Stace enjoyed meeting with the Camelot's department heads. Unfortunately he didn't have the time for extended stays with any of them, not at the moment anyway. He did make time to see Chief of Science though. Science had always interested him, and had he not been such a good match for Security, his inclinations would have leaned towards that field.

A look at Doctor Nichols file, and Stace briefly wished the man was in Security. He immediately chastised himself for the stereotype. Over six feet two and well built did not pigeon hole one into a certain department. While he fit the mold, or at least a very out dated mold, he did not expect others to. That was the beauty of IDIC.

As soon as Stace walked into the main science department, he felt an immature urge to run around and see what made everything tick. He of course suppressed it, and went looking for Dr Nichols.

Gideon had been off to one side, his gazed focused on a large monitor that was affixed to one of the bulkheads. He had padds spread out on a table in front of him, a large padd was in his hand, and his gaze swept from the monitor to the padd. However, out of the corner of his eye he caught a person who almost equaled his own height, lurking around the lab.

The man wore the uniform of a command officer, and Gideon turned to see what the man needed. "Hello, can I help you?" he took a quick look to the collar, "Commander?"

Stace took the few steps needed to reach the Chief Science Officer. "Hello Doctor Nichols. I'm Commander Brooks, the XO. I wanted to come down and meet you, perhaps get a tour?" He asked hopefully.

Gideon had certainly been surprised by this, most didn't come down to the labs asking for a tour. But, the Camelot was a brand new starship, it had bells and whistles that were unique to this particular class of starship. Giving a nod, a slight smile crossed his lips. "Of course, sir," he said, "I'd be happy too." He certainly had a lot of work to do, but he also knew he could take a few minutes to show the XO around. It was his way of trying not to stay so closed off.

"Well, currently you are in the primary science lab, which is where we monitor everything from what is going on in the other labs, to sensor data coming in, to environmental systems." He said as he issued the commander toward the center console. "My office is also here," he lifted an arm toward one side of the compartment, "easier to watch everything that is going on."

It was a good design, much like Main Security, where the Chief's office was primarily set so the Department head was right in the middle of the action. Stace led himself be led around, and listened with interest, letting the Chief finish before speaking. "Do you have everything you need in terms of personnel and equipment? I know the stardock has missed a few things in other areas."

Gideon nodded. "Not originally, but I'm a very thorough guy so I was able to rectify the holes in inventory and personnel." He moved toward another bank of monitors and workstations, the commander in tow. "In fact, originally someone forgot to send over a whole stellar cartography department." This wasn't uncommon, though the mandate was to seek out new life and explore space, the science staff always seemed to be under-represented.

Stace rolled his eyes. Typical. "At least we are at Vulcan, where there is a supply of stellar cartographers and equipment. I'm glad you managed to get everything taken care of." It was one less thing on his list, so that was a time saver.

"This is where we monitor what is happening with planetary sciences. The labs send us the data to compile the reports for command. This is also where we get any updates from the planetary sciences division back on Earth. We not only get updates from Starfleet Science, but from civilian institutes from Moscow, New York City, and Sydney." He paused, he hoped the XO wasn't getting bored. "We also receive updates from the planetary science directorates from Vulcan, Rigel, and Trill."

"Add Betazoid and Bajor to that list, at least to forward to me." Stace added. "Planetary and social sciences updates." He liked to keep at least vaguely aware of what was going on with Betazoid social sciences.

"Certainly," Gideon said as he made a note on the padd he was still holding. He would be sure to add it once he had a free moment. He had wondered why those specific planets, Bajor and Betazed had pretty limited information concerning planetary sciences. However, he was more than happy to accommodate the XO. Social sciences was a department that wasn't as huge on a starship, so he was glad to be able to get the chance for incoming data on the subject. Especially from Betazed.

"Over here," Gideon led the man to an area where there were four work stations in a pod like formation. Each station had a stool in front it. "This area here is for all the information from sensor analysis officers. The sensor room has science and operations officers, but in here, it's strictly science officers who had a grade three certification for sensor analysis."

Stace smiled and took a seat at one of the consoles. He hadn't had a chance to play with sciences, so took just a few moments to check over the LCARS. "It looks like they've updated LCARS recently." he commented.

"They did," Gideon said as he reached over the other man, keyed in a command and the station came to life. "The interface is more user friendly, but with that, response time is now twenty-five percent faster. Which is going to be extremely important in the labs, specially astrometrics, and stellar cartography."

Gideon pulled back then moved to stand just to the left of the seated XO. "Why don't you give it a try, I assure you, that you won't break anything," a smirk crossed his lips. "Scan Vulcan. You will see that you will get information far quicker."

Stace chuckled briefly and smiled. "I'm not completely incompetent with Science." He teased in return, knowing that the Chief had been joking. He did as suggested, more than happy to let the Chief show off his equipment, and to get a chance to check out the new update for himself. He played around a bit before commenting. "It is more responsive, very nice."

"It certainly is going to come in handy when we have to do quick or passive scans," Gideon said. "Though, the one obstacle we are facing is power distribution, especially when we are having to go for high warp for a long period of time. Response time equals more power, and I'm not entirely sure we can spare the power." He kept his gaze on the XO. "But, I am working with operations, and engineering to see if we can come up with alternative solutions."

Stace nodded. "It's been a mutual problem between departments, the Manticore Class has a few drawbacks to its many advantages. I'm sure Seras and Matthews will be happy to pow wow with you. It may take some creative solutions." Stace stood up, not wanting to take too much of the Chief's time up, but he had had fun. "Thanks for the tour." He smiled.

Gideon mirrored the smile. "You're welcome," he said, "you are welcome in the labs any time, sir."

Stace nodded. "If you ever need anything, my door is always open." he offered his hand. "It was nice to meet you Doctor."

Gideon nodded as well. "You as well," he said as he took a hold of the offered the hand and gave it a firm shake. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise. I'll let you get back to work. I can show myself out." Stace commented, and headed out.

Gideon watched the XO left the primary science lab. He was glad he got the chance to show off the lab, even if it was just for a few minutes. Satisfied that the commander left with a little bit more knowledge then he had when he first entered the lab, Gideon turned back and headed back to what he was doing.

It was 0300 hours in the morning and The Admiral's was not over. It had only just begun, awoken in the dead of the night during the bitter hours of the morning personally by her Chief of Staff. The Admiral's life had used to be a stable one. She was the proud parent of a young up and coming Starfleet Captain, a devoted wife yet also a very independent and confident mature woman with elegance.

However, the past few years had been rough and more recently her life was in turmoil. Her once beloved child was now an abomination that she had cut all ties with, a Rogue Captain, ex-Starfleet, and wanted by the Federation and several Governments. Furthermore, within the past year she had gone from being a parent of one child to be the unexpected parent of a second son. One that she had never known and had no prior ties with. He had been thrust into her life and now she had to deal with that.

Her once strong marriage had collapsed and crumbled. For that, she blamed her disowned child for. However, she also blamed her second son for parts of it as well. Now, she was somehow supposed to get a good night's sleep per Doctor's orders and yet still be ready for this sort of dead of the night wake up call.

She walked into Starbase 10's large media room that housed hundreds of monitors and one very large view screen. She had been apprised of the situation as she walked down the corridors with her Chief of Staff. When she entered the room, she looked directly at the communications officer on duty. "On screen" she commanded swiftly.

She saw the destruction first hand. It wounded her deeply, but she kept her tough exterior and cold focus set on the screen. Hamelin was all but in total ruins. Soon, a small figure entered into view. It was the Guidon she had spoken to days ago. The small petite mouse like woman had looked very tired and as though she was doing her best to contain fright.

"Madam Secretary" said the Guidon woman in a frail little squeak of a voice.

The Admiral was still getting used to that one. The title was new to her since officially retiring from Starfeet only a few months ago. She had never expected to receive a call asking her if she was interested in this political pony show. "Governor Misha, I can assure you that the President is aware of the needs of your people. We just cannot simply declare war on the Kzinti...not without strong backing."

The Guidon let out a few frustrated squeaks. "What more do you need? They attack our planet. They invade Federation space and have blockaded any aide coming to us." The Minister was not pleased. "We have no military nor police forces of our own. We rely purely on you and Starfleet."

The Admiral had not been made aware of just how bad things had gotten. The Kzinti were cutting off Hamelin from the rest of the Federation. They were not even allowing humanitarian aide to come in and help the Guidon. "Minister Misha, I will meet with the President and the rest of the cabinet immediately to discuss options. Hamelin as a member of the United Federation of Planets is under the protection of Starfleet. I can assure you that your rights to your planet are not about to be taken away by the Kzinti."

She then looked at the communications officer to cut the channel. The screen went black the Admiral shook her head. "We cannot let this situation remain on the back burner. It's becoming increasingly more serious each day" she commented to her Chief of Staff. "Get the President and call the Cabinet members."

"Yes, Madam Secretary" replied the Chief of Staff.

The Admiral then looked back towards the Communications Officer. Of course it has to be me to do this she thought to herself. "Hail the USS Camelot. Let me speak to the Captain" she ordered.

A few moments later the view screen came back to life and the Admiral saw the bright eyed thin scarecrow of a man looking back at her. He reminded her of better days, or years gone by. However, these two individuals had no real history together.

"It's not even 0400hours, Madam Secretary" said Kris as he yawned and tried to focus on the screen. "To what do I owe this honor?"

As much as she disliked her title as Madam Secretary....she let out a sigh of relied that he did not call her 'Mum' or 'Mother' as he had before. It did not please her at all. In fact, it pissed her off.

The man on the screen before her was Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac, Commanding Officer of the USS Camelot, former convicted felon, and the cosmic bastardization of a joke. This was her 'second son,' an alternate universe version of her own flesh and blood.

Merith had said to come find her and that she could help. Jhu hadn't mentioned any complaints or asked for any assistance, so she wasn't entirely certain what exactly it was that Merith wanted to help her with. Still, she could hazard a few guesses, and the most likely subject was, of course, the baby. It was no secret by now that Jhu was pregnant; none of the Starfleet-issue maternity jackets fit her properly, even with careful modification of the tailoring. Instead, she'd gone back to having the replicator produce the loosest jacket she could comfortably wear without rolling the sleeves, leaving it hanging open. It wasn't exactly abiding by the regulations, but it wasn't like the replicator was giving her much choice!

Once she'd gotten settled in and figured out where her cabin and office were, Jhu decided to take Merith up on her offer. "Computer, locate Captain Merith."

"Captain Merith is in her quarters, deck 2 section 9," the computer replied in its standard monotone.

Amidst a cold, half eaten breakfast, Merith sat at her desk going over some paperwork she had to finish filing before she could depart. Her room looked otherwise neat, though filled with standard Starfleet stock decorations, indicating that she had never intended to stay aboard long enough to personalize the space. In fact, with a glance into her bedroom one could see she had been packing what little clothes she had brought with her.

Merith sighed as she leaned back in her chair to take a sip of her tea. She let herself get lost in thought for a moment as she contemplated if had done the right thing regarding Kris, but... only time would tell. For now, all she could do was hope and pray. The door chime thankfully disrupted her thoughts. "Enter," she called out as she sat back up and gave her uniform a tug to straighten it out.

It was strange to visit someone she barely knew, but Jhu smiled a bit as she entered Merith's cabin. "Hey. I don't think we've ever actually talked much, but you said I should come find you."

"Ah, Commander, thank you for stopping by," Merith said as she rose from her chair. "I know we haven't spoken much, but I've been keeping track of everyone that came with us from our universe, especially since Kris' court marshall. I've been acting as a liaison of sorts with Command, making sure all of us are being properly assimilated into the system, it hasn't left a great deal of time for socializing. But I have been keeping a close eye on you since the incident on Talos IV."

Merith swept around her desk to the replicator to order a tray with tea and brought it over to the table where she gesture to Jhu to invite her to sit. "For as much as you and Kris grate on each others nerves, you are very important to him. He values your opinion and trusts you like I've never seen before," Merith said in observation as she poured a cup of tea for Jhu. The tea was a special blend from her world; Merith had seen enough pregnant women to know when one wasn't eating well because of the hormones, and she was hoping this blend of tea, which had worked wonders on her world, would work with Jhu's unique hybrid physiology. It's ability to soothe stomach upsets aside, it was a delightful blend to enjoy and Merith helped herself to a cup and sat next to Jhu.

"I appreciate the tea, but I'm not sure I can drink it." Having sat down when she was invited, Jhu did wrap her hands around the warm cup and inhale its scent for a moment. "I haven't kept anything down today, and the shuttle flight up here didn't help."

"That's part of the reason I asked you to come by," Merith replied with a gentle smile. "If you'll permit me, I'd like to try to help you. Starting with the tea, do try it."

Jhu couldn't help but trust Merith, seeing that gentle smile. She didn't know much about the woman, but she had read a bit about the natural healing abilities of the plants that grew on Ba'ku. "Well it does smell nice." After a moment's hesitation, she tried a small sip of the warm liquid, pausing to gauge its effect before taking a second, larger sip from the cup. "I like it."

Merith's smile widened slightly in relief. This was good, a start to help this woman. "Take it slow. I've got some nibbles if you'd like to give those a try," Merith offered, pushing a plate of shortbread cookies towards Jhu. "Have you made any plans or preparations for when the baby arrives? Basic necessities and the like?" she asked, then sipped on her tea.

"Kris made sure my cabin would be large enough to accommodate a nursery, so space won't be a problem." Shortbread wasn't Jhu's favorite cookie due to its bland nature, but she picked one up and bit the corner off of it. Bland and only mildly sweet, it paired well with the tea. More importantly, her stomach didn't immediately reject it. "The Vulcan family I was staying with provided a bassinet they no longer needed... frillier than I expected coming from Vulcans. And pink." She laughed a little, shaking her head. "I think they gussied it up a bit to make it less 'Vulcan' so it would appeal to me better."

"An unusual consideration for a Vulcan, but nice all the same, I'm sure," Merith said with a hint of laughter. "I am pleased to inform you that daycare has already been taken care of. Since you are not the only expectant parent on this ship, I had already made a space. It's just off of sickbay and a nurse trained in early childhood development will be arriving soon to keep watch over the little ones during duty hours." Hopefully, that was one less concern on Jhu's mind.

"That's fantastic." Having finished her first cookie while Merith spoke, Jhu picked up a second one and nibbled at it. Being a single expectant mother, she'd worried about who would watch the baby when she returned to work. "Most other things can be replicated. And my mom gave me some of the toys and blankets we used when we were little."

"That's good." It was good that she had a few keepsakes, especially since it meant she was reconnecting with family in this universe. "Now, are you taking care of yourself emotionally? Have you talked to a counsellor? I know you're grieving, and doing this alone is never easy... Just know that you are not truly alone; you have Kris, and so many more from your crew who are willing to be there and help you." Merith just needed to be sure that Jhu was not drowning in her grief like the Ba'ku woman had so many years ago.

"I hate counselors... most of them anyway. I'd rather talk to Kris, and he's likely to call me a raving lunatic at any moment." Jhu smiled a bit, the idea of the crazy man claiming she was the crazy one on this ship. "But I spoke briefly with Doctor Quinzel, and she at least promised not to try 'fixing' me. It's a start, I suppose."

"That's a start. I have been where you are and I let myself go... I refused to talk, and I couldn't eat or sleep... And as if losing my husband hadn't been bad enough, I lost my child too. I do not wish to see you suffer that fate as well, so please take care of yourself," Merith entreated softly.

"I am. It's just the past couple of weeks I've constantly felt like I was about to hurl. Even the Vulcan food was impossible to eat." The tea and cookies seemed to be staying down just fine, and Jhu readily refilled her cup now that it had run empty. "And forget about flying in shuttles. Only reason I didn't puke on the way up here is because I didn't eat for a few hours beforehand... and flight during combat..." Jhu shook her head thinking about the last time she'd be in starship combat.

Merith pulled a memory stick out of her pocket and offered it to Jhu. "Replicator recipes," she said simply. "No guarantees that any of them will help, but at least the tea is on there. And there are patterns for maternity variant uniforms. If you were on a ship with a tailor, you would already have a maternity suit, but better late than never."

"I'll try them." Jhu cheerfully took the offered memory stick and tucked it into her pocket. "I tried all the standard maternity patterns in the replicator, but none of them were broad enough across my shoulders... they based all the Vulcanoid measurements on the Vulcans, and they're slimmer than the Romulans. So I made them broader manually... and then it didn't fit around my belly. I hate replicators sometimes."

"In the absence of an actual tailor, the holodeck should be loaded with a tailor program. That should get you sorted out," Merith said. "But experiment with foods. You're eating for two, so even if you're getting sick you need to keep trying. And don't be afraid to tell Kris where he can shove it if he expects you to take anymore shuttle rides. He'll get over himself eventually."

"I'll just throw up on him next time. Then he'll learn." Jhu snickered, making a mental note to see if the holodeck did have a tailor program installed. "I've been eating... saw a doctor on Vulcan who said it was okay to keep eating right after puking as long as I was sure it was morning sickness and not a stomach bug. So I eat. Maybe not always the healthiest things, but if a cookie and a cup of tea is what stays down it's better than eating a salad and then puking it right back up."

"Well, you start small and work your way up to bigger things. And if liquids are all you can stomach for a while, then just go with it, just make it something that will benefit you. And don't fight the strange cravings, and they can get weird..." Merith trailed off with a grimace, thinking back on some of the things she had craved when she had been pregnant. "Just keep trying. Things will get better, and it will eventually come to an end and then you'll have a whole new set of wonderful problems to deal with. And I will tell you that once you have your baby, it will all be worth it."

"Haven't had any weird ones yet... but I did somehow convince my very accommodating hosts to procure a couple of hlai cutlets. Not entirely sure where she got them, but she even cooked them. That was a nice surprise to wake up to after the munchkin made me nap all afternoon." Jhu still wasn't sure how that had even happened. She'd only mentioned craving hlai once, and she hadn't directly asked for it. "I guess that's pretty weird when you're living with vegetarians."

"Baby gets what baby wants, even Vulcans can understand that concept," Merith said with a chuckle. "I am glad you seem to be doing a little better than you were on the Katana. Between the grief and the morning sickness, I heard some very distressing things regarding your well being, so I am very relieved to see that you are doing bit better now. And I understand that you'll be resuming your work in Intel, so with any luck, your duties will not be as taxing as they were on Katana." Jhu was quite a marvelous woman, she could see how Kris had become so fond of her. She just wished there was something more she could, not just for Jhu but for all the crew displaced from their universe. "If you ever need anything, please let me know. And keep an eye on Kris; we've all been through one hell or another, but I worry about him. I always will..." Especially after she dropped one hell of a bomb on him in addition to a new ship. She must have been mad to do it, but... no, it had been the right call, she just had to have faith in her decisions.

"I'll try to keep him out of trouble, but I make no promises in that regard." Jhu giggled a bit, knowing full well no one could keep Kris Kerouac out of trouble. "At the moment I'm still running security here. Starfleet hasn't assigned a security chief and I'm the only officer with any experience. Despite being terrible at it."

"I'm quite certain you're not nearly as bad at it as you think you are," Merith assured Jhu as she picked up the tray of tea to send it back through the replicator. "And I know it's hardly ideal, but delegate. Until someone is assigned to replace you, you are running two departments while creating life, the latter of which I feel is far more important than the other two. Take it easy and delegate, and when you can't, use that glare of death I've heard so much about and take some time for yourself anyway."

"Glare of death? I have no idea what you mean," Jhu replied innocently. "Everyone says the same thing you just did, that I wasn't that bad at the job. That I was just unlucky. But the truth is... I hated it. And I knew I wasn't doing a great job."

"For now, you're just keeping the seat warm until someone else comes along, dear," Merith said as she disappeared to her bedroom only to come back a minute later with a folded baby blanket in hand. "When all else fails, go to Kris, tell him you can't do it anymore, and start crying. The men-folk never know how to react to a crying hormonal woman and will usually give them anything and everything to appease them. Just don't overuse that trick or the men'll grow wise to it." As she resumed her seat next to Jhu, she handed her the blanket. Jhu said she already had a blanket, but there was always room for one more blanket. It was soft and pale, a natural cream wool in a traditional Ba'ku weave.

"Kris associates me with weapons and trying to kill him. He sees me crying and he'll drag me to sickbay." Taking the offered blanket, Jhu looked at it and gently ran her fingers across its soft, smooth surface. She wasn't an extremely culturally aware type of person, but the traditional weave gave the blanket away as a traditional Ba'ku gift, one that had probably been in Merith's family for several generations. "This is beautiful, but I'd hate for your family not to have it."

"Everyone has their limits and if something was serious enough to bring you to tears, yes he might take you to Sickbay, but he would also treat it with the utmost seriousness," Merith replied. "And think nothing of the gift; My family's heirloom was in use with my counterpart's grandchildren, so I requested a new one to be made special for you. My counterpart was more than happy to do so." This universe's Merith hadn't known the pain of loss of her husband and child and thus never left her world in the Briar Patch. In fact, they had gone on to have several more children and now grandchildren. Seeing those children and grandchildren had been painful to Merith.

"It's new? But the wool feels... old and well-loved." Jhu didn't know much about the Ba'ku planet, but if this was how soft their new wool blankets were, she was surprised there wasn't a market for them. "Thank you. I'll make sure my daughter keeps it when she's ready to have children."

"Just the usual Ba'ku 'magic', we weave the love right into it," Merith teased. "I had another made for the other little girl who will be arriving soon."

"Other little girl?" Jhu remembered Merith mentioning that someone else was expecting a baby, but she had no idea who it was.

"Yeah..." Merith said sadly, trailing off for a moment. "Shira's little girl. The Arboreals apparently have a two part gestation, so the pod for the second stage of development is down in Sickbay. But, uh... Shira and Verak died on Dakala, Kris has been appointed the child's guardian."

"Shira's dead?" Jhu gave Merith a bit of a wounded look. No one had told her that the little fairy girl had died! "And Verak?" She always thought the Vulcan boy was too stubborn to die. "How? And when?"

"Not long ago. They were taking some personal time before the baby was due and their shuttle ran into a plasma storm. All indications were that Verak died on impact, and had Shira not gone into labor, she might have had a chance of surviving, but..." Merith trailed off with a sigh. Even if the Arboreal girl had survived, she wouldn't have been the same with the mate-bond severed. "They are here on Vulcan now. Since they were mates, they were kept together during the funeral rites."

Jhu sighed somewhat heavily. She'd only been friendly with Verak, but Shira had been her friend from the day the arboreal girl came aboard the Katana. They'd had the type of friendship Jhu had only known with a few people, the sort where the magic just happened and it was like knowing them forever. "I didn't know they were even in trouble. No one said anything."

"Another ship intercepted their distress beacon and came to their aide before the emergency call ever made it to Katana. And since I had been keeping an eye on all of us displaced from our universe, I was notified. They wanted to take Shira and the pod straight to Starfleet Medical for study and observation, and they weren't handling the pod very well, it was in a very delicate condition, and it still is. I thought Katana had every right to honor them with a memorial as family, but at the time I had to act quickly to save the life of the child," Merith explained. "I informed M'Rayr, but it didn't take long to figure out that he had neglected passing that information on to those who knew Verak and Shira. I am sorry."

"It's not your fault. The cat... he's not the best at that sort of thing." Jhu rolled her eyes, thoroughly annoyed that M'rayr had failed to make sure Shira's friends knew she was gone. "At least their baby's safe."

"Yes, she is. Like I said, she's down in Sickbay, just be careful, the pod is very delicate. But she's got a little sensor on the pod, and you can tell from brain wave readouts and her heart rate that she's aware of when people come around, and she likes it when people talk to her," Merith said with a smile.

"I'll make sure to visit her then. She probably knows who I am, since Shira took such a liking to me." It wasn't scientific, but Jhu knew that children in the womb often knew their mother's friends after being born.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Merith replied. "And go hassle Kris to think of a name for her. Shira didn't keep any personal log entries, so if she had any plans for a name, I don't know what they are, and I didn't find any mentions of baby names in Verak's logs, so it's up to Kris to pick something. He did alright naming Shira, though, so I'm hopeful for something nice."

"I'll talk to him... we'll come up with something. Anyway." Jhu yawned a bit, not the least bit apologetic. "I've had a hell of a day for someone who asked to take a long vacation. I think I need a nap... and then I'll see if I can eat anything more fortifying than cookies."

"Yes, a nap should help. And let me know if there's anything else I can do for you, dear," Merith said as she walked Jhu to the door.

"I will. Thanks." With a grateful smile, Jhu slipped out the door to head home.

[Continued from "When in Need"]

They found themselves at a pretty busy restaurant, always a good sign. "Look good to you?" Stace asked, before looking for a table.

"It's a little busy," Seras said with just the slightest hint of unease, "but the food smells really good," she continued, hoping to assure him that she could cope with this location. She pointed to a table near the kitchen where they could really get a good look and smell for all the wonderful foods coming out. "How about over there?"

"That works." Stace was about to offer to go somewhere else. He could tell that she was a bit nervous, but she seemed to have it under control, so Stace let her be. He spared a peak into the kitchen as the door opened. He spotted a roast chicken, or something close enough, and his decision on what to order was made. He pulled a chair out for Seras, then took a seat.

Seras smiled when he pulled out a chair for her. Settling into the chair, she followed what had his attention in the kitchen and she chuckled slightly. "I can see your mind is made up already," she said teasingly as she found a menu and looked over what this establishment had to offer.

Stace smiled. "That chicken looked good." The waiter arrived and asked for their drink order. Stace decided he'd have a beer. He wasn't a huge fan of alcohol, but the honey ale would pair with the white meat of the chicken well.

Seras ordered some tea and for her meal, soup and a salad with chunks of the chicken shredded into it. He had a good eye, that chicken did look tasty! "So, are you settling in to you office well?" Seras asked as casual conversation while they waited for the waiter to return.

"Yes, once I replaced the chair things went a lot smoother. I think the one that was in there was designed for, well you." He teased.

"Hey, being so small has its upsides; I can fit into areas most other Engineers can't, so I get to find all kinds of neat little hiding places all over the ship," Seras countered with a grin. "Though it has its downsides too, usually in the form of repairs no one else can do because they can't get into such tight spaces." Same situation being both a pro and a con made Seras chuckle slightly.

"Remind me never to play hide and seek with you." Stace smiled. "Now are you going to be working with Matthews when it comes to repairs?" Stace asked. It wasn't that he was concerned, he was just curious, and liked to know what exactly was going on.

"I've worked with her quite a bit already. We were working together directly on a few issues and since then we've been coordinating with each other closely to try to get the Camelot operational. She is a very good Engineer, I'm glad to have someone so competent to work with otherwise this task would be near impossible," Seras replied.

"That's good." Stace smiled. "I'm glad engineering and ops are in good hands." The drinks arrived, and Stace tried the beer. "That's actually very good, smooth." He put his glass down. "But enough shop talk. We are celebrating our good work getting the engineering team. Look out Vulcan be glad Seras doesn't want to take over." He raised his glass.

It took Seras a moment to remember what the raised glass gesture meant, but once she did she raised her teacup with a smile. "I wouldn't want to take over. What would I do with a whole planet?" she asked jokingly, then took a sip of her tea. She always enjoyed Vulcan tea blends; simple and understated yet bold in their own way. "And I'm just glad they didn't question me too much because I really cannot lie very well."

"That's not a bad thing." Stace assured her. "But it was fun right?" That had really been the only reason he'd gone about getting the engineers the way he had. Sometimes by the book was rather boring, and there had been no harm done.

"Yeah, it was," Seras replied with a sad sort of smile. When was the last time she'd had any fun? She could remember a time when she used to be a playful, fun loving person, but she hadn't been that way in a long time now...

He could tell that she was feeling something deeper than fun, but he was hesitant to press her. Instead he just smiled. "Ok hold on, I need to use the little boys room before the food arrives."

That brought a smile to her face and a giggle from her lips. "You are hardly a 'little boy'," she said teasingly, then waved him off to hurry it up. While he was gone, she sat sipping her tea while she watched food come out of the kitchen.

Stace chuckled, but then went off to do what he needed to do. As Seras sat alone at the table an overly built Orion male bumped into the side of the table. The drunk man had mistook the kitchen doors for the bathroom door, and couldn't walk a straight line at this point. He looked down, surprised that something had stopped his stumbling, when he noticed the tiny female. She was petite and innocent looking, the kind that would fetch a good price on the market. "Hey there." He leered down at her.

Seras looked at the man with disgust as she found a napkin to mop up the spilled beer and tea his collision with the table had caused. She said nothing to the man, hoping her silence was clue enough that she had no desire to speak with him so he would simply go away. Then she waved down the waiter and pointed to hers and Stace's drinks to get a refill.

The Orion was not accustomed to being ignored. "Are you deaf? Little one." He grumbled. "You'd fetch a pretty price with that face." He blatantly stared at her chest. "The rest could use some work." He objectified.

"No, I am not deaf, though I wish I lacked a sense of smell at the moment," Seras commented idly, trying not to breath in the stench of booze and his unwashed body as she finished cleaning up the spilled drinks. "Perhaps there is something wrong with your eyes to not notice the Starfleet uniform. Starfleet does not take kindly to the harassment of their officers.

How dare this tiny woman insult him! He would show her some manners, Starfleet or not. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her seat.

It was that sight that Stace saw as he stepped out of the bathroom. His long legs carried him at an extremely brisk walk, and he was at the table almost by the time Seras was being pulled fully from her seat. Stace growled at the Orion, grabbing the man's wrist above the hand that was holding Seras. His other hand west to the man's lower back, fiercely pushing two fingers into the man's left kidney.

Seras cried as she was ripped from her chair. She could barely stand on her own, the man was nearly pulling her off her feet, and she stumbled and struggled to pull away from him as she whimpered softly, hot tears springing to her eyes. As soon as Stace arrived, there was a hint of relief in her expression. Then she slumped to the floor as soon as the Orion's grip on her wrist was released.

His instinct was to simply beat the man to a pulp, but there was the whole public part on top of Starfleet officer part to take into consideration. He did more or less drag the man into the kitchen though, away from prying eyes. Once there he quickly punched the man in the nose as the Orion struggled, then while the Orion was recovering he called station security. They arrived quickly and Stace headed back out.

Seras tried to calm herself from this sudden rough handling, but she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Other restaurant guests had gathered around to try to help and one even had the sense to tell the others to back away and give her some room to breathe, but none of it did anything to stop her sobbing. Of course, it didn't help that one of the guests attempting to be helpful had a hand on her shoulder that she was desperately trying to get away from, but she felt frozen in place. Stace, where was Stace?

Stace couldn't help the low growl that escaped as he returned to the table. It became clear quickly that the person with their hand on her shoulder was not a threat. He knew instantly that she was having a panic attack. The location was horribly for dealing with it though. Too public, too many people, and too close to the cause. Stace made a quick decision and simply picked her up and headed out of the restaurant. Now that he had a moment to think and not just react, he called the ship and had them beamed up. Once they reached the transporter room he motioned his head towards the door, and the transporter technician got the message and left.

He then sat down right on the pad, Seras still cradled in his arms. He didn't want her to hurt herself so didn't let her go. "It's alright now. Everything's ok."

When he first picked her up, Seras suddenly went very silent and still. She wanted him to put her down, now! But he was taking her away from all the people... And then she felt the familiar tingle of the transporter matter stream and she knew he was taking her someplace safe; it would be a stretch to say she relaxed, but at least she was not so terrified that she was completely unresponsive to everything around her.

Once they were alone and seated on the transporter pad, she simply let herself cry. She made a few attempts to struggle against him and pull away, which initially only added to her panic when he did not release her, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew he was not trying to harm her. By this point, she knew she could not stop her tears, so she just let them go until her eyes ran dry and her throat became raw, finally going limp in his grasp.

He felt it when she finally went limp, and then just waited another minute, to make sure she wasn't a danger to herself. It was only then that he finally let her go. He placed her gently on the pad then went for a glass of water. He quickly came back and set the glass in front of her, now careful to stay out of her personal space. "Water, right in front of you." He offered. This wasn't the first panic attack he'd dealt with, he kept his tone level and soft.

Seras lay on the transporter pad for a long while staring at the glass of water before making any attempts to move and take it, but eventually she did, slowly pulling herself upright to take a hungry drink. The water felt like a ton of deuterium in her gut, so she continued to drink slowly so she wouldn't make herself sick by accident, but she continued knowing she would need to rehydrate after all that. All the while, she couldn't look at Stace. Not only did she feel completely vulnerable but she also felt utterly embarrassed for that display in the restaurant and for the fact that he'd had to hold her while she cried.

Once she had drank as much as she could, Seras set the glass down and drew her knees to her chest. Resting her forehead against her knees with a shuddered sigh, she hugged her knees to her chest as she tried to ignore the gnawing humiliation of having behaved this way in front of her superior.

"It's ok." Stace told her. "Do you think you can get to your quarters ok? Do you want me to take you?"

"I don't know..." Seras answered honestly, her somehow raw and shaky despite being synthesized. "I don't suppose you'd let me cheat and use the transporter, would you? Or would that be an abuse of ship systems?"

Stace didn't even hesitate when he ordered a site to site transport to her quarters. He'd sign off on it later.They arrived at her quarters. "You never did get dinner. Do you think you could eat?"

"I'll try," she said softly, but it took her a moment before she pulled herself off the floor to do anything about it. "I'm going to wash my face," she said simply when she rose, still feeling beyond embarrassed that he'd seen her cry like that.

"Take your time." He told her, then went to her replicator and got her some plain rice. He brought it to the coffee table, and pulled out a blanket for her, then waited for her to return.

Seras disappeared into her washroom for a while to wash away the puffiness in her face. When she came back out, she had removed her hair from its usual ponytail and removed her duty jacket, tossing it on her bed. With her hair down and covering her cranial protrusions, she could almost pass for a human. She saw where Stace had set some food on the table and was waiting for her with a blanket. This drew a small smile from her, taking a seat on the couch and letting him place the blanket around her shoulders. "You're being surprisingly calm and accepting about the way I acted," she said, thus revealing to him her embarrassment on the matter.

Stace just shrugged. "Not my first panic attack. You're fine. Well not fine, or you wouldn't have had one, but you know what I mean. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"I'm okay... Don't know if I'm okay enough to go back on duty, but I've got busy work I can do, paperwork and coding so I don't have to be around people for while," Seras replied as she took the bowl of rice and tried to eat. She was finding it hard to swallow, her throat was still feeling a bit raw, but she was working through it slowly.

Stace made a slight frown, it never made sense to him; the desire to be alone, but he nodded. "That's fine. The shift is almost over anyway. We'll call it a meeting. I'll let you go?" He half asked half offered.

"N-no," she stammered and actually reached out to take his hand. Her hand was trembling and she drew it away rather quickly. "I just... don't think I can handle being around groups of people, but you can stay... if you want, that is..." It wasn't that she wanted to be alone; if anything she was tired of being alone all the time to sate the needs of this stupid phobia, but she knew she couldn't go back to duty where the demands of her job would force her to interact with people and possibly come in contact with them. But she could tolerate Stace, only if he was free to stay.

Stace went to reach for her hand once she took his, but she pulled it away so quickly, that he aborted the move. "I can stay." He smiled. "If you feel up to it, I can even do better than rice. I usually like to eat after recovering from a panic attack. What do you say?"

"Okay," Seras replied simply and handed him the bowl so he could do better. "Would you mind if I dress down since I won't be returning to work tonight?"

"No problem. Go ahead and get comfortable while I get us something to eat." He got up and headed towards the replicator.

Seras abandoned her blanket and disappeared into her closet to shed her uniform, returning a few minutes later in a tank top and a pair of flannel pajama pants printed with Looney Tunes, all topped off with rainbow arm warmers and toe socks. In such a revealing shirt, Stace could see she bore a few scars on her arms and even across the top of her chest, and he could also see the black strap around her throat that held her vocal synthesizer in place, the device that allowed her to use verbal communication. She wandered back to the couch and fell into the comfort of Stace's blanket to wait for food.

Stace smiled as she flopped onto the couch, glad to see she was getting comfortable. He brought the soup he'd replicated to the coffee table. "Minestrone." He explained. It was a soup he could tolerate, and he'd found that most others could as well. He noticed several scars, one of which he was positive he knew the source of. "Disruptor burn." He pointed out, not quite questioning, but leaving it open if she wanted to talk about it.

Seras knew exactly which mark he was commenting on and nodded. She sat up and drew the blanket around her, then took the bowl of soup and held it for a moment to let it warm up her hands. She didn't know what to say in that moment, so she remained silent, eventually taking a sip of the soup and humming appreciatively of the taste.

Stace lifted the left side of his uniform top slowly, showing a scar that was very similar. "Disruptors are the worst. The tissue is just so slow to heal." He shared.

"It felt like it didn't want to heal, it just kept burning," Seras said softly. She raised her hair over her prosthetic ear to draw his attention to it. The ear looked normal enough if a little discolored compared to the rest of her, nothing immediately noticeable considering the way her bangs usually concealed it, but now that she was showing him there was also some visible scarring behind the ear. "This one was the worst. I thought it would never heal enough to get a prosthetic."

"That most have been very painful." He commented, sipping at his own soup. "What happen if you don't mind me asking?" He was already starting to feel a bond with Seras, and was feeling protective, especially after the earlier incident.

"I was on the Stargazer and the Chief of Operations was a Cardassian spy wearing a Bajoran face. After she betrayed us and fled, we went after her and we learned that she was part of a splinter group trying to destabilize the peace between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. They had even built a weapon, a terrible weapon..." Seras closed her eyes with a pained sigh, then she stared into her bowl of soup for a long while. "I was sent out in a shuttle to help survey a debris field for clues, but it was a trap. The shuttle pilot and I were captured and... She had taken it personally that I had uncovered signs of her sabotage on the Stargazer, and since I had once worked under her she took great pleasure seeing me in pain..."

Stace reacted instinctively and moved to put his arm around her, only stopping himself at the last moment. He had to continually remind himself that Seras wasn't necessarily comfortable with his touch, though she seemed better with him than with others, at least with what little experience he had. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He said honestly, but without pity. Pity was saved for the weak and helpless, neither of which fit Seras.

She smiled weakly at his attempts to comfort her, though he had to stop himself when he remembered that she did not want to be touched. "It was... there was nothing in my training or upbringing that could have prepared me for that. My people don't know violence, the idea of hurting another individual is absolutely appalling to us. We were so innocent and naive... I was innocent and naive..." She paused to take a sip of her soup, savoring the way it warmed her. "After that I started having night terrors, only the images didn't stay in my head, I started projecting them to everyone around me when I slept. Only, my telepathy is very dangerous to a non-telepathic mind, I sent a number of officers into comas because of those night terrors. They woke up eventually, and because of the complexity of Cairn telepathy they were never able to recall any of the images I forced into their minds, but it was still enough damage to make me realize I needed to take time to heal, so I returned to my world so I wouldn't hurt anyone. Only... I couldn't share these memories with my people either, they were too innocent to know that kind of pain, so I kept myself isolated so they wouldn't ever have to know. It took me a long time, but I eventually got to a point where I wasn't projecting my thoughts during a nightmare, and eventually the nightmares stopped altogether after enough counseling, but by that point I couldn't bear to be touched... I thought I was ready to come back to Starfleet, but maybe I was wrong..."

He listened intently, letting her fully finish and not interrupting. There was something to be said for baring your soul. "I hardly think one panic attack means you aren't ready. Anybody would have been upset by what happen in the restaurant. "I'm sorry I had to be so physical with you, it probably didn't help. But I wanted to make sure you weren't going to hurt yourself. A strong telepath makes for a strong mind. It's a shame you can't be around your own people though. You must miss them." He didn't mean to bring up bad memories, he'd spoken without thinking. He certainly missed his pack, as ramshackle as they had been, they had been family.

"Well, after I stopped having the nightmares, I went to stay with my sister for a while, but I kept what happened a secret. My people share everything, and Aida is like my other half, it almost hurt more than the beatings to keep things from her, but it was for the best..." Seras replied with a bittersweet smile. "And I understand why you had to get physical, I don't mind. If anything I should thank you; as uncomfortable as it was, you're the first person to have any significant contact with me in 4 years and it made me realize just how much I miss it."

Stace smiled. "Anytime. Maybe it's something you should try to adjust to? Might make things better?" He asked. "Sometimes positive reinforcement can help overwrite some of the negative associations." He chuckled then. "Ok I stole that right off a shrink, but it actually makes sense, right?"

With a lopsided grin, Seras leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. She was a little bit stiff about it, this was still really awkward for her, but she was touching him and not the other way around, so it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. "Makes sense," she said, then sipped at her soup.

Stace smiled, letting her just lean against him without touching her in return. It was a big enough first step for him, and he craved the physical contact regardless. "Did you see the look on their faces when you flashed the PaDD, utter confusion, it was great." He changed the subject, hoping to feel her fully relax against his side.

Seras giggled. "Yeah... Don't think I've ever seen such desperate confusion before, and certainly not from that many people all at once," she admitted. "It was a strange idea, but I'm glad it paid off. We really need the extra hands."

"I think you just called me strange." Stace teased. "But I'll take it as a compliment. Whatever works to get the job done. It won't be much of a maiden cruise if we can't get the ship to actually go anywhere."

"No, we won't get very far like we are now, that's for sure," Seras said, leaning forward just far enough to put her soup on the coffee table, then resumed leaning against Stace. "And if you do not want me to call you strange, then tell me about yourself so I can call you something else."

"Fair enough." Stace positioned himself more comfortably, placing his arm against the back of the couch. It left her still leaned against him but without him actually touching her. "I was born on Sigma Omicron II, though I always knew it as Lupus. I actually don't remember much before about ten years old. The mayor was obsessed with wolves, called himself Doctor Lupus, I don't even know what his actual name was. He was continually doing genetic test with stem cells and wolf DNA. I was one of his first experiments. Didn't end up with anything but some junk wolf DNA as far as Starfleet doctors can tell. But all his experiments, we ended up forming a pack. I did my best to protect them. I was the oldest, and the Alpha. Once the colonist realized what was going on, they arrested Doctor Lupus. His most recent experiment had been with a wolf that was rabid. It got passed to the youngest. The colonist got convinced we were all a danger and started hunting us down. By the time Starfleet reached us, I was the only one left. I most have been alone for, well I don't know how long. It took me a long time to come around." He stopped talking, realizing he'd probably told her more than he really should have. "I guess none of that changes the whole strange thing." He weakly teased.

"It must have taken a long time to adjust to more normal human life," Seras ventured thoughtfully. "I can't really relate, not exactly. I grew happy and well adjusted, but then my people made contact with Starfleet and we started working on adapting to verbal communication. It was very challenging, but as a child I picked it up much faster than the older representatives. As a result, I chose to live among a human family to learn the ways so I could teach my people how to better interact with humans. And after all that the Federation had done to help my world adapt, joining Starfleet was my way of giving back to them."

"It did. The entire dynamic was very different, and I understand. It's the reason I joined Starfleet as well. I would have been dead on the colony. I had a lot of survivors guilt, I didn't start to deal with that until I felt I was able to give back, became an asset in Security and such."

Seras looked up at Stace with an encouraging smile. They were so different, and yet so very much alike; it was strange, but Seras rather liked it. "Being back in Starfleet has been helping me cope as well. I have drive and focus again, whereas back on my world I was sort of... existing, just waiting for one day to be over and another to begin. Now my days have purpose again."

"Living instead of surviving." Stace smiled. "I miss my original pack, probably more than I could ever explain, but Camelot has felt like home more than anyplace else, even though I haven't been here long."

"I must admit, Camelot makes me feel that way as well," Seras admitted with a yawn.

Stace smiled. "Go ahead and take a nap if you want. I don't even mind if you drool on me."

"I do not drool!" Seras stated with an adorable little pout. Then she looked up at him, "Anyway, it would be rude for me to simply fall asleep like this."

"Not to me." He was still grinning after her attempt at a pout. "But if you want, I can go and let you have your own bed."

"No, I have actually decided that you are quite comfortable," Seras declared, forgetting for a moment that he was her superior officer.

"So I've been told." He leaned back into the couch, deciding that he could close his eyes for a few minutes himself.

Seras leaned back with him, turning to draw her rainbow feet up onto the couch and under the blanket. She wasn't quite snuggled up to him, but there was more contact between them than there had been earlier. Without really thinking, she reached up to remove the strap around her neck, her vocal synthesizer falling into her lap; she could never sleep with that strap around her neck, and since she was starting to nod off she removed it purely out of habit.

Stace opened one eye when he hear her fidgeting, until he realized what she was doing. He closed his eye deciding not to comment, not wanting to disturb her.

It didn't take long for Seras to nod off, and true to her word, she didn't drool, though as she fell deeper into sleep, she did unknowingly gravitate closer and closer to Stace in her sleep until she was finally snuggled up against him.

It didn't take long for Stace to become drowsy and dose off himself. He naturally slid to a horizontal position on the couch and wrap an arm around Seras.

Seras couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. it had been a long time, but she never recalled feeling quite so warm and safe, and she found herself waking with a small smile. As consciousness began to dawn on her more fully, she began the stretch, and it was then that she realized that she had an arm around her pulling her quite firmly against the broad muscular body laying behind her.

For a moment, she was filled with panic; her moment with Stace the night before having been briefly forgotten, she struggled to work out who was holding her and why, all the while fighting against the general panic created by her fear of contact. She tried to pull away, but the arm around her held firm until at last she broke the grasp and in a fit of uncoordinated flailing she went off the edge of the couch and right onto the floor with a silent 'oof!'

Stace reacted even in sleep, holding Seras closely to him. It wasn't until her flailing smacked him in the nose that he woke up. He shot up prepared to defend, only to find no threat. He noticed Sears on the floor. "Are you ok?" He asked, now fully awake.

Seras opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came forth. Remembering finally what happened last night and that she had taken her vocal synthesizer off, she felt around herself to locate her synthesize and held it to her neck. "I'm alright, just a little wounded pride," she replied with a weak smile, then managed to sit up.

Stace stood up and stretched, letting out an impressive yawn as he rubbed his face. "Why wounded pride?" He asked with a smile. He'd slept remarkably well. Uncomfortable positions had never bothered him much.

"You did see that display of grace and coordination a moment ago, right?" Seras said, then strapped her synthesizer to her neck so she didn't need to hold it anymore. "Not one of my finer moments," she admitted with a chuckle as she picked herself off the floor and stretched.

"Nope. I saw nothing." Stace smirked. "But you've got a bony elbow." He rubbed his nose. He then noticed the time. "Wow, it's time to get ready for shift. Do you need a day off? I can get somebody to cover for you if you need."

"Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" Seras asked sheepishly. "And I think I'll be okay to work today. Yesterday was bad, but I feel much better now"

"No you didn't hurt me. And good. I'm going to go get ready for shift, I'll probably see you soon."

"Oh, good," Seras said with a relieved sigh. Though she did kind of wonder what the write up on that would even look like... "I guess I'll see you around, sir." She sounded a bit wary, like she wasn't quite sure how to respond to him now. He seemed pretty casual in general with his command approach, and last night he certainly hadn't been her superior officer he had been a much needed friend, but now did they just go back to being coworkers?

Stace looked at her a bit sideways. "I think after I ate soup with you and you may or may not have drooled on me, Stace is fine. At least in your own quarters and off duty at the very least." He smiled.

"I do not drool," Seras asserted, though to be certain she did wipe at the corner of her mouth to check for evidence that she might have drool. Feeling confident that she was right, she nodded with more assurance. "I'll see you around Stace," she added with a bit more confidence.

At that Stace's smiled widened. "See ya Seras." He went for a hug automatically, aborted mid way rather awkwardly and then turned to leave. He was going to have to keep reminding himself.

Seras looked almost sad when he attempted to hug her. She really wished she didn't have this stupid phobia... But she nodded and watched him walk out of her quarters with a hint of regret, then turned to go take a shower and get ready for the day....

Sickbay was still without a CMO, a situation that Stace hoped would quickly be rectified. He still needed to check in though, and make sure the medical department had everything else they needed. Sickbays made him rather nervous. He didn't have clear memories of it, but needles and tissues samples, and bone marrow extraction, he had nightmares about them from time to time.

He put the shadow out of his mind and stepped into the pristine bay. One advantage of the Manticore class, everything was brand spanking new. He looked for a doctor on duty.

There wasn't a Chief Medical Officer on board, but there were interns and nurses on hand to deal with whatever situation was necessary. At the moment, they were being directed by a youthful looking woman with striking blue eyes. She wore command red with 4 gold pips on her collar, yet also a lab coat, and she was tending to some strange plant thing in one corner of the medical bay usually reserved for patients in intensive conditions. Around that corner of the bay was an atmospheric forcefield that shimmered when a nurse walked through it. As the nurse handed some samples to the Captain in the lab coat, she noticed the arrival of Commander Brooks and approached him.

"Commander, can I help you with something?" the nurse asked.

"Actually yes you can. I need a couple of things." Stace smiled. "I need a list of those who haven't checked in for their physical, so I can chase them down for you, and I need to get myself off that list."

"I can get you that list right away," the nurse answered readily. "And if you're willing to wait a moment, one of the interns can administer a basic physical."

"That would be fine, thank you." Stace had left himself enough time for just this reason.

"Okay, well find a biobed and take a seat, I'll be right back with that list and an intern," the nurse offered politely, then turned to go take care of those tasks.

Over in the Intensive Care corner, the Captain and one of the interns were talking to each other as they performed a scan on the strange plant life taking up that corner.

There was always something going on in medical, and Stace gave a curious glance off to the corner where Captain Merith, whom he only knew by reputation, was working on some kind of plant pod with another officer.

A few minutes went by and the nurse came around with a PaDD in hand. She stopped by the plant pod corner to get the intern, who then handed off his tricorder to Merith to continued the scans. the nurse handed him a new tricorder and together they approached Stace.

"Commander Brooks, in for your yearly physical I see," the intern said as he looked up Stace's medical records. "Anything I need to know about before we get started?"

"Not that I can think of. Everything pertinent is in my file." Stace answered.

"Okay then, the nurse will draw some blood and I'll take some scans, then we'll be out of your hair," the intern assured the Commander.

The exam went more or less as expected. The nurse drew some blood and ran an analysis while the intern scanned, all the while asking questions Stace didn't have answers to. He had no idea the specifics of the junk DNA in his system. Then there was always the offer to remove scars he had no intention of hiding or forgetting. Overall, it was fairly painless and in the end Stace was given a clean bill of health and a PaDD with the list of Officers who had not yet checked in for their routine physicals.

"Thank you." Stace took the offered PaDD. "I'll make sure they come in as soon as possible." He stood up, but instead of heading out he headed towards Captain Merith. "Captain Merith." He nodded respectfully. "Commander Brooks, Executive Officer. I just wanted to introduce myself."

"Ah, yes, a pleasure to meet you Commander," Merith replied with a small smile as she went about her scans. "How are you settling in on the Camelot? She's a beautiful ship, almost makes me envious I had to turn over command to Kris."

"She is indeed a very impressive vessel." Stace agreed. "I'm settling in fine, thank you. What have you got here?" He asked curiously, indicating the plant pod.

"Oh this?" Merith said as she adjusted the environmental controls inside the forcefield. "This is Kris's daughter," she said cryptically.

Stace raised a brow. He was going to have to ask the Captain about this one. The CO hadn't mentioned that he had a daughter. "Well it was very nice to meet you Captain." Stace once again nodded politely. He didn't want to interrupt the Captain.

Merith chuckled at Stace's attempt at a non-reaction. "Indeed, Commander," she replied with a smile. "Actually, before you go..." she interjected, digging into her labcoat pocket for a PaDD which she handed to him, "could you deliver this to Kris? It's the approval of her adoption records. It just came in and I was going to take it to him, but I'm finding myself terribly busy at the moment."

Stace took the offered PaDD. "Of course, I was on my way to see him anyway."

"I appreciate that, Commander," Merith said with a warm smile. The intern from earlier returned with some tests results and Merith briskly excused herself to see to those results and tend to the delicate pod behind the forcefield.

With a padd in hand, Gideon made his way down one of the many identical corridors of the Camelot. He had a bit of time to look over the labs, and what kind of man power and power distribution that would need to be allotted for each lab. Unfortunately, he couldn't be the only one to sign off on this, so he was heading toward the operations department, specifically to speak with Lieutenant Seras, the operations chief.

He entered the operations department to see a few officers and crewmen walking around, making sure everything was on task for the launch. He walked past them without saying a word and made his way to the office that house the department head. It was actually hard to miss, since it resembled his own embedded office in the primary science lab.

Walking up to the portal, which the doors were closed at the moment, Gideon reached out and rang the chime.

The chime went unanswered, as did a second attempt. Before the Lieutenant could make a third attempt, the lights in the sector suddenly went out only to flicker back on a few seconds later. A moment later, he could hear the Cairn woman's synthesized voice ranting from a console in the Ops Center, "-and if I catch you making an Academy level mistake again, I will be sending you back to the Academy! Is that understood?"

Without much ado, an Ensign in Operations yellow scurried out of a Jefferies tube access under a console, apologizing profusely to his superior as he offered a hand to help her out of the tube. The hand went ignored as the tiny Cairn woman pulled herself out on her own. Her hair was failling out of its ponytail and she had a grease mark on her cheek as well as dirt and grime all over her hands. "Now, I want those power converters calibrated before the end of Beta shift, and do it right this time," she ordered, sending the Ensign on his way. Seras closed up the Jefferies hatch and headed for her office, only then noticing that there was someone there.

"Oh, hello," she said politely. "Is that for me?" she asked, pointing to the PaDD in his hands then opened her office.

"Hello," Gideon replied in a rich, baritone voice. He looked at the padd, then back up at the petite woman. "Well... yes, and no. I'm actually here to discuss power distribution needs for the science labs."

"Ah, perfect!" Seras said with a grin. Upon entering her office, she disappeared into the washroom to wash the dirt off her hands and face, but she continued talking. "I've been meaning to come by Science to discuss that very subject, I just haven't been able to find a moment to pull myself away from Ops and Engineering," she said apologetically over the sound of running water.

Gideon stepped into the office as well, but did not sit. In fact, he stood there, arms at his sides, the padd dangling between his thumb and forefinger. "I understand," he said, "it's been busy for all of the senior staff." Which was the truth, everyone came together rather quickly, but a lot had to be done.

"I just feel terrible for neglecting the Science department," Seras said, then the water shut off. "My team has been trying to help Engineering get vital systems operational until we finally got some extra help from the station. I know we're all stretched thin, but it was no excuse, I should have made time to come by." She finally walked back out of the washroom looking much tidier, though she had let her hair down for a moment. With her flaxen locks covering her cranial protrusions, she could easily pass for human, except the unnatural sound of her voice and the unique cadence of her speech patterns gave it away that she was something else.

"Alright, now..." she said as she pulled up the MSD of the Camelot on the big monitor at the back of her cozy little office. "Science..." she said, isolating the Science labs on the wireframe display of the ship as well as a mess of numbers and variables pertaining to power flow and consumption. "Okay, what have you got for me?"

Gideon finally stepped forward, and handed over the padd to the other lieutenant. "I'm not as concerned about the planetary sciences labs, the biology labs, or even the primary lab. However, places like astrometrics, stellar cartography, and the sensor analysis labs, need more power allocation and currently that isn't the case."

"Yes, I see..." Seras said with a nod as she looked over the information contained on the PaDD. She made a few modifications and notations to the MSD on her wall taking the current figures into account. "Okay, now the way this ship is designed, it has a greater potential for overheating when the engines are pushed to their limits, so I'll need a better idea of what the minimum demands are for your department under those situations. So high warp or combat situations, what can be shut down, and for those systems that must remain on, how much power do you need. I can help you run some simulations if you haven't already."

Gideon had done all the calculations, but it never hurt to run simulations. "Well, astrometrics needs the the largest amount, but at minimum seventy percent at least," he said. "All the labs revolved around research areas can be shut down during high warp or battle situations."

"That sounds acceptable," Seras said with a nod, making the appropriate adjustments. "As we come to learn more about how this ship and her systems function, we'll probably have to do some fine tuning, but I think for now this should work," she added as she put the adjustments into action. She handed the PaDD back to the science officer with a cheerful smile. "Is there anything else I can do to help? Do you need extra workhands to finish anything or is construction already done in your department?"

Gideon took a hold of the padd, and gave a nod of acknowledgement and thanks. "Construction on my areas of the ship are complete, a week ago that wasn't the case. They completely forgot the Stellar Cartography lab." He couldn't help but smirk at that, how could he not really. Such an important part of the science department, and it went forgotten. There had to be some irony there. "But, I appreciate the offer, and I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything else."

"Well, I know with the advancements made in stellar sciences, Astrometrics is proving to be a more valuable asset and given priority on smaller ships when both labs cannot fit. But in those cases, it's a combined lab that is installed so Stellar Cartography is not overlooked completely..." She double checked the specs on the MSD to see that the Astrometrics lab installed was not one of these combination labs. How could they forget about Stellar Cartography, what were these designers and Engineers thinking?! "You don't want to know some of the bugs and flaws we've found down in Engineering! Sometimes I wonder if this ship will ever get out of space dock."

Stellar science wasn't exactly his field of expertise, but he knew the advances, simply because it was his job to know. On the Rhode Island they dealt with a combined lab, and it was a terrible thing to deal with. Constant problems. So he had been glad when he was told the Camelot would have a separate Astrometrics and Stellar Cartography card. "Well, I guess we just have to have a little Faith, Lieutenant," Gideon said. "Besides, if every starship came off the line perfect, there would be no need for us anymore."

"This is true," Seras said with a nod and a laugh. "Well, everything seems to be doing alright in your department for now, but if you require assistance with anything later, you know where to find me," she offered cheerfully.

Seras' cheerfulness was infectious and Gideon couldn't help but once again smile. "Will do, and if you ever need something, you can find me, well... probably just about anywhere these days." As the science chief, his daily routine would be split between the bridge, and the multiple labs that populated the ship. "But, thank you again, I appreciate your help with this."

"Anytime," Seras replied. Just then, the lights flickered and Seras rushed to the door so it would be open before the power cut completely. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an issue to take care of."

"Of course," Gideon said, "I'll see you around." With that said, he took his leave from the operations office and headed back to his own office. He himself had work to finish up.

TAG

Atom finally managed some free time, which he didn't really consider free. The minute he was away from the bridge he headed for Engineering. He just couldn't wait to see the inner workings of the ship. He could have spent several hours happily crawling around in Jefferies tubes, but instead he decided he would go straight to the source. Two steps inside the main engineering doors and he was staring around. It would have been fairly obvious to any engineer passing by that he was gawking. His tail whipped back and forth behind him as he tried to decide what he wanted to look at first. There was so much. He also wrung his paws over and over in an attempt to remind himself that even though he was the Chief Navigation Officer, this was Engineering and no proper engineer was going to take kindly with his innate desire to play with their toys.

In a rare moment, Jenni found herself working alone in the upper level of Engineering. With all of the hustle and bustle in handling all of the last minute-projects, Jenni had been forced to spread her staff out along the warp power transfer conduits to perform diagnostics at every junction and relay. For a warp drive that had never been used before, she wasn't going to take any chances. She'd elected to take another look at the auxiliary power leads just to be absolutely certain that all had been repaired.

She'd just finished re-seeding the connections and looked down at her tricorder for the final results when she'd spotted a Caitian in red looking very much like a kitty in a candy store. Jenni couldn't help but smile at the younger man's innocence and energy. "It's a beauty, isn't it?" She called down, observing him look at the warp core.

His ears found her before his eyes did, but when he did spot the speaker he beamed a giant toothy smile her direction. Was everyone on this ship cute? "It's amazing! I mean I heard all about the propulsion systems at academy, but I didn't get to actually set eyes on it. I've read every manual I could get my paws on though. Can... may I have a look around?" He bounced slightly on his toes and his long, slender tail whipped back and forth rapidly, much to the chagrin of people who were trying to work around him. "I'm Ensign M'aarra, if you wanted to know." His name sounded more like a sound then a word. "Atom is good though... you can call me Atom. Please, please can I look around. I promise that I know what I'm doing." He tried to look innocent, but he wasn't sure how that translated into human.

Jenni stifled a chuckle as she closed her tricorder. "Very well, M'aarra," she called back down, doing her best to pronounce the Ensign's name, exercising her practice of Caitian phonetics. "Come on in for a closer look. Just..." Jenni looked at his wild tail that nearly swatted a Petty Officer hauling in an antigravity cart with spare EPS relays. "Be careful." She then headed for the nearby ladder to join the Ensign on his self-guided tour.

Atom could barely contain himself, but he got a solid grip on his tail so he wouldn't whip anyone else with it. Although, holding it didn't seem to do much for for stilling its activity. He headed straight for the main drive. His golden green eyes searching everywhere, apparently trying to take in as much information as he could. He leaned in close, trying to see the part numbers. He was being as good as he probably could manage at the moment, but he was getting his furry face very close to things that were hot, but he was doing it with confidence, almost as if he knew exactly how hot things were.

Her chuckle could no longer be stifled as she approached Atom at the drive assembly. In many ways, he was such a contrast to the Caitian whose company she'd kept for the last few months. Still, she recognized that Caitian confidence as he studied the drive. Jenni could tell by his movements that the Ensign knew very well what he was looking at and what he was looking for. "It's a shame really," she commented with a grin. "The slipstream won't be online when we launch. Fastest engine in Starfleet and all we get is Warp Nine."

"Weeeelll...." He was purring. "We might be able to get more out of it. They said that it had been clocked in labs at 9.9, but that made it overheat. Did they really just give you these DX6 panels?" He put one clawed finger way into the machinery to point out what he was looking at, but he didn't touch anything. "I'm really surprised. I mean, I thought the DX9s were better, but maybe the weight difference is what makes it. I guess that would be the case, but if these get super heated, like if we pushed it..." he looked at her seriously. "These are going to melt down. The DX9s are only a little bit heavier. Like a couple of grams heavier, but they're more heat resistant."

"Add an extra 9 to your decimals there," Jenni said, glancing at the DX6 panels out of the corner of her eye. "As for the DX9s, sure they dissipate heat faster, but they're not exactly energy efficient. Besides, the drive is constructed out of a tritainium carbonate alloy. Plus, it's a two-deck high unibody on both sides of the reaction chamber, the best natural heat sink Vulcania can build." Nodding with a smile, Jenni told Atom, "You really know your tech specs."

Atom nodded. "True. You're right and I can't see the other side from here, my mistake. A unibody makes much more sense." He lifted his muzzle away from the machinery. "I love tech specs. I don't even know words to express how much I love them." He continued to purr, even through his talking. "I think that my parents thought I was crazy for a long time. I still stay pretty much buried in technical manuals. It's like I can't get enough of it and it's always changing. Always." He looked up at the engine again. "I know most of the parts that went into building this. Tinkering around was my first passion and then I discovered flying." He turned his gaze back to her and grinned widely. "Although I do still like to know everything there is to know about what I'm flying exactly..."

Jenni was glad to his disappointment was short lived, a perfect quality in a fresh officer. "I'm glad to hear it," she admitted. "How'd you wind up picking flying over tinkering?"

Atom snorted. It wasn't a derisive snort, more of a humorous one. "This is going to sound terrible, but please don't take it that way. This was the first position that came up for me so I took it. I would have happily taken an engineering position, but I like navigation almost as much. Just to have a position on a ship meant more to me then what I was going to be doing on that ship. Don't get me wrong, I love flying. I really do. It could easily be qualified as a passion, but it's not quite to the level of obsession that I feel about engines." He grinned.

"You're right," she kidded. "It does sound terrible." Smiling, she added, "If anyone understands not being able to fuel your passions, it's me. I can talk to your department head about spending a shift or two down here in Engineering to work on that cross-training."

He laughed a little and nodded. "I think I am my department head..." he said softly. "I'm not quite sure how that happened except that I might be overqualified despite my rank. I would, however, really like to log some time with this engine and I'm glad to hear that you're not opposed to that. Some Engineers get really defensive about their babies... and I understand that." He was looking again, leaning in close. "Ooo... are these the new aluminium oxynitride plugs?" He was pointing to a set of plugs that were barely visible.

"They are indeed." Jenni walked over to a nearby freestanding console with a couple PADDs laying on top of it. She picked up the top one, took a quick look at the contents and then started a new file. "One thing you learn fast in Starfleet," she said while looking up some information, "is that there's no such thing about overqualified. Erm. Looks like you have a decent enough staff, Ensign Atom. If you don't mind an extra shift or two, I can talk to Commander Brooks about working you into the duty roster down here on occasion."

"That would be purrrfect. Thank you so much for looking into that. I really appreciate it. It really means a lot to me. I'd like to spend time here anyway and logging time would be even better. I'd gladly take any extra shifts you could throw my way. Who needs sleep?" he jokes. "How's the conductivity of those plugs? I've heard good things and we tested some things with them at the academy, but I've never seen them in practical use."

"I haven't yet either," Jenni said with a smile. "Looks like we'll get to find out pretty quick."

"Excellent, I'm looking forward to it. So what do you do in your free time? That is if you have any. If you're anything like me, these babies..." he gestured to the machinery. "... these babies take up most of your time."

"On occasion," Jenni said, "I pick up a violin. But, lately, I've been out of my element. Now that I'm back in an engine room, I'll be spending a lot of time with warp cores and EPS relays. What about you?"

Atom smiled and pulled his face back from the machinery again. "I dunno... I like to tinker a lot. Like, a lot, a lot... I've been thinking about making some things for the kids that will probably end up on the ship. I like to make toys sometimes. It's fun and rewarding." He shrugged. "I enjoy watching them enjoy the things I make. I've been thinking about some remote controlled things. Maybe even stuff that flies... I'm going to try really hard not to blow up my quarters though." He chuckled, but he also seemed serious.

"Let's try and avoid that." Jenni fought a somewhat-serious chuckle. "I hear the smell of burnt fur alone is hard to get out." She heard a clang down below, a couple decks down the warp core, followed by several Andorian curse words. "Well," she said, "looks like my break is over. You're welcome to keep looking around. Though, if you dawdle, don't be surprised if someone hands you a toolkit and a repair ticket."

Atom laughed. "I think I'll look into some tinkering actually. Seeing these engines has me inspired." He smirked and winked at her. "Thank you so much for indulging me for so long." He gave her a little bow and let her get back to work.

Quintina had formerly sent an appointment request to the Chief Science Officer. He wasn't overdue, but was close and she figured it would be best to get his annual eval done with. Besides, she wanted to meet as many people as possible. Sitting in her desk chair in her office, she actually felt like she was wasting time sitting there doing nothing while most of the rest of the crew were preparing for launch.

Gideon had been caught off guard by the appointment reminder from the new counselor. He thought, with the launch, there would be some leeway. He was pretty good about keeping his appointments, and doing everything by the book, but this time he was hoping for just some time. That didn't seem the case, though he would admit he admired the new counselor for being on top of things.

He had memorized the specs of the Camelot already, and because of it could easily navigate the corridor while looking up periodically from the PaDD he was looking at. At first he missed the door to the counselor's office, then he doubled back. Okay, so his memorization didn't include all the offices. He stood at the door, tugged at the hem of his uniform jacket, then reached out to ring the chime.

"Come in," came the reply on the other side of the door. Seeing who it was, Quintina smiled brightly and clicked her desk monitors off. Standing and rounding her desk, she offered the man a handshake in greeting. "Good to see you. Do you prefer Lieutenant or Doctor?"

Gideon shook the woman's hand. "I prefer Doctor," he replied to the counselor.

"Doctor it is then. Please, make yourself at home. I'm Doctor Quintina Q Quinzel. Thank you for replying to my appointment request so promptly. How are you settling in so far?" Sitting down in one of her comfy chairs, Quintina smiled at Gideon warmly.

Quintina Q Quinzel? Gideon said to himself as he took one of the offered chairs. He settled into the chair, setting his own PaDD on his lap. "I think I've settled in just fine, I've served on starships before so this isn't my first rodeo."

"Maybe not, but this is a brand new ship design with things that were considered experimental a year ago. Who knows what she can do?" Quintina replied with a hint of a sly grin. "Anyway, do you have any questions for me first? Anything at all?"

Gideon wanted to ask about the psychologists' name, but held his tongue. Instead he shook his head. "Not that I can think of at the moment," he replied. "But, I am a scientist, a question I am sure, is bound to pop in my head."

Quintina couldn't read minds but she could read people well enough. Raising a finger into the air in front of her, she made a declaration. "That is a lie. You have a question. Please don't try to fool me like that."

"Saying that I said a lie doesn't really instill much trust, Doctor Quinzel," Gideon replied in a deep, rich baritone, but flat tone. "But, you are correct, I do have a question, I just chose not to ask, because I deemed it inappropriate and not really relevant." He typically didn't have an issue with counselors, in fact he found them helpful in situations that have come up in his life. However, it seemed like he was getting off on the wrong foot with this one.

"However, since I feel that we may not move on, I will ask," Gideon said. "I guess I was intrigued by your name. I was just going to ask about it, how you came with such a unique name? It's an awfully lot of Q's in one name."

"Trust is a two way street, Doctor. If I know you're lying, there's a lot I could assume and that does nothing to help you. Professionally, I assumed you knew this." Quintina explained. "As for my name, it's a bit of a holdover, I guess. I'm formerly Q. I'm now human so walking around with just a single letter for a name tends to not cut it when most forms require a minimum of 3 letters in your name."

"A former Q? That seems unheard of," Gideon said, "though, I don't know much about the Q beyond what we are taught at the Academy." He reached up and scratched his cheek. He wanted to challenge the counselor, but didn't want to waste his time or energy on it. He still didn't feel the question of a name relevant to why he was there. Though, having a former Q on board was either going to be dangerous or just fine. At the moment, it didn't have any impact on him either way."

"I'm sure you have questions for me," he said.

"I was expecting something a bit more like why you're here or how much I know about something, honestly." Quintina mused before continuing on. "I would like to know more about your history, if you don't mind. Your records are sparse as can be."

"You got me there, it is sparse," Gideon said. "That's mostly because it is pretty bland stuff. Only two things stand out about Gideon Nichols, scientific accomplishments, and my height." At his attempt at humor, he finally smiled a bit of a smile. "Though the whole not standing out part might be the reason I am still a Lieutenant at thirty-nine years old."

"I've noticed that's often how it is with science. You get achievements or rank - rarely both. Hopefully on this ship, you can break that mold. If you're interested in rank, that is." Quintina smiled back pleasantly, leaning to the side in her chair and relaxing a bit more. "So what areas do you prefer to study, anyway?"

"My doctorate is in geophysics, but as I've moved up in position I've found that it's important to have more than basic knowledge of the other sciences," Gideon explained. "So, since earning my doctorate I've studied geology more in depth, plant and animal biology and xenobiology, and have dabbled in the environmental sciences. Plus, having a staff sort of puts you in the position of approving multiple projects, it''s helpful to know what they are working on... or at least the basics anyway."

Gideon fell silent for a moment as he kept his gaze on the counselor, who seemed rather relaxed. The last counselor he dealt with was a Vulcan, and he was unbending in a lot of areas. "How do you adjust? I mean, and please forgive me if I'm offending you, but being a former Q... I mean, doesn't this life seem so dull in comparison?"

"It's different, but dull? No, I think this is more interesting. What would you do if you knew everything, had done all there was you could do? No, compared to a literal eternity of that, I'm finding the unexpectedness of the people I meet in a mortal life fascinating." Quintina replied with a soft smile. "Especially with humans and their complicated morality and standards and fragile thinking always coming out with some new surprise."

As a scientist, Gideon wanted to open up all areas of the Galaxy and take a peek inside, the human part of him knew wouldn't like the idea of it. Human curiosity was a very strong pull. "I see your point," he said. "That is why so many people join Starfleet, they want to see the universe. That is why I joined, I mean my mom being apart of Starfleet was part of that... but, I knew I science was my passion from a young age. What better place to be a scientist than on a starship."

"In the Federation? I can't think of anywhere better." Quintina said, smiling softly. This was the kind of person she found she enjoyed working with. "I've specialized in psychiatrics and diplomatics as a human. It's proved strangely rewarding."

"Well, the two go hand in hand right?" Since he specialized in the area of planetary and environmental sciences, he was only required to take a clinical psychology course, and a clinical psychology course. "I've always felt it took a special type of person to be a psychologist," he again managed a small smile, "I don't think I could ever do what you do."

"I think the Continuum would agree with you but for different reasons." Quintina said with a slight chuckle. "Thank you though. I appreciate it. There was only so much I could test out of and the classes I did have to take were dreadfully boring."

Gideon, finally allowed himself to relax now. "I used to teach actually, at the Academy. It was first year cadets, most of them weren't all that interested in what I had to say. I mean they all did well, but I think that was more because they had to do well." He always thought he was a successful instructor, but he also was very well aware of how dull, but disciplined his was.

"It takes a special kind of being to do that teaching thing. I barely had the patience to teach myself how to use doors at first." Quintina commented, also relaxing a bit more in response to him finally letting go a little.

A deep rumble, that would be considered a chuckle, escaped Gideon's lips. He hadn't expected it to come out of him, so he was a bit shocked by it. "I'm sorry," he said growing serious, "I didn't mean to laugh. I guess we take doors for granted. Maybe too much so... I remember when I had first been assigned to the Archer I wasn't paying attention and walked right into a door that was malfunctioning. When you are almost two meters in height, you not only have to dip your head when you walk through a portal, but definitely have to watch out for solid objects."

"Oh no worries," Quintina said, giggling slightly. "I've walked into my fair share of solid objects. I wasn't used to not being able to turn off the quantum fields my physical body created so it wouldn't collide with other matter."

"I guess as omnipotent as the Q are, even they can be creatures of habit," Gideon said.

"Yeah even a seemingly omnipotent race of beings can be predictable like that, it seems." Quintina's mood was starting to decline slightly - a slight sadness in her voice. "So I guess I should have asked this earlier, but have you had any emotional stresses in your life lately? Relationship troubles or anything like that?"

Gideon shook his head. "Nope, the stresses are no more then usual when it comes to a new vessel and all that. As for relationships, I haven't had one of those in quite some time."

"Are you interested in a relationship? I know it's hard to find someone you're compatible with on a starship." Quintina pressed.

Gideon stayed quiet for a moment as he gave the question some thought. Did he even have an answer to that one? What did he want? "It's extremely hard actually, but yeah, I would like to find someone again. Though, I am not really actively seeking either."

"Then I hope you find someone here that's at least close." Quintina smiled hopefully.

Again, the slightest of smiles crossed Gideon's lips. "I hope so too, but we shall see."

"That we will." Quintina said with a soft smile.

Gideon Nichols felt momentarily lost when the command change took place. The short time he knew Captain Merith, he had gotten used to her, and her way of doing things. In a way, he thought this posting to Camelot was to be temporary as well. When Merith had informed him otherwise, he had been shocked. His assignment after the Rhode Island had been in limbo, and he was sure he was going to be shipped back to the Academy to teach. Which granted, wasn't a bad thing, but it certainly wasn't where he wanted to be.

But, Merith had sought him out personally and wanted him for the Camelot in particular. When he queried why, she just simply said that she felt he was the right man for the job. But, now she was gone, and a Captain Kerouac was now in Merith's place. He had read up on the captain's file, and would fully admit that he was shocked to see that the man was placed in charge of one of Starfleet's newest and most advanced vessels.

Though it shocked him, he would never question it. It wasn't really his place to question it, though he had a feeling Command would keep an eye on the captain. Now though, that things had settled down, he knew he had to officially meet the man. Now, he stood at the doors that led to the ready room, and reached out to ring the chime.

Captain Kristopher Kerouac had been slowly meeting his crew members one by one with each day that had gone by. Though he had met a handful, Kris had not sat down with too many of them.

He was presently in his Ready Room reading up on the two species that he would soon be dealing with. The area of space was pretty straight forward, but the conflict was not. The need for the Camelot to come in was clear. Kris knew that he would have to call a meeting of the Senior Staff soon.

The door chime rang, breaking Kris' attention away from his PaDD. "Please, enter" called out Kris. The Captain was interested to see that the Chief Science Officer walked through the doors.

"Lieutenant" said Kris, addressing the man by rank. "Have a seat, how may I help you?"

Gideon had preferred to stand, especially when meeting a CO for the first time, but as instructed sat his six foot five frame into one of the visitor chairs. "Well, sir, I thought it would be a good time to meet officially," he said in a soft, but rich baritone.

Still stiff and rigidly structured observed Kris. "It is nice to meet you officially, Lieutenant" replied the Captain. "May I get you anything? Whiskey, Vodka, Rum, or Gin perhaps?"

At first, Gideon was inclined to decline period, but thought better of it. Captain Merith had told him - more like gave him advice - that he needed to relax a little bit. "Water would be fine instead," he said but did muster a bit of a smile. "Thank you for offering."

He's so good. So by the book. Kris just shook his head and sighed. He got the man a nice glass of water from the food replicator and handed it over to him. "What do you do for fun, Lieutenant?"

Gideon took the glass of cold water, and gave a nod of thanks. However, he didn't sip right away. "Sports mostly," he said then took a sip. What he didn't say was that he was in uniform far more then he wasn't these days. "I have several different sports programs for the holodeck, which I am looking forward to partaking again once things get settled around here." Though, from experience, he knew would be quite some time before things settled.


Sports...oh fun thought Kris who was hoping that he could find some common ground with the Chief Science Officer. The Captain already knew that science was not going to be a common ground. When it came to science, Kris was beyond lost. "Well, I can't say that I am much of a sports person to be honest. I enjoy shuttle racing, but not too many would consider that a 'true' sport" said Kris.

The Captain pondered for a few moments. "Music? Do you play any instruments by any chance?" asked Kris. He himself had learned to play the guitar.

"I don't play any instruments, but I do enjoy music. I actually have quite an extensive database of music that I have collected over the years." Gideon at that moment thought of his database, once he was off-duty, he would go through it. Tonight was definitely a listen to music night. "Do you? Play an instrument, I mean."

"The guitar, Lieutenant" replied Kris simply. Which reminds me...I need one. "I used to play. You can't really do that in a Klingon prison. The guitar I had was left behind on the Katana. So, I am going to have to get a new one. My old one wasn't replicated. It was made from actual wood."

Gideon listened intently. His mind started spinning as the captain talked about a lost guitar. "It would take a little bit of time, but I could fashion you a new guitar. I'm fairly good with my hands, and when I was younger I used to do some woodworking with my dad. If you provide me the schematics, I'm fairly confident I can put together something that isn't replicated." He wasn't sure if the captain would take him up on the offer, but it was something to put out there. Maybe to help bridge the gap of seeming awkwardness.

"Lieutenant, I would be absolutely thrilled if you can make me a guitar" replied Kris with an eagerness. It was almost as if he were excited about a birthday present or holiday gift. "I can get you schematics soon. I just want to pick out a design to it...something that speaks to me."

"Certainly," Gideon said and for the first time, the broadest of smiles formed on his lips, "take your time. I look forward to seeing what you come up with." Which was the truth, his curiosity was definitely piqued on this one. "I just have one favor though, when it's all finished, I'd like to hear you play."

"I'll think about it" replied Kris. He wasn't the type to play in public, but if he felt comfortable enough he would. "I look forward to having you aboard the Camelot, Lieutenant. If you'll excuse me, I am scheduled for another meeting in a few minutes."

That wasn't the answer he was hoping for. Gideon was hoping to hear the guitar at least played, especially if he was the one who was going to making it. Ah well, maybe I'll just pluck the strings myself, he thought to himself. "Of course," he said as he stood up from the chair and pulled himself up to his full, towering height. "Thank you for taking the time to meet me."

After an exchange of goodbyes, Gideon left the ready room to resume his duties on the bridge.

TAG

Captain Kristopher Kerouac had been working away at the odd hours of the morning after his subspace communication with the Federation's recently appointed Secretary of Defense. Like many starship Captains, Kris was more used to orders coming from Starfleet Command rather than more directly from the civilian puppet masters. This situation was different and there was not a lot of time to waste. He had spent the past few hours familiarizing himself with the species involved and some deep Federation history.

Starships of the past always had a briefing room, larger ships may have had a more workable conference room. Aboard the Katana, Kris did some remodeling to have what he referred to as the Situation Room. The Camelot was slightly larger, but when Starfleet designed the class, they did away with the smaller confined rooms with a table and a few seats crowded around it. Aboard the Camelot, things were different and these mission briefings and staff conferences were going to be done differently.

It was 0600 hours and some of the crew would be getting their wake up call, some sooner than others. The Senior Staff had been summoned to report to deck three to meet with Captain Kerouac. Kristopher had entered the room half an hour ago, never having set foot in it before. Gone was the table and chairs set up of yester years. In its place a fully functional room with a panoramic set up. It looked like a smaller version of Starfleet Academy lecture hall. Seating was pretty spacious with an to aisle on either side of the room. Down, front and center of the room was large view screen and a place for the Captain at what was roughly a more comfortable podium.

As he informed the computer to activate the lighting, and room came to life. The large view screen displayed the Federation logo, the long lecture hall like tables had smaller personal screens illuminating into place at each of the chairs. Kris took his placed front and center and awaited the arrival of the eight men and women who currently composed his Senior Staff. One place still remained empty. That of the Chief Medical Officer. It are times like this that remind me the need of a full medical staff Kris reminded himself. The Camelot had medical technicians, a few nurses, and at least one or two doctors on loan from Vulcania until the CMO position was filled, but the doctors would not be traveling with the Camelot as soon as she left dry dock.

Ever the morning person, Seras was the first to join the Captain in this new style briefing room. She had seen it already, or at least she had done some of the wiring and whatnot while it was still under construction, so she did give the space an approving nod now that it complete and all the facings were in place. Very nice, indeed. She found the seat designated for Ops and took a seat.

"Good morning." Stace greeted Seras with a smile, then headed up to the podium to check in with the CO.

"Sir" Stace nodded to the Captain.

Kris looked at the two officers. "Good morning" replied the Captain simply.

Jenni had pulled an all nighter with the Impulse Drive Specialists. A final inspection had revealed one of the manifolds had a defective housing, some sort of error in its replication. It had taken the whole team to remove it (it was not easy at all to get to) and install a fresh part.

With her plans of spending the first watch of the shift in bed officially shattered, Jenni walked into the room with a fresh mug of coffee in her hand. As she stood just inside the doorway, Jenni smiled at the three other occupants. The briefing room was unlike anything she'd seen. It in fact reminded her of one of her many advanced classes at Starfleet Academy. She yawned and looked for the seat designated for Engineering.

Gideon carried a padd in one hand, and a mug off coffee in the other. He had been in the briefing room once before, so the design hadn't caught him off-guard as he was sure it would the others. He tipped his head in greeting to the officers already assembled, then took his seat at the console that was designated for him.

Kris observed the next two officers who entered the room. Kerouac nodded in Gideon's direction, but then looked at his Chief Engineer. "Matthews, you look worse than me after I got out of prison" joked the Captain. "Take a page out of Dr. Nichols' book and get yourself some coffee."

Jenni smiled in response before raising her steaming mug. Perhaps this was the day she'd finally make the upgrade to a Raktajino. Heaven help her engineering staff... Jenni took a generous drink of the sweet and creamy liquid, feeling the warmth it brought to her mouth and body. All she could do now was hope she'd have at least thirty minutes after this meeting for a quick wink.

Suddenly there was a loud thud along the wall just outside the door and as the door itself opened, a clattering could be heard. "Ow... Came the voice of the ship's counselor as she picked up her PaDD from the floor and entered, one hand rubbing her now red forehead. "The walls in this ship are annoyingly hard..." she muttered as she headed for one of the open seats.

Kris looked at the woman and scoffed. "I know that they may not have had much need for walls in the Q Continiuum, but they are a human necessity..." he commented shaking his head.

Ensign R'Aattom M'aarra stepped into the room shortly after the counselor. He looked around briefly and smiled, happy to see so many he already knew, but he also felt a little awkward being the only Ensign in the room. He had understood when he took the assignment that it would be this way, but it did cause a little bit of uncomfortableness for him. He tucked his PaDD under one arm and slipped into an open seat. The room was very much not what he was expecting and for the moment he was distracted trying to take it all in.

Gideon couldn't help but smile as the counselor entered the new briefing room. He had only met her once, in an official capacity, but he looked forward to getting to know her off-duty as well. He gave a slight nod to the ensign helm officer as he saw the young Caitian enter the room after the counselor.

He looks like a Ferengi at the bank of Bolarus thought Kris as he observed the ensign. There were still a few officers yet to arrive at the meeting, but Kris knew he could not keep the others waiting. "Right, so I apologize for the early morning wake up call. I know some of you were working late" he said looking at Matthews.

"However, we have a situation on our hands" he added. "Not everyone is here yet, but we'll bring them up to speed after. I was awoken earlier this morning by the Federation's Secretary of Defense and was brought up to date on a situation in the Quadrant," said Kris.

The Captain looked around the room as he changed the image on the large view screen (which also appeared on the smaller screens) from the Federation logo to the class-M planet of Hamelin.

He turned behind him and pointed to the large screen. "That ladies and gentlemen is the planet Hamelin," said Kris. He looked out at his audience. "Is anyone familiar with this planet?" asked Kris.

Quintina slowly raised her hand and slowly lowered it. She had a passing familiarity with the planet, but she was too curious to find out why Starfleet had an interest in it now to say anything.

"I do, sir," TJ said as he entered the Conference room. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized as he took the only seat left at the table. "A planet similar to Earth in size and in percentage of water. It is one of four planets in it's solar system."

Atom stared blankly at the screen and then the screen in front of him. He had no ideas to share about the planet, although regardless of what he was about to learn from the briefing, he would be returning to his quarters and learning everything he could.

Kris nodded. "That is correct. And Does anyone know anything about the species known as the Guidon?" asked Kris.

Atom raised one dark paw slightly. "Aren't they sort of squeaky and excitable?" he asked sheepishly.

"Certainly an accurate description, Ensign" replied Kris. The Captain changed the image on the screen to a Guidon. "During the 2370s, the planet Hamelin was settled by Federation colonist and Guidon. The Gudion still live on the planet and have become a member of the Federation" began Kris.

Captain Kerouac looked at the others. "Hamelin has been under attack by the Kzinti. They have began raiding the planet and blockading any Federation aide from coming to the planet."

As a late add to the crew, Doctor Rajol had been trying to play catch up. When he was told there was an early morning meeting, he didn't want to miss it. This was for two reasons: First, it gave him a chance to meet the other department heads. Second, it obviously was a meeting that would explain the mission. The only problem that he was facing at the moment was that he would be walking in late. That wasn't something he liked to do, but he felt it was important to be there.

He entered the briefing room, which was on deck three, and stopped short. The room looked more like a lecture hall then the briefing rooms he was used too. There was a seat that was open not but a couple of meters from him. Rajol decided to take that seat, he felt it was better than interrupting the meeting that had already started. He took the seat, and clasped his hands in front of him.

Captain Kerouac had noticed the entrance of the medical doctor. He could only assume the man had been last minute assigned to him. Kris had spoken with a handful of Admirals, asking them to find him someone as Kris was having difficulty finding a suitable officer. He wanted someone older with experience, but the personnel files he had been looking at were new Doctors or had never been a Chief Medical Officer before, all ranked Lieutenant or under.

Jenni glanced towards both of the new arrivals, a rather obvious action to take as her seat had been deliberately placed in the front row. It seemed the ship's roster had filled out just in time. Hopefully neither man had been assigned at the last minute due to the crisis they were about to warp into. Still, she couldn't help but sense that the way this room was set up and the manner in which the Captain conducted this briefing was very similar to several of her Academy classes.

That thought alone brought a smile to her face and enough energy to bring her steaming cup of coffee to her lips. Powered now by the black fuel, she asked, "What do the Kzinti have against the Gudion? Are they expressing any sort of claim over the planet?"

Kris was about to answer, but was beat to it. Kris smiled broadly when he heard his Chief of Security chime in with some tactical information.

"Hamelin has been proven in the past to have certain strategic importance against the Kzinti and the Romulans for the last two decades," TJ replied. "There's a Marine Base located on a large island just thirty kilometers off one of the major continents." The Marine Captain stared at the screen in front of him picking at one of his fingers. "Since it's colonization the Kzinti have raided Hamelin twice but were defeated rather quickly. This must be a new strategy."

The Captain nodded in agreement and vocally supported the man's information. "That would be correct. Though the planet is now mostly home to the Guidon, we do still have a Marine Base on the planet. We also have several listening posts in near by systems."

"Have any attempts at Diplomacy been made before now, and if so, how have the Kzinti responded?" Seras asked.

"Dozens, Lieutenant...dozens of attempts" replied Kris. The Captain took a breath. "In Federation History courses, you probably have heard of the Earth-Kzin Wars...four conflicts that occurred long ago, all of them resulting in the Kzin being forced to run with their tails between their legs. The last conflict ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sirius."

Atom frowned, his ears laying back in a rather aggressive fashion and he showed a little bit of his front teeth. "Weren't they... weren't they ordered by the Federation to give up their weapons?"

The Captain looked at the helmsmen's direction. "Sounds like we have a historian in our midst," joked Kris with a broad smile. "Very good, Ensign. You are correct. The terms of the Treaty called for the complete disarmament of the Kzin Patriarchy and for us to have full unrestricted access to their territories. We allowed them only a localized planetary police force," explained Kris.

He then shook his head. "We went more than a century in what we thought was peace with the Kzinti. We had several negotiations with the Patriarchy to lighten the terms of the treaty... eventually we allowed them to have the ability to live without our traversing through their space. The last we knew, they had been demilitarized. However, while the Federation has been busy with several wars, the Kzinti have been secretly gaining military strength once again."

Kris switched the viewer's image to images of Kzinti starships. "They have been building military strength both on their planet as well as constructing starships. They have been expanding territory and have a personal grudge against the Federation."

"Their military force and starships seemingly just popped up from the shadows. Even with our heads turned away from the Kzinti for as long as it has been... they shouldn't be this stabilized again. Starfleet Admiralty is speculating that they have been getting some assistance."

"So what do they want with this world?" Seras asked. "Is this simply the first step in a larger plan or is there something specific on this world that they need?"

"Honestly," began Kris shaking his head. "We do not know. We were not expecting this and there does not appear to be anything on the planet as far as natural resources that would be of any special use to them. There is speculation that they are using Hamelin to make an example of us. It's a Federation world disconnected from Federation space... an easy target."

The Kzinti, to Atom, were also a Caitian people. It bothered him deeply that they had such blatant disrespect for a treaty with the Federation. He crossed his arms over his chest, his ears still laid back. "We also banished the Kzinti from our boarders during the Great War. Some like to compare our species, but it's appearance only. They are a violent vile people who keep their females as slaves. Are there any speculations on who would be helping them?"

Kris scoffed. "We're the United Federation of Planets...we have some haters" said Kris. However, he stiffened up and put on his Captain's tone. "There's always the Orion Syndicate, the Nausicaans, and of course we cannot rule out the Romulan Empire. However, the Ferengi have also been known to supply arms to anyone willing to pay a pretty price."

It seemed to Stace that the briefing was beginning to go off on a tangent. Not that he minded the brainstorming session, but they needed more structure. "What exactly are our orders?" Stace asked.

The Captain nodded. Yes, to the point he told himself. "Thank you, Commander. Command's orders are to get to Hamelin, we may face a Kzinti blockade, but our orders are clear. We NEED to get to Hamelin and provide whatever medical and humanitarian aide that we can provide to the Guidon. We are to keep the Kzinti at bay and seek a diplomatic end to this situation immediately."

"And that's where I come in, I assume. To talk them into submission with my wit and charm using my unique perspective on the parties involved." Quintina found this an interesting prospect and actually found herself highly interested in this mission.

"Yes, Counselor" said Kris with a nod in her direction. "You will be essential in talking to both of these species and trying to find a peaceful means to end this all."

"I'll be sure we have the necessary medical supplies," Doctor Rajol piped up. Up to this point, he hadn't anything to say as the briefing had gone on. It seemed a lot of military history that he wasn't really familiar with beyond the basics.

So, he is a Doctor thought Kris. The Captain looked at the man. "Very good, Doctor...." Kris said not knowing the man's name. "I'll see you after the meeting" added the Captain.

"Kavyn Rajol," Rajol replied, "and of course, Captain."

Having spent much of the previous night awake for various baby-related reasons, Jhu finally wandered into the briefing much later than the others; even the newly assigned chief medical officer had beaten her there. It also seemed that the briefing was already nearly over. It might have been better not to show up at all. Trying to ignore the formerly pleasant smell of everyone's coffee, she quietly found her seat and sat down.

Gideon had listened carefully at what the captain was saying, and he listened to the exchanges between the senior staff and the CO. This kind of stuff baffled him, he never could understand why people couldn't just remain at peace. He made all the notes he could, but didn't have anything to add at the moment.

Atom was still frowning and making angry kitty ears, his tail flicking back and forth enough that it might be distracting to the person sitting behind him. "I know you said that some of this was anticipation of what we might run into... but do we have any ideas what the Kzinti might have had access to weapon or ship wise? I'm assuming we've had contact with the people on the planet? Can they give us any ideas?"

"That's a good question." And it was a question Jhu felt like she was supposed to know, but she wasn't sure if she knew the answer. Flipping on the little computer terminal on her assigned 'desk', she pulled up the report to look at it. "This is... really vague. But it looks like mostly smaller vessels. Nothing so big as an Atrox, that's for sure..."

Kris looked at Jhu and nodded. "Nothing we've seen before, or at least so bastardized that we cannot tell for certain. Their starships look second hand or salvaged and patch worked into a whole working starship" commented Kris.

The Captain then directed his attention towards the helmsmen's direction. "From what little information we do have, they have been using Disruptor weapons...possibly Romulan, but we are not certain enough to say one way or the other. We do suspect that they are slightly dated compared to our modern Federation phasers, so technologically we should have a slight upper hand" explained Kerouac.

"I know Romulan weapons. You'll need me on this." Jhu wasn't super fond of the idea of going up against the Kzinti, especially after going a round or two with M'rayr on the Katana. For a member of a peaceful race, the cat had packed one hell of a punch. Still, it wasn't like she had much choice. "Just be prepared to use up half of sickbay's stock of Dramamine if we're going by shuttle. The baby hates small spacecraft."

Stace was about to comment, but decided to let the Captain finish up before butting in.

"Once we are within transporter range of Hamelin, Commander Brooks will lead an Away Team to the planet" directed Kris, making a nodding gesture at Stratford.

Stace nodded. "Captain Jake, Doctor Nichols, Doctor Rajol, Counselor Quinzel, and Ensign M'aara. You'll be with me. Commander t'Dharvanek I'll need you to maintain a lock and be our eyes and ears from the Camelot."

Despite being somewhat relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about putting the baby in danger, Jhu couldn't resist a cheeky grin and a cheerful retort. "It's because I'm pregnant, isn't it?" Lousy as she felt physically, she chuckled brightly. "I'm happy to run support from here."

Kris chuckled and looked at his Chief Intelligence Officer. "Rubbish, Commander. There's some very dangerous things in the galaxy. One of them is you and another is an angry mother. Now that you have both of those going on, we cannot afford anyone getting hurt" joked the Captain.

Jhu snorted at him. "Very funny. Is there anything left that's pertinent to the mission?"

"Not at this time" replied Kris. "Commander Brooks, you have your orders. Get your Away Team ready as soon at your earliest convenience" said the Captain swiftly.

The man began to power down the presentation screen. "Dismissed. Doctor, I'll see you in Sickbay in a few minutes" added Kris.

YeTJ had started his rounds early visiting key security junctions and meeting briefly with the members of his team assigned to each. It was something he did while on Terra X base. The idea of speaking with his charges not only put a face to his name but also gave him an opportunity to send some positive reinforcement. TJ finished on Deck 4 and started to pace a little. Realizing his was lost he stopped to a wall console and called up the map. TJ stopped when he heard gentle footsteps behind him.

Seras was just passing through, on her way to the lift to go to the mess hall for a break when she passed by an Officer with Marine green accents. Seras hadn't served on many ships with Marines, so that gave her reason so pause as she passed him by, but more so the rather lost expression on his features as he looked at the map. Tilting her head curiously, she approached.

"Excuse me," she said in her soft, synthesized tones, "do you require any assistance?" she asked politely.

"No, thank you. I just turned the wrong corner. I am thankful for this console however," Jake replied. "I am Thomas Jake, Chief of Security and you are?"

"Lieutenant Seras, Chief of Operations," Seras introduced herself in return. "Where were you headed?" she asked just to double check if she could do anything to assist him.

"Back to my Quarters. My shift is over care to join me for the walk," he asked her. "I am sure we'll be working together often."

"Sure, I can walk you back to your quarters," Seras replied cheerfully. "You'll need to go up another deck to get to Officer's quarters, though," she informed him and headed for the lift.

TJ gave the signal that she should lead their walk. "So mysterious lady tell me about yourself," he asked as they strolled leisurely down the corridor.

"Mysterious?" Seras asked as she led the way. "I am not so mysterious. At least I do not think so. I find that many people are more interested in my race than me specifically. Not many have met a Cairn before. But please, tell me what you wish to know," she offered with a smile. There wasn't much she wouldn't talk about in terms of herself or her people; Cairn were a very open culture, so she was more than please to share details about herself and where she came from.

"I know that your people are high empaths and can cause people to remember things that they have long since pushed away from their memory," TJ said. His hands folded behind his back. "I also know that you are one of the few Cairn that can verbally speak."

"You are mistaken, Cairn do not possess such an ability," Seras corrected. "Our telepathy is incredibly advanced, so much so that most cannot even read human minds, and while we share memories with each other directly, we cannot revive memories within others. And there are a great many Cairn who have synthesizers like myself, but not many have the experience with verbal communication that I possess."

"I stand corrected," Jake replied with a nod. "And I apologize."

"Oh, there's nothing to apologize for. Mistakes are mistakes, it happens," Seras said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. They arrived at the lift and waited for it to arrive once called. "So, what about you? You feel pretty human to me," Seras asked. Only after the words left her lips did she realized that she probably could have worded that question a little better, so she blushed slightly.

"Thank you," he said in a half question half statement vocalization. "I am not from Earth. I am from Terra Nova."

"Terra Nova... That was a, umm... Colony? Outside of the Earth solar system, yes?" Seras rattled off, putting the words together awkwardly as she tried to recall the details. "My people have not yet made colonies outside our system yet, though I do not think we will; we like exploring space, but not quite that much."

"It was one of the first," TJ said. He entered the Turbolift and waited for Seras to enter. "Humans colonized the planet and for some reason was lost in it's history. A large disaster forced the original colonists underground. Years later and a second colony was formed that's where my ancestors came from."

"That sounds fascinating," Seras said as she joined him in the lift. She ordered the lift to the appropriate deck and set it in motion. "We only have a colony on our moons so far, but we haven't had faster than light travel for long."

"Baby steps," Thom said. The doors opened to a new corridor and they exited with Sera taking the lead. "I can remember reading about the early days of Terran colonization. It took the Terrans ten years after they achieved FTL travel to colonize a planet. Of course this was after years of colonizing other moons and planets in their own solar system."

Seras nodded. "Those history lessons at the Academy were some of my favorite; the thrill of discovery and creating something new, it was so exciting to me!" Seras admitted as they walked. "Your quarters are nearby?" she asked.

"Yes," They walked down the corridor until they found the his quarters. "Thank you for the walk," he said.

"Thank you for the interesting conversation," Seras said in reply, offering a cheerful smile. "I guess I'll see you around on duty?"

"Yes, we will."

OFF:

Atom wasn't sure what he wanted to do with himself. He had been rather agitated all morning. It was one of those moments in his life when he felt he had fifty million things to do and yet nothing to do because he was waiting for those fifty million things to start. He was halfway between his quarters and the lounge and having a personal crisis of which of his past times to do first. He would get a little toward the lounge and change his mind and turn and go back to his room. He had repeated this process several times when he actually ended up heading for the lounge but turning often to look back towards his quarters. He rounded an almost blind corner and ran his back right into Captain Thomas Jake. He practically bounced off the taller human. "Oh, crap. I'm sorry... Sir!"

"It's okay Ensign," TJ replied with a steadying hand on the shorter officer's shoulder. "Are you okay you seem to be running around in circles."

Atom grabbed a hold of the taller human to steady himself, but let go quickly. He was amazingly careful of his claws. He snorted and straightened his uniform with one good yank to the hem of his tunic and grinned. "Yeah... I've been trying to decide what to do with myself. I've got projects in my quarters... but I'm sort of hungry." He tipped his chin up to look at TJ. "Sorry, sir. Ensign Atom M'aarra." His last name sounded more like a purr than a word. "Atom is fine... I've only been on board for a little bit." He frowned, a funny expression for a Caitian, since it made all of his whiskers at the end of his muzzle stand out straight. "I haven't see you before... did you just come on board?"

'Yes," TJ replied. "Marine Captain Thoma Jake, Chief of Security. I arrived about Twelve hours ago." Twelve hours? Really? It seemed like a lifetime ago that we had gotten his new orders and started to walk these corridors.

Atom stuck out one furred paw for shaking and grinned toothily. "Nice to meet you, sir. Welcome aboard and thank you for the save. I've really got to get my head on straight and stop running into people." He laughed a little. "I mean... running into people in the literal sense."

"It's quite alright Ensign," TJ said. How are you acclimating to the ship?"

"I'm doing alright. It's rather exciting to be here. I put in for the first thing that came up and here I am!" He grinned. "I spent a few years after graduating working on research projects for the Academy. Once that was done though, I requested a ship assignment. It's good to get out of the lab for awhile, although I'm still feeling just a little awkward. I'm not used to having to relate to people about anything but mechanics." He chuckled warmly. "What about you? Find everything to your liking?"

"So far, so good." TJ said with a smile. "I just getting used to being on a moving assignment. No to mention the maze that is the interior of this ship. I think I've gotten lost twice already." He laughed.

Atom chuckled as well. "I got lost a lot too. You'll get the hang of it. Did you have other more stationary assignments before this one? I was working for professors at the Academy."

"Yes, Terra X Station. We hardly moved."

"Oh a station!" Atom bounced on the balls of his feet and his tail flicked back and forth excitedly. "I've always wondered what it was like to work on a station. Like... to be in space but not exploring it. I always wondered if it was sort of like photography... you know... sort of just waiting for everything to come to you... to happen." He furrowed his brows. "I guess that didn't come out quite right... I didn't mean to imply that it was boring..."

"It's okay Atom and yes it was, boring," TJ smiled. "It's one of the reasons why I left."

Atom grinned and clasped his paws together, rubbing them like he was planning for some sort of mad scientist experiment. "Well, you're here now! Are you hungry? I was headed for food... have you eaten? You could come with me..." He bounced again, the tail still going back and forth rapidly. Fortunately, no one was in the hallway for him to beat to death with it.

"Thank you, I'd be happy to. I've been living in my uniform for the past four days. I need to change. I will meet you in the lounge in about twenty minutes?"

Atom laughed and grinned at TJ. "Sounds good to me! The replicator actually makes a pretty good steak. Can you find your way there?" He thought for a moment at how stupid his question sounded. "Sorry... I mean I know you can probably find it by yourself... but... yeah..." His tail twisted around behind him as he dug himself a deeper hole of embarrassment. "Yeah... I'll see you there!" He grinned and tried to blow off his own awkwardness.

OFF:

"Ensign Collins, deck six is still having environmental problems in sections thirteen through forty-two," Gideon Nichols said to the young man who manned one of the environmental control workstations in Main Engineering. The ensign wore the uniform of a science officer, so Gideon knew he was one of his. "I thought we had the situation cleared up." He placed a hand on the back of the ensign's chair, and leaned forward to look at the monitor.

"I thought so too," Ensign Collins murmured, frustration in his voice. "I'm not sure even what the issue is. All the diagnostics show all clear." His short, stubby fingers danced over the workstation's controls, bringing up multiple diagnostic results.

"I know what the diagnostic says, Ensign, however, there is a power distribution flow problem somewhere," Gideon said as he looked over the analysis outcomes. "See this junction here," he pointed to a power distribution relay, "that has to be the culprit, it isn't showing green."

Ensign Collins looked at the junction that the lieutenant was pointing at. He ran a diagnostic, yet there still was a problem. He shook his head, again in even more frustration. "The diagnostic shows junction fourteen cee-four-bee is running just fine. Yet, the monitor is showing a problem. Could it be the monitor?"

Gideon shook his head, a very small smirk forming on his lips. "I wish it were that easy. "But..."

Jenni had entered Engineering, hot on the heels of dropping her personal effects in her quarters, just a few moments ago. She hadn't wanted to make any big waves with her arrival, after all, everyone was clearly focused on the countless final touches the ship had to see. Plus, it gave her that bird's eye view of each person, their personality, and their approach to problems.

What caught her off guard, however, was the blue-collared lieutenant and ensign hovering over the environmental controls. She cut her silent inspection short and made her way towards them, just in time to listen in on the last bits on their conversation. Hearing the lieutenant's voice trail off, she took the opportunity to speak up. "Have you actually checked it in person? Perhaps there's a misalignment in the junction's relays that would cause it to appear functional though it really isn't. That's not something a diagnostic would tell you either."

At the sound of the voice, Gideon looked up to see a petite woman standing there. She wore the uniform color of an engineer, and three full gold pips. "I was actually just about to suggest that, Commander," he said pulling himself up to his full height. "Doctor Gideon Nicols, CSO, and Ensign Alexander Collns," he introduced.

"Jenni Matthews," she introduced herself with a smile. "Camelot's new Chief Engineer." It was not at all impossible to notice how much the science chief towered over her, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit shorter. "I know I just arrived, but I'm very ready for a field trip. Care to lead the way, Doctor?" All Jenni had to do before leaving would be snag an available tool kit and she'd be ready.

"Of course, Commander," Gideon said. He turned his gaze back to Collins, "Keep monitoring the situation, we will be back shortly." Collins gave a nod and turned back to the workstation. He lifted an arm toward the doors. "Ready when you are?" He was fairly certainly she would at least want a tricorder, but he knew most engineers wanted to bring a kit with them.

Jenni nodded and took a couple steps backwards before turning and spotting an antigrav cart not far from them. Two toolkits remained on top of the cart, but Jenni was never really one to carry around a silver case around the ship. She approached a replicator and inputted several instructions. It didn't take her long as she'd perfected her tool pouch a long time ago, though this would be the first time in a year she'd worn it. When the empty pouch materialized, Jenni grabbed a tool kit from the cart, opened it, grabbed several common tools and inserted them into the pouches' elastic bands. She then attached the pouch to her waist (it covered only the upper portion of her right thigh) and then the secured the safety strap around her leg. Jenni left the tricorder in the kit as her personal tricorder, already tweaked over the last year to her preferences, already sat in its holster on the left side of her hip.

"Ready!" She told the Lieutenant, and started for the exit.

Gideon fell instep with the new chief engineer as the two exited the engineering compartment. "You are probably wondering what I was doing in your engine room," Gideon started, "I was the only senior staff member who was assigned before anyone else. Captain Merith thought it'd be best if I handed things until you arrived." The two continued toward the nearest lift. "I'm glad you are here though, Commander, the Camelot has had a lot of issues with the environmental controls, especially in the upper decks. When I first arrived, decks two and three had become as cold as a Class P planet. I thought it was just a EPS issue, that the controls were the problem, but everything has been adjusted and readjusted. Now deck six is having problems again."

"I thought you were just trying to keep busy," Jenni jokingly replied, a smile on her face. "Class P conditions, erm?" They stopped at a turbolift gangway and entered the car. After instructing it to take them to Deck Six, Jenni asked, "How exactly were the controls adjusted?"

Gideon ducked slightly as he entered the lift car with the chief engineer. "Everything was set to standard, then once we started bringing systems online, things started to change. Some of the issues we were able to fix, like the artificial gravity, but the environmental controls just won't cooperate." A bit of a smile crossed his lips. "I think Ensign Collins is starting to not like me looking over his shoulder so much."

"Oh?" Jenni asked, her tone playful. "Usually manipulating environmental controls is pretty fun. I remember experimenting as a cadet turning a corridor into a frozen slide." She winced at the memory. "I've never had a rug burn hurt so bad. Even a dermal regenerator couldn't get that feeling out."

"A corridor into a frozen slide? Now that is gutsy," he said. Gideon gave some thought to his own Academy days, and he never partook in anything like that. However, he didn't dare say something since he didn't want to be perceived as boring.

The lift came to a slow halt, the doors opened to reveal a corridor that looked normal, but Gideon knew better. "After you, Commander."

Jenni smiled, but instantly lost her expression as she stepped out of the turbolift and shivered. "Maybe someone else wants to try that slide idea." She instantly whipped out her tricorder and opened it, using it to lead her to the problematic system. As she scanned the junction, Jenni asked, "Were the problems on Deck Two and Three related to faulty connections on the ODN interface?" She didn't need her diagnostics to tell her the exact problem. She'd seen this particular relay before, and each time she'd had to replace each one. How they continued to be deployed was beyond her.

Gideon pulled his own tricorder out, but didn't open it just yet. "Yes," he nodded. "That is exactly what the issue was. The relay had to be replaced, but..." just because there was always a 'but', "the connections failed again." He took pause, then continued, "I've seen this problem before, but typically after the relay has been replaced, the problem was fixed." He tilted his head, the smallest of smile forming. "I'll fully admit, I'm stumped on this issue." His ego or pride wasn't hurt by even admitting this, Gideon was a man who would fully admit defeat or if he didn't understand or know how to fix a problem.

She began to remove her jacket, and instantly regretted doing so because of the cold. Jenni wrapped her hand in the jacket before reaching inside and yanking out the frosted relay. She could feel the cold air stop circulating. The lights continued to stay on, but the nearby built-in control panels went dark. "It's a Type Four Point Seven," she said, holding up the relay. "The trouble with these environmental systems is that certain parts can't be replicated. They have to be machined. The Four Point Sevens have always been defective. Something in the alloy's composition that isn't resistant to condensation... The details don't matter much. The trouble is, they keep resurfacing and never get destroyed."

"So, a state of the art starship gets defective parts?" Gideon shook his head at that. "Well, we have several of these Four-Point-Sevens across the upper decks," he fell silent as he rubbed his hands together to keep them warm. "I'll be glad to help wherever I can."

"The fact that the ship's state of the art doesn't escape the poor crewman who's reading the blueprints. My bet is some civilian contractor keeps trying to force these things into use. I'd even wager he's Ferengi." Jenni smiled and took a look at the relay. "We'll have to get some Four-Eights from the Yard Chief. They're pretty common. But we'll have to track down all of the Four-Sevens. Perhaps Ensign Collins could help while you and I find somewhere to warm up?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me, Commander," Gideon agreed. He was pretty sure he was going to get an eye-roll and a 'are you serious' look from Ensign Collins, but ensigns had to pay their dues in some respects. "Well, it's good we at least know the problem... I am sure the people who work and live in the upper decks will be quite happy this problem gets fixed."

"So you don't live this high, do you?" Jenni asked, taking the lead back towards the turbolift. She could stand and talk like anyone else, but cold air was not the place to do it in.

Gideon followed the petite engineer. "Deck four actually, but I've been bunking in the lower decks in the enlisted crew areas. Those bunk beds are not made for a man my size." The doors to the lift opened, and both stepped in.

"Then I'm glad this will help get you settled at last," Jenni said with a smile. The doors closed and Jenni asked the turbolift to take them back to Engineering. "That is, if there aren't any more abnormal quirks to the new girl."

"Not that I know of," Gideon said honestly. "Though, as you probably know, those 'quirks' tend to rear their ugly head after a starship leaves dock." Though he was a science officer, he had done enough time on starships to know things didn't always go as planned.

She did indeed know all about those quirks all too well. "We'll get the Camelot settled soon enough." The turbolift ride came to a stop, depositing both of them on the Engineering deck. "Though, I imagine you've already cut my workload in half. I'll have to repay you at some point, Doctor Nichols."

Gideon smiled at that, but waved off the thought. "No repayment necessary, we are all a team. We help each other out, that is what we do."

"Indeed we do." The turbolift came to a stop and Jenni took a step out into the corridor. "Coming on back to Engineering? I could use the extra hands if you don't have anything pressing."

"I'd be happy to help," Gideon stated. He had gotten his department in order, and he knew he had nothing pressing.

Jenni smiled and gestured for her fellow senior officer to follow. Hopefully, there would be far less unpleasant surprises for them in store.

It was well past traditional dinner time, but a bit before bed time when Stace finally had to call it a day. He'd been researching for their mission for hours, in the privacy of his office, and was beginning to feel very edgy.

He decided to seek out Atom. Stace was very comfortable with the Caitian as they had many social similarities. He stopped by his own quarters, which were rarely used, and grabbed water and meat, then headed for Atom's quarters where he sounded the chime.

"Come in!" Atom yelled from inside his room. He had also been doing a lot of research for their mission, but he was about at his limit for what he could absorb in one night. He also noticed that he had skipped dinner and lost total track of time. He checked the clock right before the door opened to allow Stace inside and was surprised at how late it had gotten.

Stace smiled. "I think I heard your stomach from outside. I brought Pheasant and water if you're interested?"

Atom grinned. He was glad to see Stace. It was a welcome reprieve from what he'd been doing. "It was my stomach you heard. I'm afraid I got caught up in research." He stood from his small desk, his long tail whipping back and forth behind him in pleasure. "I'm totally up for some Pheasant... but I think I can do you one better on the water. Do you like ale?"

His quarters were in a state of disarray. Little cogs, wires, parts and things that looked like half-finished projects lay strewn all around, along with several PaDDs and open books. It looked like he might have unpacked, but never put anything away. His decor was nice though. He had a medium sized sculpture on the table in the main room. It was rather abstract, but at the same time it was very dynamic and suggestive of fluid movement. The paintings that hung on the walls were colorful and also abstract, although they had more of an industrial feel to them, the transition between colors and shapes was clear and well defined.

"Make yourself at home... just..." he looked around his quarters at the mess, like he was seeing it for the first time. "... just shove everything on the floor..." He made a sweeping motion with his paws and chuckled, laying his ears back warmly.

Stace looked around. The place was a mess, but it didn't bother him at all. Growing up an outcast and on the outskirts of the colony, he was lucky if he even had a roof. A bit of clutter was not a problem. "I'm not a huge fan to be honest, but I'll be happy to have one. It will go good with the pheasant." He smiled. Stace made a bit of room on the table, then placed the pheasant down. "I was doing research as well, but I was getting antsy. Is a hug ok with you?" Stace asked. A quick cheek rub was one thing, but a hug required permission. He didn't know Atom that well yet.

Atom snorted. "Who asks for hugs?" he said playfully and went back over to Stace to hug him tightly and rub one cheek against Stace's jaw. "Still wearing that scent I like..." he said rather softly. For a moment he just stood there, hugging his XO. For Atom it wasn't a big deal. Hugging never was. Caitians were very hands on sort of people. It actually made Atom a lot more comfortable to be able to hug Stace, as well as being comforting. It made him feel a lot like he was home.

Stace chortled briefly before hugging Atom in return. The feel of fur against his cheek was comforting and familiar, and he felt some of the stress from his solitary work drain away. "I envy your nose." Stace replied, while still hugging. He took his time with the gesture, rubbing his cheek back against Atom's before finally pulling away. "I'm starving, let's eat!"

Atom grinned again. "I'll get the ale. You might like this, if you don't like traditional ale. It's from Andoria. It's sweet and fruity tasting." He disappeared in his bedroom for a moment and returned with two blue bottles of liquid. They were not labeled in any way and the bottles were a dark blue cobalt in color. "A friend of mine at Academy made these himself. I've been saving them for a special occasion and this seems as good as any." He set the two bottles down on the table and flopped into a chair, looking at the pheasant. "Oh... I guess we're going to need plates and stuff." He chuckled and got up again to fetch two plates, forks and knives from the replicator. "Thanks for bringing this..." he said with a grin when he sat again.

"No problem. I got it from Vulcan, a little Bajoran shop actually. It's lightly steamed. I couldn't get them to sell it to me raw." Stace cut off an entire leg and the left breast of the bird for Atom, then did the same for himself. Once the bird was handled, he took a sip of the ale. It was too sweet and too fruity for his taste, but he wasn't going to insult the gift. "Have you been busy?" He asked, already knowing the answer was yes, but wanting to hear the specifics from Atom himself.

Atom was practically drooling over the bird. It smelled so good that the moment it was on his plate he started in on consuming it. "Steamed is perfect. Mmm..." He purred in pleasure and closed his eyes for a moment, just savoring the taste. "I've been hella busy. I wandered around the ship for a little bit and got some great ideas for projects. As you can see, I'm sure, I started all of them..." He chuckled, his mouth still slightly full of food. "I noticed the kids' classroom didn't have some of the neat things I can make, so I'm fixing some of those issues and I've got a great idea for making some remote controlled things that we might even be able to use for recon... if need be. I want to finish a prototype first and then show it to you and the captain and security and all that. But! Kids first. Although, I haven't seen any... kids that is..." He was obviously excited about what he was doing. His speech was rapid and even when he was eating he didn't stop talking for several moments.

As it had been the first time Stace had met the man, Atom's enthusiasm was infectious. "I've had a few ideas to add to the ship's classroom as well, I just haven't had time to get them down onto a PaDD." Stace was eating and talking at the same time as well, easily circumventing the very human mild taboo on doing both at the same time. "Children need outdoor activity, so I wanted to get a few holodeck programs made, in depth stuff to simulate the outdoors, not just these generic programs, but I need a programmer once I get the ideas fully laid out. Not that we have many children at all, but if we end up on a long term mission, which is what we are designed for, it's bound to be more necessary in the future."

Atom listened intently and nodded. "That sounds wonderful! I'd love to see it when it's finished. I'm not much of a programmer or I'd jump at the chance to help." He grinned and chuckled, his tail flicked back and forth excitedly behind him. He felt very comfortable with Stace, almost like they had known each other for years. He laid his ears back in an amused sort of way. "Somewhere in that program you should make them a big mud puddle. I don't know about you, but I really loved playing in the mud as a kid. Do you think holodeck mud is the same as real mud? I mean if you went in clean... and played in a holodeck mud puddle... would you come out clean? Or would you come out covered in mud?"

Stace laughed, then his laugh deepened. It took him a good minute to get himself under control. "Perhaps we should go experiment with the concept." He suggested. "I suppose you could program the holodeck to actually replicate the mud, then you could leave covered in mud." Another short laugh escaped. "I'm not sure I quite get the appeal, mud simply meant you were going to sleep cold. But I gather it's suppose to be fun?"

Atom furrowed his brows. "OOoh replicated mud would be fantastic! Did you just admit to me that you've never played in a mud puddle?" In Atom's mind that was totally unacceptable. Depending on Stace's next response, Atom was planning their evening already.

Stace nodded. "I have never played in a mud puddle." Then he smirked. "It must be a cat thing." He teased.

"Well we totally have to do something about that. It's a crime that you've never played in a mud puddle. What are you doing for the next few hours?" Atom was grinning, with a bird leg bone in one paw, his tail flipping back and forth excitedly behind him.

"Finishing this pheasant then trouncing you in a mud throwing contest?" Stace asked with glee. It actually sounded fun. He was perfectly aware he'd missed out on most childhood activities, and tried to make up for it where he could.

"Excellent! I love the sound of that. I'd happily get trounced if I get to splash around in the mud. Should it be raining?" He chewed thoughtfully on the pheasant bone for a few moment, cracking it and sucking out the marrow. "I don't think rain would really matter in a holodeck... It's not like it's going to dry out... right?"

"Right." Stace reached over and pulled, causing the bone to break. He smirked. "My teeth aren't made for cracking bone, thank you for the help. I think as long as the rain is warmish, it would be fun."

Atom laughed at Stace's behavior and comment. "Do you want me to crack the others open for you too? The marrow is very good... and good for you!" He reached for the bones on Stace's plate.

"That'd be great, thanks." Stace smiled and pushed his plate a bit closer to Atom so he could reach the bones more easily.

"I mean... it doesn't have to be raining at all... but usually... if you want the full mud puddle experience it should be raining... or it would be raining anyway..." he chuckled.

"Raining is fine." Stace began working at the bone marrow. "As long as their is hot chocolate afterwards."

"Mmm... you make a good point." He put the end of one of legs bones in his mouth and it made a loud cracking sound as he tore the end off with his teeth and laid it back down on the plate for Stace. "Do we want to do this in our uniforms? Or should we both change into something more casual... just in case?"

"MMhhrmmmm." Stace didn't get anything intelligible out as he sucked out the bone marrow, but then he managed. "Change for sure. Anytime I'm in uniform it seemed every other enlisted person needs my attention. Normally I don't mind at all, it's what I'm here for, but sometimes it's nice to actually be off duty, ya know?"

"And we both are!" Finished with his food, Atom stood and started to strip off his uniform. Caitians didn't have a whole lot of issues about being naked in front of others, since most of their external parts were furred and covered. Atom was very much like most of his species and not shy about his body. "If you want, you're welcome to replicate something more comfortable here... that way you don't have to go all the way back to your quarters."

Stace didn't even blink. He'd been pack cousins to Caitian's after all. He made an effort to observe customs surrounding nudity where appropriate, but knew Caitians had no taboos, unlike humans. He finished off the bone he was working on before heading to Atom's replicator. "I'm so rarely in my quarters." He commented as he started stripping off his uniform as well. Once in only his underwear Stace replicated a pair of white cotton pants and a white t-shirt. If you were going to play in the mud, you had to wear white after all.

Atom stared at Stace. Not due to his nakedness, but his choice in color of clothing. Atom himself had picked things that were rather akin to sweat pants and t-shirt as well, but his were dark in color. He laughed softly. "You're really going to go all out with this getting down and dirty sort of thing." It was funny. Normally, Atom would have been all over a guy like Stace, wanting to get to know him better in a more romantic sense, but for some reason he felt like Stace was more of a litter-mate then a relationship potential. Besides it wouldn't be appropriate for him to hit on the first officer anyway, since Stace did outrank him just a bit.

"When in Rome." Stace smiled. He tossed his uniform on the replicator pad to be recycled. He was very glad that Atom seemed open to a friendship, and not just a strictly professional relationship. Stace didn't like to be formal unless he had to, and he saw no reason why the First Officer should have to have a metaphorical stick up his ass. "So do you have any siblings?" Stace asked as he headed towards Atom's door. It was time to get to know the man better.

Atom also tossed his uniform into the replicator and grinned, nodding. He followed Stace to the door and out into the hallway, heading for the holodecks. "Yeah... there were four kits in my little. Which isn't unheard of, but it's a lot." He chuckled. "I've got an older brother and sister and then a younger sister. Of course we were all born in the same litter, but it's about order when it comes to who's oldest. I'm sure you already knew that. My brother took over the family business when my father died."

"Ahhh lucky you gets to join Starfleet." Stace commented. "What's the family business?"

"My father was a trader. He had a ship he took from planet to planet for a long time. He had stopped doing a lot of that except for a couple of times a year. You know... to this day I don't really know all the details of what happened to him. I know he was killed and I know it had to do with the family business, but I don't know anything beyond that. My brother took over, of course... and I think he's back hopping planets. The ship is getting pretty old though. I don't know if he's upgraded it. We talk, but not often. He's not much on science." He chuckled.

"Yes, not very sciencey or engineery." Stace grinned. "We have that in common. I'm not sure what happened to my folks either. Whatever records Doctor Lupus had were destroyed before Starfleet could get to them and investigate." They arrived at the holodeck and Stace looked to Atom. "I trust you to do the programming."

Atom nodded and set to work on the console, explaining in the simplest terms possible what they were wanting. "I think Earth would be the best place... don't you? I'm not sure of the climates of other planets... Cait might be more likely if we wanted a dust bath..." he chuckled and looked at Stace.

"Earth is perfect. The outskirts of San Francisco in the winter can be plenty muddy." Stace smiled, a bit eager to delve into their little adventure. "I've never been to Cait, but I do hear that a lot of the planet is pretty arid."

Atom chuckled and punched in the location he suggested. "Yeah... it's a little dry in parts. I mean... I suppose there's a rainy season too, but honestly I wouldn't know where to start to find it." It was only a few more moments and the holodeck doors whooshed open to reveal a very murky day. There was drizzle in the air that could be felt the moment the door opened. In front of them was a wide, dirt road that did indeed, look very muddy. Atom rubbed his furry paws together in something akin to glee and grinned sidelong at Stace. "Ready?"

Stace smirked at Atom then took off running. He did a fairly well executed slide tackle into the mud then sat up laughing.

Atom laughed as well, after he recovered from his initial shock of Stace running into the holodeck full of rain and mud. He joined the XO quickly though, stomping gleefully through the mud towards the human and sending out waves of water and dirt from each paw landing. He spread his long tan and black arms up to the sky and turned in a slow circle. "You know. My mother used to take me and my brothers and sister out to play in the rain. She would often play with us." He lowered his arms and offered a hand up to Stace with a toothy grin on his face. "Would you like to play games in the rain? Or would you rather just roll around in it for awhile?"

Stace pretended to grab the paw for aid in standing up, but instead pulled Atom down to him. He mock growled at Atom, the Caitian equivalent, and his own as well, for 'let's rough house'. "I do have a few found memories of the rain." He shared as he wrestled with the furred man. "Sometimes the small animal dens would get flooded, made hunting easier."

Atom yelped in surprise, but by the time he hit the mud puddle he was laughing again. Stace outweighed him, so it was a little bit of a struggle for Atom to gain footing in the rolling about, but he at least put in a good pretend at rough housing, being careful of his claws, of course, so that no one got scratched. He put a lot of effort into starting a mud-ball fight, aiming most for Stace's face. As cubs, his brother and himself would often try and see who could shove the most of whatever it was into each others mouths, which was very similar to his goals now. "Hunting is not the same... you know that right?" Atom was grinning and covered in mud, the light misting of rain had already soaked his fur, making him look matted and mangy, but he didn't seem to care.

Stace was about to answer that of course he knew that when he got a face full of mud. The two continued to rough house until Stace at least was well winded. "Uncle!" He called out, then flopped to his back, trying to catch his breath.

Atom also flopped onto his back in the mud. He lay there a few moments until his heart had stopped racing from their rough housing. He scooted over closer to Stace and rolled over on one side in the mud to prop himself up on one elbow. "So how is it that a guy like you doesn't have a mate of any kind?" he asked.

Stace shrugged. "I really don't know. I mean I'd like to get married, make a couple of babies." He smiled. "I've never seriously dated any one though. Not many women are comfortable with the fact that I can't sleep alone. It's just been easier to keep it casual, especially with a career in Starfleet." Stace observed the man beside him. "You seem like a handsome Caitian. Why aren't you forming a pack?"

Atom laughed and flopped over on his back again. "Maybe I'm handsome... but I've never had time. I dated a few females and a few males, but most of them got bored and went on to their next better thing. I'm sort of obsessive and really only have one true love, and that is mostly made up of gears and panels and warp coils. I've never really found someone that was willing to put up with all of my flakiness that happens when I have something to do. I'd make dates to go out and then never show because I got distracted. After so much of that, people move on. I don't really do it on purpose, it just happens, even if I try really hard. So, it's just been easier to keep it casual," he said, using Stace's words.

Stace understood that. They both had similar problems in finding romantic relationships. "I sure hope the cleaning systems are up to par after this endeavor." Stace looked over at the mud caked Caitian. "Imagine all the fur that's going to be in the pipes."

Atom laughed heartily. "Yeah... but we still have that question of if it's holodeck mud, do we come out clean or dirty? When we leave here, if we leave covered in mud, it will be entertaining to see all the expressions on people's faces. This was definitely a good idea for the afternoon though. I hope you feel like you got out of it what you came for." He looked over at Stace.

"I did indeed." Stace shook himself, not as impressive a feat from a human, but it was fun none the less. "Let's see what happens when we leave." He commented, looking at his own mud covered garments. You could barely tell they had once been white. He headed towards the door with a grin.

Atom rose as well and followed him to the door. Even though his fur was relatively short it stuck out in all directions, clumped with mud, but he was grinning and didn't seem to mind in the least. "What are they going to do to us if we track mud all over the ship?" he questioned, his long tail flipping mud in it's wake.

"I guess they'll have to turn us into the XO." Stace chuckled. It had been a fun outing, and the down time had been much needed.


Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Ensign Atom M'aarra
Chief Flight Control Officer

The away team had been brought up to speed on the situation at hand. Their orders and objectives clear. They would be beaming down to the planet Hamelin where they would be greeted by the Guidon Governor of the planet, and it would be Commander Brooks' away team that would take the initial task of communicating with the Governor, discussing the situation with the Kzinti while Kris and the Camelot kept the Kzinti at bay. It was possible that the Federation would order the planet evacuated, but Kris suspected the Guidon would not be fond of that. He hoped Stace and the Ship's Counselor would able to soften the pending news and have the accept that they may need to leave their home.

Captain Kristopher Kerouac walked briskly down the corridor and strutted into Transporter Room 1 to personally see the away team off and have some last minute words with his First Officer and Ship's Counselor. "Commander, Counselor, have you two had time to discuss what to expect from the Guidon society?"

"A brief chat sir. But we didn't want to go in with too many preconceptions. We'll need to be sure of what we are dealing with first." Stace replied

"Exactly. Our information is a bit old and is likely outdated so keen observation is critical." Quintina chimed in. "And not dying. Not dying is also critical."

Kris found the woman to be a curious thing. She seemed so fascinated with humanity, with mortality, and yet her same fascination held something else, a small flicker of...something. Fear perhaps? Self preservation even? [i]I dare not gamble what goes on in the mind of a Q, powerless or not[/i] he thought.

The Captain nodded. "Yes, please do that. I need the away team back safe and sound" commented Kris.

[OPEN Tag for other away team members to get ready for transport]

Ensign M'aarra made his way to the trasporter room with a spring in his step. He was very excited to be selected for an away mission. So excited, in fact, that his long, lashing tail was probably a menace to anyone that came up behind him. Despite his excitement though, there was also a little bit of concern about how he would be perceived once they got to the surface of the planet, seeing as how he was Caitian and the Kzinti were also Caitian. He hoped that the people on the planet knew the difference between the two, although Atom himself wasn't exactly sure there was one aside from choice of lifestyles. He stepped into Transporter Room 1 with high expectations though and stood quietly to one side, although there was no help for his bouncing on the balls of his feet or his attack tail.

Doctor Rajol had entered transporter room one with a confident gait, and his shoulders squared. Dangling from his left shoulder was his medkit, already in his belt holster was a medical tricorder, ready to be pulled in a moments notice if need be. Before he had entered the compartment, he had said a prayer, a prayer to watch over the away team, and to bring them all back safely. He knew some would scoff at such a thing, but he was long past caring what others thought of his practices. He had long since reconciled the old age tale of a wide divide between science and religion. To him, the two could marry, and he married his career and his faith long ago.

Rajol gave a nod toward the tall Caitian male, with the rank of ensign. He had yet to meet the lad, but it was not his first time meeting a Caitian. The long tail that protruded from the ensign's backside was swishing about, which Rajol could only surmise was that of excitation. He stood off to the side, his hands clasped in front of him, waiting for the go-ahead to step onto the transporter pad.

Gideon had followed on the CMO's heels, and entered the transporter room. He carried his own kit that contained padds, and equipment to run tests, and more in-depth scans if needed. The tricorder he would carry - which is one he had programmed himself - was safely tucked in the belt holster. He smiled at R'Aattom, then stood next to him, directly across from the CMO. "This should be an interesting away mission," he said in a low tone.

The science chief, he knew, had more experience with being on starships then Rajol had himself. He had gone on missions while stationed at Starbase 180, but those were far and few between. "It's been my experience that away missions are always interesting. That is the interesting part of the job, right? Stepping into the unknown, learning what we can, making decisions on that, and learning from it."

Atom grinned toothily at the other officers and rubbed his paws together, his tail whipping back and forth continuously behind him. He put a paw on Gideon's shoulder. "I hope it's exciting. I'm excited, but that doesn't really mean much at the moment. Does anyone know anything about the planet we're going to?" He kept his voice low, so he wouldn't disturb the meeting the Captain was having.

"You have your orders gentlemen. I expect nothing but the best from each of you when you are down there. Be on your best behavior as officers of Starfleet and as members of this crew. Camelot is young ship, but it is in your hands to give her a memorable reputation...a positive one. We're here to keep this situation from escalating further, and help these people preserve their past so that they may have a future," directed Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac gently.

Stace stood up and gave the CO a nod. He understood the message. This first mission had better go well, and it was his responsibility to make sure it did.

Atom nodded, his eyes on Stace. At least with all of the unknown ahead of them, he knew he could trust the leader of the away team to do his best. Atom told himself, that no matter what awaited them on the surface, he would be on his best behavior and try to keep himself from rambling too much.

The Captain gestured the away team towards the transporter pads as he himself navigated his way behind the transporter operator. "Good luck and be safe" said Kris before giving the transporter operator a pat on the shoulder to begin transport.

Even with no further contact from Nathan, Jhu couldn't forget Quintina's advice to talk to Seras. Even if the Cairn woman couldn't put her back in touch with Nathan, she could at least teach Jhu how to harness and use what telepathic ability she possessed. Having never had anyone on the Katana that could guide her, she wasn't sure what to expect. In fact, she was downright nervous even as she took the final steps up to Seras' door. While she wanted the help to understand just what was going on in her brain, she was almost afraid of what she'd find out! Taking a moment to pull herself together and at least look like she had her life together, she gingerly tapped the button to ring the door chime and announce her presence.

Jhu's finger had not even left the chime button when the door swished open and a flaxen-haired woman very nearly collided with her. Very nearly, but Seras managed to stop before contact was made. Seras stood there for a moment, blinking in surprise, her jacket only half donned and a slice of buttered toast in mouth. Then Seras quickly caught sight of the Commander pips on Jhu's collar and her eyes widened even further. Feeling like a fool, she quickly pulled her duty jacket the rest of the way on and zipped it shut, then removed the toast from her mouth.

"Commander, I am so sorry, I was in a rush to be somewhere, I wasn't expecting anyone to visit!" Seras said apologetically, the synthetic tones of her voice somewhat downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

"Late for work?" Jhu guessed somewhat humorously, trying not to laugh at the sight of Seras exiting the cabin with toast stuffed in her mouth. "Don't let me keep you then... it wasn't anything official. I just need your help with something, but it can wait."

"Oh no, I would never-" Seras started, then realized that Jhu was just playing with her so she smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to get an early start on some calibrations to the Environmental systems so I would be free to help Commander Matthews in Engineering. But neither of those things are vital to anything at the moment, so if you require my help, I am more than willing to make time for you. What do you need, Commander?"

"It's a bit complicated." Boy was that an understatement. Jhu's life was one big ball of complicated right now. "Some Romulans have telepathic ability... I'm only half, but I've had some sparks of it, especially since the Katana encountered Species 8472 and the Talosians, but I don't know how to make much sense of it."

"So that is to say, you need my help to make sense of your telepathy?" Seras said to clarify. There was a hint of unease to her synthetic tone, but after a minute of consideration, she finally stepped back into her quarters and let Jhu in. "I do not know how I can help you with this, but I will try," Seras said after a moment. "Perhaps if I knew what you are trying to do, just to give me some idea of where I can start with this assistance."

"A man I saw die on Talos IV has been appearing in my dreams. My... boyfriend. Her father." Jhu rested her hand on her rounded belly, referring to her growing daughter who still resided there. "It's led me to believe he is still alive, but I've lost contact with him."

Seras' eyes widened. This was indeed an unusual situation! "I... I guess I could..." Seras paused, nibbling on her lower lip as she thought on this situation. "My telepathy is harmful to those who's brain is not complex enough, but... I think, maybe, given the complexities of the Romulan brain, I might be able to interact with you telepathically. With enough interaction, it should stimulate the telepathic centers of your brain; essentially the more it's used the more developed it will become, which may help you contact your boyfriend." The idea was not without its risks and it would still take time, but it was a start.

"I'm willing to face any risks involved. I need to know if Nathan is really alive and how I can find him." Perhaps it was foolhardy, but Jhu honestly didn't care. She had to know; not knowing was slowly driving her further toward insanity, which was a trip she really couldn't afford to take with her reputation. "I don't pretend to know anything about telepathy... I couldn't even begin to tell you why this particular sense seems to come and go. But I want to learn."

"Please forgive me if I am overstepping any boundaries, but is it really worth such risks when you are pregnant?" Seras asked sheepishly. "It is not just your life you could be damaging, but hers as well..."

"No, you're right to be concerned. I have no idea what my own brain does to her, let alone another telepath's. But I can't wait another four months to find out if Nathan is alive. I'll end up in a Starfleet psych hospital, and let me tell you those are not fun places to be." Jhu had been in one for a short while after a stint in Dominion captivity, and she had no fond memories of it.

Seras bore a look of concern as she nodded in acceptance of Jhu's words; the conditions weren't ideal, but Seras could work with this. "I can promise you that no direct harm will come to your child in this, just keep in mind that the stresses of the mind can in turn stress the body and thus her. Just remember that as we work and pay attention to how you are feeling. If necessary, we can get medical involved to monitor both of your well-being," Seras suggested as she guided Jhu over to her dining table to sit so they could discuss this further. She was careful not to make contact with the Commander, but she tried her best not to be cold about it.

"Now, if I am to help you, I will need to know some things," Seras said once they were seat. "Your boyfriend, Nathan? Is he a natural telepath of some sort? And describe for me the conditions under which he made contact with you. If we can replicate that, it will be a good place to start."

Jhu shook her head slightly. "He's human. But if he's with the Talosians, they've been known to aid typically non-telepathic races into attaining some degree of ability. As for how he made contact... well. It appears to be some sort of... astral projection. Like in old movies about witches." It wasn't a scientific or elegant explanation, but Jhu had no other comparisons. "So far he's only been able to make contact with me if I'm asleep and dreaming. Which, given what happened on Talos IV, is a difficult set of conditions to fulfill."

"What is a witch?" Seras asked, not familiar with the term. For that matter, she wasn't entirely certain what astral projection was, but what she was able to conclude that something about REM and dream cycles opened Jhu's mind to whatever sort of communication this human man was able to produce with the Talosian's assistance. "Would you be willing to attempt this sleep communication with me present? I mean, in your mind? I do not know if I can accomplish it with such a simple mind, but bridging one consciousness with another can be done, and if I can witness this communication for myself, I can confirm its veracity and perhaps strengthen the connection."

"A witch is someone who uses magic. Like a Q, if you didn't know what a Q was." It was simplistic, but it was the only way Jhu could think of to explain what a witch was to someone who didn't know. "I'm not sure if I'd be able to sleep with someone else present inside my head, but I guess I could try. It'll just be hard... the last telepathic voices in my dreams before Nathan were Species 8472 chanting about killing us all..."

"I can assure you I have no desire to kill anyone or do any chanting. Or magic," Seras said seriously. "If we intend to to leave space dock on time, I will need to at least try to get some work done today, but after my shift is over, we can meet at your quarters if that would make you more comfortable, and I can attempt to work with your mind, maybe even see if I can catch a glimpse of this dream communication you are having. One step at a time, then we will go from there."

Jhu nodded a bit. "That's acceptable. And I didn't mean to imply that I thought you might want to kill me or anything... I just have really bad experiences with telepathy thus far. So I'm kind of nervous."

"You should be nervous, what you are asking of me is very dangerous," Seras replied. "Cairn telepathy is very complex, Betazoids and Deltans, even Vulcans, have trouble tolerating the intensity of how my people communicate. You are lucky that I have been around the simplicity of human minds for as long as I have or I would not take the risk of damaging something so fragile. But I can see this is very important to you, so I am willing to at least try."

"There's not much more harm to be done to my brain at this point." Jhu smiled a bit weakly, recalling the multiple times she'd been labeled as off balance or just plain crazy. "I know how fragile a thing a mind can be. I've had mine broken before... and I recovered. I know what I'm facing if this doesn't work as intended."

"I am not merely talking about the fragility of the psyche; mechanically speaking, the physiology of non-Cairn brain isn't built to handle what I intend to do to you," Seras cautioned. But thankfully, both brain and the psyche were amazingly adaptive, and Jhu's determination would make the difference between success and failure. The focus of Seras' eyes shifted as her gaze became more intense; she was attempting to reach out with her mind to connect with Jhu's, just to give the woman an idea of what it would feel like when they tried this for real later tonight.

"Do not be afraid of what you may feel," Seras said softly as her awareness pressed in against Jhu to get a feel for the boundaries of the woman's mind. "You may feel pressure in your head, like you've got an allergy that has you congested; the pressure may become unbearable, but should not be outright painful. Please, it is very important that it does not become painful; while I am with you through this I may not be able to sense when it becomes painful, so I will need you to tell me when to pull back or else I may inadvertently do serious harm..." Even as she spoke, she continued pressing in closer trying to find the limits to which she could push Jhu. As of yet, no connection had been formed and no information exchanged telepathically, just a probing sense from the Cairn Operations Officer.

That was an interesting sensation, being 'pushed' in such a way. Jhu did indeed find it was no more uncomfortable than her allergies when she walked into most hydroponics bays, a sense of pressure and fullness but not pain. She couldn't do much about her heart racing, but she easily settled into a meditative breathing pattern while Seras was carefully testing her limits. As she did, the pressure seemed to ever so slightly lessen for a few moments before slowly - but steadily - building until she couldn't cope with it. "It doesn't hurt, but I feel like something's getting overloaded."

Seras nodded and remained this way for a while to give Jhu a chance to adjust and get used to the feeling. "You are... quite hardy. Most Betazoids cannot tolerate this much closeness," Seras commented as their minds pressed against each other. This was encouraging, it meant they would have a greater chance of success later tonight.

"My father was one of the telepathic Trill, though I'm not sure that makes much difference. My mother has some talent, but she was never able to talk to anyone other than him." Jhu knew that might not be strictly true anymore, with her mother having remarried. It was possible that her mother did share a telepathic bond with Nathan's father... which was still the weirdest part of this entire adventure so far.

With the proximity of their minds, Seras was starting to pick up surface thoughts crossing Jhu's mind. So, Jhu's mother and Nathan's father... Oh my! That had Seras giggling. "You and your boyfriend are siblings now?" she asked as she drew her awareness back to give Jhu a reprieve. "I am sorry, I did not mean to snoop, but it was unavoidable that I would pick up on things while we were like that. But now you know what it feels so you will know what to expect tonight, so I would recommend some rest in preparation because this will be very fatiguing once we're ready to do this."

"Yeah..." Jhu tried not to giggle at the absurdity of being Nathan's stepsister, but the snicker forced its way out. "Nathan and I are from another timeline, which is a long story in itself. In this one, we were both dead so it was a surprise to them to find out they more children than just his brother."

"I know a bit of that story; I had a chat with the Captain and he mentioned it was the driving force behind his choice to go to Talos IV," Seras said understandingly. "Which brings to mind that Talos IV is still off limits. If we can prove Nathan's alive and if he's still there, how can a rescue be mounted without violating the law?"

"My stepfather is an admiral." There was a hint of sparkle in Jhu's eyes as she told Seras that tiny tidbit. "More to the point, he won't want his son left there or his granddaughter to grow up without her father."

"Well, as long as you have a plan that doesn't end up with all of us either dead or sent to Rura Penthe like the Captain was..." Seras said with an amused chuckle. then with a more serious smile she added, "I do hope that your boyfriend is alive and that we can rescue him. If there's anything else I can do to help, just let me know."

"I will, thank you." Jhu smiled a little as she got up. "I'll let you get to your work. Thank you for talking with me."

"Anytime." With a smile and a nod, Seras saw Jhu out, then hurried on her way to attend to her duties; the sooner she could get to work, the sooner she could help Jhu...

As she said she would, Seras headed to Commander t'Dharvanek's quarters after her duty shift to assist the Intelligence Officer with her dream-state communications with her supposedly dead boyfriend. It was such an unusual situation, but if Nathan Tonkin was truly still alive, then Starfleet had an obligation to try to recover him, and in this Seras would do her part to verify the validity of Jhu's claims. The Cairn woman stopped by her quarters first to dress down and grab some things she would need, then went straight away to Jhu's quarters, ringing the chime and hoping that Jhu had taken her advice to rest up before they could get started.

Jhu hadn't been able to sleep, but she was lounging on the couch with Lydek curled up against her belly when the chime rang. The cat let out a curious mew but did not otherwise move, instead choosing to stay warmly pressed against her. She had to reach over him to set her book down, and she just barely missed the coffee table, sending the book tumbling to the deck. "See what you did, silly cat?" She couldn't quite reach it, so she left it there, petting Lydek's head. "Come in!"

Seras entered at the command and smiled at the sight of Jhu with her kitty. "Oh my, someone looks comfortable," she commented as she approached, pulling up a chair next to the couch so she could sit close by. It was then that she noticed the book on the floor and stooped to pick it up, setting it on the table. "Are you ready for this?" Seras asked as she sat down and fidgeted with a small medical kit in her lap.

"Comfort is relative at this point." Jhu patted Lydek's head, secretly grateful that instead of going to greet Seras he'd stayed curled up on the couch. Normally she enjoyed his cheerful attempts to force visitors to pet him, but she was rather enjoying his warmth against her belly. "I'm ready. At least, I think so."

Seras nodded and pulled out a couple of brainwave probes, affixing one to Jhu's temple, then to her own. "This will be to make sure I do not push you further than is healthy," Seras informed her as she worked. She had a tricorder and took some baseline readings of them both, then set it on the table; the tricorder was set up to send audio alerts directly to Seras' prosthetic ear to inform the Cairn woman of Jhu's mental state throughout this attempt. "I've got something to help you sleep, or do you want to try to sleep on your own?" Seras asked before proceeding.

"I tried sleeping. Didn't have much success." Jhu paused for a moment, gingerly touching the probe attached to her head. "Even without the nightmares, I have terrible anxiety. I don't sleep well."

"If it helps you feel any better, I know what that's like," Seras said with a knowing nod as she adjusted the dosage on a hypospray and pressed it to Jhu's neck. "Lets try a low dose, see if that helps. Too much and it may interfere with the dream, and we don't want you drugged up when you talk to your boyfriend," she added playfully. "As you drift off, you will feel me me doing my thing. I'll try to stay out of the inner workings of your dream and simply observe if I can, but do not be surprised if you see me in the dream somewhere."

"Thanks for the warning," Jhu quipped, grinning a little as the medication started to take affect. Before long, she was drifting off.

Seras quickly got comfortable in her chair since she would essentially be nodding off as well once the connection was made. She focused on Jhu, surrounding her consciousness with her own, waiting until she felt the right amount of pliability in the woman's mind as she fell into a deeper sleep to bridge the gap between their minds. As soon as the connection was made, Seras found herself in a void that was quickly being filled with imagery from Jhu's subconscious as the dream began to take shape. A ping in her ear from the tricorder let her know that Jhu was stressed by this connection, but so far she was tolerating it well.

Soon the familiar dream version of Jhu's cabin shifted into place, complete with the Vulcan bassinet that now replaced the pink ruffled one that had been imagined before. The baby rested safely inside, but not asleep. Instead the little girl babbled and waved her hands and feet, demanding that Jhu pick her up. "Not yet, paenhe. Mommy's working." Casting a glance to the yellow jacket she so hated to wear, she turned her eyes back to the PaDD she was writing on, only to be interrupted by a loud squall from her infant daughter. "Oh, okay." Chuckling, she picked the baby up and snuggled with her on the sofa.

Seras had hoped that maybe the setting would be something 'populated' so she could remain in the background unnoticed, but here she kind of stuck out a bit... Still, she managed to move to a corner and remain still, hoping she would go unnoticed. This place and the presence of the baby gave Seras some interesting insights into Jhu's mindset, but she attempted to keep her observations open as she played the waiting game. She really hoped that Nathan made contact and that her presence would not interfere with that contact...

Nathan came walking in through the bedroom door and over to the yellow coat. He placed it over his shoulders and zipped it up to his neck. He ran his hand over the front of it, then turned to Jhu. He looked shocked for a moment then grined. "Oh it you!"

Startled, Jhu tried to scramble backwards, only to find herself blocked by the couch cushions. The baby gave a single shriek of fright before she was re-balanced. "Nathan!" Unlike previous dreams, her tone was that of a sharp reprimand, not the frightened squeak of someone taken off guard. She was still caught in the dream haze, not sure if he was there or not and very nearly convinced she really had almost dropped her daughter.

Nathan was fast to Jhu's side to help steady the baby. "Sorry." He said softly. "I didn't expect you to reach out to me."

But Nathan glanced back at the door he had just come through with an odd expression on his face. "Wait, something's not right."

"Aren't you dead?" Jhu asked sarcastically, also looking at the door. He was right; something was off, but she couldn't place it. "Okay, enlighten me."

Seras tilted her head curiously. Jhu thought he was dead? Oh, right, he was supposed to be dead! This must have been something to do with the dreams of other species, because her kind never would have gotten this confused...

Nathan stood suddenly, ripped the phaser from his belt and leveled it at Seras face. "Who are you?" He asked through grit teeth. "Talosian?"

"No!" Somehow Jhu got the baby safely in the bassinet and put herself between Nathan and Seras. "She's Kerouac... she's my friend. She helped me find you when we lost contact." Her tone was pleading, and her eyes begged him to believe her. "Nathan, please. I need her. We need her."

"I am sorry!" Seras said as she stepped out of her corner. Even in the dream, her voice sound synthesized, but it was a different tone and quality than what Jhu had heard in real life. It was less realistic with an almost ghostly echo to it. "So sorry, I was just supposed to observe and confirm that you're real!" Seras insisted with a worried expression. She could hear an alert in her ear, a sign that Jhu's brainwaves were shifting, that the dream was fading. Oh no, the surprise of seeing a stranger must be shocking her awake! Seras closed her eyes and tried to keep the dream stable until Jhu calmed down, but she worried what such exertions would do to Jhu. "Please don't wake up..." she whispered softly, trying to keep this precarious house of cards from imploding.

Nathan lowered the phaser. "I'm sorry." He said quickly. "Please don't wake up, Angel."

The dream wavered and rippled and then settled back into place, and Jhu blinked a few times. Some things had become clear, but other lines between dream and reality were still crossed. Jhu knew the baby hadn't been born yet, but there she was in the bassinet, giving them all a very confused look. "I'm not waking up. But the lines are getting blurred... the baby's there." She pointed at the bassinet. "But she's also here," she continued, touching her belly, which was very flat even though she knew it should be round.

"I think that is my fault," Seras spoke up. "When the two of you saw me and you started to wake, it connected the subconscious to the conscious. I'm sorry, I tried to stay out of the way, but I think we're good for now..."

"So you're here to verify that I am still alive?" Nathan asked Seras. "What exactly do I need to do?" He was eager to get home before his daughter was actually in a bassinet.

"I thought it would be enough to simply see you, to sense your presence to see if it was a separate consciousness from Jhu, but I am having a hard time maintaining my connection to her without hurting her, I cannot tell if you are real or simply part of her dream," Seras confessed.

Nathan nodded and and thought for a moment. "Ok, I got this." He said stepping up to Seras. "Let me tell you something, something Jhu does not know."

Seras nodded and listened carefully as Nathan whispered something into her ear. When he pulled away, she looked at him with a serious expression. "I will contact her to verify what you've told me. When I leave, it may disrupt the dream and wake Jhu," she warned them both.

Nathan walked back to Jhu and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I love you. It's not bad here. Nothing like that other place." He gave her a knowing look. "Get some sleep. Your going to need your rest to come get me."

"I don't really sleep much anymore. The dreams, the panic attacks, the 'morning' sickness that doesn't go away." Jhu rolled her eyes. "But I'll try. I can't promise anything."

Nathan turned back to Seras, "Come get me."

Again Seras simply nodded. She may not have been able to sense if Nathan was real, but he certainly seemed 'real', definitely a vibrant individual, but she knew how real memories could feel and this could be nothing more than an echo of a very vibrant memory for Jhu. But there was that secret that he passed on and now she had to verify it.

Concentrating on her connection to Jhu, Seras carefully extricated her mind from the other woman, and the next thing Seras realized she was back in her chair. First thing she did was grab the tricorder and take some scans of Jhu to make sure she hadn't hurt her. Thankfully, the Romulan/Trill woman was hardy enough to weather the strain Seras had put her through, even resilient enough to remain asleep and keep dreaming!

From there, Seras moved over to Jhu's desk and accessed the terminal. Now, she just had to find a Chief Petty Officer Andrea Carter...

Jhu sat at the desk in her cabin, staring at the blank communications screen as she idly petted Lydek, who was curled up in her lap purring to her unborn daughter. She knew that Nathan's father - her stepfather, as weird as that was - would listen to her. He might even believe her. But still, she hesitated. Last time she'd called, she'd woken her mother from a nap and they'd both ended up crying for an hour before either of them could say goodbye. After several long minutes of doing nothing, she took a deep breath and keyed in the channel and frequency to call Admiral Tonkin's home.

The face of the man that answered was not the typical clean shaved and fresh face that normally greeted Jhu. No James had clearly been taking the news of his oldest sons death; for the second time, very hard. Dark circles lined his blood shot eyes and at least a weeks worth or stubble graced his cheeks and chin. "Jhu..." he said with a pained look. "How are you holding up dear?"

"Not so good." Jhu knew better than to ask how James was doing. As devastated as she was to have lost Nathan, James was his father... and he'd lost him twice. "Better after the trip to Vulcan, but with how screwed up my head was before all this, there's really no fixing it?"

James didn't bother answering Jhu's question. "How the new assignment? If it's not fitting you well all you need to do is say the word. I'll sign any transfer orders you think you need."

"It's better than the Katana." That wasn't really an answer, but it gave Jhu a minute to think about the question. "It's good so far. The counselor isn't obsessed with 'fixing' me, so that's nice. And Kris pretty much gives me anything I ask for, which is kind of fun but I hate that he feels like he has to be so nice. I mean, I get it. He feels guilty. But the crew might start thinking there's something going on between us, and I don't think I want that."

James cocked his head slightly to the right and gave Jhu a quizzical look, it was exactly the same look Nathan would give Jhu when he knew she was up to something. There was something in Jhu's tone of voice, or maybe it was the way she was sitting up in her chair. "What's wrong?" He asked bluntly, reading her body language.

Jhu shook her head slightly. "Nothing really. It's just... I've been having these really strange dreams, and I don't know how to explain them. I don't get a lot of sleep, and after dealing with my mother I'm sure you know how that wreaks havoc with the baby."

James nodded stoicly, "We are not getting much sleep either. But there is not much I can do to help you with that." He shrugged. "I have nightmares every time I close my eyes asleep or not."

"I had those before all this happened. I can thank the Dominion for that." Jhu scowled a bit, not terribly fond of the talk about nightmares. "But these are different. I mean, sometimes it's just a repeating loop of watching him fall. But sometimes it's..." She sighed, not sure how to put it into words. "I know it sounds crazy, but I don't think he's actually dead."

James let out a slow sigh. He was not sure he could deal with with Jhu right now. He rubbed his temples for a moment while he thought. "Ok..." he said slowly, looking back at the screen. If he was going to give anyone the benefit of the doubt it would Jhu. "Why do you think Nathan is still alive?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly when James said his late son name.

Ignoring the signs that James thought she was absolutely nuts, Jhu forged onward. "Well it could have something to do with him reaching out to me telepathically... and yes, I know he's not supposed to be telepathic, but if he's on Talos IV and the Talosians are messing with his brain, it's at least possible." She paused, searching his face for any evidence that he might believe her. "You know about the Talosians. It wouldn't be hard for them to convince me I was looking at Nathan's body at the bottom of a cliff."

James eyes were locked onto Jhu's. She had literally plucked the exact words from his own mind. If anyone could make a fake death look compleatly convincing it would be the Talosians. "And Maica never looked over the cliff..." he mumbled. Being an admiral had its perks, James had read the reports over and over and over again looking for something. The one thing that always stuck out in his mind was that the android that was with the group had never confirmed Nathan's death.

"No, she was busy keeping the Talosians at bay. She never looked beyond the edge... she only saw him disappear and since she'd just told them to break their illusions, she didn't think one of them had the balls to keep it up." To Jhu's relief, the look on James' face was no longer the 'you poor thing with your broken brain' look he'd been giving her before. "Kris and I want to go get him. But it's illegal and neither of us wants to die or go to Rura Penthe... and I don't want my daughter growing up in Rura Penthe either."

"So you need some serious cover." James said, for the first a little grin tugged at the side of his lips. "Captain Merith is still on board isn't she?" He asked, clearly a plan forming in his mind.

"For a bit longer, yeah. Not sure when she plans to leave, but she's been a big help with the morning sickness. If Mom wasn't already over that, I'd send her the recipe for this Ba'ku tea..." Jhu trailed off, not entirely certain how she'd gotten so far off topic.

James suddenly stood, casting Jhu a serious gaze. "I'm going to ask you this because what you are asking for is... well you know what you're asking for. Jhu, are you absolutely sure Nathan is alive and still on Talos?"

"I'm positive," Jhu responded firmly, her gaze not wavering an inch. "If I wasn't sure I wouldn't ask... it wouldn't be worth the risk. But this isn't a Talosian trick. I know Nathan, and I'm telling you... it's him."

"Don't let Merith leave, we are going to need all the help we can get. Your mother and I are on our way." He said firmly. James was not even going to pretend that not bringing Shiarrael was an option. "We can't do this over subspace."

Jhu nodded slightly. "I'll get her to stay. Somehow. I'll figure something out."

"How about you tell her it's a direct order from me. If she has an issue she can take it up with me face to face." James said with a slight edge to his tone. "And you two had better not let Kerouac do anything stupid in the mean time."

"Kris and I have an understanding. If he does anything stupid, I knock him out. Or shoot him, whichever is more convenient at the time." Jhu's tone was both serious and sarcastic at the same time. "We go when I say. He knows that."

"Atta girl." James said with a smile. "I can't wait to finally meet you in person."

"Just take it easy with the hugs. I tend to puke on people who squeeze too hard." Jhu grinned a bit crookedly.

Long after his staff meeting earlier in the day and after the subsequent duties of his day as Commanding Officer, Kris found himself seeking alternatives. It wanted to know more than what he had heard during the meeting or more than he had learned through his brief readings of Federation and Starfleet files.

The Captain had found himself leaving his Ready Room behind and taking his work with him in the form of a PaDD. Kristopher had been wandering aimlessly through the corridors, taking Turbolifts up and down decks just for the sake of moving about the starship.

Eventually, his legs took him where his mind had wandered. Quiet as a mouse he had thought to himself, reading the textualized Captain's log of Captain Carlos Mercado and his prior experience with the Guidon. Kris ended up outside of his Chief Operation Officer's quarters and stood there at her door, letting the proximity detector alert the cabin's occupant.

"Come in," Seras called out when she heard the chime. She had just finished setting out her dinner, of which she was eager to dig into since she'd missed lunch that day, but she could always find time to talk with a co-worker. She stepped towards the door to greet her visitor, only to pause and blink in surprise. The Captain? Uh oh, had she messed up something? Or had he perhaps heard about her breakdown on the station?

"Captain," Seras greeted in a synthesized tone. "What can I do for you tonight?" she asked.

Kris entered the quarters and took in the wonderful scent of food. "It smells wonderful in here, Lieutenant. What are you having? Something from your home world?" asked the Captain.

"It is..." Seras had to pause while she tried to remember a comparable version in human terms since many things on her world did not have names. "Like a mushroom risotto and... a vegetable like an eggplant, you make it hollow and fill with cheese and other things," she described awkwardly, then smiled. "I am more than willing to share if you would like," she offered with a gesture towards the dining table. "But you did not come for dinner. How can I help you?"

Kris nodded simply. It sounded way too delicious to pass up.

"Well, Lieutenant..." began Captain Kerouac. "I've been doing some more reading about the Guidon. I was hoping to pick your brain a bit."

"I do not know much about Guidon. I know more about the Kzinti. It is important when Cairn leave our world for us to know what species we are capable of communicating with telepathically. Some Kzinti are capable, so we learn about them," Seras explained.

Kris smiled. "Actually, it is because you are Cairn that I've come to you, Lieutenant." The Captain touched his throat and then gestured to her's. "It wasn't too long ago your people had no spoken language."

He looked around the woman's quarters. It was a lovely place. She had
settled in better than he had. At least that was how Kris saw things.

"Most of my people still do not speak, but those who work in diplomacy and trade have been speaking for many years now," Seras said as she replicated a second serving of her meal for Kris and set it before him on the table. "These Guidon do not speak like other people, so you wish to hear how it was done for Cairn?" she asked as she sat down to eat.

Kris nodded. "You're already ahead of me" replied the Captain. "But, yes. The Guidon did have a spoken language before Federation contact was made, but their language is so very different. They have had to learn and adapt...technology has helped them as it has the Cairn."

"Well, the distinction with Cairn is that we had no concept of language at all before we made contact with people outside our world. Even once we had synthesizers, it took my people a long time to grasp the concept of the inefficiency of words and the limitations of a vocabulary. The Betazoids were invaluable during this delicate transition," Seras related as she began digging into her meal. She paused to take a bite, thinking over things and how they might relate to this issue with the Guidon. "But these individuals, the Guidon, they can communicate, yes? Is it merely a difficulty of getting universal translator to cooperate with their method of speech or is something else at play?"

Kristopher's mouth was ajar for a few moments. "It's...they...The Guidon are just very different from what we are used to. All things we have seen before, but several factors together makes them an interesting species."

"They are peaceful, religiously so. I thought the Vulcans were bad....at least they will serve in Starfleet, even as Tactical officers. Only a handful of Guidon have ever gone into Starfleet. Even those who do have gone for Medicial or Diplomacy, one or two into technical field like Engineering. The fact of the matter is that they are pacifist."

Kris sighed. "I hate pacifist. They make our job harder. We should be out exploring the galaxy...not protecting a planet because its inhabitants refuse to take up arms" added Kris.

"Mmmm, if you don't like pacifists, then you won't like my world," Seras interjected with a chuckle around a mouthful of food. "Though not because we refused to take up arms, just the idea of hurting someone was appalling to us. We share everything, so to hurt someone would be akin to hurting oneself. After being around other species for so many years, I've adapted, but there's some things I can't share with my people now, they just wouldn't be able to understand it."

He looked at Seras. "They also live a very communal life style. Families are large and more often than not they live in the same burrow. Like your species, privacy is unfamiliar to them. They are so....open and inviting. Hell, if a Kzinti invasion force came to the planet, the Guidon would cater to their every need. They sound like the French!" shouted the Captain, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"They sound very much like my people. But because of our telepathy, what drives us culturally speaking is much different than what drives them. I'm not sure how much help I can be," Seras stated, but there was no finality in her tone, suggesting she was still more than willing to help, she just didn't know how she could help.

"I do believe that you can be of help" replied Kris. The Captain smiled slightly. "You have a better understanding of these people than I do or some of the other crew. As you said, I wouldn't like your people too much due to their pacifistic ways. Any input you have would be greatly appreciated."

"Well, for starters, you'll need patience, lots of it on both sides. Given that we have Kzinti knocking on their door, this will be difficult, but if you try to rush things, you'll only succeed in frustrating the Guidon and yourself," Seras stated simply. And in this, she was speaking from experience. "Also, do not be afraid to apologize, a lot. There will be misunderstandings and mistakes, and if they are that much like my people, then they will appreciate the humility of the gesture as well as acknowledgement of the mistake."

Kris let out a sigh of frustration. "Diplomacy is not my strongest suit" commented he Captain. "And I'll make mistakes. I will make lots of mistakes, Seras. I am afraid of making them...I've made mistakes in the past and terrible things happened."

Seras' brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir, all people make mistakes, and it's inevitable that some mistakes will cause some people to hurt. I have made my share of those kinds of mistakes, but you can't live in the past. You learn and you move on, it makes no sense to live in the past."

"You're right and I am doing my best to move on" agreed Kris. "So, what do I do if we are faced with the Kzinti and having to surrender Hamelin to them. We of course would evacuate the planet, but something tells me the Guidon will not leave yet they won't fight."

"Speak in very plain and simple terms. Don't dumb down your words unnecessarily, but don't use overly complicate speech either, simple and straightforward is the best if you want to hold their attention," Seras said, but this was a guess at best since she was describing her people with no way of know if this was the right approach for the Guidon. "Spell out for them what the consequences will be; if the Kzinti come and take over, what are the chances that the Guidon will be killed regardless of resistance, or will they be subjugated or enslaved? Don't just try to scare them into compliance, they will not appreciate it if they learn the truth after the fact; if there is a chance that cohabitation with the Kzinti is possible then they have the right to know it, though given what we know of the Kzinti this sounds highly unlikely. Speak very clearly on what their options are, armed defense or evacuation. If they are so rooted to this world, they will not want to leave, and if they do not wish to resort to violence, show them you are trying to respect their way of life by trying to find an alternative. If they see you trying so hard to protect them, they may eventually come around to our way of doing things."

Kris had not known the Lieutenant for more than a few days, and this was their only one on one time he had really had with her. He had pegged her for being a woman of few words, but she had just unloaded what felt like a sermon of great depth to him. He nodded every so often and had taken out a PaDD to take notes.

"This is always very useful...to me and to Commander Brooks" replied Kris. He looked at the woman with intrigue. "I know trying to uproot a colony or a civilization of people from a planet can be extremely difficult. The Federation has had to do so in the past. Some went more willingly, but others refused...some planets even left the Federation in order to stay on their worlds."

"And I firmly believe that if the Guidon wish to stay, then it is their right, but they deserve to know what awaits them if they do so," Seras replied. "I have learned that pacifism is all well and good when everyone around you also lives in peace, but after seeing what I've seen during my time with Starfleet, pacifism is not all that practical. After the first attack and they see how truly helpless they are, they'll either accept help and evacuate or learn to take up arms."

It was something Seras dreaded the possibility with her own world, but she knew it to one day be a possibility. Her world had lucked out during the Dominion War and escaped any harm, but should such another large scale conflict break out, she doubted her world would ever get so lucky a second time, and as much as she wished to preserve the innocence of her world, and that of the Guidon, she also wanted to see them alive and thriving, not dying helplessly at the hands of those who could care less for their pacifistic ways.

Kris had stood up and approached the woman cautiously. "Hmmm" he said in a very soft tone of voice. He examined the woman for a moment and flashed a smile at her. "You certainly look like Lieutenant Seras" commented Kris.

He backed away slowly and gave her a quick once over. "Definitely look like a Lieutenant...yet you are sounding like a well seasoned Captain." Kris smiled once more. "Your advice is solid, Lieutenant. The same advice I'd expect from a fellow Captain."

Seras leaned back when the Captain drew closer to examine her, uncomfortable with the slight encroachment of her personal space. She blinked at him, confused as he mused aloud and then finally came to his final conclusion. "I doubt I will ever be Captain," Seras replied matter-of-factly. "I'm just an Officer; maybe I'm well-seasoned, or maybe I've simply learned a few really important lessons that are relevant to the moment, but I doubt I have what it takes to be anything more than the Officer I am right now."

"Hey, I never thought I would be Captain either...shit happens. Don't know how else to really put it, but shit happens" joked Kris with a shrug. "You may not see yourself as making Captain, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that" added the Captain with a smile.

"Just don't go to Talos IV...never EVER go to Talos IV" added Captain Kerouac. "They hate when you do that" he muttered under his breath.

"May I ask, sir... Why did you do it?" Seras ventured softly. "I heard rumors, and I guess I'm curious to hear from the source, what drove you violate the law like that?"

Kris knew the question well. He had heard it asked to him a dozen times, and his answers were always the same at their base. "To get my crew home, Lieutenant. To take them back to where they belonged...so parents could see their children and children, their parents, to ensure families were complete."

Seras looked confused for a moment, then she remembered that one key detail that made his words make sense; he and his crew were not from this universe! "But you are still here..." she commented. She wasn't trying to be rude, maybe it was just her way with words, but she was genuinely just trying to understand his position.

"I am. So, does that mean I failed?" he said, not really asking her so much as stating a question he often asked of himself. "I did not get them home because at the last minute, I saw something that told me to go back home would harm this place...your universe. The Starfleet officer in me knew that I could not put myself and my crew above the lives of this universe. In the end, I was sent to prison where I was until a handful of days ago."

Seras was silent for a while, her mouth opening a couple of times to speak until she thought better of it, but then finally she spoke, and when she did it was with a certain resolve. "You did everything you could, how can that be failure?" she said, looking him in the eyes. "Sometimes there are situations where there are no right answers, that doesn't mean you or your choices were wrong. But you and your crew, you're still here, meaning you can still make a difference, here. Maybe they want to go home and you want to get them there, but until then life goes on, and you've just got to make the best of it while you can."

Kris nodded. "That is what I settled on while in prison...that I have to make due with what I have. This has to be home from now on. I just have never done well with the no right or wrong answer type of things nor the no win scenarios" he added with a silent bitterness towards a certain test.

"Who does do well in those kinda of situations?" Seras countered. "Do you think anyone enjoys being stuck in a situation where there is no way to win? If you think you are somehow special in that regard, think again, because I know I hated my no-win scenario. It sucked, and it still sucks; I'm still losing, but I keep moving because I have hope that one day it will get better."

"You speak the truth" replied Kris agreeingly with a nod. "You have been quite insightful and have helped me clear my head this evening, Lieutenant" added Kerouac.

"I've been told that's because I'm so forward; Cairn tend to forget where the boundaries are because we share everything," Seras said with a shrug. "If it helps you to feel any better, I think you did everything right. You're a good person, Captain, I think you just need to see it for yourself."

Finishing the last few bites of his shared meal with his subordinate, Kris smiled. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I needed that and the meal was delicious. I have some duties that I must attend to before the next shift starts. Please excuse me for not staying any longer."

"I'm more than happy to feed you anytime," Seras said with a cheerful smile, "just give me a little more warning next time."

"Will do, Lieutenant. I'd be happy to return the gesture. You are always welcome to share a meal with me" he said respectfully as he left her quarters.

The one eyed Kzinti General, Kraven sat in his command chair on the battle bridge of his battle cruiser as it remained hidden, tucked away within a nearby nebula, the cradle nebula. Using the nebula's affects on sensors to it's advantage, the battle cruiser under General Kraven's command was stalking its prey. They awaited support from several other battle cruisers.

One ship had arrived ahead of schedule and triggered a heightened state of alarm. It was not a ship that Kraven had been looking forward to seeing, a Federation starship, of an unknown class and the nebula's affects were having negative effects on their own sensors. They could not identify the vessel aside from being Federation in design. It was the USS Camelot under the command of Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac.

It took several hours for a few momentary glimpses by sensors to extrapolate enough data for the Kzinti battle cruiser to confirm it was Federation and that the ship's registry was that of the USS Camelot, a Manticore-class. "What do we know about this...Manticore-class?" he asked of his weapons officer.

The felineoid's hair was raised and he let out a hiss. "NOTHING!" shouted the weapon's officer. "We have absolutely nothing on file for this starship's class. It must be new" he added with a displeased snarl.

The cruiser's Engineer turned in his seat, a young man with a violent temper. "The we will learn more when we attack and disembowel it" the engineer stated. "General, I say we attack now. Fast and hard. We will catch them by paws with the element of surprise and take out their shields. Send in a boarding party and then send in myself and my men to their main Engineering. We can tell you everything you need to know from within" said the ambitious engineer.

The seasoned weapon's officer was older than both the General and much older than the engineer. "Go suckle on your mother's teats!" shouted the weapons officer, slamming his paws down onto his console. "Absurdity if I've ever heard of it. Attack alone? Without the rest of our pride? We know nothing of that Federation ship's tactical capabilities. They could defeat us the moment we leave this nebula for all we know."

"And we will know nothing sitting here in this nebula" added the sassy science officer who had been relatively quiet. He was not as respected aboard the battlecruiser and many regarded his flamboyancy as a disgrace to the military uniform he wore. "Honestly, the more you boys sit here licking your paws, the more time you give the Federation to send in more ships."

The General growled aloud. He moved his beastly head around and glared at each of the officers. "This is MY battle cruiser. I will give the orders!" he snapped. "How far out is the rest of the pride?" he asked of his science officer.

"Forty five minutes from last anticipated location, General" he said with a smirk. "The soonest they could arrive would be twenty some minutes...you know that if you pounced now, it would be quite attractive" added the Science officer with a flirtatious purring.

The General let out a low growl directed at the scientist. "More talk like that and I'll come over there and bite your neck!" he shouted in response.

"Oh yes please, General" replied the scientist unbuttoning his collar and titling his head aside, exposing his neck. "Come down here and bite me. Make me your mate" he added teasingly.

The weapons officer shook his head. "You are sick and need serious help. Was the teat you suckled on as a child your mother's or your father's?"

The scientist leapt up from his chair and looked at the weapons officer with a small snarl. "I do not have daddy issues!" he shouted.

General Kraven rose from his chair and let our a furious roar. "ENOUGH!. Return to your station and stop this childish behavior...all of you. We wait a few more minutes. Stand by for my command."

Stace let out a low growl. There really was entirely too much for him to do. He was moving finding a yeoman to the top of his list tomorrow. For the moment he needed to get near people without getting bombarded with a hundred questions. He made his way through the corridors, not really having a destination in mind, but he ended up near Seras' quarters, and that would work just fine. He sounded her chime and hoped that she was home and not busy.

Seras was just cleaning up from her impromptu dinner with the Captain when she heard the door chime ring again. Goodness, she certainly was popular tonight! She finished running the dishes and leftovers through the replicator then called out "Come in" as she approached the door to see who was calling at such an hour. Seeing Stace step in brought a small smile to her face. "Stace... Or is it Commander? Official business or casual?" she asked with a cautiously playful tone.

Stace just grinned. "Casual, unless you have something you need to discuss. I just needed the company, if you're free."

"Just checking" Seras replied with a grin. "I just had dinner with the Captain. He wanted some feedback on Guidon since their culture is very similar to my own, so we had a nice little chat over dinner, but I'd be more than willing to heat something up for you if you haven't eaten yet," she offered as she ducked into her room to dress down for the evening. Like their last 'sleepover', she decided to get extra comfy with her brightly colored fleece sleep pants, but she toned it down with a warm and cozy cardigan over her tank top.

"Actually that sounds good if you don't mind." Stace waited for her to return. "Now I'm jealous, you look comfy." He smiled. "I'd love to hear what you know about the Guidon if you don't mind talking about it again. Just an off the record talk. I'm interested in their sociology."

"You know where the replicator is, feel free to make something more comfortable to lounge around in," Seras teased in return. Just as she had shared something of her world with the Captain earlier, she though to maybe offer something else from her world to Stace. Only her people were largely vegetarian. They had no problems eating meat, and they even had a large selection for him to try, but most of Cairn dishes revolved around vegetables with meats as a side. Stace struck her as a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so she replicated him a roast sort of thing with some tubers and legumes from her world, making sure the meal was more meat than vegetable.

"I didn't know must about the Guidon until the Captain and I spoke," Seras said as she set out the meal for Stace, then made a cup of tea for herself. "Apparently, they are very much like my people, aside from the telepathy aspect. He was wanting to know how to deal with that kind of culture. And I can tell you, it will not be easy..." She took a seat at the table and sipped at her tea while Stace ate.

"Thanks" He said as the plate was set down. Stace nodded as he ate, indicating that he was listening. "I'm going to catch up on my reading later, I might want to ask some questions afterwards."

"I told the Captain that if dealing with the Guidon is anything like dealing with my people, much patience on both sides will be required. I've assimilated to this life, but for those who are not so well versed in this kind of communication, there is much my people do not understand about outside ways. If the Guidon are like this, then trying to convince them to defend themselves will be challenging," Seras said, then sipped on her tea. She drew a foot up into her chair to rest her chin on her knee casually as she thought on things. "I remember when I learned about self defense. It was... just so unfathomable that people would so recklessly hurt each other rather than respond to diplomacy. I mean, I understand it now, but at the time I was beyond appalled that I might one day need to hurt someone, even if it was merely self defense, and I couldn't understand why everyone else around me wasn't as disgusted as I was at the idea of violence."

"It took me a long time to acclimate to Earth. I had the opposite problem. Everything I'd learned growing up was about protecting my pack. Violence wasn't just a way of life, it was the only way to survive. I couldn't understand how everybody could just walk around with their guard down, and trust those around them. I didn't understand how these people could care so much about learning, until I wasn't worried about where my next meal would come from. It was a very eye opening experience."

Seras giggled softly with a cute wrinkle of her nose. "Two very different backgrounds, yet strangely similar..." she commented with a smile. "I bet the mere idea of a pacifist community like the Cairn or Guidon is just such a wild idea for you."

Stace shrugged. "It seems really nice, just unrealistic. I mean look at where the Guidon are now. Dependent on an outside source just to keep their civilization alive. I don't think I could do it."

"My world really lucked out during the war," Seras said with a nod. "There was no strategic importance in our location, so when the Dominion ran through we got overlooked. It's a good thing too, my people would have been completely defenseless. I feel very fortunate that they survived without having to engage in the conflict."

Stace nodded, then grudgingly took a bite of a tuber. He could officially tell himself he'd eaten his vegetables. "I wish I could say the same for my pack, in our own version of a war, we were far less fortunate. But now you are looking at your own people from the outside. That has to be tough."

"It really is," Seras replied with a sigh and a pained expression. "I go back home and sometimes they don't feel like my people anymore. They're so innocent and naive, and I want them to stay that way as long as possible, but then I cannot tell them some of the things I have been through..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." He longed to hug her; to offer some form of physical comfort, but refrained knowing that physical contact needed to be on her terms.

"No, it's alright. It's just how things are now and I've accepted that," Seras assured him with a small smile. "It's difficult, but it just makes me feel fortunate to be able to protect them in ways so few can possibly comprehend. It's like protecting a child, I guess, you know you can't protect them from the evils of the universe forever, but you want to keep them innocent for as long as possible; it's not easy, but for me it is worth it."

"I understand. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit protective myself." He smiled. "What do you say to something warm and chocolate? I found a replicator program for a chocolate lava cake, I haven't been brave enough to try alone." He offered, hoping to lighten the mood they'd both unintentionally set.

"Oooh, that sounds adventurous!" Seras replied excitedly. She didn't usually like sweets or even chocolate for that matter, usually reserving such indulgences in small servings very occasionally, but she was always up for trying something new and she'd never had a lava cake before!

"Alright. I'm going to take you up on your get comfortable offer, and I'll be back with cake!" Stace smiled and stood up. "Mind if I use your restroom?"

"Please, go ahead, get comfortable," Seras said with a giggle.

Stace went off to change into black flannel pj bottoms and a long sleeved white flannel shirt, then replicated the cake. It was small, the perfect size to share, and looked like a bundt cake somebody had placed a small cake roof on. "Here, you can do the honors." He smiled and handed her a spoon.

"Ooooh," Seras cooed with fascination as Stace set the cake between them. She took the spoon, carefully so there was no contact between them (something she didn't even realize she would do anymore), then cut into the cake for a bite. She squeaked in delighted surprise as the cake's runny insides began to spill out. "Mmmm...." she hummed with appreciation as she savored the decadence of this unique cake with it's warm, gooey center, the whipped topping and raspberry drizzle on top adding just the right amount of contrast to make the flavor explode in her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed with a dreamy sigh. Oh, so good....

Stace smiled, the brief thought of her Mmmm being far from innocent he squashed ruthlessly then chimed in. "Alright, stop hogging it." He teased and dived in with his own spoon. "Ohmygoddess that's amazing." He cooed.

Seras giggled. "You know, I never would have guessed that you were a chocolate fan," she commented as she went in for another bite, this one followed by the same dreamy sigh as the first bite.

"Oh? Why not? Man cannot live off meat alone. I'm just not a fan of fruits and veggies much, but I discovered chocolate about the time I discovered, well nevermind. I found out I like chocolate." He curtailed his explanation, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Discovered what?" Seras asked innocently. "I have simply noticed that many men do not favor chocolate in the same way many women do. Not that I am like most women, if I need to indulge my sweet tooth, I typically get a fruit salad." She giggled again; they both seemed to go against the grain in terms of what is usually deemed 'normal'.

Stace could tell she had no idea why he hadn't explained. It was actually very sweet. With everything she had been through, she hadn't totally lost the innocent naivete of her people. It brought a fresh wave of protectiveness. "What the male parts were for." He explained as chastely as he could think of.

Seras blinked at him a few times staring, her spoon hanging from her mouth as she made sure the surface was clean of all the chocolatey goodness. Then she started to laugh, hard enough that she started to get red in the face and started having trouble breathing. She tried to calm her amusement, wiping some tears from her eyes as she took a sip of her tea.

"'Male parts'? Stace, just because I'm not getting any because of my phobia doesn't mean I'm ignorant to sex," Seras said as she continued to giggle. "My people do not understand the concept of a secret, we share everything with each other. I've know about sex since before I can even remember."

Stace joined her in laughter, even if it was at his expense. "Well you did walk in on me with two women and not blink. I didn't think that. I just didn't want to be crass. You can stop giggling now." He tried to look sternly at her, but all that did was cause him to laugh again.

"Even if you had described to me in explicit detail what you had done with those two women, I still would not have thought it something to balk at. I understand in humans terms that is crass, but you don't have to worry about such things with me. I prefer blunt honesty," Seras replied, finally calming the last of her giggles.

"Duly noted. Then I should in all honestly tell you that I'm going to finish this cake." He then went for a huge spoonful.

"What! NO!" Seras said, reaching over with her spoon to grab one more bite before he got the last of it, savoring this last morsel with a giggle.

Stace smiled, then sat back comfortably. Content with a full belly and the company.

"So, are you feeling any better? When you first came in you seemed preoccupied, almost frustrated," she asked, immediately expressing her observation to clarify the question.

Stace nodded. "Yes, I am. I'd just been cooped up in my office alone too long. It makes me edgy pretty quickly."

Seras nodded as she licked the last of the chocolate from her spoon. "If I ever get promoted to that point, I'll probably be a terrible Executive Officer; I hate being stuck in my office," Seras said to sympathize.

"It's definitely the down side. I'm starting to look for a yeoman, because if I have to do anymore paper pushing, I will choke someone to death. I much prefer dealing with personnel issues and mission research."

"A yeoman is a good idea. We wouldn't want you to kill anybody," Seras said with a knowing nod. "I'd offer to come help from time to time, but I have my own paperwork to deal with. But maybe I can find time to at least say hi, break up the monotony of the day," she offered.

Stace smiled and nodded. "Lunch at least when we can fit it in. But first item on my to do list is that yeoman. I'm doing that tomorrow. Does operations need anything? Since we momentarily got to shop talk, just thought I'd check."

"I think we're pretty good," Seras said, hopping up to get a fresh cup of tea, then sat back down to sip on it. "We're finally getting things sorted out, I think we should be ready to leave spacedock on time. I've been working closely with Commander Matthews, and while there are still some concerns, I feel confident that everything is within our ability to handle."

"Good, less paperwork for me." He grinned. The tea set off his own thirst, and Stace went to the replicator for a glass of water.

"The crews have been working really hard to get the ship ready. Were it not for the fact that we're needed for this mission, I'd suggest a little downtime before delving into anything major. Maybe after the mission, though," she continued.

"Definitely." Stace agreed. "Maybe we can do a little something though. A launch party? Nothing major, just some drinks, some music. Give the crew a chance to mingle off duty."

"That's not a bad idea," Seras said with an approving nod. It would be a toss-up if she would even show up, but she could admit that the idea was a good one. "A bit of levity before the mission would go a long way."

"I'll run it by the Captain." Stace commented. The word Captain barely exiting his mouth before he erupted in a rather large yawn.

Seras giggled at his yawn. "A bit tired, huh?" she asked teasingly.

"I did just stuff myself on roast and chocolate." He grinned in return. "Do you think I could sleep on your floor?" He asked. He wasn't picky about sleeping places, and didn't look forward to the possibility of having to sleep alone.

Seras could only once again stare and blink at him for a moment. Never in her craziest dreams could she have ever imagined that one day she would be stationed on a ship where her Executive Officer would be asking to sleep on her floor. Of course, she knew what was truly behind the question, so it didn't bother her at all in the slightest. "Forget the floor, the bed is big enough to share," she said with a smile, her expression softening.

"Thank you." He smiled. "I still say you drool." He teased. He had a feeling that was never going to get old.

"I do NOT drool!" Seras insisted with an adorable pout. "Keep this up, Mister, and you'll be lucky if the floor is where I let you sleep!"

Stace just chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. Another yawn escaped and he knew it was time for sleep, bed or floor he didn't care.

Seras chuckled as well, then pointed to her bedroom. "Go, I'll join you in just a minute," she said, then proceeded to tidy up the table, running dishes back through the replicator.

"Going." Stace smiled. Off duty and in the comfort of friends, he had no issues being playfully bossed around. It was just this kind of comraderie that he needed.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth, Seras shed her cardigan and her vocal synthesizer then slipped into bed. She looked over at Stace almost with a look of longing, like she wanted to give in to the urge to snuggle up to the man, but also in her eyes was hesitance and even a touch of fear. In this moment, she hated this phobia of hers more than she ever had before, and with a heavy sigh she settled into her pillow and allowed her eyes to drift closed.

Stace had a vague idea of what her problem was, but remained still, hoping that she could settle down without too much problem. "Night." He mumbled once she was still.

Seras simply offered him a sleepy smile and a nod since she couldn't speak. Then she threw caution to the wind and inched her way a little closer, stretching her hand out across the bed until she was almost touching his arm, but not. She sighed; she knew he would understand what she was feeling, and she was trying her hardest to just go with what felt right, but she simply could not cross the divide that separated them, not yet...

Stace was quite aware of her predicament, but the best thing he could offer was a non threatening presence. Her proximity was close enough for him to get a good night's sleep, and hopefully his presence wouldn't disturb her in her sleep.


Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations

It took a while for Seras to track down Chief Petty Officer Andrea Carter, who had served on the Katana with Nathan and Jhu previously, but now it seemed she was on Earth, stationed at the Daystome Institute with her wife, the android Maica. Even discovering that had not gotten Seras in touch with the woman any faster as apparently the couple were taking some much needed leave time for a honeymoon and R&R. They were still on Earth, but incognito, though eventually Seras did manage to patch a channel to the small, rustic cabin where the two were enjoying their newly wedded bliss. It took a while for the communique to be answered, but once Seras finally saw the red-haired ex-Borg, she wasted no time in explaining the deal with Andy.

Andy, for her part, remained dumbstruck for a long while, staring at this tiny little slip of a woman trying to tell her that Nathan was still alive. "Wait, so let me get this straight..." Andy said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jhu thinks Nathan is alive and is reaching out to her through her dreams?"

"Yes, that is it, exactly!" Seras replied with a chipper smile, thinking that maybe it had been that easy to convince Andy of the truth.

"Ok, lets assume, for shits and giggles, that Nathan actually had that sort of ability even though he's human... Maica saw him die! The Talosian illusions wouldn't work on her, she's an android, she saw him go over the edge of that cliff!" the cynical Engineer replied.

"I do not know all the particulars of that event, I'm just contacting you to verify some information from Nathan," Seras continued, somewhat deflated now that she had seen how unbelieving Andy was. "He whispered something to me about an event in the holodeck. It was something Jhu should have no knowledge of."

Andy opened her mouth to offer a retort, then nodded in reluctant acceptance; yeah, that sounded like something Nathan would do, and it was actually a pretty good idea. "Tell me everything he said."

Seras then began to repeat everything that Nathan told her about the incident on the Katana where Andy had broken down emotionally while they were in the holodeck, even the part where the ex-Borg woman wiped snot off onto Nathan's jacket.

"Yeah, he would have to tell you that story..." Andy replied with a roll of her mismatched eyes, "but every detail is correct, and he never woulda told Jhu about that day." The only conclusion that Andy could draw was that this Seras girl got the information from the source, meaning Nathan was somehow alive!

"Ah, thank you!" Seras said with a relieved sigh. "I will be pleased to tell Jhu that you have confirmed this information!"

"You do that," Andy said with a grin. "So what's the plan now? You guys are going after him now that you have proof of life, right?"

"Oh, yes! Jhu said his father is an admiral, so we should not get into too much trouble for violating General Order 7 again," Seras replied with an assuring nod.

"I doubt I'd be able to get out there in time to be help, but let everyone know that me an' Maica will be on the first transport off this rock, so we'll be headed your way as soon as possible. Just keep us in the loop, okay?" Andy said.

"I can most certainly do that," Seras said with a chipper smile. "Travel safely!"

They exchanged a few more words and then the connection was terminated, leaving Seras to returned to the chair at Jhu's side and consider what she should do next. She could just wait to tell Jhu once she'd woken up and give her some time alone with her boyfriend, but Seras was really excited to tell her, not to mention she got the feeling that Jhu was the sort of person who would want to know as soon as possible, meaning now! Seras weighed her options, then eventually decided to re-establish the connection with Jhu's mind to give both Nathan and Jhu the good news!

In the dream, Nathan sat on the couch very close to Jhu. He was looking down over her shoulder at the little bundle that she cradled in her arms. "I can't wait for this to be real." He whispered to Jhu as his slipped his arms around her waist.

"Neither can I." Movement near the door caught her eye, and Jhu looked up to find Seras joining them again. With the baby cradled in her arms, she was unable to wave the other woman over, but she nodded a greeting anyway.

Seras smiled warmly at the sight of the two of them together with their baby; the Cairn woman couldn't wait to make this dream a reality for the two of them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might like to know as soon as possible..." Seras started in a soft tone. "I was able to confirm the information he gave me; I believe he's real and not just a figment of a memory or dream."

"Well its been nice knowing both of you," Nathan said with a grin "cause Andy is going to kill me for sharing that with a stranger. Thank you..." it hit him that this Cairn woman had yet to tell Nathan her name. "Um, what's your name?"

"She didn't seem too upset when I spoke with her," Seras replied, oblivious to the silent but deadly danger that was the wrath of Andy. "Oh, my name is Seras," she answered to Nathan with a cheerful smile. "Now, if we're to rescue you, is there anything we need to know about where you are or what's going on?"

"Shes a very bitter red head." Nathan said and just left it at that. "Seras, its nice to meet you. Thank you for all your help. My captors rely completely on their mental abilities. I could have already escaped this place if there was anywhere for me to go." He explained. " They have taught me how to notice when they are using their powers, its actually how I noticed that this dream was off. I guess when you use your powers it gives off the same effect." Nathan pointed across Jhu to the corner of the room. "You see that shimmer or sparkle there?" He asked Jhu.

Looking in the indicated direction, Jhu squinted a little and then she saw it. "I didn't even notice that before."

"Oh, that is not normal in your type of dreaming?" Seras asked so innocently oblivious to the workings of non-Cairn minds.

"It's hard to explain. But not exactly." Nathan said to Seras, "But more on point, anyone who comes down here is going to be bombarded mentally. I don't suppose you keep a spare android around?" Why doesn't Starfleet just send androids down to Talos anyways Nathan thought to himself.

Jhu shook her head. "No androids on the Camelot. It'll probably be me and Kris... and my mom... and your dad..."

"I will go," Seras spoke up hesitantly. "I will go with you. I do not know the specifics of the Talosian abilities, but I have enough reason to believe I can withstand their tricks better than anyone else."

Nathan held his hand up to Seras, and turned fully to Jhu. "Your mom and my dad?!"

"Yes, she says your dad is an admiral and will make sure we don't all go to jail for rescuing you!" Seras said, almost proudly.

"Well I wasn't going to tell a Starfleet admiral 'no, you can't come with us.' I have enough black marks on my record without pissing off your father." Jhu snickered a bit.

Nathan glanced at Seras and then back at Jhu. "Fair enough." He sighed, looking tired. "Just come get me. I'm tired of this gilded cage. I need to come home."

"We're going to. But I need your dad to get to the Camelot first." Jhu wasn't sure exactly what the plan was yet, but she knew it was something they'd have been in serious trouble for if they discussed it over subspace.

The USS Camelot's diplomatic away team lead by First Officer Statford Brooks with the Camelot's Ship's Counselor accompanying had been on the surface Hamelin for several hours, but what seemed like damn near eternity for starship Captain Kristopher Kerouac who remained aboard the Camelot. The starship remaining in close proximity of the planet played the waiting game, a game of cunning wits and patience. Patience, however, was not Kerouac's strongest virtue. As the hours went by on the surface, the USS Camelot found herself with some unwanted company.

In his Ready Room, Captain Kerouac sat in his chair glaring with fierce intensity at his computer monitor which was sharing the same feed the ship's sensors and main viewer were displaying. [i]Like circling sharks[/i] he thought as he sat up in his chair. The Camelot was on yellow alert, a very high yellow alert that was itching like an infected scabbed over wound. Kris' blood running through his veins, pulsating and making the yellow alert feel more like an orange alert...something mixed between the standard yellow alert and a red alert. One USS Camelot and five Kzinti battle cruisers that were legit circling the Camelot. “I cannot take much more of this” he muttered to himself. The Kzinti had not hit his ship. Not yet at least. The lead Kzinti vessel had fired one shot across Camelot's bow, a miss but a clearly intentional one...a warning shot.

“Captain, you an incoming subspace transmission” came a soft yet shaky voice. The voice a rather unexperienced officer, the ensign at tactical station who was serving as a relief officer. Kris informed the young ensign to patch it through to his Ready Room where his screen went from showing the 'shark infested space' around him to that of a cozy little office. The Federation Secretary of Defense looking tired and worn, but still commanding respect.

She leaned forward and looked at the screen as though looking into Kris' eyes. “By the look on your face, Captain Kerouac, I assume the situation has not changed” the woman said with a firm tone of experienced that highlighted the fact that she meant business.

Kris nodded. “For the time being, no. The five Kzinti battle cruisers are still circling us. However, the away team's most recent reports indicate Kzinti are on the planet's surface now. I have confirmed that with scans of the planet's surface. They have small parties on the planet” said Kris, informing the woman of the updated situation.

The woman let out a frustrated sigh. “Hardly an act of aggression, but a provocative act nonetheless. It is procedural and common courtesy to ask permission to transport people down to a Federation planet or otherwise” she said shaking her head.

The Camelot's Captain scoffed “Courtesy is hardly something the Kzinti are known for” he said with a bitterness. “There was a cave in on the planet. Some of the natives were injured, no deaths to report. My people were able to help free the trapped miners, and we could not confirm with certainty that the Kzinti were involved, but you know my thoughts on that matter. Things don't just happen” he said shaking his head.

“Agreed” she said with a shaking of her own head. “The Kzinti Patriarchy is laying claim to Hamelin. Federation world or not, they have begun putting small parties on the planet's surface, have demanded that the inhabitents leave or be removed by force and that we concede our rights to Hamelin over to them immediately” she stated.

Kris looked at her in a disgusted manner. “And the Federation Council and Starfleet Command have what...actually considered this?” he asked almost worried what he would hear.

The woman took a very deep breath and there was a long pause. “Considered, yes. There are a lot of things at stake here, Captain. We have fought several wars and have had many skirmishes in the past few decades. I needn't remind you that the Federation was severely weakened by the Dominion War, the Borg Invasion, and the whole incident with the Typhon Pact. We just cannot afford going to war over something like this. Hamelin is a small planet with a small population. It is one of our most remote worlds and is of no strategic value to us.”

Kerouac was disgusted. He shot up from his seat and leaned over his desk. “Excuse me, Madam Secretary, but when did the Federation become so revolting. That's damn sickening. There are people on that planet...Federation citizens, and you are telling me that we cannot provide them with protection? That we are just going to turn the planet over to the Kzinti?”

“Look, Captain Kerouac. I do not like this any more than you do. We are not going to hand over the planet to the Kzinti. We are not in the business of deciding these things for the population of a world. However, the matter will be in the hands of the local government. The paperwork is being finalized now. The Federation is revoking the membership of Hamelin, and surrendering all power over to the Governess of Hamelin. It will be in her hands now whether they remain an independent sovereignty or join the Kzinti Patriarchy” she said simply. “You are to recall your away team, Captain.”
“What?!” shouted Kris. “You want me to pull my men off that planet and leave orbit? You are not offering the people of Hamelin anything...just certainty of death. The Kzinti will just wipe these people out or at the very least enslave them. Are we going to just turn a blind eye to that?”

“Captain Kerouac, you have your orders. You would be wise to abide by them or be prepared to face another Court Martial...and we know how well your last one went, Captain” she said in a very serious tone. “I am sorry, but there is nothing that can be done” she said as she reached to end the transmission.

“STOP” said Kerouac swiftly. “Fine, I will obey these orders and leave these people, but I want one thing before I leave. Grant me the authority and duty to deliver these people their sovereignty myself. Allow me to mediate between them and whomever they wish to negotiate with, even if its with these damn Kzinti” asked Keroauc.

There was another long pause. “I do not know what you are planning, Captain, but I caution you once again. There are rules and regulations, you cannot afford to not abide by them anymore. You have too many strikes against you as it is” she said. “Request granted, Captain” she added before cutting transmission. A few short minutes later, Kerouac received his formal approval and the data regarding the Federations decision to renounce Hamelin as a member world.

There was a great deal of stress on the Captain's shoulders and a lot on his mind. What the Federation had just done, what Starfleet Command had supported...it was all weighing on Kris and he physically felt sick from all of it. Abandoning the Guidon was not right by anyone's moral compass, especially his. Sure, he disobeyed regulations, broke rules, and threw caution the wind enough times in his life to end up in prison, but he was free now and still under the strict and ever watchful eyes of Starfleet Command. He did not want to disobey orders and he did not want to piss anyone one off, but he had something up his sleeve... he just needed to convince the Guidon Governess of Hamelin that it was the right option.

Presently though, it was matters of the heart that had him aching. When he commanded the USS Katana, Kris had fallen deeply in love with his Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Liam Cohen. However, after the whole Talos IV incident and Kris being sent away to prison, Liam never once wrote, never once visited, and for that Kristopher was bitter. It was clear now that Kris was out of prison that the relationship had ended, that it was too brittle to withstand his imprisonment.

Kerouac sincerely doubted he would ever see or hear from Liam again, and doubted that he'd ever truly forgive the man, but he knew deep down that it was asking too much of anyone to hold onto a relationship where one person was behind bars for lack of better term. Kris most certainly knew he was not ready for a relationship and he was not looking for love, but in recent days he had felt flashes of attraction for one of his officers.

Why? The Captain asked himself. I am aboard a ship full of attractive specimens of various species and I find myself attracted to them he thought shaking his head. He had dropped his head down on the table only to resurface a few moments later and find that the Bolian crewmen, the lounge manager was walking towards Kris' table. Oh dear God no he thought as the young jovial man approached and took a seat across from the Captain.

“You are looking awfully blue, today, Captain” said the Bolian with a chipper tone. “How about I get you something nice to eat...perhaps a warm fruity drink to cheer your right up and turn that scowl into a smile?” offered the young blue skinned man.

How about I don't throw up on you and we call it a day thought Kris as he groaned slightly. “Good evening, Crewmen. I am fine. Really. Just go back to your duties” replied the Captain. “Please” he added.

The Bolian scoffed and gestured dismissively with his hand. “Nonsense, Captain. I have everything under control down here, and besides, part of my duties is keeping the crew morale up...and the Captain looks like he could use someone right now” replied the Bolian.

More than you know thought Kris as he nearly bit his lip. “I am fine” the Captain repeated.

“Looks more like you have something on your mind...or someone” said the Bolian placing his hand over Kris' “Why don't you just tell them how you feel?”

Kerouac quickly pulled his hand back and looked at the Bolian. “Don't overstep boundaries, Crewmen” spat Kris gritting his teeth. “I don't know what I FEEL or if I FEEL anything. Besides, it is too complicated” countered Kris.

The Bolian shook his head. “If you did not feel anything, you would not be here sulking. Life is always complicated, Captain. So is romance. Now, are you going to order anything or just take up space at one of my tables?”

Kris looked at the Bolian. “I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I'll go...somewhere where Bolians can't get me to open up” he said as he stood up from the table with all plans to go back to his Ready Room.