The meeting was dismissed and officers began to file out of the briefing room one by one. Noah just sat there watching. The CO had asked him to stay back and he just assumed so the two could talk in private. Noah was a rather late transfer, almost at zero hour he was added to the senior staff. He was sure Commander Kerouac had questions or comments or something. This of course was all new to him. To even be a department head had surprised him. He spent the last decade within the confines of Starfleet academia, he was amongst peers who were studying the same thing, the only diversity was either the subjects they were learning or the various aliens that represented worlds all over the Federation. But here, here was going to be different. He would be interacting with people who joined Starfleet for other reasons and went into other areas of the fleet. He would be encountering species in the great unknown that no doubt a textbook hadn't even prepared him for. This would be a new challenge, but one he would face head on.

Having dismissed the meeting of his Senior Staff and the advisors such as Maica, Commander Kerouac had asked for Doctor Evans to remain behind. Kris was looking over the man's transfer orders and bits of service information. "Double the degree, double the trouble" Kris said jokingly as he broke the silence. "I haven't been in Command of a starship for very long, Doctor...or do you prefer Lieutenant?" began Kris adding the question at the end.

"Doctor is fine," Noah answered.

Kris nodded. "Regardless, you are quite fascinating. I haven't been commanding long but I am quite aware that one simply does not see an officer such as yourself come aboard a Starship. Two very remarkable degrees and an extensive background in both Science and Medicine. I was hoping to see some glowing recommendations from previous Commanding Officers, but it seems as though you have thus far been a career student" said the Commander setting the PaDD aside.

"Normally, this would deter a Commanding Officer from having someone serve as a Department Head given lack of actual service on a Starship or even an Outpost of some sort. Instead, you've sitting in chairs and learning everything you can. It may be risky to have someone like you as my Chief Science Officer, but I feel that the risk may be a lot less than the reward. I'm officially accepting theses orders and I'll be expecting a lot out of you" Kerouac continued.

This time Noah nodded. He had never been told he was fascinating and he was quite proud of his accomplishments but yet he was taken slightly aback. But, it was all good as well. "I appreciate that sir," he finally said. "But believe me when I say, being given the spot took me by surprise. The planetary sciences division was quite adamant that I take a shipboard assignment." He offered the commander a smile. "But, I assure you sir, you will never get less then my best."

Kris looked at the man and smiled. "I think that it is safe to say that a lot of us were surprised by this. I was not anticipating my assignment to serve as First Officer to result in my promotion and advancement to being Commanding Officer. I doubt Crewmen Corbin expected to be assigned to a starship tasked with exploring the Gamma Quadrant. The poor girl is barely out of High School and she's so far from home. There's that lieutenant in Intelligence... He seems like he doesn't quite know what to do as Assistant Chief. Commander t'Dharvanek never wanted to be Second Officer but I gave her the position anyways. In a way, this ship seems to be about surprises... be they good or be they bad" said Kris softly.

Noah couldn't help but smile when he heard the 'that lieutenant in intelligence.' He wasn't one to really like surprises, there were obvious reasons for that one. His assignment to the Katana was a huge surprise, one he wasn't even sure how to take. "Sometimes, surprises force people to accept their predicament more readily and easily. It is sink or swim and I don't know about you, but I prefer to keep my head above water."

"Sometimes, I feel like I am too good at holding my breath for far too long. I don't necessarily sink as much as I dive down and wait until I have to resurface for air" countered Kris. "But I am starting to see that I can't dive or sink as Commanding Officer. I have to swim for the good of the ship."

He understood that feeling, it was a feeling he had been dealing with for as far back as he could remember. He held the commander's gaze, there were two reasons for that. The first was to keep the other man's lips in his sight line, the second was he wanted to show he was paying attention. He had been accused in the past that being deaf had allowed him to not pay attention when he didn't want. It was an absurd thought, he always paid attention, he had no choice. People had also accused him of using his disability as an excuse which again wasn't the truth. He though by this point in history, people would be more enlightened and accepting, he was sorely wrong. He nodded. "That is a good attitude to have captain, but it can't just be you who swims for the good of the ship. We all have a role to play and if you were to happen to start sinking we are here to be your life preserver." Okay, so he knew that sounded cliche, but it was how he felt about the situation.

Kris smiled warmly. "I do not really have a family, Doctor nor a home. The stars have always been my home and the crew my family. I really hope that as Commanding Officer, I can start creating the family that I have always wanted."

Noah returned the smile, how could he not. He understood completely. Sure he had Kyle - just barely - but academia was his family. He loved learning, it was what he wrapped himself up in when he felt alone and scared. There was something about the commander that he was instantly drawn too. Maybe it was the idea of feeling isolated. "I think you will succeed captain," he said. "Call it a hunch I suppose," his smile broadened as he drew quite. After a few beats of silence passed, he spoke. "Would you maybe like to have lunch sometime, sir?" he asked. It was kind of an impulsive question, but he himself was a friendly guy so questions like this were the norm for him.

Kris gave a small smile and nodded. "Lunch sounds wonderful. After his whole ordeal with the pirates is over, I would be honored to have lunch with you" added Kris. What is with all these people wanting to have lunch or dinner with me? First the Chief Medical Officer and now my Chief Science Officer? thought Kris with a blush. I don't suppose that Noah is interested in me as well but I have to be prepared for that possibility.

"Great, I look forward to it," Noah said. He was glad the other man accepted his invitation, they were all going to be together for a long while and it felt it was good to build friendships and comradery. "Well, if there isn't anything else captain I should probably go and meet my staff."

"Have fun, Doctor" said Kris with a pleasant smile.

Noah Evans had wandered the Katana for a while before finally heading to the primary science lab. Having been given a brief rundown of the science department, he had been a told a cadet was going to be serving his 4th year cruise on board. The prospect of this had been exciting to Noah, mostly because he would be the cadet's mentor, he would be the one imparting his knowledge onto the young man. He entered the lab, there were a few people at various workstations, some looked up and others just continued doing their work. That didn't bother Noah in the least, he didn't stand on ceremony concerning these types of things. He would eventually meet with them all to get to know them anyway. He spotted the blue-skinned Saurian and approached. "Cadet Bariz?" he said once he was in front of the shorter man. He offered an easy-going smile. "I am Doctor Noah Evans," he said as he extended a hand to the fourth year cadet. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cadet Bariz had been cleaning off a piece of equipment when he heard his name being called. He turned quickly, a bit started by the fact that someone had actually called specifically for him and they had even remembered his name. It wasn't Cadet Saurian or anything like that. The Saurian Starfleet Cadet's blue-skinned face turned a gentle shade of violet around his cheeks as he bowed his head with a small smile.

Studying the hand for a moment, the cadet extended his own hand though it did not have the five digits like the Doctor's. He had four digits and they were significantly longer than those of the human. They were also rather sticky and could cling onto things much easier. This was why the Cadet wore white gloves that were designed for his hands and they 'fit like a glove' as the silly Earth saying went.

The Saurian equivalent to the human hand shake was something entirely different. On his home world, it was fine and quite appropriate to do. However, he learned during his first week on Earth that the Saurian greeting was best left at home. Cadet Bariz followed the human greeting and shook hands with the man. "The pleasure to meet is mine" the Saurian said in a soft croaking tone with some clearing of phlegm.

Noah nodded. The UT in his commbadge transmitted - mostly - any alien language to his hearing aids. Most times, he just pieced it together the best he could, it was good he was proficient at it and had a lot of practice over the years. "Do you have a few minutes to chat cadet," he said.

The Saurian nodded. "I am. They has not tasked me to do much today, just to clean here and there. So, I do have time to chat."

"Alright, good." Noah led the young Saurian to his office, which at the moment was just a desk, his chair, a guest chair, a work terminal, a large monitor on the bulkhead and some shelves. He had yet to decorate. "Please have a seat," he said indicating the chair with his hand. He rounded his desk and slid into his chair and leaned back. He was relaxed and he wanted the cadet to be as well. Once the cadet was seated, he spoke. "I will be supervising you during your cadet tour, evaluating your work, etc." he felt he didn't need to explain his role since every cadet knew what they were getting themselves into. "But the reason I wanted to speak with you is I just wanted to know more about you. What your scientific interests are and what you plan to do after you graduate?"

The Cadet took a seat and entertained the conversation. "After I graduate? I suppose just go to where I am assigned. I am most interested in deciding what I want to do. I have been balancing my sciences courses in two strength areas social sciences like Xeno Sociology as I have an interest in Lingustics and communications but I also like Astrophysics" explained the Saurian.

"Those are definitely good areas to study," Noah said. "Especially being in the Gamma Quadrant, you will no doubt get a chance to put those skills to the test if we were to encounter an unknown race."

The cadet was quite happy with that. "Do you really think so? I am only a fourth year cadet. Would anyone want my help?"

Noah nodded. "I do think so. Fourth year cadet, commissioned officer or a crewman makes no difference to me. We are all a team, we all have to work together and more than that we all bring something to the table. I will always encourage any of the people under me to speak up, to share their thoughts and/or opinions." He paused, then continued, "I might be chief science officer but that doesn't mean I am trained in all aspects of science. I actually got my medical degree before I got my doctorate in plants. I will definitely rely on you and all the others who have different specialties to offer up your suggestions and advice and I am hoping others will feel the same."

The Cadet nodded. "I'll be here if you ever need me."

Noah nodded as well. "And that goes for me as well cadet."

The Captain of the USS Katana sat in the Briefing Room waiting the arrival of those he had summoned to have a meeting with him. Commander Kristopher N. Kerouac had a difficult decision to make in regards to the creature that been brought aboard the Katana, a creature that he had named Shira and had been allowing to roam the corridors and other public areas of the starship with a sense of freedom. However, some officers have voiced great concern about Kris' decision and he knew that as ship's Captain he could not hide behind his command position as an excuse for his actions. He needed to listen to all sides around him in order to decide what to do with Shira.

Kris suspected that his strongest opposition would come from his First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Zanaar. In addition to Tul Zanaar, Commander Kerouac summoned his Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek. Kerouac and t'Dharvanek were not the greatest of friends by any means. They did not mince words and if they were on opposing on the matter of Shira... it was going to be an uphill battle for Kris. Rounding out the invite to the Captain's private meeting were Katana's Chief Science Officer and Chief Medical Officer, perhaps the only two who would be in attendance that could actually tell the crew what Shira was to some extent and what her needs were or weren't. The Final guest to the meeting was the woman that Kris was counting on to be his strongest supporter, Maica, Katana's Chief Diplomatic Officer.

Jhu had just sent off her weekly intelligence report and retrieved a fresh cup of jasmine tea from the replicator when the message came through, and she groaned as she slid the cup back into the replicator to be recycled. As if the regularly scheduled briefings weren't enough, now she had to play nice during surprise meetings too. I swear, if he pulls another of those 'Romulans cannot be trusted' stunts again... Forcing a smile on her face, she left the tiny office behind and took her time walking to the turbolift. The trip up to the briefing room was far shorter than she really liked, and as she entered, she hoped that anyone else had been the first to respond.

Kris felt himself tense up inside when Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek walk into the Briefing Room. "It would be like this, wouldn't it?" said Commander Kerouac with a simple shake of his head. He gestured for the Intelligence Officer to have a seat. "You would be the first to arrive. Fair enough. Be that as it may, you and I are going to have to learn to get used to this... us working together" said Kris with a forced smile.

He then stood up from his seat and proceeded over to the food replicator system to order a beverage. "One bottle of green apple soda, chilled" Kris said placing his order. "May I get you anything, Commander?" he asked as kindly as he could muster.

"I could leave and come back when everyone else is here if you'd like." Jhu managed an amused smile as she picked out a chair and sat down. She expected more sharp-tongued barbs, and when Kris instead tried - really, really tried - to be friendly instead, she couldn't help giving him a puzzled, slightly suspicious look. "You're right, we do have to work together, for the sake of the crew." As long as he was trying to be nice, she figured she could dial back her own temper and blow off any steam later. "There's a jasmine green tea blend saved under my name. Just warm, not scalding."

Kris sat his bottle on the table and returned to the replicator. "One order of Commander t'Dharvanek's Jasmine tea, warm" ordered the Commander, soon picking the cup of tea up and placing it in front of the Intelligence Officer. "You're looking quite lovely today, Commander. How are things with the Intelligence Department? Can Commander Zanaar or I get you anything else down there?"

What is going on? Jhu wondered as she picked up the cup and took a hesitant sip of the warm liquid. "What we're really lacking is real estate, but with the Intrepid class being science oriented, I doubt there's any space left to rededicate. So, no... I don't think there's anything more you can do for us right now. I appreciate the offer though."

Tul had been in his quarters before the call for a briefing came through. He suspected this unscheduled meeting had to do with the creature he and his away team had brought aboard. Tul had been spending the past few days collecting his thoughts on the girl and compiling a report. Now, he downloaded the report to a PADD and headed out of his quarters.

Tul looked up from the PADD he held as he entered the briefing room. He'd heard his name. Only the Captain and Chief of Intel were already in the room. Surprisingly, the attitude in the room was far less hostile than usual. "Captain?" Tul asked, puzzled.

Kris picked up his bottle of soda for the table, twisted off and took a quick swig of the sour and carbonated drink. It made him pucker slightly as his glossed over the Andorian with his eyes. "Commander" said Kris with a small smirk. "Nice to see the opposition has arrived" added Kris jokingly, walking by the Andorian and patting him on the shoulder.

Entering and seeing drinks were on the table, Maica headed directly to the replicator, punching up Maica Supplement 47 - a stemmed wine glass filled with a thick and viscous pale blue liquid. Taking the glass and nodding to Kris, she gave a cursory "Morning Captain" before sipping her drink and heading to her usual seat.

"Good morning, Lieutenant" replied Kris with a small nod in Maica's direction as he settled himself in his seat at the head of the table.

The last couple of days had been rough on Noah, but no one would have ever known. He still wore that easy-going smile he always wore. He was a professional after all and when you were a professional you left your personal problems at the door. His personal problems didn't ever interfere with his work, he didn't allow it too. With PaDD in hand he entered the briefing room, offered a smile to each person who already was in the room and took the same seat had sat in in his very first meeting on board the Katana.

Liam sat quietly at the table a PADD in his hand going over the latest Medical evaluation on Shira. The creature seemed to being doing well, but most of his analysis was conjecture based on what he'd seen so far. He leaned back in his seat slightly, trying not to stare at Kris too much.

With everyone having finally arrived, gathering around and taking a seat at the table, Kris looked out at met the gaze of each and every crew member in attendance. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I have called this meeting to discuss the creature that we brought back from the Wadi home planet. Obviously said creature is not Wadi nor Ferengi. We have determined that the creature was being held against her will. She has been liberated from Daimon Marg but that has only left us with additional questions and problems that we must work on. I would like this to be an open discussion to address comments, questions or concerns that any of you may hold" said Kris looking around the room.

"I open the floor to anyone who wishes to speak. However, the creature as we have called her will from now on be called Shira. So, please take that into consideration while discussing the well being of Shira" added Kris.

"Well, from what I can tell, she's in decent health, she's recovered from the majority of her injuries, we're still monitoring her closely. I'm still trying to make sense of her genetics, it appears that her species evolved many traits in common with plants. If this is a natural evolution, genetic engineering, or an advanced case of endosymbiosis remains to be seen. She is still slightly malnourished but stronger than she was. I feel the best course moving ahead is to let her recover in her own time as opposed to intensive medical intervention. The former should also prevent any further psychological trauma." Liam reported.

Kris leaned back in his chair and sipped on his green apple beverage. "Fascinating" he said in response to Doctor Cohen.

"I'm... not certain I qualify to give an opinion. I haven't met our little fairy yet, and the notes I was able to get don't tell me much. From what I've gathered, she doesn't seem dangerous. Just... unusual." Jhu sipped her tea, wondering just where this conversation was going to go.

Lieutenant Commander Kerouac smiled at Jhu and nodded. "That she is" added Kris as he looked around the table for more input.

Raising her hand momentarily, Maica spoke up. "She's happy at least. All of her singing and humming is a string of good emotive praise for everything she's experienced since coming on board and the few times she's been negative about things it's pretty obvious, like when someone tried feeding her a hotdog. Even then though, it's an emotive response relating to how good it is or isn't, so further translation in the immediate future will be limited." Finished speaking for the moment, she took a sip of her drink. It may have looked like a cocktail or liquor, but it was actually a fruity scented silicone lubricant she needed to drink every so often.

Kris cleared his throat and shook his head. "I cannot fathom who would try to feed a hot dog to an unknown species... moving on" said Kris with a smile at Maica and avoiding making contact with the Science and Medical personnel.

Noah had 'listened' intently, he was glad the young alien was given a name, she deserved that much. "Maybe I can help her communicate," he said. "Sign language is my first language and Federation standard is my second." He looked around the room at the other officers. "I think, at least, it could be a good start."

"We should also be prepared to deal with her psionic abilities." Liam added, "She's demonstrated basic telekineses, there's a good chance we may also be able to communicate telepathically, especially a Betazoid or Vulcan crewmember." The CMO added.

He wasn't sure who was a Betazoid on board and at this point he only knew of one Vulcan - or half Vulcan anyway. But Noah nodded in agreement. "I'd be happy to work with that person as well," he said. Being the scientist on board, he wanted to be as involved as possible. He would help out in anyway he could.

"Could Verak do it? He's half Vulcan... or..." Jhu paused, thinking for a moment. "There's a woman too... science blue. Don't know her name."

"Lieutenant T'Val Kejal? Assistant Chief Science Officer." Liam provided.

"Uh... that's probably her, yeah." Jhu hid her frown by taking another sip of her tea. Between being intelligence and being second officer, she should have known that.

Tul had remained quite up to this point. He had been listening to the opinions of the crew. Theirs were becoming quite clear. His, however, was quite different. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Excuse me, Captain..."

Noah had opened his mouth to say the name of the science officer in question but the CMO had effectively cut him off. It was something he was used to, it always too a moment for him to listen then find his voice, but more times then not he got cut off at the pass. It rolled off his back, it was the norm. Besides, she was only half-Vulcan she might not fit what was needed.

Kris looked at Tul and held a finger up for a moment. He then looked at the Chief Science Officer "Proceed with your idea involving signing. I recall something about ancient Apes on Earth learning sign language. I know she is not an ape but perhaps this is an avenue for us to explore" said Kris.

Noah nodded. "Yes sir."

Commander Kerouac then looked at the Chief Medical Officer. "Doctor, I would like to have further study of Shira's neural functions before exploring any sort of telepathic link. I'm concerned that a mind meld or any sort of telepathic link could be dangerous and I will not order either Verak or Kjal to put their lives in jeopardy" Kris said firmly before looking back at the Andorian.

"Commander Zanaar, you had something to ask?" said Kris.

"Is it wise to so readily allow this creature to remain on-board? Sure, we can run our own tests and make our own conclusions. But Starfleet Science is far more suited to this task.... And to handle the risks involved. We do not know... Shira's full potential or even her intent. Several people, including one of Katana's crew, were openly attacked by this creature," Tul said, addressing what he felt many of the others had failed to recognize.

"Because she was terrified," Jhu interrupted, with no concern of whether or not it was appropriate. "Suppose I captured you off your homeworld, tied you up, and put an electrified collar on your neck that shocked you when you displeased me. Assume we can't speak the same language. You don't know what I want, but I keep hurting you. After you escape, another being you can't understand or communicate with follows you. Any one of us would strike out. If you say you wouldn't, either you're lying or you've never had to entertain the idea of that sort of capture." She leaned forward on the table, sliding her teacup to the side. "Until you look at this from a captive's point of view, you won't understand. She hasn't harmed anyone else, despite ample opportunity to do so."

Oh you've been dished a hot spoonful of shut the hell up thought Kris after watching the exchange between his First Officer and Second Officer.

"Yet," Tul added mildly, awaiting the captain's response.

"I feel I should remind you that Shira was under severe duress, AKA torture, and Starfleet has policy on sentients under duress. They're not to be held directly responsible for their actions or words during that time as they may have been forced or autonomous uncontrolled reactions. Hence, as a diplomat, I am unable to allow myself to factor in her actions during those events as a likely response to the treatment we've given her thus far. There is a concern regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but given time and care I know she'll recover from her capture, imprisonment, and torture to a significant degree." Maica was almost reciting her dissertation she wrote for graduation word for word. She didn't expect to have to bring that up with a senior officer though. "Thus I recommend cautious friendship and making her a part of our family until such time as we can one, find her home, and two, ask her officially if she would prefer to stay aboard and become a member of the crew and a Federation citizen or to go home to her people." Finally finished with her robotic recitation, she took a sip of her silicone supplement made to look like a cocktail.

"Good points all around but before I get a headache... I'll add my own two cents" said Kris briskly. He looked around the table, ensuring that all attention was on him now. "Shira..." Kris said firmly, making sure that he made eye contact with his Andorian First Officer "...Is a guest on this starship, Commander Zanaar. We will treat her as such. With that said, however, she does pose a potential danger as do we all to some extent. We'll be cautious yet courteous. Our primary mission of this starship will not change yet we must not neglect our responsibilities to Shira, to establish contact with her and help help find her way home."

"Cautious?" Tul snorted, "Last I heard she had reign of the hydroponics bay and free run of the ship. Without escort, no less." He wasn't going to be shut down by the Intelligence and Diplomatic chiefs. A starship had protocols; safety of the crew foremost. "Starfleet Science is still far more suited than we are to try communicating with her. If," he emphasized the word, "we find her homeworld, we would let Science know. Starfleet isn't into keeping pets," Tul focused on Jhu specifically before turning his attention back to the captain. He knew and understood that Shira was very much sentient. But the hand feeding and hand-in-hand walks that some of the crew were engaging the creature in... Tul shook his head. "Starfleet would put together a proper first contact team to take Shira home. Hell, they might even ask her species if they want to join the Federation."

Liam sat quietly, he didn't really have anything to add, and he felt like the increasing tension was probably going to make things uncomfortable over the next while, regardless of what Kris decided to do.

Kris slammed his fist down on the table and glared at his First Officer. He knew that all eyes were on him. Okay... not the best action to take as Commanding Officer but oh well he thought as his face turned slightly red. "How fucking long do you want us to wait, Commander? How long?!" shouted Kris looking directly at his Andorian First Officer.

"NO!" Kris shouted shaking his head vehemently. "No, I will not turn her over to Starfleet Science. She's not a science project, she's a sentient being. The moment we turn her over to Starfleet Science, she'll be treated much like Daimon Marg treated her. What's the difference between poked and prodded by strange creatures in white lab coats and being chained to a lawless Ferengi? Not a damn thing when you look through her eyes, Commander" said Kris firmly.

Kris stood up from his chair and began to pace the room. "Even if we were to turn her over to Starfleet Science, Commander... how much time? By the time we were to rendezvous with a science vessel or a transport... days would have past... more than likely, it would be weeks. Starfleet would spend months upon months studying her. We are her only hope, Commander."

The look Jhu gave Tul could easily be described as murderous. "Shira is not a pet, and the veiled jabs at my ancestry are not appreciated. Make your point without being insulting." He might be first officer, but that didn't mean she had to put up with that sort of attitude. How would he feel if she poked at him like that? She suspected he wouldn't like it either. "You're essentially proposing that we put a sentient lifeform in a cage. That's inhumane, even by Romulan standards."

Tul didn't register anything Kris said. He was distracted completely from the conversation by Jhu. Antennae crossed in confusion and irritation, he glared at the Intelligence officer. "Now just what are you implying? I never once brought any individual's, seated at this table, history or background. You, Commander... In fact, all of you, should stop taking this so damn personally!" Tul's hand curled into a fist on the table, antennae back aggressively.

Maica was no longer her sweet and loving self - the comments about the Starfleet science division reminded her of how she was treated in her early years by both the Ferengi and by Starfleet engineering before she was cleared by that damned so called intelligence agent that tortured her mentally. "Some of us can't help but take her situation personally, Commander. We've had similar experiences to hers. By protocol, she has default guest access to the ship. Key areas are automatically set to not open for her without an escort. Also, we're supposed to have increased security around said critical areas which I assume has been taken care of by whomever handles the duty roster." She said that part glaring at the Andorian first officer since she knew that was his job. "As for escorting her, I'll take the majority of the shifts and I have my crewman assistant discretely monitoring her right now. As for turning her over to Science like a caged monkey, Captain, if that happens you'll have to send me with her or kill me. I've been through that process with Starfleet intel and engineering teams and I won't allow her to suffer through months or even years of that without at least a familiar face. As for first contact, it's done and over with and there will NOT be second contact. She's obviously from a pre-warp civilization just based on her demeanor and unfamiliarity with the most basic of tools and the Prime Directive strictly applies to the rest of her people. As for her, it's already been violated and we have to deal with that as put forth by other Captains and set regulations as well as what our own Captain has already decided. Ideally, we could erase her memory as per usual in such cases and return her to her people without her knowing she was ever gone, but I'm assuming her plant-like qualities would make that difficult AND we have no way of knowing how far back to erase since we don't know when the Ferengi toad captured her. On top of that, we don't even know where her home is yet so it's pointless even considering that until then." She was almost fuming at this point as these were all simple basic required first year reading points at the academy. Normally, she'd be the one to keep the peace and try to calm everyone down, but Bluebutt's comments just pissed her off too much. "Commander Tul Zanaar, do I have to list the protocol and regulation numbers I just quoted, or can you remember having read them yourself?" Awaiting the inevitable retaliation, Maica downed the last of her silicone lubricant drink and set the stemmed glass down with delicate and intentional precision.

"Stop taking things personally? Then how about we stop with the 'I don't trust you' looks? And perhaps take into consideration that intelligence officers just might know a thing or two about being forcibly confined." Jhu yanked back the sleeve of her uniform jacket, where a webbing of scars had been hidden. "Courtesy of some Dominion 'scientists' who wanted to see how a Romulan could have spots. A Changeling told them I was a 'lower lifeform' and took the translation matrix offline so I couldn't protest. Do you see my point or should I explain what else they did?" She pulled the sleeve straight again. "Our scientists may be less brutal, but it's still unwanted confinement. Do you really want to inflict that on Shira or are you just scared of her?"

Tul was on his feet. He'd had enough of this, more than enough. "I am the first officer of this ship! Both of you will do well to keep that firmly in mind. If you cannot remain objective during this meeting, you and your opinions will be dismissed. This is not the time for re-tellings of past, personal slights. Do I make myself clear!" Tul roared, his face flushed an angry purple.

Maica was on her feet just as quickly, stepping around the table to face Tul directly. "Oh you're the first officer? Does that give you the right to ignore protocol and responsibilities and what the Captain said earlier? Does that give you the right to abandon your own objectivity and professionalism? And does it give you the right to dismiss personal experiences during what we were told was an open discussion? Does it give you the right to demean and ostracize other officers and treat a so far innocent girl as a criminal?" She was expecting and hoping he would hit her but at this point she welcomed it. She'd likely spend some time in the brig, but if it got this asshole in there too, it would be worth it.

"Lieutenant Maica, sit down. You've made your point." Nearly matching Tul in height, Jhu stood up and mirrored his position. "I am the second officer on this ship, and you, sir, are out of line. This is an open forum. Commander Kerouac has welcomed opinions and personal experiences related to the matter at hand." Where he had raged, her voice took on an eerie calmness. "Control your temper and listen to what is being said. Shira cannot speak our language. My fears and Maica's fears about captivity may be all we have to work with, so I respectfully request that you sit your pretty blue butt back down and let us speak." Her eyes glittering with restrained anger, she put her hands on the table and leaned toward him. "Threats will get you nowhere with me. I don't care if you have Sirigh throw me in the brig... I will not allow you to shut down this conversation simply because you do not like it."

Tul's eyes narrowed and his voice dropped, "I do not make idle threats nor will I stand for this insubordination. You, second officer t'Dharvanek, are dismissed..." he turned his head, "And you, Junior Lieutenant Maica, are likewise dismissed. Get out. Commander Kerouac and myself will continue these discussions without you." Tul's conviction was strong, he was not about to back down from his standing, no matter what followed next.

"I think not." Jhu knew for a fact that she had not been insubordinate, but if he was going to accuse her of it, she might as well actually deserve it. "The captain invited me here, and I am staying unless he says otherwise. Furthermore, disagreeing with you and telling you that you're wrong is not insubordination. Neither is exercising my right as second officer to remind you of the rules." Tul was using his power to be a bully, and Jhu didn't like that. She wasn't going to let him bully her into leaving the room. "I have been as respectful as this topic allows me to be. You made it personal, and you ignored the point I was trying to make because you don't like hearing why I don't think Shira should be treated as a captive. Now you are using your position as a weapon, ignoring valid arguments because you don't like what is being said. Starfleet officers do not behave that way, and it is especially unbecoming of a starship's first officer." Having made her point, Jhu turned to Kristopher. "Captain? Your opinion, please?"

Baffled and even angrier, Tul rounded on Jhu again before Kris could answer. "Your argument?! I think everyone here is well aware of your argument. Since my arrival in this room today, I have been under nothing but attack by the three of you," he purposefully included the captain, "As for making things personal, I am not the one sharing sob stories to try to get her way! You, yourself, are invalidating your own arguments with your continued emotional outbursts. I offer only a counter to the options already in place. Counter-options that have not been fully addressed!" On some level, Tul knew he was being harsh but he felt compelled to give as he received. Tul's actual authority had never been addressed, here nor previously. He was out on a limb here, a limb almost completely unsupported. He didn't know what the captain would do.

"Attacked?!? Are you fucking serious right now?" Any respect Jhu had tried to keep hold of flew right out the window. "I debated against your suggestion because I think it's the wrong idea. I haven't attacked anyone! Your counter-option was rejected by the captain before I tried to explain to you what captivity was. Stop taking your anger out on me!" Jhu paused, inhaling rather sharply as she tried to reign herself back in. "I'm not using my experiences to 'get my way.' I only want you - and everyone else - to understand that if we choose to send Shira to Starfleet Science, it is likely she will see it as betrayal. She would likely not trust us, and if she were returned home afterward would likely spread that mistrust. We could, as suggested, try to wipe her memories, but that doesn't always work on familiar species. We have no way of knowing if it would work on her." Pausing again, she sighed, looking down at the table. "This is not a matter of rank or position within the crew. It is a question of how we want Shira to remember us if or when she goes home. Will we be the 'monsters' who put her in a cage to be poked and examined or the 'saviors' who took her from the strange orange troll? You haven't looked at it from her point of view, I promise you that." She looked up at him without raising her head. "Now, if you'd like to call security to have me removed, I will save you the trouble and remove myself once I hear what the captain has to say on this matter. Is that acceptable?"

Maica had been slowly backing away through this latest exchange, now past where she had been sitting and pressed against the back wall. Bluebutt had been acting way too much like her old Nausican guard and she had to wrap her right arm around herself and grip her left arm tightly to keep from shaking. Her emotions were starting to override her other programming as she all but relived him standing over her and ripping her left arm off in that shuttle. He was dead though - she had been able to overload her micro-fusion reactor into the shuttle deck plating, killing him and finally getting away. Looking back up at the fight, she saw Jhu standing up to him the way she was hoping to earlier. He looked ready to rip her arm off as well. But no... The blue man wasn't Nausican... Blinking rapidly, she tried to push away her memories and refocus on the here and now. Tul may be a bully and ignorant of the thousands of protocols and regulations Maica had memorized, but he wasn't one of the ones that abused or tortured her. He hadn't hurt her yet and he wore the uniform of those she had decided to trust with her future existence. For now she had no choice but to cower against that wall and wait for it all to pass.

Kris already had a minor headache when he walked into this Briefing Room for a polite discussion of how to proceed with Shira. But now? Now, his minor headache had evolved rapidly into a near killer. Smacking his face with his hand, Kris slumped forward and let his head head the table. He waited a dew moments before raising his head again and looking around the table. "You two" said Kris looking at Jhu and Tul, "...are going to be the death of me."

The Commander shook his head and took a deep breath. He looked directly at his First Officer and wanted to reach across the table and strangle the Andorian. If you strangle an Andorian... do they turn more blue? I'll have to ask Liam thought Kristopher Kerouac. "You are my First Officer, Commander Zanaar and I do respect your opinion. In fact, I more than respect it... I cherish it. Really, I do. You are supposed to keep me from screwing up, opening my eyes to other opportunities that I may be too blind or stubborn to see. So, thank you. I will restrict Shira access to the ship further. However, she'll be able to freely go to Hydroponic and Airponics as she wishes" Kris said in a strong but passive tone.

"However," said Kris with a little more strength behind it, "...Your authority does not supersede my own. So, keep your blue ass in your seat and remember who commands this starship" added Kris. His focus then shifted to another problem in the room, Jhu.

Tul was not appeased by the captain's small speech. Not in the least. Far too aggravated to sit, he turned and strode across the room to the windows. The Andorian did not feel responsible for the argument. In fact, while the captain had his head in his hands and was ignoring it all, Tul had tried to contain the briefing. His authority had been ignored first by Maica and Jhu, now by the captain himself. He was an XO not a mere adviser. As he watched the stars, Tul's thoughts turned to the possibility of other ships, unaware he was not the only one to do so.

"Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek, you too may remain seated for the time being. Cool down and relax. This may have been an open discussion but I did not mean for this to become a combat zone" Kris said with a small smile. "We all want what we think is best for Shira, even Commander Zanaar."

I would prefer to leave, Jhu thought to herself, slowly sitting down and forcing a strained smile. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry about that... it will not happen again."

Kris then looked at Maica. "Rest assured, I will not allow Starfleet Science to have her. I believe quite strongly in Doctor Evans' abilities and in the abilities of you, Lieutenant and in this crew as a whole. However, we are not going to be able to help Shira if we are turning our meetings into a war zone" added the Commander.

Nodding slowly, Maica thought about prying herself from the wall, but instead stayed there and tried to relax. After all this, the first thought she had was to run a self diagnostic, so she set that as a background process as she focussed on breathing and calming herself.

"Doctor Evans, I meant no disrespect to scientist earlier. I hope that you did not personally take any offense."

Noah sat there in stunned silence, he couldn't believe just what happened. It was a like a photon torpedo had just exploded in the room. It was dysfunctional and certainly not appropriate. He all of a sudden felt like this posting, taking this assignment was not such a great idea. Not when there was this kind of animosity floating around. It would hurt morale immensely. "None taken," he said simply.

Commander Keroauc then flashed a smile at Doctor Cohen. "Doctor, can you please see me after in Sickbay? Believe it or not... I have a pretty nasty headache."

"Of course Captain." He said, Liam had seen a few meetings like this one, but normally not by the senior staff of a starship, he was concerned, news travelled fast on a ship this small, gossip traveled faster, the crew would likely quickly hear of the meeting and it would not be good for moral, he made a mental note to speak to the Captain later about it.

Kris looked back at Tul Zanaar. "In respect of ship's security and the unknown factor that is Shira and her abilities... I'll ensure that Shira is not left unattended. She'll have someone escorting and our Science Department will put their primary focus on studying her. However, they will not be confining her to the labs. They will study from afar and so long as she does not show signs of distress. Commander, I also suggest that you yourself take some time observing her and see if that changes your perspective a bit. Some of us have spent time with Shira and has observed signs that she is actually a very social being and needs social interaction. I cannot speak for you but I know that I would not appreciate being around people and they not acknowledging my existence" said the Commanding Officer.

He looked around the room once again before concluding the meeting. "You all know what you should be doing. Get to it. You're all dismissed" finished Kris.

He gave assignments already? Wondering when that had happened, Jhu picked up a PADD from the table and reviewed the list. Astrometrics? Just thinking about working there made her head hurt, but she smiled tightly and kept her feelings about it to herself... for now. Since they'd been dismissed, she got up without a word, but as she turned toward the door to leave, she saw Maica standing there and looking at Tul like she expected to be beaten to death. Oy, what a mess... She paused by Maica before exiting, putting her hand on Maica's arm. "If you need anything, come find me."

Tearing her eyes off of Tul, Maica forced them towards the floor and nodded to Jhu. After a few more seconds, she left the briefing room and headed back to her 'office' in her quarters. She had reports to write and a translation matrix to work on and hopefully that would distract her.

The green woman stalked the halls looking for Jhu's quarters with a small bottle in her hand. At this time of night everyone was either asleep or at duty stations, but since Maica was a non-sleeping android and had loose duty schedules anyway, any time was ok for her. She just hoped Jhu was still awake. After working on 13 reports for the Starfleet Diplomat Corps as well as getting nowhere on that translation matrix, she was still having issues after the meeting earlier. She had run 3 self-diagnostics, which meant there wasn't an actual failure, but she couldn't help but feel a bit broken.

Ah, here it was. Standing before Jhu's door, she paused for a moment wondering if this was even a good idea. her new friend had until recently been in astrometrics so she should in theory still be awake... Maica decided to do it anyway and pressed the door chime, counting the seconds until there was a reply or a sound of movement.

...huh? Jhu had barely managed to feed Lydek and was still trying to figure out her own dinner when the doorbell rang. Lydek beat her to the door, purring and standing on his hind legs to paw at the metal. "Move it, cat." When Lydek responded by encircling her legs, Jhu picked him up and opened the door with him cradled in her arms. "...Maica? Something wrong?"

Looking a bit weak and defenseless, the android held up the small bottle of unknown spirits. "After the meeting you said... Is it too late? Should I come back later?" Normally she would be composed and professional, but her emotional turmoil left her unsure of herself.

"No, it's all right. Come inside." Jhu stepped back to give Maica room to enter, giving her guest a concerned look. "I hope you don't mind if I eat though... haven't had anything since before the meeting."

Stepping inside, Maica moved towards the table and set the bottle down. "Perfectly alright. Do you prefer I eat something too? I know most people prefer not to eat alone."

"It won't bother me if you don't... but if you want something, go ahead." As soon as the door closed, Jhu put Lydek on the floor, grinning slightly when he instantly rubbed against Maica, looking for attention.

Maica bent down and petted the beautiful kitty and made a few purring and mewing sounds. "I'll have whatever you're having then, if you don't mind. You have a very beautiful pussy. Very soft fur."

"He's a sweetheart too. But he's also a beggar... he'll try to eat your dinner." Deciding on something simple, Jhu set the replicator to produce two warm bowls of miso ramen with a scattering of chives and black pepper. "That meeting was a disaster..."

Finishing petting the cat for now, Maica sat in the offered seat and picked up a pair of chopsticks. "I'd like to say I've seen worse, but not since joining the Federation. Was there anything we could have said that wouldn't have set him off like that?"

"I don't know," Jhu admitted quietly, sitting down and stirring her soup. "Right now I'm not sure I care about his opinion."

"I'm not sure I care for his disregard for protocol." Fishing out a few noodles, Maica slurped them up as quietly as she could.

"Neither do I, and I certainly don't like that his answer to being challenged is to start yelling. Kind of ridiculous, considering I didn't yell at him." Jhu drank some of the broth from her soup.

Maica nodded slowly as she swallowed some more noodles. "Yes abandonment of professionalism as well." Pausing with some noodles on her chopsticks, Maica continued in a weaker voice. "I don't think I like him..."

"I'm pretty sure I don't. He doesn't seem to understand much... which is terrible. Kerouac got what we were saying, and he's dense as a brick." Jhu snickered a little. "Nice when he's not drinking though. Zanaar... I think he needs to loosen up and have a beer. Or something."

Maica tapped the bottle she brought with her free hand. "Slip him some of this if you like. It's a rare form of honey nectar liquor I picked up in a trade agreement. Half a shot will put a Klingon to sleep so mix a few drops with water to dilute it."

"...that actually sounds really nice. Bet it's good in tea." Thinking such a treasure would be wasted on Tul, Jhu got up long enough to get some barely sweetened tea from the replicator, creating a pitcher of it and two empty glasses. "I hate to judge him. Really, I do... Kris is actually quite kind, despite how rough that first meeting was."

"Something they teach us in the Diplomatic Corps is to base your opinions of people on their second greeting. Often a dignitary will be nervous the first time. If they're an asshole both times... well... yeah..." Setting her chopsticks down, Maica unscrewed the bottle and dripped 2 drops into each glass.

"He was drunk the first time." Jhu added the iced tea to each glass then took a sip of the combined liquids. "Holy cow... that's two drops?"

Maica sipped at her glass as well, savoring the complex chemicals as they converted the water in the tea into more alcohol. "Just wait until the reaction stops. The reason it's so rare and illegal to trade is that it converts a lot of the water it reacts with into alcohol as well. Hence why you want to dilute it..." Looking up suddenly, she realized she forgot to mention that part. "Oh yeah... It's legal to own but illegal to trade... This one bottle can permanently contaminate an entire starbase's water supply."

"Relax. You're talking to someone who carries a hidden phaser and three knives in uniform. Which is completely against regs, but I don't intend to stop." A second sip of the drink had the promised stronger taste, and Jhu grinned as she sat back down with it. "Never thought I'd find something better than Romulan ale."

"Romulan ale is definitely good, I'll grant you that. But I've found some things that make it look like fruit punch." Sipping at her drink, Maica sat back in her chair and relaxed. "Hidden weapons, huh? I've got a micro-fusion reactor as a power source and an emergency transporter built into my arm. Does that count?"

"Eh... that's part of your design. Can't really get in trouble for that." Jhu gestured at a trio of knives resting on the coffee table near the couch. "Those, however..."

"...Look similar to others I've seen on other people claiming to be Starfleet Intelligence." Maica shrugged it off and swirled the liquid in her glass. The reaction had stopped so she sipped at it, the flavor almost exploding in her mouth. "The drinks are ready."

"Others?" Wondering who Maica might have met before, Jhu tried the drink again. Surprised by the strength and the sweet honey flavor, she paused to really enjoy it for a moment. "Probably no one I've met. Carrying weapons is a common habit in Intelligence... we make very tempting targets."

"Whoever he was, there's no 'Franklin Drake' in Starfleet that I've been able to find. He's the one that interogated me when I requested amnesty from the Federation." Maica may not have had taste buds, but her tongue and throat were lined with the best taste receptors known to exist in the galaxy and she definitely enjoyed her drink. The best part though, was having someone to share it with.

Drake? Oh boy. Jhu didn't respond right away, nursing a few sips of her drink. If Maica had met Franklin Drake, she hadn't been interrogated by Starfleet Intelligence, and Jhu suspected Maica didn't know who Drake really was. "Sometimes we use aliases..."

"And apparently ones that aren't used by any living being registered with the Federation. Understandable. My name is a bit of an alias as well. It's an acronym for 'Mechanized Artificial Intelligence Computer Assistant' if you can believe that. It's the best translation for my old Ferengi designation." Blissfully unaware of Jhu's thoughts, Maica still watched her closely and had noticed the very slight change in her facial expression when she mentioned that name. If she could forget him, she would prefer to but that wasn't in her programming.

"Occasionally." Jhu didn't know if 'Franklin Drake' was an alias or not, but she did know that his name wasn't registered in any databases. Of course, hers hadn't been for a while either. She'd effectively ceased to exist when she'd worked for Section 31, and she knew how suspicious it looked.

Nursing her drink, Maica was quiet for a while. "I'm glad those days are over. I may be a slave to my programming still, but it's myself and no one else."

"You're in a unique position, having experienced freedom and slavery. Must make the freedom that much sweeter."

Maica nodded at that somberly. "It does, but it's also tainted by emotional stresses. You never know what will trigger the memories."

"Like... a loud, angry Andorian yelling about some perceived slight?" Jhu gave her an 'I know' look.

"Exactly that. I had to remind myself he was a blue andorian and not a brown nausicaan. I really hate nausicaans..." With that she finished her drink, setting it back on the table.

"I'm not terribly fond of them either. Or Vorta for that matter. Or Jem Hadar..."

"Or cardassians, I would imagine. I've heard they're a bit more subtle than ripping your own arm off and beating you with it, but not by much."

"Well, yes. But it was a Vorta who did this." Jhu tapped the scars that wrapped around her left arm and wrist. "The Cardassian watched though, and he knew the Changeling had lied."

Slipping her left arm out of her uniform, Maica traced the ragged seam at her shoulder so Jhu could see it. "We have more in common than I had expected."

"Good grief. I thought you were being metaphorical. Someone really did that?" Jhu shook her head slightly. "Too bad no one else here will understand."

"I'm not that good with metaphor." Pulling her uniform back on, Maica smiled a bit. "You're one of the very few people I've met that can understand."

"Because I messed up. I wasn't supposed to be caught... and I was undercover. I couldn't call for help or tell them I was Starfleet." It hadn't even been Starfleet that had sent Jhu behind enemy lines either. "The others here don't know that feeling of being trapped."

"At least you knew freedom beforehand. I was created to be the ultimate sex toy and was treated worse. If it weren't for rumors and a few holonovels I had to act out, I wouldn't even know there was another world."

"Well... that actually made it harder. And at the time I wasn't so free as you might think." Jhu finished the rest of her drink and turned her attention to the soup instead.

"I suppose it would." Drinking a bit of her soup, Maica thought about that for a moment. "Didn't you have some sort of hope, at least?"

"A little, but the people I worked for left me there until Starfleet liberated the camp."

"Which means you either weren't there for Starfleet or you were deep undercover."

"A little of both." Jhu sighed, nearly certain Maica wouldn't take it well. "I know Franklin Drake, and he's not Starfleet Intelligence."

Maica should be shocked or a bit upset or at the very least unhappy about that, but after a moment of mulling it over she really wasn't. "That makes sense. He seemed to be someone that would sacrifice the very principles of the Federation in order to protect them."

"That's exactly who he is. Have you ever heard of Section 31?"

The android's face went blank for a moment before she shook her head. "It sounds familiar but I can't place it."

"Starfleet Charter Article 14 Section 31. In times of extreme threat to the Federation, extraordinary measures may be taken to ensure security." After reciting the text, Jhu paused. "Starfleet pretends it doesn't exist."

Maica waved her chopsticks at Jhu before pulling the last of the noodles from her bowl. "That's where I remember it from. None of the other Articles have a Section 31 and that one predates even the Federation. Interesting how it's taken so literally." Calmly eating the last of her noodles, Maica acted like they were talking of things no more out of place than weather patterns.

"There's an organization within Starfleet taking that to an extreme. And I used to work for them."

"A strange comfort, knowing there's such a dark side to the perfection hidden away like that. Every other major power has something similar but most don't really hide them. The Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order operated all but publicly. The Ferengi Commerce Authority practically rules uncontrolled. Even the Klingons have an organization like that called the Empire. That they stay in the shadows without disturbing the common populace in the slightest speaks volumes for their ulterior motives."

Jhu stared at Maica for a moment. "That doesn't bother you?"

"No, not at all. Should it?" Maica stared back completely serious.

"It bothers most people..." Jhu paused, wondering if she'd been afraid for no reason. "But Kris didn't mind either. I don't get it..."

"Perhaps he's seen the dregs of the universe in another way and came to the same conclusion. As an early Earth leader once said 'Walk softly but carry a big stick.' You carry a hidden phaser. Are you willing to use it in times of extreme threat? If not, why carry it? What happens if you need it and you don't have it?" Maica shrugged at that thought.

"I'd use my hands." Jhu grinned a little. "But yes, that's why I'm always armed. Regulations be damned... those weapons have saved my life more than once. Guess it's a good comparison."

"And that's why it's ok." Smiling, Maica lifted her bowl to drink the last of the soup.

"I... never thought to explain it that way." Finishing the last bit of her soup, Jhu contemplated the analogy for a while. "Some people might still not like it. But I think you've solved my problem of how to defuse anger over it."

"Any time." Holding the bottle up, Maica grinned a bit more deviously. "Care for another glass?"

"Is it safe?" Jhu snickered, sliding her empty glass over to Maica. "Eh, screw safe. It'll probably help me sleep."

Putting 2 more drops in each glass, Maica poured the tea this time. "Sometimes I envy the ability to sleep. The closest thing for me is being turned off and it's not at all restful." Picking up her glass, she swirled the liquid gently.

"It's only nice if you actually sleep the whole time. I haven't had a full night since I left Section 31." Remembering that the drink took time to mature, Jhu picked her glass up and swirled the two liquids together. "And this ship doesn't help."

"It seems to be an interesting ship, but stressful. After a while, things should settle down with any luck." Inhaling the scent of her drink, it smelled about ready so she sipped at it and found it to be perfect, letting out a slight moan.

"Stressful has been an understatement." Jhu took a sip of her drink, glimpsing at her watch as she did so. "...please say my watch is wrong and it's not nearly midnight already."

"Your watch is wrong. It's 12 seconds past midnight. I should take my leave. Thank you for talking with me." Maica was grinning ear to ear as she stood and offered Jhu a hug.

"Aw, hell. I have to be up in five hours. But you're welcome." Setting the drink down, Jhu got up and accepted Maica's friendly embrace. "Thank you for not judging me. Now go home! I have to sleep!" Laughing a little, Jhu picked up the dishes and recycled them before capping the bottle of the honey-flavored liquor. "Here, don't forget this."

Taking the bottle, Maica headed out the door. "Sleep well then. I'll see you later."

Jhu had a late night after working with Shira and trying to convey her enthusiasm to Kerouac afterward. She wasn't sure if she'd really gotten through to him, and she didn't know if he'd appreciate her taking such an interest in the little forest fairy. But she felt drawn to Shira, and she'd gotten up early to check on her. The corridors between her cabin and hydroponics had been empty but brightly lit, so she paused outside the door to dim the corridor lights before going inside. If Shira was still sleeping, Jhu didn't want to wake her up... and she certainly didn't want to hurt the girl's eyes.

Shira was already awake, vibrant and ready to start the day! She had taken down her hammock and folded it neatly, tucking it away under a growing station where it would not disturb anyone that might need to come in to tend to the plants, and she was now fluttering about the garden of tubers, looking for any of the root vegetables that might be ready to eat. She knew she could just go to the magic box for food, but she wanted real food.

Maica had used a different turbolift to get to hydroponics, so was able to enter a few seconds after Jhu without her noticing until she stepped through the door, that warm smile on her face.

Jhu squeaked in surprise when she spotted Maica, taking half a step backward before she realized who it was. "Maica! Didn't anyone tell you not to sneak up on intelligence officers? We kill people for that." She snickered a little, then looked around for Shira. She could hear the quiet hum of the forest girl's wings but hadn't seen her yet.

"Pfft as if I would die from something like being killed." Maica looked around for Shira as well. "How have you been, anyway?"

"Spent too much time staring at astrometrics screens last night... my head still feels like it might explode. Other than that, not bad." Jhu smiled, glancing in the direction she could hear Shira from. "Our little fairy wandered in and helped me look for planet. Mostly, she looked at pictures."

Shira couldn't find any vegetables that were mature enough to eat, so she gathered some herbs to help improve the taste of the magic food, being ever so careful not to damage the plants. She sang to them a gentle song to make them feel better. These plants were definitely healthy, but they were lonely and sad. Not anymore though! She paused in her song and her herb collecting when she saw Maica and Jhu. She smiled and fluttered closer them, singing a cheery welcome to the new day.

"Good morning to you too. I see you're tending to the plants quite well. Ready for breakfast?" Maica didn't think Shira could understand her, but since she was hearing a string of 'good' from her, she had to ask none the less in the hopes that she was able to communicate a bit easier.

Thought attentive, Shira didn't listen to the words so much as the tone. The words didn't mean anything to her, but the tone meant everything, she knew what a question sounded like. Maica was asking her something, she just wish she knew what. No matter, they would figure it out later. Now it was time for food! She handed the herbs to Maica then pointed to the magic box with a gentle hum.

Though soothing, Shira's initial greeting had been high-pitched, and Jhu winced slightly. They were happy sounds that quickly faded to s gentle hum, so she just smiled... and then chuckled when Shira shoved fresh herbs into Maica's hands and started emphatically pointing at the replicator. "I think that answers your question."

Maica couldn't help but giggle as she stepped over to the replicator. "It seems it does. Now to figure out what she'd like to eat... And it seems the menu is set for pictures. Excellent." Scrolling through the menu, Maica found a pitcher of water and several dishes of both raw and cooked vegetables and fruits for Shira to try, taking them from the replicator and setting them on the nearby table as they materialized.

"Yeah... I set it that way for her last night. She can't read our words, so she couldn't use it before." Jhu smiled a little sheepishly. "Took me forever to figure out she wanted a bed to sleep in."

Shira looked at the food with awe. So much food! Magic food, but still preferable to nothing when food was scarce. She seemed quite interested in the variety of fruits available, but waited politely for Jhu and Maica to be ready to eat before she took anything.

Glancing at Shira, Maica made another guess. "I think she's waiting on us to start eating before she does too. Anything you'd like?" She punched up a couple of her supplements and moved them to the table as well. Silicone oils and protein wafers wouldn't be to her liking, but Maica really wanted to see her reaction to them.

"Not really hungry, but I ought to eat anyway." Taking care to pick something that wasn't likely to offend Shira, Jhu selected one of her usual breakfasts, a bagel with sun-dried tomato spread and half a grapefruit, taking them to the table.

Stars above, what had Maica brought to the table for herself? The strange liquid smelled... Well, she had no point of reference to describe that strange liquid, but Shira didn't like it and voiced her displeasure with a grimace and a grumble. Jhu's food, on the other hand, looked quite exciting! They could have bread for the morning meal? Bread was usually reserved for evening meals and that fruit smelled so tantalizing! There was something like it in the bowl of fruit Maica provided for her, but she liked the smell and the color of Jhu's fruit! She looked up at Jhu with a questioning glance, pointing at the bagel and grapefruit.

"You're as bad as my cat!" Jhu couldn't help laughing at what was so plainly a request for her food. "Okay, you can have it. I'll get another one." Still laughing slightly, she slid the plate over to Shira and returned to the replicator to remake it. It was funny how easily Shira could make her point with no words, and Jhu supposed living with a cat made learning Shira's mannerisms just a tiny bit easier.

Maica just shook her head, smiling at the scene before her as she punched up a brownie with ice cream as well, setting it in the middle of the table. "And hopefully that'll last until desert." Picking up her glass of silicone lubricant, she sipped at it as she watched Shira's reactions.

Oh! The cold stuff Kris had given her yesterday! But what was with it? She picked a piece of the brown bread-like stuff and popped it in her mouth. Oooooh! It was like that sauce yesterday, but it was bread. No, not bread... she didn't know what it was but it tasted amazing! she found a utensil to help eat the cold stuff, taking a moment to figure out how to use like it Kris had shown her, then started working on the amazing cold stuff with the sweet brown bread, completely ignoring the meal she had stolen from Jhu.

"She's not an alien. She's just a five year old playing dress-up." Somehow, Jhu said it with a straight face as Shira abandoned the pilfered breakfast for the ice cream topped brownie. It reminded her of all the times Lydek had begged for a bite of grapefruit only to reject it with a sour look on his face. "Seriously, brownies for breakfast? That much sugar this time of day would make me sick."

Maica had to suppress a laugh as she nibbled one of her protein wafers. "That's why it's a small brownie. I'm hoping she'll eat a larger sampling of everything, though I guess you're probably right. I don't have any real experience with kids or cats."

Shira was making a mess just as she had done yesterday, but she was thoroughly enjoying the treat Maica had given her. She still had a lot to learn about using these strange utensils to eat, but it didn't seem to be stopping her from scarfing down the brownie as quickly as she could.

"I'm the youngest and I don't have children... Lydek is probably the closest thing to a kid I'll ever have." Jhu worked a few segments of her new grapefruit free, eating them before turning to the crispy bagel. "He's better behaved than most people's kids so I'm okay with that."

"Lydek is your cat, I assume?" Poking at one of the pieces of sweet melon, Maica picked it up and nibbled at it. It wouldn't do anything for her, but maybe her interest in it would trigger Shira's interest in it. "Oh and it's your turn to help her change her dress. I did it when the captain fed her a sunday."

Shira truly was a bad as a cat. As soon as Maica nibbled on a piece of melon, it caught Shira's attention. Oh, that's right, all these new fruits she wanted to try! Which to try first? The melon looked good, but so did the fruit that she took from Jhu! And how was she supposed to eat that fruit anyway? Hmm, she would start with the melon, it looked simpler to eat. She found a piece and nibbled on it, then made a funny face. All she could taste was the brownie and it clashed horribly with the melon.

"He's an ocicat, big domestic breed that has spots. Like an ocelot." Jhu giggled at the face Shira made when combining the brownie and the melon. "Here." She tore a piece off her bagel where the spread didn't reach then handed the bit of bread to Shira. "Bread first. Then melon."

Shira gave the bread a dubious glance, but ate it anyway. Mmm, she liked this bread! Not like the soggy stuff Kris tried to give her yesterday. Then she remember she had her own bread with the red fruit on it. She gave it a taste, then found a sprig of herbs that she had picked earlier to sprinkle over the top of the tomatoes. Oh, much better!

Maica poured a glass of water for each of them, then set a stalk of asparagus next to Shira, wondering what she would think of that. "An ocicat? They sound curious, vicious, and cute. One of my friends in the academy had a Maine coon that loved laying on me. Something about me being soft and warm..."

"Oh yes. I can't work in my cabin... Lydek lies down on top of PADDs, computer terminals, my lap. Anything warm. And the brat stole my bottle of aspirin too. Likes how it rattles." Thinking about how Lydek would bat the pill bottle across the deck, Jhu smiled, blushing a bit. "He really is like my baby. Only thing that keeps me sane some days."

Shira found the strange free stalk to be a pungent yet interesting taste and crunched happily on it as she continued to poke about the bowl of fruit for anything else she might like.

"I've heard most cats are like that. I thought about getting one myself, but it just seemed too stereotypical for androids since Data had one." Maica moved a bowl of mixed nuts towards Shira next. "By the way... do you have any experience with potty training kids? With Shira, I assume it would be as easy as just showing her but... well... I really don't use the restroom, so I'm not sure what to teach her... I mean, the shower I can handle, but..." Maica was looking rather sheepish at this point.

Shira chirped excitedly at the bowl of nuts. Falling back into routines from home, she began picking out the berries from the fruit bowl, eating them along side the nuts, sipping on the water occasionally to combat the saltiness of the nuts. She didn't like all the salt, so she could only eat a little bit of the nuts, eating a few more berries before calling it quits. She had probably eaten too much as it was, but she didn't want to appear ungrateful for all that they had offered to her, even if it was just magic food.

Jhu had just picked up her water glass and paused with it halfway to her mouth. "I know how to litter train a cat, but that's hardly the same the same thing. I mean, you're probably right, but Fire and Ice that would be awkward." She laughed nervously, for once glad Shira didn't understand them. "I guess I could figure it out. She's got to pee eventually..."

Maica nodded at that. "Yeah, a good point." Finishing her drink, she set the glass back in the replicator and pressed the button to make it disappear.

Shira watched Maica send her dishes back through the magic box. Assuming it was time to end the meal, she chirped a 'thank you', then held up her hands which were sticky from the ice cream and all the fruit. She had managed to keep her dress clean this time and didn't want to dirty the pretty material by rubbing her sticky hands on it.

"It looks like she kept clean enough this time." Maica smiled and took Shira by the hand, leading her to the wash basin, pulling it out so it lit up and started the water flowing. She put her own hands in, rubbing some of the clear stones over her hands before drying them on the towel on the rack next to it. She then waited for Shira to do the same.

Now this, Shira knew what to do! It was hardly the spring where she used to wash each morning, but it got the job done. She quickly washed her hands then splashed some water on her face. Feeling much better, she looked to Maica, curious as to what was next for her to learn.

Jhu watched them for a moment, grinning when Shira figured out handwashing so fast. While they finished cleaning Shira's hands and face, Jhu quietly slid her half-eaten breakfast into the replicator and recycled it, hoping to avoid any commentary about how little of it she had eaten.

Pushing the wash basin back in to turn it off, Maica headed back to the table with Shira to teach her how to recycle the dishes and foods. "Such a smart and good girl." When she said 'good' instead of saying it in common, she hummed a generic version of 'good' that Shira had said many times before.

Shira watched curiously as Maica showed her how to send things back through the magic box. She picked up a bowl and followed the example, finding the right button and watching with amazement as the bowl and its contents vanished. And when Maica hummed something she could understand, she chattered excitedly. It was wrong, but close enough that Shira understood it. She made the correct humming sound, emphasizing the nasal tone so Maica could try again.

Maica blinked for a few seconds before realizing she had said good in Shira's language and she was trying to correct her pronounciation. She repeated Shira's sounds exactly this time, hoping she got it right.

Shira clapped, excited that Maica could make the right sound. Perhaps this was why Kris had been so excited yesterday when she had said their names. It didn't seem like such a big deal to her at the time, but now she could understand a bit better.

Jhu smiled at Shira's excitement over Maica's pronunciation of the hummed word. She had no chance of copying it correctly, so instead she just listened.

Maica giggled happily, repeating the word again. She really hoped it meant what she thought it did and that her translation matrix was actually getting somewhere.

Shira smiled, but her joy slowly faded as she began to grow uncomfortable. She hadn't had much of a problem biological functions while under the care of that ugly troll, he had barely fed her, but since she had been brought to this place, she had been provided with plenty of food and water and now she had a problem. She didn't know where to 'go'. She didn't want to be an imposition on her new friends, but... She looked around with a faint whimper. To make matters worse, she had no way of asking for help.

"...uh oh. Lydek makes that face every time we move to a new cabin." It probably wasn't very nice to keep comparing Shira to a cat, but Jhu had no other reference to fall back on. "I don't come down here much. Where is the closest bathroom?"

Maica looked dumbfounded for a moment. "Bathroom? Uh... I think there was one across the hall next to the turbolift..." Maica offered her hands to both Shira and Jhu to lead them to where she hoped a lavatory was.

Continued in "Learning Even More..."

The search for the closest bathroom to the hydroponics bay led them to the public one near the turbolift. Now the real challenge began. How were they going to get Shira to understand using a toilet? Jhu didn't know if they even had toilets on Shira's homeworld. Shira did, after all, live in a forest. Where she wasn't expected to wear clothes or keep them clean. "Uh... now what? I don't know how to explain this..."

Maica opened the door for the toilet and stared at it for a moment before turning to Jhu. "Do you need to pee? I'm not sure I can simulate it well enough..."

"With someone watching? I don't know." Jhu had never considered herself shy until Maica asked that question. "This is the most awkward day of my life. I swear."

"Then I guess it's up to me. I've had to pee on a few people... And remind me to get you dinner and wine first next time." Without any further hesitation, Maica dropped her uniform pants and sat on the seat of the toilet. She looked at Shira to make sure she was watching before she released her oil into the toilet.

Shira just watched, baffled by what was going on. This... this is how they took care of these necessities?

Maica finished, wiped with some of the toilet paper next to the toilet, tossing it into the toilet, stood, and pressed the flush button. Looking at the swirling water, it almost seemed as though she forgot to redress her hiney.

Trying not to laugh, Jhu cleared her throat. "Maica. Pants."

Snapped back to reality, Maica reclothed herself quickly. "Sorry." Having finished, she moved to the sink and washed her hands.

Shira tilted her head curiously. Well, this was certainly... interesting. Shira wasn't sure what to make of it, but she couldn't give it much more thought, she felt about ready to burst! It was strange, but if this is how they did it, who was she to argue? She fluttered closer to the strange fixture full of water. Strange indeed! It was common sense not to do this near water, it would contaminate the water supply! Maybe it was all magic water and disappeared to the same place as the magic box? She gave the handle an experimental push, making the fixture swirl with water. Star above, she nearly had an accident right then! She chattered in a grumpy tone, not liking this at all.

"I don't know if this is going to work." Jhu might not understand Shira's language, but 'no way' sounded nearly the same in every language in the galaxy. And Shira was definitely saying no to the idea of using a toilet. "It's safe, Shira. See?" Jhu pushed the handle, making the toilet flush again.

Maica was back from washing her hands and patted the toilet seat. "Please Shira?"

Shira was hesitant, but eventually let her feet touch the ground, squeaking at the cold tile under her bare feet. She stepped closer, one step at a time, until she was at the strange fixture. Maica had not yet introduced her to undergarments yet, so all she had to do was lift her dress and sit down. She immediately jumped back up. It was so cold! how could they subject themselves to this?!

"Sit back down," Jhu pleaded. It was obvious that Shira did not like the cool porcelain seat, but if she wouldn't use the toilet they were going to have issues. And a mess to clean up.

Shira gave Jhu a sad pout. She didn't want to sit on this strange water seat! But what else was she to do? She whimpered softly as she cast the strange fixture another glance. She really did have to go... She gathered her courage, lifted her dress, and tried again. This time, she did not jump off the strange seat. She just sat there for a moment, shivering. Maybe it was just the cold or the nerves, but now she couldn't go.

"Hmm. Maybe this will help." Remembering a trick she'd used to deal with having a roommate waiting outside the door at the academy, Jhu stepped over to the sink and turned the water on, letting it run.

Shira was no stranger to taking care of her business in front of others, but Jhu and Maica were watching her like this was some kind of performance and it was making Shira uncomfortable. But strangely, the sound of the water was helping. A little while later, they could hear the trickle, slow at first, but then Shira finally started to relax and she couldn't hold it back any longer. The relief was written all over her face, as awkward as it was, but Shira wasn't going to complain at this point. Now what was she supposed to do next? She saw the strange paper hanging by the water seat. This was part of it, right?

Noticing Shira eyeing the roll of paper, Maica pulled off a bit and handed it to Shira. "Good, good." She wasn't sure if she said that in Shira's language or not, but she was pretty sure the point would get across.

Uh-huh... Shira eyes the paper in her hand. She was supposed to... Yeah, what was the purpose of this? Well, there must be a reason or they wouldn't do it, right? She sighed and gave in. Whatever, this was all just so strange, but it didn't matter anymore, she just wanted this 'performance' to be over with! She repeated the actions that Maica had done earlier, wiped, dropped the paper in the water seat, stood, and flushed, this time without freaking out. There, she was done, could she go back to the room with the plants now?

"Well that's one adventure over." Jhu smiled a little. Now they had to get Shira to wash her hands. Luckily she'd done it once with the water basin, so she had the basics down at least. "You're not done yet," she said gently, gesturing to the sink before getting some of the soap and wetting her hands with the running water. She rubbed her hands together longer than necessary then rinsed the soap off and dried them, hoping Shira understood.

Oh, right. Shira washed her hands easily enough, familiar with this activity. When she was done, she looked at Jhu and Maica, hoping they were done here.

Seeing they were finally done, Maica took Shira's and Jhu's hands to lead them outside the restroom to show Shira how to identify restrooms. She tapped on the symbol the ship used and said "Restroom" hoping she could find the same symbol elsewhere on her own.

Knowing that Shira was clever, Jhu still shook her head slightly. "That might be too many 'r' sounds close together. Bathroom is easier to say."

Shira knew she couldn't say either name, but the symbol was easy enough to recognize. Shira nodded to Maica. She could remember this symbol.

"Excellent. Now I guess we should make a complete lesson of it and teach you how to shower too." Maica was beaming at this point, happy to be teaching. "Jhu, do you want to demonstrate that?"

"Probably safer." Despite agreeing, Jhu sighed internally. "Suppose it's worth feeling awkward if it makes her feel more independent."

Maica clapped her hands together happily. "Excellent! Shall we use the one here or the holodeck so we can have a bigger bath and a hot spring?"

"Holodeck. Less likely someone will intrude. Besides, she might like the spring better." Jhu thought that made sense. If Shira lived in a forest, she probably bathed in a stream.

Shira looked between the two women curiously. They seemed intent on something if their engaged conversation was any indication. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this any more than the water seat.

"Then to Holodeck 2 on deck 6 we go." Maica led the merry band to the turbolift and stepped inside, ordering it to their destination. Soon they were there and outside the larger doors. "Let's see... An Earth Japanese hot springs resort should work out nicely. Here's one that's full nudity... And ready." Maica stepped in front of the door as they opened out to a semi-tropical resort with hot, cold, and chocolate flavored baths.

Shira didn't like the heavy doors, they made far too much noise, but she was astounded by what lay inside! Oh, it was so beautiful! This was amazing! If they could let her go outside, why had they not let her do so before? Intent on finding a place above the steaming pools where she could watch the stars, she stretched her wings and took to the sky. Unfortunately, she moved too fast and the holodeck could not compensate for her flight and she ran right into the holodeck ceiling. She tumbled in the air momentarily, dazed and confused by this turn of events, but she managed to right herself in the air before falling too far. She placed her hand on a wall creating the image of the night sky. But, it looked so real! She looked about ready to cry when she finally rejoined her companions.

"Maybe it wasn't such a great idea." Jhu felt like they'd betrayed Shira, even though they had no way of explaining to her that there was no 'outside' on a starship. "Bet she'll like the water though." She gently took Shira's hand to lead her closer to the water's edge.

"Next time we'll have to enter, then start the program..." Maica was a bit sheepish over that slight miscalculation, but it didn't stop her from starting to undress to get into the springs. This was one of her favorite activities as a diplomat and she wasn't going to pass up a good soak.

"Yeah, we should have thought of that." The other bathers were all holograms, but Jhu still hesitated before shrugging out of her jacket and the dark grey shirt underneath.

It was time to take off the strange cloth? Shira shrugged and tugged at her dress. She still could not figure out how to put it on or take it off without help, but she was trying.

"Hold still." Jhu knew Shira wouldn't understand the words, but she thought talking to her might improve their language barrier. Taking care not to startle the forest girl, she guided Shira's hands to the hem of the dress and then carefully tugged it slightly upward.

It was still awkward for Shira to get the dress over her grassy hair, but the process was made easier with Jhu's help. Now free of the hated garment, Shira didn't hesitate to jump into the water, her fall softened with a flutter of her wings. Oh! It was hot! She let herself sink into the pleasantly hot water with a happy grin. Oh, this felt so nice!

Maica, now stark naked, slipped into the hot water slowly. Hot springs didn't actually do much for her internally, but the pressure and heat on her perfectly crafted outer flesh was more than worth it. The right bits floated and the gravity deprivation from that was just exquisite and probably would help keep her outer skin elastic over time. Heading over to the small waterfall, she rested near it with her back against the rocky wall, sighing in comfort.

Jhu was slower to undress, but she joined them in short order, freeing her hair from its restrictive bun as she entered the warm water. She wasn't typically fond of public nude bathing, but it readily became apparent that neither Maica nor Shira minded casual nudity. Besides, the warm water was nice.

Shira paddled around the pool happily. She had been quite disappointed that they were not outside, but this was still quite nice. She saw Maica under the waterfall and waded closer. Maica was letting the water stream over her, but for what purpose? Did it feel good?

Maica had her eyes closed and was very relaxed so she didn't see Shira swimming towards her. She did hear the water movement though. Opening an eye a bit for a moment, she motioned for Shira to join her under the waterfall.

Shira tilted her head curiously, but joined Maica under the waterfall. Oh, it feels so strange to have the water running over her! She held a hand up, forming an invisible barrier over her head like an umbrella, spraying the water about and causing Shira to giggle when she unintentionally splashed Maica.

"You two are silly,"Jhu said very seriously, trying not to laugh as Shira's 'shield' splashed water all over Maica's face. Then she happily joined them, letting the warm water run over a sore spot across her shoulders.

Giggling happily, Maica pulls both Shira and Jhu in for a hug before settling back under the waterfall. "Computer, add to the main patio 3 massage tables and 3 masseuses from program Maica Diplomacy 33." When she finished saying that, she cracked an eye back open to see if Shira reacted to the 3 tables and people appearing out of nowhere like in the replicator.

Shira blink curiously at the additions to the setting. Wonder of wonders, they could make magic people too? With a flutter of her wings, she rose out of the pool, having no issues with her flight despite being wet. Completely ignoring any form of personal space, she examined one of the magic people, poking at him to see if he was really there and what sort of reactions she could get from him.

"Wow, Maica. I think you might be my hero." Jhu grinned when she saw the massage tables appear. "That program doesn't have a user lock, does it?"

Grinning wickedly, Maica turned to Jhu. "Only if you want a happy ending."

"Oh, Goddess. I was asking if you had a passcode set on it to keep people from using it!" Blushing a light shade of emerald, Jhu giggled quietly. "Though now that you mention it..."

"Oh no..." Maica moved a bit closer and lowered her voice. "I just want to be there if you unlock the non-diplomatic functions of the program."

Apparently, even holographic masseuses could become uncomfortable with extended periods of unwelcomed proximity. In his attempts to put distance between himself and Shira's intense curiosity, the man seemed to lose track of where he was standing and tumbled right into the steaming pool. Shira did nothing but watch with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Non-diplomatic functions? Now you have me interested..." There was a splash, and Jhu looked over to see one of the masseuses climbing back out of the pool. "Shira's invented a new game."

"I'm sure she'll be fine for a while. Ryan isn't programmed with more than a basic personality so he probably doesn't know how to deal with a flying client. As for those non-diplomatic functions..." Maica actually looked nervous for a moment as she hesitated a moment. "I saw a counselor once and they recommend I copy some of my programming from my early days to a holodeck program as a way of facing them and getting through some things. Maica Diplomacy 33 is basically a Risian massage parlor that goes way too far..."

"Hmm." There were wheels turning in Jhu's head. "Not that I'm wanting to hijack your program or anything, but... well. Most of the men on this ship are gay. The ones that aren't... well..."

Shira raised her hand, telekinetically raising Ryan the masseuse the rest of the way out of the pool, dangling him in the air by his ankle. So perplexing... Magic people! Of all the things to create, they weren't even all that convincing, this man didn't feel real at all! But then she noticed the change in Maica's countenance and promptly dropped Ryan the masseuse back into the water. Something was bothering her new friend! She fluttered closer to Maica with a soothing melody, softly becoming her new friend to feel better.

Maica couldn't understand Shira beyond a few hums, but her intent was clear - she was trying to cheer the green woman up so she smiled and started to get up. "I think it's time for that massage, don't you? I think Shira wants Ryan, so would you prefer Andrew or Stacy?"

"Andrew," Jhu replied immediately, grinning a bit as she got out of the water.

Shira had a sneaking suspicion that Maica's smile was not entirely genuine, but without any way to confirm or deny it or even to ask what was wrong, Shira had no choice but to accept the response. She watched as her two new friends made their way out of the pool and towards the remaining magic people and made themselves comfortable on the tables. Shira sat on her own table, but Ryan was afraid to come near her by this point. Just as well, this activity looked boring. What was the point of just laying there and letting magic people touch them?

Shira might not yet know the pleasures of a good masseuse, but Maica was making enough 'good' noises that she would hopefully figure it out soon. As for Ryan... The poor guy was having a breakdown in his program so Maica did what she could. "Computer, replace Ryan with Ariel from the same program." In the middle of him glitching out, he vanished and a winged elfin woman replaced him and flew over to Shira to massage on her.

As much as she found this activity pointless and boring, Shira still followed her companion's exapmles: at the magic woman's urgings, Shira lay down and let Ariel touch her. It didn't feel all that nice, she couldn't understand why Maica and Jhu seemed to be enjoying it so much, but she was trying her best to participate in... whatever this was.

As soon as she'd laid down, Andrew had zeroed in on the obvious tension Jhu held in her shoulders and neck, and his practiced touch was like magic. Combined with the warmth of the spring, the gentle massage eased the faint - and seemingly ever present - ache there.

It was pretty much pointless for Maica as well, but she still enjoyed the pressure Stacy was putting on her hydraulic lines and synthetic skin. It helped prevent fluid clogs in the lines that simulated a pulse. Soon though, she was honestly a bit bored so she waved Stacy away and sat up.

Shira had a dark cloud hanging over her head by the time Maica dismissed Ariel for the little forest girl. She really didn't feel any better for all that touching. If anything, she was a little worried that she might bruise as a result of this. She felt rather like a flower whose stem was poorly handled. She sent a brooding little glare at Ariel as the magic woman left her alone. It was almost a shame that the magic woman wasn't real, she doubt she would get any satisfaction out of tossing the woman around like a piece of fruit. Shira hopped down from the table and found her dress. As much as she hated wearing this strange piece of cloth all the time, it spoke volumes that she would rather wear it now than keep participating in this activity.

Uh oh. Much as Jhu hated to end what had become a nice, peaceful moment, she waved Andrew away and sat up, watching as Shira picked up the dress. She knew Shira didn't like clothing, so watching her put the dress on with no prompting was a little heartbreaking. "I don't think she likes your program, Maica."

Maica was lost in her own thoughts, staring blankly at Shira as she tried putting on her dress. After a minute of this, she stood up and spoke. "Computer, end program." As the room dissolved back to the normal holodeck walls, she slowly walked over to Shira and offered her hand to the slightly shorter girl. "Sorry."

Watching the setting disappear was a little bit unsettling, but by this point Shira wasn't all that surprised. She was beginning to wonder if anything about these people was real. Magic food and magic clothes from magic boxes, an outside that wasn't really an outside with magic people... The hot water had been nice and Shira enjoyed spending time with her two new friends, and despite having unintentionally thrown herself at a wall thinking she had endless sky to fly around, it had been nice to look up at the stars for even a short while. But what was real? Shira couldn't tell anymore and she found it to be very disorienting.

Ignoring Maica's offer to help her up, Shira headed towards the great doors, intent on finding her way back to the room with all the plants. That she could understand, a room full of plants made sense to her! But all this? It made Shira long for home and the somber melody she sang reflected that longing.

"I'll take her back to hydroponics. Have to go past that deck to get to my office anyway." Jhu scrambled to get her uniform, hoping to be dressed by the time Shira got the doors open. As she pulled the dark gray shirt over her head, she got a glimpse of her watch and groaned quietly. "I'm going to be late anyway at this point." Just what I needed, an excuse for the Andorian to lecture me. Even if she told him she'd been with Shira, it wouldn't matter. He'd be looking for any reason to put her on report after yesterday...

"Thanks." Maica's somber look hopefully hid the inner turmoil she was feeling. Did normal people feel things like this? All this conflict of emotions? "I guess I'll go back to my quarters and try to catch up on some paperwork. Starfleet still needs my Diplomacy Corps reports on Shira. Good luck with our first officer." Heading back to her pile of clothes on the floor, she slowly got dressed.

"I'm going to need it." Jhu threw on her jacket, leaving it open while she speed-laced her boots. "Partial bridge duty... payback for arguing with him, I'd bet."

"Good thing I'm not required to take the bridge officer exams as a diplomat... If you need any help, let me know. My office is my quarters." Maica was at least covered by now.

Shira had made it to the lift and for a moment she considered waiting for either Jhu or Maica to join her, but she just wanted to get to the plant room. When the doors to the lift opened, she entered and used the map to order the moving room to the place where she could find her way back. The doors slid closed and the room began to move and Shira waited patiently for the moving room to deposit her near the hydroponics bay.

"If your communicator switches on and you hear screaming, call security. Sirigh will be too busy to call for backup." Smirking slightly, Jhu looked around for Shira. "...crap. where'd she go?"

"Already in the turbolift and gone. I can't blame her... No massages for plants... Need to check cryostorage..." Mumbling to herself, the green skinned android slipped her boots on and tightened the straps.

"Tul's going to kill me... she's supposed to have an escort!" Hoping to catch up to Shira before someone found her wandering alone, Jhu waved a goodbye at Maica and ran to catch the next turbolift.

Rather than chasing after them, Maica headed towards the hydroponics cryostorage units. The plants on board had been tended during the refit and time in drydock, so hopefully there would be something tasty in there that Shira would enjoy.

Shira encountered very few people on her way back to the hydroponics bay, although towards the end she met with a young man who wore yellow on his shoulders and he escorted her the rest of the way to the bay. Unfortunately, he could not stay with her once they arrived, so she was once again alone by the time Jhu caught up with her. She had herself perched on the edge of a raised garden bed picking weeds out from between the plants. When she saw Jhu, she smiled weakly then returned her attention to her task.

"Oh, good. You made it back." Jhu smiled weakly, hoping no one had reported Shira's wandering. Shira seemed upset, but Jhu had no way of knowing why... or how to find out. "I wish we knew what upset you so we could avoid it happening again." Finding a mature flower on one of the nearby plants, she gently removed it from its stem and held it toward Shira with a gentle smile. "We didn't mean to upset you. Hopefully, you'll forgive us for it."

By this time, the green android woman had arrived in cargo bay 2 and was rummaging through the cryo stasis units looking for something interesting. Finding an orange tuber marked 'Sweet Potato?', she unsealed it and took the tuber with her on her way to find Shira.

Shira smiled at the flower Jhu had given her, accepting it graciously. This was just like when she had given Jhu the sprig of lavender! Maybe she couldn't understand Jhu's words, but her intent was loud and clear and touched Shira's heart to chase away the gloominess. She took the flower and whispered to it ever so softly before leaning over the garden to return the lovely bud back to the plant it had been taken from. One normally couldn't take cuttings these kinds of flowers, they faded far too quickly, yet this flower took root in the soil regardless. Her whispers became a gentle song, a gift to Jhu to show her thanks, and the flowers and herbs in the garden bed erupted in fresh growths and full blooms right before their eyes, just like magic.

"That wasn't in the report," Jhu breathed as the flowers bloomed around them. How was it possible for Shira to do that? It was like something out of a fairy tale!

Shira ran her hands through the various plants with loving tenderness. It felt good to exert herself in this way and the plants certainly appreciated the gesture. Her nimbler fingers found the bloom grown from the flower Jhu had picked for her, it was now a healthy plant with it's own root system, just a little thing compared to the rest of the plants, but big enough to survive. For most, picking a flower to present to someone was a one time gesture, but for Shira and her kind it was a symbol of growing friendships. She didn't know if Jhu would understand something like that, especially without being able to convey the deeper meanings, but it meant something to Shira.

Maica walked in through the door just in time to miss everything that happened, though she paused when she saw the differences in the plants. Looking around a bit stunned, she stood there next to Jhu having forgotten about the sweet potato she carried. "What... What happened?"

"I have no idea..." Still staring in awe at the new blooms, Jhu didn't know what to think about what she'd seen. "She was sad, so I gave her one of the flowers... she started singing and then... this."

"I'm going to venture a guess that doing so is a very significant event in her society." Remembering the sweet potato in her hand, Maica glanced down at it and held it out to Shira with both hands. According to the cryo-tube, it had only been in storage for about a week and was grown here, so hopefully Shira would enjoy it.

Shira hopped down her her perch on the edge of the garden bed and approached Maica, still feeling a bit awkward about the magic people and the strange touching that left her feeling out of sorts, but she took the sweet potato anyway. Giving the vegetable a sniff, she could tell right away that this was not magic food! She wasn't hungry right now, after all they had stuffed her pretty full this morning, but she could keep it for later. Chattering approvingly over the spud, she hid it in the same place she was keeping her hammock and her sash which Tul had returned to her.

Smiling warmly, Maica nodded satisfied. "Nothing earth rending, but I think she likes it." Turning back to Jhu, Maica poked her friend in the arm. "I'll stay here with her. You're needed on the bridge."

"Yeah... I should go." Jhu smiled a little. "Time to face the music, I guess."

Continued in "Learning the Path Home"

Shira was dainty and meticulous in the care of her things, everything was neat and tidy in her little hiding space. It was just a storage bin under one of the airponic growing stations, but she still kept things in order. She was a guest in this place and it wouldn't be good to live like a slob! As she trucked everything away, she paused to refold the sash that she had worn when she was captured. She gave the gauzy fabric a thoughtful caress before taking it over to Jhu and tugging on her sleeve so she wouldn't leave.

Surprised, Jhu glanced slightly down to find Shira tugging on her sleeve like a young child. "Shira, I would love to stay, but I'm already going to be in troub-- wait a second." Looking at the gauzy sash Shira carried, Jhu gently took a bit of its fabric between her fingers. "Maica, was she wearing this when you found her?"

"Yeah the troll had that tied around her eyes. I figured it was her only possession." Maica was once more surprised by Shira if she did what she thought she was doing.

"If it's something she had before the Ferengi captured her..." Jhu paused, a happy light coming into her eyes. "Materials can be traced."

Shira carefully unfolded the delicate material to reveal the intricate beading and patterns woven right into the material. The cloth was much bigger than it looked at first glance, but Shira only focused on the center, tracing the patterns with her fingers, then taking Jhu's hand to make her trace the patterns between the various beads made of everything from wood, to stone, to precious gems.

For a moment Jhu wasn't sure what Shira was doing. "Patterns?" Curious, Jhu knelt down and spread the fabric flat, re-tracing the patterns that Shira had just shown her. "Fire and Ice... I think these are constellations." They weren't familiar, but if she could get them scanned into the computer... if they were constellations, between them and the material's construction, she could find the planet. "I need a tricorder."

Grabbing one of the bay's plant tricorders, Maica popped it open and quickly set it to visual recording handing it to Jhu. "Do you see something representing the Jenkata nebula?"

"Maybe." Jhu took the offered tricorder, carefully scanning the patterns into it. "I'm not sure... I don't even know if I'm right about these being stars. But she did this with the astrometric displays last night... tracing patterns with her fingers."

Shira was excited. She wasn't certain if she had been able to communicate her idea properly, but she had to try. It seemed to be paying off, Jhu seemed interested in the patterns as well. She wasn't sure what the device was in Jhu's hand, but she eagerly help spread the cloth out on the floor so they could see the full design. It had taken her years to chart all the stars, then years more to finish weaving this cloth. Her family certainly had never done anything to encourage her love of the stars, but they hadn't really discouraged it either. Even so, her insatiable curiosity had set her apart from the rest of her people, which ultimately ended with her capture.

The details of the weave were exquisite. In the right hands, this small piece of cloth could easily sell for a handsome sum, but Shira didn't care about things like that. As Shira smoothed out the ends of the fabric, she traced more patterns. One end was a diagram of her solar system, illustrating solid comprehension of not only astronomy but that she was also aware she was not on her world if she was using the star map and her star system to find her way home. The other end of the fabric was free of beads and showed various phases of their moons woven in silvery thread.

"If I were a better android, I'd be able to cross reference this in 3 minutes to find her home. Not just her planet, but within 120 miles of where she grew up." Maica was amazed at the intricate detailing put into the cloth. She certainly had a newfound respect for Shira.

"That would only make you different, not better." Studying the cloth, Jhu couldn't believe how beautiful it was. It appeared to be handcrafted, and meticulously intricate. After a few quiet moments of contemplation, Jhu's eyes fell on the end of the cloth, where a star system appeared to be laid out in loving detail. "Wait... why is that there? You can't see other systems from planetside..."

"...But you can figure out your own. This is probably her own home system since it's essentially separate from the rest." The green woman wasn't trained in science and she wasn't much good at it, but she did know a lot about Earth history and how humans had mapped the stars just like this thousands of years before the invention of telescopes.

"I think it's more than that." Jhu moved to the other end of the fabric, looking at the stars from that angle. "Maica... these aren't the stars from her planet. Look." Jhu tapped on the cloth then traced the pattern in that spot. "They're different from this end."

That confused Maica quite a bit. How could they be different like that? "Dang it Jhu, I'm a diplomat, not a stellar cartographer. I barely know how to read a map, let alone a star chart. If they're not from the sky over her home, where are they from?"

They seemed to be discussing the end with her star system with some disagreement. Shira began to trace lines through the main star pattern, the paths of the other planets in her system. These lines were barely visible in the dim lighting, the dyes had faded with use of the cloth, but she still knew where these lines were. She would point to one bead, one planet, in the star system, then go back and trace it's path as it changed position in the sky throughout the year, then she would point to another bead/planet and trace another path.

"Don't swear at me. We're on duty." Depending on which side of the cloth Jhu looked from, the patterns had different shapes. Which end were they supposed to look at? "And now you know how I feel when they make me work in astrometrics. At least this doesn't hurt my eyes." Curious about Shira's tracing, Jhu joined her to look at the star system again. "I can't tell if she's tracing orbits or what those orbits look like from somewhere else..."

"It's orbits, either way. Finding this system would be a major leap no matter how you look at it. Do you want to get the captain in on this and head to astrometrics?" Maica was still confused, but she knew bigger pictures would help them.

"Yes. Shira comes too. Tul can kiss my ass." Hoping this would be the key, Jhu tapped her communicator as she stood up from the deck. "t'Dharvanek to Kerouac. Can you meet me in astrometrics? We might have found something."

Commander Kerouac was just finishing a meal in the Mess Hall when he was summoned. He quickly swallowed the cherry tomato in his mouth and tapped his communications badge to reply. "I'll be right there" he said wiping his mouth and leaving the table.

Shira saw Jhu and Maica rise, so she gathered her sash, folding it carefully as her wings lifted her off the floor. they were speaking so quickly, she was having a hard time gauging the tone of their responses, so she reached out for Maica. 'Good?' she hummed. 'It is good?'

Maica grinned widely at Shira and reaching out to brush her fingertips with hers and hummed to her. 'Very good. Finding home' She could only hope that Shira understood her other words, but she knew 'good' would get across.

A broad grin settled on Shira's face, excited with the prospect of again seeing home. She clutched her sash tightly as she followed Maica and Jhu out of hydroponics and to astrometrics.

Walking into Astrometrics, Commander Kerouac came across an interesting sight. Jhu, Maica, and Shira were all present. "Is this an all girls club or may I join?" Kris jokingly asked as he approached the women. "You have something for me to see?" he asked looking at Jhu and Maica.

"I did invite you. Look at this." Loading the visual scan of Shira's sash into the computer, Jhu put the images up on the astrometrics screens. "I don't know how to read it yet. But whoever had this when she came aboard missed it."

Kris studied the images on the screens and looked perplexed. "Are those stars?" he asked nervously, feeling as though he was making himself look stupid. Where's Merith when you need her brain thought Kristopher a small smirk forming on his face.

Shira noticed Kris' intense expression as he looked at the images on the screen. She fluttered closer and laid out the sash on the astrometrics platform, sitting on the edge of the rise so she could trace the patterns in the beads/stars like she had done for Jhu.

"We think they are. Watch Shira." Jhu gestured toward the forest girl. "She didn't have that last night... it would have been so much easier if she did. She's given us a map, if we can understand it."

"Captain, speaking of whoever, Commander t'Dharvanek was assigned bridge duty today by that same person. May I ask you to please defuse the impending incident between them for her not being there? Our medical staff will thank you and I'll owe you a 'special drink' if you're interested." Maica hit a few buttons on a panel, trying to find some sort of pattern match or anything similar but she was completely out of her element here.

"The man's lucky I'm working at all." Despite how unprofessional it looked, Jhu made no attempt to tie her hair back or fasten her jacket, leaving both loose for the sake of what minimal comfort it provided.

"If it helps any, I've enlisted her aid in communicating with Shira and any other diplomatic functions you can think of." Maica wasn't dressed any better - her synthetic hair was still damp from the hot spring visit earlier and her jacket was barely secured at the front.

Shira, of course, just looked like Shira, her grassy hair and simple dress unaffected by their trip to the holodeck, but she was almost single-mindedly tracing the stellar patterns and planetary orbits woven into her star chart. Jhu understood it, somehow she just knew that Kris would get it too!

Kris scoffed. "I have no idea what you two are going on about. Lieutenant Commander Zanaar is like a teddy bear" said Kris with a shake of his head. "I am having my own difficulties with him. I've thought about demanding Starfleet Command to send me someone to replace him, but I do not have much pull. If you recall, I am not supposed to be Captain of the starship."

"And yet you are. If it helps any, I got an Admiral out of a bad situation while I was aboard the Hera. If you ever find reason for him to transfer, I can probably get a good recommendation for someone from his office or at the least introduce you." Maica punched a few more buttons, somehow accidentally inverting part of the starcharts for a few seconds.

"Teddy bear. Sure he is." Jhu shook her head slightly. "Back to the topic at hand... I think the sash can lead us to her planet, once we figure out how we're supposed to read it. I think I'd like to sit down for a minute first though."

Kris nodded. "Sit, rest and relax. You have been working harder on this than most of us. You're flesh and blood, Commander... why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"I have a ton of work to do." Jhu sat down on the edge of the astrometrics platform, sighing lightly. "But I think I'll take that offer. Thank you."

"You're welcome" replied Kris with a small smile. He gave a polite nod to his Chief Diplomatic Officer and finished up. "Well, if you two need me again, just call me. I have to go have a discussion with that blue son of a bitch" added Kris as he began to walk away, but stopped by Jhu for a moment and kissed her on the cheek.

"Excellent work, Commander" said Kris kindly.

Jhu raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but soon smiled anyway. "Glad you appreciate it."

"Always will" replied Kris with a wink as he headed to the doors and departed from the Astrometrics lab.

Jhu watched him leave then shook her head slightly. "Okay. You were right. He really is a nice person." She chuckled a little, brushing her hair back out of her face. "And he's right. I need a break from this for a few hours."

"See there? Second impressions." Maica was practically beating on the console and had somehow managed to get static and distorted images on every screen but the main one Shira was at. "I think I broke it..."

"You need a break for a few hours." Grinning a little, Jhu got up, and reset the panel. "Don't feel bad... I did that three times last night."

"Glad it's not just me." Leaning against the console, Maica grinned happily at Jhu.

"Definitely not just you. Computer systems hate me... took me an hour just to get the screens the way I wanted them."

"I'm betting it would take me a lot longer. Holodecks, Comm channels, and PaDDs I can handle..." Maica waved her hand around the room momentarily. "Shira could probably figure this all out faster."

"She did. Far as looking at pictures goes anyway." Jhu shook her head. "Her people might be pre-warp, but she has this strange hankering for travel. Especially if there are stars."

"Then let's let her do her thing. She looks like she can read our maps and hers with ease. Before long she should have hers input properly and have found her own home without us."

"Good idea, let her play with it." Jhu pressed a few buttons to put the system on a rudimentary manual input. "Looking at these screens for too long makes my head hurt, then the room starts spinning."

"Thank goodness for internal gyroscopes then..." Maica watched Jhu curiously for a moment. "In the holodeck I was wondering something. What is it you want to use that program for? Anything specific?"

"How in the world did we get back on that topic?" Laughing a little, Jhu took her eyes off the vertigo-inducing stars and looked at Maica. "It's been probably eight years since I had a boyfriend. Three or so since there was a guy I trusted enough for casual sex. Use your imagination."

Maica was a bit crestfallen, but she did her best not to show it. She had somehow secretly hoped Jhu would have been open to a bit more than that. "I'll add you to the locked side of the program then. Don't be surprised at the depravity though. And remember to lock the door. And don't tell anyone. A lot of what's in there is the darkest parts of my original programming and I'd rather not let that spread." Pausing long enough to look around the room, Maica mentioned one more thing. "Andrew is probably a good choice, if a bit plain."

"That's not what you were hoping to hear." Jhu grinned at her. "Don't think that's all I'm willing to use it for. Only what's on my mind now."

Shira fluttered over to Jhu and poked her on the arm. She was upset that Maica and Jhu were just talking and not working, but then upon seeing how tired Jhu looked, she stopped poking and instead gave the woman a hug. She covered Jhu's eyes with a hand, the only way she could suggest to Jhu to sleep, or at the very least rest her eyes for a while. She wanted them to find her home, but she was not unsympathetic to their needs, they could find her home tomorrow.

Jhu giggled a little, gently hugging Shira. "If she's noticing, I must look pretty rough."

Maica smiled and giggled softly. "Yeah you do look like you need some more sleep. I'll stay here with Shira while you go get some rest."

Shira offered Jhu a small smile, nudging her towards the door.

"All right, I'm going." Still giggling at Shira's insistence, Jhu started toward the door then paused, looking back at Maica. "Tell you what... stop by when your shift ends. You can teach me all about the seedy underbelly of that diplomatic program."

Grinning, Maica helped push Jhu out the door. "I will. Let me know when you wake up."

"Sure, I'll send you a message. Bye." Jhu waved at them and left, heading home for a few hours of rest.

Primary Mission Objectives:

- [Science] Scan for lifeforms & read thousands (the planet is practically booming with plant/animal life).
- [All] Explore the tropical rainforest on Arboria.
- [Science] Detect signs of an invisible "Village" of life forms.
- [Engineering/Science] Locate source of strange power emissions.
- [Engineering] Shut down the power source.
- [All] React to the discovery of the cloaked village Arboreal peoples (Shira's species).
- [Diplomatic,Command & Science] Attempt Communications with the Arboreal peoples.
- [Engineering & Intelligence] Study the various technology of the Arboreal peoples (Cloaking technology, evidence of previous warp technology, the
Hybridization of Plant and Mechanical technology).

Secondary Objectives

- [Engineering & Intelligence] Make Startling Discovery in the Rainforest (You two will be contacted by me with further information).
- [Shira] Explain what has happened to your people and determine your future.

---

Commander Kristopher Kerouac held the small woman, cradled in his arms, holding her like a small child. Gamma shift was still on duty on the Bridge for the next few hours. It was the hard work of Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek that had brought Katana to her present location, a Class M world on the fringes of the Jenkata nebula. She had alerted, waking him from a dead sleep. When she informed him that she may have found Shira's home world, the sleep deprivation did not matter to him. He was in his altered uniform faster than he had ever been before, even when he was spry young baby faced Cadet. Now, that baby faced Cadet was coming out again. Kris' hair was cut short and he had given his face the closest shave that it had been given in years. It looked like he had taken a handful of years off his appearance.

He had 'abducted' Shira from her shared quarters with Crewmen Corbin, only somewhat waking Shira, scooping her up in his arms as the two of them proceeded to Transporter Room 1 where they were met by Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek and Doctor Cohen. Commander Kristopher Kerouac, wearing a holster on his uniform had Tricorder and phaser firmly holstered. He patted Shira on her head to wake the groggy girl and smiled at her as he sat her down, standing her upright by his leg.

Shira clung to Kris' shirt to steady herself, looking up at him curiously as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. What were they doing awake right now? She knew she had a tendency to be awake when much of the crew was asleep, but they usually left her alone when they were awake and she was sleeping. What was so different about today that they had to wake her? And what was Kris wearing?

Commander Kerouac looked at his Second Officer/Chief Intelligence Officer with a warm smile. "I cannot thank you enough for this, Commander" said Kris trying and failing to express his thanks to her for working well into the early hours of the morning in attempt to locate Shira's world. "This doesn't seem right though... Commander Zanaar is not going to be pleased when he wakes up in a few hours to learn that I've taken an Away Team down to the planet's surface. You deserve to be on this Away Team, Commander... if not leading it. But I need you here" said Kris shaking his head.

Jhu smiled a little, shaking her head. "There will be other away teams. Besides, if I go down there, who's going to stand up to Tul when he gets pissed off about the subterfuge? Not you... he'd break you in half!" She'd wanted desperately to avoid another confrontation, but if there was the possibility of Tul really losing his cool... well, at least he could take it out on someone closer to his size. "I'll keep this quiet, but if you come back to find one of us in sickbay and the other in the brig, don't say I didn't try to warn you."

Kris looked at Jhu and Liam "Doctor, Commander..." began Kris with a sigh. "This Away Mission rest on your shoulders as much as it does on those coming down with there me. "Jhu, keep an eye on things while I am away. If Tul tries anything... if he tries to contact Starfeet Science or Starfleet Command about Shira or my leaving the ship... ensure that those transmissions are lost and do not leave the ship's communications systems" Kris said informing the Romulan-Trill.

"Not a problem," Jhu replied with a wicked, somewhat predatory grin. "The comm system just hasn't been working right this morning... I have no idea what's going on."

Liam remained quiet, he quickly took the opportunity to scan Shira, adding the latest readings to his file on Shira.

He then looked at the Chief Medical Officer. "When I am not aboard Katana, that leaves Lieutenant Commander Zanaar in command with Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek as his acting First Officer. Should Zanaar try to pull anything that may jeopardize this Away Mission, I can counting on the two of you. Doctor, you have the ability to remove anyone, including myself from command if you shall deem said officer mentally compromised and unfit for duty and you do have authority to remove Commander Zanaar from command with the assistance of Jhu" Kris explained.

"Understood sir." He said, tucking the tricorder away.

The Commanding Officer ascended the the transporter pad and took his place with Shira at his side. He had previously contacted each member of his hand picked Away Team individually, informing them to leave their uniform jackets behind. Though the planet was class M, it was generally warmer than earth and where they would be beaming down to had the hot and humid climate like a tropical rain forest. Kris wore his charcoal gray undershirt with a holster around him, and dull green cargo shorts. He wore his communications badge on his sleeveless undershirt.

Normally Kyle loved being on an Away Team. An infiltration specialist, in the past, it had just been part of his job. He liked being away from the confines of the ship experiencing different cultures and if there was some danger involved so much the better. But that was before things with Noah had turned the way that they had. Right now he was dreading going down there, with being with him. He was dressed in the standard uniform pants but was just wearing a black short sleeved t shirt with a Starfleet insignia on the breast pocket.

Jenni, wearing a sleeveless white shirt with the departmental yellow stripe wrapping around her chest and the matching white pants from the standard-issue desert uniform, walked down the corridor carrying her tricorder. The pants had a couple zipper pockets big enough to hold the tricorder and a couple of other tools, which she had brought a spanner and a screwdriver, in case the climate did a number on the tricorder. Jenni spotted Lieutenant Weaver just before both entered the transporter room. She hadn't been privy to who all else was on the away team, but both people entering the same room at the same time was an easy clue in itself.

"Good morning," Jenni said to the crowd that had gathered already. She felt something strange in the room, but couldn't quite place it. Other than the Captain, she didn't know anyone, not even Shira. For now, until orders were issued from the Captain, Jenni chose to smile kindly at Shira, hoping a smile would offset any confusion she might have about another strange face.

Shira always returned smiles where she saw them and today was no different. Despite the tiredness and the grassy hair that gave new meaning to 'bed head', she still managed a cheerful smile for the woman in the white shirt. She was about to offer her customary introduction, to point to herself and state her new name, but another yawn erupted from her and she tucked her head tiredly against Kris' side.

Maica was told to leave her uniform jacket behind and to dress for tropical weather. For her that was almost contradictory as she was comfortable in pretty much anything and the utility uniform would have been her uniform of choice. The uniform jumpsuit was out, as were her 3 diplomat uniforms. In the end, she decided on some long shorts and a short sleeved tank top in a green way too close to her own skin tone. She accented it with a yellow utility belt that had her tricorder and a couple PaDDs tucked into it.

Kris looked around at the assembling Away Team members and shook his head. "Well... we may not look like a Starfleet crew but I was not sure if there was a uniform variant that would have worked for where we are going. I'll be sure to brush up on my latest Starfleet fashion when I have some free time."

"Maybe looking like a bunch of tourists can work in our favor?" Jenni suggested, though it was really more of a joke. "A group of similarly dressed people might strike a nerve, especially if we show up with one of their kind that was kidnapped." Jenni really was no diplomat, and honestly hoped she wasn't along for the ride just to maintain Maica if the humidity got to her inner workings. This would be her third Away Mission, and Jenni was hoping for an adventure.

"Jenni makes a good point. With as emotive as Shira is, it's safe to assume the rest of her people are as well so expressing ourselves in our dress is a good idea. They may not wear clothes themselves, but it will likely show common ground with our uniqueness." Maica checked her tricorder as she said that, stepping up onto the transporter pad as well. She was hoping for a nice peaceful stroll and hadn't grabbed a phaser.

Kris looked at his Chief Engineer and flashed a soft smile in her direction. "I like the way that you think, Lieutenant. We may just have to take you away from your precious Engineering more often" joked the Commanding Officer as he then looked at Maica.

"New fashion statement, Lieutenant?" asked Kris using humor to mask his frustration. "You did not pick up a phaser, Maica. Trying to make a statement?"

Maica ran a hand across her skin matched outfit. "It's a bio-synthetic extension of my own skin that a former colleague made for me. As for the lack of a phaser, I'm just not used to carrying one. Most of my away missions have been to diplomatic functions so I've never been issued one. If you prefer, I'll carry one." Stepping off of the transporter pad, she headed to the equipment locker to grab the smallest phaser she could find.

Kris observed as his Chief Diplomatic Officer picked up a phaser from the equipment locker. "It's precautionary, Lieutenant... I do not like beaming down there armed any more than you do. However, we have no idea what to expect down there. We'll take phasers in hope to never have use for them" explained Kristopher.

Jenni returned the captain's smile before joining Maica at the weapons locker to check out a phaser. She examined it carefully before attaching the holster to her waist. The last time she held a phaser was back at the academy. Well, aside from maintaining her phaser certification, she hadn't touched a phaser. It wasn't that she didn't care, but merely her engineering duties kept her out of range of weapons fire. Giving Maica a nervous smile as she too holstered her weapon, Jenni stepped up onto the transporter pad, ready to beam down.

Seeing Jenni's nervousness, Maica smiled and squeezed her arm tenderly as they stepped back up on the transporter pad. "Just remember one thing. The pointy end goes toward the target." Hopefully a bit of mild humor would help ease her tension.


As the away team finished their exchanges Liam migrated to the controls for the transporter. He used the sensors to take a closer look at the environment on the planet, it matched what his readings had indicated was likely Shira's native habitat, highly humid, a lot of sun light, if this was first contact he hated to admit to himself but Starfleet Science wouldn't be far behind. This was a relatively unique habitat and could provide a lot of research opportunities. The highly plant like nature of Shira alone would peak the interest of many.

Kris watched as Doctor Cohen maneuvered himself over to and behind the transporter console. The Commanding Officer looked interested in the Doctor's actions and the look on the Chief Medical Officer's face. "Something on your mind, Doctor? Everything look alright on the planet?"

"Hmm, oh, No the planet looks fine. It's just, very interesting. If this does turn out to be Shira's homeworld, we may not be able to keep Starfleet Science from coming to investigate."

"The hell they will" scoffed Kris. "If Shira's people do not want further contact from us, they'll get no further contact" added the man in a firm tone.

Shira was still so confused about what was going on. She reached out for Maica, humming her confusion to the green woman.

Maica was right there by her side, brushing her fingers over the girl softly as she hummed some thoughts about magically going to her home now. She didn't need to know how exactly they would get there, just that they would be momentarily and that it would be really outside.

Home? Oh, they found her home?! This was so exciting! Shira offered a jubilant song and a warm hug to the green woman. She was going home!

Maica returned the song with her own happy humming as she hugged Shira.

Kris looked at Shira and Maica. "What are you too going on about?" asked Kris curiously.

Smiling knowingly, Maica explained it simply. "She was confused so I told her we're going to be at her home in a moment and we started singing about it."

"Wonderful" replied Kris. "If I ever decide to pursue a music career, I have my backup singers."

"They've been doing that for the past two days." Jhu snickered a little. "As for Starfleet Science, the answer is simple. We don't tell them."

Kris glared at Jhu. "Stay out of my head, Commander" said Kris with a devious looking smirk and glistening gaze.

"Can't. I put a chip in your brain." Jhu smirked back at him. "In all seriousness, it's our best option, especially considering these people are pre-warp. Starfleet Science can't be trusted with them."

"Agreed" said Kris with a nod. "I do not want to be responsible for an increase of Scientific traffic to this sector. Tourists when the leaves change" added Kris. "I will submit a report about this mission of course, but I'll leave out a few details."

"I was referring to the 'duck blind' on the Ba'ku homeworld," Jhu remarked lightly. "Say what you like about Intelligence, but at least we don't do that."

"More like dick blind" Kris said with a small scoff. "I say nothing about Intelligence. You get things done."

"I'll have to send a report to the Diplomacy Corps but I'll be leaving out a lot, I think." Maica knew they would want to set up an observation outpost, but with Shira able to tell by touch if something was real or not she knew that would be found out quick.

Kris looked around and stood ready. "Everyone stand by" he announced as they all took their places. He then looked at Doctor Liam Cohen and nodded.

"Entergize" said Kris calmly and soon felt the strange tingling sensation overcome him and Katana's transporter room slowly faded.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Special Note: Matthew who writes Dr./Lt. Noah Evans, Chief Science Officer is scheduled to be on this Away Team. I am waiting to hear back from Matthew in regards to potential need of a LOA. In the event that he cannot write and needs a LOA, his place on the Away Team will be substituted with Lieutenant JG T'Val Kejal.

Liam walked slowly away from the transporter room, he was torn, on the one hand he agreed that Shira and her people didn't need to be poked and prodded and that Starfleet Science would likely want to learn more about her people if they had the chance, but on the other, he felt the Captain and some of the crew were running around with blinders on. From what had been reported, scared or not at the time, Shira had impressive abilities. It was likely these abilities were shared by the rest of her people, and the Captain and other seemed to have an idealized out look on the situation, beaming down when we were even able to communicate with them. The entire away team could easily end up dead, it could look like they had taken Shira and were now ransoming her or god knows what.

He passed sickbay and stopped at his quarters long enough to change into a loose fitting pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, heading to the gym he absentmindedly almost hit more than one passer by. Now he was basically under orders from his Captain to relieve the XO should the XO follow procedure and notify command or SFS. Further more, several members of the senior staff had already said they planned to falsify their records, by omission or down right lie, that wasn't what Starfleet was about.

He knew most line officers tended to not think highly of the admiralty, what did they know anyway, but Liam always felt that people seemed to forget that just about everyone one of them served on a ship, most Captained them at one point in their careers. Once in the gym the Doctor took his frustrations out on his body. A gruelling two hour work out left him tired and sore, and no closer to an answer.

The grey walls of the gym were soon replaced with the metallic walls of his shower, the sonically enhanced water obliterating the thin layer of dirt and sweat off his body. Collapsing naked on his bed after he fell into a restless sleep. What would he do if t'Dharvanek put him in the position of relieving the XO, and what right did the CaptaIn have putting him in this position. The Captain was free to put his own career on the line but not only was he putting Liam's career as a Starfleet office he was putting his ability practice medicine on the line too. Starfleet Medical investigated every incident of a CMO relieving a Command officer of duty, and he likely wouldn't have any medical ground to do it.

He wished for a moment he was back on the Hyperion, that he could ask Brennen what to do, and for a faint second wished he wasn't alone in his bed, he wasn't sure who he wanted there, maybe Brennen, maybe Kris, or one of the dozen of very attractive crewmates who could take away his thoughts for a moment. He rolled over onto his stomach, pulled a pillow towards him and feel asleep.

Shira was lost, terribly lost. Jhu had showed her how to use the map in the moving room to get around. She wanted to find Jhu, had said her name and the room started moving. She thought the room would take her to Jhu, but so far Shira had been unable to find her. And what was worse, someone had turned on the lights, so now she was stumbling around blindly. She whimpered softly as she felt around a wall with her eyes closed, trying to find a place where she would be safe. Maybe if she could just make her way back to one of the moving rooms, and by now she had figured out there were many of them, then maybe she could get back to the room with all the plants. If she ever made it back to that room then she was never leaving again!

Tul was doing a little housekeeping around his quarters. For such a stoic man on duty, he enjoyed these small, mundane tasks after his shifts. Not that too many people would know it, he never had visitors. As Tul was about to recycle a pair of uniform pants in the replicator, something fell out of the pocket. He set the pants aside and picked the object up. It was a long piece of fabric a few inches wide. It didn't feel or look like a product from the replicator. In fact, it seemed carefully hand-sewn... That's it, Tul remembered suddenly. He had picked the sash up on the Wadi homeworld. While he and Lieutenant Sirigh chased the Ferengi. The sash had been distinctly different from Wadi wares and must have belong to the creature now called Shira.

Tul fingered the sash and turned it over in his hands. Dirt and grime and what may have been blood stained the patterns on the cloth. He couldn't return it looking like this. Instead, he replicated a mild cleaning solution and carried the sash to the sink. A few minutes later, he had it clean and dry. Tul hadn't seen the sash when it was new, of course, but he figured this was close.

"Computer, were is Commander t'Dharvanek?" Tul asked, thinking Jhu could return the sash to Shira. The Intel chief was becoming noticeably attached to the creature.

=/\= In the Intelligence office =/\=

Tul mulled over his options after the computer's answer. He hadn't actually met Shira. He had only been around her while on the shuttle's return to [em]Katana[/em]. And he'd been in the cockpit with the pilot. During the briefing -if that was what it could be called- Kris had more or less ordered Tul to meet Shira. Perhaps he should take the opportunity now.

"Computer, locate Shira,"

=/\= Shira is in Main Deflector Control =/\=

"What?" Tul said, automatically. He ignored the computer as it repeated the statement, he was already out the door. Deflector Control, as a critical ship's function, was strictly off-limits to civilians. And if t'Dharvanek was in her office, what was Shira doing there by herself? Where was her escort? This was what Tul had warned against. He, of course, had been ignored by the captain.

Shira found herself huddled in a corner, sniffling softly as she rubbed at her eyes. the light hurt so bad, She just wished someone would notice her and turn off the lights!

Tul left the turbolift and strode towards Deflector Control. When he reached the room and opened the door, the space beyond initially seemed abandoned. Tul frowned. However, just as he was about to leave and call security to sweep the deck, a small noise caught his attention. He stepped inside and let the door close. A quick search revealed the creature, called Shira, balled into the far corner of the room.

The XO was suddenly at a loss. He didn't know what to do, he hadn't expected this. He wasn't even sure what he had expected when he chose to come storming down here. The small creature in the midst of sabotage? No... Tul didn't even have access to the Medical chief's notes and, after the mess of a briefing, he hadn't sought information from the rest of the staff.

Tul looked over Shira from where he stood. He didn't know if she knew he was there despite the open and close of the doors. She had yet to look up at him. Her face was turned away from him but her hands seemed to be covering her eyes...

"Computer, reduce lighting to 30%," Tul ordered suddenly as the realization struck him. He hadn't heard anything about this creature being blind. She just must have been photosensitive. His own sight would adjust to the lower lighting just fine.

"What are you doing down here?" Tul asked, momentarily forgetting the communication gap many of the crew were still fighting with.

Shira continued sniffling and rubbing her eyes as they relaxed to the darkness. It would be a moment still before she could see well enough to move around, but at least now it didn't hurt anymore. She looked up at the blue man, her eyes still red and irritated, but she could see him well enough for the moment. She heard his words, but didn't understand them; it was his tone that mattered to her, stern yet concerned. Well, at least he wasn't angry with her for getting lost. She sat up straighter to address him properly. "Shira," she said, pointing to herself. It had become her usual introduction when she met someone new and she was getting better at pronouncing the name she had been given.

Tul looked surprised, he hadn't realized Shira had learned to speak Federation Standard. He was far out of this loop on this 'project'. That, at least, was no surprise. Slowly so not to surprise her Tul knelt to the floor, his antennae forward. "Hello Shira.... I'm Tul"

"Tul," she repeated softly, looking curiously at his antennae. None of the other people had antennae. Then again, none of them were blue either. Well, Maica was green... No matter, she wanted to touch his antennae, but she knew that would likely be rude so she refrained. Still, she didn't even try to hide her curiosity of his appearance.

"I'm Andorian," Tul said, touching one of his antennae. He didn't know exactly how much he understood but she might pick something up. Despite himself, he found her curiosity amazing. She had made her way here to deflector control, far from the hydroponics bay. Far...

"Are you lost?" Tul asked.

When he touched his antennae, Shira took it as permission to touch as well, reaching out to touch one of the expressive stalks. Mindful of how delicate the appendages appeared to be, her long fingers were ever so gentle and the brief contact brought a smile to her face. Not wanting to be rude, her fingers did not linger long.

Tul flinched, just a little. A normal reaction to someone getting too close to his head. She was curious and her touch was gentle so he didn't pull away.

Oh! Had she hurt him? She hadn't meant to cause him harm. She made a small whimpering sound to express her sorrow.

Tul thought he might have scared Shira. Still overly cautious of her, he stood up and took a step back.

Shira looked down, her expression saddened. So, she hadn't made a new friend? Well, that's okay... It wasn't like she was friends with everyone in her village... She rubbed her arm nervously as she looked around, wondering where she was. Well, maybe Tul wasn't a new friend, but maybe he could help her find out how to get back to the room with all the plants. She had been looking for Jhu, but she was never leaving the hydroponics bay again!

Her wings fluttered into action and Shira lifted off the ground, hovering in front of Tul. "Home," she said softly, a word Jhu had taught her, not knowing there was no real connection between that word and the place she wished to go to.

Shira surprised Tul further by suddenly flying up off the ground. He didn't step away from her this time, focusing instead on what she'd said. Someone in the crew seemed to have taught her a few words. Yet another development Tul was unaware of. Home, though, didn't mean anything to him. Did she mean her homeworld? Tul was more or less sure Katana was still looking for it... Maybe Shira was expressing her desire to go home. He didn't know.

But... She knew her own name. She even seemed to grasp his name easily enough. Maybe she knew the names of the crew working with her?

Keeping it simple this time, Tul simply said, "Jhu?"

Shira's eyes lit up excitedly. "Jhu!" she echoed with a smile.

That was easy, Tul thought. "Come with m..." he started to say, but stopped. Her wings, even in the dim light, caught his attention. They reminded him of something.... Oh yes.

Tul reached into his uniform pocket, pulling out the delicate sash he had found earlier. He held it out to Shira.

Shira gasped, her hands going to her mouth in surprise. Her sash! She thought she would never see it again! Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached out for the delicate material, its familiar feel a welcomed balm to her weary soul. Maybe she could never find her way back home, to her village, to her stars, but at least she had a piece of home to carry with her. She looked up at Tul and moved, embracing him in a warm hug as she thanked him over and over in her melodic tones.

Shira was happy, that was clear enough. Tul stayed perfectly still, moved just the smallest bit. "You're welcome," he said softly once she'd let him go, even though she probably didn't understand.

"Alright," Tul said, more to himself than to her, "it is about time we get you back to Jhu.... And explain very carefully to her that you need an escort..." he turned aside slightly, beckoning Shira to follow him with his hands.

Shira took his hand rather cheerfully, floating beside him as he led her around. Maybe she had made a new friend? She could hope. At the very least, she got her sash back!

Tul hadn't meant for Shira to grab his hand. Unwilling to shake her off and risk upsetting her, he chose to tolerate it... for now. He ordered the lighting lower in the corridor before they reached the door. The turbolift wasn't far from Deflector Control, he led her towards it.

The moving room! Fantastic! She knew how to get home from here! Her feet touched the ground and she went straight for the map on the back wall of the lift wall, her fingers finding the hydroponics bay and setting the destination. "Home," she confirmed once the lift started moving.

So that's what she had meant, Tul thought. That was easier than he had expected. Her 'home', on the ship at least, was in the hydroponic's bay. When the lift stopped and opened. The corridor was already dark.

Shira lifted off the floor with a subtle flutter of her wings and moved out of the moving room, looking back at Tul will a smile and offering a hand to see if he wanted to go with her to the hydroponics bay.

Tul followed Shira to the hydroponics bay door. When she invited him inside, though, he shook his head. He needed to get back, he would be on duty soon. "You go on," he said.

Shira tilted her head curiously, then nodded and waved cheerfully, continuing on her way to hydroponics alone. So, maybe she hadn't made a new friend, but at least he wasn't mean to her like that ugly troll who had taken her away from her home. In fact, Tul was kind in his own way, she supposed. Maybe the opportunity for friendship was still there... She certainly wasn't going to give up, there was always tomorrow!

It was a bit before alpha shift was suppose to start, and Sabrina thought she had the upper level of engineer to herself. So she was hanging from the guard rail upside down by her knees. Sometimes you had to get the blood to go to your head to tackle a really tough problem. It was a working theory, and anything that would help her pass her upcoming EPS test, she would try.

"Give me the formula again." She told the computer, closing her eyes to really pay attention to the soft computerized voice.

Engineering was strangely quiet when Jenni entered. When she requested reassignment, seeking a senior position, she'd never imagined inheriting a badly handled refit. The captain likely called Katana his own girl, but she was definitely Matthews' baby. And until that baby was ready to run without falling, Jenni's nights would be restless.

One thing she wouldn't allow was her crew to over-exert themselves while completing the jobs others should have finished, so the previous night, she ordered all of her shifts to rest. Days of working long hours were beginning to take their toll.

A soft, computerized voice came from above her head, nearly startling Jenni. Glancing up, she saw Crewman Corbin hanging from the guard rail with her eyes closed. "Oi!" Jenni called out, hands on her hips. She then quickly shut her mouth, realizing that any surprising action could cause a fall and both of them would be on the way to sickbay.

Sabrina heard the Chief over the computer's soft voice. She quickly swung around and upright, then hopped off the railing. "Sorry." She blushed, embarrassed to be caught in her own little study world. "I was just going over some EPS formulas. I told the computer to let me know if the level 3 diagnostic came back with anything."

Jenni couldn't help but smile, even though she had embarrassed the poor crewman. She glanced around the room, and realized that they were actually alone. "Got stuck with the graveyard all by yourself, eh?" she asked, going for the nearby ladder.

"Yes ma'am." Sabrina quickly checked the time, wondering what the Chief was doing here. "It's almost Alpha Shift though. It won't be quiet for long."

Jenni climbed the ladder and walked over to Corbin. Without speaking, she examined Sabrina's demeanor. As head of Engineering, Jenni was made aware of Sabrina's participation in the last Away Mission, as well as the incident from the other evening. Jenni's smile returned, recognizing, that in spite of the young woman's actions, there was something special about Sabrina.

"You know," Jenni said, grabbing the railing with her left hand and stiffening her arm, putting all of her upper body weight on the rail. "I remember my first assignment. Fresh from the Academy without an impression of what life on a starship would be like. My roommate and I had opposite shifts, so we never saw each other. But, at the Academy, they gave us an impression that life in Starfleet was grand and adventurous, which it really is. But, my first shift, my first chance to make an impression... I solved a problem that had been plaguing the impulse engines for the last three months. Fixed it in ten minutes. The impulse chief and team hated me for it. Simple polarity issue, really."

Jenni sighed, trying to get to the point of the story. "The distrust bled through the ranks, making it difficult for me to work anywhere on board. No one wanted my help or nearby, worried I'd make them look childish, not that I would or would attempt to try. I just wanted to do my job, whatever it was. I was about to apply for a transfer when the Chief Engineer, Lieutenant O'Connell, stepped in. He took me on as a personal case, brought the best out in me and helped me deal with the... personal side of Starfleet."

Her smile held fast, and Jenni added, "Life on a ship is far more about personal relations, boundaries and knowing right from wrong than EPS formulas and replacing gel packs. And I'm one to talk, keeping to Engineering this whole time I've been on board, not really meeting anyone. But, if you let me, I'd like to get to know you. Maybe even get you a chevron on your collar by the end of the year."

Sabrina listened intently to Matthew's story. Her chief had solved a problem fresh from the academy. Sabrina had ended up in the brig within a month. She couldn't imagine why Matthews would want to help her, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "I guess I sort of horked that whole personal relationship stuff up. I didn't mean to. You really think I'd have a chance at getting promoted eventually?"

"Of course!" Jenni quickly replied. "Besides, it's early. Starfleet will get into a forgiving mood soon enough."

Sabrina smiled. "I hope so. Thank you. I won't get into trouble again. I don't think I'll be on another Away Team anytime soon either."

Jenni kindly placed a hand on Sabrina's shoulder, hoping she wasn't being too forward. "One thing at a time, Sabrina. One thing at a time."

The chief glanced over to the console beside them. "Sounds like we have an EPS test to pass first." Looking back to Sabrina with a smile, she asked, "Care to tell me about it?"

Sabrina took a deep breath and nodded. She'd been studying most of her free time. She began explaining the EPS system from the ground up, occasionally having to pause to remember a detail. The data and numbers she felt pretty comfortable with actually. It was the actual repair procedures that were complicated. She yawned in the middle of an explanation. "Sorry. I think I just need to get in the holodeck and run the simulation."

Jenni looked at the chronometer on the screen, noting the shift was due to start any minute. A glance down below prompted by the sound of the doors opening was only to verify that the crew for Alpha Shift was beginning to arrive. "Then let's go."

She quickly made her way down to the lower floor and connected with the Ensign she was going to leave in charge of Engineering for the next few minutes, or however long it took to run the holodeck program. When she was done with her orders, she turned to Sabrina. "Ready?"

"Yes, sure." Sabrina was surprised but very pleased. The Chief herself was willing to help. Now if she could just not screw it up and get her personal life together, things would be looking up. "Thank You."

Gesturing towards the door, Jenni led Sabrina to Holodeck Two. After both were inside, Jenni turned to Sabrina and asked, "Name the game. Standard EPS simulation for...?"

Sabrina rattled off the specifics of her test, and let the Computer do its thing.

Before both of them appeared a EPS manifold, elevated three feet off the floor, stretching in a straight line. "So, according to your specs," Jenni said, moving over to the center where the access port and status console was located, "you're wanting to divide the primary feeds into two separate feeds, one for primary power, and the other to replenish the secondary system, recharging at a rate of 5 percent per minute. What do you do first?"

That one was easy. And so were the next two simulations actually. But the fourth one was challenging. By the time Sabrina had sweated her way though it, quite a bit of time had passed. She wished for water, but didn't want to appear incapable in front of the chief. Not after she'd been kind enough to help, believed in her enough to think she deserved the help.

Jenni had barely left Sabrina's side. She kept her distance, yes, but didn't want to seem pushy. Really, Jenni was impressed, having watched her handle each of the simulation. Noticing the sweat on Sabrina's brow, Jenni quietly stepped away and produced a bottle of water from the replicator. Jenni was never keen on liquid near equipment, but bottles that could be capped or mugs that could be closed were acceptable from time to time, just so long as the chances for accidental spills were at a minimum. "Here," Jenni offered, taking a quick look at Sabrina's work.

Sabrina smiled. "Thank you." Then she downed the entire bottle as Matthews looked over her work. "Is it alright?"

Jenni looked inside the housing, carefully examining Sabrina's work. She wasn't intentionally looking for imperfections, merely just for the quality of her work. "If I was the one grading your tests..." Jenni's voice trailed off as she did her final checks. Closing the hatch, Jenni stood upright and looked at Sabrina for a moment, her expression blank. "I would say you will pass with flying colors," she finished, finally returning her signature smile.

"Really? That's great. That's fantastic." Sabrina did a tiny little happy dance before she realized how ridiculous she must look in front of her Chief. She blushed. "Thank you again for you help. I really appreciate it."

Maintaining her smile, Jenni gently placed her hand on Sabrina's shoulder and pointed them both near the door. "Anytime, Sabrina."

Sabrina nodded with another smile, then followed Matthews out. It was time to get to work.

***

LtJg Jennifer Matthews
CEO


Crewman Recruit Sabrina Corbin
Repair Specialist

Commander Kristopher Kerouac had previously informed the young Crewmen Recruit from Engineering to pack her shit up and prepare for a reassignment of quarters due to her recent assault on her former roommates. Personally, Kris liked Sabrina, but even he had limits to how much trouble someone was worth. She would be given a handful of chances but eventually, if she did not turn herself around, she would not be serving aboard Katana much longer. Kris had decided to assign Crewmen Corbin larger quarters albeit with a more special needs of a roommate.

Kris held Shira's hand as they walked down the corridors of Kantana's 9th deck. With the science labs one deck above, and the Airponics and hydroponics lab two decks below, Kris thought that deck nine would be ideal for Shira. Additionally, the room that Shira and Sabrina would have a nice observation port. "I do hope that you like Sabrina. You should... she's interesting" said Kris with a smile as he and Shira approached the entrance to the quarters. Kris waited for Sabrina to answer.

Shira couldn't understand his words, but something about the tone of his voice was encouraging and she smiled up at him as she floated by his side.

Sabrina had been gleefully poking around the quarters. A bed on the floor, a real dining table, albeit small. It was larger than her room back home. Most importantly, she was away from those horrid roomates.

"Enter." She smiled, hoping that Shira wouldn't be afraid of her. How did one explain without language that you'd only been trying to help?

The Commanding Officer entered the quarters and looked at Sabrina. "Hello, Crewmen. I thought that I would formally introduce you to your new roommate" said Kris warmly.

He looked at Shira and then pointed to Crewmen Recruit Corbin. "Sabrina" he said and then repeated it slowly "S uh b - r ee - n ah." Kris then pointed at Shira and gave her a nod.

Yeah, there was no way Shira could pronounce that just yet. She was just getting used to the pronunciation of her own name, but this woman's name was just too far beyond her capabilities right now. "Shira," the little forest girl greeted pleasantly as she pointed to herself, not recognizing this new person as the one who cut the chain on her collar back in the marketplace.

Kris shook his head and sighed. "Sorry, she's pretty good with names but some sounds and syllables seem to be a bit too much for her" said Kerouac. He then thought about what he had just said and pointed to the Crewmen again "Sabby" he said as clearly as he could.

Sabrina smiled. Sabby was fine by her, and hopefully it was short enough that Shira would be able to say it. Seeing what Kris was doing she pointed to herself with a smile and repeated it one more time. "Sab bee"

Shira looked between the two of them, utterly confused. Well, either it was one way or another, a person couldn't be both, could they? Still, they seemed insistent she say something, so she repeated the word. "Sab-bee."

Sabrina smiled even wider. "Good, good." She then turned to Kerouac. "Anything I need to know? food allergies? customs we've figured out? Just...anything?"

Kris shrugged. "We haven't been able to determine much as of yet. I can tell you that Dr. Cohen hasn't been able to identify any allergies to anything yet. She seems to really love fruits and vegetables as far as food goes" said Commander Kerouac.

He then looked at Sabrina "Don't feed her hot dogs... she does not like them" added Kris.

"You tried to feed her a hot dog?" Sabrina chuckled. Even she knew better than that! "Fruits, Vegetables, got it." She then turned to Shira and smiled again. "I'm sorry if I scared you down on the planet, I was just trying to help." She knew that Shira couldn't understand her, but she needed to say it anyway. Besides, how was she going to learn language if she didn't hear it constantly.

Shira certainly didn't understand, but she smiled nonetheless. She had no clue why she was here, but she was always happy to meet new people!

Sabrina turned to Kris. "I think I've got it sir, we'll be fine."

Kris nodded "Well, if the two of you would be fine... I have some command matters to attend to."

Shira chirped curiously. Kris is leaving? Okay, that means she could spend time with her new friend! Shira looked at Sabby with a smile. She was looking forward to getting to know her new friend.

Sabrina smiled back. Good, Shira didn't seem afraid of her. She could do this.

Shira looked about the room, curious to the purpose of this place. A table, two beds (which she didn't know what to make of those), some space to store personal belongings, a bathroom (to which Shira made a disgruntled expression, her experiences with this sort of room not being all that favorable), and... a window? She looked out the observation port with awe. They were among the star? She hadn't had any point of reference to where she was exactly until now, but in a way if made sense. This was amazing! They were traveling among the stars!

Sabrina kept up a running explanation as she watched Shira explore. She explained the beds and the bathroom, though she didn't expect any of it to be understood. She smiled when she noticed Shira looking out the viewport. "Beautiful isn't it?" Sabby then walked to the replicator, indicating Shira to follow.

"Water." She spoke slowly and clearly, then pointed to the glass as it appeared on the replicator pad. "Water." She repeated. If there was one word Shira needed to learn, water was probably the place to start.

There was a magic box in this room too? "Wa-tur," Shira repeated as she looked at the glass on the replicator pad. Jhu and Maica had shown her how to use the graphic interface, using images to get things she needed, but neither of them had tried to teach her any words. Although at this point in time, Shira was far more interested in the stars, her attention wandering back to the view port.

Sabrina joined Shira at the viewport, if Shira was more interested in stars than water, that was fine by her. It seemed she knew enough to get water if she needed it. She just watched the stars go by in companionably silence with Shira.

Shira stared out the window for a long while, but then quickly became bored. Part of her love of the stars came from finding the patterns between them and she couldn't find the patterns if the stars were rushing passed them so fast. She looked around the room, offering Sabby a meek smile. Now she was just bored, there wasn't anything to do in this room.

Sabby pondered. What to do? She pulled out a large PaDD and pulled up a children's program. It was just the alphabet. But Sabby didn't know where else to start. In a rather high pitched voice geared to gain children's attention it announced A and the letter A appeared in a bright blue in the middle of the screen. Sabby pointed to the A and said "A".

Shira blinked as Sabby and the strange device. This certainly had her attention! When Sabby led her to the table and urged her to sit down, Shira did as she was instructed. She held the device and looked at the symbols being displayed and vocalized. She had seen many of these strange symbols gathered together on the many displays and consoles of this place. Perhaps this was how these people kept their records? And Sabby was teaching her! Oh, so exciting! One by one they went through the letters until Shira had said them all, then they started over and did it again.

Yay! Progress. Sabrina grinned the whole time. Now if she could only find a way for Shira to reciprocate. She'd have to come up with something later. She didn't want to get ahead of themselves, but she wanted to show Shira that the letter meant something, formed words. So she picked an easy one. CAT then Sabrina said "C A T cat", and a picture of a cat appeared on the screen. She showed Shira the back button, and it went back to the alphabet, then she showed her the forward button and "CAT cat" showed up again. If she could show Shira how the program worked, at least the basics, Shira could learn in her own time.

Shira was definitely intelligent, picking up on the controls of the device rather quickly. But in all fairness, she had some experience already: Jhu had taught her how to access replicator controls, how to find her position on the turbo lift map, how to interact with the images in Astrometrics. Shira wondered how it all worked, but it was enough for her to simply accept that it did work and carry on. For now, Shira was engrossed in learning these letters and sounds and words. There was just so much to take in! But she continued to echo the simple words offered to her with a cheerful smile.

Sabrina smiled, and let Shira play with the program. She had her own learning to do. She was tired and ready for bed more than anything else, but her time in the kitchen had taken away from her study time, and she needed to make it up somewhere. Sabrina went to the bathroom and changed into her comfortable pajamas before returning and pulling out her own PaDD, sitting next to Shira to study.

As interesting as this device was, Shira was curious about the change of clothes. She put down the PaDD and pulled at the sleeves of this strange garment. She was starting to understand the function of the uniform; they all dressed similarly as a sign of regimentation, just like the Guardians on her world wore similar embellishments. But what was the purpose of this garment?

Sabrina turned her head, wondering what Shira wanted. "My pajamas?" Sabby wondered how to explain. She got up and grabbed her uniform top, then rubbed her hand over the fabric. "It's not very soft." She rubbed her hand over her sleeve. "Soft." then held both out to Shira.

"Soft," Shira repeated as she ran her hand over the two garments. Then she touched her own clothes, the simple little sundress. It was smooth, but no very soft. Then she looked back at Sabby. Was she supposed to change her garment as well?


"What?" Sabrina asked, then shook her head. Of course Shira couldn't explain, whatever it was. "Do you want pajamas too?" Sabrina figured it was worth a try, so she went and replicated a pair for Shira. She returned and held the folded garments out to her with a smile.

Shira took the pajamas, but had no idea what to do with them. She just stared at the strange patterns and ran her fingers over the soft material.

Sabrina chuckled. Ok, fairy girl didn't know how to get dressed, that made sense. Sabrina had her own problem with the dressing. What to do with Shira's wings? Sabrina decided to take scissors to the back of the pajamas. They'd have to gently shove the wings through, somehow. Sabrina made a motion like she was removing her top, and pointed at Shira's dress.

Oh oh oh! Shira knew how to do this part! Without hesitation, Shira pulled the dress over her head, only momentarily getting it stuck around her grassy hair, but she managed to get the garment off without too much of a hassle. That left her body completely bare before Sabrina since she wore no undergarments. She carefully looked the dress over. It looked clean enough, she wouldn't have to wash it, so she instead folded it as neatly as she could, which was actually quite difficult given the strange folds at the waist. Eventually, the dress ended up haphazardly folded but was set neatly on the table, then Shira looked to Sabby and waited for the next part.

Sabrina noted that Shira looked pretty human. Small breast and everything below the waist looked well female. But no underwear? Who had dressed her? What if she started her period? Did she even get a period? How was she going to explain underwear? Sabrina went and replicated a pair before returning. She didn't know how to explain what they were, so she just pulled down her own pajama's far enough to show Shira her own underwear, then handed the pair she held to Shira.

More strange garments? Shira studied the underwear curiously. Oooookay, what was she supposed to do with them now?

"Oh for Pete's sake." Sabrina clucked. Shira really didn't wear clothes on her planet, at all, did she? Sabrina stripped off her pajama bottoms, then her underwear, then carefully and slowly lined them up and pulled them back on. "Like that." She motioned to Shira, hoping the woman understood the demonstration.

Shira's eyes lit up with understanding and comprehension. Oh! So that's how they work! It took her a moment to orient the garment correctly, but she slipped her legs into the undergarments, then stood to pull them up, then found the pants to repeat the process. It felt incredible awkward, but the softness of the colorful flannel made it tolerable. Then she found a tank top. Well, this looked similar to her dress! This she was able to figure out on her own... But what was she to do with the last piece, the one Sabby had cut?

Sabrina was impressed that Shira managed the tank top. The pajama top was cut in such a way that the back did not interfere with her wings. Sabrina undid her own top then completely pulled it off. She slid her right arm in, then her left, but left it unbuttoned. One thing at a time.

Shira tried putting the top on as Sabby had shown her, first one arm then... wait, it would flatten her wings. Oh, that must be what the hole was for... She carefully worked her delicate wings into the hole in the back of the shirt, then her other arm found the empty sleeve. She pulled it up like Sabby had hers. Well, this is interesting. Was she done?

Sabrina smiled, quickly buttoned up her top then reached over and buttoned up the pajama shirt for Shira. They could tackle the intricacies of buttons later.
"There. All done." Sabrina sat back down and pulled out her PaDD again.

Stars above, what manner of contraption is this?! Like putting a piece of tape on a cat, Shira freaked out, trying to figure out how to undo the strange garment and settled for popping the buttons off, one by one.

Sabrina leaned back, out of the fray. "Ok, so you don't like pajama tops." She didn't worry about it though, the tank top would offer well modesty if nothing else, and there were plenty of blankets.

Shira left the top on, it merely lacked buttons and was left open now. Then she followed Sabby's example and picked up her device to continue her lessons, repeating the letters and simple words as they were offered to her.

***


Commander Kristopher Kerouac
Commanding Officer

Crewman Recruit Sabrina Corbin
Repair Specialist

Shira
civilian passenger

Shira had thought she was finally learning how to get around this massive structure, but she had been sorely mistaken. She knew now how to order the moving room to get to a corridor where she could find her way to the Hydroponics Bay and Astrometrics, not that she knew that's what they were called, but she knew her way there. Her one problem once she left the room she shared with Sabrina, she couldn't figure out how to find her way back! She had gone to Hydroponics to get her few belongings and a couple of plants she could keep in her room, but on her return she couldn't figure out how to find her way back to her quarters. She looked at the map in the turbo lift, completely befuddled as to how to order the moving room to where she wanted to go.

After a while, Shira leaned against the wall, thinking. Maybe Jhu knew? She ordered the lift to Astrometrics only to find that Jhu was not there once she arrived. Shira returned to the lift. What now? She had learned her lesson quick enough, don't go wandering in places she shouldn't, that's how she got lost and found Astrometrics in the first place! And how she found Deflector Control... Each time she had been lucky to find someone to help her, but she had to wait a long time in Deflector control for a long time before Tul found her. She definitely wasn't going to wander about, but that still left her wondering where to go. Perhaps she should just go back to Hydroponics and wait for someone to come find her? She slumped to the floor in thought, pondering the issue as the room started moving once again.

Lieutenant Verak had called for the Turbolift as he was scheduled to be in Sickbay in a half an hour. It was only logical to be there early so that his examination could potentially be done early and ideally quick because Verak was not enthusiastic about medical Doctors. They were peculiar creatures with too much curiosity in their eyes. Their bedside manner... far too emotional and sterile. However, when the doors to the turbolift parted ways, Verak saw that he would not be alone.

Small strange creature thought Verak, raising his brow and greeting her with a Vulcan hand gesture. He had been on the Away Team that rescued the creature... this 'Shira' as the Captain was so emotionally strict about referring to her as such. Verak had agreed in the liberation of the creature from Daimon Marg. However, he was unsure that Kerouac has made the right call in trying to domesticate the creature by showering her with humanity. How do you view the world and the life aboard this starship? Verak pondered as he entered the lift.

He was about as thin as Shira but he towered over her in height. He understood that sometimes with children, reducing one's height made the child less nervous and more approachable. "Computer, hold turbolift" said the Helmsmen as he slowly crouched down so that he could look at Shira in the eyes.

"I do not believe you are meant to be roaming this vessel without an escort" said Verak.

Shira merely blinked at him, uncertain what to say. at least she wasn't alone anymore. "Shira," she eventually said, pointing to herself. It had become her standard greeting, she just hoped he would respond in kind so she could know who he was.

Perceptive... self aware and has been taught her name thought Verak. This creature is clearly sentient... fascinating. The half-Vulcan cocked his head and looked the creature over. He responded to her introduction likewise. "Verak" he said with a slight bow of his head. He took her hands and placed them on his temples.

"Verak," Shira repeated. then she tilted her head curiously when he placed her hands on his head. What was the meaning of this gesture?

Verak looked into her eyes wondering what she was seeing in his. Verak knew what everyone was wanting him or Lieutenant Kejal to do. They had looked at them differently since Shira came aboard. It was clear even though that nobody dared ask it that they wanted him or Kejal to attempt a mind meld. Neither had dared make the attempt. Now, Verak found himself looking into her eyes wondering if they would even be possible to form such a link. "You are a most fascinating being."

Shira couldn't understand his words, but there was something about the tone of his voice that made her smile. She was drawn into his blue eyes, his gaze so intense and hypnotic... She had never seen eyes quite like his.

"I wish that you and I could communicate. It would benefit this crew... you've been a heated topic of interest, causing a rift in command. You have so much to say and yet no way to speak to us."

She wished she could understand his words. Sabby had started to teach her and Maica was beginning to understand her song, but they were still so far away from try understanding of each other. And now she was facing the same problem she was facing with the map in the turbo lift, she couldn't tell him where she wanted to go! But she had to try! She removed her hands from his temples and picked herself up, fluttering closer to the map on the back wall of the lift. "Home," she said, erroneously identifying hydroponics by pointing to it on the map. "Jhu," she said, pointing to astrometrics. Then she looked at Verak. "Sabby."

"Intelligent" he said holding back the curving of his lips, simply nodding. She must view as hydropnics as her home here. That is logical given her genetic composition. She has ties to plants... it likely reminds her of home thought Verak.

He pointed to Hydroponics on the map and looked her "Home? Do you want to go home?" he asked.

"Home," she repeated. Yes, that was home, but she swat his hand away from the map to prevent him from selecting that option and thus setting the moving room in motion. That was home, but she didn't want to go there. "Sabby," she tried again.

Verak looked at Shira and shook his head. "Bad" he said looking at her. "Bad hitting. Don't" he said reprimanding her. However, he understood where she wanted to go now. "Computer, Deck 9" he said firmly.

"Verak and Shira walk to Sabby?"

Shira pouted at his scolding. She may not have understood his words, but his tone was sufficient. It wasn't like she hit him hard...

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened again. He could see that Shira was pouting or had some sort of negative emotional response to his reprimanding her. He embraced his humanity, he did not reject emotions. He was like any other human except not entirely human. He had started to embrace his Vulcan heritage and had always valued logic. However, seeing Shira sad did not make him feel well. She did not mean to hurt him and in fact, she had not. If she wanted to harm him... she would have.

He looked at her and held out his hand. "I'm sorry" he said with a small smile.

For the briefest moment, Shira tried to hold a grudge and snub him, but she just couldn't ignore a smile offered without returning one of her own. It took a moment for the smile to work its way onto her face, and she fought it, but eventually joviality won out and she smiled warmly at Verak. She quickly gathered her belongings that she had retrieved from the hydroponics bay, then slipped her hand hand into his and fluttered along side him out of the moving room.

Hand-in-hand the two made their way through deck nine and around the corners of the corridors until they finally arrived at their destination. Verak looked at Shira and gave her a small nudge or push. "Sabby" he said gently.

Shira gave him a playful nudge in return before looking at the door. Wasn't it supposed to open? It wasn't opening. She looked back at Verak, confused about why the door wasn't opening.

Verak shrugged at Shira. "Don't look at me. I don't have the keys" he said with a smile. It was true, these were not Verak's quarters and he was not Chief of Security. Maybe Crewmen Corbin is here he thought pressing the chime.

Shira smiled in return and waited patiently. She had faith he knew what he was doing, he would open the door soon.

He took Shira's hand and pressed it against the small sensor pad that Lieutenant Kali had installed for Shira. Apparently, nobody had taught her to use it. The computer recognized her identity and the doors unlocked and opened.

"Well... I had a wonderful time getting to know you" said Verak, using his non-Vulcan sense of humor, crouching down, leaning in and giving Shira a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Shira touched her hand to her cheek, beaming brightly at the kiss he's offered her. She giggled then gave him a quick peck on his cheek before dashing into the quarters she shared with Sabby. Her glowing smile was the last thing he saw as the door swished shut.

Fascinating thought Verak, touching his cheek and blushing. He was happy that he was a human with Vulcan heritage and was not raised on Vulcan. He liked feeling his emotions and enjoyed embracing them, especially at times like this. He walked away slowly with a warmth inside.

From astrometrics, Jhu had gone straight to her cabin. She remembered that, but she didn't remember collapsing on the couch still wearing her uniform. Or putting the phaser and hidden knives on the coffee table, but leaving them there was better than sleeping on top of them. Rubbing her eyes, she checked the time and found that - true to the captain's word - she'd been left alone for the rest of the shift. In fact, it was past her usual dinner time, a fact her stomach announced rather loudly as she got up from the couch and stripped off her jacket, throwing it on the nearby chair. Running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten some of the tangles, she sent Maica the promised message before contemplating whether to eat or take a shower. After a moment the shower won out; sleeping in her uniform had rendered it damp and sticky with sweat, a feeling way more unpleasant than the rumbling of her empty stomach. Still, she kept the shower short, taking much longer to figure out something to wear. Most of her off-duty clothing was still packed away, so she settled for replicating a pair of jogging shorts and a lightweight tank top. After all, she didn't have anyone to impress.

By the time she'd combed her hair and gotten a snack, there hadn't been a reply to her message. That's odd... Even if Maica was still working, Jhu had expected some sort of reply. Curious, she consulted the computer, finding that Maica was still in astrometrics. Probably beating her head on a console by now. Since Starfleet tended to frown on bare feet in the corridors, Jhu found a pair of sandals to wear and then went to see what Maica was doing, taking an apple and a small chunk of cheese with her.

Maica was indeed busy, but not to the point of banging her head against the console. She finally figured a few things out and after converting some interfaces to things more familiar, namely displaying things as raw holo-data she could just process directly, she felt she was finally doing well to assist Shira. They had gone over so many systems and she was pretty sure Shira was getting a bit annoyed with her ineptness with the equipment. At least her translation matrix was progressing well finally. With another week of work, she might be able to upload it to the main computer.

Hearing the door open, Maica turned to see Jhu strolling in without her under-eye luggage and dressed very casually. "You look well rested. Sorry I didn't reply to your message. This console froze up again."

Shira was tracing patterns on an image of a star field displayed on the main screen, disappointed that yet again it wasn't the right one. They had been through so many different pictures, but they hadn't found the right one yet. Although, they were getting close, she could feel it! She looked back at Maica and shook her head to inform her that this was not the right one with the intent that Maica would give her a new image, but instead she saw Jhu. Oh, Jhu had returned! She zipped over to Jhu and practically pushed her towards the console. Shira didn't know how to operate the thing and Maica could barely operate it, it must be a sign of good fortune that Jhu had returned when she did!

"...maybe I can fix it." Jhu was doubtful, but as Shira pushed her over to the console, she set her apple down on it and stuck the last piece of cheese in her mouth before giving the frozen panel a cursory look. An experimental tap of the reset button did nothing, so she crouched down to look underneath. "Huh," she said after swallowing the bite of cheese. "There's a loose wire down here... if you have a spanner I should be able to tighten it."

Looking around, Maica found the maintenance kit and opened it up. There were like a dozen tools and though she'd seen them all used, she wasn't sure which one was actually a 'spanner' so she just took the whole case to Jhu. "At least the auxiliary console still works."

Shira kept fluttering between the screen and the console as she waited with anxious anticipation for the strange device to be fixed so she could see more stars to find her home.

Jhu gave the tool case a brief look, picking out the spanner and then sitting under the console to get a better look at the problem area. "And I thought that basic maintenance course was a waste of time..." Gently nudging the wire into place, Jhu carefully tightened it until it lay snug. "Try it now."

Pressing a few buttons, this time it started working normally so she moved the main screen to the next system in the list and switched the console back to something Jhu could read. "Thanks, that's got it. When I took the aptitude test I scored so low in engineering and science the instructor told me to never try to fix anything."

Shira applauded Jhu's success. Well, mostly she was just happy to see another star field to study... no, wait, she could tell right away that this one wasn't the right one. She shook her head and waited for more.

"Don't expect it to last... my track record with engineering tasks is... well, not good." Putting the spanner back in its case, Jhu crawled out from under the console and stood up, retrieving her apple and switching the system to the next image. "Have you two been here since I left?"

"Unblinkingly. Shira hasn't even taken a break. On the bright side, I'm up to 134 phrases in her language." Maica stepped back from the console so Jhu could work her magic on it.

"Not even to eat?" A few key presses made the system possible for Shira to use again, then Jhu produced one of her knives, cutting the apple in half and handing it to Shira. "Real apple. Not magic."

Shira didn't even falter in her work when Jhu offered her the apple and started to munch rather happily on the apple without giving it much thought. Then she paused and looked at the piece of fruit. Real? Oh, and it was so sweet! Chattering happily, she continued studying the stars, tracing the patterns she found as she ate. Then she was surprised when the images changed. Oh, she enjoyed having Jhu around, she made the pictures interactive again, like she had done before! Shira remembered how this worked and swiped at the image to bring the other one back so she could finish looking it over before moving on to the next, and then the next.

Upon reaching yet another image, Shira stilled in mid-bite. She dropped her apple, or what was left of it, and her focus became almost single-minded in her attempts to break this star field into the necessary patterns that she used to memorize the complex layouts. this was it, these were her stars. They had found her stars!

Tapping a few controls, Maica looked over the data on this planet. "NGC42918-3. Uninhabited jungle planet with no detectable animal life. She says these are her stars so this is it."

"Can we get a course heading from this?"

"With ease. It's near our current course and if i read this right, we can be there in a day or so." Maica wasn't sure if she was actually reading it right, but that's what the lines looked like. "Do you want to send the report to the Captain or shall I?"

"I'm not supposed to be working." Jhu laughed a little, taking a few bites of the sweet apple. "But if you're nervous about it, I can do it."

"Not nervous, just wanting to let you report it since it's been your project." Maica taptapped at the console to pack up all the info into a message.

"Nonsense. I'm willing to share credit, and besides... Shira found it. All I did was set it up for her." Jhu wasn't terribly concerned about Kris's reaction, but Tul? She had a feeling he was going to have something to say when he heard she'd found the planet. Probably something nasty about 'not being a team player' or whatever his current opinion was.

Shira was enthralled by the image of the stars. These were her stars! As hopeful as she had been that they would find it, part of her couldn't believe that they would ever be able to find the right one, but they had and now Shira was so relieved. She fluttered back to Jhu and Maica with a song of gratitude. She didn't know if they could understand just what this meant to her, but she was so grateful for their help.

Maica finished packing up the report and sent it to Kris. He'd get the message as soon as he was available. Smiling up at the fluttering and talkative girl, Maica couldn't help but reply. "You'll be home soon. Good day to find home."

Shira smiled, repeating what Maica sang to her to make corrections to the song. Maica was learning so fast and it was exciting to know that at least one person could understand her song now, but the green woman was still thinking in terms of her own language when she sang, attempting to use individual words and sentence syntax rather than simplifying her thinking and emoting the entire thought at once. But still, Maica was getting better and they were both trying so hard, and that made all the difference in the world.

Maica corrected her song as she realized that she was thinking in too small of thoughts. She was used to breaking down syntax and grammar but in this case, there was none - just a transferal from pure thought to emotive song. This time she tried singing something of her own with a lot of guesswork about crossing the stars back to Shira's home and that they'll be there soon and it's all wonderful and good. Since she wasn't basing this song on anything, she really hoped it came out right.

Shira applauded Maica's new song. Much better! Tonight was just so exciting! She found her home and now Maica was started to understand how to communicate better! Could today get any better? Oh, that's right, she had a sweet potato to eat for dinner tonight, a real one, not magic food! Best day ever!

Reprocessing all the raw data she had collected on Shira's speech, Maica stared up at her motionless with that same warm smile for several long moments. Her Universal translation systems were consuming most of her resources as she broke down and rebuilt everything she now knew. This wouldn't be a translation matrix she could upload to the main computer - it would have lag and wouldn't be able to process it. Finally finished processing all that data, she smiled brighter and finally blinked.

Shira poked at Maica while she remained still. Was she okay? Uh oh, had she somehow broken the green woman? Well, that was incredibly rude of her! Shira offered a gentle apology, expressing her regret if she had done something wrong to hurt Maica. But then Maica smiled and blinked. Was everything okay now?

Maica saw the worry in Shira's eyes and hummed an apology and that she was relearning how to sing better and it filled her mind. Turning back to Jhu, she smiled brightly and pulled both of them in for a hug.

Shira squeaked happily with the squeezing hug. Yes, this just confirmed it, best day ever!

Jhu squeaked in surprise at the sudden ferocity of Maica's affection, laughing a little when the android froze the spontaneously sprang back to life. "You're overdoing it if it shorts you out like that."

"Remind me to have Jenni check me over later. I should be fine though - I just had to reprocess every scrap of translating I've been doing and my translation systems have a pretty high priority." Maica was overjoyed and it showed.

"If I froze like that, you'd be dragging me down to Doctor Cohen," Jhu reminded Maica gently. "But I trust you to know your limits."

"If I freeze for over a minute, then call someone. I'm not built with the latest and greatest in technology so sometimes my external processes get canceled while I deal with a heavy load." It had only happened to Maica a few times, but it was a bit of a defect that had caused concern in both her and her friends.

"That... kind of makes sense. Considering you weren't exactly built for this sort of work." Jhu didn't like watching Maica during the overload, but she had to keep in mind that Maica's design wasn't anything like Data's. "I know you don't really get tired, but since we found Shira's planet, why don't we call it a day?"

"Yeah that sounds good." She might not get tired but Maica's processing speed had slowed considerably and she needed to 'relax' as it were. "Holodeck 2?"

"Works for me. I think we'll pass by hydroponics on the way..."

It took Maica a moment to process that since it really wasn't, but after a moment it clicked - they would need to drop Shira off if she wasn't going to come with them.

"Unless Shira is coming too." Jhu gave Maica a concerned look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. You know how some older electronics need to be power cycled on occasion? I think I'm due for that myself. It's been a few years since the last time." Maica wasn't that much slower, but the lack of emotion in her eyes still betrayed her overworked systems.

"You're running about like one of those old computers. Reaction time looks okay, but you don't quite look like yourself..."

"I feel... Tired, I think... Do you mind?" Maica motioned to the maintenance kit used earlier.

As if on cue, Shira yawned. It had been an eventful day and she was finding herself in need of a good snooze.

"Tired is probably a good analogy." Not sure what Maica intended for her to do, Jhu retrieved the tool kit. "Not sure how much help I'll be, but let's see if we can't get you working properly. Then we'll get Shira to hydroponics so she can eat... and get some rest."

Sitting on the edge of the astrometrics platform and leaning forward, Maica made sure she was in a position where she wouldn't fall over while she was off. "It's easy enough. Just remove my cranial access plate with that magnetic something tool and hold the small red button for 3 seconds. After at least 8 seconds, hold it for 3 more seconds and I'll turn back on."

"There's not any chance for this to do any damage, right?" Finding the magnetic tool in the case, Jhu knelt on the platform behind Maica and carefully removed the cranial plate to reveal the reset button.

"It hasn't done anything bad before but if something does happen, call engineering. Jenni has my schematics." Maica held absolutely still as she waited for the power drop.

Shira stopped cold, planting her feet on the ground for some sense of stability. What was Jhu doing to Maica? What was under Maica's hair?! This was so wrong, what was going on here?

"All right then." Trying to ignore the shocked look Shira was giving them, Jhu pressed the red button, holding it in place for a few seconds.

After the promised 3 seconds the lights in Maica's cranium dimmed and went out. Externally she looked the same yet as deathly still as a porcelain doll. All that was left was the brief flashing of the reset button indicating that her micro-fusion reactor was still online.

Shira squeaked, thoroughly unnerved by what she was seeing. Was... Was Maica a magic person? But but but! She slumped to her knees, feeling paralyzed by the reality of the situation. This wasn't right. No! She refused to believe it! Maica had been so kind to her, there had to be some explanation for this!

Knowing this must be weird for Shira, Jhu gave her an understanding smile as she counted off eight seconds. To be sure, she paused just a bit longer and pressed the reset button again, holding it in place for tree seconds.

Snapping awake and blinking rapidly, Maica's systems restarted almost instantly and reloaded her last few memories. After the quarter of a second that that took, she checked her mental processes and upon seeing they were back to normal, grinned widely and let out a slight giggle. "That was a good nap. Thanks Jhu." She then hummed reassurement to Shira whom she saw was in some distress.

"I bet it was. You look better, at any rate." Setting the cranial access cover in place, Jhu resealed it and packed the magnetic tool back into the case. "I don't think Shira liked watching that though. She was looking at me like I'd killed you."

Maica's reassurance was not very reassuring. Shira had seen something she just couldn't process. Maica was a magic person?! She looked scared, much like when Maica had first found her, she wanted to run and find some place safe and familiar, like the hydroponics bay, but she still felt paralyzed by the realization that Maica wasn't real.

As soon as her head was back together, Maica headed over to Shira and knelt in front of her. Maica didn't really know what to do so she just lightly touched Shira's arm and hummed a worried query if she was ok.

Shira flinched away from Maica with a whimper. She just couldn't understand, Maica couldn't be... She began humming through the lump in her throat, so near to tears it hurt. Is Maica real or not real?

Maica thought for a moment to figure out how to sing what she wanted to. After a moment though, she started. She sang of her life - a different form of life. She sang that Maica was still Maica through that life. She sang about wanting to help others.

Shira didn't understand all of Maica's song, but one part of it resonated deeply within Shira: Maica was still Maica. Maybe Maica wasn't a real person, but she had been that way before Shira had met her, how could she hold that against her friend? Just because Maica wasn't real didn't invalidate her friendship or her kindness. Shira slowly reached out and touched Maica's hand. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't know why exactly. Still, she was making an attempt to look past whatever Maica was or wasn't and instead simply see the friend she had made, the friend who had rescued her from that horrible little troll who gave her pain... 'Maica is still Maica,' she hummed in response.

Maica repeated the hum of 'Maica is still Maica' and gently pulled Shira in for a hug, her simulated heart beat a bit stronger than usual and her smile bright as can be.

Shira clung to her friend, shivering as she started to cry. Oh, she had been so scared! Learning her friend hadn't been real, but seeing her so lifeless like that had been equally as scary. 'Friend is okay?'

Maica was touched to the cockles of her micro-fusion reactor when Shira called her a friend. Few people had done that and to have the small forest girl's friendship was an honor for her. She sang back that she was fine and just had to rest and to finally sleep after a long time. She was sorry for showing Shira that side of herself.

This had shaken Shira to the core, but she was not going to give up on Maica as a friend. She was genuinely relieved to know that Maica was well and relaxed into her embrace.

Jhu couldn't understand the song, but the notes had become more joyful, so she thought it must be good. "I'd ask you to teach me that, but I have no musical talent whatsoever."

Looking up at Jhu, Maica would have tears in her eyes if she had tear ducts. "I can't even teach the main computer. It'll think i'm trying to translate what your cat is saying."

Jhu giggled at the thought of trying to translate Lydek's mewing. "Don't feel bad. Think of it as something you can do better than the ship's computer."

Maica couldn't help but giggle at that. "Yeah, I'm fluent in over 4 million forms of communication and it isn't." She kissed Shira on the forehead and stood, offering her hand to the forest girl.

Shira hesitated before finally taking Maica's hand and offering a meek smile. It would take her a little while to get over this little upset, but Shira was putting in her best effort to put it behind her.

"Exactly. Not much different from how I know how to hack my way into a computer, but Kris likely doesn't."

"And now I think it's time for Shira to get some rest herself." Maica smiled warmly at Shira and sang a bit, wanting to know if she was ready to go rest.

Shira chirped in confirmation with a nod. she was tired, it had been a long day.

"Can't blame her... I slept right through lunch earlier." Jhu grinned a little. "Let's get her settled... she might need help hanging the hammock."

Maica headed out of Astrometrics with them and headed to the turbolift to take Shira back home. Thankfully the lights were still dimmed.

There was still sometime before Kyle had to be on duty. Had to be bringing his 'A game' and need to have his act together. But he going to need all of that time, or people were going to know that something was up. He didn't want anyone to know. So, before he saw anyone else, he needed some alone time. Some 'me' time. What better way to get that then to to go to the gardens. He loved to be outdoors and right now, he needed all the comfort the could get.

So he stepped into the turbo-lift headed in that direction.

Shira wasn't really paying much attention to where she was going. She hated the room with its strange water seat that Jhu and Maica taught her to use. Such strange habits! It made no sense to her, but she couldn't just relieve herself on the floor, now could she? No, certainly not! So she conformed to the lessons given to her, did what she needed to do, washed her hands like a good girl, and left the room with the intent to return to the room with the plants as quickly as possible, completely heedless of the fact that someone else was just around the corner with the same destination.

He was just about to enter when he saw her. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile. "Hello," he signed, distracted enough not to notice he wasn't talking.

Shira tilted her head curiously. What a strange gesture! Oh, this was just alike what Noah did. Well, not 'just like', but he made strange gestures too! Maybe it meant something? She repeated the gesture.

Kyle repeated the gesture again and said, "Hi." Then a little more slowly than he would have with Noah, but not overly slow he signed his name and said "Kyle."

"Kyle," she repeated easily enough, but she didn't quite see what he did with his hands to repeat the gesture. "Shira," she introduced herself by pointing to herself.

"Yes," he said again. Then pointing to her he carefully signed her name,"Shira,"

Curious. She pointed to herself and repeated her name to prompt him to repeat the gesture, then she attempted to mimic the motions, then her eyes widened in comprehension. Quite suddenly, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the hydroponics bay.

He gladly followed her, eager to have something that would not only keep his mind off of the separation, but on doing something truly useful.

Shira practically dragged Kyle through the bay in her excitement. She had been tending to the plants in the bay well and it showed. All the plants' growth looked so healthy and vibrant, and if a plant could look happy then every single one of them looked so pleased to be alive. One garden in particular, with herbs and some flowering plants, had an abundance of growth, far more than it should have compared to the rest of the garden beds. That had been Shira's doing, not that she could tell Kyle that at this moment. Still, she continued to the back of the bay where she had some chairs and a table set up amongst some greenery. On the table was the PaDD that Sabrina had given her with lessons about the alphabet and simple words. The current lesson she was working through was spelling her own name. She had made a connection between what Kyle had showed her and what she was learning now. She handed him the PaDD in the hopes that he would understand.

It took him several seconds to figure out what she meant. Then he smiled, the second real smile since the big fight with Noah. And he started with the beginning of the alphabet and slowly worked his way through signing each letter for her.

Shira smiled. The hand gestures were easier for her to understand than the audio components of her alphabet lessons, though she still continued to verbally repeat what was offered to her in addition to the hand gestures Kyle was teaching her. But the hand gestures were so much easier. Shira's brain liked patterns, like the patterns she found in the stars, and the repetition of the hand movements was easier for her to grasp than creating the foreign syllables.

Kyle had forgotten all about the argument now, Shira was a quick learner, so he tried something else. Not sure she would understand, he signed. "I like you."

Shira repeated the gesture with no sense of comprehension of what she had just 'said'. But it made Kyle smile, so she smiled as well.

Not quite sure she had understood and in an attempt to help her if she had not, he spelled it out.

She spelled it out with him, but her grasp of the concept as a whole did not improve. She only knew simple nouns so far while verbs and pronouns were still beyond her.

She still seemed rather puzzled, though she seemed to be getting it at some level. Kyle decided to see if she understood the word 'like'. He pointed to a flower, taught her the sign for it. "Shira likes flower," he signed.

Shira repeated the signs, tilting her head curiously. She repeated it again, then tried "Kyle likes flower." She was so close to understanding it!

Kyle nodded, "Yes, that is it." he said and then signed yes as well.

Shira smiled brightly. She was starting to get this! She made the sign for more, she wanted to learn so much more!

She really was starting to get it. "Kyle and Shira friends," he signed.

Friends? Spelling out the word helped her to piece the word with one of the words on the Padd, causing her to smile. "Kyle Shira friends good," she signed in reply. Hardly the best form of communication, but it was certainly a promising start.

"Yes, he signed back. "You're right. Kyle and Shira are good friends."

"Good friends," Shira signed with a smile. She really was starting to get it, this strange form of communication... She pointed to the PaDD between them. She wanted to learn everything on here! In her short time of studying, she had learned a small but impressive vocabulary of simple nouns, and she wanted to know how to communicate all of those words with her hands.

Kyle looked down at the list and then at his chronometer, realizing how long they had been at it and that he was almost late to his shift. He pointed at the timepiece and signed "Kyle has to work now." Then he pointed to the PAaD and signed, "later."

He wasn't sure if she would understand the concept of time, but he had to try.

She didn't understand the clock, but she did understand the concept of time, just not in the same manner that these people kept time. 'Work' was familiar to her, it was a word that was in her lessons, but she didn't know what it meant just yet, and 'later'... she felt like she should know what that meant too... He seemed to be getting ready to leave, and that she understood well enough. She was certain he had other things to do and simply smiled and waved at him. She hoped she could learn more from him later. Too bad she didn't understand he had already told her 'later'.

He waved back and headed to the door, thinking that she had understood the concept of later and smiling to himself. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad of a day as he had thought.

Collins relaxed in the lounge after her shift. So far she was enjoying herself aboard the Katana, having come aboard just before picking up their new passenger. Her department head was an interesting person--she had never met an emotional Vulcan. From what she understood, emotions were dangerous to Vulcans--even if they were only half blood. She tapped the glass containing the clear liquid which turned to a yellow-orange color and took a long sip. The sweet taste of the Samarian Sunrise soothed it's way down when she caught sight of an officer coming towards her.\, stumbling his steps and swaying slightly.

'Uh oh,' she thought. 'The bugger is a cot case,' she thought as the man continued to make his way in her direction, using the description of cot case to describe a person who was only fit for laying in a bed.

Suddenly the man stumbled, tripped and crashed into her. Spilling his drink on her, soaking her uniform, causing her to drop her drink, whose glass shattered upon impact on the deck. When it was all over, the drunk officer had caught himself against her.

Looking down, she found the that the man's hands had landed on her chest. She then spotted the man's smile. "I wouldn't mind checking those out."

"I would," she replied in her Australian accented voice, suddenly bringing her knee up, striking the man between the legs. The officer bent over, holding his groin. "I doubt you're my type, mate."

The man managed to take two steps before collapsing to the deck.

Looking at her wet uniform blouse and smelling like alcohol, Hayley decided to head back to her quarters to shower and change. She made her way out of the lounge as two security officers aided the drunk officer to his feet and out of the lounge.

Primary Mission Objectives:

- [Science] Scan for lifeforms & read thousands (the planet is practically booming with plant/animal life).
- [All] Explore the tropical rainforest on Arboria.
- [Science] Detect signs of an invisible "Village" of life forms.
- [Engineering/Science] Locate source of strange power emissions.
- [Engineering] Shut down the power source.
- [All] React to the discovery of the cloaked village Arboreal peoples (Shira's species).
- [Diplomatic,Command & Science] Attempt Communications with the Arboreal peoples.
- [Engineering & Intelligence] Study the various technology of the Arboreal peoples (Cloaking technology, evidence of previous warp technology, the
Hybridization of Plant and Mechanical technology).

Secondary Objectives

- [Engineering & Intelligence] Make Startling Discovery in the Rainforest (You two will be contacted by me with further information).
- [Shira] Explain what has happened to your people and determine your future.

---

The Transporter Room of Katana was soon replaced with a new scenery, one that Kris Kerouac and the members of his Away Team had prepare for but no preparation could ready them for the world around them. Colorful flora and fuana was all around them, grass that was of various shades of greens and even purples, almost waist high. A flock of giant bird like creatures flew over head. Kris looked around as his eyes began to adjust to the vibrant colors around him as the sunrise was like a piece of art with its orange, yellow and blue mesh.

Kris looked at his Away Team. "I don't we're not in Kansas anymore" said Kris with a smirk. He then looked at Shira to see how she reacted to the world.

Shira's eyes were wide with excitement. This was... Oh, she was home! Careful not to face the sun and risk damage to her eyes, she took in everything around her. She was home! Tears welled up in her eyes as a joyful song burst forth from her. She quickly gave Maica then Kris a squeezing hug, thanking them both profusely for helping her to return.

Commander Kerouac was taken by surprise when he and Maica were sort of squeezed together by Shira who was letting out a lovely song of some sort. By the tone and almost harmonic feel to it, Kris was pretty sure that she was happy. Kris looked at Maica for confirmation. "I take this means she's happy and we're somewhere she is familiar with?"

Giggling happily, Maica couldn't help but join in Shira's song for a few seconds as the 3 of them hugged. "Yes sir, she says thank you."

Kyle stood to one side enjoying both the happiness being displayed and his new surroundings. It was a nice change of scenery and he needed that at the moment. But then his natural instincts took over and he started sweeping the area looking for anything that might pose a threat.

Shira finally let them both go and darted about excitedly, although there was a growing concern that needed to be addressed. They were far from the safety of her forest and the sun was rising quickly. It wouldn't be too much longer and she would be useless. Even worse, she didn't bring anything to protect her eyes. She quickly returned to Maica to express her concern.

Thankfully Maica had something that would help. Reaching into her belt she pulled a tinted flat piece of plastic from within it and bent it into a pair of makeshift sunglasses. As she sang about them to Shira, she slipped them on her own face for a moment before handing them to the forest girl. They were a temporary fix, but hopefully one that would work well enough for now.

Shira grimaced at the object being placed on her face, but given the dangers the sun posed to her eyes she was willing to tolerate it for now. But that made her search out for the forest, seeking the safety it provided. She had never been this far from her forest, so she was not entirely certain about the direction she should travel to get there.

Commander Kerouac watched as Lieutenant Weaver broke off a little bit. He was doing what Kris had brought him down for, protective purposes. "Weaver, seeing anything that looks like a threat yet?" asked Kris.

"Nothing I can pinpoint, but its a bit to quiet. There should be more noise. I don't like it."

The sudden silence was rather alarming. Had he and the Away Team caused it? Was there another reason for the abrupt silence. It was a worrysome sign that caused Kris to turn to his Chief Science Officer.

"Life signs, Doctor Evans?" asked Kris curiously.

After listening to what the Science Officer had to say, Kris shook his head. Not really the sort of answer I am looking for but be that as it may, we'll have to continue on thought Kris. He looked at Maica and Shira. "Maica, have you learned anything about Shira's songs that describe her world? Anything about dangers?"

"The most dangerous thing I've heard her speak of is the light, though I would take that with a grain of salt." Pulling out her tricorder, Maica started scanning as well, though it wasn't telling her anything her optical sensors couldn't tell her already. Tons of vegetation and plant life but nothing else discernible. Perhaps she should have Jenni upgrade her eyes later...

Kris moved closer to Shira and crouched down to be at her level. "Home?" he said to her with a small smile.

Home? He wanted to take her back to the room with the plants? No, the way he said it was different, it was not a request, he was naming this place 'home'. She looked up to Miaca then back to Kris. "Home?" Shira repeated. It was a word Jhu had erroneously taught her meant hydroponics, but it was also in the lessons Sabby and Kyle had been giving her, it seemed to mean something much more than simply identifying a location. "Home" she said again, but this time with resolve. If she was understanding the word correctly, then yes, this was home.

Commander Kerouac looked at Maica and the others. "Excellent work. She seems to be comprehending quite well" he said in appreciation of the crew's work. Kris took out his own tricorder and had a look at the life form readings. There were so many life forms being detected on the planet that it seemed as if the planet itself were alive.

"Perplexing" he said softly. He was not a scientist by any means but he could read and understand the basic readings on a tricorder. Either their tricorders were not functioning properly, or this planet had the strangest life readings that Kris had ever come across. He moved over to his Chief Science Officer, pulling the man aside for a brief moment in order to have a very quick discussion in private.


Kris nodded in understanding. He then returned to the others with the science officer at his side. "It appears that many of the organisms on this planet have a similar genetic makeup to Shira. As you are aware, she has DNA consistent with being both plant and animal. This appears to be the same for most everything around us, maybe even the grass we are standing on. It seems as though if everything on this planet is connected in some way. Let's proceed with caution" said Kris as he moved forward, heading into the thick foliage of the rainforest.

Shira stayed close to Kris as they moved through the thick growth all around them, using her skills of telekinesis and her ability of interact with plants to move the dense growth to make a path for them. With a gentle chirp, a branch would move out of the way, or with the wave of her hand, the tall grass and undergrowth would gently part before them, all of it returning to its natural state once they had all passed by. And once they were under the safety of the canopy to block out the sun, Shira removed the strange plastic from her face that Maica had given her to protect her eyes. The deeper they moved into the forest, the darker it became, but it didn't seem to bother Shira in the slightest. In fact, she seemed quite comfortable with the shadows that enveloped them.

Taking the makeshift sunglasses from Shira, Maica tucked them back into her utility belt. She was at the limits of what her eyes could see visibly so she put her tricorder away and poked Jenni in the arm, whispering softly. "Jenni, can you help me switch my vision to mode 13? I can't see anything and these moving plants are playing havoc with me." She could go up to mode 9 automatically, but for anything not in the normal Orion visibility range, she needed a small EM burst to trigger the change. She just hoped mode 13 with all the extra thermoptics and IR would help.

"Hmm?" Jenni responded immediately. Her attention had been buried in her tricorder since they'd beamed down. She didn't understand many lifesign readings like many engineers, but she was detecting something on other frequencies she just couldn't make out. The signals weren't strong enough to fully register, and kept wavering in and out of detectable patterns.

"Mode 13," the engineer added, mentally catching up with the rest of the team. Jenni closed the tricorder and pulled out a spanner. "Right." She altered the settings on the spanner before triggering a two-second burst. Shutting off the spanner, she asked, "How's that?"

Feeling the burst, Maica was now able to cycle into her higher modes and was in mode 13 instantly. "Ah much more confusing now, thanks. Is it normal for trees to generate body heat? I think I might need you to upgrade my optical sensors later, if possible." If it weren't for Shira's dress, she'd now be unable to even see the forest girl. The 'plant life' was giving off the same thermal and IR readings as she was.

Jenni smiled at the thought of upgrading Maica's eyes. Until the Katana, being able to even touch an Android was a dream. But, there would be time for those thoughts later. She wasn't a scientist, but Jenni thought trees shouldn't act that way. She carefully walked to one, tricorder open again. She kept picking and not picking up the strange power signature. "Strange," she muttered under her breath. Jenni wanted to bring it up, but wasn't sure now was the time to do so, especially since whatever she detected was so faint that it would barely register when it did register.

Kyle approached Shira "Should it be this quiet?" he signed to her. The concept was a little more complex than most they had covered, he just hoped she would understand.

Shira understood 'quiet' and the concept that he was asking her a question. She made a shushing sound, then signed back "Forest scared," in reply.

It made sense to Kyle. If the forest were sentient, a concept he found fascinating, it could indeed be scared, "Thank you, he signed to her.

Then he turned to the others, "Let's put our weapons away, I think we are safe enough and everyone talk quietly."

Kris, who had taken out his phaser recently, quickly holstered his weapon. He looked around at the others "You heard the man, phasers away but be ready to take them out at a moments notice."

Jenni hadn't pulled out her phaser since they beamed down. She glanced down, making sure it was still holstered, then followed the Away Team deeper into the jungle, keeping her tricorder running all the way.

Shira continued to guide them deeper into the thick jungle, the darkness and humidity both increasing to almost unmanageable levels. When the team started pulling out magic torches, she signed and sang 'no', instead offering them another form of illumination. She didn't need it, but she knew they did. Around her neck were several strings of finely polished beads, and dangling from one of these adornments was what looked like a strange crystal. She untied the chord that held the crystal to her necklace then focused her thoughts on the crystalline facets, making it glow a blue-green hue. The light was much softer than their magic torches, but it illuminated a greater area. She offered the stone to Kris since he needed it more than she did.

Oookay then thought Kris having observed Shira closely and accepted her offering with a sweet smile and small nod. Dr Evans had taught him the very basic words of sign language. Kris looked at Shira and place the tips of his fingers to his lips then moved his hand downward from his mouth. Thank you he had signed to her. Hopefully, she was able to understand him properly. He was still getting used to this wordless language.

With a cheerful smile, Shira kept them moving. For the little forest girl, it was a wonderful gift to be back home where everything was familiar. She couldn't wait to see her family again, she missed them so terribly. Already, she was aware of others of her kind watching them, but she dare not draw the team's attention to them before her kind were ready to reveal themselves. After what happened the last time there were visitors, she knew the Guardians would be even more protective than they had been before.

Shira abruptly stopped the team with the sound of movement within the brush. Though this place was familiar, it wasn't without its dangers, even for someone like her. She didn't often travel quite so low to the ground, so she was unaware that she had taken the team dangerously close to some unsuspecting creature's nesting area. A quick dart of movement through her peripheral and a shuffle of leaves startled even the native fairy girl, causing her to tense and gasp.

Kyle, who's shirt was now soaked with sweat, suddenly tensed. he hadn't seen anything, but the sudden noise after almost absolute silence,he had noticed. Immediately. His hand instinctively reached for his weapon, which he carried in the small of his back. He didn't draw it quite yet, but he was ready.

The giant creature had been in the thick jungle of it's native world, eating on the the tall violet grasses and the crimson vines with white flowers. They were its favorite early morning meal. However, its curiosity was peaked when the strange harsh vocalizations of the Katana's crew interrupted its meal time. The Away Team's talking were not part of this creature's normal environment. It was acquainted to the harmonic singing of Shira's people, of those guardians who watched over all. These were outsiders and their voices caused a discordance to the natural harmonics of the planet.

Moving closer to the source of the harsh tones, the creature emerged from the thick foliage and saw one the young Arboreals with the outsiders. Perhaps in the creatures mind, it was asking itself Are they causing her harm?. Regardless, of its thoughts, the creature charged out of the foliage toward the outsiders in hopes to protect the little Arboreal.

Kris saw the creature charging out and heading for them. He quickly grabbed his phaser. This creature is too big for standard stun thought Kris as he quickly adjusted his phaser's setting for a higher stun. He went to move Shira, coaxing her in a shielded position behind him. However, Shira had other plans.

Shira saw the beast charging towards the team and she resisted Kris' attempts to protect her. She didn't need the protecting, he did! She called out to the great beast, pleading to him not to hurt her friends. She didn't think it would offer sufficient protection, but she raised her hands and pushed with the hopes that the invisible barrier she created, in addition to her own presence between the team and the beast, would make him stop. 'please don't hurt them,' she pleaded one last time.

The large beast came to a sudden stop, its legs almost locking up when he reached Shira's barrier. It stopped just in time to avoid taking out the outsiders. It slowly approached the Arboreal and bowed its head and lied down letting out a bellyful cooing sound. 'Forgive' it cooed deeply. It nudged against the Arboreal's thigh with its massive head.

'Forgiven,' Shira sang cheerfully, hugging the now gentle beast around his head, giggling softly when he nuzzled into her belly.

Kris looked at Shira and the creature. He nervously reholstered his phaser and indicated to the others to do the same. Kris stood beside Shira and signed to her 'friend?"

'Friend,' Shira confirmed with a warm smile, petting the beast affectionately. She was aware of the Guardians moving closer. Shira and the team definitely had the Guardians' attention, but they were not yet ready to make themselves known. Until then, Shira focused on what was before her. She took Kris' hand and brought him closer to the beast so the two could get better acquainted.

Kris allowed Shira to place his hand near the creature's head. Kris had been rubbing the creatures head when it raised its head and licked his face. "Uuuh yuck" said Kris backing away from the creature and looked at Shira. Disgusting though Kris as he cleaned the thick mucus saliva off his face. I knew Jhu should have lead this Away Team.

Shira giggled excitedly. She just knew they would like each other!

Kyle had been about to fire, or for that matter he was about to throw himself in front of the charging beast uni Shira intervened. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he realized that they weren't going to have to kill or worse yet get killed.

Jenni, wide-eyed, stood nearly frozen during the encounter. She'd never seen anything like it, and never expected fear to paralyze her like that. Glancing around her once she regained control of her senses and muscles, Jenni hoped no one had noticed her actions. Everyone seemed to be fixated on the creature. Jenni refocused on her tricorder, continuing to scan the area. The power signature that kept popping up was becoming more frequent, but still not long enough to be fully analyzed or pinpointed. Pulling the spanner out of her pocket, she deactivated the tricorder and began to tweak the unit' sensors.

With his Chief Engineer so distracted by the readings on her tricorder, Kris walked over to the woman and stood behind her looming. He was not entirely sure what she was looking at but the fact that she was so drawn to studying the readings, Commander Kerouac suspected that it was something note worthy. He cleared his throat and flashed her a smile. "You have something, Lieutenant Matthews?"

Jenni did not look up from her tricorder as she finished her tweaks. "Can't tell for sure," she replied, closing the back of the tricorder and powering it back on. "I was picking up some faint power signatures, but they wouldn't linger long enough to for me to lock on."

Both the chirps and the screen of her tricorder alerted Jenni to positive and constant traces of the power signature. "Gotcha!" she declared, working to isolate the power signature. "I'm picking up some tetyron emissions, very faint, to the west of us. Whatever the signature is, it's oscillating with some sort of energy signature, possibly to do with power generation."

Commander Kristopher Kerouac shook his head and took out his own tricorder, adjusting it to detect the same. Sure enough, he could see the readings on his own device. "I don't know damn near enough on subatomic particles to say much. However, I know that we should not be detecting tetryon emissions on this planet. Shira does not appear to be advanced enough for her people to be working with tetryons" said Kris, echoing what Lieutenant Commander Zanaar may have said in his place.

"Curiouser and curiouser" added Kris as he began to head westward. "Come one people. We have a little mystery on our hands" said Kris using his tricorder much like an ancient explorer would use a compass. Fortunately, a tricorder was more dependable in most situations.

Maica was having trouble processing this latest turn of events. A giant beast tried attacking, but Shira... From how the forest girl treated the beast, she could only assume it was some sort of pet or friend to her. This amazed her to no end. Shaking her head, she pulled her tricorder back out and stepped closer to Jenni. "I don't know much about tetryons, but I remember a few historical incidences where Starfleet personnel have found ancient devices powered by tetryon generators placed there to protect an indigenous population. Rather than Shira's people harnessing them, do you think that might be the case?"

Kris looked at Maica and nodded "You're making me look bad, Lieutenant" said Kris jokingly. "Maybe I should let you take command of Katana" added the Commander with a small smile. "You are correct though. This has been found in the past and technology regardless, sometimes other species of beings take interest in others. I remember reading about something similar... it was Rubicun III, home to a species called the Edo. There ere non-corporeal entities that watched over the Edo, referring to them as their children."

Kris Kerouac shook his head. "We had better proceed with caution. We do not want to do anything to show disrespect if there are other species involved here."

Shaking her head at that, Maica couldn't help but comment. "You can keep command, sir. I'll stick with negotiations. On that note, I have to agree with caution. Such devices or entities are notoriously resistant to diplomatic efforts."

Kris chuckled. "You can't even give commands away these days. Even the androids refuse them" teased Commander Kerouac.

Looking as vulcan as she could, Maica cocked an eyebrow. "It's only logical for me to perform my trained duties." Breaking into a soft giggle, she continued. "If you're serious about me taking command sometime, I'll have to take the bridge officer tests. I expected my career to keep me out of the chain of command of any starship so I..." Suddenly, her tricorder went wild with readings but only for a moment as they walked forward. "Umm... Was that an energy field of some sort? Or us being scanned?" Maica shook her tricorder as she looked around them. "I don't see anything unusual..."

"I'm picking up larger amounts of tetyrons," Jenni replied, focusing her tricorder on the new readings. "It's definitely some kind of energy field, but not something that scanned us. More like..."

Jenni looked up to see her vision... shimmering... "Tetyrons are in a lot of things," Jenni remarked, closing her tricorder and walking forward to investigate with her eyes. In front of them, it definitely looked like a normal forest. She carefully raised her hand to touch it. A tingling sensation rippled over her hand. Jenni pulled her hand back instantly, not in pain, but in surprise.

Shira quickly became agitated. No, she had taken them too close, they weren't supposed to go that way! Whether or not she had intended to incite the beast's help, she received his help anyway. Rather abruptly, the beast approached Kris and Jenni, aggressively pawing at the ground and stomping in warning.

Maica was momentarily blinded by the shifting in her vision as Jenni touched... Whatever it was... She could clearly hear the beast though. Singing to Shira, she asked what this was and if it was safe.

"Everyone back!" shouted Kris who usually was quite calm and rolled with the punches. In this instant, his command drive kicked in and he found himself calling for everyone to back away from whatever this field or barrier was. "You heard me... back away, everyone back away now" he added sharply as he carefully backed away himself and looked at the beast and at Maica.

"Maica, I don't care what the hell you have to do but tell Shira to calm that beast down or we'll have to put it to sleep" quipped the Commanding Officer.

Jenni, eyes fixed on the beast, slowly backed away. That field, whatever it was, had her interest piqued. Jenni activated her tricorder once more and locked it on to the energy field, trying to get whatever she could from it.

Shira didn't want her new friends to get hurt, but they couldn't go any further. As long as her bestial companion didn't hurt the team and the team didn't hurt her or the beast, what was wrong with letting him keep them from going any further?

Unsure of what to do, Maica just translated the Captain's request to Shira as-is, including the part about putting it to sleep. Not having gotten a response from her about whether or not it was safe, she was worried about what would happen if there was a confrontation.

Sleep? They could make him sleep? Like... like the way the evil troll Marg had made her sleep? Shira chewed on her lower lip, torn on what to do. She didn't want them to hurt her bestial companion, he was just doing what he could to protect what was theirs, but her new friends couldn't go any further! All she could relate to Maica was that this area was forbidden. She pat the beast on the head and he calmed his aggressive stance, but did not move out of the way.

Turning to Kris, Maica relayed the message. "Captain, this area is apparently forbidden."

"Why?" Kyle signed to Shira, "Why is it forbidden?" Forbidden wasn't really a no to him, it only piqued his curiosity

Shira's fingers twitched like she wanted to reply to Kyle, but she just didn't fully understand the question. Between her lessons with Sabby and her lessons with Kyle, she was only just now learning 'who, what, when, where and why' as well as pronouns, she didn't know which 'wh' word she should be answering! Her hands opened and closed a few times as she thought the question through. 'Who'? no, that made no sense. 'When' made just as little sense... 'What' is forbidden? Well, the place she didn't want them to go, obviously, same as 'where'! 'Why' is it forbidden? Ah... that seemed a reasonable question, but it was one she couldn't answer. It just was forbidden, it always had been. The young ones never asked why, they always trusted the Guardians who protected this place, she didn't know what was beyond this point or why it was forbidden, it had simply always been this way.

It was then that Shira made a choice. These were her friends, she couldn't take part in hurting them, so she commanded the beast to leave, but she could not betray her people either, so she looked to the canopy and called for the Guardians. It was their task to protect this area, she would let them protect it. She separated herself from her new friends, her loyalty was ultimately with her own people and she had to show that as she pleaded to the Guardians to not hurt the people who had saved her life.

Kris looked at Shira. He waited for an answer, some sort of reply from her but she did not make any indication of answering the intelligence officer's questions. Son of a bitch thought Kris trying to avoid letting the words in his head come out vocally. He bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath. "She's not going to answer that. Damn it!" he said, raising his voice.

What the hell do I do? Kris asked of himself. Diplomacy training has always been one of my strongest areas. It tells me to relax, to calm down and continue negotiating with Shira. However, I can't just stand here and try to have a round of charades with Shira. Forbidden because of what and tho whom does it concern? pondered Kris.

Ultimately, Commander Kristopher Kerouac came to a decision. It was one that he was already regretting before he went through with it. Kris took aim with his phaser. "Matthews, find us the weakest point in this shielding"

Jenni returned her attention to the tricorder. Ignoring the beast's advances, she was able to quickly pinpoint the weakest area. "One meter above your head," she said, pointing with her free hand.

Commander Kerouac adjusted his phaser, taking aim on the spot and gave the command. "Focus fire on that area. Bring the field down" he commanded sternly.

Jenni deactivated her tricorder. As she stuck it in her pocket to rest next to the spanner, she pulled her phaser out with her free hand. She looked at Shira, but only for a moment. She was the only member of the Away Team, she mused, that hadn't spent any time with Shira. Jenni could tell this situation wasn't what anyone wanted, but at this point, her opinion didn't matter. That was why she fired at the field without hesitation.



Shira shook her head in disbelief. No, this was wrong! They couldn't do this! "No!" she called out as they fired upon the invisible barrier, but she held no real belief that they would listen to her now when they wouldn't listen to her before. Just because she couldn't explain why this area was forbidden didn't detract from how wrong it was that they were trying to get in. She couldn't take part in this. With nary a second glance, she darted off into the canopy, leaving them to wonder if they would ever see her again.

Commander Kristopher N. Kerouac noticed that Shira had run off. He could not afford to pursue her, not now. He watched as the force field came down, listening to the sound of it crackling and the harmonics changing. Good, it is down he thought and put his phaser away. He approached slowly, reaching out and nothing was there to stop him.

He knew that Maica would likely want to chase after Shira. Kris turned quickly to prevent that from happening. "I need you with me, Lieutenant Maica. I think Shira can take care of herself on this planet. She's shown that much already..." said Kris with a small sigh.

Maica wasn't going anywhere, even if she could have seen where Shira had gone. She had been blinded by the energy fluxing all over and was still recovering. Besides that, the others would need her to try to talk their way out of this mess without being eaten by some beast. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Kris looked at the others and gestured for them to follow him, quickly stumbling upon a piece of technology peaking out from the tall blades of grass. Kris studied his tricorder and looked at the Chief Engineer "I think we've found the source of those tetyrons" said Kris as he crouched down and took off an access panel. "Care to join me down here, Matthews?" said Kris with a smirk.

"With pleasure," Jenni said with a smile. As she knelt down, Jenni holstered her phaser and brushed her hair back behind her ears. The apparatus looked crude, yet she didn't need her tricorder to see that it was generating its own power. She pulled out her tricorder and began a simple scan of the device while her eyes continued to look over it.

"See if you can disable it" ordered Kris.

Jenni nodded, choosing to save verbal responses. As she completed her scan, she poked around the apparatus, identifying key components including power relays, field emitters and... projection equipment? Jenni started to confuse the planet's humidity for static energy emanating from the equipment. Her hair began to slowly rise, each strand standing on its end.

Her tricorder indicated that the device, though archaic, was self-repairing, pulling nutrient energy from the ground to operate. Pulling the power source was not an option. Waving her hand near a power relay, she felt a surge of static electricity. Yanking the relays while the unit was active and Jenni might not survive. Jenni pulled out her spanner and placed it nearby for she'd need it in a minute. Using her tricorder, she locked onto the native frequency of the power signatures. Tuning her spanner to the same frequency, Jenni worked to create a feedback loop within the apparatus.

A low hum emitted from the apparatus and quickly increased in volume. Finally, sparks flew from the top of the unit and everything stopped. Jenni felt the static energy quickly dissipate. She reached in and yanked out several of the power relays to ensure the unit would not come back to life as the self-healing process began. "There we go," she commented to the captain as she finished her work.

Kris looked around to find nothing had changed. "Whatever that was powering... it wasn't anything near us" added Commander Kerouac. He looked at his Away Team with a hard decision forming in his mind and it was nearing the tip of his tongue. "We'll cover more ground if we split up" he announced with a sense of nervousness.

"Weaver and Matthews, you two see what you can find around here" said Kris with a look at Lieutenant Weaver in particular as to say 'Don't let anything happen'. "Evans, Maica and I will look for Shira"

Kyle looked over at Matthews and back at Kris. "I've got her six,' he said to him, then turning to her said, "You ready?"

Jenni stood up from the ground, her spanner back in her pocket and tricorder at the ready. "Let's go."

Shira shook her head in disbelief. No, this was wrong! They couldn't do this! "No!" she called out as they fired upon the invisible barrier, but she held no real belief that they would listen to her now when they wouldn't listen to her before. Just because she couldn't explain why this area was forbidden didn't detract from how wrong it was that they were trying to get in. She couldn't take part in this. With nary a second glance, she darted off into the canopy, leaving them to wonder if they would ever see her again.

Shira flew as fast as she was capable, racing through the canopy to escape what had just happened. Her friends... she just couldn't believe... How could they do that?! Could they not respect that which belonged to another? If they could not respect her people's ways, then she couldn't stay with them! So she fled, trying to outrun the sense of betrayal left in their wake. They were supposed to return her home, not cause harm. Why oh why would they do that?!

But it was all her fault. Shira stopped rather abruptly once she made that realization. It was all her fault! It may not have seemed like such a big deal at the time, but she led them too close, it had been her fault the forbidden area had been violated. It was all her fault.

All my fault...

She heard the hum of wings and a gentle melody of comfort.

Not your fault, do not cry...

Shira looked around. The Guardians! She flew into the arms of one of the Guardians, a male she had grown up with. She sobbed out her heart to her fellow Arboreal.

So scared, confused and scared! New friends saved me, please don't hurt my friends.

Even after what the away team had done, she couldn't help but plead for their safety. Shira's Guardian friend returned the embrace with warm assurance.

You're safe. Friends are safe.

Shira choked on a sob, relieved and thankful that the Guardians had no intentions of hurting her friends. The Guardian held her for a moment longer, letting her release her frustrations and upset. Her new friends would have to be dealt with eventually, but they had enough reason to believe that the team was not here for the detriment of the community, so they could be dealt with in due time. For now, they had to see to the safety of their own.

Come home

The call pulled at Shira's heart. She was so very eager to return to her family, but something about it felt bittersweet. There was a longing in her heart she couldn't understand. For now, she didn't need to understand it, she just needed to see her family once again. She released her hold on her friend and carefully shed the strange clothing she had been required to wear, letting the sundress and the strange undergarments flutter to the forest floor. She was going home, she didn't need those anymore.

Shira's companion ordered the rest of the Guardians to keep an eye on the Strangers, but to not harm them unless absolutely necessary, keep them safe if at all possible. He didn't want Shira's friends hurt while he returned her to the village. The Guardians accepted their orders and departed, leaving Shira and her companion to complete the trek to the village alone. Not that they needed any additional protection, they were well within their boarders of safety, so by all right, he should have let her return home on her own, but he had a feeling she would appreciate the company of one of her own. And she did! Shira had come to care for her new friends so dearly, but nothing could replace her people in her heart. It felt so good to be among her own kind, under the safety of the canopy. The forest sang a welcome to her and she sang back, joyous to be back! And yet, there was sadness in her melody and she didn't know why.

And then the forest opened up and the village, a collection of bridges and platforms suspended amongst the canopy, was before her and she squealed in excitement. Her companion guided her back to her home, the song of her return spreading quickly. Shira didn't even make it to her home before she was accosted by her mother and father who rushed her into an enthusiastic group hug, her people gathering around excitedly to see her again. But then a hush settled over the crowd as another call was heard. Shira was being summoned to the Sanctuary to see the Elder. The crowd parted to let Shira, her parents, and her companion through, offering her kind words of welcome as she passed through. Once they made it to the Sanctuary, Shira was once again left alone, her summons demanding that she see the Elder alone, which she did without question.

The Sanctuary was a wonderful place. It was so much more than a garden or a nursery for young Arboreals, it was a place of safety and peace, a place to commune with those who were no longer with them. The faintly illuminated space was busy with the activities of young Arboreals excited for the return of one of their sisters, the tiny little children darting about to offer a peck on the cheek or a quick hug before leaving her to continue on. It felt so good to be back in the loving embrace of the Sanctuary, but even still Shira could not shake the feeling that something was missing...

Come, little sapling, a song seemed to call from everywhere all at once. Come, tell me what troubles you so...

In the safety of this beautiful garden sat a woman who looked no older than Shira. In fact, at first glance, one might even mistake them for sisters, their facial features looked so similar. This woman was so poised and elegant despite their rustic appearance, and she was one of the few individuals who wore any significant amount of clothing, several lengths of cloth pinned together in a style similar to a Greek Chiton, a symbol of her status as the Elder. Her wings had become little more than decoration as her feet had quite literally become rooted, intertwining with the roots of the trees near to where she sat. Her hair was longer than most of the other Arboreals, decorated with a number of precious stone findings, some sections of her grassy hair bound into sections, almost like dreadlocks. And from her hair sprouted what appeared to be antlers, but it was not horn that she was growing; like all Arboreals, she was a walking tree, and the size of the branches growing from her were a sign of her age since their physical appearance held no relation to their true age. This woman was timeless; ancient yet forever youthful.

Come, little one, the Elder beckoned. Shira raced into her arms, and sobbing in relief that she was finally back where she belonged. In a rush of song, Shira told her story, how the troll Marg had captured her and hurt her, how he had collared her and made her do things he shouldn't have, how he tried to sell her and how her new friends had rescued her, how they had shown her such kindness and understanding, how they taught her so much and then returned her home without asking for anything in return. And she could not lie to her Elder, she told her how her friends had attempted to go into the forbidden area, and again she pleaded for the safety of her friends.

Do not fret, little one, the Elder coaxed gently. Poor little sapling, she had been through so much... No harm will come to your friends, do not cry. Her words calmed Shira and the young Arboreal knelt by the Elder's side, resting her head in the older woman's lap. The Elder soothed Shira by running her hand affectionately over her grassy hair.

You have my word, no harm will come to them, the Elder promised. But they have broken through to the forbidden area and taken down the illusion that protects us. They must be held accountable for this.

What will you do? Shira asked

I do not know, little sapling, the Elder admitted. Much of that depends on how they react. Shira nodded her understanding.

They are good people, they didn't know, Shira defended on their behalf.

I will keep that in mind when I make my decision, the Elder promised. Now tell me, why is it you are not happy to be home?

But I am happy, Shira replied, looking up at the Elder with confusion.

You are, but that joy does not reach all areas of your heart, the Elder sang with a smile. There is emptiness, a longing.

Yes, but I do not understand.

You will, soon enough...

Objectives

- [All] React to the discovery of the cloaked village Arboreal peoples (Shira's species).
- [Diplomatic,Command & Science] Attempt Communications with the Arboreal peoples.

---

This was supposed to be a simple mission. Investigate the planet and return Shira to her home, to her people thought Kris as he, Maica, and Dr. Evans were in search of Shira. Kris could not help but to feel guilt and responsibility for Shira running off. She had warned us in her own way, the beast had tried to stop us. What did I do? I disregarded all warnings and have taken action that lead to Shira leaving continued Kris as he thought deeper. "I messed up" he said suddenly. He knew that his words had been heard.

"I messed up and Shira's gone. I've come down this planet in peace and have instead ignored warnings, disregarded proper etiquette and have been destructive" added Kris reflecting on his actions thus far.

Maica wasn't furious - it wasn't technically in her programming... But she was as close as she could get. She was upset and her features reflected it. She was worried she'd never see Shira again. She was worried the captain would be court martialed because of this. She was worried for the safety of the people here. Shira was calling for the guardians, whomever or whatever they were, when Kris had given the order to fire and she was worried they would be taken into custody and what the captain would do then. She was worried and upset and now she was listening to him reflect on his idiocy. She wanted to slap him shitless and yell at him and give him extra lessons on diplomatic relations. Instead, she took a couple deep breaths and calmed herself.

"If and when we meet others of Shira's people, please keep in mind that you're in another's home. You don't go into someone's home and break their furniture and take the circuits out of their replicator and as with other cultures we meet, we'll need to abide by the local laws and punishment system." Maica paused as she saw something fluttering in a nearby bush. Was that what she thought it was? "One moment Captain."

Commander Kerouac had been listening to his Chief Diplomatic Officer. He had diplomatic training himself, but her experience and knowledge of procedures and protocols far out weighed his own. I have her aboard for these reasons he thought to himself. I'm just not ready for this. I wasn't ready to take the Captain's chair, but I have to do my best. Kris looked at Maica and was about to say something when she cut him off and told him to wait a moment.

Heading to the bush, she found what she expected. It was Shira's dress - the first one she had replicated for the forest girl. And there on the ground were the panties she had been wearing. Folding them carefully, Maica held them close to her and turned back to Kris.

"Those were Shira's" Kris said recognizing them instantly. Then it sunk in. She had those on when we came here. Why doesn't she know? he quickly thought but soon his mind allowed in some darker thoughts. He looked at Maica with worry in his eyes. "You don't think she was attacked, do you? Is there any blood, any signs of a struggle?" asked Kris rushing over to examine the clothes.

"No, sir. There's no blood and no stress on any of the fabric that I can see." Maica looked up at Kris even more upset and worried. "It looks like she took them off herself."

"Well, I'd rather she took them off herself by choice. That at least means she's happy here and more than that, alive" said Kris reassuringly. He looked at Maica and Dr. Evans. "Come on, we'll keep moving this direction and see if we can find anything."

"True..." Hugging the clothes tight to her, Maica headed off with the others in the direction indicated. Suddenly though, she heard a piece of a song she recognized in the background noise and she stiffened as she realized they weren't alone anymore. "Captain..."

In a flutter of movement, a rustle of leaves, whispers of the forest alerted the team that they were not alone. Slowly, one by one, the people of the forest, the Arboreals, Shira's people, began to make themselves known. Within a matter of minutes, the away team was surrounded by Guardians, all ready to defend their home from these intruders.

Commander Kerouac wanted to brandish his phaser in response to the Guardians. However, he had started to learn that his impulsiveness was being destructive on this planet. He signaled for the others to stand down. Though he knew that neither Lieutenant Maica or Dr Evans would have responded with weapons drawn. He turned to Maica.

"Lieutenant Maica, I believe your expertise would be greatly appreciated right about now" said Kris in a soft tone as he slowly backed away from the Guardians.

Handing the clothes off to Chris, Maica stepped forward and bowed her head slightly, singing a song of greeting and respect to the Guardians.

The green woman's song gave the Guardian's reason to pause. They had never encountered outsiders who had come to understand and speak their way, they didn't know what to do. they exchanged glances with each other as they shared a chorus, something quite different than what Maica had shared with Shira. Between them, song had always been conducted as a conversation, first one and then the other, but with the Arboreals they sang at once, creating a beautiful harmony that transcended their confusion and helped them to come to an understanding about what needed to be done.

She taught you? a female Guardian asked as she approached Maica. You understand us?

The chorus of voices was a bit confusing, but it seemed to her that they were all singing towards a common understanding and though Maica didn't understand it, she believed she could at least get the gist of what they were saying. When the female approached and spoke to her directly, her assumptions were proven correct - they hadn't expected an outsider to learn their language. Yes, it was difficult but I learned. I am the only one that was able. Is she safe?

She is safe the Guardian replied, then again there was another chorus. They were all quite interested in this woman who could understand their song. Come with us she offered once it was agreed that these strangers were not harmful.

We will follow. Turning to the others, Maica smiled happily. "Shira is safe and they want us to go with them."

"Tell them I want to speak with whomever leads their society" said Kris.

"I believe that to be their intent, Captain. If not a societal leader, at least to an elder though with how all of the Guardians look the same age as Shira and their physiology being so similar to that of plants, I'm honestly curious what an aged person in their society would look like. Would they have more rings inside like a tree and just be bigger? Would they look the same? Would they take root and grow flowers? This reminds me of a trip to Marcelle 3 to settle a mining dispute between the avian natives and the Trill. No one knew what to expect entering their treetop cities." Giggling happily, Maica Shook her head to stop her babbling as she walked along with the Arboreals. "Seriously though, as much of an adventure as this is and as non-threatening as they are, Diplomatic Protocol 1427 dash 3 recommends we keep an open comm channel and a transporter lock on us at all times going into an unknown situation."

"Someone seems a little in awe and exited about all of this" said Kris with a smile. She's babbling like science officer thought Kris, and then came the protocol reminder. "Yes, yes, I am well aware of protocols, Lieutenant. However, I think we are far past protocols. By protocol, I really should not be down here... and there should be more of a security presence down here" added Kris. "If it makes you feel better, I'll make sure to remain in communicator range of you and the rest of the away team."

Kris then flashed a smile at Maica. "I can amlost guarantee you that Lieutenant Commander Zanaar has a transporter lock on each and every one of us by now. He's up there on Katana, most likely with security guards and a holding cell for me."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Maica's cheerful expression faded a bit at the mention of the Andorian first officer. "I really don't know what about him bothers me, but I can't help but think of my 'youth' when he's around. By the way, if things get too bad, I have a built in emergency transporter. I've never used it but it's supposed to work with 2 people if they're close enough together. It's the same model they put in a lot of escape shuttles and fighters these days."

Kris sighed. "He gets under my skin as well. He is extremely difficult to work with because our personalities clash. However, I do understand how and why he approaches things the way that he does. I feel like if he and I communicated more and I were a little more open minded to his ideas... things would work out between us."

"I may not be a commander or anything, but that seems rational, though counter-intuitive. As I understand it, the Captain is the one that listens to options, asks hard questions, and makes the command decisions expecting them to not be questioned publicly. The first officer is supposed to remind the captain of regulation and recommend procedure and while discussing questionable orders in private, should implement the captain's orders 100% in public. This is not what I've observed on any of the ships I've been on - especially on the Katana. May I ask why that is?" Maica was in diplomatic curiosity mode now and she knew she was asking hard questions that she hadn't found answers for.

"On Katana? That's an easy answer. It's because a suck" replied Kristopher bluntly. "I was a crappy First Officer to begin with and I was never meant to be Commanding Officer. I am not confident in my ability to command... I constantly seek approval of others but when faced with disapproval, I throw a fit because I am not hearing what I want to hear" replied Kris.

He let out a small sigh. How do I explain this? He thought. "Maica, I do not remember what your previous assignments were. I do not know your former COs personally and I cannot really tell you. What I can say is that despite the protocols and procedures, the systems of structure... it all buckles down to individuality. Some Captains simply run things differently" he explained.

"I've mostly been stationed out of starbases and going places in runabouts. The only other ship I spent any real time aboard was the USS Hera and that wasn't a normal ship by any stretch of the imagination." Resting her hand on Kris's shoulder, Maica smiles warmly. "As for you, you don't suck. You may be impulsive and rash at first, but you learn fast and are a lot more adaptable than I think you realize. I think in time, with some good mentoring, you'll be an amazing leader."

Kris scoffed. "Yeah? And who is going to mentor me?" asked Kris. He shook his head. "Zanaar seems eager to correct my wrongs. I'm sure he already has his eyes on my Captain's chair."

"I'll tell you what then. In theory I'm unable to go beyond my basic programming and my actual hardware is pretty limiting. If you help me be more, I'll do what I can to help you be more. How does that sound?" Maica offered sincerely.

Kris looked at Maica nervously. "I can try" he said with some doubt. "My own technical skills are rather limited and when it comes to androids... I'm at a loss. Maybe I can Lieutenants Mattews and Kail to assist with expanding beyond your programming?"

"They would still need somewhere to start. The specs for most androids built are either not fully understood or classified. As for my programming, that's a nightmare to even get into. I can pull things out of my universal translator with ease, but my holomatrix is a stand alone system. I would have to find a way to learn and grow through experience." Maica replied.

Commander Kerouac looked at the Android. "Well, we are talking about you here... do you have any idea as to how to begin or where to start?"

Shaking her head, Maica held up 1 finger. "I've knowingly done it only once when I escaped from my creator, killed my guard, and started ignoring my sexual submissiveness subroutines. The core of my program was a Federation holoprogram that seemingly spontaneously rewrote itself."

"I'll look into" he said politely.

The trek through the forest was a long one, but as promised to Shira, the Guardians kept the Away Team safe, delivering them to a seemingly empty clearing before disappearing into the dense foliage. Minutes stretched by into a small eternity, leaving the team to wonder if they had been abandoned, but this was not the case. The Guardians had simply left to get assistance, fluttering down from above the team. Looking up to see the return of their new forest friends, the team finally caught sight of the Arboreal village. From this angle, there was little to see except a network of bridges and platforms spanning the distances between the tall trees, but one by one, the crew was lifted from the ground by the unseen telekinetic hands of the Arboreals, a large group of the villagers working together with the Guardians to ensure the team's safe arrival.

As the team rose higher and higher and into the heavy canopy, the village took shape around them. Levels upon levels of bridges and platforms of spectacular architectural design carefully woven around the trees, pavilions and homes illuminated with glowing crystals, gardens and nurseries tended to with loving care, and thousands of these fairy-like people fluttered about, curious about these strange people but they kept a respectable distance. Quite a crowd had gathered around the pavilion where the team was deposited, all seeking their first glimpse of these strange people from the stars.

Maica was astonished. They had been walking under this city for a while now but she hadn't picked up any hint of it but now she could hear the hushed singing. The locals were curious and wanted to see the away team but they didn't seem as bold in their curiosity as Shira was so she sang a greeting to the forest people gathering around them before turning to Kris. "Captain, this city... There have to be thousands of them here in this city."

Kris shook his head. "With all that we've learned... all that we have seen thus far... I kind of want to rub Commander Zanaar's face in it all."


the Guardians who had guided the team to the village were once again by their side, guiding them along the winding pathways further into the village. They had quite an entourage following them; the villagers were concerned for the strangers' safety should they fall, they could not fly and would get hurt. Even still, they remained close enough to react and sate their curiosity, but far enough away that they were not smothering the Away Team or hindering their progress. The Guardians were mindful of their guests' safety, delivering them to another expansive platform, one that contained a massive garden house protected by a ring of trees that spanned multiple levels of the village. How these people had managed to suspend such a massive garden off the ground was something of a mystery and a miracle, but it was clear that this place held some significance for the Arboreal people, for quite suddenly a hush fell over the villagers as the strangers were guided closer to the entrance of the garden.

Who speaks for your people? one of the Guardians asked the away team.

Maica motioned to Kris. He leads us but I'm the only one that knows your language.

What are they discussing? Kris pondered. I must be meeting with a leader he concluded. Then, his comm badge went off, it was Lieutenant Matthews reporting in. He looked at Maica "Tell them... tell them to please excuse me for a moment. I need to take take this" he said with a shrug. He had no idea how Maica would explain that Kris needed to talk to an unseen woman through a small device.

He was aside from Maica for only a few moments as he listened to the startling discovery that Matthews and Weaver had made. When he returned to Maica's side, the look on his face was surely rather grim. He looked at Maica in a hushed whisper. "It was Matthews. She and Weaver just found a Borg vessel... it seems to have been here quite a while and the drones are not functional."

"Borg? This far away from their territory? That's bad..." Maica didn't like that one bit and it showed. "We could probably learn more from the local populace." Turning back to the Guardian, Maica sang a question. May we meet with the one that speaks for your people? We have many questions and want to answer yours about us.

"Territory for the Borg is like... Never mind, you wouldn't get that" said Kris trying to think of something she could maybe relate to. "As horrible as it sounds, the Borg and territory are like the Federation and territory. We seek out new life and new civilizations, sometimes accepting them into our collective through peaceful means. The Borg However, go where they damn well please and assimilate any lifeforms that could be beneficial to their collective. It doesn't surprise me that the Borg have ventured into the Gamma Quadrant. The question is, how much of a presence do they have here?"

The Arboreals didn't seem to mind at all that Kris had talked to someone who was not there. They were curious, but it was hardly the strangest thing they had seen. In response to Maica's reply that Kris was their leader, a song went up from the Guardians asking what to do. The response that returned was unlike anything the Away team could have expected; it was almost like that forest itself had answered, the sound seemed to move through them all, hauntingly beautiful and ethereal.

Elder will see your leader now. Only your leader, one of the Guardians finally said to Maica, beckoning to Kris to follow.

"Good luck Captain. The elder wants to see you alone." Maica turned to face the forest people, listening to the mass song and trying to understand it.

"Understood" Kris said with nervousness in his tone and concern weighing heavily inside. He did not know how he was going to communicate with the Elder.

The Sanctuary was not a place for random stranger to just enter, one had to be invited in. It was the most protected place to all the forest people, sacred and special, and it was not to be taken lightly that Commander Kris Kerouac had been invited in. As he walked through the beautiful garden, the young Arboreal children protected therein peeked out of their hiding places to spy on this stranger who had entered their place of safety. Their whispers and giggles and curious little songs followed Kris until he came upon the place where he found the Elder.

And Shira.

The little Arboreal that the crew of the Katana had rescued was safe and sound, her head resting in the Elder's lap, the poor girl exhausted and sound asleep. The Elder looked up at Kris with smiling eyes, eyes that betrayed her age with a timeless wisdom as she continued to stroke Shira's hair.

"Thank you for taking such good care of our little sapling," the Elder spoke eloquently in a hushed, musical tone, no doubt surprising him with her ability to speak a language that his universal translator could work with. "And thank you for returning her to us. She has been missed."

Kris had nervously approached the Arboreal Elder and nearly fell over by astonishment when the Elder spoke a language that the UT in his communications badge could detect, adapt and produce it in Federation Standard. Kris had been so terrified that he would fall flat on his ass when faced with diplomacy with the Arboreals on his own without the assistance of Dr. Evans, Lieutenant Maica, or Lieutenant Weaver.

His eyes must have been so wide when the Elder spoke. He could not think about how strange he must looked at the moment. In stead, he simply moved forward and bowed in the presence of the Elder, understanding that the woman was some sort of royalty or of a higher stature. "You're welcome" Kris said quite nervously. "Your little sapling" Kris began with a soft tone Sapling... is that translated right? "We call your Sapling, Shira and she is very precious. We meant no harm to your people or your world. My sincerest apologies if we've done anything to offend you. We are explorers and were curious. We sought to return your sapling to her home" Kris continued.

"You've named her, how nice!" the Elder spoke with a fond smile as she looked down at the sleeping Shira. "We do not have names, not as you would understand them, but we do know the importance of names. It pleases me to hear that you thought well enough of her to give her a name." The Elder paused in thought. "And we are not offended by your intrusion," she assure the Captain, "but we are troubled. The device you deactivated keeps our village undetected from those who might pass by our planet."

"That was my fault" Kris said speaking up with concern in his eyes. "My actions were irresponsible and brash. Forgive me and my people, but in our ignorance... we did not expect to find such technology here on your world. If you would allow us, we will undo the damage and repair these devices."

"Well who would expect it with the way we live," the Elder said with a sympathetic smile. It went a long way in earning her trust that he offered to repair their cloaking technology. "But if you can repair the devices, then all will be well," she promised. By all rights, these intruders should be punished in some way, but it was obvious that they hadn't meant to cause harm, his remorse was genuine. "Although there is cause for concern. The technology is very old, I am worried it may be beyond your skill to repair or that it may simply be too old to be repaired."

I have the best damn engineer in the fleet thought Kris with a small smirk. He had faith in Lieutenant Matthews' abilities to repair the Arboreal technology. "Your technology may be older than we are used to... but my people are intelligent and you have my promise that we will do our best to repair the devices. If we cannot, we will try to use our own technology with your own" Kris said calmly.

This lead Kris to want to know more. He wanted to know how this technology came to be. "This technology... it is yours, your society constructed it?"

"Not precisely," the Elder answered coyly. "It belonged to our ancestors. They set it in place to protect us. You see, the society you see now was not this way many generations ago. Long ago, we were two races, one from the sky and one from the caves."

Interesting thought Kris. I'm sure Merith would be having a field day if she were here. "And the two of you... you have come together over time?"

"Our Ancestors from the Sky, from another world, crash landed here. With their ship unable to take them back to the stars, they made a life for themselves here," the Elder continued. "And then the life-forms, our Ancestors of the Caves, could not leave their hiding place in the dark, their eyes were so sensitive to the light, but the two races began to collaborate and work together, found common ground with which to coexist. And then came the generation born of the two and it created a problem. Our Ancestors of the Sky did not want to live the rest of their lives in the caves because their children could not come out into the light, so they came up with a solution: with the unusual abilities their combined offspring produced, our ability to manipulate the growth of plant life, they created the canopy to protect us from the light, then scavenged their technology to keep us safe. So it is ours, but our society did not create it."

"What about..." Kris began than stopped. He was unsure how to ask his next question. The Borg, how do I go about asking. Kris took a deep breath. "Outsiders, those who do not belong here. Species... travelers and invaders. Have others come here?"

"You are asking about the Borg who had come here?" the Elder asked. "Yes, a Borg sphere crashed near us, their navigation affected by interference from the nebula. They did not survive long, so we interned their remains to the earth in our way." Which explained how it seemed like the forest floor had swallowed the ship. "There have been others. Some have come in peace and we have conducted mutually beneficial trade. Then we had some come not so peacefully, so we shut ourselves off from outsiders. When the individuals who took Shira arrived, we retreated to our borders. Our protectors, the Guardians, did their patrols to make sure we were properly hidden, but some of our younger saplings, like Shira, got careless and were seen. It disturbed us greatly that the Guardians were driven to violence at her capture, but you must understand, we had to protect our own."

"I do understand and we will work to repair your technology. Will you allow me and the others to return to our home, our ship. I need to talk to my people and discuss the situation here. I'm going to need to bring others from my ship down here, they are smarter than me... well, they know how to fix things a little better than I do. After we are all done fixing your technology, we will leave you be and will not disturb you again."

"That is acceptable," the Elder replied with a nod. "There is one more thing I wish to discuss with you before you return to your ship. It concerns Shira."

Kris looked at the Elder with concern. "What is to become of her. She's been exposed to the outside world, to us and to those who took her from this world."

"Before her capture, she was training to be my successor as Elder and Keeper of the Sanctuary you're now in, but somehow I knew this life was not for her. She was always escaping during her free time to go above the canopy to look at the stars." The Elder lovingly fingered the star map cloth that Shira always kept with her. Maybe this had been destiny. "Like all of our younglings, she was taught our heritage, she knew our kin come from the stars. She has always wanted to reach out and touch that history. And she has that chance, if she were to go with you when you leave."

"I feel a strong connection to Shira... she feels like family to me, like she belongs with me. If she is willing to and if you approve, we'll take her with us. However, we've had difficulties communicating with her. Your people... your way of communicating does not translate easily for our technology. Our communicators... they translate languages allowing many species to converse. However, it does not work well with Shira yet. I'm not sure if she'd be able to understand much on our starship."

"No, she wouldn't understand much, but she would learn," the Elder assured him. "She is so smart, she has already learned so much. She shared what she learned with me, it was enough for me to realize the language of our Sky Ancestors might be similar enough that you could understand. Not many still remember the old languages, but I do. I would have taught them to her if she stayed." It seemed a forgone conclusion, but no decisions had been made. Still, the Elder just knew that Shira would leave, and she would miss her terribly. "Only, she hasn't decided to leave just yet, so don't do or say anything to sway her one way or the other, the choice must be hers."

"I'll leave it all in her hands. If she wishes to join my crew, we would offer her a home and protection. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my ship and my people. The more time your technology is down is the more opportunities for invaders and outsiders to come."

"Thank you," the Elder said gratefully, then gave Shira a nudge to wake her. The sleepy little Arboreal rose her head and rubbed her eyes, then squeaked in surprise at seeing Kris, launching herself at him and hugging him in her excitement.

Kris hugged Shira back. He felt a surge of warm emotions come over him, maybe a bit of joy and happiness. It was hot on the planet, he and the others had been sweating but it was not a bead sweat that slowly trickled down his face from the corner of his eye.

"Tell her I'll be back" Kris said to the elder. "Tell her that I need to go back to my home..."

"Tell her yourself," the Elder said. "Just because she cannot speak like you do is no reason to underestimate her intelligence. You words may not make much sense to her, but the tone and emotion speak volumes to us. She will understand."

Kris looked at the Elder and then at Shira. "Shira, Home. I am going home" he said gently.

"Home," Shira repeated with a nod. In her mind, 'home' was the hydroponics bay, but by now she had also learned that 'home' meant more than just a single room. She looked over to the Elder to sing, knowing the Elder could ask Kris what she needed to know.

"She would like to know if you will be returning," the Elder said on Shira's behalf.

"We'll be above your planet for a little longer. I need to send some of my crew down to repair your devices. Shira needs to decide if she is staying here or coming with us. After we leave, we're not likely to return."

The Elder translated and Shira nodded in understanding, but she looked very sad. She... she would never see them again once they left? That realization hit her hard and left a heavy feeling in her heart. She didn't know it, but her heart had made the choice, it would just take a bit longer for her head to come to the same conclusion. The Elder shared a glance with Kris. She could feel Shira's sadness and knew that Shira would be leaving this world. But it was okay, so long as Shira was happy.

"Kris home," Shira finally said with understanding.

Kris tapped his comm badge, smiling at Shira. =/\= "Commander Kerouac to Lieutenant Maica and Doctor Evans" said the Commander. "Maica, I have finished with the Elder. I am ready to return to Katana, Are you finished here as well?"

She was so engrossed in the song all around her, Maica was a bit startled by the chirp of her combadge. Tapping it quickly, she replied to the Captain's query. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to stay here a while longer. If I had guts and feelings in them, I'd almost say there was something important here I need to learn."

"Understood" replied Kris. Of course she wishes to stay longer.

Kris closed the channel with Maica and then tapped his comm badge once more =/\= "Kerouac to Katana" said the Commander.

"Mallory, here Captain" replied the transporter operator.

"Mister Mallory, please lock onto Dr. Evans and myself."

"I have a lock, Sir" replied the Warrant Officer.

Kris waved goodbye to Shira and blew her a kiss. "Good bye, Kiddo" he said with a smile.

Shira waved, but then tilted her head curiously at the strange gesture he made at her. Still, it seemed to make him happy, so she smiled and continued to wave.

"Sir?" replied Mallory in a confused tone.

"Not you. Mister Mallory, two for transport...Entergize."

Shira and the Elder watched as Kris disappeared in a shimmer of blue light. It was so strange to see! Shira had been in it a few times, but she had never seen it from the outside! It was so pretty, but bright. Once Kris was gone, Shira leaned against the Elder with a heavy sigh as she thought about things she couldn't possibly understand. The Elder fixed her with a sympathetic gaze. Poor little sapling...

Lieutenant T'Val Kejal had been tasked to assist her Department Head, Dr. Evans with the study of the creature referred to as 'Shira' by certain members of the crew. T'Val still preferred to refer to 'Shira' as what she was a creature of unknown origin. Sentient being or not, much of her was unknown and her threat level to the starship had yet to be established. However, Lieutenant Commander Zanaar had been rather vocal about his concerns. T'Val was a scientist, not a security officer. However, she could respect the concerns voiced by the First Officer and what seemed to be a small minority of the crew.

She brushed her blond bangs away from her face as she entered Sickbay where she discovered that the specimen, the creature of unknown origin was waiting. T'Val had no idea how to communicate with the creature. She knew that members of the crew were trying to learn her language, others like Dr. Evans and Lieutenant Weaver had been attempting to teach the creature a physical language they called sign language.

T'Val simply arched a one of her light colored brows and looked down at the creature. "I am Lieutenant T'Val, Assistant Chief Science Officer and you will not be harmed. Please remain cooperative" said the blonde half-Vulcan as she waited for Dr. Liam Cohen to emerge and for Lieutenant Maica to arrive.

Shira sat anxiously on the biobed waiting for Maica to show up to explain to her what was going on. She wasn't really afraid as this was the place that the other man helped her feel better and healed her wounds. But she was curious about what she was doing here, she wasn't ill. Still, she did her best to be patient, smiling politely to the woman who addressed her.

Liam strolled out of the compact office, his duty uniform as usually replaced by a pair of scrubs, today a mellow hunter green. He smiled at Shira and then to the Lieutenant. "Lieutenant T'Val, I understand you're taking over the observation and research into our guest. I've made my medical records available to you, admittedly they are brief and mostly conjecture, but we're starting to get a decent enough pool of bio-data for me to at least draw some conclusions on her physiology and what may be normal at least for her under the current conditions."

As Maica strolled in, she was in her full service dress again. The stiff purple fabric did little to hide her curves, but it did make her look rather stately. "Sorry I'm late. The conference call with the Caitian Trade Delegation I've been working with took longer than expected." Resting a hand on Shira's shoulder, she sang a query as to how the forest girl was doing.

Shira smiled at Maica, informing her through song that she was well, but curious as to why she had to see the healer again since she was not ill.

"How are the Caitians? Is everything purrrrfect?" said T'Val with a smile. She looked at the Chief Medical Officer and nodded. "I am taking over for the time being. I'll give it a quick look over myself."

"I'd like to do a more in depth bio scan." Liam said gesturing to Shira, "She won't feel a thing, but it would require her to be fair still."

Maica sang to Shira, trying to explain to her that the healer wanted to know more about her so he could better heal her in the future and to lay completely still as he examined her. Smiling at her, the green woman smiled her trademark warm smile.

Lay still? Shira smiled and nodded. She could do that! She lay back on the biobed and did her best to lay still as told, but it was so difficult since she was so very curious about everything that was going on.

T'Val looked at Maica "She will need to stop flinching and moving about, Lieutenant. These scans need to be precise as we know very little of her at this time to extrapolate. She'll remain still or we may have to sedate her"

Maica sang to Shira to try not to move at all if she can and if she was curious about something, it'll have to wait until the end of the scan.

Shira squirmed a little, looking around at the faces so intently focused on her, but eventually she settled down. Her curiosity could be sated later. Maica sounded serious, so Shira would take her seriously and do as she was told.

"Initializing scan." Liam said, there was a slight hum as the various sensor activated and began to complete the high detail scan. "Once this is done we'll actually be able to recreate a physiological model of Shira in the computer, allowing us to examining various aspects of her physiology without actually having to examine her." It took several minuets for the entire scan to complete but once it was done LIam smiled to Shira letting her know they were almost done. "The last thing i'd like to do is take a blood sample."

Shira continued to remain still, not knowing the scan was complete. It was very difficult for her to remain so still, she was such an emotive and curious individual, but she didn't want to displease her new friends. Then she saw the healer-man approach her with another tool. Did she have to remain still for this too? Best be still until Maica told her it was okay to move, just to be on the safe safe. But when the tool came in contact with her arm, she flinched. It didn't hurt, but it did feel incredibly strange. She just hoped that her moving hadn't caused any problems.

Maica sang to Shira how well she was doing. She couldn't even imagine what taking a blood sample felt like but she thought the forest girl did amazingly well, considering the circumstances.

T'Val looked at the Chief Medical Officer with a look of curiosity. "Do you have a theory as to what we'll find in her blood, Doctor?"

"Given what i've seen so far I'm willing to bet a lot of more plant like traits, from the scan her blood vessels are more like plant vasculature. There, I'll run these and the rest of the tests, she's free to go." He said smiling to Shira.

Smiling brightly, Maica sang to Shira that the tests were done and she could ask her questions.

Right away, Shira sat up and sang cheerfully, firing off questions as quickly as she could. What had he done? why was it so important that she had to lay still. what was that thing he pressed to her arm? Oh, what was he doing now? Could she see what he was doing? Could she do it too?

T'Val observed Shira's reaction and her cheerful tone of song. It was interesting, much like the creature herself. "Doctor, please forward your results to Science Lab 1 as soon as your tests are finished. I would like to have some of my people have a look. I believe I have an Ensign who has a specialty in Botany. She may find something that you and I would otherwise overlook."

Giggling at Shira, Maica tried to keep up with her questions. She sang about the scan and how it needed her to be completely still to see inside of her and that the healer had taken a sample of her sap/blood and that he was looking even deeper at it to see what makes up Shira. Eventually she lost track and just broke into giggles, pulling Shira into a happy hug.

"Of course Lieutenant." He said to the Science Officer.

T'Val looked at Shira and Maica. "Lieutenant, if you can... tell Shira that she was an excellent patient. You may take her back hydroponics or wherever she's most comfortable."

Maica was amazed at the complexity and harmony of the sounds of this city. It was as if every living thing in it was singing together to fulfill a common goal and that goal was something peaceful and tranquil. She had been sitting here for some time and though she could now at least somewhat understand the ideas and concepts in the song, she was far from trying to join in. Perhaps if she had her lyre she could play it for them, but she hadn't brought the 10 stringed little harp with her so hopefully she'd be able to later.

The Arboreals were pleased that the green woman was taking pleasure in their song. It had been many generations since anyone other than themselves had heard the song of the forest and they were happy to share it. In fact, they were happy to share anything and everything they had, offering food and drink to the Away Team while they waited for Kris to be done speaking to the Elder, and every afterwards once Maica opted to remain behind they continued to offer her anything she could have wanted to ensure her comfort. Despite the fact that the native peoples were a bit wary of the outsiders, they were still warm and welcoming. And how could they not show such kindness to the people who had saved and cared for their lost youngling?

After a while, another song made itself known, originating from within the Sanctuary Kris had visited earlier. That in and of itself was not terribly important, but the sound of Shira's voice was. Even among the chorus of tiny little children learning the song, Maica could recognize Shira's dulcet tones ringing clearly above all the rest, luring her into the Sanctuary.

Maica had accepted and sampled a little of each treat they had offered her, thanking them with every one, but Shira's voice drove her to seek her friend out. She slowly headed into the Sanctuary, hoping she wouldn't anger anyone for doing so. She just wanted to see the forest girl she had come to know and love and being so close and being able to hear her yet unable to see her was like a siren's call pulling her in deeper.

Inside the Sanctuary, the Elder and Shira were encircled by a group of tiny Arboreal children, their song a lesson to the children. But very little escaped the Elder's notice; she stopped singing and her eyes rose to meet Maica's lovely dark red gaze. The children, noticing their mentor had stopped, looked about to see the green woman, their little gasps of surprise and cheerful giggles filling the air.

"You are not meant to be here," the Elder spoke, yet she beckoned the Orion Android closer none the less. Shira just giggled, smiling brightly at her friend.

Smiling the brightest smile she could at Shira, Maica bowed her head and stepped further in. The language the Elder spoke in wasn't one she was familiar with directly, but her built in universal translator had no trouble dissembling it from just those few words and she counted her blessings that it was the best UT system in the known galaxy as her vocal processors matched that language as best they could. "I'm sorry. I heard my friend and I had to see her. I don't want to intrude." She probably got a few pronunciations wrong, but at the very least she was sure the Elder would understand her meaning.

"Well you did instrude, but in this case I don't mind," the Elder replied with a charming smile. "Come, join us, and explain to me how you know our ancestral language," the Elder bade as she dismissed the tiny Arboreals with a wave of her hand.

Shira just beamed, hugging Maica tightly once the green woman had joined them on the cool grass. Even the scattering children offered little hugs to their guest. After all, their Elder and teacher seemed to be okay with the contact, so this person must be safe and good and nice, and she was just so pretty, and what were these strange garments, oh look at her eyes, how does she get her skin so soft... The fairy-like children continued to chatter on curiously as they left the three women alone to talk, disappearing into the garden to play.

As Maica hugged everyone in turn, she couldn't help but wonder if her face would break from smiling so wide. "Thank you. You spoke a full sentence, so I was able to learn it in that short time. I was made to be able to do that and the more I hear, the better I'll speak it, though it took me several days to learn to sing as your people do." Looking over the Elder, she couldn't help but be curious about her as well but refrained from asking about her roots and stuff.

"Yes, the song of the forest is not easy for outsiders to understand. It must be felt and then it becomes a part of you. unfortunately, it also makes it hard for us to remember other languages, which is why so few remember the language of our ancestors. It takes a great deal of discipline to learn and it was something I had intended to teach Shira," the Elder explained. But if Shira had the necessary discipline to learn her ancestral language, she could learn the language of these strangers as well. That would make things easier if Shira chose to leave this world and follow her new friends. "But there is something you said that I do not quite understand: 'I was made to be able to do that.' Are you an artificial life form?"

To say that Maica was stunned would put it lightly. Sitting there blinking, she actually stammered a little when she spoke. "Y.. Yes... I'm... I'm an android. You know what that is, don't you? Does that mean your people were once?... Why?..." If the Elder was saying what she thought she was saying, these people could have once been more advanced than the Federation and had chosen to live without technology. If so, she had seriously misjudged these people and would need to make it up to Shira. The Elder had called Shira by the name the Captain had given her too - that also was a bit of a stunning revelation. They had apparently used names for people as well at one point.

"As I explained to your leader, we were once two people, the natives who lived in the caves, and those who once explored the stars. Our ancestors beyond the stars, whose language I speak now, crash landed on this world and made a home for themselves once they resigned themselves to the fact that they were unable to leave this world," the Elder explained. "I have never seen any of our ancestor's technology, but I know of it. It is my task to remember who we wince were and pass that knowledge on to my successor so that part of our history is never forgotten."

"Then I owe your people an apology. I had assumed you had no technology and had never traveled the stars. This does explain Shira's curiosity and fascination with star charts though. She would make an excellent astrometrics scientist if given the chance." Maica wanted to say so much more, but she knew it would just be rambling, so she let the words go unsaid and instead asked another question. "Can you tell me more about your people's history?"

"You have nothing to apologize for. Shira is aware of technology, but she has never seen it. She cannot understand something she has never seen. But knowledge of our ancestry has driven her to learn about the stars. Until she had been captured, it had just been a passing fantasy to one day travel amongst them once again. Now, I know that dream has become real to her." When the Elder looked at Shira, there was an intense sadness and longing. Shira certainly didn't understand why her Elder was looking at her this way, but the Elder knew that in the end Shira would decide to leave with the Katana. Shira's love for the stars had been more than just a passing hobby; now that she knew it was possible to travel amongst the stars, this simple life would no longer be enough. "So, what would you like to know about our history. There is much to tell, where would you like me to start?"

Pulling Shira into another hug, Maica kissed her on the forehead softly. She knew that having tasted her dream, Shira wouldn't find much peace here anymore. It was similar to her own life in a distant way and the android could at least partially understand that. However, whether Shira would decide to come with them or remain here she could not predict, though she still wanted to be the one to ask the forest girl that important question. "I don't suppose we have time for the full history, so how about the beginnings and how your people came to have built such an amazing society?"

"Even that could take more time that you would be willing to stay here, but I will do what I can," the Elder promised, then gave Shira a gentle command to go fetch something. Shira quickly darted off to retrieve the item, leaving the Elder and Maica alone for a few minutes. In that time, the Elder began to tell Maica of how their ancestors had traveled the stars, only to find their way here. Then, meeting their Ancestors of the Caves, the Ancestors of the Sky learned how to communicate with the cave dwellers enough to trade for resources and assistance they would need in surviving. The cave dwellers couldn't leave their realm of darkness and safety, but the two races managed to find a cooperative harmony that was beneficial to them both. Years later, the first cross-breed offspring were born. Some of the sky people had chosen to live in the caves with their cave-dwelling families, but it was clear that neither side was entirely happy with this arrangement. A great love and respect had developed between the two races, they wanted to live together as one, but the cave-dwellers could not leave the caves, and the sky dwellers could never be truly functional within the caves.

Shira returned with an armful of textiles. The Elder explained that their history was kept in a combination of textiles, much like Shira's star map, and aural recitation. Spreading out layer upon layer of cloth for Maica to see the grandeur of their recorded history was a real treat to see. It took several years for them to learn, the Elder continued, that the halfling offspring had a special gift: the cave-dwellers had always had an affinity for plant life and making plants survive in low light environments by grafting them with the roots of plants that survived above ground, but the sky people's telekinesis had taken this gift to a new level; the halfling children could make the plants grow and shape them to their will. It took many years of planning and training, but the halfling children helped to create the dense canopy to allow the cave-dwellers to live above ground, and the sky people used their knowledge of architecture to design a city that would be safe and not harm the trees that had become their new home. They had created a civilization that was in perfect harmony with the forest around them, and after generations of cross breeding, very little remained of the two races at they had been before.

"Amazing... Utterly amazing..." Maica was able to memorize the tapestries almost instantly, but she would need years to fully understand them and she really wanted to fully record them with her tricorder. They were still amazing and she could get the broad story quickly enough thanks to the Elder. "Thank you for this. Do you mind if I scan them and make a recreation of these when I return to our ship?"

"Yes, of course," the Elder said, then began to carefully fold the delicate lengths of cloth with Shira's help. Shira had told her how Maica and Jhu had scanned her star map, though she lacked the ability to adequately describe what had happened, it was enough to assure the Elder that she could trust Maica, that their histories would not be damaged. Then she began to remove the garments she was wearing, folding them as well. "This is a detail of our genealogy, two races becoming one," the Elder said, offering the delicate fabric on top of the rest.

Pulling out her tricorder, she started scanning everything she could of the fabrics. Maica wanted as in depth of a scan as possible so she could replicate them down to the molecular level. She was just as curious about the Elder herself, though she refrained from scanning her out of respect. "Elder, I can't help but notice... Have you grown roots? Are you not mobile?"

"Now you can see why we must keep our village so protected, this trait makes us so vulnerable," the Arboreal woman said with a knowing smile. "It's part of our development. For most, it's the final stages of our lives. Those who have reached the end of their lives continue on forever as part of the trees that give us life. But for me, as a protector of the Sanctuary, rooting allows me to become one with the song of the forest. I am aware of everything that happens in our forest because of this connection. In a way, I guess you could say that rooting myself makes me a part of everything and everyone in this forest. I bring harmony and unity to all who can hear the forest's song."

The green woman was a bit awed by that, pausing in her scanning for a moment. "That sounds like a wonderful experience but I can't really even imagine what that must be like. The telepathic peoples I've met feel nothing from me so I have to wonder what you sense of me since I'm not organic." Finishing her scans of the fabrics, Maica clipped her tricorder back to her utility belt and sat back.

"I feel nothing from you," the Elder said bluntly, but not in any way unkind. "I felt you moving through the forest, but I feel nothing from you, but that does not necessarily mean anything, my sense about the others from your ship are the same. I know where they are, but I cannot feel them. I can, but that's only because the entire forest are my ears. I have no connection to you or your people like I do with my people."

"That's strangely comforting, to be honest." An android with an inferiority complex that longs to be more getting comfort from a tree woman. Stranger things were sure to have happened, but Maica couldn't think of anything.

Shira could tell something was wrong, so she fluttered over to Maica and gave her a squeezing hug. The Elder smiled warmly. "She cares so much about you. She's grown so attached to you and the others so quickly." How fortunate Shira had been to find such wonderful people to care for her.

Smiling and hugging Shira back, Maica couldn't help but cheer up. "She's certainly been a bright spot in my 9 years of existence. I love her like a sister, I think. As best I can understand love, that is." Looking back up at the Elder, Maica blushed a bit, her cheeks turning a darker shade of green. "Um... Elder, do you have any questions for me? It's not fair that I get to learn all about you and your people but you learn little about us."

"Who says I have learned so little?" the Elder asked. "Shira already told me so much. I know that you're crew is varied and diverse, that you have a great thirst for exploration and discovery. I know that your people reached out to connect with a lost alien and made her feel like family when she was all alone. I know you worked hard to find this planet so you could return Shira home. You are good people, and that's the most important thing. What else do I need to know?"

"That's true. Sorry, I'm a diplomat so I'm used to long speeches and extensive questioning. I don't feel right asking so many questions without answering a lot of them myself." Maica couldn't decide if she was nervous or calmed by the Elder's words. She wanted to be asked something at the very least, if only to know where to direct her own questions. There was something she could ask though. Something she had wondered about in the forest-wide song. "Elder, I didn't hear any musical instruments in the great song outside. Did I just not notice them or do your people not use them?"

"We do have artisans who play instruments, they just may not be playing right now with all the gossip to be had with the presence of our visitors," the Elder teased. "If you are interested in hearing some of our artisans play, I can have Shira take you to them later."

Maica smiled brightly at the offer. "I'd love that, thank you. I'll have to get my lyre from the ship so we can compare works though. I haven't played it for Shira yet, but I'm a bit of a musician myself."

"I would enjoy hearing your work as well," the Elder replied with a warm smile. "When you return with your instrument, I'll have the artisans brought here so that I may hear it as well."

"I'll be back this evening then. Thank you again, Elder. I'll take my leave now, if that's ok." Maica hugged Shira again, bowed before the Elder and tapped her commbadge, signalling for a beamout when ready.

Tags

The young Warrant Officer, Tucker "Puck" Mallory, arrived early to have a look at the console in Transporter Room One. It had been the third item on his list of things to have a look at. He had a list on his PADD. However, while he begun to look over the Katana's Transporter log, Puck found something that caused his eyes to go wide and let out a muffled "Ooooh fuck!"

Warrant Officer Mallory quickly double checked and triple checked what the logs were saying. Commander Kristopher Kerouac and a party of six others had used the transporter a few hours ago and were on the planets surface. This baffled the young man not because he was made aware of everything but because the ship was small. It crew was less than a hundred... the Captain did not just leave the ship without anyone knowing.

"Computer" said Puck with a mixed tone of concern laced with curiosity. "Computer, locate Captain Kerouac" ordered Puck.

The computer let out a series of chirps before replying "Captain Kristopher Kerouac is not aboard."

The Warrant Officer dropped everything. He tapped his communicator frequently. "Warrant Officer Mallory to Lieutenant Commander Zanaar" said the man in a rushed manner. "Commander respond" he added quickly.

Tul was on his way to the bridge to begin his shift when his communicator sounded off. The man on the other side sounded hurried. Tul sighed, he had been hoping for just one, quite, uneventful day... "This is Zanaar... What do you need, Crewman?"

"It's the Captain... Commander, he's not aboard the ship. He left a few hours ago with an Away Team. They are on the planet's surface."

What the hell? "I'm on my way..." Tul said quickly, closing the channel. A few minutes later, he was in the transporter room, leaning over the crewman's shoulder. "Show me," he ordered, "Where'd they go? Who else went with him?"

Puck looked over the transporter log before responding. "There down on this planet, here. It looks like we're in orbit of it right now, Commander. It looks like the Captain was accompanied by The Chief Science Officer, the Chief Diplomatic Officer, the Chief Engineer, the creature he named Shira and Lieutenant Weaver from the Intelligence Department?"

Tul stared at the log for a long moment without reponding. He then turned and left the room, glancing back over his shoulder briefly, "Return to your duties, crewman."

"Yes, Sir, Commander" replied Puck watching the Andorian leave.


(Meanwhile) Jhu hadn't counted on Mallory checking the transporter logs, and his call to Tul squeaked out before she could jam it. Swearing under her breath, she gave up on jamming the internal comms, instead setting up a slow overload that would take out internal comms and subspace at the same time. Then she swiftly erased any trace that she'd hacked the system remotely. Tul would come looking for her eventually, and she
didn't want to leave him any ammunition.

As he walked towards the bridge, Tul had a lot to think about yet his mind was blank. He wasn't surprised by the captain's actions. Tul also knew he should report back to Starfleet but he suspected that would be impossible. Commander t'Dharvanek hadn't been on the away team. Kerouac had undoubtedly left her behind to hinder anything Tul attempted to do.

Tul should have been angry, but oddly, he wasn't. He didn't try to find Jhu. He went directly to the bridge and sat down in his, the XO's, seat. Tul hadn't sat in the command chair since his arrival on board. At first, he hadn't seen a reason to. Now, he knew he avoided the chair because Kris had yet to back up his command decisions. Even more, make glaringly obvious with this new away mission, Tul knew the captain didn't trust him. Maybe Tul hadn't earned that trust. Maybe he had failed to be the Katana's first officer.

"Computer, today's personal reports..." Tul muttered to the console beside his chair. He ignored glances from the bridge crew and the planet on the viewscreen.

Lieutenant Verak was at his normal station at helm, though orbiting a planet did not take much from him. Thus, he was killing time by running some quick diagnostic scans. It had been quite evident now that there was an Away Team on the planet and that Verak and other members of the Senior Staff such as Commander Zanaar had been left out of the loop.

Verak, having grown tired of sitting at his station walked about the Bridge and placed himself behind tactical station. I had better keep a close eye on things thought Verak. Doing a routine check of systems had aroused his suspicions. "Fascinating... It's too quiet" he muttered to himself. After looking into the matter further, Verak departed from the tactical station and took a seat next to Zanaar.

"Commander, I am aware that there are members of the crew on the planet's surface. Starfleet Regulation 476.9 affirms that all Away Teams must report in once every 24 hours. Therefore, the Captain has some time before he's overdue. However, we have a situation... communications systems have been disabled."

Maintaining his air of disinterest, Tul's eyes remained on his chair-side console. When he spoke however, he was sure Verak could hear him. "Probably Commander t'Dharvanek's work... Despite her intelligence claims, she is quite predictable. Better to ignore it, lieutenant."

"Sir?" replied Verak with a curious gaze. "Ignore it. Right" said the half-Vulcan. He remained in the seat next to the First Officer, opting not to return to his station. "Commander, she's tampering with communications... what if something is going wrong down there, what if the Captain needs assistance? What if there are distress calls that we are not receiving? Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek's actions are most illogical."

"She's under orders, lieutenant. And the captain is outside protocol. You might have noticed, we were left with no orders... Unless you, too, are keeping something from me," Tul shook his head, not that he believed the helm officer was apart of the captain's deception but he simply didn't know.. "The only option to us is to keep with our regular duties and wait for the captain's return.

Verak nodded. "Orders are orders. Indeed, it would appear as though our only option is to wait" replied Verak. I'm fixing the communications systems told himself.

Tul didn't need the ability to read minds to know what Verak was thinking. "Leave it, lieutenant. She'll be working against you."

"Is that an order, Commander?" Verak asked with an arched brow. "She is endangering the Away Team, this crew, and the starship by cutting our communications off. She must be stopped."

"You too, hmm?" Tul said, his voice still devoid of emotion. He didn't say anything further, simply scrollingt through te consol beside him.

Verak looked at the Andorian. "I did not mean to offend you if I have, Commander. I simply do not see the logic in the actions being taken by the Captain and certain members of this crew. It was a unreasonable and illogical risk to have that creature aboard. Additionally, the Captain is down on the planet that we have very little knowledge of and due to Ms. t'Dharvanek's actions, no means of contacting him."

"You think I don't know that?!" Tul snapped, finally turning to the Vulcan beside him. "The captain knows exactly what he's doing. He put precise measures in place- Jhu and who even knows who else- so that we cannot share that knowledge. He does not want us interfering with whatever is going on down on that planet. And I do not intend to," Tul collasped back into his chair, defeated and too relunctent to be angry. "Damnit, lieutenant. Lack of orders or trust or knowledge have my hands tied. You're in the captain's chair, you do as you see fit."

Lieutenant Verak studied the Andorian with an inquisitive gaze. He stood up from the chair and crossed his arms, a judgmental posture. "The elevation in your tone of voice indicates noticeable amounts of tension and agitation. It would be illogical and negligent on my part if I did not alert you to the risks of prolonged exposure to a stressful environment" said Verak swiftly.

"There is a chain of command, Lieutenant Commander... and command does not logically fall on me."

"If my stress levels are your problem, I'll apply for a transfer once the comms are back," if Tul was being sarcastic, his face didn't show it. "Return to your duties, lieutenant."

It might be logical for you to do that. You're obviously out numbered here and emotionally compromised Verak thought. "Aye, Commander" said Verak, turning on his heels and taking his station at helm. He did not bother informing the First Officer of his attempts to restore communications systems to normal operating levels.

Tul returned his attention to the command console. Briefly, he wondered were Jhu was and who else was a part of the captain's deception.

A console in Jhu's office chimed, alerting her to Verak's attempt to bypass the communications failure. Aren't we predictable? Slightly amused that the bridge crew would try to play that game against her, she let the interloper play for a while then casually back-traced the attempt to Verak's station on the bridge. Sneaky little Vulcan troll... Smiling ever so slightly, she disconnected him from the communications system and sent a simple text message to his console. Leave it alone, Lieutenant. Kris had authorized whatever means necessary, but she wanted to keep it as low key as possible... for now.


Verak found Lieutenant Commander t'Dharvanek's blocks and back doors, and walls to be an acceptable challenge for him. However, his logic would defeat her. He was confident in his abilities to out think her. He saw her message and cocked his head. Oh?. He quickly replied. I was not aware that you were on a first name level with the Commanding Officer. That does not appear logical for an objective officer. Your communications blocks are jeopardizing lives.

Jhu raised an eyebrow at the message. She hadn't included Kristopher's name, so how could Verak possibly know if she used his first name or not. I have orders and far more experience than you do. Do not make me come up there and knock you on your logic-loving ass.

Lieutenant Verak arched his brow. Your Romulan is showing he replied back to her. His human roots and upbringing were coming around now. Captain Kerouac is likely to face court martial for his actions, Commander. It is logical to lift communications now.

That's where you're wrong, kid. Until I hear otherwise from Captain Kerouac, the comms system remains down. Now leave it alone before I make you leave it alone. That's an order, Lieutenant. Jhu shook her head at Verak's insistence, suddenly having a feeling that he was doing this on his own and not under Tul's orders. Tul might be a jerk, but he wasn't the type to argue about orders. At least, she didn't think so.

Stand By Lieutenant Verak sent. What did the simple message mean? Jhu would soon find out exactly what that meant when dealing with a displeased Human-Vulcan with the antics and attitude of a teenager. Verak turned in his seat and looked around the Bridge. Most of the stations were empty because there was no need for personnel to man them. Zanaar was in his chair, ignoring the situation. There was a relief tactical officer at the tactical station. Science, Ops, and Engineering stations were vacant.

Standing up swiftly, Verak walked over to the Engineering bridge station. He sat in the chair and lurched over the station's control panel. He quickly rerouted some systems. He could not get control of communications yet, but he had not been attempting to. The Helmsmen had rerouted a large amount of reserve energy and rerouted it to the EPS conduits in the console that Jhu was working at. He was sending too much reserve power to that station. It would likely fry the EPS conduits and explode the console. Logical second degree burns he thought wit a small smirk on his face. It looked disturbing on a Vulcan.

Stand by?!? Who did this Vulcan kid think he was? As she was composing her 'not-so-nice' response, Jhu thought she heard a faint whine of power issuing from her console. She paused, listening again. Yes, there it was, sounding rather eerily like... "Fvadt!" Shoving hard against the console, she slid her chair away just before the console exploded in a shower of sparks. Avoiding serious burns but not singing of her hair and uniform, Jhu swore under her breath as the explosion blinded her. That is it. I'm going to kill the little bastard.

Verak then sent a message to another console in Jhu's Intelligence Office. Logically, I would summon a medical team to report to the Intelligence office, but for some reason the ship's communications systems are off line. Let's hope that no emergency situations happen during this most inopportune time.

Hearing the beep, Jhu blinked several times until she could kind of see then growled in her throat at the message. Instead of responding, she got up and left the office, stumbling a bit in the bright corridor. Soon though, she found the turbolift and headed for bridge.

When there was no response from Jhu, Verak began to get worried that he may have actually injured the Commander. However, he was about to see his life flash before his eyes.

When Jhu reached the bridge, she positively glowed with fury, and she immediately set her sights on Verak's tall, slim form. Even without proper vision, he was easy to spot. "Lieutenant Verak, step away from that console. Now."

Tul looked up and around when the turbolift arrived. A worse-for-wear and murderous looking Jhu got off. "Stay were you are, Lieutenant. Problem, Commander?" Tul asked, standing up to face her. He had already put two and two together and guessed Verak had disobeyed his request to stand down. Still, he wasn't about to let Jhu at the young Vulcan.

"Only if you call blowing up a console in someone's face a problem." Having enough respect for Tul's position not to evade his interception, Jhu nonetheless glaed at Verak. She didn't care too much about Verak's refusal to leave the communications system alone, but overloading the console when he knew she was there? That was assault, and she wasn't going to put up with it. "Now with all due respect... please move."

Verak stood up from the station with a nod at Jhu. He tooked at the Andorian with somewhat apologetic eyes. "My actions have damaged Federation Starfleet equipment and potentially endangered a superior officer's safety and general well being. I must relieve myself of duty and surrender myself to ship's security, or in this case the Lieutenant Commander will do just fine.

Verak looked at Jhu with an eyebrow raised. "If you would like to personally escort me to the Brig, Ma'am, I surrender myself to your authority" said the helmsmen without so much as a grain of emotion. He was trying to be Vulcan, just to annoy her.

If Tul had held something in his hands, he undoubtably would have snapped it. Even when the captain wasn't on board, the crew found his orders totally optional. "Get off this bridge. Right now. Both of you. If you're going to disregard my orders, at least do me the decentcy of doing outside of my sight," he growled, voice tight. Tul no longer cared what the Verak and Jhu might do to each other. He wanted them off the bridge.

Lieutenant Verak flashed a look at the Andorian. "You never gave an order. You were too busy ignoring the actions of this crew. You indicated displeasure in my attempts to re-establish communications. However, never once did you order me not to."

"Seeing as no one on this -insert Andorian curse- seems to recognize my orders..." Tul's voice had changed again, miracuously losing some of it's tenion. He turned to Jhu, "I'm going back to my quarters. Since the captain values your opion... And lack of attention to protocol so much, you can have the bridge." Tul brushed past the spotted Romulan and stormed off the bridge.

Verak looked at Jhu. "None of this would have happened if you just left well enough alone. Can we at least have incoming communications?"

"No. Captain's orders were no communications to or from the ship and I intend to follow that order until he returns." Jhu had watched Tul storm by her yelling about how she hadn't followed orders, but all he'd said to her was asking about a problem. There hadn't been an order to follow. Now she turned her eye on Verak, who didn't have Tul around to defend him anymore. "As will you if you value your life and limbs."

Lieutenant Verak simply shrugged. "Fine, I give up. However, maybe you should at least allow communications from the planet" said Verak. "It's not like they took a shuttle. Or is there a missing shuttle that I should know about? The Captain will need to contact the ship in order to use the transporters. If you are finished lecturing me, may I resume my duties?"

"The captain and I have arranged that. There is no need for you to concern yourself with it, is that clear?" Jhu would let him stay if he agreed. Otherwise... she wasn't so sure.

"Yes, Ma'am" replied Verak softly. "I'll rid my mind of these concerns."

"So Lieutenant, where do you suggest we start our search?" he asked.

Jenni opened her tricorder again to look for similar power signatures. She was back to where they were when they first beamed down, detecting trace energy signatures that didn't linger long enough to be detected. "No idea," she replied, beginning to slowly turn in a circle, hoping to pick something up. "I'd be able to guess if we had something to triangulate with. Maybe we should define a perimeter that that field was protecting and see if we can find another one of these."

The engineer continued to wave her tricorder about, fiddling with settings hoping to find a clue. "Do you think that field left any sort of physical impressions?"

"I have no clue really. I am a spy not an engineer. But I would imagine so. Wouldn't it have to?"

"You'd think..." Jenni backtracked back to the place where the Away Team had fired on the forcefield. The underbrush was too thick to see if the field had left a strongly visual impression, so she knelt with her tricorder to see if anything had been left in the dirt.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, finding a smooth line imprinted on the soil. Jenni scanned it for anything that could be remotely helpful. "Looks like we have some trace elements here," she told Kyle. "Very strong in zinc..." her voice trailed off as she modified her device, "but not strong enough to see how far the line goes. I loose resolution after a couple meters."

"Well we could use that as a trail couldn't we? Or maybe do a grid search to see if you can pickup those trace elements? Maybe they could lead us somewhere?"

"Let's hope." Jenni led the way, constantly glancing back and forth from the tricorder to the foilage that encrusted their trek. "I don't think we ever met," she commented. "You said you're a spy? Does that mean you'll have to kill me later?" Jenni flashed Kyle a quick smile before returning her attention to their path.

He returned the smile, "I think I can guarantee your safety as long as you promise to keep my secret safe. I hate killing people. Do you know how much paperwork the causes?"

"Really?" Jenni chuckled. "Poor pencil pushers can't get enough reports, can they?"

"No they can't, besides you're kind of cute. You know, for a girl."

"Thanks!" Jenni studied her tricorder for a moment and made a slight adjustment to their path. "Don't get any ideas though. I'm not exactly in the market for a boyfriend." She'd kept to engineering mostly since their voyages began, so Jenni knew nothing of the spy who walked behind her. "It's Jenni, by the way." Their ranks were equal, but since she didn't see him at the last senior staff meeting, she assumed he was an assistant chief.

"Kyle," he replied, "and no worries. I'm not looking for a girl friend. Noah's my husband, I think you're safe."

"You think?" Jenni asked, continuing to lead the way. "The marriage a little rocky there?"

"It is actually," Kyle said, turning serious, "I do tend to say stupid thing sometimes and take too many risks."

"Isn't that the very definition of a spy?" Jenni fired back. "At least, the risk part?"

"Of course, he knows that. Or he should. But he worries. And he doesn't think I take his concerns seriously. I may not always show it, but I do. I do what I do to protect the Federation, to protect him. There are just some things I can't tell him."

Jenni was no relationship expert. She'd only been in one, and that was in the Academy. It didn't end well.

But that wasn't going to stop her from adding her own two cents. "Maybe you should..." Her voice trailed off. She noticed that a similar tetryon frequency was beginning to show. "We're getting close," she reported. "Maybe another hundred meters ahead. Keep an eye out for any more of those beasts. Without Shira, we're not going to be able to convince it to leave us alone."

He pulled the phaser from its holster in the small of his back adjusted it to heavy stun and held it to his side. He wondered what advice she had been about to offer when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, just ahead of them. He put a warning hand on her arm,"Ssh, Do you see something up there?"

Jenni flinched when Kyle touched his arm. Hopefully he'd attribute that to the question that immediately followed the touch. She diverted her full attention ahead and saw a soft rustle in the trees. They were too far away to determine if it was another forcefield...

She cradled her tricorder and pulled out her phaser. "I need to be honest with you," she said softly. "I'm not terribly good with this."

He moved almost automatically in front of her. If he had noticed her flinch he didn't show it. "Just stay behind me," He ordered as he took a few steps forward.

"No problem," she muttered, almost nervous. She glanced down at both hands, making sure the phaser was set for stun and the tricorder still scanning. Jenni slowly took a step forward, trying to stay about four steps behind Kyle. She didn't want to get too far behind lest something took a strike at her.

The rustling grew louder, more distinct. It didn't sound exactly like the creature that they had seen before. Kyle held his breath as he stared into the brush looking for something to appear. Then something stepped out to face them a creature unlike they had seen before the body of a lion, the face of a man, bat like wings and a scorpion tail.

"What is that?" Kyle asked trying to keep his voice calm.

"Something that doesn't look friendly," Jenni replied. Studying her tricorder, she added, "The forcefield is right behind him. We'll have to get past him if we hope to go in."

"I kind of figured that was the case. This must be one of those 'guardians' that Shira was talking about." Then Kyle did something that was counter intuitive and went against all his training. He put his phaser back in it's holster. "We mean you no harm, we mean this place no harm. We just want to pass."

"What're you doing?" Jenni whispered, still holding her phaser. Her tone was presented in a 'trying not to freak out but in a gentle what the hell are you doing' kind of way.

Jenni was sounding an awfully lot like Noah about now and Kyle was thinking she was probably right, he was taking a huge gamble acting on instinct and he was probably about to get them killed. "Blow the thing up!" is what he wanted to say. Instead, "Put the weapon away, I know what I'm doing," is what came out of his mouth as he took another step forward holding his hands out to show he was unarmed.

"Like I said," he signed, 'We don't want to hurt anyone, or any thing."

She did not like his suggestion, but she was not the one who knew how to handle these situations. Slowly and cautiously, she safety'ed the phaser and placed it back in its holster. Jenni also took a step forward, thinking she'd be safer if she stayed near Kyle. Glancing down at the tricorder, she saw that it had managed to isolate and lock onto the tetyron signature. If they couldn't get past the field, she could at least attempt to triangulate wherever it was they needed to go.

The fur on the creature bristled, the scorpion tail flicked forward and it let out a deafening roar. Kyle held back from drawing his weapon and instead took another two steps forward.

"Kyle?" Jenni asked nervously, doing everything she could not to reach for her phaser.

"It's going to be okay," he lied as the beast moved forward till it was within a few feet of them. It certainly didn't look like things were going to be okay.

If this is your definition of okay, I'd hate to see you in a crisis... she thought, biting her tongue as she watched Kyle stare down the beast. Where was Shira when they needed her?

Kyle extended a hand, half expecting it to be bit off.

Jenni watched as the creature studied the hand. The man-face eyes intensely looked the hand over, attempting to best figure out how to react. She watched the nostrils flare and contract, searching for any signs of a negative trace. Finally, it looked up at Kyle as if to render a verdict. Jenni slowly reached for her phaser, wanting to be ready if it struck Kyle, though she was more worried that her initial blast would hit her fellow crewmate and not the creature.

The creature hesitated in its readiness to attack. It seemed torn. It obviously wanted to protect its territory, but it was confused by the lack of aggression from its opponent. But it finally backed down when it heard the call of the Guardians, a song that seemed to be generated from all around the creature and the two humans. The creature lowered its tail and slowly backed away in response to the call.

From the foliage and from the very trees themselves, the Guardians came. there were maybe 5 or 6 of them, though it was hard to keep track of them with they way they moved through the air. The tricorder did little to help, it couldn't tell the difference between the creature, the Guardians, or the plants they lived among. One individual singled himself from the group and approached, brushing past the creature with an affectionate pat as the beast disappeared back into the forest. The man was on guard and cautious, but he extended his hands out, palms up, in an attempt to display that he was approaching on peaceful terms.

Jenni looked around, overwhelmed by the arrival of... what could she even call them. They seemed to have a similar appearance than Shira, though with slight differences. "I think," she said, easing her tension and standing back up straight, "that we might want to stick with that peace policy of yours. Might even employ that charm that won your husband over."

She didn't see the creature anywhere. It had to have disappeared into the forest. Jenni looked to Kyle and pulled up her tricorder. "I think we know what to look for now. I've triangulated the curvature of the forcefields and the source of the tetyron emissions. Looks like what we're looking for is a half-mile that way." Jenni pointed in the direction to the left of the forcefield, past the one that was still down.

The adrenaline that had been pumping through Kyle's veins slowly ebbed away and his heartbeat returned to something close to normal. "I haven't been too charming of late I don't think, "he said in response to the Engineer.

Then he held out his hands in the same fashion that the Guardian did. "We come in peace," he said then signed.

The Guardian looked in the direction the woman posted, then signaled to the others of his team who were flying about, calling for reinforcements should the need to protect their territory arise. But these strange individuals, their words and gestures made no sense. Still, a promise had been made to not harm these intruders, so he backed away and let the strangers do what they would.

Kyle turned back to Jenni, with a small smile. "Maybe my boyish charm is working after all," he commented as he move past the guardians, or at least amongst them, it didn't appear they were going anywhere, or would allow the two Katana officers to go further unattended.

The collection of Arboreal Guardians gave the two officers space, allowing them to do go where ever they wanted, but now with an escort. The Guardians followed not far behind; they would not allow the strangers to violate any more of their territory.

"I can see why your husband fancies you so," Jenni replied, pointing herself in the direction of their new destination and beginning to walk. She glanced up after taking a few steps, noting their new friends were keeping in stride. "And looks like they do too."

Kyle bit back a smart ass reply and simply continued walking. They had gone perhaps 100 meters when Kyle noticed something out of his peripheral vision. "What does you tricorder say about that?" he asked pointing.

Jenni looked for a moment in the direction Kyle was pointing, then down at her tricorder. She took a moment to scan as best she could before replying, "It's hard to tell for sure. The area around us is so heavily concentrated with the flora and fauna..." Jenni took one step in that direction. "I'm picking up metals and alloys, but we're too far away for anything conclusive. I'm seeing elements of tritanium, deuterium, maybe dilithium... nothing that, based on what we've seen so far, should be on this planet."

Looking back at Kyle, she said, "We definitely should check it out."

"By all means," he replied as he turned and began walking in that direction. "Let's see what we can find out."

The Guardians following the two officers were understandably on guard as they approached this new area, but did nothing to hinder their progress.

Jenni led the way, not saying much along the way, merely spouting out information as the tricorder was delivering it. Eventually, they came to a clearing at the base of a mountain. "Definitely picking up high concentrations of alloys," Jenni reported, scanning the mountain. "I don't think this is natural at all."

But it looked entirely natural. The lush green landscape blanketed the mountain as if it was always meant to be there. Paying no attention to Kyle or their friends, Jenni approached the mountain without fear or trepidation. "There's an opening here!" she called out, spotting it with her eyes, not the tricorder. Vines and dirt had also spread inside, but darkness overtook quickly. Jenni pulled out a small light that she always kept on her and cautiously entered, being careful not to trip on the vegetation.

"All due respect Jenni, but don't you think I should be the one leading the charge. That's what they pay me for and that's what I'm good at."

"Hmm?" Jenni responded, not realizing she'd developed tunnel vision. "Of course," she added, realizing that Kyle should definitely be in front of her.

He moved past her as deftly as he could, his body brushing against hers slightly as he passed. They continued on. "This is definitely not natural, it looks, well I don't know like a Starship, but different. I haven't seen anything like it."

They moved deeper into the cavern. With every step, the crunch of vegetation began slowly give way to metal as the sound of soles on the floor indicated. Jenni's little light did little to penetrate the darkness and illuminate anything but vegetation.

Jenni studied the tricorder. The readings had become clear, as if... whatever this cave was a part of... was counteracting the heavy interference she'd experienced this mission. "Looks like we're coming up on a void," she reported. "I can't tell it's size, but if I'm understanding this right, this path comes up to something like a corridor junction."

The Arboreals following Weaver and Matthews became uneasy near this cavern. It was clear that with this level of unease they knew something, but unlike Shira they were unable to articulate just what that was to these strangers. The Guardian who had made himself known to the strangers commanded his team to set up a perimeter and stay on guard. His team disappeared into the foliage, but he remained with the strangers; he would follow them into the cave.

Whatever lifeforms that had inhabited this ship and a ship it now appeared to be were long dead.That did not prevent Kyle from drawing a weapon though It may have been a useless gesture but it was a comforting one. They got to the juncture and he turned back to her. "Any suggestions about which direction to take?" he asked,"or should I just pick one?"

Jenni looked up from the tricorder, frustrated by its findings. "If I had a coin, we could flip to decide... I don't think it matters."

The strangers seemed to be at an impasse. The Guardian watched the two look down the different corridors splitting from the junction, speaking between each other. Even without being able to understand their words, it was not hard to figure out that they were wondering which way to go. He sighed. He didn't want to be here any longer than necessary, so he pointed down one corridor as he moved, beckoning them to follow. It was best for them to learn what they could that much faster so they could stop desecrating this place with their presence.

"Thank you," Jenni told their escort. Of course she should've assumed that this place had been visited once before. She pointed her light down the corridor, noting almost immediately the absence of greenery. Her boots clanged on the now-completely metal flooring. Jenni shone her light down below to see that the floor was grated, allowing her to see nothing but darkness below.

"What is this?" she muttered, taking another couple steps forward. Jenni's gaze and light turned upwards. "Aahhh!" she gasped. Jenni instantly backpedaled as surprise controlled her, prompting her balance to be lost. Jenni tripped, landing squarely on her butt.

Suddenly, the Guardian was right behind her to help steady her, to keep her from further harm. Once he was certain she was okay, he offered her a hand to assist her.

"Thanks," Jenni muttered, regaining her composure. This time, Jenni carefully approached what surprised her, pointing her light right at the source. She seen familiar faces in textbooks, but never in person. The corpse was motionless and covered in typical black and chrome machinery.

"What the hell," she asked, her voice louder this time, "is the Borg doing here?"

Kyle hated the Borg with a passion. Far too individualistic sometimes for his own good, to quick to question orders and bend the rules. Becoming part of a hive mentality.

Jenni stood there for a minute, scanning the drone looking for any signs of life. Finally, she said, "Let's get out of here."

Once they were back outside, Jenni tapped her combadge. "Matthews to Kerouac. Sir, you're not going to believe this."

Commander Kris Kerouac had just had an interesting encounter of his own, an encounter with an Arboreal Elder. Kris was just about to contact Katana when his communications badge let out a small series of chirps. He tapped it to respond to Lieutenant Matthews. "Go ahead, Lieutenant. We've located Shira and have just had a rather fascinating encounter with the native species. I am about to speak with one of the Elders. She seems to be a leader of her people...what do you have to report?" asked Kerouac.

"Sir," she replied, unsure how exactly best to give her report. Deciding to be succinct, Jenni continued, "We were tracking down whatever was behind these force fields. I don't think we found exactly what they were protecting, but we're definitely sure it wasn't to isolate the natives from the Borg."

Kyle stood beside her waiting for the Captain to reply.

"The Borg!" shouted Commander Kerouac, causing a bunch of colorful bird to shoot out from the foliage around him and fly away, frightened by his strong tone of voice. The Borg he thought grimly. The Borg were like the boogeyman to Kris. He had never encountered them himself, at least not active ones. He had been involved in Starfleet Academy simulations that featured them. When he was aboard the USS Denmark, the starship had come across a Borg Sphere that had taken a beating. It had no interest in the Denmark, leaving the starship alone.

"Status on the Borg and their vessel?" asked Kris anxiously.

^=^Sir, I think the Borg are pretty much long gone, but we should probably check things out for more. If Jenni, I mean the Lieutenant agrees.

"I do," Jenni replied quickly. "The Borg vessel has been here a long time, swallowed by the forest. But it's definitely not what the force fields were blocking. We'd like to keep looking around if it's possible."

"I'll try to ask some questions to this Elder" said Kris. "If Lieutenant Weaver deems the situation safe, proceed. However, I would prefer if your asses did not get assimilated. Any signs of trouble, get back to Katana. I do not plan on being down here much longer so make use of your time."

Kyle turned to Jenni, "I think we're safe enough. If anything was going to wake up it would have done so by now. But, if I say go, we go. Right then and there. No questions asked, no argument. Promise me?"

"Fair enough," she quipped. "We'll keep our eyes peeled and we'll see you back on the Katanna."

"Let's go see if we can find something interesting."

Their Guardian companion accompanies them back inside the ship, leading them through the various corridors of the fragmented Borg vessel. The Arboreal may not have known what any of the technology was for, but he still knew his way around the labyrinthian passageways. He knew where it was safe to step and where they ought not tread. he didn't really want to be here anymore than the two humans, but he had promised to keep his charges safe, and safe he would keep them.


A bit of a musty smell hung in the air as they advanced, but Kyle pushed that out of his mind focusing on trying to keep up with all the different twists and turns, just in case. When they had finally arrived at their destination and were looking around, he thought he heard a low hum. Not believing his own ears he turned to Jenni. "Do you see that, or am I crazy?" he said pointing.

Jenni's tricorder had been running the whole time, merely to collect as much information as possible. Hopefully she'd have time to review it with some help back on the Katana when this was all over. Putting that aside for now, she looked in the direction Kyle pointed. They'd gone deep inside the downed vessel and had to be near the heart of it, if the soft green glow was now any indication. As they drew closer to it, Jenni said, "This ship's been here for years. You saw how that drone had decayed. I can't believe part of this ship is still alive."

Referencing her tricorder, she was noting some rising energy levels. She mused that the Borg didn't have the energy and resources to rebuild itself, but had enough to sustain what life it had left.

They finally arrived at the source of the hum and light, a central unit flanked by two Borg alcoves, each one holding a decaying drone. The unit featured displays flickering with Borg text. Jenni took a thorough look at it before scanning with her tricorder. What she saw didn't surprise her. "It's a distress beacon," she reported. "Broadcasting on low-level EM bands and a few other frequencies."

Kyle furrowed his brow. "With their shielding or cloak down, does that have enough power to get through to the Borg hive or mother ship, or whatever they call it?" he was already pulling his phaser out to destroy the transmitter.

"I don't think they have mother ships," Jenni remarked, closing her tricorder and approaching the transmitter. Both her tricorder and her mind were on equal playing fields at the moment; neither one knew how Borg transmitters worked. Jenni poked around the unit, being careful not to scratch herself on the aging alloys protruding from the unit.

As she examined the device, she added, "Regardless of how powerful it is, the Borg could pass through this system again at some point. If they're looking for technology, they'll detect this." She looked over it a bit more, accidentally scratching herself as she finally pulled herself away from it. "We'll have to hit it here," she indicated a power feed, "and here," a backup power supply. "With no drones to help regenerate it, it will die."

Kyle took a couple of step backwards and fired at both areas she had indicated. Once he was sure that the devices had been destroyed. He began looking for anything else useful dangerous.

Jenni pulled out her tricorder to confirm that the transmitter was indeed nonfunctional. "I'm getting nothing," she said as she waved the device around the room. "Power signatures, energy frequencies, all gone. This Borg ship is officially dead." She closed the tricorder and declared, "Let's get out of here."


"I'm with you Jenni. Last chance to take any souvenirs." Kyle with more than a little help from their Guardian companion led them out of the dead Borg ship and into the sunlight.

Commander Kristopher Kerouac, having returned to the Katana after his meeting with the Elder, immediately proceeded off the transporter pad and over to the console. He did not bother to wait and see what was going on aboard the starship. The communications systems were back to operating as intended. Opening a channel to the Away Team still on the planet, Kris cleared his throat.

"Katana to Lieutenants Matthews and Weaver. What is the present situation down there?" he asked with some concern. Be the Borg drones dormant or not... the safety of the crew is top priority he reminded himself as he anxiously waited for a response.

Their Guardian guide looked around, surprised and confused about hearing the voice that came from nowhere, but otherwise didn't react in any negative way. He did look around for the source of the sound, but it was more out of curiosity than anything else.

Good timing, Jenni thought as they exited the Borg vessel. "Captain, we investigated the Borg wreckage a bit further and found an active comm buoy. We made sure it didn't stay that way long."

"Excellent, Lieutenant. I just returned to the ship after my meeting with the Elder. I want you and Weaver to return to Katana as soon as you are done on the planet" said Kris evenly.

"Understood," Jenni replied, looking to Kyle. "Matthews out." Discovering the Borg ship was on accident, a happy accident as it turned out. But it was not why they ventured this deep into the forest. "What do you say, Lieutenant? Should we keep on or call it a day?"

"Let's call it a day. I think we're done here," Kyle responded.

^=^Katanatwo to beam up he said as he tapped his com badge.

Sabrina was gone, the dishes done and put away, everything else put in the recycler or neatly stowed away. Noah was sitting having helped with the clean up was now sitting at his desk looking through some PAdDs.

Kyle finished the water he had been drinking and approached his husband. "Can you put those things down for a minute?" he signed,"this has got to stop."

Noah looked up from the abruptness, he had removed his hearing aids after he finished helping with clean up. He didn't typically keep the devices in when it was just he and Kyle. He set the PaDD down, calmly, gently. He lifted his own hands and began to sign. "Stop what?" he eyes drifted down to the PaDD then back up at Kyle. "Looking at a PaDD?"

Kyle shook his head."it seems like all you do these days is look at damned PAdDs, but that's not what I'm talking about, he signed, "I mean the walls that you're putting up. The distance you're keeping. What did I do?'

So Kyle wanted to play it like that. Okay, that was fine. "These PaDDs happen to be work related," he signed. "I am sorry if my job is inconveniencing you." He shook his head and then stood, he almost walked away from the other man but he stopped and stared. There was no anger, no hatred, his features were impassive. He wasn't even annoyed or frustrated simply because he knew this day was coming. "What did you?" he chuckled, it was a wry chuckle. "You really don't know do you?" For the moment he toyed with not saying but that was no way to finish this up. "Because you just don't stop, you just go off half-cocked with total disregard to what I think or feel," he said, this time not signing. "Do you know how it feels to having what you do hanging over my head. You brush off my concerns all the time," he said, his voice rising slightly. He let go of a calming breath and raised his hands to placate. "Look, the point is, it is getting to be too much and it is getting frustrated," he signed. "Do you know what it is like to constantly hear rumors about you? There are constant rumors, about you and I don't even know if you realize it. Just like there are constant things about your father." He finally moved away from his desk and moved to one of the large viewports, he stood there, crossing his arms over his chest. He then said, "there were rumors even on our trip to Katana about you. People must think I am dumb or because I am deaf I can't hear them talk, but I can, I know what they are saying." He swung his head and looked over his shoulder at the other man. "I am not naive ya know."

Kyle stood there in stunned silence for several long, ponderous seconds. Noah's words were like a slap in the face and being kneed in the groin at the same time, only about ten times worse than that. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. "No... Noah I swear to you I've never been unfaithful to you. I .. i could never do that to you, to us. I can't help if people talk, I can't control them, I wish I could."

He stopped signing and walked over to where Noah was standing, "You know me Noah, better than I know myself. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or didn't take your concerns seriously, but I can change. But do you honestly think I am capable of cheating on you?"

"Of course not," Noah signed. He turned and faced the other man. "But it's how you handle it..." he shook his head. "Maybe it's me, maybe I just can't let things like this roll off my back so easily. I keep asking myself why, why you are the target, why am I the target? What is there to gain from any of it? The problem is there is no answer and you can't give me one. I feel like I am constantly putting out fires for you, picking up the mess you leave behind. I have enough to deal with myself, it's constant adversity on my end, I battle it almost every day and now there is so much more at stake. I have a lot to prove here, the captain is putting a great deal of faith in me. I don't want the rumors the messes that have been created to mar me. I don't think that is too much to ask, do you?" Tears stung his eyes, he blinked trying to hold them back but they still came. They finally came.


Kyle was unable to hold back his own tears, seeing Noah hurt like that, knowing he was the cause of the pain was more than he could bare. He wanted to hold him, to make it better, to wipe out the past, but he knew that wasn't possible.

"Do, do you want me to leave?" he asked letting the question hang in the air.

Noah had flinched in surprise at the question, it wasn't something he had thought about... at least at that moment it hadn't been. A moment of thinking seemed like a lifetime and he found himself nodding. The fact he did surprised him, but it was a firm decision.

Kyle had asked the question out of frustration; as much from his own failures as from Noah's reaction. To see Noah, the man that he loved more than anyone one he had ever known was shocking and a crushing blow. he slowly almost imperceptibly nodded. The tears were now flowing freely down his face.

He forced his arms up and signed, "I'll pack some things." He moved towards their bedroom, well Noah's bedroom now and had gotten about half way there when it suddenly came to him who was responsible for the rumors at least the majority of them.

"God damn it!" he shouted, then turned back around to face his former lover. "Noah, "he signed knowing that he was probably about to make the disastrous situation worse than it already was. "I think I know who's spreading the rumors and I think I know why."

At this point Noah wasn't sure if he cared or if he even wanted to know. But, out of fairness Kyle should have gotten the chance to explain himself. "Alright," he signed.

"You're probably going to hate me more because of it. Especially if I'm right. But you know my fathers are both interfering bastards. If they thought you were holding my career back I wouldn't put it past them to have stir things up so you'd do what you just did."

Kyle had been right about one thing, Kyle's fathers were interfering bastards. He shook his head though at the rest. "How in the world could I hold your career back if you went off on assignments and I stayed on Earth to complete my degrees," he signed. "You are the one who got yourself demoted, not me. Besides, we have known each for 14 years, I think they would have tried to pull us apart a long time ago." He paused as he thought back, there were no signs of such ill-will or malice and his fathers were pretty vocal people. If they wanted he and Kyle separated they just would have said something or Patrick Weaver would have had some hit put out on him using his Section 31 cronies. "You almost didn't even get into the Academy, we have been apart more then together." He just wasn't buying it at this point, it was easy to blame two people who were on the other side of the galaxy at this point.

"Noah, maybe I'm grasping at straws here. because I just don't know where the rumors are coming from." He used his sleeve to wipe the tears. "Adam Norcross was where things started. He made a pass at me and I turned him down. He didn't like to hear no, so he told everyone that I pursued him. That's why I decked him. He wouldn't shut up.

He took the other man by the shoulder. "Noah I love you. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I don't want to lose you. If you give me a second chance I promise not to blow it. But if you really want me to leave then I'll pack my things and leave. But it won't mean I'm giving up on us. It won'dtmean I'm going to stop loving you."

Noah shrugged off the hand that was on his shoulder and took a step back. This was more than just some stupid rumor Adam Norcross started. "Just leave Kyle," he signed.

Kyle let out a sigh, but he was out of arguments. He went back and packed some things into a bag. When he was done he walked back out into the living area. He slipped his wedding band off his finger and held it out to Noah, "Do you want to keep this," he signed.

Why in the world would he take the ring? Why was Kyle even giving it back? He didn't ask for a divorce. Was it implied? No, it couldn't have been implied. "No, I don't want your ring," he signed. He shook his head, somehow, someway this got out of hand. This was a path that he had no intention of going down, but Kyle had pushed him onto it. "You know you pushed me into this argument, I am perfectly content taking out my aggressions out on a boxing bag in the gym," he signed and then for emphasis he pointed to the door that would ultimately lead to the gym. He began to pace, he signed as he did so. "There are things that you do, things that you partake in that drive me up the wall. You couldn't just be happy being intelligence. No. You had to take it a step further and become an infiltration specialist. You have a father who never shuts up about Section 31..." He didn't know where else to go with that, he knew Kyle would get the point. He stopped, turned back to face Kyle and threw up his arms in exasperation and then let them fall to his side. He then spoke, "That boxing bag is my outlet, it's how I get through when I hear another rumor, when you are called away on covert operations or when your father decides to have conversations with me I punch the damn bag. It saves me... us... from having fights like this."

Kyle put the ring back on his finger. "My father is an arrogant ass. You'll get no argument from me there and dad is no better just going along with everything to keep the peace. I know what I do is dangerous. I get that, but do I..." he took a deep breath. "Look, I am going to leave now because I 'm afraid if I stay longer this is going to get out of control and we'll say something we'll both regret. Do you know how long you want me to be gone?"

Noah was hoping by him opening up, the conversation would have changed course, but it didn't and so he just let it go. "I'll let you know," he signed now.

Kyle turned to leave then and had made it all the way to the door when he stopped. He let out a small breath and turned back around, "Noah, I'm sorry. I mean really sorry. I love you. I just haven't been showing it much lately. If you want to talk about this. I mean really talk about this, then I guess I'm ready to listen."

Noah's brows furrowed and shook his head. "You guess?" this time he said. "You guess?" He huffed out and brushed it off with the flick of his hand. It wasn't worth it, it really wasn't. There was still a part of that wanted Kyle out, to be gone but that wasn't enough to actually just do it. "I don't want you to go."

"Noah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he said a hint of desperation in his voice. "I don't guess. I know. We've been together half our lives. I want to be together the rest of our lives. Whatever I have to do to keep you, I will. I don't want to go either."

That just seemed desperate and a tad on the pathetic side but he could see it in Kyle's eyes how sincere he was. "Then let's talk," Noah signed. With hesitation, he reached out his hand and took a hold of Kyle's. "Let's talk."

Kyle accepted the hand and walked with Noah back to the sofa. "Let's start with something I can change. My attitude. I don't mean to blow you off or take your concerns lightly, but I'm not going to be perfect and there are going to be somethings I can't tell you." he signed.

"You know I already know that," Noah signed back. "Plus, I don't want to know everything." Which was the truth, he didn't need to know all the nitty gritty details, he certainly didn't show every aspect of his job. "But yeah, the attitude would be a good place to start." He dropped his hands into his lap and just stared at the other man for a moment.

"Im sorry. It started off trying to protect you from things I couldn't say, but then... then it became condescending like my job was better, more important than yours, just because it was more dangerous. I don't know why that happened." He signed leaning back on the sofa maintaining a safe distance from his husband.

"That's easy," Noah signed. "Because you are a product of your father." He shook his head though. "I never felt like you were condescending, but the problem was you didn't take any of my concerns seriously." He paused. "Want to know why I am always buried in work? It isn't because I am a workaholic or that I want to be the best... no... it's because that is truly all I had. At the time anyway. It's because it's second nature to me, just like punching a boxing bag is. It just seemed like all you did was take your job seriously, nothing else."

Kyle stopped signing and put his hand on his husband's face caressing his cheek. Looking into his eyes he said, "No wonder you put up walls. I started taking you for granted. Noah, I am so sorry."

Noah reached up and took a hold of Kyle's hand and brought it to his lips and laid of a soft kiss on the knuckle. It was his way of accepting the apology. He pushed himself up from the couch, still holding Kyle's hand, the other man stood with him. He led Kyle by hand to their bedroom. It was time to makeup.