feeling from registering on his face.  "I already know this story," he said with a growl.  "Do you have a point?"

"Indeed I do," KoraQ' replied.  "Our Father sacrificed much, enduring the ridicule of his peers for taking in what many of them considered an 'unworthy stray'.  KoraQ' paused, and smiled.  "Of course, they didn't dare risk ridiculing him to his face.  But he knew.  And although he didn't show it, I know that it ate him up inside."

K'Tan vainly struggled to escape KoraQ's grip as the large warrior leaned down to glare at him.

"Father and Mother took you into our house and did the impossible; they took a soft, mewling human infant and crafted it into a Klingon warrior!  And how do you repay their sacrifice?  By turning your back on the people who accepted you as one of their own!" 

KoraQ' turned his head and spit on the floor in disgust.  "You speak of honoring your human Captain by giving him your loyalty.  What about honoring your parents' sacrifice?"

"BIjatlh 'e' yImev!", K'Tan yelled, and with a herculean effort, managed to wrest himself from KoraQ's' grasp.

Stepping back from his little brother, KoraQ' slowly shook his head.  "'Shut up'?  Is that all you have to say?"

His chest heaving with barely contained rage, K'Tan stepped forward and craned his neck to look the towering Klingon captain in the eye.  "I honor our parents by remaining true to the lessons they taught me!  And as far as acceptance by our people goes, have you already forgotten that I had to kill one of your officers for challenging my worth as a warrior?"

After a pause, KoraQ' slowly shook his head.  K'Tan could easily read his disappointment, as well as an emotion he had rarely witnessed his older brother display-- sadness.  KoraQ' grasped his little brother's arm, then slapped the hilt of the Romulan blade into the palm of K'Tan's hand.  He then grasped K'Tan's hand, forcing his fingers closed around the knife handle, then turned away.  "You keep that," he said over his shoulder.  "Let it serve as a reminder of where you come from, and who your true people are."

As he headed for the bridge, KoraQ continued in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.  "If this discussion continues, it won't end well.  Let's leave it for now, and return you to your new ship."

As the towering Klingon captain stepped onto his bridge, K'Tan was left standing speechless, staring at the coldly-gleaming blade resting in his hand, and trying to sort out the conflicting emotions it stirred within him.

[ElfManDan]

David was feeling very good, he had heard the news about Quinn and his new ship. Knowing Quinn David guesses it would be his opportunity to a good post. It would be long and he would be done with his academy days, on his first ship. His spirits were high as he walked down the hallway. Nothing, nothing at all could change that. Or so he thought. He never saw the two big men coming. He felt the burn of a phase on his back and then he awoke. Everything was dark around him. He tried to raise himself up to find nothing but barriers. He was trapped in a very cramped space.  He could hardly move. He began to panic. His breathe speed up and he began beating the walls trying to find something of a way out. None of the walls budged. He couldn't get out. This just made things worse. He almost started screaming for help, but in his mind the thought that he was fine this is just a test began to comfort him. He grew still. He calmed his breathing. In his silence he heard voices.
"Everything in order?" Someone said with the essence of a commander.
"Yes, sir, we got them him tied up in the cell." David wasn't tied up nor in a cell, he figured he would have noticed already.
"Get the rat out of the box." The commander yelled, "Whose bright idea was that sticking him in there?" The top of the box released flooding David's eyes with light. He hardly had a chance to move before being grabbed and thrown onto the floor.
"We have the other one in the only cell, the box was handy." David looked up at the two. A phaser was pointed right at him. David decided he would just lay on the ground till given orders.
"Get up," He did, "Move." The commander said guiding him with the tip of his phaser. David walked unquestioning to a cell where Dylan sat tied up and his mouth covered. David looked at him, David looked back, just a second of eye contact and a whole conversation had gone on between them. Dylan seemed to scream that he didn't mean this to happen. Anger came from David's eyes and Dylan knew it. This wasn't a situation either of them wanted to be in, they both could feel that one from the other.
"See your little brother tied in there?" The commander said pointing the phaser away from David and towards Dylan.
"Yes, sir, what ever he's done I'm sorry, but..."
"Shut up, what he's done, you want to know what he's done?" David wanted to know very much what his brother had done to get them into this situation, but he feared to ask, but it appeared the man was going to tell him anyway. "Your little brother has stolen something from me and my gang. Traded it off to another. I was going to kill him, but he mentioned he knew a professional thief who could retrieve it for us in exchange for his life."
"I'm sorry, but the ones we know are a weeks travel from here."
"You're that professional thief he was talking about idiot."
"What no, I'm not a thief."
"Thief or not, I got a mission for you, or your little brother dies. You go steal back my valuable, plus a few extra things to pay for damages and I'm call it a fair. You get your little brat back and you two go free. What do you say?"
David didn't think about what he said next, "Ok, I'll do it." He was going to do whatever he could to save his brother. He didn't require time to think about what he was getting himself into. He'd worry about that later.
"Good, come with me and I'll get you the information you need."
David looked back at Dylan just before exiting the room, "Dylan, I'll be back for you." He said without words, but his green eyes carried the message. Dylan's eyes seemed to reveal a confidants through the fear that David had never seen before. He knew Dylan believed in him, he could let his brother down.

[ElfManDan]

The mission was simple enough for David, get in, get the goods, get out. He stood outside the back entrance of the small building. He had watched a man who walked in and was waiting for him to exit. It gave him time to think. He really was regretting his situation about this time. He knew something like this could get him kicked out of Starfleet. He tried to avoid the thoughts of giving up or surrendering. Dylan was the most important thing on the planet David wasn't going to let him suffer the pains he did or didn't deserve.

The back door opened again and the man walked out hurrying off seeming to pay close attention to everything around him. He never saw David though. David gave himself a good minute before he approached the door. David was quick to check for a camera or sensor, but strangely there seemed to be none, if there was one it was well hidden. He began overriding the lock. It was a complex code to brake, but David had beaten worse locks with his thief friends on Bigoras. It was a long time ago, but the ability to pick a lock never quite goes away.

Click, the door released and David slipped in. He pulled the hood on his head down farther over his face. He was as quiet as possible. He made his way to what he guessed was the control room. In the room David saw a man in a Starfleet uniform. He ducked out of sight. He cursed to himself, this wasn't just some gang storage house, this was a Starfleet supply depo. He had to steal from his own to save his brother. He felt to himself that he was fortunate enough not to be caught already, but to avoid all the sensors within the building he was going to need a miracle. Luckly he had a miracle sitting silently in his handbag. He reached in and pulled out a small box. It looked like a normal box, but inside it was a mass of technology. A small toy he had gotten from Dylan's room. It was designed to jam the sensor signal. As soon as he turned it on the sensors would go haywire. Nothing could be seen for a few minutes. The box could only be used once, it required a massive amount of power to neutralize an place and would fry all the circuitry within it upon use.

"Good," David thought, "Dylan can never use it again." He switched on the box. He heard the man's heavy feet slide around on the floor. He was likely confused. He wouldn't be able to send a signal to anyone, it was also jammed. David hurried away from the room towards the supply room. He quickly ran past all the unimportant numbered boxes till he found the box he was looking for. He pulled it off the shelf and stuffed it into his bag.

"Hey, stop right there." The voice of a woman sound behind him. He still had his hands in his bag. He could feel the hilt of his phaser. He didn't even give the woman a chance to speak again, he shot. She was only stunned. It made David feel terrible, but it was instinct. He knew what he needed to do. The alarms in the building began to sound. The phaser fire was not missed by the sensors. The jam wasn't going to work this time. David was already running as fast as he could. David got out and he run and didn't stop running till he was at least two miles away. He was pretty sure he wasn't identified and overall successful, but he didn't feel successful, he felt like a traitor. He sat down and pitied what he had done. It was something he never want to do again.

He caught his breath, "This isn't over yet," He said to himself. He looked at the box he had stolen and a plan began to form in his mind. He had little time or insurance, but he knew what he was going to do no matter the consequences.

[Omra]

Shyn came out of the shower clean and refreshed; the hot pulsing water had felt good on her sore muscles.  It was their last sparring session before their new posting aboard the Arabella, it had been brutal.  Shyn was actually looking forward to meditation and sleep tonight.  She finished toweling herself off as she headed to the kitchen, looking forward to a well deserved meal.  She stopped at the breakfast bar, not only was dinner not ready but there was nothing even prepped in the kitchen.  This is not a good sign. 

She went looking for Korridan, it was not like him to not have dinner ready, something must be wrong.  she found him sitting in the living room, scowling at a PADD.  "What is wrong Sensei?"  She asked.  Without taking his eyes off the PADD, "Something is wrong with Yuki..."  Shyn realized she had not seen Yuki all day, when her eyes went back to him he was looking at her over the top of the PADD, "I have not felt her presence all day, so I started running a diagnostic."  He sighed, lowering the PADD to his lap, "Her core processors are redlining," he tossed the PADD onto the coffee table, "and she has come close to self termination on numerous occasions."

Shyn eyes went wide, "Any idea what may have triggered this?" He nodded, "I checked the communications logs," he sighed, "She talked to The Doctor yesterday for about three hours."  Shyn's brow furrowed, "Which Doctor?"  He looked at her somberly, "THE Doctor..."  Her eyes went up and to the right as she accessed her memory, and after a brief moment, "Oh..."  She fell into a chair, and her eyes went to the display, lines rose and fell like waves in a storm, changing from green, to yellow, and to red.  "I can see how that may have triggered an identity crisis for her," she tore her eyes from the PADD's display and looked to Korridan, "and cause her to worry about her future."

After a pregnant pause Korridan spoke, "If she won't speak to us, we must speak to her."  She asked, "How do we do that?"  He grinned, "We hack our way in..."  And so they did, and after hooking up the PADD to the hardware and hitting the appropriate keys Yuki appeared on the screen.  She looked at them from the screen, a Little miffed, "Can't a girl have a little privacy around here!?"

Shyn spoke first, "We are worried about you Yuki."  Yuki looked from one to the other, her lips moved but no words escaped them.

Korridan handed the PADD to Shyn, she took it but looked puzzled as to why.  He explained, "You are a woman, she will feel more comfortable unloading to you."  He continued as he made his exit, "Once she has properly vented and calmed down," he turned at the doorway, "Then she can talk to me when she is ready."  He smiled, "I am glad she has a new friend to talk to, Thank You Shyn."  He left them alone.

Shyn and Yuki talked and cried late into the evening.  She was no counselour, but being a good and earnest friend, and a good listener seemed to be enough to help.

Korridan slept well that night, knowing that Yuki was in good hands.