"A Galaxy Christmas Special"

In the future??..

"Very good Allison.....now what do we have here?"

"GRAPE!!"

"Excellent Alli....these are Grapes. You eat them. Do you want a grape
Alli?"

"GRAPE!!"

"Here you go sweetie.......not too fast now....Okay now what fruit is this?"

"Gr.....gr....GRAPE!!"

Rebecca von Ernst....ex-Starfleet captain chuckled and shook her red hair in
amusement.

"No sweetie....this is an apple....can you say Apple?"

"App...."

"That's it....say Apple."

"App....app...."

"Say Apple."

"GRAPE!!!" young Allison (age 2) exclaimed triumphantly throwing her fat
stubby arms into the air.

"Grape! Grape!"

Soft peals of laughter echoed across the sunlight kitchen of the von Ersnt
homestead.

Winter had come to the shores of Lake Myvatn' Icelend. The lush green fields
and meadows had given way to mounds of clean crisp snow, covering the
landscape in a crystal blanket of white.

It was the Christmas season. Brilliant red ribbons decorated the windows,
that glowed with a cheery warmth from the crackling fireplace.

Soft Bing Crosby songs crooned from hidden speakers, and the smell of hot
sugar cookies filled the kitchen.

The Von Ernst home was a trim two story log cabin of sorts. Warm wood
paneling, polished brass fittings and big fluffy sofas one could dive into
from above.

Right now Rebecca, wearing her best green Christmas sweater, was in the
kitchen attending to little Allison who was trapped in a hand-made Klingon
High-Chair. (escape proof)

"No no...Silly goose.....Apple....ap-ple."

"Grape Grape!" exclaimed Allison proudly shaking her blond curls happily.
She loved it when she made her mommy laugh.

"Fine." Rebecca chuckled, "Have another Grape, but your grandma is gonna say
I'm spoiling you."

"Gramma gramma? GRAPE?"

"No...Grandma's still in America....she'll be here on tomorrow's
shuttle....she just had to finish up taking care of the cows."

"Moo Moo!!"

"Exactly...Cows go Moo....and what do we get from cows?"

"GRAPES!!"

"No silly....we drink it....."

Allison frowned and scrunched her head in concentration......got from
cows.....and you drank it?

"Grape joos Mommy?" she asked hesitantly.

"Grape juice? "Rebecca stared at her daughter in amazement, "I'll show you
grape juice you little noodle-head."

Being the tactical genius that she was.......Veteran of the wars against the
Dominion....Borg.....and Triad.....Rebecca decided it was time to launch a
Tickle-war on her daughter who screamed with laughter!!!

"Tickle tickle tickle!!!"

"Grape Grape Grape....bwa haha hahah.....oooooo!"

"What? "

"I tinkled....."

"Ooops sorry......go grab some undies out of the bottom drawer and I'll
change you."

Rebecca lifted her precious girl out of the high chair (which she was
outgrowing) and set her on the polished wooden floors.

BING BONG!

The sound of the cheerful doorbell cut across the soft crooning of Bing
Crosby songs and sent little Allison running for the front door.

"Do-Bell Do-Bell!!" she cried running past the Christmas tree and straight
for the big wooden door.

"Noodles...Careful hon," Rebecca ran after her wiping her hands on a kitchen
towel, "....its cold outside and you're still wet!"

This did little to distract the little imp who grunting with effort to
pushed the door open to reveal.......

"Unca Vic! Unca Vic!!"

"Hello, Alli-gator," the figure offered with a smile, small drifts of snow
that had accumulated on the shoulders of his black leather coat falling to
the stoop as he shifted the packages in his arms to free one hand so he
could lean forward and tousle Alli's hair. "Merry Christmas."

"Oh hey Victor... Merry Christmas." Tiny five foot Rebecca stood on her tip
toes to give the tall man a kiss on the cheek. "No trouble finding the
place?"

"Merry Christmas to you, too," he returned. "And it was no trouble, even
with all the snow. I'll need to draft some help and shovel the walk in the
morning though, or the only way people are getting in is by transporter - or
dogsled."

"Presents! Presents!" Alli was hopping up and down at Victor's feet
excitedly. Her sharp two year old eyes had spotted the brightly colored
wrapping paper in his arms, and wanted nothing better than to start ripping
it to shreds.

"Not now Noodlehead...Its not time for presents yet," Rebecca gestured over
towards the glowing tree by the fireplace. "Feel free to drop the gifts
under there, and I've got you set up to stay in the upstairs
guestroom......you remember where the bathroom and everything is right?"

"I do," he nodded as he set the presents under the tree and returned to the
door to bring in a large soft-sided bag before closing it to shut off the
draft chilling the room, "and we should be fine there. Rexa and Ar'resh say
to tell you 'Hello' and sent their gifts with me, but the Venture is off
chasing another one of those big subspace squids that the Hydrans keep
trying to capture and wind up driving into the Cardassian shipping lanes so
they're not going to make it."

He set his bag down by the stairs, shed his jacket and hung it by the door,
and moved to the couch to relax for a moment. "The rest of the family will
be here, though; they were just sorting out some last-minute scheduling
problems."

"Unca Vic! Unca Vic!!" Alli was still hopping about, dancing in front of the
fireplace. She spun in circles for several long minutes before making
herself sick and jumping up on the sofa and into Victor's waiting arms.
"Unca Vic!" she yelled right into his face.

Of course it was then Victor noted the little imp was a bit on the soggy
side.

"Alli-gator," he replied with a wry grin. "Did we have an accident and
forget to tell our Mom?"

"Ohmygosh." Rebecca blanched. "I'm so sorry.....I..I...I.. forgot she just
had an accident not right before you rang." She shooed Allison off the couch
and made abortive attempts to wipe Vic down with the kitchen towel.

"Rebecca, Rebecca," he protested, laughing a little as he managed to get her
to stop. "It's all right; after all, it's certainly not like I'm not used to
it by now."

He fished a small cylinder out of his pants' left thigh cargo pocket and
held it up. "See?" He aimed the device at himself, it hummed a few seconds,
and the end pointing at him glowed red, and then green. "All better now." He
stowed the device away and looked around. "I'm the first here? I thought for
sure I was going to be late."

"Sorry sorry sorry.......well....Daren is supposed to be showing up tonight,
but they've got a hotel in Reykjav?k so wanted to drop their stuff off
first. As for Admiral Price." She shrugged. "He's still up to his eyebrows
in the latest Academy Scandal......I tell you, what's up with cadets these
days?"

At this point Allison scampered in from the kitchen and proudly offered a
banana to Vic.

"GRAPE!" she exclaimed.

"That," Victor said seriously as he examined the gift, "is indeed a very big
and yellow grape, Alli-gator."

BING BONG!!

"Santa! Santa!" squealed Alli and she once again ran for the door.

"Allison Marie von Enst!" fussed Rebecca, leaving Victor with the towel and
chasing after. "Don't you open that door in your wet clothes!"

All to no avail as the door swung open to reveal.....

"You not Santa."

"No," the tall, white-winged creature replied flatly. "Obviously not."

Allison was obviously not happy with this turn of events, and showed her
frustration by kicking the Santa-imposter in the shin. The avian grunted and
clenched his jaw. "Yes, thank you for that," he said through grinding teeth.

>>SOME HOURS LATER<<

Dinner was a success, and while soft candlelight glittered off of
half-drained wine glasses, Rebecca drafted her old crewmates into clearing
away the dishes.

"Dishes?" Cutter scoffed. "I do not touch other people's food wastes. I'd
rather let your child kick me again."

For his part the Caitian didn't look too pleased either. "Felinessss do not
like waterrrrr." he protested softly.

Rebecca merely gave them both her best Starfleet Captain glare and shoo'd
them into the kitchen.

The cat and bird eyed each other warily and groaned under their breath as
they were forced into position next to the sink. Besides the dinnerware in
their hands, there was a large overflowing pile in the sink basin as well.
They were still standing there, contemplating their assignment when Rebecca
left them alone.

The rest of the guests retired to the cozy living room, wood paneling
glowing in the firelight. Daren M'kantu and Jii were discussing some issue
quietly over warm egg-nog, and little Alli was yawning her head off, curled
up on Admiral Price's lap. She liked his 'wheels' apparently.

Dropping into a rocking chair, Rebecca surveyed the crowd.

Price was listening with half an ear to M'Kantu and Elaithin, who were
trying ardently to not discuss "business." Luckily, Alli was not the only
child present - three of Jii and Jordan's four children, the youngest of
which who was not far in age from Allison at all, were around as well. The
twins, Connor and Aria, were not in sight - and God only knew what they were
up to. Little Cassandra was curled up in her mother's lap, and eying Alli's
place with "Grandpa" Price with clear envy.

Many of the other old Galaxy crewmen were present.....old faces from the
days when they were all so young and new.

Vic puttering around with the Christmas tree lights, getting advice from
Samantha Widdlestein......my she had grown into a pretty young
woman......Old Leo passed out in his crusty Santa Suit, and next to him, a
rather drunk Lysander Hawksley toasting the 'smeggers' of the universe.

>From over by the tree, Victor looked up, smiled, and beckoned Rebecca over.

"Whats up?" she asked curiously, wondering if she had gotten the wiring
wrong. There was no less than three Starfleet Engineers at the party, and it
would not do to burn the house down due to faulty wiring.

"Nothing's wrong," he assured her to start with. "Samantha and I have taken
care of everything that was still left to go on the tree except one thing:
the angel." He handed her the ornament and nodded to the top of the tree.
"It's your tree, Rebecca; yours and Alli's. Do you want to wake her up and
put it on together?"

She took the delicate little figure and turned it over gently in her hands.
Her flashing brown eyes and smile were enough thanks.

However there was no way little five foot Rebecca was going to put it on top
of a seven foot tree, so blurry eyed Allison had to be recruited.

Perching daintily atop her mom's shoulders, (with several attentive men
nearby in case she toppled) Allison examined the angel.

"Unca Vic? Why is the dish-washer man going on top of the tree?"

"That's a female!" Cutter exclaimed from across the room. "Can she not tell
I'm a male?"

"She's two, Cutter," Vic said, shaking his head and smiling, "Everything
looks different then." He turned to Alli. "It's not Cutter, Alli-gator, it's
an angel. They go on top of the tree to watch over everyone and keep them
safe until the next Christmas. Since she's your angel and this is your tree,
you and your mom need to be the ones to put her on top so she can see us
all."

They'd come a long way from being fresh faced Ensigns aboard the Galaxy.

Wars?.rumors of wars, and the occasional hyper-sexed vampire attack were all
in the past.

This was Christmas.

This was Family.

BING BONG!

Rebecca turned towards the door in mild surprise. Everyone who was coming
had already shown up unless her mother caught an earlier shuttle?

The door opened onto a very miserable looking Federation Express
deliveryman.

"M?merry Christmas Ma'am," he shivered and tipped his cap. "I got a special
p?p..package here for one Allison von Ernst?"

"For Alli?" Rebecca frowned in confusion as she signed the little clipboard
and accepted the rather long slender box. A guaranteed Non-replicated
package with a return adress from across the Federation??this couldn't have
been cheap.

She was still reading the note when she felt a tug at her knee, "Is it
mommy? Is it??.Oooooooooo." Allison cooed as she saw the size of the
present?.almost taller than she was. "For me?"

"Apparently," Rebecca studied the card while one of the men set the box down
in the living room. The children gathered round in awe. Presents were
cool?.no matter what.

"Oh noodles." Rebecca grimaced as she read off the name, "Alli
its?..noodles??its from your Daddy."

The room was suddenly quiet as everyone listened?...while pretending not to.

Allison's father was familiar to all?..

"D?daddy?" Little Allison eyed the package in wonder. A man she had never
met.

Shakily she ripped off the cover of the box to reveal a sparkling purple
glitter guitar, packed neatly amongst the Styrofoam.

A guitar??for a two year old?

"Daddy?" confused Allison looked up at her mother. "Mommy? Where's my daddy?
Where Mommy?"

Rebecca von Ernst?.the woman who could calculate pi to the billionth digit
in her sleep??..had no answer.

~~~Damn you James Corgan.~~~

"The Enigma"

Lt. JG Ophelia Zamora
JAG

Lt. JG. Zachary Burdick
Diplomat NPC

====================================

Certain things in life were certain. The wind, the rain, summer heat,
winter chill. Even those to a point in this day and age could be modified,
So, the question remains....is there anything in this universe that is
solid? In his mind, he knew there was not. For just as a person was
positive in the so called facts, he would warp their perception of things
causing them to wonder about the validity of all things. That was his job
as a negotiator and diplomat. To ease strain between cultures, to amass
ideas and warp them just slightly so both sides could see the bigger
picture. He was good at what he did, that fact that held itself in the
universe was certain.

Steel blue eyes shifted from crew member to crew member as he found his way
through the corridors of the Galaxy. Nodding at the ladies with a wry
smile, he captured their attention immediately for some reason that they
could not quite understand. Perhaps it was that he was not the typical
member of the crew. A black leather trench coat dusted the floor, puffing
out slightly at his feet as he stepped with purpose. His jet black hair
waved back, peppered with a blond streak that started at the back of the
left ear and wove around to settle behind his right ear. It appeared to be
a dropped halo, shimmering low to the back of his neck, making him stand out
among the masses. Around his left wrist, was a small bracelet of porcelain
playing cards he had acquired in Beijing China exactly four years ago to the
day. He held this little gift close to him at all times, for it gave those
around him a glimpse into who he was....if they looked close enough.

He was dressed to kill....black suit with a blood red vest...the man was an
enigma. He knew it, yet was humble enough to know the power he possessed.
Scratching his goatee, he pursed his lips as he entered the Liaison
department.

---------

Ophelia sighed. Another long day in the trenches of the department had
left her bone weary. Not to mention, a new diplomat assigned for this
particular mission that was supposed to arrive thirty minutes ago was being
what one would call 'fashionably' late. She hated that. It was that prompt
attorney side to her that shined through at times such as these. Her eyes
felt heavy, despite the cover up she used....anyone that looked at her could
tell she was cranky.

"Lt....Zamora I presume?" And there he was, standing before her in all his
leathered glory. He watched her for a moment silently.

Raising her head up slightly, she didn't smile, but had the thin line of her
lips stay solidly in place while muttering. "Yes."
Mentally, she caught herself thinking......'Damn!'

"Ah, wonderful! I'm Lt. Zachary Burdick."

"Charmed I'm sure." She stated rather flatly before motioning him to have a
seat. "Are you aware, Lt. That you are thirty minutes tardy?"

"I'm known for being late...." He mused as removed his overcoat and folded
it over the chair next to him before sitting. His posture was relaxed, yet
held her respect.

"I see." Ophelia stated shortly before clearing her throat.
"Well....Burdick. Not in my department. Understand?"

A single eyebrow raised in mock defiance. "I shall try to be on time from
now on."

"Good. Now....." She paused, extracting a padd from her desk. "Here is
the information I know of concerning this mission of extraction. You and I
are to meet with an Argrata Kaul...leader of the Vered Cluster tomorrow
morning do inform her of what is about to take place."

"Extraction. That really sucks." He stated simply in a rather teasing
tone.

Her mouth drew into that tight line once again. "Yes, it is unfortunate.
Initial intelligence has informed me that resistance cells are forming in
the various areas. The colonists are not happy with Starfleets
objections...and I must say that I have some reservations of my own."

"As do I. The situation is a delicate one."

"The names of the leaders of the potential cells are listed in appendix
b...." She retorted softly, locking onto his blue eyes with her dark brown
orbs. She steadied herself mentally, feeling subconsciously an odd sort of
energy passing between them. "Your job....is to set up a meeting between
Starfleet and the resistance cell leaders. Gather what you can about their
'issues'. See what, if anything that we can do to accommodate them moving
somewhere safer without harming them."

A small, slight curl to his lips presented the challenge to her to stay on
her feet as he shifted his gaze from hers to the names on the padd. "Okay
then....." He paused vocally, with that slight knowing curl turning into a
small grin.

Instinctively, Ophelia felt caught off gaurd. "What?" Her eyes darted to
his long fingers then up to his goatee, then finally rested on those
mysterious eyes of his.

His head raised, the playful smile grew. "Nothing....Ma'am."

"Uh huh..." Zamora muttered wondering what he was thinking as she attempted
to clear her head. "If you have any questions...."

He stood, nodding before slipping on his trench coat. "I'll contact
you.... Farewell........"

"Um...yeah...bye." She waved him off, already absorbed in her daunting
workload. Her head raised as she heard his light chuckle in the corridor.
Shaking her head, Ophelia attempted to concentrate on the work in front of
her instead of the odd first impression the man left with her.

~Chalk It Up to the Wind~

Lt. Cutter Kara'nin
Lt. Thyago Carneiro
Ens. Sharzhevashi zh'Rin

The plains surrounding Paliba'alulu colony were anything but quiet. Flat,
and empty, yes, but quiet, no, for the wind howled over the earth like a
chorus of baying wolves, whipping through the thick, sturdy thatches of 'Ohe grass
stalks, causing them to clatter like a rattlesnake's tail. The soft hum of
energetic matter transporting down was entirely drowned out by the cacophony.

It was just past midday, and the winds were just beginning to slow from their
fastest speeds. As the three Starfleet officers beamed down, a projected
force field sealed in their molecules from the atmospheric currents, protecting
their reassembling innards from the white, windy rapids. But, once they
were fully themselves again, the force field was removed, and they were left
vulnerable to the breeze - which hit them like a truck.

"Gah!" Thyago cried as he was immediately slammed into the ground. Shi let
out a similar sound as she landed nearby. Cutter, on the other hand, was
capable of withstanding the gusts long enough to thrust out his wings, one to
his side and one up into the air, and use them like sails, one to force his
body down onto the ground, and one to tack against the wind.

He helped Shi up first. "YOU MUST BRACE YOURSELF!" he shouted, his voiced
barely audible in the roaring wind. "STAND TO YOUR SIDE!"

"APPARENTLY, IT IS WINDY HERE," Shi shouted, her voice disappearing into the
wind. Both antennae lay flat against her skull so they disappeared amongst
her dreadlocks.

Thyago attempted to lift himself up without help. He nearly did it, too,
but at the last moment, he toppled over once more, and started to rolled across
the plains, end over end, somersaulting like a human tumbleweed. Cutter and
Shi simply watched him roll away. There was little they could do to help.
"WHERE IS THE COLONY?" Cutter asked.

Shi shook her head, then pointed in her best guess.

"WELL, LET'S GO," he said. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS WIND. WE COULD BE
KILLED."

"WHAT?" Shi called back. She could see that he was talking, and remarkably,
she could hear half of it, but the other half was simply carried away by the
wind, as if his words were no more than dust. She pointed to her ears, a
signal he would hopefully understand.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS WIND!" he repeated, moving his mouth right next
to her ear.

Giving a human nod, to be more easily understood, she prepared to move into
the wind. She found using human gestures with the avian amusing, as neither
were human. But, she doubted he could interpret the subtle expressions of
her antennae, so perhaps humanity's simple ones would serve.

"WE'LL GO THAT WAY," he responded. "LET'S HOPE HE SLAMS INTO A ROCK AND
STOPS!"

Shi's eyes went wide. She did not want to think of Thyago crumpled against
a rock. She pointed off in the direction she intended to go, and then began
pushing herself through the near-hurricane strength winds.

===========================================

Only the bravest hunters would venture out while Kane was puffing so
passionately. The bravest or the most foolhardy. Of course, some said those two
things were the same. Ika seemed to favor them both. The sun was up, and the
winds blew northwards, and Kane was chasing after his mistress Hina. He was
excessively temperamental when he chased after one of his lovers. Any slight
aggression, any small charm that could distract Hina's attentions away from
him, and he could bean a stone against your head, or throw an 'Ohe stalk like
a spear towards your chest in a fit of jealous rage. Everyone knew someone
who died by Kane's hand (but, that was also because everyone knew everyone
else in Paliba'alulu), almost every single one of them was a hunter, trying for
Ika's trophy.

'Eleu was a hunter, but today, he was not out searching for game. He was
searching for chalk. 'Eleu, like Kane, was in love. He was in love with Nani,
a girl with raven black hair that shone like Hau's Aniani in the sun, and a
smile that could warm him faster than any of Maui's flame. She was so full
of life and spirit that he thought she could even ward away Milu's bony touch.
He was in love with her, and he would let her know on this night. He would
paint himself in white for Laukapalili and sneak up and mark the back of
Nani's neck during Loko's festival.

But, first, he needed to make white paint. And to make white paint, he
needed chalk. He knew there was a patch near this area, and if he could get
Panu's guidance, he would hopefully find it soon.

But, Panu was guiding him towards a different prize. 'Eleu turned into the
wind as something caught his eye. Movement, not of the grass, but of
something taller, something moving with purpose. No, two things moving with
purpose. And a third moving without. People, he noted, but he could see little
more than their silhouettes. He saw the third first, rolling across the ground
like a child's hoop. 'Eleu dashed forward, as he tumbled near, and caught
him.

It was a man, dressed in foreigner's garb. 'Eleu assumed he was a trader
from another colony, a suspicion supported when the man thanked him in the
trader's tongue. He looked up at the other two as they approached, barely
standing upright in the fierce winds. These two were not human. One, a woman, was
blue skinned, like one of Hekili's maids. The other was like Kala, a child
of Hau. In fact, he was more like his great mother than Kala, since his hair
was like Hau's, blue-black like the night. He signed to them, holding out
his palm and bringing it to his bare chest.

Shi raised a hand in greeting, mirroring the sign he had given. She just
hoped he had not given the sign that they were unwelcome and would be fed to
the local volcano god. That would be embarrassing.

'Eleu reached down and helped the human up, and held him until he could
adjust to Kane's strength. He said something, but he could not hear over Kane's
roaring. It looked like 'Oloha,' though, which was their greeting to the
traders. And the sea maiden exposed her heart to him. If they knew that, then
they must also know Mumule, the mute's, hands.

Trying to stand against the wind, Shi mouthed the greeting she had been
taught, but from the man's expression it was clear the wind stole the words away.
The frustration of the situation flashed briefly on her face. Thankfully,
her hair was bound into dreadlocks and while they moved, they weren't
whipping about. She shrugged in a manner that hopefully conveyed her apologies for
being unable to communicate.

They clearly did not know how to communicate around Kane. They were not
traders. Who were they, 'Eleu wondered. With his right hand, he plucked the
black feather that was hooked around his grass belt and knelt down. He
searched for a moment until he found a small, square sandstone, then held in place
with his left hand while he gently rubbed the feather over it, three strokes.
If they were apparitions from Maui, this should ward away their master.
When he was done, he quickly clipped the feather back on his belt and motioned
for them to follow.

He lead them a few yards away, to a small thatch of 'Ohe grass, about waist
high. He ducked down behind it and waited for them to follow. "Oloha," he
said, once they were shielded by the grass and no longer deafened by the wind.

Shi followed and ducked down behind the wind break. "Oloha," she was
finally able to say. Her voice was like music when she spoke, with a light lilting
quality, 'Eleu noted. And she was rather pretty in an alien kind of way.
"I am Sharzhevashi zh'Rin, with the Starship Galaxy. The winds caught us by
surprise. Please allow me to introduce my companions. This is Cutter and
Thyago."

'Eleu watched them, only partially understanding what the sea maid, since he
did not know the trader's tongue. He could not even catch her name. It
sounded like waves washing up against the shore, which was appropriate. He
clicked his tongue, negatively, and indicated himself. "Name 'Eleu. Sepeek
little," he said. "Wan' villats?"

"Yes," Cutter said, nodding.

'Eleu nodded. They wanted him to take them to the village. They were not
traders, that much was obvious, not the kind he had ever had experience with,
at least. But, he really wanted the chalk, and he did not want to make a
second trip out onto the plains. Not when he was so close already. Maybe they
would wait? "Ies, in time," he said, then indicated himself once more,
"Onely, Wan'... um... poho." He did not know the trader word for chalk.
"Onely, want poho?" Cutter echoed.

"I think he means he wants something first," Thyago offered. "Onely? Hah.
Onely, first, I like that."

"What is poho?" Cutter asked the Brazilian.

Shi frowned. "It sounds like the name of a fish."

"Poho," 'Eleu repeated, and looked around. He grabbed a small stone from
the ground and pointed to it. Hopefully they would be able to understand him,
without him rubbing his spit into their ear (trader's hated that for some
reason).

"Rock," Shi said helpfully.

"Ies," he nodded, then pointed to Cutter's wing and then to Shi's hair,
"Color."

"Oh! White! White rock?" Thyago bounced.

Then, 'Eleu rubbed the sandstone until parts of it broke off in his fingers,
forming a fine dust. He blew it away. "Poho. Ehu poho."

"Chalk," the avian physicist said, "He want's chalk."

"Was there chalk out there? I was too focused on remaining on my feet. I
cannot believe that chalk would have stayed in one location with the winds."
She leaned close to Thyago. "Do you know if chalk is their currency here?"
"I don't think they really have currency."

"May I see your tricorder," Cutter asked Shi.

Shi unclipped it from her belt and handed it to Cutter. "Of course," she
said.

Cutter flipped open the device and established an uplink with the Galaxy,
which was still in orbit. Once the connection was established, he sent a
request for the standard spectroscopic scans that were automatically performed
whenever the Galaxy entered orbit around a planet. He pulled up the spectrum
for calcium carbonate from the library and had the tricorder find matches.
Then he zoomed into their location. "There is a deposit less than a hundred
meters to our west."

"So we go get some for him," she asked. "We will probably need a container
to contain the substance. In the wind, it would dissipate at an extremely
high rate."

"We don't have to grind it up," Cutter scoffed. "I'm sure he intends to
transport it in its rock form."

"Then we should go get it for him," Shi said.

It was with great trepidation that she stood back up. The wind nearly took
her off her feet, and would have had it not pushed her toward Thyago.
Visions of the human's previous experience gave her enough resolve to catch her own
balance and keep him upright before they both tumbled off into infinity.

It would have been perfect had the wind been blowing from the west. All she
would need do is lift her feet, and put them back down less than a hundred
meters from where she had started. As it was, the ninety-three meters felt
like ninety-three kilometers moving straight into the wind.

Tall grasses whipped about, the ends which could open unprotected skin with
a single lash. It was with great care the small group moved, but eventually
the warble of the tricorder, barely heard above the roar, turned into a
steady tone.

Shi pointed down to her feet. "HERE!"

'Eleu bent down and pulled a knife from his waistband. It looked fairly
modern. Actually, it looked to be well over a hundred years old and very well
used, but it looked about a millennia more modern than anything else he
carried on him. He bashed the hilt into the rock until a cracked formed, then he
flipped the knife over and pried off a piece the size of his fist. "Maalo,"
he mouthed to the three visitors as he stuck the chalk into a bag that hung
around his shoulder.

He motioned for them to follow him, and he led them back near to where they
started. Tucked away out of the wind lay what appeared to be a long surf
board with a mast strapped down to it. He bent down and flipped it over, and
unfolded three wheels from underneath. He pointed to Thyago and Shi, then to
the board. "Sit," he said, the wind roaring above them.

"Whoa? Are we gonna wind surf on land?" Thyago asked, "That's so cool!"

'Eleu looked at him blankly, unsure what was said. He merely pointed down
again and repeated, "Sit."

"Here, okay, uh...," Thyago started, "We'll sit at the back. Azulinha, you
sit in front of me."

Shi nodded and followed the human's lead. Once they were sitting on the
wooden plank, 'Eleu handed them straps and looped them around the bottom. Then
he looked up at Cutter. "Fly," he said, and pointed in the direction of the
wind.

"Can you fly in this wind?" Thyago asked.

"Of course," he scoffed.

"Oh, well, I didn't know," Thyago said. "Wait, how did he?"

'Eleu ignored the conversation and stepped up onto the board. He reached
down and took hold of the mast. There was a sail attached, folded like a fan.
As Thyago handed the straps the Shi, 'Eleu lifted it into the wind and
immediately, the sail inflated and the vessel launched into the motion. "Po!"

Thyago cursed as he was nearly thrown off.

Cutter watched them sail away over the plain, quickly accelerating to several
dozen kilometers per hour in the hurricane force gales. Once they had
gained sufficient lead, he stood and unfurled his own natural sails, and was
yanked up into the air.

"Sundered"

Anara Daier (Randy)
Anara Jolan (Randy)
Anara Pallra (Kat)

===

New B'Hala, Gamma Vered II

"Father, why won't you listen to me?!" raged Anara Jolan as he stopped
his pacing and leaned over the table, his knuckles going white as he
gripped the edge.

Seated at his customary spot at the head of the table, Anara Daier
shook his head, his graying hair shifting gently with the motion. "You
try my patience, Jolan," he responded, trying to keep his tone level.
This was far from the first time he and his son, his eldest child, had
argued about this subject. "It is not our place to question the
decisions that have been made."

"But it is!" Jolan protested. He waved a hand at his sister, seated
beside Daier. "This is our *home*, Father. Pallra and I grew up here.
How can you, or anyone else, ask us to give up everything we have ever
known?"

Daier frowned. "I am not pleased about it, either, believe me. But if
leaving the Vered Cluster will prevent violence between the Federation
and the Dreshayans, then leave it we shall."

"So that's it, then?" Jolan asked, backing away from the table and
looking solemnly at his father and sister. "We just sit here and wait
for Starfleet to come and drag us out of our house?"

"That's not what's going to happen!" Daier countered. "We are citizens
of the Federation, Jolan, do not forget that."

Jolan snorted. "If that were true, then Starfleet would be coming to
defend our claims to these worlds, not to evict us."

"Enough!" Daier growled. "I will not discuss this further. The fleet
is on its way; we must prepare ourselves to leave New B'Hala behind.
We will not give Starfleet trouble when they arrive," he added,
staring pointedly at the orange ribbon pinned to Jolan's shirt.

Jolan started to say something, then closed his mouth and began to
pace before the table again, lowering his head as he thought. A strand
of his long, brown hair fell in front of his eyes, and he brushed it
away with an irritated scowl.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he finally said, whirling to
face Daier and Pallra again. "Refusing to fight for your home must be
second-nature to you by now, Father."

Daier's hands clenched into fists, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Be careful, my son..."

Jolan sneered. "What will you do, Father? Give me another lecture
about how there is more going on than we know about? More excuses from
a man who never seems to run out."

"Brother, please..." Holding a hand out, she beckoned towards the
table. "Please, just sit down. Arguing will solve nothing."

He waved his sister off and leaned forward over the table again, his
dark eyes piercing into his father's. "One thing is for certain,
Father, you're not half the man your brother was. At least Uncle Varen
understood that people have a duty to defend their homes!"

"Silence!" Daier thundered, his face reddening with fury as he pushed
himself to his feet. Beside him, Pallra flinched and covered her mouth
with her hand. "Do not speak of things you couldn't possibly
understand!"

"Oh, I understand, Father," Jolan snarled, matching Daier's anger.
"You're a coward. You were a coward when the Cardassians ruled over
Bajor, and you're a coward now!"

"Jolan, you know that's not true!" Pallra cried, her eyes now shining
with tears. "Father did what he had to in order to protect us!"

"Protect us?" her brother scoffed. "All he cared about was keeping his
own worthless hide out of harm. Our uncle fought and died for Bajor,
while this craven weakling hid away and did nothing!"

"I have heard enough!" Daier snapped. "Get out of my sight, you
ungrateful little wretch. Do you hear me? You are banned from this
house!"

"Father, no..." Pallra started to say before her father's booming
voice drowned out the rest of her words.

"BAAAAAAAANNED!" Daier roared.

Jolan stared at his father, his eyes widening in surprise. Even he
hadn't expected that.

They stood there in silence, father and son staring at one another,
but it was Jolan who blinked first. He stepped back away from the
table, shock nearly robbing him of his balance, and he looked at Pallra for
a moment before turning and retreating from the room. The door slammed
shut a moment later, and all was silent.

Daier heaved a quiet, exhausted sigh as he finally slumped back into
his chair, a trembling hand reaching up to cover his eyes.

For a long moment Pallra simply stared at the door. She had known for
years that this was coming, that one day, her brother would walk out
that door and never come back. But now...now that it had happened, it
felt like her whole world was crashing down. But what could she do?
She closed her eyes for a moment, barely noticing the noise her tears
made as they impacted the smooth wood of the table.

And then, sighing her own sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at her
father. While part of her wanted to run after her brother, part of
her knew that he would be fine, and that it was her father who needed
her support, now more than ever. Silently she placed a hand over his.
"Father...what do we do now?"

Daier flinched at his daughter's touch. A long moment passed before he
finally looked at her, his eyes brimming with tears, though he could
not tell if they were of sorrow or anger.

"Your brother has made his decision, Pallra," he replied, his voice
hoarse. "He chooses to follow after your uncle. Whether or not that
path will lead him to the same fate is known only by the Prophets."

"Then...may they protect him as he walks the path he has chosen."
Pallra said quietly. He may have left them, abandoned them even, but
that did not change the fact that Jolan was still her brother and she
was worried about him.

He inhaled quietly and clasped his other hand over Pallra's. "You will
not abandon me as well, will you?" he asked, giving his daughter a
weak smile.

"Never, father," she replied with a seriousness she rarely displayed
to others. Placing her other hand over his, she continued, "We are
family. Whatever comes for us, we will face it. Together."

Daier nodded solemnly, gently laying his head against Pallra's as he
closed his weary eyes. "Let us pray, my daughter. Let us pray for our
neighbors, and for your brother. May the Prophets rescue him from the
darkness that threatens his soul."

"And may the Prophets guide us, and protect us, as we face this trying
time," she murmured, her voice joining with her father's as they fell
into the familiar rhythms of prayer.

"Strawberry Fields"

Lt. JG. Olphelia Zamora
JAG

Cmdr. Jaal Jaxom
Strategic Operations

-----------------------------

The worn leather briefcase sat in the chair by the door. It always
rested there. Always found there when needed, always returned there
when the work was completed. Structure... everything in her life
revolved around structure and routine. After duty, she would return
promptly to her quarters, grab a sonic shower, and replicate a cup of
black pearl tea. Tuesdays...which it was....meant the red silk
camisole and matching silk pants...covered conservatively by a black
robe that also consisted of silk.

No one ever rang her bell, bothered her, or stopped by.
Routine....plain and simple. It was hermitish in nature, however,
Ophelia preferred it that way. Flipping her raven hair over her
shoulder, she tucked her legs up underneath her on her sofa and
leaned over to grasp a book she was currently reading. 'Love in the
Time of Cholera.' Ancient....yet intriguing.

A tall Trill stood outside her cabin with a small, gift-wrapped box
hidden behind his back. He was still deciding whether or not this was
a good idea. He was new on the ship. She was new on the ship.
Honestly, just how much trouble could a small token of appreciation
cause?

She 'did' make sure he got back to his cabin, safe and sound, the
other night after one too many drinks. She 'did' save the secutiry
department from having to escort him back and a subsequent visit to
sickbay.

'Screw it,' Jaal thought as he tapped the door chime. 'We 'newbies got
to stick together.' He looked down at his uniform. One day, he
thought, when he had some time, he was going to have to expand his
wardrobe again. Damn those Hydrans for destroying everything he had!

Her hair lightly cascaded down, falling into her face as she continued
on page 120. Upon hearing the chime, her held tilted up as her face
gave way to a curious expression. "Come?" She asked herself.
"Yes...come in!" Sliding herself off the couch, Ophelia untied the
silk sash, then re tied it, making positive that she was half way
presentable. Who ever was on the other side would have to settle for
her the way she looked now.

Watching him step through her doorway, she arched a single eyebrow.

Jaal smiled noticing her attire and wondered if he'd come by at the
wrong time. "Uhh... Hi... I didn't come by at the wrong time did I?"
She was either expecting someone else or she liked to get to bed
early.

"Oh...um....no." Ophelia blushed slightly, tugging on her tie around
her middle. "What.....why are you here?"

He'd nearly forgotten the small token behind his back. "Oh. I got you
this... as a 'thank you' for the other night." He offered her the
smallish box. "I appreciate the walk back to my cabin and all."

Zamora's eyebrows slightly raised as she took the box. Opening it,
she extracted the small statue. Her fingers reached out, caressing
the black hair of the little Peanut behind the desk. 'Legal help 5
cents," Opehlia paused, before looking up. She offered him a broad
smile. "Lucy....she's my favorite....thanks...but...I just walked you
back....."

Jaal shrugged while folding his hands behind his back. "Well, ya know,
we're both new on the ship, pretty new anyway, don't really know
anyone, I just thought I'd... ya know," his eyes avoided her and the
rest of her silken covered body. He simple glanced around while
he spoke. "Ya know? Ya know."

'Do I know?' She thought to herself. "Can I get you anything?"
Ophelia offered as her wrist turned and motioned towards the lone
replicator.

"Uhh," Jaal stammered a bit staring at the machine. He 'had' worked
right through the dinner hour with the current mission and all. When
he managed to look at Ophelia again he said, "I... don't want to
impose, ya know?" He smiled weakly. He thought she might be expecting
other company but thought it would be in poor taste to mention it. As
long as she kept that robe on, he thought, everything would be okay.

"It's not imposing.....believe me. I live the life of a lonely
lawyer." Her tone was a little bittersweet as she said it. "Just a
sec...I'll get something that I think you'll like...." Turning her
back to him, she walked a few short steps over to the replicator. As
she programmed her request, her robe slipped slightly off her right
shoulder, exposing the back of her tanned shoulder to him.

That made Jaal's eyes widen. Then he chastised himself for thinking
that way. Then he stood on his tiptoes momentarily to try and see what
she was getting them from the replicator. He realized this was
something he'd probably never consider if Erastus had been aboard. So
why was he doing this now? He scrunched his face in thought. He didn't
know. He checked himself for ulterior motives but couldn't find any...
but damn, if Miss Zamora didn't have the sexiest shoulder this side of
the Milky Way.

"Okay. If you say so," was all he could get out of his mouth without
sounding like a moron.

"I do." She replied with a turn and a slight hint of a smile playing
on her lips. The bowl was presented to Jaal filled with a thick brown
liquid. "Hold that for me...." Her head tilted slightly to the side,
sizing him up in some way that only she knew. "Now...I need you to
keep a secret...can you?"

"I've been known to keep a secret or two." he answered easily.

"Good. I thought you looked like the type that could." Walking
deeper into the living room, she left him standing there dumbfounded
at her actions. Sitting beside her briefcase on the chair was a small
package wrapped in white butcher paper. Holding it, Ophelia turned to
him as he still stood there. "You can sit...." She softly responded.

Placing the box down on the coffee table, she slowly took the bowl
from him as her hair fell forward to rest against her shoulders.
"Thank you." The bowl came to rest a short way from the box as she
watched him finally sit down. Keeping her eyes on him, she untied her
robe, letting it fall off her shoulders before taking it completely
off and placing it on the back of the couch. "I was getting warm..."

Jaal watched her silk robe fall to reveal her pajamas. As he figured,
the only thing better than watching it fall and show some shoulder was
watching it fall and showing the rest. "Here and all this time I
thought it was just me." he gracefully said tugging his collar a bit,
"Have you thought of getting your atmospheric controls checked?"

"I have, and they are fine....I'm just hot blooded I suppose. " She
responded in jest. Sitting beside him on the couch, she tucked her
legs up underneath her. "I need you to close your eyes.....or at
least cover them."

"Well," he sounded unsure. He didn't like being at a disadvantage but
on the other hand, it could be fun. After the eating contest he had
with Arel, there was nothing she could stick in his mouth that would
be 'that' bad. "Okay." Jaal closed his eyes.

Opehlia narrowed her eyes at him, before waving her hand in front of
his vision to make sure that they were somewhat closed. Satisfied,
she unwrapped the box. "Just a sec......"

Jaal suddenly found himself giddy with anticipation and only a twinge
of guilt over doing something like this and still trying to be with Era.

Grabbing the fruit by the stem, Ophelia dipped the strawberry into the
chocolate swirling the fruit until the liquid covered it completely.
"Now...." Her hand rested underneath the berry as she shifted her
position. "Tilt your head back...keep your eyes closed....and open
your mouth just slightly."

Jaal did as she requested wondering just what he did to deserve this
royal treatment or... what this some kind of prank on Ophelia's part?
He braced himself for anything.

Ophelia smiled as she placed the berry half way into his mouth. "Bite...."

Jaal bit. The expression on his face said it all. 'Ohhh! That's good!
What is that?' And, 'is there more?'

Leaning back, Zamora smiled at his expression. "Fresh...from the
Vered cluster. It's just naughty....is it not?" Dipping one of her
own, she closed her eyes and took a bite.....slightly smiling as the
taste touched her tongue. "It's been.....a while since I have had
fresh fruit..."

"It's a shame fresh fruit is so hard to come by on a starship. You'd
think with the arboretum and the hydroponics lab we'd have it all the
time. What's your favorite kind?" he asked curiously.

"Watermelon...plain and simple. In the summer.....while I was a
child....we would place watermelons in huge buckets full of ice. They
would stay chilled all day long and...anytime we wanted, we would go
and get a slice. It was wonderful....fresh and ice cold....juicy..."
She closed her eyes and smiled at the memories that replayed in her
head. Opening her eyes, she tilted her head to the side. "What's
your favorite?"

Jaal's face twisted in thought. "I like oranges a lot... I guess I
like rapegs too. We grow them back home and make wine out of'em." His
heartbeat slowed some as he worked into the easy going conversation.
Sure, he was sitting on a couch all alone with a beautiful woman
wearing nothing but silk pajamas but nothing strange was happening. It
was a good thing so long as he remembered to breath. Talking about
fruit was nice and innocent. It was a good thing.

"What kind of woman do you go for Jaal?" She posed the question
throwing innocence out the window. Her gaze locked onto his as she
took another strawberry into her mouth.

"What kind of... woman?" he asked with a perplexed look.

"Ya know...." She stated with a wry grin.

"Uhhhh... Adventurous is a good quality," he said slowly wanting to
look away but strangely... couldn't. "Of course," he started finding
his voice again, "You have to be at least a little adventurous to fly
around in a starship, ya know?"

"Well...I suppose so. K, what else. What turns your crank physically?"

Jaal gave Ophelia a suspicious look, "Are you trying to fix me up with
someone too?"

"Nope. Just curious."

"All right,' Jaal folded his arms across his chest, "Who put you up to
this? Mark? For'kel? Cowboy? Aina? It has to be someone that came over
from the Miranda... well, except Smith."

"I don't know any of those people. I just asked for my own
curiosity...seriously." Ophelia grinned.

"Really?"

She nodded affirmative.

Jaal was still suspicious but answered anyway, "Well," he started
rubbing his chin a little while thinking, "I guess I prefer taller
women... closer to my own height but that doesn't rule out shorter
ones or anything." Erastus was tall, he thought, nearly as tall as he
was. "I like longer hair too," he added as he leaned back on the couch
relaxing a little. Now that he thought about it, all his old
girlfriends had hair that went past their shoulders.

Suddenly Jaal shook his head, "Ya know, I don't know why I'm telling
you all this," he looked at her with a somewhat confused expression,
"I feel like I'm talking to a counselor now and it's creeping me out a
little."

"Tell me something Jaal, have you ever got to know a person before
bedding them?" Ophelia asked the question in a non gallant manner as
she took a long draw from her coffee mug.

His brow knit in thought, "Isn't that the way it always happens?" he
ventured. It hasn't happened that way with Era, but she was the
exception to the rule. There's always exceptions. "What about you?
Have you gotten to know everyone you've ever been to bed with?" he
explored Ophelia's train of thought for a change.

"I've only been with two men. One was a one night stand which
resulted in my son. The other...was my ex husband. So, yes and no.
Got a problem with that?" Zamora stated with another wry grin.

"What makes you think I'd have a problem with it?" he asked curiously.
"I mean really," he shrugged, "It's all normal ya know? Stuff happens
to everyone."

"Defensive stance came out...sorry...it happens with my background."
She paused. "Is there a reason behind the 'ya knows'? Cause....you
say it alot. And by a lot...I mean a lot."

"I do?"

"Si...you do...."

Jaal thought for a long moment. His lips pursed and his eyes narrowed.
"Nervous reaction. I guess I was nervous when I first walked in. I
mean, it's not everyday the door gets answered by a woman wearing
nothing but silk." With difficulty, he suspressed the urge to add a
'ya know' after that.

He also would have added 'Especially one as beautiful as you' if he
wasn't still involved with Erastus (or was he?).

Ophelia rolled her eyes before finally settling them on his. "Damn, I
known I should have answered the door naked. My bad."

Jaal doubled over with laughter. It was the first time he'd done that
in a long time and it felt good. "Ya know," and he emphasized the
words playfully, "Had you done that this conversation may have taken
an entirely different turn."

"Well I knew that...I........"

He held his finger up to pause her thought, "One other thing I like in
women just to let you know... the ability to make me laugh."

"I see." Lia responded quietly before tilting her head downwards with
a slight blush to her cheeks. Looking up, Zamora sighed. "As much
fun as this has been, I have to cut it short.....duty calls early
tomorrow........" She let her voice trail off before speaking again
in almost a whisper. "It's been nice."

"No problem," Jaal had already stayed longer than he thought he would.
He had an early day tomorrow as well. He stood and made his way
towards the door.

She stood, walking him to the door where the uncomfortable air swirled
around them. Glancing up the same time as she did, they both viewed
the little symbol of Christmas innocently dangling above their heads.
Misstletoe.

Jaal peered at the plant without realizing its significance. He was no
expert on Terran customs. He gave Ophelia a playful wink and was out
the door.

"Civil Issues" Part 2 of 2

Lieutenant Dhanishta Eshe
Chief Engineer

Michael McDowell
Civilian Engineering Specialist

*** Ten Forward***

Dhanishta snorted and double swallowed in order not to gag on her
drink. Wiping her lips hastily as she relinquished the empty mug to
the surface of the table she looked up with a smirk, "As if!" she
mocked gently, "I heard about what happened down there, you weren't
involved in no hacking!" she jested, "You got your buddy to do it for
you!" she smiled teasingly at him, "And how you paid him back for that
I *never* want to know, okay?"

"You're not even curious? That's a first." Michael flashed a grin at
her. At least he could still make her smile, even in these times.
"Let me just say that I got him a little bit of heaven. It got him
out of that stuffy Computer centre and that's quite something if you
know Corky."

Having not met the guy Dhani was sure to take his word for it. "Kala
did mention that he was wound a lil tight." she commented. Pausing
for a moment mentally, she thought about what it was he really wanted.
There was only one way to solve the situation, yet she was at a loss
of how to do it. They had already gone to the JAG officers, several
times. It had been almost two years since they had uncovered the plot
that had Michael demoted; two years since her coma? she frowned and
stared at the moisture ring her mug had left on the table, fingering
the droplets that glimmered in the overhead lighting like flecks of
sparkly glitter.

"And with Kala around it was even worse. You should've seen him when
they first met. Poor guy." Michael's thoughts went back to that
time. Corky was even worse with women then him. He noticed how Dhani
was focused on the tiny drops of moisture on the table instead of
listening to him. "Is everything okay?"

Dhanishta tried to smile at his joke, but it was no use. As soon as
the smile ascended it descended into a perplexed frown of inner
melancholy. She shook her head slowly and looked up, "Honestly??" she
sighed, "No." she shrugged and wiped the moisture off the table.

Michael turned all serious again. The nonchalant answer was reason
enough to do so. It wasn't like her to act like she didn't care.
"What's bothering you Dhani? Just spit it out. I'm listening."

Dhani took in a long breath, "It's a lot of things really." she
replied, "The mission for one, can't say I'm looking forward to it.
The situation in engineering is getting on top of me a bit. Everyone
does a great job, but still the paper-work keeps mounting and I feel
as if there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done."
she leaned back in her chair and smoothed out her tunic.

"What gets me down the most is this situation, with you?" she trailed
for a moment. There was a lot she wanted to say, to bring up rather.
They had never really talked about that night Baile came to visit, or
the things she told him afterwards. Part of her really didn't want to
go down that road again, she couldn't risk, didn't want to risk it.
Yet she felt the pressure of having to keep up appearances for the
sake of her relationship, job and commission. Her own sanity was
listed there somewhere too, but it featured somewhere at the bottom.
Her nightmares were more of a casual thing these days, rather than
dramatic night terrors that left her in a cold numbing sweat. The
problem there was that she was adjusting to them, getting used to
them, no longer feeling the horror. And then there were feeling she
did feel, on an inner level, that went deeper than she knew were
possible.

She locked his gaze, an apologetic smile laced on her face, "I see
that expression on your face every time I get up for work and put on
my uniform." her smile lifted slightly as did her eyebrows, "I know
you watch." she smirked. "But I see the longing in your heart, the?"
she searched for the words, "questioning glances?. as you try to
figure out if putting that uniform back on will make you happy?
content ? fulfilled?" she paused and let out another melancholy sigh,
"I hate the fact that you don't smile, a full whole hearted smile, any
more. I hate the fact that I'm your superior now when you had always
been mine and I hate the fact that if you do put on that uniform you
may come to despise me for it, no matter how much you think it doesn't
bother you, I'm afraid that it might. You were assistant chief, you
have been where I am now and you did it well? and?" she closed her
eyes and let her head fall backwards gently coming to rest on the back
of the chair. "I just don't know?" she whispered opening her eyes and
looking up at the ceiling for a moment.

A long time went by without either of them saying anything. It was
Michael that finally broke the silence. "Hey...you can't fix
everything. You've done what you could. I've got to take it from
here. What you need to do now is concentrate on the mission. That's
your priority." he said as he got hold of one of her hands, squeezing
it softly. "The rest will have to wait. One step at a time."

Dhanishta returned the gentle squeeze and softly stroked his fingers
with hers. The smiled that lifted her features was confirmation
enough that what he had said was comforting. For a moment she let the
silence return, thoughts mulling around her head as the felt the
connection between them through the physical touch.

"You know Branwen is getting married?" she said, trying to move on to
a lighter topic. Though it wasn't a subtle shift!

"Branwen?" Michael had to draw from memory to recall who Dhani was
talking about. "You mean the woman with the Welsh accent?"

"Yes that's right. She's the Marine Psychologist." Dhani replied
leaning forward engaged, "you have met her, haven't you?" she asked
with a frown, "She came with me and Kimberly when we went away for
that race, which ended up with us running for our lives?"

"Ehm, yeah, I guess you're right." Michael wasn't sure if he had met
Branwen at that time. "Oh wait; some time ago we had dinner with her
and her friend, right?"

Dhani nodded, "Yeah," she murmured watching the dim lights of
recognition sparkling behind Michaels warm eyes.

Michael nodded. He remembered that evening now, when Dhani had
invited Branwen and her boyfriend. At first sight it was an odd
couple, their difference in height being the most obvious. Maybe
difference in size was a more accurate description. Man'darr was,
just like Branwen, a Marine. Michael thought that was the only thing
they had in common. Until now. "And they are getting married?"

"Yep." Dhani nodded once more, slower this time, hoping that he might
understand her discontent without having to actually explain it.
Dhani was so far from the goals she had set herself as a cadet, she
was so far from the person that she was when she had made them. But
that still didn't help the fact that she hadn't attained the dreams
she set out back then. Marriage seemed like an alien concept right
now. She looked at Branwen and Man'darr and judged them on her own
set of rules of conduct and etiquette.

The man sitting across from her was the most warm hearted, loving
gentle creature that she had ever had the pleasure to lock eyes with,
and yet as much as she liked to believe she knew him, she was a
realists and knew full well that she really didn't have the slightest
clue. And that meant he didn't know her either. Her mind drifted
back to Chang for an instant, that turned into a second and then three
and then?. She thought she knew him well enough to promise herself to
him, to pledge a lifetime together, to carve out a career and a family
with him? and then he pulled the rug from under her feet and in the
blink of an eye that future that they'd planned floated out of the
window on the summer breeze, and just like that he was gone and along
with him, her life?

Had she been a shell since he left? Closing herself up, away from the
potential pain of loosing someone else? If the shoe fits, wear it, a
voice heckled inside. Dhanishtas mind wandered further that she would
have liked, and she found herself raining in her thoughts for fear
that if she continued Kimberly would be adding yet another account of
slit wrists to her medical file.

"You know, I've heard better responses to marriage plans. You don't
think it's a good idea?" Michael didn't give away his own doubts
simply because he didn't know Branwen and Man'darr all that well. He
had no idea how their relationship had developed over the past few
months. Besides, who was he to argue with Cupid and his way of
getting people together?

Dhani shook her head and looked down at the table once more. Did she
have the courage to tell him what she really thought of Man'darr? Or
was this topic a cover for what she couldn't say to Michael? Abruptly
she stood up, "I'm really sorry babe, I have to get to the Bridge, I'm
already late." she gave him her best apologetic smile and leaned down
to kiss him.

Michael returned the kiss as he felt her soft warm lips touching his.
"Already? We've been here for only 30 minutes, 45 tops," he sighed,
"At times like these I wish we were both civilians."

Dhanishta agreed with a shrug, nod and a half hearted smile.
'Civilians' was a cover for 'enlisted', at least in her mind. Holding
that pose for a moment longer she cupped his cheek, "I'll see what I
can do about getting you assigned to Engineering through the
evacuation okay?" she promised. Kissing him again she stood back up,
"Love you." she whispered smiling softly at him.

"I love you too, Lieutenant." Michael smiled when he called her by
her rank. Though she'd held the rank for quite some time now, it
still did sound good. "I'll see you later when you get home."

Dhani nodded as she back stepped from him, "We'll talk later?" blowing
him another kiss she turned the direction she was facing and continued
to the door.

"Stopping the Unstoppable" Part 1

Lt. Jg Valentina "Eve" Kyznetsova Intel officer
Lt. Kimberly Burton Chief Medical Officer
Lt. Dhanishta Eshe Chief Engineer

***USS Galaxy, Deck 11, Science Lab***

The science lab was dim when Valentina entered, early on purpose. It
currently held a number of scanning instruments, medical equipment,
engineering devices, and all manner of gadgets and do-dads that the
interested parties thought might be useful in the day's endeavors.
They had been asked, at Saul Bental's request, to discover a method
(or methods) wherein the Galaxy crew could potentially shut her down
with a minimum of fuss. It had already been established that phasers
are relatively less effective than on an un-augmented human - 12 hits
on heavy stun had merely dropped her to the floor, she was still
mobile, if only just. Surviving records of her days shortly after
receiving the initial cybernetic upgrades had indicated a similar
number of EMP grenades (of a level on par with current devices) had
been necessary to breech her synthetic hardening. Though she no
longer possessed most of the offensive devices of that day, her
defenses had been left relatively intact.

Having left Main Engineering Dhanishta had headed for the science lab.
She had several padds cradled in her arms, having been reading up on
the Intelligence officer for the last few days, she had prepared, and
thus brought her findings with her. She had to admit they had a
challenge on their hands, and she wasn't too comfortable having to
work with Kimberly. For the last few months she had stayed out of the
woman's way, and it appeared she was doing the same. It was a shame
that their friendship had ended so abruptly, but things change. Dhani
was never fond of change but it happened and like everything on this
cursed ship you just had to role with the punches and deal with the
bruises in private.

Entering the lab she noticed how quite it seemed. She barley noticed
Eve as she walked up to the main table and off-loaded her baggage.
Startled slightly she smiled to cover up the fact that she hadn't been
paying attention to her surroundings.

"Good morning." she greeted, "I am Lieutenant Eshe." she introduced
herself. It felt slightly sadistic that she was here to find a way to
'put down' a fellow officer, not to mention one that she had never
met, until now.

"I'd return your 'good morning' ma'am," Val replied. "However it's
not especially pleasant when said morning involves discovering methods
to disable one's person efficiently." The cyborg didn't sound awfully
happy today, though she certainly put on as cheerful a front as
possible.

Dhanishta nodded, "I can understand that. Can't say that the topic is
thrilling myself, but," she shrugged, "orders are orders I'm afraid."
She gave the best sympathetic smile that she could before breezing
past to the nearest table.

Outside, Kimberly slowed as she approached the door. Her last meeting
with Dhani hadn't exactly been cordial, and there was a definite
tension whenever the two were in the same room together. Senior staff
meetings alone were becoming more and more fun at the moment. Having
seen Dhanishta walk into the lab as she came around the corner she
closed her eyes for a moment and took a couple of slow breaths.
Personal problems aside, a professional problem needed both their
expertise. ~ Let's see if we can get through a meeting without the
usual bad feelings? ~ she hoped.

Walking into the lab Kimberly put on a small smile and looked around,
"Hi," she started as the door closed behind her, "Doctor Burton," she
introduced herself briefly, and probably unnecessarily. Looking to
Dhanishta she kept up the smile as she added a simple, "Hello."

Dhanishta nodded in reply, "Lieutenant." she greeted not even turning
to look at Kimberly. "Before we get started, is there anything we
should know?" she asked Eve, "I thought that we could start with
listing everything that has already been tried, and consequently
failed, and move on from there." She looked to them both, "Dose that
sound okay?"

Valentina nodded and sat down in one of the chairs scattered around
the compartment, and began speaking facing Dhanishta. "My synthetic
chassis incorporates heavy Hardening against most forms of EM
radiation. As a consequence phaser, disruptor, and polaron weapons
have limited effect on my arms and lower legs. The energy is more or
less dissipated over the entire component as opposed to remaining a
directed beam of coherent energy. EMP pulses, which are effective
against disabling various forms of powered equipment, also have
limited effectiveness."

She turned now to face Kim. "Also included is an organic nerve
hardening. The stun modes of a variety of weapons, is likewise
limited in effect. I can tell you from personal experience that heavy
stun hurts like hell, but that's about it. There is a side note to be
mentioned. Both hardening features are effective, but not perfect.
When struck with an energy weapon discharge residue is left behind.
Repeated strikes within a short amount of time will build up the
residue to a point where my systems will be negatively affected. EMP
will hamper the performance of and eventually shoot down my
cybernetics. Energy stun will likewise affect my organic performance
into eventual unconsciousness." She paused, looking at the decking at
her feet. "Personally I'd rather be hit with multiple stun beams, at
least then I'd be unconscious. EMP has no effect on my organic
nerves, the result of which would leave me blind, paralyzed, and half
deaf, while leaving me otherwise completely aware of what's going on.
I can't stand feeling helpless," She finished with a shudder.

"Gas won't work," she continued after regaining her composure. "My
throat incorporates a variety of particle filters to screen out all
but earth normal gasses, and the same devices also filter toxins from
any food I consume. Physical restraints are only effective if they
are strong enough to withstand my augmented strength, which is
considerable. About the only thing I can suggest is direct infusions
into my blood stream followed by immediate transport to a brig
facility for containment until the situation requiring my subdual has
passed."

Dhanishta blinked, that was a lot of information to get in thirty
seconds! She nodded slowly digesting all that had been said for later
use. "There is one thing that I need clearing up before we continue,"
she began picking up a padd, "I am confused as to who we are dealing
with here, having just been assigned to your case, are you Eve, or
Valentina? And what is the difference?"

"That's a complicated answer, really," Val said. "Right now there is
no difference. I am me. Call me Valentina, call me Eve, I will
respond either way, but I prefer Val."

Dhanishta frowned, "I don't get it," she replied feeling stupid, "why
two names?"

Valentina sighed. She often forgot that most of the crew didn't know
about her unique history. And so se went through the entire spiel -
abducted by aliens, turned into a Borg killing cyborg, her eventual
shut down and downgrading, discovery by a Starfleet vessel and so
forth, culminating with the latest series of events detailing her
relapse into her pre-abduction personality - Valentina Dimetryeva
Kyznetsova - the Borg incident with Barzan and the discovery of her
dormant Borg Killer protocols. She pointedly left out the details
concerning her internal teleportal - that alone was classified by her
own requests. After the Borg departed, she had woken to a merged
persona - a combination of Eve and Val, with the memories and
abilities of both. "So, Eve's my nick name and call-sign, but lately
I've taken to prefer Valentine. Even had my name changed officially
to reflect it."

Dhanishta let out a nervous laugh, "Okay then?" she said slowly.
~Finally someone more screwed up than me!~ she thought with a wry
smile.

"I'd suggest we start with a full medical scan, I want to separate out
your biological from your cybernetic components." she looked up at
Kimberly, "That sound okay with you Doc?" she asked with a stiff
polite smile.

Having been listening quietly, not really wanting to interrupt,
Kimberly nodded simply at the question. "Sure," unclipping her
medical tricorder from her belt she looked around for a bio bed.

"If you could confirm with Valentina as you go through the scan that
everything is how she believes it to be that would be great." Sliding
onto the raised stool Dhanishta remotely connected the tricorder to
the terminal and set the stream to record.

"If we tie a medical bed into the main lab computer we'll get some
more processing out of it and more detailed information," Kimberly
suggested, "if we can identify the biological and the cybernetic, and
also any transfer methods in use that would be a good starting point."

Dhanishta nodded, "Go for it." she said keeping herself distanced from
the diagnostic tools Kimberly was using.

There was indeed a biobed amongst the various items assembled within
the lab, set into one of the walls. On this Val lay down, the
monitors and displays lighting up as the pressure sensitive bed sensed
her presence.

Dhanishtas jaw dropped as the data collated on the screen before her.
"Kimberly have you seen this?" she asked, her surprise halting her
hostility towards the doctor momentarily as she poured over the
readouts. "This woman is?" she trailed off not really sure what word
could possibly best fit a description of the amalgamation of woman and
machine before her.

TBC?

"Laying Down the Law"

Colonel For'kel Arvelion- SFMC
Commanding Officer

Captain Maivia Man'darr
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Branwen London
Platoon Leader/Psychologist

188th Starfleet Marines Detachment

===================================

(Sickbay)

For'kel didn't walk to sickbay so much as he marched. Someone from
Doctor Burton's office had been kind enough to send him notice that
one of his Marines would be unavailable for at least several hours,
practically guaranteeing she wouldn't be fit for duty by the time they
prepared for their first departure. Because of privilege concerns,
the nurse couldn't say more than that she would be unfit for duty, but
the Security detail investigating the events was allowed to be far
more forthcoming with details. The Colonel learned not only would
one of his Marines be down and out for at least one deployment, but
the injury was at the hand of another Marine... his own be damned XO
for that matter.

Lessons from the leadership classes he'd taken back at the Defense
Academy had kicked in. These kinds of incidents could be like an
epidemic, a contagious pathogen that if left unchecked could spread,
infecting and poisoning the entire unit. On ships like the Galaxy,
rumor spread far faster than fact.

And with the Press here...

As he had learned, there was more to being a leader than simply being
good at your technical job. Aside from being adept in tactics and
strategy, you had to be family to those under you. That meant
creating an environment of camaraderie where it was obvious you cared
for the Marines under you. It also meant, at times, forgoing the
'business as normal' congenial office persona and donning that of a
disciplinarian.

Fork definitely had his disciplinarian hat on right now.

When the doors to sickbay slid open, it was obvious to all that
watched, by the electricity in the air and the look in his eyes, that
there would be hell to pay. "Ensign, where are they?"

The young woman who'd made the initial call, a Terran woman, girl
really, that looked straight out of Starfleet Medical's nursing
program, gave a little bit of a gulp. She'd been taught situations
like this could be tense, and kept a steady finger nearer to the
security alarm than usual... just in case. "The General Surgery ward
sir, on your right."

Giving a polite but silent nod, he entered the room. He stared icily
at both of them until the door shut, giving them some privacy.
"Someone had 'better' explain to me what happened, now." He wasn't
shouting, but nearly gritted teeth and an aggressive tone left no room
for argument.

Branwen was sitting on the bed getting dressed, ready to leave for
their quarters. She gulped a little in seeing the anger of her
Commanding Officer.

"So silly, Colonel, I managed to a walk into a door. You know how you
expect the doors to open, and when one malfunctions you are just not
prepared for it. Luckily the Captain was with me, and he brought me
to sickbay, sir. The doctors assure me I will be fine in the
morning."

"You 'walked' into a door?" The tone suggested how little the Colonel
actually believed that. Nobody walked into a door wrist first, nor
with enough force to actually 'break' said wrist. "Wrong answer
Lieutenant. You want to try Captain?"

But Branwen did not want Dar to talk. She was afraid he would be
honest, and he would be severely punished after all. "He was not the
one who fell down; the Captain has nothing to do with this. Though as
we are altogether, we might use this time better to talk about the
upcoming mission. Now, I think most of the Marines are ready to go,
and I will be back in to swing full-time tomorrow the doctors assure
me." She blabbered on ignoring her headache and trying to continue
with a bright smile on her face.

Man'darr looked at Branwen and shook his head slightly. 'Why does she
try to protect me?' he asked himself mentally. He knew the colonel
would not believe her story, and he never lied to anyone. If anything
Capellans always told the truth to others, especially to commanding
officers. "We had an argument, sir. She called me a coward and I
lost control of my anger, sir. During my rage I lifted Lieutenant
London off the deck and tossed her several feet before she landed
wrong and suffered her injuries," he stated.

Branwen groaned she knew how much his career meant to him, maybe even
more than hers to her. "It was my fault, sir. I should never have
called him a coward; I know how he reacts to that. I was angry and
goading him. The surgeon had just told me that she did not want to do
my surgery because duty comes first and she did not understand why I
wanted to wait until after the mission. She has now agreed to do it
afterwards. So everything is all right."

"Correction Lieutenant everything is 'not' all right." Fork barked in
a barely sedated tone. His voice wasn't loud, but he kept the
aggressiveness. A very cold stare was leveled at the Capellan. "You
assaulted one of the Marines you were charged with protecting. One of
'my' Marines Captain! For that you are hereby discharged as the
Executive Officer of my unit. You are fortunate we are at war and
that I'm bound by Starfleet rules and procedure in such matters, or
your career would be the least of your concerns. Sufficing to say, I
will hold you responsible."

His gaze settled on Branwen. "You lied to a Commanding Officer, and
for that, you will be held responsible." His gaze, not softening in
the least, began shifting between the two. "I will not accept a known
liar to participate in such a delicate mission. Until further notice
Lieutenant, you're confined to quarters. If I believe your skills are
required I will send for you, but you will 'not' be going on the first
mission at least. Captain, if the woman you 'supposedly' love calling
you a coward is enough to send you into such a rage, you certainly
will be more of a hindrance than a help. Security is currently
investigating the incident, I suspect you will abide by Federation
law and cooperate with the investigation within your rights. I
suggest you speak to the JAG officer as soon as possible, but until
then you're likewise confined to your quarters. If I need you, I will
ask you be released for the sake of your fellow Marines, but that is
it." His eyes shifted again. "Is that understood?"

"No!" Branwen's lip trembled. "No, not his career, sir. He worked
so hard for this. Please!" Her head was throbbing. "Please give him
another chance the last couple of days have been so stressful. And I
am NOT pressing charges so there doesn't have to be an investigation."
She looked cross-eyed with headache from the concussion brought on by
the tension.

"With all due respect Lieutenant, this is my command and I 'will' run
it how 'I' see fit." It was a declaration, not a question. "This
isn't Baile's Irish Cr?me Puff brigade anymore." You can tell when
someone was mad when that was the best they could come up with. "I
know this might be shocking to hear for you, but so long as this unit
operates under my command you 'will' be held to Marine Corps
standards. Mister Maivia should know better, he served with me in the
101st." And ironically seemed to be the one that was willing to
accept a punishment. "Since when discipline became something we were
expected to operate without is beyond me, but that practice ends here
and now. As for charges, the fact he assaulted another Marine takes
the decision out of your hands, Lieutenant."

It might have been harsh, but sometimes you needed to be harsh. "I
did not come here for a debate; I came to inform you of the
consequences of your actions. Be glad I didn't order a Court
Martial." The Colonel turned on his heels, not wanting to discuss the
situation anymore and stormed for the door.

Damn he wanted to hit something... but that something would be inanimate.

"Stopping the Unstoppable" Part 2

Lt. Jg Valentina "Eve" Kyznetsova Intel officer
Lt. Kimberly Burton Chief Medical Officer
Lt. Dhanishta Eshe Chief Engineer

***USS Galaxy, Deck 11, Science Lab***

Dhanishtas jaw dropped as the data collated on the screen before her.
"Kimberly have you seen this?" she asked, her surprise halting her
hostility towards the doctor momentarily as she poured over the
readouts. "This woman is?" she trailed off not really sure what word
could possibly best fit a description of the amalgamation of woman and
machine before her.

Nodding silently as she read, Kimberly had to agree, she was at a loss
for words also. While she had read some basic information before,
Eve/Valentina had yet to visit her in sickbay, and the reason was
here, she didn't really need a doctor most of the time, a good
mechanic was more the case. Cyber surgery was more Vlads area of
expertise, and she contemplated briefly giving him a call after all.

~ She's more machine than human. ~ She thought sadly as she scanned
the extensive list of modifications, implants and alterations.
Whoever had done all of this had spent a great deal of time and effort
on the 'modifications' to her physiology, and the results were both
scary and impressive.

"Yeah," she said aloud after a moment, "I know. I think we're gonna
need more than base scans and imaging, is there a quantum imager in
here anywhere?" she asked, some of this tech was way beyond her, and
before she could evaluate anything she needed a better idea of what
they were dealing with.

Dhanishta randomly pointed across the room as she continued to blink
at the detailed reports coming from the biobed. Artificial
extremities, joints, internal organs, augmentations to her hearing,
eyes? no wait she didn't have 'eyes' in to common sense of the word?
ports all over her body? "Horrific." Dhanishta exclaimed in shock
shaking her head.

Val lay there on the biobed, listening to the two with a measure of
detachment. She understood the revulsion they experienced, witnessing
for the first time her true and full extent of augmentation. For
herself, she remembered little of life without all her hardware, so
she didn't feel the same way about it. "I'm just glad they didn't do
anything to my reproductive system." That and her digestive system,
little else remained untouched by modification or augmentation. "I
want to have a family one day."

Dhanishtas eyebrows rose at that as she let out a small halting laugh.

Valentina looked to the engineer, her face a mixed expression of
confusion and hurt, voice suddenly small as she asked why that was
funny.

Raising an eyebrow herself Kimberly wondered the same, but refrained
from commenting for now as she dragged over the quantum imager.
Wanting a family wasn't an uncommon desire. Even though they were
here to help find a way to shut Eve down in the event of an emergency,
she was still a fellow Starfleet officer, and her wishes and needs had
to be considered in all of this. If that was important to her then
anything they did had to at least bear that in mind as well.

"It's nothing personal." Dhanishta reassured her.

The Quantum Imager went into even more detail - the meshing of
cybernetic with flesh was near perfect. In most places it was damned
near impossible to tell exactly where the flesh ended and the metal
began. Details on the surface of the various devices was not visible,
the majority of them perfectly smooth surfaces with little exterior
contours. The details of her arms and legs, the musculature and
skeletal components a perfect mimicry of Valentina's original
physique. And the component materials. Completely unidentified: a
melding of composites, elements, and molecules of a nature previously
un-thought of by Alpha Quadrant minds. Each and every one of them was
incapable of being replicated successfully, incorporating certain
quantum level properties in many ways similar to gold-pressed latinum
yet so subtly different. Many of them created a material much lighter
than what would be imagined for the materials being utilized. All in
all, her total body mass weighed in at approximately 200 Lbs, though
on a visual guess one would posit something akin to 130 or 140, with
approximately 50% of it being cybernetics, 35% of her body having been
replaced and the other 50% being augmented in one way or another.

~ Sweet Goddess! ~ Kimberly thought as she monitored the scan results,
even her cells were augmented with an array of nanites, obviously
there for maintenance and repair. Leaving the scan running a moment
she grabbed a PADD and brought up what data she could access on Borg
and anti-Borg technology, looking for anything that might prove
comparable and a basis for their work. The level of defenses built
into Eve appeared so strong that any attempt to shut her down could
theoretically damage her wetware as well as the cyberware, obviously
something to avoid. What they needed was a way to neutralize her
ability to function without causing any damage at all if possible.

~ Sure, no problem. ~ She muttered to herself sarcastically as she
looked over at Dhanishta and waved her over. "This, may take a
while." She admitted, "any thoughts?"

Dhanishta slid off her stool and joined Kimberly. Looking at the
readouts Dhanishta shrugged. "Right now Doc, I'm at a loss." she
replied as her eyes glazed over. She stood in thought, staring at
nothing. After a few minutes she began to pace, rapping a curled
index finger against her bottom lip.

"Weapons have no effect." she stated quietly, "Like a Borg drone her
body is altered to deflect most forms of weapons? her cybernetic and
organic components run together, we could try to shut out the
cybernetic, in theory that would reduce her strength, however without
her cybernetic components would most likely cause a cascade reaction
of shutting down her vital organs? similarly if we tried the other way
around - but that would be pointless." Dhanishta leaned against a
table for a moment. Her initial idea was somewhat dashed, seeing as
Val/Eve was neither machine nor woman but both, and so innately
intertwined?

Turning sharply Dhani looked up, "If we could disrupt, switch off?"
she let them figure out any other definition, "her cybernetic
components, we could transfer her directly to sick bay, set her up on
ventilators and other necessities that would continue her bodily
functions that turning off her cybernetic components would leave non
functional, then set up a containment field to hold her?" she trailed
off looking to both women for comments.

"What if we need to do this off ship? Or away from a medical
facility?" Kimberly asked, "If we need life support for this to work
then it limits our options a bit."

"I don't think there's much of an option really, do you?" Dhani countered.

"I like to think there're always options really," Kimberly said as she
turned to Eve "Lieutenant, a decision has been made that a means of
neutralizing you has to be created, and kept on hand in case it
becomes necessary to use it, correct?"

Valentina nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Looking around for her PADD she checked her notes and shrugged when
she failed to find what she was looking for, "Could you repeat
'exactly' what the text of the order stated please?" Kimberly asked,
not really wanting to put together something that could potentially
kill her unless specifically ordered to do so. Her memo had just
asked her to come down and assist with the investigations.

"I don't have the exact message," Val said, "except that LT Bental was
kind enough to give me a heads up on this particular endeavor.
However, I must admit to a certain detail of information which should
assist you with your researches." She declined to say 'experiments'
for good reason. "When I was initially 'neutralized' by the
Primogenitors, My body incorporated more vast amounts and varieties of
hardware, all of which were external modules, non invasive, and
offensive. My defensive components are still as potent as they were
that day. I was hit with the equivalent of 12 EMP grenades of
standard SF Marine issue. The result was total incapacitation of my
synthetic components, leaving me blind, half deaf, and immobile. My
hardening systems are efficient and effective, but enough residual or
instant EM or EMP energies are capable of temporarily overwhelming
even those protections. The trick is to catch me in such a powerful
blast without killing me or causing undue collateral damage. I CAN
survive without my hardware, I'll just be extremely vulnerable to
everything during that time."

Dhanishta shook her head, "I'm not fond of that to be honest," she
replied, "you said yourself that you would prefer to be knocked out
rather than to be helpless." She paused for a moment in thought.
"What was it that you did that requires us to try and immobilize you?"
she asked next an idea sparking in the recess of her mind.

Val looked at Dhani, her expression one of 'you should know better
than to ask THAT,' but the spook did anyways. "I'm sorry Ma'am, that
information is classified, requiring LT Bental's release authority."

Dhanishta sighed and rubbed her head. "So the guy wants us to
immobilize you, but won't provide the details? great" she muttered,
"more bureaucrats!" she shook her head with frustration and mild
annoyance.

"Rock paper scissors?" she asked turning to Kimberly holding up a fist.

TBC?

"Holodeck Adventure"

Cmdr. Jaal Jaxom
Strategic Operations

LtCmdr. Tarin Iniara
XO

==Holodeck==

Today had been one of the worst days in recent memory, Iniara thought
to herself as she made her way through the long corridors of Galaxy's
middle decks. Now that she was off duty, all she wanted to do was
relax. Most typical officers would be content to have a drink in Ten
Forward, or go listen to some soothing music in their quarters, but
the XO wanted none of that.

No, when she wanted to relax and unwind, there was frequently physical
violence involved. Normally she'd just go to the gym and spar with
whomever was ready and willing, but today she just didn't feel like
dealing with anyone sentient. And for such occasions, the Holodeck
was perfect.

The double doors split open with a familiar 'hummmtshhhh' to admit the
Galaxy's first officer. There was a program already running evidenced
by the low lighting and smell of grease and oil thick in the air.

Apparently she'd entered a garage of some sort. Deep in the corner was
some lighting shining on a small workbench area where a tall masculine
form was intently working on something.

*clickclickclick* went the socket wrench.

*clickclickclick* *clickclickclick* *clickclickclick*

Jaal was busy tightening up a cylinder head. He was cradling the
engine with arm holding it steady while torqing the bolts that held
the head down with his other hand. Behind him on the floor was the
skeleton of a motorcycle, specifically a Ducati 999 from Earth's early
twenty-first century.

*clickclickclick**clickclickclick**clickclickclick*

Iniara raised an eyebrow, arms automatically folding across her chest
as she studied the man for a moment. Okay, so he was working on
something, but what it was she had no idea. Not that it mattered,
because she had reserved this Holodeck for this time slot and he was
apparently still here past his own time limit.

There had to be a way to fix that. All it would take was an automatic
shut-off on the holoemitters when someone's time was up and someone
else was waiting to use the space. Add another item on the list of
random pet project for Jamson and his staff...

Uncrossing her arms she took a few steps into the area, doing her best
to ignore the unfamiliar smells, and cleared her throat. "Um, excuse
me? Hi."

"Hi," came the reply without Jaal looking to see who was there. He's
finished with the socket wrench and was now inspecting something on
the engine. "I suppose you're here to tell me I'm past my time limit."
He picked up a shop rag and began wiping off his hands. He turned to
finally face his visitor. "Gimme a sec to save what I have and I'll be
all done."

"No rush," she replied offhandedly, suddenly wondering why he looked
so familiar. Examining the partially disassembled vehicle nearby, she
tried to think of where she'd seen him before. Wait...wasn't he...no,
wasn't this...

"This is a Terran ah...motorcycle, isn't it?" Iniara asked, still not
taking her eyes off the strange contraption. It didn't look like
anything she'd ever seen before, but it was close. Maybe?

"Yes," Jaal answered running his finger down the frame of the bike.
"These are made in Italy, on Earth. In their day they were the among
the fastest production bikes made." He watched her watch the bike with
amusement. In all the time he'd been working with motorcycles, Jaal
noticed they always seemed to have the same effect on people examining
them for the first time. Perhaps it was something about the raw, naked
power their image evoked. The fact that one could see the engine as
well as hear it when the machine started might have something to do
with it? Or was it the fact that it was just you, two tires, an
engine, and the road when riding one? There was something to be said
for the lack of obvious safety apparel, after all. "I have a restored
one back home on Trill," he added at last. He built and finished it
during his time on the Miranda and took it home right after being
transferred off the ship.

Now he turned his attention to the visitor. She looked familiar for
some reason. The Miranda had worked together with the Galaxy before.
In fact, a great many people looked familiar to Jaal, but he didn't
really know anyone but Captain M'Kantu. He kept watching her while
non-challantly enjoying the view.

"I've seen these before in old 2-D videos. Never had a chance to
examine one up close, though," she explained as she continued her
inspection of the machine. There seemed to be an awful lot of moving
parts, hoses and clips and things, thousands of tiny components that
had to work in perfect harmony otherwise the system would cease to
function. It had a certain aesthetic that was undeniable, but how
such a strange design had ever been deemed practical was at the moment
completely beyond her.

Standing, she turned and faced the stranger once more. "Interesting
design. But I've never understood one thing...what is this
fascination with unnecessarily fast vehicles that so many humanoids
seem to have?"

Jaal shook his head while folding his arms across his chest, "You've
obviously never ridden on one. Not much else makes you feel as alive
as running two hundred kilometers an hour with nothing between you
and road but two tires and an engine." A wicked grin appeared on the
Trill's face while his eyebrows bounced playfully up and down a few
times. "Care to try?"

"I don't know if I should be going 200 kph with nothing to protect me
but this," she said, indicating the sleeveless shirt, loose pants and
athletic shoes that made up her work attire. "And no knowledge beyond
what I've gleaned from videos. Even if this is just a holodeck."

Jaal looked down at his own khaki colored, denim pants and t-shirt. He
looked up and said, "Computer, two helmets, two leather jackets, one
1970 Triumph Bonneville, stock, and one open road."

The computer dutifully provided the items requested.

Slipping the leather jacket on he told his passenger, "I'm Jaal Jaxom
by the way, pleased to meet you." He tossed her the other jacket.
"This bike isn't in race trim and won't go 'real' fast, but it'll be
fun nonetheless. Plus, the seat comfortably accommodates two riders...
if you're interested that is."

The road stretched out in both directions. It was a pleasant, calming,
tree lined affair with plenty of turns to be exciting.

Iniara pulled on her own jacket and zipped it up, marveling at how
well the garment hugged her body. "Now I recognize you. XO of the
Miranda, right?"

Jaal chuckled, "Formerly, yes, also formerly the CO of the USS
Carthage... Now," he shrugged, "I'm your new strategic operations
officer," he offered with a lop sided grin. Tilting his head he
admired how the jacket fit on her. "Let me guess, you're M'Kantu's XO
right? I didn't catch your name?"

"Tarin Iniara," she replied, extending a hand. "Nice to formally meet
you at last."

Jaal shook her hand, "the pleasure is mine," he nodded, "I remember
seeing you on the screen while we were beating the Hydrans back from
Romulus."

"Yeah. Good times, huh." She grinned and picked up a helmet,
examining it for a moment before continuing, "So tell me what I have
to do here."

Jaal straddled the bike. He turned the ignition key with one hand
while the other turned on the valve to allow fuel to reach the
carburetor. "You get on the back and hang on."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" she asked, looking down at the
seat. Suddenly it seemed awfully small for two people. And what the
heck was going to stop her from sliding right off the back of the
thing?

"Well," Jaal grinned again, "You can hang on the 'oh-shit' strap right
there," he pointed to the strap that went across the seat between the
driver's half and the passenger's half of the seat. "Or... you can
hang on to me," his smile took on a mischievous quality.

"Hah! Right..." Pushing down the face shield on her helmet she swung
a leg over the back of the bike. She took a moment to situate herself
on the seat before reaching forward and wrapping her arms around
Jaal's waist. "You're way more substantial than a little strap."

Jaal pushed the starter button with his thumb. The engine came to life

with a satisfying roar. Before putting his own visor down he turned
and asked Tarin, "Ready?"

"I hope so," she replied, hoping that he couldn't feel the rapid
thudding of her heart through all the layers of clothing that
separated them. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

He put his visor down then he walked the bike a few steps to gain some
forward momentum before putting it in gear.

Once he did, they took off...

Had her chin strap not prevented it, Iniara's jaw would have dropped.
The feeling of accelerating at such a rate was amazing and terrifying
at the same time, especially when she considered that the only thing
keeping her on the vehicle was her hold on its pilot. Pressing
herself tighter against his back, she tried not to imagine what it
would feel like were she to fall off at this speed.

Jaal guiltily enjoyed Tarin pressing against his back while confusion
racked his brain. 'What about Erastus?' part of him asked. Sure,
they'd pledged each others love but he hadn't heard from her in weeks,
not since she left their shared quarters on DS5. She hadn't answered
any of his messages or calls either. Whatever she was doing on Jupiter
Station better be pretty damned important.

Another part of his mind was occupied with Tarin's gorgeous red hair,
her finely chiseled nose, and full, warm lips, and her piercing,
blue/gray eyes. Right now, the only thing separated them was two
layers of leather and two t-shirts.

They had just come around a gentle bend in the road which revealed a
nice, flat straight stretch of blacktop. Jaal twisted the throttle to
gain more speed.

Barely resisting the urge to hold on tighter as the bike tore down the
road, Iniara tried to make sense of the thoughts she was picking up
from Jaal. His mind was unfamiliar to her, and combining that with
the strong psi-suppressors she was currently using, the thoughts were
mostly a jumble of raw emotions and abstract images, most of which she
couldn't make sense of. But, there were two emotions coming through
loud and clear which she was having a hard time ignoring: enjoyment
and guilt. The first one made sense; he was an enthusiast for these
sorts of vehicles, so getting to share his love with someone new was
no doubt enjoyable. But the second? She wasn't quite sure what the
story was there. Maybe ignorance was better for the time being, she
concluded. She'd only just met the man, and had no desire to get
caught up in whatever emotional baggage he was carrying around.

"This is amazing!" she called out, hoping that her voice was loud
enough to carry over the sound of the wind rushing by. She knew it
was all completely fake, a product of the complex holodeck technology,
but it was hard to ignore the strange feel of the air pressing against
her ear drums. "How fast are we going?"

"About a hundred and seventy k p h," Jaal hollered behind him. "Isn't it great?"

"It's a bit excessive!" she shouted back, her words nearly lost in
the wind. Squinting against the wind that was causing tears to well
up in her eyes, she tried to look around at the scenery as it whipped
by on either side. This was definitely a change of pace from what
she'd been used to as a young girl on Betazed. Personal
transportation on her home planet had been much more sedate and
opulent, even excessively luxurious when it came to her mother's own
personal transport. But this...this was completely different. Back
home, vehicles were made with a ridiculous amount of safeties that
ensured that, if someone was unlucky enough to get into a collision,
they were almost never injured. Whereas this 'motorcycle' thing was
nothing more than an engine with a seat, a steering bar and some foot
pegs. The riders had to hold on for dear life or risk becoming a red
(or green, or blue, or maybe even purple) smear on the road.

It was incredibly dangerous and yet oddly compelling now that she'd
started to get the hang of it. It wasn't so bad now, although she was
still reluctant to admit to herself...she was actually starting to
enjoy it.

"Hang on, there's some turns coming up!" The motorcycle slowed as Jaal
eased the brakes on. He eventually downshifted and let the engine
compression slow them enough to take the turns leaning at an exciting,
but safe angle.

This time, Iniara was ready for it. Keeping her upper body aligned
with Jaal's, she leaned into the turns with him, feeling how the bike
moved as its weight shifted from side to side. Yes, she was getting
the hang of it now, wasn't she?

There was a subtle art to being a good passenger on a motorcycle. Jaal
was glad to see that Iniara was picking up on it quickly. It certainly
made driving much easier...

==About 300 kilometers later...==

Jaal pulled the bike off the road. They'd been riding along a
shoreline for the last fifty kilometers or so. The beach had a way of
calling to Jaal as his family estate was close to one. Jaal took them
off the main road and down a small lane to the edge of the beach.
"Care to stop for a bit?" he asked after cutting the engine off.

"Definitely!" Iniara let out a deep breath as she hopped from the
back of the bike, shaking her legs to get the blood flowing again.
The bike's seat was reasonably comfortable, but sitting in one
position that long was bound to make her a bit sore. After pulling
off her helmet and running a hand through her hair she stopped and
took a look around. The holo-sun was setting over a sea that was a deep
greenish-blue. In the distance, she could almost make out a distant,
mostly flat shoreline.

"Nice program," she said, looking over her shoulder at Jaal. "Is this
someplace special?"

He looked around a bit. There was a nice breeze coming off the water
and smallish waves were lapping lazily at the beach. "Uh... I don't
think so," he looked around again with his gaze finally resting on his
guest, "I know it's Earth, just not sure where exactly." He began to
stretch his own legs. "North America... eastern coast I think."

"Ah," Iniara commented, plopping down onto the sand. Wherever it
was, it was certainly a nice place. Short grasses waved lazily in the
breeze that came off the low dunes. Small whitish crabs scampered
along the beach, being careful to stay far away from the pair.
Overhead, a white bird with grey markings on its wings dove suddenly
into the water, coming up a moment later with a small silvery fish
caught in its beak. "Some people recreate their favorite places in
holodeck programs," she added after several seconds had passed.
"Didn't know if that was the case here."

Jaal shrugged, "Sometimes, sometimes not." He smiled easily. "Most
times I ride on a race track. Sometimes with other competitors,
sometimes just against the clock. Other times I just open up a beach
program that reminds me of home when I want to relax. Growing up we
lived about two kilometers from the sea. I've always liked the water.
Ya know?"

"Makes sense, I guess. I grew up in the city, but never found it that
relaxing." Probably because of my mother, she thought. "To each his
own, I guess."

"So... Iniara, after experiencing it first hand, now do you see the
fascination with excessive speed?"

Iniara laughed. "A little forward with the given names, ya?" That
didn't bother her as much as it would any full Bajoran, but there was
no sense in letting him think that she was anything but a pure
Bajoran. Not now, at least. She turned and smiled at him. "Just
kidding. Sort of. And...maybe. I can't understand the appeal of
such unsafe speeds, not logically at least, but I must admit it is
pretty exhilarating. When you're not scared out of your skin, that
is." She shook her head and chuckled softly.

'Sort of' and 'maybe' didn't sound all that promising to the Trill.
Still, she seemed to have a good time. "Sorry," he half-hearedly
apologized, "you'd think I'd've known better after having a Bajoran
captain the last six years. Ya know, the name thing. What would you
'prefer' to be called then... when we're off duty that is."

"Don't worry about it; Iniara is fine. Just whatever you do, please
don't call me 'Lieutenant Commander Iniara' when we're on duty. You
have no idea how many times I've had to correct people on that one."
She grimaced. "Don't tell me Captain Elaithin had the same
problem..."

Jaal grinned, "No, not at all. In fact, he had surprisingly little
trouble. I think the fact that a piano dropped on the first person to
screw up his name helped matter though."

"A piano?" Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she eyed him
suspiciously. "That was a joke...right?"

"Well, it was an accident. The piano just happen to hit someone who
annoyed him," Jaal answered with a most innocent expression.

"Oh...kay." Iniara chuckled, wondering if she should try a similar
tactic herself. "So anyway...what do you do for fun? Aside from
tearing around at excessive speeds on a motorcycle, that is?"

Jaal had started walking down the beach and with a wave coaxed Iniara
to follow, "Well, I play racquetball, springball, swim, a little
workout now and then, though that's not really fun. I've been known to
dabble in software writing and a practical joke or two now and then."
He looked at her now, "What about you? You're the first officer, I bet
you get lots of time for goofing off." Of course, Jaal knew better
than that.

Iniara snorted. "Not when you're working double and sometimes triple
shifts. That was my favorite hobby back when I was Chief of
Operations. We were always short staffed, so the few of us there were
had to pick up the slack. Maybe that's why I got promoted so
quickly." She shrugged. "Nowadays I spend most of my free time
working out, sparring in the gym or on the holodeck, or target
shooting. Right now I'm trying to give my yeoman some training in
basic grappling, which is turning out to be...interesting."

Jaal shook his head, "Tsk tsk, all work and no play makes Inny a dull
girl. Although, I was the Ops chief on Miranda for a long time. I know
how it is. Fortunately I always managed to keep a decent sized staff.
It sounds like you needed to learn how to borrow engineers and
delegate more."

Iniara winced slightly, doing her best to ignore the contraction of
her name. That had been what her sister used to call her when they
were very young, back when they'd both been very different people.
"Ehhh...I'm still learning that whole delegation thing. You've heard
the phrase 'if you want something done right, do it yourself', haven't
you?" When he nodded, she continued. "Working for the Resistance,
not doing something right usually meant people died. So whether it
was intentional or not, most everyone I knew became conditioned to be
incredibly thorough and incredibly self-reliant. I guess I just can't
let go of that mentality. But it's not that bad; it's not like I have
much else to occupy my time."

"Doesn't your boyfriend get upset that you don't spend enough time
with him?" Just as the words left Jaal's mouth he wished they could
have been sucked back in. He had no idea why he said it, too late now
though.

Examining him from the corner of her eye, Iniara wondered why he had
brought that up. Sure, it was a fairly common icebreaker topic in
several Federation member cultures, but the way his emotional state
had changed so rapidly after he'd asked the question left her with a
few questions of her own. She would have to make a note of that for
future investigation.

"I don't really have time for romance," she replied. Or the desire,
she then added mentally. "Romance doesn't keep a ship running.
Although..." she paused in thought "...the gossip surrounding all the
strange romances on this ship does seem to keep it going in some
strange way. Take you, for instance."

"Me?" Jaal sounded genuinely surprised.

"I keep hearing tales of you and Commander Smith. I don't mean to pry
or anything; private lives should stay private, in my opinion, but...
You two have been on board for a very short time, and already you're a
highlight of the shipboard gossip columns."

He laughed out loud. "Smith and I? You're serious?"

"Well, yes. The most common version is that you two were in a
relationship while on Miranda, which continued on the Carthage, and
will of course continue now that you have both been assigned to
Galaxy."

Jaal chuckled some more then explained, "Smith and I were on the
Miranda together for years. She was the security chief. I was the ops
manager until I was promoted to XO. She was my XO on the Carthage and
now she's my assistant in strategic ops. We spar together on occasion.
She's taught me a lot in that arena but our relationship is professional
at best." He shook his head, "I don't think we're each other's type."

Iniara nodded slowly in understanding. "On the ship's public message
boards, we have an informal poll for several...interesting categories:
best looking, cutest couple, you know the sort. Arel Smith has
recently edged me out in the 'frosty bitch' category. I guess she's
not the type to have a relationship with anyone, yourself included."

"I wouldn't say she's frosty," Jaal mused.

"I wouldn't say I'm frosty either," Iniara replied with a shrug, "but
public opinion is public opinion. So then, if you and Smith aren't
together, who are you seeing? Anyone?"

He looked the other way for a moment. "I... 'had' a girlfriend... but
I haven't heard from her in weeks. She won't answer my messages." He
shrugged, "It doesn't look like I ever will hear from her again.
Honestly, I don't know what to think." Then he looked back to her
finally, "But I don't intend to wait forever either." Sure, there was
more to the story but that's all Jaal was willing to divulge for now.

"Good plan. Other fish in the sea and all that," Iniara responded,
ignoring the tiny voice in the back of her head that laughed at how
hollow those words sounded coming from her mouth. After all, she was
the one who had been faithful to the memory of a dead guy for well
over fifteen years now. But, she reminded herself, Jaal didn't need
to know that. Not yet, at least.

She tapped her chin in thought. "Although...if you wanted to track
her down, maybe get some closure or something, I know a certain
someone in Intelligence who could help out."

A sad sounding chuckle came from the Trill. The idea did have merit.
Although, he could have already had that information with a call to
his friend Captain Olivaw. He decided not to bother his friend,
however, with petty requests in the middle of a war with the Triad.
After another few seconds of thinking, Jaal thought if she wanted to
find out for him, fine. "She was transferred to Jupiter Station about
three days before the attack on DS5. Her name is Erastus Ampete."

"I'll make some inquiries...nothing too insane, just see how she's
doing. The creepy guys in black stealth suits can come later, if
you'd like." Iniara grinned mischievously.

"I'm not sure I want to go that far... yet," he replied with his own grin,

"And thanks."

"So anyway...I don't know how long we've been in here, but before
someone randomly walks in and kicks us out of their holodeck time, you
want to go grab some food?"

Jaal rubbed his stomach and smacked his lips. It had been a full
forty-eight hours since his 'meal' with Smith and he hadn't really
eaten since. "Yeah... foood. Let's go."

"Excellent. Computer, arch." As the doors slowly slid open Iniara
paused and looked back for a moment, then turned back to Jaal with a
bit of a grin on her face. "Hey, next time...maybe you can teach me
how to pilot that thing?"

"I'd love to," Jaal flashed his patented mischievous grin as they
walked out together.

"Somewhat Kindred Spirits"

Artim Shivar
Veziran Solas

*****
Deck 10
Ten Forward Lounge

"So, how's the leg?" Veziran began, sliding onto the seat next to
Artim without bothering to ask for an invitation.

Artim's eyes jolted up from the yellowish green beverage in his glass
that was the result of his asking the bartender to 'surprise me'.
Something he decided he'd never ask again since the...whatever it was
he got was proving to be better for staring into than drinking.

"Fine mam. Foxie's flying made it worse for a bit but the doc managed
to put it back together. So what bad spot are we in now? Some sort of
alien experiment perhaps?"

"Some sort of colony evacuation, but beyond that, who knows. I'm kind
of out of the loop, not having any sort of assignment at the moment.
Right now I'm just flying around on this ship with you guys until
BuPers figures out what they want to do with me. Hope they stick me
planetside somewhere. I'm sick of space." She made a face.

"Heh, I know the feeling. And I apologize for the poor attempt at
humor mam. It just seems that whenever you show up we're both in some
sort of bad situation. Glad this time we only have to worry about the
colonists.", Artim replied swirling his drink.

"Don't worry about it. You know, this will be my forty third colony
evacuation. I can do these things in my sleep, and still...I hate
them." Veziran sighed and turned to face the deceptively
young-looking Miran. "Can I ask you something?"

"If you hate doing the evacuation, try being evacuated three times.
And sure, shoot." Artim replied as he carefully took a swig from the
strangely colored libation in his hand.

"Do you ever get sick of this? I mean...do you ever just sit back and
think you're getting too old to go gallivanting around the galaxy? Or
that maybe it's time to cash in your chips and go do something else
with your life?"

At the question Artim made a face. Well, it wasn't at the question as
much it was at the drink. After thinking for a moment he replied
thoughtfully, "Interesting question to ask someone who's been
gallivanting around the galaxy since her grandfather looked like me.
In short, I'm not sure I'm too old to be doing anything yet. I mean,
if the doctors are right I have another eight or nine millennia to do
what I want to do with my life. You don't have anywhere near that
long. To be honest though, after three centuries struggling to live on
a stricken planet, I'm up for at least another couple centuries of
this."

"Fair enough." Veziran leaned back in her chair, ruminating over what
Artim had just told her. "Wait...my grandfather...looking like..."
She paused again. "Oh snap, I bet you think I'm human, huh?"

Artim looked somewhat embarrassed. "Certainly look it mam. Apologies,
this is the first time we've really been able to talk without some
green guys lording over us or Hydrans shooting at us."

"You raise a valid point. Oh, and please just call me Veziran...I
hate that 'm' word." She made a face before continuing, "Anyway, I'm
actually El-Aurian, and my grandfather hasn't looked like you for well
over a thousand years." She grinned. "We may be about the same age,
now that I think about it. You're what, four hundred-something?"

So, she was El-Aurian. That would explain alot, like how she could
stand listening to Proctor ad nasuem.

"Four-twenty-three to be precise. And its good to know there's at
least one woman on this ship that might still be around when I hit
puberty.", Artim chuckled a bit as he drained the last of his drink.
"Sorry, that was a bit out of line. May I ask you an equally candid
question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"This is something I've been wondering for the past few months, since
right before that whole being possessed by ancient katras thing, and
since you used to work for her Proctorness you might actually have an
answer. What do you think is keeping me from getting more pips on this
collar of mine?"

"Dunno. When did you get your commission?"

"Class of '79", Artim replied.

"Well, that's not too terribly bad. It took me eight years to get my
first promotion this go-around, and this is my third Starfleet
career." She shrugged. "This rank thing nowadays is even more
subjective than it used to be. Sometimes you get lucky and you tear
through the ranks. Sometimes...not so much. But the best advice I
can give you is to not think about it. Forget the rat race; just
excel at your job and before you know it, bam, pips."

"I thought I was doing that already. I mean, how many more
commendations and prizes can I win without getting somewhere. I mean,
I'd actually like to get a command someday. I just have this feeling
that my appearance has something to do with it.

"In this day and age it's rare to see that sort of
discrimination...not in the Federation, at least. But, you never
know. If you're looking to gain ranks, I think the first step is to
talk to your Chief. See what you can do in the department to make it
run better. Get yourself noticed. If you're looking to get your own
command eventually, you'll need a lot of extra training. That's
typically the XO's job...to assess your skills, get you on the right
track to bridge officer certification, command school, all that fun
stuff."

"Hmmm, well that first part would be alot easier if I didn't have this
funny feeling that promotion would involve sleeping with the Chief. 8
Ball is...well...like that. Then there's that twit with the wings. I
don't know how he ever made Lieutenant with his attitude. As for
extra training, well, I got the time." Artim grinned ever so slightly
at the end of the sentence while his face remained deathly serious in
the first part.

Veziran raised an eyebrow, then snorted. "This sounds like
an...interesting ship. '8-ball'? Your Science Chief is named after a
billiard ball?"

"I sure as heck didn't come up with it", Artim replied with a shrug.

"Um." Veziran sat back in her chair, wondering just what sort of
bizarre place she'd ended up. Maybe she would send another message to
BuPers when she got back to her quarters, see if she couldn't hurry up
and get assigned somewhere else before things got really weird.
"Well, obviously you've got the time to train; maybe you should look
at the Command School curriculum and see what you can take via
distance education?"

"I just might do that after this mission. It's bound to get crazy in
the next couple days." Aerin swirled his drink again and then just
downed the rest of it. It left a sourer taste in his mouth then
admitting Cutter was right about something. Then he continued, "Well,
I'm on in an hour or so and have a couple of things to do yet."

"Don't let me keep you, then," she replied, then quickly added, "And
if you get bored, look me up. I'm not doing much until I'm
reassigned, and I'm a former Academy instructor, so..." She shrugged.
"Might could help you out with some stuff."

"I'll keep that in mind. And thanks for hearing me out I've had alot on my
mind lately and shrinks...well...I've had enough of them. See ya later."
Artim left with one of his famous chilidish smiles that would only befit
someone his outward age. It was good to talk to a somewhat kindred spirit.

"The Wedding"

The Bride: 1st Lt Branwen London ? SFMC Chief Psychologist, Co 5th Platoon
And Groom: Captain Man'darr Mavia ? SFMC Battalion Xo, Co 4th Platoon

Captain Darren M'Kantu ? Starship Captain, USS Galaxy
Colonel For'kel Arvelion ? Battalion Commander SFMC
Lieutenant Dhanishta Eshe ? Chief Engineer
Lieutenant Jg Victor Kreighoff ? Security Patrol Officer
Flight Officer Ella Grey ? Starfighter Corps Vanguard S&R pilot
Flight Officer Angelienia ? Starfighter Corps Pilot
Ships Chaplin (written by Chris)

***USS Galaxy, Chappell***

Branwen was really nervous, she was standing in an anti chamber with
Dhani and Victor waiting to be called in. "Are you sure everything is
fine, I look all right?" She asked again. It had taken her hours and
a lot of help to get everything perfect. The young Marine clutched
her bouquet of flowers pretty hard.

"Branwen you look beautiful." Dhani replied smiling warmly at her
friend. "Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." she added
taking her friends hands, trying to reassure her. Pre wedding jitters
was common with most brides to be, and while Dhani was still
apprehensive about the married life that was looming before her close
friend, she was sure in the knowledge that their intentions at this
moment in time were pure.

"You are sure?" Branwen asked again. "It is strange, but I am more
nervous now than before going into battle."

"That's normal," Victor spoke up quietly. "Battles are short, they
last for minutes, or hours, or days. Marriage lasts for a lifetime ?
or it should ? and the commitment to something that long-lasting is
intimidating, even frightening. Just remember that all days won't be
like today or tonight; and always be certain to talk to your husband,
tell him the things that are important to you. Don't let the silences
between the words you want to say grow until they swallow the words
and leave nothing there but regrets." Chulak had made that mistake
until it was too late, and Victor didn't want Bran to do the same.

Dhanishta looked at Victor with a curious expression. The darkness
that surrounded him had lightened since she had last 'spoken' with
him. He carried with him a wisdom that was not his own, yet he had
integrated into himself. He had changed a lot. And in part it was
for the better. No longer did he hide himself in the darkness,
fearful of how others perceived him. For once, possibly the first
time in his life, he stepped into the light and that glow reflected
from within. It was much more pleasant to be near him now, although
Dhani was not about to let herself forget what he was. For no matter
how much one tanned in the rays of the sun, one could not change what
lay at the core of ones being. Nodding at the truth of his words she
turned back to Branwen, "He's right." she whispered softly.

"Yes dad." Branwen said solemnly, before smiling. "I have a good
feeling about this, he and I will be together for ever." She gave
Victor a quick hug. "And I am so glad that you are walking me down
the aisle." Bran looked at Dhani, Angie and Ella in their
bridesmaid's dresses, they would be following them down the aisle.
"Is it time yet?"

"Almost, Kit." Victor looked around at everyone and suddenly realized
that all of them ? Dhani, Angelienia, and Ella - looked uncommonly
beautiful today, as if some of the glow emanating off of Branwen was
reflecting off them. "And I'm not your father."

"I know you are not, silly!" Branwen smiled at him. "But you are
standing in for him, you are walking me down the aisle and giving me
to Dar." She did not add that her own father would never have done
so.

"Think of yourself as a surrogate father," Dhani suggested to Victor,
placing her hand lightly on his arm she continued in a quieter voice,
"It's an honor to give a bride away in her culture. And for you to
step in gladly, and to give Bran to Man'darr not only places you into
a family position, it proves that you agree to the joining." she tried
to explain.

"I understand that part," Victor replied, straightening his formal
tunic. Angelienia had laid it out for him, and had made sure that all
his decorations and medals - most of which he never wore - were
affixed properly, rendering the whole thing even more uncomfortable
than formal wear was supposed to be. "I was just making sure she
remembered that when time came to pay the bill for the wedding." He
hoped the joke would work; despite his life as Chulak, he was still
uncertain as to how well he was doing at being 'funny' when he tried.

"Victor!" Bran giggled. "I am still not used to your jokes. Why is
it taking so long?"

Dhanishta's brow furrowed and she recoiled slightly from Victor. For
a moment she stood in shock, her mind double taking. And then her
head slowly swiveled back to him, "Victor Von-Death-Man, since when
did you start making jokes?" she returned in a serious tone.

Since he certainly wasn't going to tell her the whole truth, Victor
gave her a different truth. "I've always told jokes, Lieutenant. I
just thought I'd try telling them to people that I wasn't trying to
kill and see what happened."

Ella smiled at that and then went back to helping Angie inspect the
dress to make sure that everything was perfect.

Dhanishta's frown lifted slightly, "I'll remember that." she responded
cautiously as she turned to peer through the rack in the door, "I
don't think it will be long now Bran," she told the anxious woman
behind her, "I can see Man'darr standing at the altar and my, doesn't
he look handsome
"

Dressed in his Marine Dress Uniform, Man'darr stood at the altar as he
waited for Branwen to enter. Only her closest friends and co-workers
had been invited to the ceremony.

For'kel stood by the 'groom's' family section... Man'darr didn't
exactly have family readily available aboard the Galaxy that was
outside of the 150 Marines that made up the 188th Detachment. He'd
certainly come to respect the big Capellan's bravery and capabilities,
he was a good man and a damn fine Marine. They'd been through hell
each other, before he was a Marine and ever since he'd been one. With
Pete's departure, there wasn't anyone on the ship save Berilyn he
trusted more. "So Afid, are you prepared for the war of a lifetime?"

'War? Why would being mated to Branwen be a war?' he wondered for a
second before looking to his CO.&nbs p; "Capellans are always prepared
for battle and war, sir," he replied with a grin.

"Then believe it or not, you've been training for marriage your whole
life." The Stagnorian snickered, giving his second in command a slap
on the back. "Some advice from someone who's been in your shoes:
never hesitate to apologize when you're wrong, and always be willing
to forgive when you're right."

"Good advice," the chaplain spoke up, as he and the Captain arrived.

"Although sometimes," M'Kantu added, "you should also be ready to
apologize when you're right, and forgive when you're wrong."

The advice was somewhat confusing to Man'darr as he quietly thought
over the advice that had been given to him before he spoke. "Thank
you, sirs."

At that moment, the doors from the anti-chamber opened and 'Here comes
the bride' music began to play as Man'darr turned to watch Branwen
begin her walk down the aisle.

Her arm on Victor's, Branwen slowly walked down the aisle. Her face
was hidden behind the veil otherwise everybody could have seen her
shine. So far this truly was the happiest day in her life.

It was, Victor decided, an interesting experience. Despite the small
group at the wedding, he knew that many ? if not most ? of the guests
were affected to some degree by his presence
and they were willing to
tolerate it to be here, to see Branwen almost glowing with joy at her
wedding. He wondered if Angelienia would glow like this when they
were
The utterly natural way the thought flowed through his mind
stunned him for a moment. Marriage. Angelienia. Wedding. The
images of Angelienia in a wedding dress that came to him made him
smile, made him happy in a way that he'd only ever been in the dream
life that had been Chulak's.

And then it was time to release Bran's arm and step aside as they
reached the altar.

Behind the Bride and groom the bridesmaids curtsied and took up their
positions in the front row of the 'brides' section of the Chapel,
watching on with misted eyes as the Chaplin took in a deep breath and
began his speech.

Branwen smiled at her fianc? through the veil. They were really close
now, and she took his hands in hers squeezing gently. "Love you."
The Welsh woman whispered.

The Chaplain smiled as the two exchanged their simple, universally
known sentiments. This was what made this job rewarding. "Then we
shall begin." He whispered to them before speaking aloud to the room.
"Family, friends, and invited guests, we are gathered here today to
witness the binding of Man'darr Maivia, and Branwen London, in holy
matrimony. Mister Maivia, do you take this woman to be your lawfully
wedded wife, to love and to cherish in sickness and health, for richer
or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

"Yes," he responded honestly as he looked down at the woman.

"And Miss London, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded
husband, to love and to cherish in sickness and health, for richer or
poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do, with all my heart." Branwen said with conviction.

"In that case, by the powers invested in me by the United Federation
of Planets, and under the auspices of Starfleet, I now pronounce you
husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Man'darr lifted the veil and took Branwen into his arms, kissing her
passionately. She leaned into the kiss, forgetting the world around
her even existed.

The Captain waited, smiling, for a full two minutes before clearing
his throat softly to attract their attention.

"Sorry sir." Branwen giggled having forgotten all about the captain,
or anybody else.

Daren's version of the ceremony was as short and simple as the
Chaplain's had been, but the words were no less heartfelt. As he
finished, he smiled once more as he said, "You are husband and wife.
You may now kiss the bride... again."

The guests clapped and cheered, all rising from their seats to salute
to couple. The music began once more as the pair made their way back
down the isle in a shower of confetti and rose petals. It was a truly
glorious sight to behold, Branwen and Man'darr joined before God,
before their Captain and friends. A life time of togetherness awaited
them, a life time of happiness and joy.

?Heart to Heart?

With galactic love machine Captain Leo Streely, master and commander of the
Starfleet Heroism In Tactics department and Lt. Raven Darkstar, Chief of the
Navigation Department.

Time: Moments before arrival at the Verald Cluster

Location: Main Shuttle Bay, USS GALAXY

?Leo, I have a problem?? Raven Darkstar rumbled.

With a dismissive wave of his tiny hand, Leo Streely began rummaging through
a stack of PADDs.

?OK, OK, OK. So I never really asked to use the Captain?s Yacht for a
department headquarters, but I AM a Captain and nobody ever uses this boat to
begin with so I thought where?s the harm?? he said. ?I know that I have the
official documentation some where in this mess. Good thing you didnt stop by
hours earlier. Might have caught the Big Hoss in action. That Ensign Bambi is
such a flexible hell cat! probibaly grabbed my requisition forms when she
grabbed her clothes.?

?I don?t care about the Yacht. Nor do I want to hear of any copulating you
may or hopefully may not be doing while inside. I have a real problem and as
much as it pains me to say this, I don?t have anyone else to talk to but you.?
the Indian said, his gaze focused on the deck of the Captain?s Yacht.

?What about your anger management therapist??

?All she does is yell. I stopped going to her months ago. Besides I wouldn?
t be confortable taking to her about this.?
Leo walked over and clapped his hand on Raven?s back.

?OK, OK, OK. I'm picking up what you're putting down. Look, It happens to
every man. Well not to me, but most other men. Sometimes its stress. Sometimes
you try to hard. Maybe we're too close to a spatal anomoly. Don?t worry, just
like the South, your totem pole will rise again.?

?What are you talking about? The south of where?? Darkstar said, completely
confused.

?I'm talking about your inability to pitch a teepee.? Leo said gesturing to
Raven's crotch.

?My what?!?

?Your errection problem.?

"I don?t have an errection probem!? the Navigation Chief protested with a
slight blush to his already bronzed skin. (Federation Tanning Bed perhaps?)

?You just told me about your penis problems with the woman.?

"Leo, if you listen to only one thing I will ever say from this point forth
let it be this: Never again talk about my penis. I don?t have any errectile
disfunction when it comes to women."
Leo stared at him.

"This isn?t a man thing is it?"

"LEO!"

"Hooo I knew it! You and Sandsky knew each other once. Nobody has ever seen
you and a woman in the same space. You're like Clark Kent in chiffon and
lace." Leo said, then paled. "Do you think people think that you and me? I mean
we do spend a lot of time together. They may think that Im just like you!!
Like Chuck and Larry but for real!!!!"

"Leo, stop hypervenalating. Im not gay. My penis is fine. I don?t have those
probems. Its about this mission. I have reservations about what we are
ordered to do."

Once more Leo sared at him, then exploded into laughter. Tears streamed down
his eyes.

"What in the hell is so funny?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!.......RESERVATIONS!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!........ YOURE ..... HAHAHA!!! AN .........INDIAN!!!! GET IT?!?!?!?! HAHAHA!!! MAN,
THAT WAS HILARIOUS!!!"

If you can sonehow restrain yourself from mocking my heritage, I really need
your opinion.

"OK, OK, OK! I'm sorry, all right? You know how I get. Whatsamatta?" Leo
asked, visablly calming himself.

"I have been ordered to go down to the colonies we are enroute to and force
these people from their homes. That?s the same things that happened to my
people 100s of years ago. We were taken from our homes and forced to relocate to
shambling, filthy reservations."

"My people died during this period. It changed the course of my people's
history permanenty. Even today. Look about you. How many Indians do you know?
How many do you see daily?"
Leo for once didn?t say anyting.

"Now I have been tasked to do the very same thing. To force others from
thier homes. I don?t know if I can do it, Leo." Darkstar admitted quietly.
Darkstar sat down in the nearby chair and looked the tiny Captain in the
eye.

?I don?t know what to do.?

Leo stroked a nonexistant goatee and plopped down in the chair opposite the
Indian.

"You and I have known each other for a long time. We have been through some
crazy shit that still makes it tough for me to sleep at night. But you know
what? Through all the battles and the wars and the crazy schemes that I come
up with, theres one thing that I can always count on. Raven Darkstar will
always do the right thing. Even when I firmly believe that the right thing is the
wrong thing, know what I mean?"
Darkstar nodded and stood up.

"For as much nonsense and lunacy that drips from your mouth, every once in a
while, you make perfect sense."

"Of coarse I do! I been telling you that for nearly 4 years now!! And one
last thing though............ you sure your not gay right? Not that there is
anything wrong with that. Just that I ain't seen you with many women, know what
I mean? I could throw you a bone ya know. I have a couple of lady friends in
this boat if you change your mind. I gotta tell you in advance though,
beggars cant be choosers if you catch my drift!"

NEXT UP: Raven and Leo hit the planet to relocate a colony!!!! (Hijinks
ensue and laughter will be heard!)

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