"Ignoring What's Right in Front of You"

Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder
Chief Engineer

"A Courtesy Call"

Lieutenant Cassius "Cass" Henderson, Chief Tactical Officer
Lieutenant Leonor deLangstra, Chief Of Staff
RA Whitman

-Lieutenant Henderson's Quarters-

Cass Henderson settled into his comfortable chair to answer the incoming subspace transmission. The Starfleet JAG seal troubled him, and he arched an eyebrow at it, dozens of thoughts, not all of them pleasent, danced through his mind, before it dissapeared, to be replaced by a figure in a starfleet uniform.

A figure he recognized quite well. "Leonor deLangstra. Exactly what are you doing on my communications monitor?" he asked with a laugh. This would be interesting. He and Leonor hadn't spoken in a long time. Not since the USS Prospero, when he had just transferred into tactical, and she had been a junior diplomatic officer, a woman six years younger than he.

"Just letting you know that I'd be dropping by the USS Galaxy for a little visit," she said with a small grin. It was strange for her, seeing him again after two years. They had been fast friends and even faster lovers, but they had drifted when he'd been transferred to the USS Havoc. Now... It would be strange seeing him again.

"Social call?" he asked, "Or do you actually have a legitimate reason for coming aboard, you little miscreant." He relaxed back into his chair. Thoughts about the connotations of the JAG symbol melted away. Now he was just seeing an old friend.

"No, actually. I'm Rear Admiral Whitman's Chief Of Staff now. She's coming to investigate the situation onboard," Leonor replied, "What is going on anyway. They're not telling us much over here."

"Really?" Henderson said, cynically, "Possibly because we don't know a damn thing ourselves. It's a bloody mess. I have no idea what's happening with all this. It seems like nobody is doing anything to contain the situation. Bhrode is god knows where and doing god knows what. I'm frustrated."

"Really?" Leonor replied, matching his sarcasm, "Couldn't tell it by hearing you talk. I take it you're doing your job, so I won't ask. No. If they don't get moving soon, we'll arrive and take over, and you know how much of a whirlwind I can be."

"I do indeed," he said, the grinned, "So what have you been up to since we last talked?" He instantly regretted saying the last part, but sat there as if he hadn't. Leonor smiled politely.

"Well, after you transferred to the Havoc, I left Rear Admiral T'Paal and transferred to Rear Admiral Schezar onboard USS Glory, the intelligence ship. I got some in the field training in intelligence proceedures from her, so that I could serve as an intelligence liaison. I then moved to USS Challenger and did that for a year under Captain Prevost. Now I'm here. I move from place to place fast." she shrugged, then tugged at a stray lock of hair.

Cassius nodded, but he didn't say anything. It was awkward.

"I noticed your work on Havoc," she continued, brushing past the awkwardness. It was obvious, though, that she was feeling it too, "You did a good job out there."

"Thank you, Leonor," he replied softly, "I did what I could..."

Another awkward pause.

"Listen, Leonor, I'm really sorry about the way things ended..."

"Not now, Cass," she gently cut him off, "I don't want to talk about that now. When I come onboard, and we can talk face to face, then we'll do it. I know we need to move past this, and it's been two years, but I'd rather be able to see you when we do. Do you understand?"

"I think so, Leonor. I'm still sorry," he sighed, looking at her. He had been a fool to bolt like that. It had been the old fear, coming back to him. But now wasn't the time to get into that. He would need to see a counselor, maybe when Leonor was gone.

"I know. So am I. Listen, I just wanted to let you know I was coming," she replied, "Do you have a spare bunk? I know Galaxy is packed, and I want Admiral Whitman to be able to have a single."

"Yeah. I have a couch that I can sleep on," he said, "You can take the bed, and before you say it, yes, I insist."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"I need to go now. Admiral Whitman is calling for dinner. I'll see you soon, Cassius."

"I'll be waiting," he replied, quietly.

"I know you will. Later, Cass." she said, then cut the connection. He slumped into his chair, not knowing whether or not to look forward to this one or not.

"Philosophy And History"

Major Saladin Bolivar, NALDC Liaison & Chief Intelligence Officer
Lieutenant Cassius Henderson, Chief Tactical Officer

-Intelligence Offices-

Lieutenant Henderson arrived some time after his conversation with Lieutenant deLangstra. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to seeing her, since they'd drifted apart in the past two years. But it was almost amusing, that they were both Lieutenants still. He remained one because of his demotion after the Dalson incident. She remained one because of the slow rate of promotion for adjutants and staff officers.

Either way, he was looking forward to seeing her. But for now, he had other problems to look into. Considering his options, he realized that he had a decent position, but he suspected that Major Bolivar knew what he was doing, regardless. With a sigh of resignation, he had decided to look at the man's findings before launching into a tirade of righteousness. Professional courtesy, from one spook to another.

Bolivar looked up as the human entered the intelligance office. Whoever he was he had not cleared her for entrance. One thing with his security, no person entered the intelligance department unescorted if they weren't approved. He frowned, almost dampening his enjoyment of the Wagnerian opera he was listening to.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Major Bolivar, a pleasure to meet you at last," Henderson said, stepping just inside the door. Examining the other man's cross expression, Cassius wondered if the young man who had let him in had been given clearance to do so.

"How can I assist you?" Saladin was naturally brusque with most visitors and this was no exception.

"I heard that you were doing some... research into the nature of the androids that are currently making nuisances of themselvses," Henderson said casually, pausing to carefully choose his words.

"You heard correctly, though I'm not sure how. I do not recall you being cleared for any intelligance operations." He walked over to the table where the parts of the android were placed in organized piles. "One of the machines was dismantled and I downloaded it's mental memory base."

"You did what?" Cassius said, initially shocked, "I may only have a few clearances left, but from what I remember, there are... I suppose you cleared that? And what did you find out?"

He was obviously going into intelligence mode, a throwback to his previous days.

"Well the memory files were simplistic at best, No morality program, no use of any of the standard laws of robotics, but insted a slavish devotion to Mr Mudd, in addition they are only programmed to feel 7 basic emotions, happiness, sadness, surprise, sexual arousal, sexual climax and confusion. Their knowledge base is woefully underpowered, focusing mostly on sexual aspects, and cooking skills. Basically the perfect Geisha."

"Oh god... I'm so relieved," Henderson breathed, "You scared me for a moment. Taking apart a simple machine like that which I could probably program is one thing, but I was worried that they might be sentient. Do they have any sort of intelligent thought?"

He looked at him with raised eyebrows, "Sentience from a machine?"

"The Soong-type androids, Data, Lore, and Juliana, all achieved sentience according to Federation law. Data even achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander," Henderson explained. He looked around the intelligence office, doing his usual thing of seeing what was out of place, if anything. It was a habit.

He looked at him with raised eyebrows, "Sentience from a machine surely you jest." He then remebred, "there was some basica intelligant thought presant."

"That could present a problem for you," Henderson said, not particularly wanting to anger the man in his own lair, "Federation law states that even the most basic intelligence must be respected. And I certainly wasn't kidding about the Soongs. You can check the records. The positronic brains that were developed by Dr. Soong were truly astounding."

"Well there is a difference beteween a Soong android and this automated sex toy." He sighed, "Besides I was using proper federation tactics."

"That's a relief. Especially because I just got word that the Federation is sending a delegation to look into the matter," Henderson said, "I suspect they will be very thorough. The laws on slavery as well as androids are extremely sensitive subjects."

Bolivar rolled his eyes, "THen I dissassembled machines and got the information we needed. As for the federation 'laws' on this, I do find it ironic that a society that was willing to condone Genocide on the Founders can claim any moral superiority."

"Condone genocide on the Founders? You mean the Section 31 plot." Henderson said, emphacizing the words 'Section 31', "Starfleet, the Federation Counsil, and certainly SFI, had nothing to do with that."

"And the Cardassians have no knowledge of The Obsidian Order. Your naivite is amusing." Bolivar looked at him like a wolf at a particularly weak fat rabbit.

"Section 31 is supported from within the Federation, yes. I admit that much readily, having spent several years of my life doing work to combat them and our enemies, both foreign and domestic," Henderson said, "But I refuse to believe that the Federation would condone that behavior. God knows that we officially don't, let alone privately. People will be people. Some are more amoral than others."

"Why not, it would have ended the war, without the founders the Jem'Hadar would have committed mass suicide and the vorta would have surrendered, having no combat arms of their own. The war would have been over in days."

"But it's genocide. And I personally cannot condone that. Not when there is another way. And we were finding another way."

"Forces in to Cardassia, thousands dead at the end of the war. How many died unnecessarily. Besides to kill one is a tragedy to kill one million is a statistic."

"To slaughter a race is an atrocity," Henderson continued the line of reasoning, "War is a dirty business. We're soldiers. It's how we operate. We kill some people so that others can live. Who are we to decide who lives and dies?"

"Soldiers, when we launch a photon torpedo to the bridge of a Galor class, we condemn those men to death. Besides the Founders would do the same thing to us if given the chance. Do you wonder why the Nietzchean alliance took such few casualties against the Dominion and none of our worlds were taken?"

"I was unaware that the Nietzchean Alliance was involved in hostilities. I was deployed elsewhere," the terran replied noncomittaly.

"Covert operatives and two fleets kept the Dominion out of our space. Admiral Cassius Rommell lead the 13th spearhead against a fleet of twice it's size and they were defeated."

"And why is that, Major?" Cassius Henderson replied. He was beginning to wonder about the Nietzcheans.

"Because we used every mean at our disposal, transporter tricks, sabotage of key stations includng a biogenic virus in every ketracel white supply we could find."

"And what does it prove, Major. Do you sleep well at night, knowing that you lived, because thousands died horrible. Biogenic virus' are horrible things. I've seen them employed," Henderson's smile grew thin, "How do you sleep, these days? But then, I suppose that's all part of your way of life."

"I sleep fine, As do all of my people, I believe the phrase is The Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... Would fit quite well here." He thrust the philosophic rapier home.

"Indeed. I don't sleep well at night. I've seen too many things in the field. It changes you," Henderson said, "But you are right. In the end, we do fight for our survival, at terrible cost. And that's why I no longer sleep well. I'm sure this will turn out fine. It looks to me like you've observed the proper procedures. You run a tight department, Saladin, and I appreciate that."

"All I want is these creatures to be off our ship, howeer they can be taken care of is up to the federation."

Cassius broke into a laugh and nodded, "Indeed. I can agree with that. I hate not feeling totally in control of myself physically."

"Perhaps you shoudl consider enhancing your immuosupression system with nanotechnology. It's standard in Nietzchean physiology."

"Oh no," Henderson said, "Much as eugenics are interesting, they're illegal over here. I do think it is a branch that should be more carefully researched in the Federation, then reconsidered legally. The problem is only when people take it too far."

"Kahn Singh." He remarked. "The man was a fool. It was why the Nietzchans were founded in the first place."

"Do tell," Cass replied, carefully leaning against the back of a chair, "Sounds like an intriguing story."

"Dr Paul Museveni wanted to continue his research, he could not on earth and he left in a DY-100 sleeper ship, His son Drago Museveni was the first true Nietzchean born. We have been under the radar ever since."

"Dr. Museveni left because Kahn outlawed Eugenic research so that he and his supermen would remain supreme," Cass nodded, "Logical. What about the tradition of naming people after great military men?"

"History, We take the names of great men and women so their greatness can be passed to us."

"An interesting tradition," Henderson said, then mused aloud, "Tradition. Without our traditions, we are nothing. Not really. Change is important too, but in this case, I doubt it applies."

"Only if you change for the better." He set down the padd, "As for the android, perhaps engineering can repair it. If not, it's sacrifice was not in vain."

"Very true," Cass said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. It was actually a pleasure meeting ou. If you ever need a former intelligence sort to bounce ideas off, look me up. Cass Henderson, Chief Tactical." The lieutenant extended his hand.

He took his hand, "A pleasure to meet you."

"Now then, I have a distraught crewman to catch up with, so I must beg your pardon and bid you good day," Henderson said, standing to leave.

He nodded, "Very well, Good day."

Cassius nodded and slipped quietly from the room. That had been interesting... But then, he had always enjoyed a good philosophical debate. Now where was Master Mate Stuart...

~Under the Influence~

Lt. Cutter Kara'nin
Lt. Daniel Scarborough

Chirp.

Pause.

Chirp. Again.

Noise, behind the door. Rustling. Giggling?

"Hello," she said, smiling coyly. She wore nothing but a sheet. Actually, she wasn't even wearing that. She just held a corner of it below her neck, but it still covered her. For the most part.

"Uh....wha? Uh....Is, uh, is Lieutenant Kara'nin here?" asked Daniel Scarborough, caught very much off-guard.

She giggled, or bubbled rather, then stuck the tip of her index finger between the side of her lips and held it there playfully. "Who?"

"Lieu-, iih, uh, Kara'ni- .... no? Uh.....oh! Cutter?"

She bubbled, again. "Who?"

Daniel stood there, with his mouth open in dazed confusion. His head kicked around and he looked at the plate on the wall next to the door. Correct quarters. He turned back to the girl once more, a last attempt, but before he could speak, a wave of something hit his nose. Something sweet smelling, slightly sweaty, very tickly.

"I, uh .... ah," the noises fell out as he struggled to form words. His eyes began to tear up, his lungs took on a life of their own. "I, ah ... ah-CHOO!!!"

The nude woman wasn't phased by Daniel's sudden spasm or by the cloud of spittle that erupted into the air. Or by the second spasm. She simply stood there, staring lustily, like some statue.

"Daniel?" came a call from deep within the quarters, followed by soft stepped across the padded floor.

"Daniel! I'd recognize that sneeze anywhere!" Cutter exclaimed, entering the room. He, too, wore nothing, save a small pair of shorts. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I --"

"Stel, I thought you were getting a bottle of wine," Cutter interrupted, before Daniel had a chance to answer his question.

"I do not process wine," she replied, reaching out and stroking along the edge of Cutter's wing. The action was clearly pleasurable for Cutter.

He laughed, "Ohn, all right. Whatever." Then he noticed Daniel standing in the door, sniffling slightly and wiping his eyes. "Danu?"

"Um, can I, uh ... ah-CHOO!!!! I, iih, uh, can I talk to you? Um, alone?" he asked, pushing the air sideways with the back of his hand, indicating that 'Stel' should leave.

"Ih, ka, esema," Cutter acquiesced, although rather reluctantly. He spun around to Stella, "You heard him, Stella. Go wait in the bedroom, I'll be in a bit."

She smiled and nodded and left the room. The sheet she held to cover her frame did not cover her backside, leaving it exposed for all to see. Cutter sat silently, watching her leave, then without looking at Daniel asked, "She's amazing, isn't she?"

Daniel, too, stared at the woman as she left the room, "Yes, she is."

"What?!" Cutter demanded suddenly. His head jerked towards Daniel and jealous anger suddenly filled his voice.

The instant, drastic change in tone pulled Daniel out of his gaze and into a state of confusion. "Wha? Uh, I ... uh, I was just agreeing with you. That she's an attractive girl."

"What are you saying Daniel? You want her? Is that it? You can't have her! She's mine!" Cutter declared, stepping towards Daniel threateningly.

"No! What? N-no. Wha-ah, what's the matter with you Lieutenant?"

Cutter's anger faded as quickly as it had appeared, like Vulcan sandstorm. Here and gone in an instant. "Lene. So, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Who is that, anyway?" Daniel asked, wasting the opportunity to finally discuss his visit.

"Ohn, her? That's Stella. One of Mudd's androids. Aren't they amazing?"

His mouth opened, but Daniel caught himself. He wasn't going to fall for that again. "Tha ... that's one of the androids?!" he exclaimed. His hand reached down to his waste, where he carried his tricorder, and pulled it out. It opened and began to automatically scan the area.

"Sema," Cutter confirmed, leaning over to peer at the tricorder with mild interest.

"There's a large number of unidentified organic compounds in the air. And, uh, its not your dander."

Cutter humphed as he stood back up. "So?"

"So? Well, um .... there, there are theories, uh, uh, um, floating about the ship about the androids. That they, uh, emit some chemical or phero---."

"Are you finished yet?" the android asked, peering around the corner. Cutter turned back to Daniel with his brows raised, silently repeating the question.

He stared at both of them, moving his distracted gaze from one to the other and back again. He opened his mouth to speak, but another loud sneeze burst out instead of words. "Ih, uh ..... yeah," Daniel sighed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. It would be of no use to reason with Cutter if in fact he were under the influence of some airborne drug. "Yeah, yeah, I'm done," he repeated. And with that, he left.

Cutter turned to the vixen poking her head out the bedroom door and smiled at her briefly before dashing into the room after her.

Chad Vicenik
Lt. Cutter Kara'nin
Chief of Astrophysics
USS Galaxy

"Showdown in Ten Forward"

Erin Friel
Ten Forward Manager

Lt. Jeremy Savoie
Chief Helmsman

"I'll have whatever she's having," the starry-eyed, freckle-faced young crewman said as he gazed at the tall blonde in a shimmering dress he'd escorted to the bar, his eyes never leaving her curvaceous form for even a split second.

"Of course you will," Erin muttered, rolling her eyes. She'd long since lost count of how many of the ship's crew ordered their drinks that way today. "And what -will- Barbie be having?" she asked wearily.

"We'll have something pretty, something . . . green!" she practically giggled, her unnaturally sweet voice almost making the red-head behind the bar nauseous.

"Ooo . . .reeeaaally?" Erin exclaimed, mimicking the fembot's vapid tone. "How about some grass?" she deadpanned.

"Grass?" the fembot blinked innocently.

Erin simply rolled her eyes one more time. "Oh forget it." But before she could tend to whipping up something green, the ever-vigilant hostess noticed some commotion brewing across the room.

"Hey, buddy . . . back off, she's with me!" a rather scrawny-looking ensign warned, tightly clasping the hand of a somewhat amused brunette with hair taller than most Ferengi.

"Well maybe she's tired of you, PAL . . . " a red-shirted ensign retorted as he upped the ante by putting his arm around her waist.

"Oh no . . ." Erin muttered. These two were friends; she'd seen them in here laughing and drinking together many times after Beta shift.

"Hey, where's the lady's drink?" the crewman at the bar demanded a little more testily than someone his size and age should.

"Sorry, I'm all out of -green-!" Erin shot back, then she hastily turned and rounded the far end of the bar as things started to heat up between the battling ensigns.

"Go find your own girl, loser!" the red-shirt barked, shoving his friend's chest.

"She IS my own girl!" the other shouted back as he lunged at his rival . . . but his assault was cut short as a blast of seltzer smacked directly between his eyes, drenching his face.

"HEY!" Erin shouted, wielding her bottle of pressurized water as if it were a phaser rifle as she seized control of the situation before it escalated any further. "KNOCK IT OFF! You too Romeo," she added, turning to the red-shirt and hitting him with an equally stunning blast of the water. Throughout the room, all eyes were fixed on the fiery red-head who, armed with nothing more than a bottle of seltzer and all five-foot-seven of her not-so-commanding frame, had firmly established who's lounge this was. "Now, get the hell outta here and take your 'pal' or 'buddy' or whatever he is with you!" she ordered the red-shirt. "You can come back when you can act like civilized human beings." Slowly, the two slunk toward the nymph-engraved wooden doors, their hair, faces, and shirts dripping, but the overcharged passion in their eyes somewhat dimmed.

"And you," she said, redirecting her glare to the tall brunette fembot who'd been observing the exchange as if it were nothing more than a private performance staged for her own entertainment. "I don't know what makes you get your kicks out of seeing two friends go at each other for you, but don't pull it again in -my- lounge, understand?"

"But they like me," the fembot said with a bemused chuckle and a slight air of confusion in her voice.

"I don't ca- . . . ." Erin's reply was cut short when Ten Forward's big wooden doors swished open and the sound of laughter echoed into the room -- the sound of familiar laughter.

"He-heyyy, ladies . . . there's plenty of me to go around," laughed a far-too amused Jeremy Savoie, two fembots firmly ensconced on each arm. "C'mon in and let's get ourselves something to drink!" he exclaimed, acting and sounding like a million-latinum playboy.

"Excuse me," Erin said distractedly to the brunette fembot she had confronted, turning to follow Jeremy and his "entourage" over to the bar.

"Uh, can I -help- you?" she asked with an accusing glare as she caught up to them.

"Oohh . . . hey, yeah . . . could you maybe get us something to drink, uh, um . . ." The lieutenant's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the name of the woman he was addressing.

"It's ERIN, and you can get your OWN goddamn drinks!" she snarled through gritted teeth. A quick visual dressing down of the four fembots columning on either side of her boyfriend, and then she turned and headed off in another direction.

"Heyyy, c'mon . . . don't be like that," Jeremy said, breaking formation from his new lady-friends to catch up with the hastily departing Erin. "We're -thirsty-," he pleaded, concerned solely about getting something to drink. Then he made the fatal mistake of trying to grab the fiery red-head by the shoulder.

A millisecond and a knee to the groin later, he was doubled over, wondering what hit him.

"TOUCH ME AGAIN AND YOU'LL NEED A MEDICAL ESCORT!!" Erin yelled, her emerald eyes gleaming with fury. Once again, all eyes in the lounge were riveted on her.

"Ooooo . . . ." was all the purple-faced lieutenant could reply.

Erin looked at him with contempt as she considered kneeing him in the face as well. "Maybe you should ask your chorus girls to help you up!" she spat.

"My . . . what?" Jeremy asked with what little breath he could muster.

"The flock of chicks you rode in on, you bastard!" she retorted with disgust. Now that he was on the defensive with her it seemed he'd "conveniently" forgotten about them. "OOH! MEN! You're all pathetic, you know that?!" Then, turning on her heels, she stormed out of Ten Forward.

"Falling from Grace."

Lieutenant Cassius Henderson, Chief Tactical Officer
Lieutenant JG Dr. Klaus Fienberg, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

BACKPOST: The evening after Cass's talk with Kylar and the day before the talk with Leonor and the visit to Intelligence.

-10-Forward, USS Galaxy-

Klaus was overcomed with pain and depression. His wandering of the many halls and corridors of the ship brought him to ten-forward. He sat down at the main bar. The night shift bartender asked his what he wanted to drink. "Water, please." The bartender nodded and brought a glass, fresh from the stores. "Danke."

Alone at the bar, he drank his water and thought about those he loved, and lost. His father, his friend, his lover. He could have helped his father and friend, and hung onto his lover, but those chances were one. He looked to the future, Kay, the Galaxy. New life. But then the pain returned. He looked at the drinks on the wall. Almost like a forbidden lust, they beckoned him.

His head returned to staring at the bar counter.

Cassius Henderson was worried. After his cryptic encounter with Legate Curran, he was even more concerned for the future of the Federation. And with the fembots taking control through their pheremones... Henderson was beginning to worry. He hated not being in control of himself, so he was avoiding them at all costs.

"Doctor Fienberg? I've seen men go a few rounds with a Jem'Hadar and come out looking better. Are you all right?" Henderson asked, sitting down at the bar next to the german doctor and ordering a glass of synthetic kanar. He loved the taste, but was unwilling to lose control of himself. Not with the fembots around.

"Yes Sir, I would have to agree with you on the Jem'Hadar reference." He managed to crack a smile. "There is only one thing worse for a doctor than losing patients. Losing patients that were dear friends and family." He looked at the bottles on the wall. "I know it's all synthesized, but I don't want to touch it. But I long for vodka."

"I don't touch alcohol. I hate losing control," Henderson said, "Not that I'm a control-maniac or anything. I'm a former intelligence officer." Cass slipped gracefully onto the stool next to Klaus, his back straight and his posture composed. "What's bothering you, Lieutenant? I don't claim to be a counselor, but I'm a good listener."

"I know how you mean, the last time I had a real drink, I tried to hang myself. Yea, deep shit. I know. It's a multitude of things. A friend of mine was supposedly killed on DS9 during it's recapture. A fellow doctor. Now is on the loose. He wants to kill me and my former lover with whom he was also once involved with. That's only part of it. There's something about these androids of Mudd's. They are affecting my mind, and I don't doubt there are with you. Something about them is giving an effect that only a woman should have. I'm kinda freaked out."

His look of depression started to fade. It was slowly being replaced by a look of apprehension. "There is something very wrong here."

"I'm not sure. I know that the bloody androids don't sit right with me," Henderson said, "But that may just be my need for control of my physical self. I suspect that there's something about them that's affecting me. They are very beautiful."

He snapped back to reality, "Why does this doctor want to kill you? And certainly why this former lover?" he asked, intrigued.

"I believe it is because he thinks that I left him to die. I was a medic in a strike team during the battle of DS9. He was hit quite seriously and collapsed on the other side of the crossfire." A slight look of pain entered Klaus' face. Bad Memorys=Bad Mojo. "I could have gone to him and had him beamed out. But the chance of myself being gunned down was too great. It is also compacted by the fact that we were great friends through Highschool and the academy. The reason he wants to kill lacy is because he thinks that she betrayed him by becoming involved with him." He winced slightly. "I know he's serious. I assume you heard about the incident aboard the USS Sturmovik?"

"I heard," Cassius replied, "I don't miss much. It's a bad situation. Have you informed Captain Bhrode? Or even Lieutenant Commander Corgan? That would be how I would proceed. They no doubt have seen the reports from Sturmovik."

Klaus was feeling quite a bit better, but the drinks still tempted him. "If I'm not mistaken, The skipper.....er I mean Captain Savage should have contacted Brhode personally. But Engleman is smart. He wont attack when I'm aboard ship, and he is marked throughout all of the federation."

Suddenly, Stiener entered Ten-Forward, leading the 3 fembots he had as if they were under his thumb. Too bad he was the real toy.

Cass turned towards the door and frowned. This was not a situation he wanted to be in. "We have company. It looks related." This was accompanied by a frown.

"Not good. If I know my brother, the first place he'll go is..." Stiener noticed Klaus and approached. "....Here."

Klaus became jumpy in the prescene of the Fembots, and annoyed in the prescene of his brother. "What is it Erik!"

Cassius sat back on the barstool and started to concentrate on not being overwhelmed by the fembots and their beauty.

"Erik, if you want money, I told you. I'm broke."

"Come now, do you think so low of your own brother."

"Need I answer." Klaus paused for a moment. "You are such a parasite. The is my last Latinum bar. Now, you are your new friends go away."

Erik Smiled. "Parasite is such an ugly word." He and his entourage began to move away but one of the fembots was giving Cassius a provakative look. As if under a spell, Klaus could not help but be jealous. Erik suddenly grasped it's arm. The Fembot turned it's head, looked at Erik's smiling face and followed suit.

Klaus smacked and shook his head.

Cassius had turned away in the meantime, trying to keep from noticing the women. "Good grief. There is something seriously wrong about all this," he said, shaking himself out of it.

"I have a theory...Do you think it could be mind control?----" Klaus paused for a moment. "No, clearly Erik was in control. Any Ideas?"

"That is a thought. I think it might be more of a pheremonal influence," Henderson sugested, "Or maybe only a temporary control, since it seems that striking an effected person wakes them. Either way, I'm turning in. I'd like to think I'm safe in my own quarters... But who knows."

"Yea, I have to get up for my shift tommorow. Otherwise Malgin will have my head."

The Two got up and parted ways for the time being.

Klaus had one more thing to say before he went to sleep.

"Computer. Play audio file Rob Zombie---" He paused for a moment. "Scum of the Earth."

He conked out almost immediatly. Rob has the effect on him.

"Hands! Hands in personal places!"

LT (JG) Corran Rex, Asst. OPS Manager

Corran looked down once more at the PADD held in his hand. Engineering had called up to OPS, asking for someone to replace the bio-neural gelpacks in Jeffries Tube Junction 47/Alpha, on Deck 16. The young Trill had taken it because, at the time, the brash Mekaela - his third host - had been "in charge" of his body. Mekaela hated very much to be stuck in one room for any length of time, particularly one as closed in as the Operation Center. It hailed back to a claustrophobia she had developed after she'd been stuck in a crashed shuttle for seventy-two hours, back when she'd been in the Trill Expiditionary Fleet Academy... what was it, four hundred and twenty years ago?

Amazing how some things stuck with a person, even when they'd technically been dust for centuries.

Details, details, Corran mused, now firmly (well, as firmly as possible) back in control of his own body.

So, here he was, PADD in one hand, bio-neural gellpacks in the other, looked for one particular jeffries tube junction on a deck he could only remember having been on once or twice.

Fun, fun, fun.

Let's see - that was 46/Gamma, so 17/Alpha should be just up......

Whoa.

Lieutenant' Corran Rex stopped firmly as he saw the person who was now backing out of the jefferies tube. She had long legs, high boots, and a short skirt witch emphasized a perfectly rounded.......

'Hoo-hah, kid! Now that's a nice piece of ...'the voice in his head began to comment, leaving no doubt as to what Rex's last host was thinking.

SHUT UP, VORRIN! Corran practically screamed inside his head.

"Uhmn." Rex began, and then cleared his throat. "Uh.. ma'am, do you need a hand?"

The woman had finished backing out now, and cocked her head to the side. "Hello. My name is Verena. How may I service you?"

Even Vorrin didn't have a quick comeback for that one.

Well, she was definately attractive, Corran had to admit. Surely it couldn't hurt to.. No. No. On duty. "Corran Rex." was all he said. The blonde had moved forward now, and was rubbing one hand absent-mindedly against his chest while gazing into his eyes, while the other hand...

"Whoa!" Corran exclaimed. "Hands! Hands in personal places!"

Verena cocked her head to the other side. "Does this not please you? It is my purpose, after all. What I was built for."

Built for?! Oh.. Right. Harry Mudd and his advanced sex toys. "Well.. uh... everyone should have a purpose in life." was the best he could come up with.

"Yes." Verena replied frankly. "And my purpose is to both give and receive of much pleasure." She began to guide Corran back into the jeffries tube junction, a more.. private area than the corridor.

Not that Corran was inclined to disagree, as he found himself leaning down to kiss her. "Well..." he started. "Whatever I can do to help......" he half-muttered, before the both of them sank to the deck, and clothes began to decorate the decking.

"Erin Figures It Out"

Erin Friel (APC) Ten Forward Manager

Tina Terwilliger (NPC) Ten Forward Server and Brassy Bombshell

"That son of a bitch!" Erin sputtered as she crossed the floor of her quarters and starter shuffling through her closet.

"Dat Jeremy . . . he had some noive!" the faux platinum blond lying on Erin's bed agreed, her chewing gum crackling as she chawed on it.

"Nerve? Nerve! It was more than nerve, Tina, it was bald-faced, male chauvinist stupidity!" Pulling on one of her sexiest red dresses, Erin walked over to her mirror. "And in the middle of Ten-Forward!"

"Yehh! What was 'e thinkin'! You gots every right to be pissed, hon," Tina enthusiastically agreed. As one of the civilian servers in the lounge, she was Erin's closest friend on the Galaxy.

"Yeah indeed . . . fine, he wants to be a 'man's man', then I can be a 'woman's woman'", she said, stepping into a pair of fire engine red heels that elevated her height by a good three inches. Then she went for the makeup.

"Oooo ... youah gonna give it ta him good tonight, sweetie!" Tina encouraged, popping another chewing gum bubble.

"Not -him- . . . I'm not giving him -anything- tonight," Erin corrected, applying a serious coat of faint blue eyeshadow. "Let's see how he likes it when -I- play that game."

A minute later, she stood regarding herself in front of the mirror again . . . and began to sob. "I look like a hooker . . . ."

"No, no, hon! You don't look like no hookah!" the ever-supportive Tina consoled as she jiggled over to her tearful friend and gently brought her to sit down on the bed. "Now my cousin Maria, -she- looks like a hookah . . . in fact I think she -is- a hookah, 'cause at my brotha Leo's wedding she woah dis outfit . . ."

"Tin-na-aa!" Erin exclaimed through her sobs.

"Ohhh, I'm sorry hon!" she enthuasiatically apologized, throwing her arms around her friend and snatching her into a comforting hug. "You know me an' my mouth . . . . Dere, dere sweetie . . . . it's okay," she comforted, pulling a wad of tissue out of her amble cleavage. "You look byootieful, hon . . . why's ya so upset?"

"Because that's . . . exactly how he treated me tonight: like a hooker. Like some . . . cheap little tramp who didn't even mean enough to remember her name . . ." Erin said, sobbing some more.

"Men ah pigs, hon," Tina counseled.

"Sometimes . . . y-yeah, they are," Erin agreed through her tears. "But today, every man on this ship seems to be a pig . . . haven't you noticed?"

"Oh I noticed, hon. I can usually count on at least one pinch on the ass but not today, oh no, not wit' all those weahd chicks overrunnin' the ship. It's like dey're magic or sumpin'!"

Erin leaned up, gently using the wad of tissue in a vain attempt to wipe away her tears without completely ruining her makeup. "I know . . . it's very weird, Tina," she sniffled again. "Every guy on this ship is falling all over themselves around them and it just doesn't make sense. I mean, yeah, some of them are pretty and all, but there are other pretty women on this ship . . . women who also seem to have brains," she added.

"Of couahse, hon -- lookit you!"

"Thanks, Tina," the red-head with the now clown-like makeup said with a small smile and a sniffle.

"Hon, dat's what friends ah foah. Now you goes ovah dere an' fix up your face, and den weah goin' to my room . . . I've got some poifoom dat'll knock 'em dead, you'll see," the bawdy blond instructed as she bobbed her head insistantly, causing her dangling earrings to gyrate like leaves in a storm.

"Perfume . . ." Erin said with a hint of dejection in her voice as she stood and moved to get her makeup. "Like that'll do it. Just a bunch of chemicals that most men don't even seem to notice, either that or they tell you you have too much on and then you just have to go wash it off so they stop complaining and . . . ." Erin's monologue came to a halt as she looked at Tina through her reflection in the mirror. Like a flash, her mind raced through the scenes earlier in Ten Forward: when she doused the quarrelling ensigns with seltzer water, the glazed-over look in their eyes had diminished somewhat. The same thing happened when she kneed Jeremy and they were away from the fembots he had come in with.

"Oh my God, Tina . . . that's it!" Erin said carefully, as she continued to think the hypothesis through to herself.

"What's it, hon?" the friend asked as she nonchalantly popped another gum bubble.

"Chemicals . . . it's chemicals, not magic," Erin answered, her eyes wider with realization.

"-What's- chemicals, hon?" Tina queried in a not unusual baffled tone.

"Those . . . those . . . whatever they are," Erin stammered as she turned to face her. "They've got all the men on this ship wrapped around their fingers by some chemical thing, I'd bet my grandmother's diamond brooch on it!"

"Oooo, hon," Tina winced, "you shouldn't bet dat. I seen it an' it's awful nice. Now I nevah met youah grandmothah, but I'm shuah she . . . ."

"I've gotta tell someone," Erin interrupted, grabbing a tissue and hastily wiping off the remainder of her ruined makeup.

"Who ya gonna tell? Yves Saant Laraant?" the blond asked with a mix of surprise and sarcasm.

"No . . . someone in sickbay, I guess, I'm not sure, but I'm gonna start there."

"Oh don't go dere, hon! Dat doc is a loony boid! I had ta go dere once 'cause I had dis ting right heah . . . ."

"Don't worry about it, Tina," Erin interrupted again finishing her makeup de-application and then quickly striding to the door. "I'll talk to a woman doctor or nurse or someone . . . I'll find someone on this ship who still has their head on straight!" And with that, she vanished through the sliding door.

"Heh . . . good luck wit' dat, hon," Tina replied to the closed door, with one final crack of her gum.

"Soulmates"

By: Lt(jg) Kay MacFarland (APC)
Lt. JG Dr. Klaus Fienberg

**Kay's Apartment**

Boy was she drunk, young Kay haven't been this drunk since her sweet 16 in Scotland. The young red-haired woman was on her small couch drinking some red-wine while thinking about why have Klaus would betrayed her..with an Fem-bot, so fucking sick.

She laid on the couch half-naked while drinking down the wine that was so sweet and good to her body and her soul.

Location: Erik Stiener's apartment.

Klaus was off his rocker too. That stupid son of a bitch Erik both wore him down for the Fem-bot AND provided the drink. Vodka and Guiness. Erik was hording his illegal Tequila to himself. The 3 Fem-bots hung around the two drunken idiots.

Klaus suddenly realized something. "Hey.....what the hell." He suddenly felt nothing for the Fem-bots. It was almost as if the excess alcohol in his system nullified the effects of the Fem-bots control. "Erik you drunken idiot, get up!" Erik looked at Klaus and smiled. "Speak for yourself asshole." The fem-bots said in unison "Where are you going doctor. We need a checkup!" Klaus was in a slight rage. "Go to hell you fucking--metal--abominatio--ugh--oh man." The fem-bots spoke again in unison. "You can't resist us Dr. Fienberg." Klaus stood back torward them. No reply. "You know you can't---" That's when the Good Doctor finally fell from grace. He flipped the bots the bird, and walked out.

Location: Outside Kay's apartment.

They say no remorse is greater than drunken remorse. Klaus wandered in, tears in his eyes, guilt in his face. His mouth refused to move. No words can truely heal betrayal and heartbreak.

Kay answer the door knowing full well what he did, then the door open the young woman looked them into his eyes and asked, "Why in the hell did you betrayed me with an stupid, fucking, bloody, Fembot?"

The young Kay walked back into her apartment covered in an then sheet trying not to cry.

Klaus had already been crying so there was no real big deal with it. "Nothing I can say can fix it. Heartbreak cannot be healed with words. This I learned many a time. All I can say, though it won't help, is that these fem-bots have a hypnotic effect. And that idiot brother of mine----" He keeled forward slightly, he hasn't been intoxicated like this for a very long time. All he did was look at Kay. He felt as if it was all his fault, despite the truth about the Fem-bots. "I should have been able to resist. But it was like having borg nano-probes injected into my Testicles, if you'll excuse the expression."

Kay just lay back on the couch while drinking the red wine out of the bottle that was almost empty then throws the glass again the wall, now pieces of glass is all over the place.

"HOW BLOODY DARE YOU!"

The woman got off the couch and head towards her bedroom very upset with Klaus.

Klaus sheepishly followed. "What do you wish of me."

She sat down on her bed. Klaus took a seat next to her. "As I said, nothing I can say can fix what I did. I leave it to you to forgive." He put his arm around her, and she pushed away, still distraught. She got up. "Though I wish you to forgive, it is not my choice."

She turned around. Klaus stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. The clothes quickly came off. The sex was that one would read about in a romance novel. Long and very loving. A bit nosey too. No doubt a neighboring apartment would complain in the morning. Near the end it was a little rough, but neither of them minded.

In the Morning Klaus had an unbelievable hangover. And he was on the floor. Kay had apparently knocked him off somehow. Kay was still asleep in her bed. Klaus sat up on the edge of the bed. "Computer. What time is it." The computer's reply sounded like a phaser hit to Klaus. "The time is 14:40" He gentlely shooked her awake. "I need to go on my shift or else Malgin will have me publically executed."

"Ok." They kissed quickly but passionately.

Klaus clothed himself and ran out the door. He may be hungover but the alcohol is still him his blood. He had an unusually clear head despite that.

"Tournament of Mixed Emotion"

Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder
Chief Engineer

Ensign Dhanishta Eshe
Engineer

It had been a long and brutal challenge. The Starfleet tournament could only be won by making every opponent submit or cross over a line that marked a circle. It was a process of elimination and the tournament was now drawing to an end.

Ethan withdrew his attack on his opponent. Although he was fighting in a tournament, competing to be the victor, he, for some reason was giving his opponent a breather. Time to regroup.

He walked near the edge of the circle where his Bat'leth was and picked it up. Turning around, he saw that his opponent, an Andorian had picked his up as well. Ethan stood in a defence posture as the Andorian charged at him. Defending several blows, Ethan was caught off guard by a hard elbow to his ribs and face. Falling on one knee, Ethan looked up at the smirking Andorian,

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is the great Suder distracted? I remember last year. You were very aggressive. Or has age caught up with you?"

Ethan just stared at several drops of blood that had dripped on to the floor. The Andorian was right; Ethan had been caught off guard and was distracted. Normally, he had been aggressive and tactful during competitions. He was ambitious.

"Or maybe your just dwelling over the past, your youth, shadows that have now turned to dust."

Ethan closed his eyes. The last remark kind of hit a bit close to home. He could feel his blood boiling, even his face showed signs of aggression as he clenched his teeth.

The Andorian swung his Bat'leth down on Ethan only to have it blocked. There was a slight spark as the force of each blade clashed against each other. Ethan opened his eyes and looked up at the Andorian. Everything the Andorian had said had now settled down in Ethan's mind and flashes of the past flew through his mind. His parents, the old Galaxy, Starfleet Engineering on Earth, battles, close calls with death. He took all that aggression and pushed up as hard as he could.

Now standing, Ethan watched as the Andorian fell hard on the floor. He looked around at the crowd who, like last year were cheering and chanting. The big blow was about to come. He jumped from side to side, warming up and waiting for his opponent to rise from the floor.

When the Andorian got to his feet, he staggered, slightly dazed. Ethan then jumped forward, raised his foot and landed the big shot between the Andorians face and neck. The kick was enough to finish the match as the now-not-so-cocky Andorian slid passed the line that marked the circle. Crossing the line meant instant elimination from combat. Ethan, now about to move on to the final round took a break.

Dhanishta stood in the middle of the circle, her opponent was on all fours near the edge of the circle breathing deeply and spitting out blood, and they thought it was only Klingons that could head butt, she thought.

Her friends up in the back row were cheering her name. As she looked up at them, K'vol stood up and threw both hands up in the air, then Vor'Kall did the same and Torlak and So'han till the whole row was doing a "Mexican wave" , or as they had re-named it, (after Dhani taught them), "The Klingon Wave".

Her eyes twinkled as an evil grin crept across her face. She raised her arm straight up in the air; after thirteen matches the crowd knew what was coming and cheered louder.

Dhani stood prepared, waiting for the Klingon to stand and take the last blow, she was ready to finish the fight but the Klingon stayed down. She raised her hands slightly in a gesture that said 'is that it?' After a few moments Dhani got board, she walked casually over to the Klingon man, who still knelt on the ground dripping with blood. She cockily raised her foot and with the tip of her boot, pushed him over the line into elimination.

*** A short while later ***

Ethan had heard the crowd cheering louder and louder a short time ago. He knew that there was a winner. He would in a few seconds, fight that winner. He continued stretching for the big fight, the one that would decide the winner of this year's tournament. There had been many Federation personnel involved, but like last year, he was at the end. Where only one person would walk away a winner, and a survivor. He didn't really feel any pressure, just focused on what he was there to do. To win. The tournament was a test of courage, determination and charismatic abilities. He saw a Starfleet junior officer approached him.

"It's time, the crowd's moving into the main arena." She said.

Ethan gave a nod and followed the young human female to the main ring where fate would be decided.

He had heard a lot of cheering and had guessed that his next opponent had made his or her entrance.

As he strolled through the crowd, he too received cheers and taps of good luck and encouragement on his back. He entered the circle and looked at his Bat'leth on the floor in front of him. His opponent stood before him. A tall, slim female Trill with long dark hair and penetrating green eyes. She wore a Klingon outfit, leather from head to toe; trousers, top, gloves. He only glanced at her eyes instead of locking on to them as he would normally; an attempt to lure her into a false sense of security. He tipped his head from side to side, stretching his neck muscles.

He picked up his Bat'leth and stood about two meters away from the opposition as the crowd fell completely silent. He held the Bat'leth so the tip of the blade was resting gently on the sandy floor. To follow was his tradition before every fight and to his surprise, his opponent, Dhanishta Eshe, did exactly the same. They slid the blade across the ground in front of them creating a curved line. Whether she was mimicking him or it was her own tradition, he didn't know. He stood guard, waiting for the Judge to start the fight.

Dhanishta usually looked up the records of every opponent in the tournament, but this year she had not had the time to familiarise herself with the opposition. The man in front of her was Betazoid that much she could sense, plus the black eyes usually gave it away. He, on the other hand would think of her as just a mere Trill.

As she slid the tip of her Bat'leth across the sandy floor he too slid his. Interesting she thought, wonder how much else we have in common.

Her eyes never left his body; she watched his every move intently, studying him. For a moment their eyes met; determination, clearly seen in his eyes, was met with her own.

"Fight!" the Judge called. That was all that was needed for all hell to break loose.

Ethan stepped forward hoping to lure Dhanishta in to him, but she continued to hold her ground. He then charged at her, Bat'leth swinging around towards her. She blocked the side blow and then another and swung her weapon down at him. Ethan rolled out of the way in an attempt to bring her closer to the edge. A risky move that had helped Ethan win the year before.

Dhanishta responded to Ethan's tactics, but only side stepped to the middle of the circle.

Ethan now had respect for her. She had maybe seen what he was doing and had simply reversed it. She was now in the perfect position to attack.

Dhanishta smiled to herself, Suder was definitely a strategy man, though these kinds of tactics wouldn't work on her, and now he had put himself on the line. She swung her Bat'leth towards his waist, he blocked. Thoughts of merely pushing him out of the circle flittered through her mind, but she wanted a fair and proper fight. It also looked like he was waiting for her to give it a go. She followed through with a blow to Suders head.

As the Bat'leth met again, sparks flew and the sound of metal upon metal echoed around the silent arena. Might against might they stood locked. Quickly, Dhanishta put one foot on Suders stomach and eased the pressure off their locked Bat'leths. Now the balance had been altered she nimbly flipped him over her head to the other side of the circle where he came crashing down into the sand next to the red line.

With an unusual amount of upper body strength, Ethan pushed himself up, flipping back up to a standing position. It was a quick enough move to make Dhanishta think twice about maybe moving in to "push" him out of the circle.

Dhanishta continued the attack. Her movements were smooth and graceful, like a dancer. Her speed and agility made Suder work harder, blocking blow after blow. She sped up the pace till his sweat dripped off his body like water.

Ethan stood back and wiped away a few drops of blood that was now dripping down the side of his lip. Dhanishta too stepped away to catch her breath, just for a second. Ethan took a deep breath and re-thought his strategy. He had been on the defensive for a short while now and had learnt how she handled herself to some extent. He pounced forward and threw his weapon in the air towards her.

As she knocked the falling Bat'leth away from her, Ethan crouched down and kicked his leg around, catching the back of Dhanishtas legs, causing her to loose her balance and crash to the sand. As she hit the sand, Ethan rolled back and followed up by swinging his fist out at her and with the momentum; he once again flipped to his feet.

With minimum effort she placed her hands behind her head, palms down, and brought her knees up to her chest and flipped up on to her feet. She wiped the blood that was now dripping from her broken nose; her face was a mess of cuts and bruises from the fight, and those before. Beads of sweat dripped down her head, mingling with her blood. Cautiously she bent down to pick up her Bat'leth, though throughout she did not take her eyes off Suder. She stood tall and prepared ready to end it.

Suder swung his Bat'leth towards Dhanishta. She blocked and stepped back slightly with the force of his blow. He continued to push her down towards the ground.

On one knee Dhanishta drew her strength together, like a cork out of a bottle she shot upwards sending Suder falling out of the circle.

As she stood up she saw how far back she had pushed him. Dhani knew that her strength alone hadn't been responsible, there had to be another reason. She looked at Suder; he was on the floor, a few meters from the ring, staring up into the crowd. He hadn't even realised that he had lost!

"Chief?" Suder whispered to himself. He swore he had seen his old boss from the original Galaxy. But that person had disappeared into the crowd. He couldn't see where the woman had gone, but she had to be out there.

With out even looking into the crowd Dhani knew how she had won; a girl. Suder was distracted by a girl!

How dare he! She thought, she picked up his Bat'leth and threw it at him, narrowly missing his head.

He continued to look at the crowd, his heart frozen. But then his stare soon turned towards Dhanishta.

As his attention slowly turned to her she glared at him,

"Never take your eyes off your opponent." she hissed. She turned and looked up at the judges, "Rematch." She declared.

To be continued..

"Tournament of Mixed Emotion... Part Two"

Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder
Chief Engineer

Ensign Dhanishta Eshe
Engineer

Suder raised an eye brow and looked at Dhanishta, then the Judges. He shook his head very slightly, "No." he said. For the first time in a long time, he lost because he let himself become distracted. He had to admit, she beat him. Why she would want a rematch he wasn't sure. But it wasn't up to him. The winner could demand a rematch and he would have to go through with it, there was no alternative. He closed his eyes with a wishful hope that the Judges would deny the demand.

But the judges agreed after a few confused looks at each other, more out of curiosity than anything else.

The rematch was under way. Suder retrieved his Bat'leth and entered the ring; he looked pissed off, more at the fact she had asked for a re match than at loosing. He glanced a couple of times back up at the crowd and the person he was looking at was gone. He closed his eyes and focused then smiled at his opponent.

Suder came in for a side blow, Dhani countered; she used Suders own momentum to wheel him round and elbowed him in his ribs as he passed, he let out a groan.

It was the first tournament Dhani had been able to make and she wasn't leaving till she had defeated them all with honour and glory, she wasn't leaving without that trophy.

She kicked Suder in the lower back to force him nearer the edge of the ring, but he held his ground. He turned sharply and followed through with a diagonal blow to Dhani's head. She blocked just in time but the force of the blow knocked her Bat'leth from her hand. Dhani jumped up in the air in an attempt to catch her Bat'leth before it hit the ground but the blade caught her wrist, slicing her flesh. She pulled her bleeding arm back sharply, Bat'leth now out of reach.

Suder continued the assault, swinging his Bat'leth low; Dhani jumped then ducked as he attempted to strike again. Seeing his midriff open she lunged forward rugby tackling him to the ground. If my Bat'leth is out of reach then his shall be too she thought knocking his Bat'leth out of Suders hand.

Suder pushed Dhanishta off, closed his eyes and once again raised his knees to his chest and jumped up to his feet and turned to Dhanishta, eyes still closed. He then landed a sharp and hard blow to her lower back before stepping back allowing time for Dhanishta to get to her feet with the hope that the deliberate quick blow and deliberate retreat would get to her. Either get her over-confident or get her over-mad. Of course he would rather go with the over-confident, after all, who wants to fight an over-mad woman?

He took a few steps back as Dhanishta got to her feet. He looked around at the crowd again with a cocky smile on his face. He wiped some more blood off the side of his mouth again but continued to smile at the now standing female in front of him.

"I took my eyes off my opponent." He said to her. He wasn't over-confident, just giving her a chance for some reason, but it was ok, he had a plan.

"You want to play games Mr. Suder?" Dhani asked.

He chuckled very slightly. "Not really." He replied shaking his head slightly. "But while you're here, I mainly want you to fall over."

She smiled sweetly at him, "Shame that," she said, "cause I do!"

He walked towards her and threw his fist out at her. She ducked and tried hitting him with a fist of her own. He caught her wrist and twisted her arm. With her other fist, she went for his face. But while twisting her arm, he caught her other fist with his free hand and pushed her away a couple of steps. "You know, is it me or are ya' just not trying?" he said with a crude smile.

Dhani jumped down to the ground kicking out her right leg; Suder fell flat on his face. Dhani then slid onto his back; she put a knee into the small of his back and grabbed his wrists and pulled back hard, "You know, it's almost like you don't want to look at me!" she said with a cocky smile.

A little blood dripped from his nose after a hard impact with the sandy ground. He grunted in pain as his spine was stretched. With all of his upper body strength, he thrust his arms forward forcing Dhanishta to roll forward. He got back to his feet and look at the Trill stood before him with a confused look on her face. He had thought about jumping forward and landing the big kick that caused him the win during his last match against the Andorian, but she was distracted, and he felt that he owed her the chance to get over it as she had with him. She moved towards him and he jumped up slightly and kicked out at her. But she ducked his kick and thrust her knee into his lower back. He fell to the floor and was ready to counter another attack from behind but as he turned his head, he saw that confused look on her face again. And to his surprise, she looked away and then fled the ring, running as quickly as she could.

Ethan took the moment to relax and dropped to the floor. He had sustained a back injury less than a year ago, and between the spine stretching and knee to the back, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his spine. It wasn't good.

After a very short while, the Judge's were getting ready to award the trophy for this year's tournament. Ethan saw this but had something to do first. He had to confront Dhanishta. This was the woman that demanded a rematch because he was distracted. And now she was distracted and purposely eliminated herself for some reason. He wanted to check that she was ok and issue a rematch of his own.

Dhanishtas body was exhausted, she had been fighting for what felt like hours, as the adrenaline flowed through her veins she felt a new strength. She could hear Kala in her mind, she could see the fires burning as if she was right there with them. She blocked all telepathic thought from her mind and concentrated on what she had to do.

With her heart pounding in her chest she ran to the upper deck of the docking bay.

She threw herself at the nearest consol and started tapping buttons franticly. Within a few seconds she increased the strength of the electro magnetic force fields and increased the structural integrity of the docking bay. She didn't need to scan the incoming ship to locate the passengers, she already knew their locations. She set about transporting them to sick bay and then tried to get a lock on the ship with a tractor beam in an attempt to slow the incoming ship before it collided with the Starbase.

*** A short while later ***

Ethan had managed to trace Dhanishta's location to the docking bay. As he arrived, he saw that everyone was on high alert and something big was going on. As he walked across the second level on the docking bay platform, he saw Dhanishta working on a console. He glanced towards the electromagnetic field and saw a cargo ship heading towards them at high speed. It looked like the vessel may have been venting some sort of plasma. The vessel was clearly under stress and unable to slow down. He quickly made his way to where Dhanishta was but it was too late.

As a tractor beam locked on to the cargo vessel, the ship was moving far to fast to dock safely and before Ethan could react the vessel collided with the station. Part of it passed through the magnetic field, but the other half of it hit the hull causing a lot of structural damage to the docking bay. Ethan fell to the floor. He knew a split second after the impact that at least the structural integrity was increased before impact. Dhanishta was good. She did a good job of preventing a lot of damage. But after that split second, Ethan was pulled towards the vessel that had crashed into the hull. Cargo containers and air was being sucked out of the docking bay along with Ethan. He hit the first level with a hard thud and continued being dragged towards what he could now see was a hull breach.

Dhanishta held on tight to her console as the shock waves from the impact rippled through the Starbase. She could see everyone and everything in the process of being sucked out into space. She was the only one at a work station with the power to get the force fields up. The pressure was strong. Dhani used all the strength she had to manoeuvre herself into a position to use the consol that she clung to for life.

He raised his feet for some futile reason and as he was about to pass through the bulkhead, his feet hit the emergency force field which someone had managed to raise in time. He got to his feet and looked up at the second level where he saw Dhanishta stood at a console. All the other personnel were on the floor as well, so it could only have been her that raised the force field. He looked at the vessel that was now resting on the deck of the docking bay and again, before he could react, part of it exploded.

Dhani didn't stop there, her fingers quickly danced over the screen transferring auxiliary power to the docking bay, bringing up emergency force fields and re pressurising the deck. For a moment she looked up, surveying the damage, scanning the debris for any sign of survivors.

Ethan fell back into a console, smashing it with his lower back. He cried out in pain as he felt something click in his back. He fell down to the floor as debris continued to rain down on him and the area around him. He felt a couple of scrapes and cuts on his face and several bruises forming, but he couldn't focus on anything else but his back. He managed to grab the shattered console with one hand and pull himself up to one knee while his other hand grasped for his back. He clenched his teeth as another sharp pain sprung through his back. He heard some structural movement in the docking bay and saw several support beams crash down to the ground or swing down from the ceiling. He turned to look at the wreckage of the cargo ship and saw a support beam swinging down towards him.

To be continued.

"Tournament of Mixed Emotion... Part Three"

Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder
Chief Engineer

Ensign Dhanishta Eshe
Engineer

Dhanishta ran, half jumped, down to the lower deck. A new serge of adrenalin hit her body aiding her sprint. Suder, the man she was fighting and making snide jokes with less than fifteen minutes ago, was about to be knocked out for life!

Ethan then got hit again, by Dhanishta.

As Dhani rolled on to the floor the support beam crashed to the ground behind her, it's sharp edges cutting through the leather boot on her left leg taking a huge chunk of her flesh with it.

He heard her cry out for half a second before he crashed into yet another console. Ethan fell into it and smashed the screens with his hands, arms and face. He then fell back on the deck as if a lifeless corpse. Blood slid down his face from his head, nose, lip and cheeks. His hands too now dripped blood to the once very clean and still cold deck.

Dhani knew if she looked at her leg it would only hurt more, so in her time honoured tradition she ignored the bleeding wound. She slowly raised herself up and took a look around; fires raged all over the docking bay, more support beams fell to the floor, they had to get out of there and fast.

She looked over at Suder; he was a mess and out cold. She didn't know how she would manage to get him out of there. She got to her feet and hobbled her way over to him. Shaking him gently didn't work, she wasn't about to shake him violently you never know what more damage that might do. She checked his pulse, still alive and still breathing, now that was a good sign. Carefully she placed him over her shoulder and held on tight to his legs, "Up we go" she said to herself lifting him.

She carried him out of the docking bay where a Bolian medical officer took the Chief Engineer off of her shoulders.

Dhani followed the medical officer down the corridor. He seemed to walk faster and faster, he is a Bolian after all, she thought they're strong and fast, right now she didn't care if he was a jelly bean, anything to get the weight off her shoulders. Dhani leaned on the wall of the corridor, the medical officer now a dot on the horizon, she breathed heavily resting her head on the wall. After a few minutes she pushed herself away from the wall and began to walk. The corridor was empty, she could hear people, but none of them were coming her way. Her feet felt heavy, like lead, and her body just ached, she longed to lay down and go to sleep but something inside her kept pushing her; making her walk down the corridor. Will it ever end? She asked herself.

Dhanishta fell hard into the wall, her legs were numb. She thought about crawling but without the use of her legs she didn't think she would get very far and she didn't want to use up the last of her strength in a futile attempt. She stared up at the ceiling, the seconds of each minute dragged. She looked up and down the corridor; still not a sign of anyone. She sighed, Time for that futile attempt she said to herself. She began to haul herself along the floor using her arms and upper body strength and her left leg for more leverage. After a while she stopped for a breather, leaning against the wall. She heard people shouting again, she tried to call out for help but all that came out was a whisper; her throat was dry as a bone. She swallowed trying to moisten it. Footsteps echoed around the corridor, Dhani looked up hopefully, but she could see no one. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing.

The sounds of footsteps grew louder and the voices became clear, she knew those voices. She opened her eyes to see a familiar face; it was K'vol, sprinting towards her. She smiled up at him as he came nearer.

"Dhani," he said, "What are you doing on the floor? This is no time to be taking breaks, you have a tournament to win!" he said grinning at her.

"Well you know how much I just love the floor K'vol." she joked holding out her hand.

K'vol took her arm and helped her to her feet; she leaned against the wall for support taking the pressure off her right leg.

"Hey," shouted So'han approaching, "whose is all the blood?" he asked pointing out the trail that went all the way up the corridor.

"His." replied Dhani pointing in the direction that Suder had been taken.

"What's wrong?" asked K'vol.

"Hu?" Dhani replied. He nodded towards her leg. "Oh that. I just cut it is all, nothing big, just a scratch."

"Let's take a look." K'vol gently removed Dhani's leather boot; blood oozed out of the gashed leg and flowed like a small river out of the upturned boot, forming a little red puddle on the floor. Dhani turned so So'han and nodded at the blood stains down the hall, "Least I don't feint at the sight of other people's blood."

"Just a scratch?" K'vol interrupted looking up at Dhani.

She looked down at K'vol and then her leg and the blood on the floor. A surge of pain flooded through her body. Dam it she thought, never look at the wound she scolded herself, "Just my own!" she mumbled to So'han as a wave of nausea hit her, followed sharply by the floor.

<<< Hey guys, a quick, note... all these posts are set just before the mission, and this is the last of it, cheers for sticking with it!!!>>>

"Tournament of Mixed Emotion... Part Four"

Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder
Chief Engineer

Ensign Dhanishta Eshe
Engineer

Dhanishta woke up on a bio bed, she took a look around. A nurse came up and gave her a hypo. Her leg was fixed as was her arm and her nose. She hadn't been out for long, so K'vol told her. She soon found Kala, lying on a bio bed not too far away.

"Hey there girly," she said smiling, "how you doing?"

"Hi." Kala replied smiling weakly. She looked identical to Dhanishta except her hair was red and her eyes were bright green compared to Dhanis dark bottle green eyes. Down the left of Kalas face were fresh burns which continued down the left hand side of her body.

"I'm sorry," she started, "I know how much that tournament meant to you."

Dhani shook her head, "You mean sooooo much more than any tournament, you're my sister. I just feel guilty that I couldn't get to you before you were hurt." She said perching on the side of Chandrakalas bed.

"Well that would have been good." Chandrakala replied giggling slightly, her face scrunched up in pain and a tear rolled down her cheek, "The pain killers must be wearing off." she said.

"Hey, when are they gonna let you out?"

"Not sure, when they fix me up I guess. So many people are hurt, I'm just gonna have to wait my turn."

Dhani looked down at the floor.

"Hey," Kala said nudging her sister, "if you hadn't acted when you did there would be no one left to be injured. And besides it's my fault."

"How'd you figure?"

"Well the only way you knew we were in trouble was cause of me. If I had let out the warning earlier then."

Dhani shushed her, "The past is all a lot of 'what ifs' and there is no point dwelling. You'll be doing it for years. Anyway you want me to get someone for you? You know I can be demanding when needed."

"No." replied Kala, the martyr, "K'vol will be with me, you know after he confines you to quarters. If I have to rest then you have to rest."

"Fine." Replied Dhani, "I'll rest, but if I hear that you and K'vol have been up to things then I'll."

"You'll what?" challenged Kala.

Dhani smiled at her sister and kissed her forehead. She walked out of sick bay and turned at the door, "You know." she told Kala telepathically. She walked to the 'Lounge' and sunk into the nearest chair.

*** The following night ***

Ethan strolled into the mess hall nicknamed the 'Lounge' and took a quick look around. Not that he expected to see anyone he knew. He was still in quite a bit of pain, but for the most part, the cuts and bruises had all been healed up. The only pain left was in his back which would only heal in time.

He approached the bar and ordered a drink. Tasted nice and exotic. He turned around and once again saw his opponent from the day before. The woman that had saved his life. He thought it odd that she wore Klingon clothing. He strolled over to her and stood by her table. After a short while, she looked up at him. This time, there was no cocky smiling, no signs of emotion. Just a plain look.

"Hey." He said quietly. "You did a good job yesterday. From what I hear, I owe you my thanks for being thrown into another console." He paused. "And for saving my life too." He added with a sigh. Not often that he thanked anyone, was kind of hard for him. He gave her a nod of appreciation. As he was about to leave, something caught his eye several meters away. The woman he had seen yesterday at the match in the crowd. She had blonde hair flowing down passed her shoulders. He could just about see her face. His eyes were wide open as his attention fell upon this one woman ahead of him. Ethan felt the barriers around his heart and soul collapse.

Dhanishta looked up at the man in front of her blankly, it was not often she got 'a thanks with a sigh' it seemed like he'd been told off and made to apologise by his mom! She couldn't even get a word in edgeways. As he went to leave she looked up at him, thought she would at least say thank you for his gratitude even if it wasn't heart felt. As she looked into his eyes she was overwhelmed. A black hole of pain and sorrow that flowed like a river; ran hand in hand, with a love that felt just as deep, yet raged like a tornado. A conscience torn by duty, and a need of the heart. A soul tormented by regret. She felt isolation and the loneliness which followed desertion. Dhani felt sick to the pit of her stomach, it didn't help that her head started spinning. She wanted to leave the table and throw up but standing was not an option right now.

The woman turned and glanced at Suder and it was then that he realised that she wasn't who he thought she was. His mind came crashing down to reality. He became aware that he may have been stood still in a daze for quite some time. He blinked several times letting some moisture get to his dry eyes. He glanced down at Dhanishta, "Um, sorry." he apologised as he shook his head.

"That's..great!" Dhanishta replied slightly dazed and confused. The whole of her table were now looking at her and Suder, must have felt quite intermediating for him to have seven Klingons staring at him. The room finally began to slow down enough for Dhani to stand up, as she did so, so did everyone else at the table. The Lounge grew quiet as everyone's focus turned to them.

"Please excuse me." Dhani said to her friends whilst giving them a nod of reassurance. One by one they sat down and began to talk quietly to each other.

"You don't have to leave cause of some jerk that doesn't know the value of his own life." Chandrakala told her sister telepathically.

"Yes I do." Dhani replied. She looked at Suder searching his face for any recognition of what just happened; but there was nothing, no pain, no emptiness, no regret, no love. Nothing.

"You know next time," she said, "I won't push you into a console. In fact I won't touch you at all. Would that be alright with you?" she said plainly, without emotion. Not looking for an answer she turned and left the Lounge.

Ethan watched as she left and then looked at Chandrakala. "Some people value their lives more than others. Don't think that I don't value my life. You can call me as many names as you want, but you don't know me, so don't judge me. I thanked her and I meant it. So back off." He told her telepathically. He looked around at the Klingons sat around the table glaring at him. He glared back at them. He shook his head. There was a huge misunderstanding here. He thanked Dhanishta for saving her life, and then for some reason she had suddenly left. He didn't quite understand what was going on.

Ethan looked around the room. He didn't need to be there, he didn't feel that welcome either. He gave a nod of respect to Chandrakala and then left the Lounge. He made his way to docking bay two where a transport ship would be heading off. He was going to be on it.

Dhanishta went back to her temporary quarters, her head was still fuzzy and she still felt sick. After a few hours of uninterrupted sleep she woke feeling a little drained but the nausea had passed. Her transport would be leaving soon taking her back to Earth. She paused for a moment, whilst packing her bags, to look out the window; she loved being surrounded by the stars, she longed to work on a Starship, to fly from world to world meeting new species, different people. She had been on Earth now for 9 years, the longest time in any one place next to Vulcan, and she was getting itchy feet.

As she approached the docking bay she took a last look around the station recalling the week's events; thankless and trophyless, she was returning home empty handed. She pondered for a moment. Dhani boarded the transport and stared at the Starbase from the window. She had mixed feelings about returning to Earth, as much as she loved her job on Earth she couldn't help but wonder, what if...

"The One"

Primary Cast:

Lt (JG) Victor Krieghoff
Lt (JG) Ella Grey

****

USS Galaxy
Deck 36
Main Engineering

The chime of Ella's data pad signaled an incoming message, oddly enough in pure text format. Ella tilted her head to the side as she brought up the message.

From: Lt Victor Krieghoff To: Lt Ella Grey Message: Android in cabin. Can't think. Need help.

Ella raised an eyebrow. Victor asking for her help and because of a robot? Well, she thought, it's about time for my lunch break anyway. She signaled to Valen that she was leaving and then picked up her kit on her way out the door.

*****

USS Galaxy
Deck 7
Victor's Quarters

The door opened without hesitation and Ella entered likewise. She looked around her but it didn't take a genius to know that Victor was probably behind the only closed door. The fembot was camped in front of it.

Ella took out her tricorder and did a scan of the robot to be sure it wasn't carrying any weapons, which was doubtful but SOMETHING had spooked Victor. Nothing, only a perfect smile. Ella pursed her lips slightly and narrowed her eyes at the android's slightly disarrayed clothing. She changed the parameters of the search and then, after finding what she wanted, walked over to the robot and switched her off.   The fembot slumped over.

Ella raised an eyebrow and then began knocking on Victor's door in a little rendition of 'Three Blind Mice'.

After a moment's hesitation the door slid open, revealing Victor wearing only his pants, hair damp and disarranged.

She took in his overall appearance, from flushed cheeks to dilated eyes, and had a sudden overwhelming hatred of the robot next to her feet. Ella smiled sweetly at him however. ~~I'll give you a minute to compose yourself.~~ The door closed again and Ella carefully stepped over the fembot, tempting though it was to kick her, and sat on the couch.

Victor took the minute, then another one, before the door opened again. He hadn't changed clothes, or added any to what he was wearing, but he looked more in control of himself. His hands still shook as he looked down at the fembot before he stepped over her and moved to sit down in a chair facing Ella. "Thank you."

~~No problem. Feel better?~~

He nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, only opening them after he was speaking. "It buzzed the door. I let it in, figured that I'd call to get it picked up..." He frowned, his mouth twisting like he had a bad taste in it. "I didn't realize it was a machine until it kissed me, and then I couldn't think anymore. Not about... not about anything but it."

~~How sweet.~~ Her fingers snapped before she thought better of it.

Victor's frown deepened. "Is it hot in here?" he asked, ignoring what she'd said. "I can't tell if it's me or not any more. It... did something to me."

Ella nodded. ~~I did a quick scan while you were...composing yourself. The android is emitting pheromones. I'd have to check with medical to be sure but I wouldn't be surprised if they were designed to influence the male species to, well, have your reaction.~~

Damn bitch, Ella thought sourly. And she came on board with all her friends. There go my nights out for a while.

She sighed, got up, and walked over to the replicator and ordered some cold water. The panel took some abuse as she stabbed in the order. Why was this bothering her so much? The 'bot had succeeded where she had failed perhaps? A little blow to the ego? Ella straightened her shoulders. Get over it, Ella Marie, she thought. She walked back to Victor and handed him the glass, before sitting back down and sending a request to Engineering to come pick up the fembot. Chances were they were going to have to round all the androids up shortly.

Ella looked up from her PADD. ~~Did you say something?~~ she signed.

"I said 'thank you' again." He looked at the motionless fembot with the closest thing to anger she'd ever seen on his face. "Even after I knew it was a machine, I couldn't stop feeling that way." He looked away, taking a drink that emptied half the glass as if he were trying to wash the taste of something foul away. "I think... I think I would have let it in eventually, even knowing that."

~~Your body reacted to the chemicals. No shame in that.~~ her hands shrugged.

"It's a machine," he stated flatly, as he set the glass down, refusing to look at the disabled android as he spoke.

That made her feel better. ~~Well, it's not my preferred taste that's for sure. But people do that sort of thing all the time, with holograms more.~~ And those are the programs that always seem to break down, Ella thought with amusement.

"It's wrong. It's not alive, it's just... a thing."

Ella looked down at the still smiling robot. ~~She didn't seem to mind.~~

Victor forced himself to look at the fembot. "It isn't a 'she,' Grey. That is an 'it.' You don't do those things with machines or holograms - you do them with people. Otherwise it isn't real."

She held up a hand before returning to sign. ~~I'm not here to get into an ethics debate with you, Tiger. But I wonder, are you bothered by the fact that it's possibly sentient, possibly not sentient, or just plain alien to you? Would you feel differently if a human had overwhelmed you this way?~~

"No - it would be real then. Even if it wasn't the One, it would be real," he returned without hesitation.

Ella felt her mouth drop open slightly. ~~Never figured you for a romantic, Victor.~~

He blinked at the sudden change in topic. "What?"

~~The One?~~ She signed with a dimpled smile.

"Oh." He looked at her again, puzzled by her smile. "Yes, the One. Everyone has one, somewhere. The One that completes you. The One that's for you." He shrugged. "Why is it a surprise?"

~~It's just so...~~ Naive, she thought. Impossible. ~~Sweet.~~ Ella finished. ~~I just wouldn't have thought you were the type to think about that kind of thing.~~

"Why? What's not to understand?" He tilted his head slightly to the side. "Everyone has someone, somewhere, that is the One for them. They may never meet them, but they're there."

Ella shook her head. ~~Lust I understand.~~ She pointed at the robot. ~~That I understand. But love? And True Love on top of it? I'm afraid I'm ill-equipped.~~

"Everyone's ill-equipped, Grey. We all walk around missing the half of us that completes us. That's what family is for, to fill the hole until you find the One - or if you never do."

You don't understand, she thought. Oh well. ~~You could write songs.~~ Ella signed to him, her grin widening. ~~And God help me if my family is supposed to fill some void I have.~~

Victor shook his head. "Family isn't the people whose genetic material you carry, Grey. It can be, but it isn't a requirement. Family is the people that you choose to fill the hole inside you. Ar'resh and Rexa are family because I chose to let them be, not because they married Uncle Bernhard."

~~Oh, I understand. I just have never had any family besides my genetic one. I love them, of course, but they're not exactly sponges.~~

"Maybe you should," he said. "Even if it doesn't last, you won't be empty inside while it does. That's not as good as being with family all the time, but if the emptiness is bad, then it can be enough."

Flabbergasted that this advice should be coming from Victor of all people, Ella simply nodded. ~~I'll take it under advisement.~~

He nodded back. "You should. Wolves are social animals, Grey. Remember that."

She rolled her eyes. There was that wolf thing again. Well, everyone has their quirks, she thought.

"I'm serious, Grey. You don't want to end up like...." He blinked, his eyes watching her intently, and stopped speaking, looking away.

~~Like you, you mean?~~ Ella asked. ~~Tigers can't be social too?~~

"Only with other tigers, Grey. Or..." He frowned and was silent for a second. "It's not easy, Grey. Not when all you know is... something else."

~~Yes.~~ Ella agreed. She could never fully understand what it was like in his shoes, but she could relate on some level. ~~But they say the beauty of the human psyche is our ability to survive. Learn. Adapt.~~

He looked at her again intently for a moment before looking down at the deck. "Maybe so, Grey. But it isn't that easy. Not for me."

~~I know.~~

"Sometimes I wish I didn't." He frowned. "Why all the questions, Grey?" he asked without looking up.

~~Curiosity. Awkward situation.~~ She laughed. ~~Maybe I'm just gathering material for a paper.~~

"I didn't know you were a counselor, now too," he said, slowly looking up at her.

Ella smiled. ~~Well, I've had a couple of therapists in my day and I've certainly tried my hardest to send *them* into therapy. Hmmm, I would have made an interesting counselor, wouldn't I ?~~

"Different from the ones that always try and 'fix' me, anyway. Better, I think."

~~I'm flattered you think so~~ her hands smirked.

The door chimed and Victor called the engineers in. Took them long enough. Thankfully, Engineering had been smart enough to send two women who wouldn't drool over the thing. The engineers hefted the android on a gurney and nodded to the pair before leaving. The women gave Ella and Victor a speculative look before leaving.

Ella's lips twitched. ~~You realize now what the rumor will be before I get back to Engineering.~~

Victor turned back to her from watching the two depart with the fembot, as if he had some deep-seated need to make sure the machine was really gone from his cabin. "Rumor?"

~~You in just your pants, me with my tools, and a broken fembot? Honestly Victor, we need to work on your imagination.~~ Ella chided.

He looked at her for a second without blinking. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that, Grey."

~~Not a problem. Besides, you look decent without your shirt.~~ She started to wink then noticed his back through a reflection in the mirror as they stood up. Ella gasped. ~~Your back...~~ she began before going over.

"It's nothing, Grey. I just banged it up fighting with some of the Orions on the Promenade."

Ella made a shushing sound as she inspected it. She couldn't fight the compulsion to test the skin around the injury, battlefield more like it, with her fingertips. She drew her hand back quickly, however, when he shuddered. Ella signed an apology.

"It's all right, Grey," he said. "You're not hurting me. I just..."

She moved back to where he could see her hands. ~~Just what? And why haven't you seen someone about this? It looks so...Jesus, it looks bad.~~ Ella returned to his back but placed her hands on her hips instead.

He closed his eyes, and pressed his hands palm down on the top of his desk, not turning around. "I took something for it, I'm fine. I get hurt worse than this in most fights - nothing's broken this time. Besides, Dr. Malgin's got enough real injuries on his hands."

Ella moved beside him once more. She wanted to shake him but maybe that was just an excuse to touch him again. She stomped her foot instead. The sound of carpeted thud made Victor opened his eyes. Ella gave him an angry look. ~~B*llsh*t. You're not fine. It looks...and why didn't you go to the doctor? It's their job to treat injuries and that's not a skinned knee you got there. And you 'just' what?~~

"What happens to a predator when the other wolves know it's wounded Grey? They challenge it, trying to take its place, or to get revenge for its keeping them in their place." He pointed to a small container on the desktop. "If I go to Malgin, everyone knows, and I have to fight. Probably not more than two or three times, but I'll have to hurt them to make the point. Hurt them bad enough that no one else tries. Easier to just take the pills."

Ella's hands exploded with gestures so fast that even Victor couldn't keep up. He could understand that she was swearing, however. Finally, she managed to make coherent sentences. ~~This is not f*ck*ng Animal Planet, Victor! Who are these people you'd have to fight?~~

"Some of the Marines, one or two of the ratings out of Operations, a few others. It's normal, Grey. Not everyone runs when I walk in the room - some of them fight. Part of whatever it is that I do to people. My attitude might not help much, but I am who I am."

She exhaled and made her hands relax. ~~Then get the good doctor to come to you.~~

One eyebrow rose. "Malgin? Make a house call? If you think I'm injured now, imagine what shape I'd be in after asking him to do that."

~~Pick another one then.~~ she replied shortly.

"I don't know any of the others. Except the Vulcan, Dr. T'Lan, who's transferring to Counseling next week. That's not a good idea either."

~~Then I'll find you one.~~ Ella's fingers said calmly. Even if I have to force him or her here with a phaser, she thought.

"Grey, I'll be all right," Victor frowned.

Her eyes narrowed. ~~I almost think you're trying to make me angry on purpose.~~ she stated.

"No. If I were trying to make you mad, you'd know. I never do that unless I'm about to have to fight someone. I can't think of a reason I'd ever want to fight you, not for real."

She raised her eyebrows but decided to change the topic. ~~And as for the other thing?~~ She asked, still considering how she could get him to get medical treatment. I'll tranq him if I have to, she thought. Or the doctor.

He looked at her for a moment, and said, "I was going to say that I didn't want you to stop, Grey."

She blinked once, the statement bringing her out of her plans of dragging him to Sickbay. ~~Oh.~~ It seemed a silly statement so she elaborated with ~~Oh, I see.~~

"That's why I..." Victor pressed his hands to the desktop again. He started to say something else, stopped, and just looked at her.

Ella looked back at him, trying to figure the best way to deal with the situation. A part of her couldn't help but feel slightly pleased, but then she reminded herself that he would have had the same reaction if any other woman were in the room with him. Thank goodness the other engineers had already left!

In the end, Ella felt sorry for her friend who was losing control and hating it. She could surely relate to feeling helpless.

And yes, she considered Victor her friend. Ella had said it before, that she wanted to be his friend, but she felt she truly was now. Odd, she thought.

Ella tilted her head at him. ~~I'd hug you but, somehow, I don't think that would be helpful.~~

"No," he whispered, not looking at her. "I don't think that would be a good thing right now." She noticed the play of muscles across his back and in his arms as his hands opened and closed while he spoke, as if he were constantly about to reach for her and then restraining himself.

Ella nodded, bit her lip. ~~I agree.~~ She sighed. ~~It's only a residual effect, Victor. The feelings will go away soon, I promise.~~

He nodded and looked at her for a moment with a flash of raw hunger and need that was so strong it was almost frightening before he blinked it away and was merely Victor again. "I think you need to leave, Grey. Before I... You need to go. Please."

~~I...yes, I think you're right. I need to get back to Engineering anyway. Stay inside for a bit, just in case. I'll check on you later, er, after it's worn off.~~ Ella smiled sympathetically to him, picked up her kit, and left. She stopped outside the door and took a deep breath.

Damn, she thought. Ella headed back to work.

But not before sending a message off to Sickbay.

Victor watched her go, then slowly stripped off the pants and recycled them before moving into the bathroom and the shower again, trying to wash away the shameful wish that he'd opened the door and let the machine have its way with him, real or not, in a sheet of scalding water that ran on and on and on.

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