K'tarr was sick of request to change quarters. It was a regular occurrence of course, but some of the reasons were just ridiculous. "Break!" She called out to another enlisted officer. Cindy was happy to oblidge and brought over 2 cups of coffee, well one raktajino for K'tarr and a coffee for herself.

Cindy pulled up a chair and grinned. "Ok, so what's the skinny?"

K'tarr grinned in return. She had plenty of gossip, always. They spent a few minutes chirping about who was sneaking into who's quarters, and who had bunked in the gym or other suck places, but there was only so much of that gossip.

"Met anybody new?" Cindy moved on to her other favorite line of questioning, men!

K'tarr just smirked. "Met, no. Shagged, yes." The 1/4 Klingon had grown up in London, and refused to change her idioms or sayings.

"Ohhh.Well spill!" Cindy demanded.

"Well, let's just say the XO is fantastic in bed."

Seras stopped cold in her tracks when she heard someone talking about Stace. She was just outside the quartermaster's office, on her way to visit K'tarr to go over an inventory report when she heard the giggling, then hearing 'the XO is fantastic in bed' had piqued Seras' curiosity. Seras tried not to eavesdrop, she knew other races didn't appreciate it, but her curiosity was winning out. Also, there was a tightness in her chest and for a moment she had trouble catching her breath. Why did she care who Stace had sex with? It wasn't like there was anything going on between them other than sharing a bed for sleep. And yet, somehow it still bothered her. She remained just outside the office to see if her quartermaster would say more.

Cindy sighed. "You lucky bitch, those eyes. Usually guys that good looking are just wham bam thank you ma'am."

K'Tarr chuckled. "What's wrong with wham bam thank you ma'am when the wham and bam are ohhhh so good. It was just sex Cindy, really good sex, but that's it."

Cindy stuck out her tongue. It wasn't nearly as juicy gossip if romance wasn't involved, as far as Cindy was concerned.

It felt like a weight had been taken off Seras' chest; well, at least it wasn't romantic, just physical... Why was that such a relief? Seras blinked as she considered what to do; should she keep listening or finally enter the room? No, she shouldn't keep listening, even she knew that she was overstepping her boundaries terribly by now, but she couldn't move from where she was standing!

There was a brief pause in the conversation, but then Cindy squeeled, an understated little squeek she was obviously trying to keep quiet. "Oh, there is something! I almost fell for that poker face. Telllll meeeee." Cindy drawled out the last two years like a pleading toddler.

"Ok, ok, hush before somebody hears your mouse noises." K'Tarr leaned in, so the rest was quieter, but still carried as far as Seras, if one was listening. "He called out somebody else's name, you know, at the end."

Cindy's eyes widened. "Oh my god, and you didn't hurt him?"

K'Tarr snorted. "Like I said, just sex. I think he has a thing for our boss though..."

Oh my! Oh my oh my oh my! With that, Seras took off running back to her own office where she quickly dropped her PaDDs and ducked into the head to splash some water on her face. She stood there for a moment staring at her reflection over the sink. Stace called out her name?! This was good, right? Oh no, this was bad, very very bad! She wanted it to be good, but they couldn't even touch, if he wanted her, and if she wanted him... did she want him? Maybe? She knew she felt safe with him and she knew that it upset her to think of him romantically involved with anyone else. But they couldn't touch, what could ever happen between them?! Seras doused her face one more time then dried off. Once she was again calm and presentable, she retrieved her PaDDs and returned to the Quartermaster's office, knocking on the open doorway to announce herself.

The two gossipers separated as if they'd been caught red handed, which they had, but K'Tarr didn't think anything had been overheard. "Hello ma'am." She nodded. "How can I help you?"

"It's, uh.. I just needed to go over a couple of these inventory reports," Seras said, trying hard not to appear nervous in front of her subbordinate. She shuffled through her PaDD's; keeping busy should conceal her nerves. "There's a discrepancy in one of the reports from engineering, we need to double check the number of spare EPS regulators and plasma manifolds in stock. Also, the mess hall wants to see if we have room in the cargo bay to take on extra fresh produce. Apparently they want to start serving more fresh foods. I was fairly certain we had the space, but I'm also still settling in and getting used to the ship, and since you've been here longer I figured you would know better than I what kind of space we had..." she rambled.

"Of course." And K'tarr prepared to get back to work.

Seras sat down with the K'tarr and went over the reports, then they took a lap around the cargo bay to double check their stock, but all the while in the back of her mind, Seras kept thinking about Stace, some part of her wondering if he was thinking of her too...



PO1 K'tarr (apb Brooks)
Quartermaster

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations

Just a few hours thought Kris as he sat slumped over on the floor of his quarters, his back supported by the sofa in his living area. A bottle of whiskey sitting untouched on the coffee table. As much as he had wanted to drown his sorrows with the burning sensation of the alcohol, he had battled and fended off his inner most demons, pushing his greatest vice away.

Still, he wished he could burn the pain away with the liquor. It hit him hard and hit him fast, but he knew he would not be alone and more so than ever he needed to have friends with him. He could not keep this to himself and soon enough the starship would be rocked with the scuttlebutt and eventually the cold hard reality of facts.

He had ended the transmission with Starfleet Command abruptly, essentially giving them the 24th century equivalent of slamming the phone down on the receiver. He had no words. His throat was dry and felt as though the walls of his esophagus were closing in on him. He had managed to call for Merith and Jhu before totally collapsing onto the floor and falling to pieces.

It wasn't the first time that Kris had paged Jhu out of the blue, but the note of distress in his voice worried her. Normally she might have tried to meet Merith before answering the call, but she didn't think taking the extra time was wise. Remembering the last time she'd responded to a distressed page from Kris's cabin, she grabbed her phaser on her way out the door. No matter how much time passed, she couldn't forget having walked in and found Kris lying motionless on the deck.

When she arrived, she tapped in the security override code that was still left in her name despite Nathan taking over the department now. The door slid open and for a moment, Jhu thought her heart had stopped. There he was again, on the deck. She was already on the floor next to him before she realized he wasn't bleeding and was, in fact, quite alive. "You scared the hell out of me!" Prodding his arm, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief before taking a closer look at him. "Tell me you're okay so I can smack you."

Kris looked up at Jhu, a trail of tears trickling down from the corner of his eyes. "I'm fine" he said simply, but though he was physically fine, he was most certainly not emotionally. "Where's Merith?" he asked, looking to see if she was in his quarters yet.

"Don't know. Didn't wait for her." Once the pregnancy had started wreaking havoc on what little emotional control she had, Jhu had started stashing packs of tissues in her uniform pockets. Digging one out, she offered it to Kris. "No crying in Starfleet. Smile, buttercup."

Merith came along a few minutes later. It took her a while to pull herself away from Cadence in Sickbay, but the desperation in Kris' tone demanded that she come see him, and so she did. When she happened upon his quarters, the door was already opened and she saw Jhu sharing a tissue with Kris. Her eyes widened when she saw the bottle of whiskey on the table, knowing that the situation must be dire for Kris to be tempting himself with his old comforts.

"Kris, what's going on?" she asked softly as she entered his quarters.

As soon as Kris heard Merith's voice he called out for her. The Captain reached up and grabbed both women by their wrists and gave them a gentle pull to join him on the floor where he looked at them, fumbling with what to say. "There's crying in Starfleet" he said to Jhu "On days like this" he added.

He looked at Merith and then at Jhu. "I'm sorry" he said to them both with complete sincerity. "Command just contacted me. A vessel passing was witness" he added shaking his head and taking very uneasy breaths.

"The USS Whisperer" he said softly as if he couldn't believe he was even saying it. "Nothing but debris....Camelot is to investigate, search for survivors and recover bodies" said Kris looking at Jhu with a paleness.

Kris' throat tightened as he tried to say it but he managed to force it out. "Krull's last transmission to command...he was going down with his ship."

Stunned, Jhu stared at him for a minute. She couldn't imagine the cranky Cardassian bastard dying and yet... going down with his ship was exactly how he'd go. "I don't... how?" It wasn't often that words failed Jhu entirely, but she couldn't quite put this feeling into words. Krull had been one of her first real friends in the fleet.

Kris looked at her with a look of blankness. "I..We do not know for certain. The Whisperer was fresh out of dry dock. Command is looking into a design flaw, but the Corps of Engineers is standing their ground that nothing will be found" offered Kerouac.

"Captain Larkon was in contact with Starfleet Command a few minutes leading up to the explosion. He ordered a full evacuation of the starship, but opted to remain behind in an attempt to save the ship. His latest report indicated that he was in Main Engineering where he found a device which he believed was an explosive device" explained Kris. "Due to that report, Starfleet Intelligence is working with the belief that this was no accident."

All Merith could do was sag into the sofa with a dull expression. Though their time together on the Pandora had been relatively short, she had become quite fond of the Cardassian and she valued his opinions, and she hadn't been able to find anyone worthy of replacing him as her XO once he'd moved on to bigger and better things. None could emulate the caliber of man that was Krull Larkon, and it left her feeling numb that she would no longer be able to seek him out for guidance.

"I... I can't-" Merith started, her eyes tracking in an attempt to find the words that simply would not come; it felt like she had something stuck in her throat, she could barely breathe. How could this happen?!

Kris placed a hand on Merith's lap. "I can't either" he said giving her lap a gentle squeeze. "If there was an explosive device planted aboard the Whisperer. I can't help but ponder if Ms. Alara was the reason for it...that the destruction of the Whisperer is related to the assassination attempts made on Ms. Alara's life."

"Kris... you do realize what that means, right?" It was obvious to Jhu that the Camelot was now at risk. And while she couldn't believe that Krull was really dead, she couldn't help wondering if maybe sitting around crying about it was the wrong thing to do.

The Captain looked at Jhu and nodded. "Whoever is behind this will soon realize or has already realized that the Whisperer and Camelot made a switch...that Alara is alive and well on her way to Sigma Itoia. Camelot and our away team on the planet will likely be targeted."

It took a moment for their words to really sink in, and when they did Merith rose from the couch. "I can't deal with this right now," she said quietly, making an attempt to leave. Weeks of fatigue were catching up with her on top of the stresses of dealing with Cadence's premature arrival, this problem was simple one problem too many for Merith to cope with right now. No doubt Kris would recognize the glazed over look in her eyes as she tried to shut off her emotions so she could focus on Cadence, but she didn't care, she had to prioritize and this moment Cadence was her priority.

Kris looked at Merith and nodded. "I called you two here because you are the only two aboard who directly served with Larkon. I thought it best that you were both informed before the rest of the crew. Merith, don't worry about anything else...I need you to focus on Cadence right now" said Kris, encouraging her to leave.

Merith nodded. "Give them hell," she said softly, then walked away; Merith was not a violent person, but if there was anyone who deserved to suffer in her book, then it was the people who planted that bomb and killed Krull.

He then looked at Jhu "You and I will see to it that whoever is behind this pays for it" added Kris in a deep and very determined tone.

Jhu shook her head slightly, a glimmer of worry was evident across her face. The last time she'd made sure a guilty party paid for what they did, it had been Krull who had gotten her out of trouble. Now he wasn't here to defend her actions to Starfleet Command, and the idea of facing them on her own was daunting. "I don't think I can..."

Kris was caught off guard and seriously taken aback by Jhu's response. This was the woman who squeezed a man to death, an Intelligence officer with a background in covert missions and security experience. More importantly, an ex operative to the Federation's dark shadow of an organization.

Because its Krull or because she's pregnant? Kris questioned privately and internally. "I have read your personal file several times since you boarded the Katana and you've now served under me twice" said Kris.

Kris cleared his throat. "Excuse me" he said as he reached for a PaDD and pulled up some information. "Let me read off some names for you...Krull Larkon, McKenzie Walker, and Aurore Ramsden" said Kris as he looked up from the PaDD and then into Jhu's eyes. "One more name for you. Mata Hari" he said in almost a hush whisper. "I know who Krull Larkon is, but most of that man's service record is neatly sealed and beyond even a Captain's security clearance. Walker and Ramsden I have never heard of, and you've mentioned serving aboard a USS Mata Hari....I want to know more"

It was Jhu's turn to be caught off guard, and she stared at him with a slightly bewildered expression. "How do you know those names?"

"I'm a caviler Captain, a resourceful kind of guy, and I don't take kindly to security blockades and red tape. Before we came to this...'Theta Universe' for lack of a better name, I did some digging. I did not find much of course. My digging, however, had uprooted something and I was contacted by two women whom I suspect are friends of yours. They convinced me my quest for answers was not worth my career or my life" said Kris.

He looked at Jhu and cocked his head slightly. "I have a number in my head one to a hundred...got any idea what number I am thinking of, Commander?"

"I don't play guessing games," Jhu growled at him. She'd thought that part of her life was over and gone, and here he was digging it up again.

"31" said Kris flatly. He looked at her slightly disturbed. "I am not here to throw your past at you, Commander. If you can't deal with this situation and be directly involved in this whole things...fine. But I need your help if I am going to pursue this further even if it is just picking your brain. If all these coups, political struggles, assassinations, and mysterious deaths are all linked...I need to know. Could they be behind all of this?"

Jhu shook her head. "Not here. They're a handful of nerds in a closet somewhere on Earth. And as far as... dealing with whoever did this. I'm almost nine months pregnant. I try to murder someone and I'll end up hurting myself," she said dryly. "And frankly I can't deal with Starfleet Command trying to nail me to a cross over it. They've been waiting for a reason to do that."

Kris gave her a small hug. "Well, at least I can cross out Section 31 from my list" he said dryly. "As my Chief Intelligence Officer and as Larkon's friend, can you help the investigation here aboard the Camelot. Read the security reports from some of these incidents, find me something...a pattern or anything that will help me clarify there's a link to all of this?"

"Yeah, I can do that. And I could probably shoot the guy, if I didn't think I'd be sick afterward. Or pass out." Jhu wrinkled her nose a bit, the talk of killing people not her favorite subject now that she was pregnant.

Kris smiled just slightly. "Thank you" he said simply. "Can you tell me more about Krull Larkon. Who he was...the man and the myth. Given your shared past and from what Merith has shared with me, I gather he was once Intelligence as well?"

"He was my friend. A cranky, catankerous old Cardassian bastard with ties to the Obsidian Order, but despite all that he could have been my brother." Jhu sighed, shifting so that the frame of the couch supported her back. "He infiltrated Section 31 back home. Never told me what the full mission was, other than exposing them for the assholes they are."

"An interesting man" replied Kris, making note of Larkon's ties to the Obsidian Order, Section 31, and Starfleet Intelligence. "If we were back home, I'd say there would be a long list of suspects, but given where we are and the situation that we are in...it is possible Larkon was just at the wrong place at the wrong time" commented Kris.

"Jhu, thank you for telling me more about him. I never knew the depth of what Krull had gone through" added Kris.

"He was captain of the Mata Hari when I was first posted there... McKenzie Walker replaced him when he finished his infiltration mission and moved on." Jhu paused, having to think about Aurore Ramsden. She knew they'd served together, but she didn't remember much about the woman. "It was Walker I saved when that Benzite boy sacrificed himself for me."

"Interesting" replied Kris. "I see Larkon has had a rather extensive career with Command as well" stated Kris as he looked through the PaDD once more. "Adding the Mata Hari to a list already comprising of the Venture and Whisperer in addition to serving as First Officer on a few starships like the Pandora and Ticonderoga" added Kerouac.

Kris stood up and handed the unopened bottle of whiskey to Jhu. "Take this and give it to Nathan. I don't want to temptation here" he said firmly. "I destroyed enough of my life with that poison already."

"He'll probably save it for after Kristina is born." Taking the bottle, Jhu started to get up, only to fall right back down onto her butt. "Oof. I might need a little help."

Kris extended his arm to give her a hand, assisting her in getting back to her feet. "There was once a time when I thought nothing could stop you. No enemy to great nor opponent too small or quick, and then I saw you meet your match....motherhood" added Kris with a smirk.

"She's knocked me over three times this week. I think I'm going to have to give up sitting on the floor until the little bugger is born." Jhu sighed theatrically then snickered a bit as she let Kris help pull her to her feet.

The Captain helped Jhu to the doorway and the two parted ways. Kris knew he had a lot of work ahead of him.

Nathan ran his hands down his new uniform. He had never worn red before but he felt he look rather good in it. He had been welcomed back from the dead with open arms from Starfleet, as long as he kept his mouth shut about what had happened to him. The only exception to this was the people who had rescued him, and the ships councillor.

Weekly appointments were required for him to keep his uniform and the new position the Captain had given to him. He was not about to let this order slip in the least. So it was that he found himself standing in front of Doctor Quinzel's door a full 5 minutes before his scheduled appointment. He reached out and hit the door chime.

Quintina had been expecting him and had already set out some snacks and drinks that she had hoped he'd enjoy on the main coffee table. Hene she was up and straightening already straight items when the door chime rang. Putting on her least condescending smile, she hit the door controls, greeting her guest at the door. "Hello. Commander Nathan Tonkin, I presume. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable." she greeted him and motioned for him to come inside, standing off to the side as he did so.

"Have you been told that I'm not a normal counselor?" She asked inquisitively.

Nathan stepped inside and turned to the councilor, "You have been assigned to Kerouac, I would expect nothing less. Have you been told I am not a normal patient?"

Quintina chuckled softly. "I've looked over your records. The death certificate was rather obvious. As such, you are a very special case that I intend to take a personal interest in." Motioning to the snacks and drinks. "I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries by preparing some delicious distractions for us as we talk. It helps put some people at ease and frankly, I've forgotten to eat again."

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "Not at all councilor." He moved over and took a seat on the couch. "You will find that there is not much need to distract me for what we are doing here. I am one of the few in Starfleet that don't mind talking the a councilor. So dig deep, I intended to be a stellar patient."

"Excellent. Then please, let's sit down and begin." Sitting in one of the comfy chairs that she frequently sat in, she picked up one of the mugs of cider and sipped at it before actually beginning. "So... How are the Telosians doing?" she asked with a loaded look.

"I believe they like being called Talosians." Nathan said emphasizing the first A. "They seem to be doing well but are worried about the state of the known universe. They have no allies and with threats like the Borg out there they are looking to join the Federation." He said bluntly. "They have been keeping tabs on us since Kirk visited. At that time they felt confident in their isolation, but with our two visits and bringing the Klingons there..." Nathan trailed off and picked up the other mug.

"Stuffy headed demi-mortals like them need a bit of excitement now and then. That's what drives evolution, you know. Facing the unknown and adapting to it. Something that humans excel at, I might add." Quintina was satisfied enough with the answer, munching on some Kraltokian pastry bites that resembled Earth donut holes with a tart fruit filling. "So did they treat you ok during your stay? Is there anything that you had trouble with?"

"I was held against my will. I have a major problem with that." Nathan said, then took a sip from his mug. "To be honest though, that was the worst part of it. Compared to my other times as a prisoner this was almost a vacation. Had I not been worried sick about missing the birth of my daughter I might have enjoyed the stay." He was being very honest about this point. "And I broke my prosthetic arm, that was an issue."

"I can imagine. Lack of freedom on several levels can wear on a person. I'm surprised you didn't put in for a planetside assignment or just take permanent shore leave." Quintina spoke meaningfully right before stuffing a feathery lettuce and meat paste bite sized baked good into her mouth.

"I don't want to be away from Jhu and out baby any longer than I already have. I am luck I was not placed on admin leave to be honest." Nathan said settling back into his seat with his mug of cider. "Not to mention that we will be getting married soon and I asked Kris to perform the ceremony."

"I can't blame you there. If I had spent all that time away from my loved ones, I'd want to get back to them as soon as possible. When is the ceremony?" she asked just before poking a chocolate ganache filled, fudge dipped, cocoa pastry into her mouth. "Mmm... Oh yeah... You can't get anything like this in the continuum..." she murmured as she ate the delicacy and sat back in her chair to savor the taste.

"The continuum?" Nathan asked with a curious look on his face.

"The Q continuum," Quintina remarked idly as if that explained it all, still savoring that lingering flavor. "I was a member until they kicked me out and made me human. Well... A human with two hearts. To match my over-burgeoning compassion, they said."

Nathan just sat there in amazement for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know why I'm shocked." He said into his mug before a sip.

"Because somehow, you've found the right reality and the right combination of events to meet a being that was once one of the most perfect and powerful beings in the universe but is now a simple mortal human. Those are pretty long odds and we'll be spending an hour together every week for the foreseeable future." Quintina was guessing now, but she felt pretty certain in her choice of words. "To top it all off, I'll be judging your mental health the whole time because it's my job."

"I am confident that I am sane. Maybe slightly twisted at this point, but no worse than thinking a former Q would make a good ships councilor." Nathan said with a grin and a raise of his mug. "Here's to the odd balls of the universe."

"May we never lose our charm," Quintina replied, matching his toast and taking a sip of her cider. "So... Overall, you do seem quite well off mentally. I'd like to further explore a few feelings with you later, but I've noticed a trend of being able to cope with shit thrown at you among your friends that came here from the other universe and you seem to be mirroring that ability very well. Do you have any questions for me? Or anything you'd like to say?"

"What is your goal for our meetings?" Nathan asked Quintina.

"Officially, to maintain your sanity and fitness for duty and to make sure you're not under the influence of those Talosians. Unofficially, I'd like to get to know you. Your experiences that I've heard of are like a fine wine to me and I'd love to spend days just listening to you talk." Quintina explained as she smiled softly.

"Boy do I have some story's for you." Nathan said to Quintina with a grin.

The PaDD Kris had given him had taken a couple of readings for Stace to process. After the first he'd snickered and felt like he'd been pulled into a modern day James Bond flick, but the second reading sobered him, as he realized the very real dynamics and potential consequences. He'd need to sleep on it, and come to a decision on who he would bring, then let the Captain know. He best not sleep alone before such an important mission, and he was tempted to just go to Atom's. He liked the man immensely, and he was an excellent sleeping companion, but Stace needed more than warm fur and friendship.

When he checked the time he realized it was nearly 1am. Too late to wake the man up anyway. He knew what he wanted, which was Seras, but he also knew he wasn't going to get that, not in the way his body was clearly demanding if his recent experiences were any indication. But he also knew what he needed, and that was some sleep. He made his way to her quarters, and quietly into her bedroom. He wouldn't be so brash as to get into bed with her, but he curled up beside her bed on the floor, and it was close enough.

Seras didn't wake when Stace slipped into her quarters, though she probably would have if he had climbed into bed with her. Not that she would have minded, she and Stace slept next to each other often enough now that she missed his presence on the nights he wasn't there. Granted, she would have been startled to wake to some unidentified person in her bed, so he was right not to risk waking her, but even then she would have forgiven him for the scare once she learned it was him, and then she would be grateful to have him near, so maybe he should have taken the risk? Well, either way, he had made his choice and Seras remained unaware of his presence as she slept.

Whether stress about the upcoming mission, or his own confusing situation with Seras, Stace was saddled with a nightmare once he hit REM sleep. They were usually few and far between, but he'd never quite conquered them completely. This time his was running, not sure if from something or towards something, or perhaps a little of each. Vague faces coalesced into remembered pack mates, all long since killed, each death taking a little piece of himself with them. He whined in his sleep, stirring fitfully on the floor.

Seras stirred slightly, but it wasn't until he uttered a particularly frightened whine that she finally woke. What the... She raised her head off her pillow, looking around warily, then she spotted him on the floor. What was he doing on the floor, she'd told him once before that there was more than enough space on the bed for them to share! It took a moment longer to realize the sense of his distress, that he was whimpering in his sleep. Oh no, what to do! She eased herself out of bed and knelt beside him, reaching out to touch him, but stopping just before she could.

He sensed her, even in sleep and reached for the comforting presence as he continued to whine in his sleep.

Seras' heart ached to put her arms around him to comfort him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it! the best she could do for the moment was take a page from his book, grabbing the blanket from the bed and draping it around him. Then she lay beside him on the floor, pressing herself close to him and put an arm around him. She was practically shaking in her discomfort of this, but it was the best she could do for now.

As soon as her arm was around him Stace quieted. A moment later he blinked open his eyes and smiled at her. "Thank you." He didn't expect an answer, she didn't have her voice synthesizer on. He was deeply touched that she'd come down to the floor and tried to comfort him though.

Seras smiled weakly in the dark, trying not to pull away from him. But the longer they stayed this way, the more comfortable she became, and soon her trembling lessened and eventually ceased altogether. Then she did something quite unexpected; she reached up and stroked her fingers over his clammy forehead and into his hair, wondering what he had been dreaming about that had bothered him so...

Stace closed his eyes and melted into her touch, letting out a very different kind of whine, low and pleased. He only indulged for a moment, very wary of spooking Seras. He pulled back. "Sorry for waking you."

Seras simply shrugged and kept running her fingers through his hair. She couldn't care less that he'd woken her at this point, she was more concerned with what was bothering him...

He gave her another small smile. "Let's go to sleep." He offered, untangling from the blanket.

She stopped him by moving her hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat even through the blanket between them. She looked him in the eyes with concern, mouthing the word 'what' in an attempt to get him to talk.

Stace shook his head. He didn't want to burden Seras with his own demons, she had enough of her own. "I'm ok." He told her. "Just need to sleep."

Her brow furrowed with a heavy sigh. She didn't think he was okay, but she trusted that he would tell her in his own time, when he was ready. Eventually she nodded, then pointed up to the bed; better they both sleep on the bed than the floor...

He smiled and nodded, standing up and picking up the sheet. He got onto the opposite side of the bed, then tossed the blanket over both of them.

Seras got comfortable next to him, only this time she didn't get close enough for contact now that she didn't have the safety of her blanket barrier. This had her sighing again, looking at him with a sense of deep longing; she wanted to get closer to him. Even disregarding what she'd overheard from K'Tarr and her own feelings on that particular matter, Stace was someone special to her and she could sense he was still troubled and she wanted to offer more than her presence beside him, more than a hug with a blanket barrier... She hated this phobia, hated that she couldn't touch people, but she didn't know how to move past it!




Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations

Nathan glanced up from a PaDD he had been looking over when his desktop terminal alerted him to an incoming subspace transmission. A huge grin spread across his face.

Finding Andy and Maica had been difficult. Once they learned that Nathan was still alive they left to get to Camelot as quickly as they could. Tracing what transport they were on had taken time.

Apparently the time had come. Nathan clicked his terminal on and could not contain the laugh of relief when a mess of red curls framing the face of the woman he called sister. "Andy..." Nathan managed to get out through his laughter.

"Fucking hell, you are alive!" the ginger ex-Borg said with a relieved exhale as she leaned back in her chair. She ran a hand over her face and just stared at his face on the screen for a moment, then blinked rapidly to banish the moisture welling up in her eyes. "Oi Nate, don't you fucking scare us like that ever again!" Andy scolded around a laugh.

"Feel free to cry, I'm the only one here...and you can't wipe your nose on me." Nathan said. "You are a sight for sore eyes red. I hear you went and quit Star Fleet on me."

"Not exactly," Andy replied. She was in civilian clothes now because this was a personal trip, but she still had her uniform with her in case she needed it. "I um, kinda got stationed at the Daystom institute. Pretty much my knowledge in cybernetics and robotics trumps anything in this universe, so I was offered a research position to try to improve the quality of life for other ex-Borg and for people with prosthetics. But I'm still Starfleet, and so is Maica, except they want her there more to study her, which I ain't too happy about..."

Nathan almost asked if they were treating Maica ok, but if they were still alive then they were. Andy would never let anyone hurt Maica. "Is Maica with you?" Nathan asked instead.

"Oh yeah, she's here. She just went to the mess hall for a minute. She's gonna give me an earful when she finds out I contact you without her, but I kinda wanted a moment... She'll understand," Andy said with a sad sort of smile. This time she didn't stop the few tears that managed to escape from her eyes. "We missed you... Nothing was the same after we thought you died. It was like with you and Kris gone, everything fell apart on the Katana."

Nathan gave her a soft smile. "I misses you too sis, I thought I was never going to see any of you any again. Then they go and tell me the Jhu was pregnant." Nathan glanced away for a moment. "And I thought section 31 was bad. Never thought anyone could treat me so well and give section 31 a run for their money."

"Well, if it helps you feel any better, there's no Section 31 here, at least not like there was in our universe," Andy offered with a shrug. She wiped the few stray tears away and cleared her throat. "So, you ready to be a dad? As I understand it, Jhu's about ready to pop any day now."

"You ready to be my best man?" Nathan threw that statement back at Andy and watched her face to see her reaction.

"Fuck yes!" Andy replied with the widest grin. "You think you'll be able to get hitched before the baby shows up? Well, like it even matters, as long as you get there and everyone's alright, then it's all good."

Nathan shrugged. "Right now the only thing Jhu and I have set in stone is Kris performing the ceremony and you and Maica must be there. Beyond that we are kind of playing things by ear. I'll marry her right right on the transporter pad as soon as you guys show up for all I care. I just want her to be my wife."

"Fair enough," Andy replied with a grin. "Me and Maica... well, we didn't have a ceremony or nothing, just didn't feel right with our family scattered like it was, so when I got the offer to go back to Earth we made it official so they wouldn't have cause to separate us. Wasn't much, but it's enough for the both of us. Then again, I wasn't too thrilled about having a ceremony anyway, so it suited me just fine, but now... maybe after a while, I'll give Maica that big party she was looking forward to."

Nathan chuckled. "The reason I waited to pop the question was because you two announced your engagement at the exact same party I had planed to ask Jhu. Funny how things work out huh?"

"Wasn't like either of us planned it. it just kinda came out." Andy shrugged, looking a little upset over this revelation, like she had somehow stolen their happiness. "Honestly, I didn't even wanna announce it, didn't wanna make a big deal out of it, but I couldn't stop Maica, not when it made her so happy..."

"It's ok Andy, I was willing to wait. I love you also, seeing you squirm and be uncomfortable brings me a sense of happiness Jhu could never give me." Nathan said with a huge grin. It was true, he loved seeing Andy squirm.

"Yeah yeah..." Andy grumbled, looking none too happy at her closest friend taking pleasure in her misery. Although to be fair, she had laughed at him while he was down more than a time or two. "Anyway, we're about 14 hours out, so we'll be seeing you soon. Try not to die or get kidnapped in that time," she continued dryly.

Nathan laughed at that. "I'm COS here too so I promise nothing, but at least you will be on the rescue team again! Bring your bow with you?"

"I brought two," Andy said with a grin, holding up two metal plated fingers for emphasis. "Remember that bow I replicated for you way back when? Oh wait, you don't because that was a Section 31 stooge... Well anyway, I replicated a bow and then I made you a bow, a real one like mine. But I never got a chance to give it to you..."

"Andy..." Nathan was going to go into the typical you didn't have to do that but he stopped himself. This was Andy, she already knew she didn't have to. "Thank you. Did you bring your father's range with you? We will need to test it out and make sure it works correctly. That reminds me, I am so sorry that I had to use our moment in the holodeck to prove that I was alive. I hope you understand that I didn't have any other options and would never have gone against my word to you had there been any other way."

"What, do I look stupid? Of course I brought my dad's program!" Andy replied with a smirk. "And you do really think I care about you sharing that secret? You are alive, Nate! I think I can get over myself enough to realize that sharing that secret was your only option for proof of life. It's fine, don't worry over it any more."

"Just as long as you know it was my only option. I would never betray your trust unless is was the absolute last option I had." Nathan explained, then dropped it. "So, how long can you guys stay? You will get to meet my dad!"

"I told you, don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're alive!" Though she could not deny that there may be a wet willy in Nathan's future... "And no plans for how long. We're technically still on leave for our honeymoon and we didn't give a date for our return, so I suppose we could stay for a while and meet your folks."

"Plural...I keep forgetting that my step mother is here also." Nathan said with an odd look. " Still does not set well that my dad and Jhu's mother hooked up. At least they will both be here for the wedding."

"Wait, what..." Andy gave Nathan a deadpan stare. "Hold on a second, this is your alternate reality dad, he hooked up with Jhu's alternate reality mother? Oh man, this belongs in one of them old-timey soap operas!" It actually kind of made her wonder what her mother was up to. Andy had looked into her own past, saw that her folks had split in this universe same as her own, but after learning that her alternate self had never been recovered after the Battle of Sector 001, she didn't look any deeper...

"I swear we told you about that." Nathan said with a confused look. "This whole other dimension thing still confuses me."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'd remember that-" Andy paused as she thought about it, tilting her head curiously. "Hmm, another misplaced memory engram," she muttered. She'd had her cortical node removed not long before Nathan went missing and it caused some of the indexing in her cortical array to get a bit scrambled. All her memories were still there, but every now and then she would fail to recall something because she couldn't find the memory right away. "Heh heh heh, you knocked up your sister," Andy added with a snicker snort, finally recalling that Nathan had told her about his dad.

"Yeah, like strange incestual relationships were not normal for me on Katana, were they sis?" Nathan said, locking Andy in a fixed gaze.

"Yeah, good times..." Andy replied with a wide grin as she recalled that incident in the elevator. "Love you too, Nate."

Nathan could not contain his grin at the thought also. "It was, wasn't it? Love ya too Red."

Andy gazed at the screen for a while with that big grin on her face, then she sighed with a slight chuckle. "Damn, I'm glad you ain't dead. And I'm sorry no one came for you sooner. None of us wanted to accept you were dead, and it especially didn't sit well with us that we had to mourn around an empty torpedo tube, but them Talosians... and then we had a situation in orbit, we couldn't stay to try to retrieve your body, it killed us to leave you behind. But for as much as we couldn't accept your death, if we thought for even a second that you might actually be alive... Well, you know how Kris'll move heaven and earth to get what he wants. But dead or alive, we shouldn'tna left you behind, just wasn't right."

"It was not your call Andy, and I already decked Kris in the face. So its all good!" Nathan said with a chuckle. Nathan was not typically a violent man, but damn it, Kris deserved that clobber!

"I know, but it still wasn't right," Andy said more seriously. "And if you ever need to talk about what happened on Talos, you know how to contact me."

"Thank you Andy, I will definitely take you up on that offer. Anyways, I need to go report in for duty to the XO. I'll let Jhu know that you guys are almost here." Nathan said. He was looking forward to seeing his closest friends again.

"Tell her not to pop before I get there, I never got a chance to tease her about the prego waddle!" Andy offered a sad sigh having to say bye to her friend so soon, but it wouldn't be too much longer and she'd be able to talk to him again, in person! "You take care, Nate. I'll see you soon."

"Very soon Red, not even a day. I'll have Jhu keep her legs crossed." Nathan said with a wink then terminated the call.




Senior Chief Petty Officer Andrea Carter (apb Seras)
Cyberneticist, Daystom Institute

Commander Nathan Tonkin
Second Officer/Chief of Security, USS Camelot

Nathan was cleared for duty by both medical and counseling and the Captain had offered him not only his old post back as chief of security, but also promoted him and gave him the SO position. Now, dressed in his new command reds, Nathan had only one last thing he had to do before getting back to work. "Computer, please locate Commander Brooks."

[Commander Brooks is in the XO's office] The computer chirped.

After a short walk, Nathan found himself out side of the Commanders office. He straightened his uniform and brushed a bit of lint from his shoulder, took a deep and hit the chime. Nathan never really liked meeting new people. At least it was one on one and not a huge group.

A deep but slightly muffled "Enter" could be heard. Stace had just stuffed a rather large piece of jerky into his mouth. As Commander Tonkin entered, Stace gave him a polite nod and motioned to a chair. He finished chewing before speaking. "Commander Tonkin, pleasure to meet you."

Nathan took the offered seat. "Nice to meet you too sir. I am officially reporting for duty as I have been cleared by both Dr. Rajol and Counselor Qinzel" He said wiping the sweat from his palms on his pants nervously.

"It's good to have you aboard Commander, I'm pleased that you've been cleared. The strong leadership at Security has been much needed." Stace paused, then decided he did have to ask the question. He tried to be as diplomatic as possible. "Are you sure you're ready for duty? Some more time to settle in can be arranged."

"No sir," Nathan said shaking his head. "If you are willing to give me time off, I would prefer to get back to work now and use that time off to care for Jhu and our baby when she is born. I have spent months basically sitting around and not doing anything. I am more that ready to get back to work."

"Ok. I understand." Stace pulled out a PaDD. "There's quite a bit of work ahead of you. You know how things are after a launch. The sooner all the more in depth diagnostics get handled, the more confident we can head into whatever mission comes our way."

Nathan nodded, "How far have the departments gotten with that? Also, are we fully staffed? Any surprises; like a former Q, I should be aware of?"

Stace chuckled. "She only takes a little getting use to. We are fully staffed, and hopefully no surprises. You are more familiar with the senior staff than I am, I should probably be asking you that last question."

Nathan thought threw the members of the crew who had come from Camelot with Kris. "Lets see. Jhu has always been a handful for command, she loves to see how far she can push it. But honestly it has served her well over the years. If you cross her before you establish good rapport with her you will have a hard time with her for the rest of your time here,and she pregnant so..." Nathan trailed off and let the man's imagination fill in the rest. "Jenny has always been an amazing officer and an even better engineer. It was a huge mistake to put her into Intel and I am glad to see Kris fixed that. That would bring us to our Captain. With all do respect to our leader, he will most likely be your biggest headache, I know he's mine." Nathan said with a little chuckle. "The man is like a brother to me, so don't misunderstand what I say about him. I love him and would risk my life for him with out even thinking about it. He is a very loyal man and one of the best Captains I have ever served under. But, he is brash, quick to act and has trouble with chemical dependency. If you ever see that man drinking please tell Jhu or I right away." There was a weight of seriousness in that last statement.

"I'm familiar with the Captain's background and issues." Stace said rather coldly. He knew Nathan had meant his revelations in a good light, but he didn't appreciate the COs secrets being spilled, even to him. He and Kris had worked out their own rapport in a short time, and it seemed Kris was on the right path at the moment, hopefully he'd stay the course. "It's a fine group of officers, every last one of them. It might not always appear that way on paper, but then I've never really liked paperwork."

Nathan blew off the cool response, the man had asked after all. Even if it was implied "I agree sir, from what I have seen of the crew as a whole it seems that; yet again, the Captain has managed to pull together a stellar team. I am looking forward to working with all of them and you. Seras in particular has become my new best friend, with out her I would still be stuck on Talos."

Stace smiled. They were going to get along just fine. "Seras is a very good friend to have, and I'm glad to see you back with family." It might not be a traditional family, but hell, Stace didn't even really now what that was. What was forming on the Camelot was very much family, where and how it mattered. "My door is always open if you need anything Commander, and again welcome aboard."

"I am very excited to be home Sir, thank you. I am looking forward to serving under both you and the Captain. Also, likewise if you every need anything." Nathan said and stood. But before he turned to leave he asked one last question. "Any orders for me sir?"

"Go, settle in. Make sense of the heap of PaDDs on your office desk." Stace smirked.

"Oh great." Nathan said, but he had a huge grin on his face. Like he said earlier, he was looking forward to getting back to work.

"Good day sir." Nathan said, then turned on his heals and headed out to check out his new office.


Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Cmdr Nathan Tonkin
SO/Chief of Security

Vara was sitting in a captain's chair, in command of a ship. It was a Romulan ship, and an antique one, but it was currently her ship. She also had a crew. Twenty two brave souls and not a single member of either Starfleet or the Star Navy among them. Indeed, she had borrowed this ship from Deleth Station and hired the crew for a month from a local shipping firm to carry out sensitive salvage operations. A lot had changed on Deleth since she got there but the biggest thing was that she was now in charge of sector security and this ship was her tool to do so. Since they were in Romulan space however, some liberties had to be taken. No uniforms and no official personnel being two of them. That was fine by her though. She enjoyed wearing her Lagashi leathers and commanding the equivalent of pirates.

On the viewscreen was a view of the belly of her ship and the ship they were to salvage. It was a Romulan scout vessel not much bigger than hers that had been listed as lost and presumed destroyed. In actuality, the entire crew had been vaporized when the singularity core destabilized and created a baryon pulse. Though there was a recorded explosion, it turned out that that was just the ejected core and the ship itself had been recloaked by the main computer somehow and had been drifting through space for twenty three years.

This is what Brought Vara here. Deleth control were the first to detect it and they had about three hours to get that ship running and on the way back to the station. There, they could strip her for parts or repair her, or whatever. Unfortunately, it didn't look like they could move her under her own power any time soon - the entire engineering section had been vaporized. Hence she had a few engineers removing the critical parts they needed as well as downloading the database.

"Team three to Captain Cho'ren," came a voice over the comms. "We hit the jackpot here. Not only were we able to salvage the cloak on this old bird, but they were carrying an entirely new assembly. We now have a pair of cloaks and all the manuals for them being beamed into the cargo bay now."

"Excellent work, Chase. I think that right there will be worth our trip." Vara replied after pressing the call button on the arm of her chair. Chase was an older gruff sort of Trill, but he knew his way around Romulan ships well enough. Hence why he had been assigned to retrieving the cloaking device. "Were you able to salvage any of the power feeds going to the cloak?"

Chase had a bit of remorse in his voice answering that question. "Nah, that's what failed so we could find her - the pressure walls in the lines finally gave out, causing a cascade shutdown of the thermodyne backup reactor. I was able to salvage the control systems and relays though. They'll be beamed over next."

"Roger that. Let me know when you're moving to your next goal." Vara no sooner got that out when team one reported in.

"Team one to Sistius, we finished the computer download and we're getting ready to start pulling components. It looks like she has a few blown bits, but nothing we can't handle." The female voice said.

Vara was pleased about that at least. Information was enough of a commodity that it had been a primary goal. "Roger that, Belina. Just remember to prioritize the bioneural interfaces first. We're rather short of those back on the station."

Clicking the comms back to standby, Vara sighed and leaned back in her chair, the soft leathers making a pleasing crunching sound as they rubbed together. Two of their three primary goals had been met and she expected the third to take a while longer yet. It wasn't every day that you stripped a ship of its warp core. The actual coils would be nice too, and team four was working on a way to tow her, but failing that, the best they could hope for was grabbing all they could before someone else came along to try and salvage the old bird.

Jhu was quickly coming to the decision that she really hated Klingon armor. As soon as they'd beamed back aboard the bird of prey, she'd pulled Nathan away from the others and to the tiny cabin the Klingons had provided for her to sleep in. Despite changing into normal clothing - and the supportive elastic 'maternity band' that had mysteriously appeared in her cabin on board the Camelot just before this trip - her back still ached, no matter how she tried to rearrange the pillows on the bed. After attempting to 'fix' the pillows for what felt like the thousandth time, she gave up and leaned fully on Nathan instead. "I hate this ship," she groused half under her breath.

Nathan fully accepted Jhus weight and wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting upon her round belly. "I don't care where we are, I am just so glad to be back with you." He buried his nose into her hair and breathed deep like he always did. "Will you marry me?" he whispered against her ear.

Even after finding the ring stashed inside one of Nathan's jackets and the mild scolding he'd given her for wearing it on a chain, the question came as a surprise. Jhu sat up partway, twisting around to look at him, her eyes lit up with obvious delight. "Well that's a silly question! Of course I will!" Fishing the ring out from under her shirt, she gently slipped it off the chain and handed it to him.

Nathan looked at the ring, it had been a while since he laid eyes on it. "I got this for you on the ice planet we had to visit. Remember how you forced me to hang out with M'Rayr?" He said with a chuckle.

"He wasn't worth hanging out with. Sorry." Jhu snickered a little. "I didn't know that awful frozen planet even had jewelry stores."

The amber jewel twinkled in the low light of their cabin. "I got it because it reminded me of your eyes." Nathan said looking up at Jhu. He took her left hand and gently slipped the ring onto her ring finger. "Do you want to get married before you give birth or after?" he asked with a content smile on his face.

"Well that depends on if we can find a dress that fits me right now. I've had the worst time with the replicators... and they're supposed to make things easier." Jhu giggled a little, looking at the amber stone of the ring and how it reflected brightly even in the low light of a Klingon ship.

"Oh so even on your new ship the replicators still hate you huh? How many have you punched?" Nathan said with a grin.

"None yet, but the one in my office is critically endangered unless Jenni replaced it while I was gone. Besides, I broke my hand last time I did that. Don't want to repeat that."

"Mathews?" Nathan asked in shock.

"Mmhmm. She had some sort of falling out with M'rayr... they got hitched on some alien planet or whatever and then he dumped her. I didn't understand a lot of it." Jhu shrugged a bit.

"She married the Fuzz ball?!?!" Nathan said in shock.

"Yeah, it was weird. But I don't know all the details either... she doesn't talk about it much."

Nathan shook his head with a chuckle and tried to get the conversation back on track. "Anyways, what do you want? Forget about the replicators. Before or after? I was going to ask Andy if she would be my best man."

"Then it might depend on how fast Andy gets to the Camelot!" Jhu giggled a little. "I've known for eight months already that you had this planned. We can do it before... I mean, it's not like it was a big secret. Well it was until I found the ring, but you know what I mean."

"But now its official." Nathan said with a proud smirk. "I'm more worried that you might go into labor during at this point. How long have I been gone? Time worked differently on Talos."

"Almost eight months. I was a week pregnant when we visited Talos IV the first time... Maica knew, but I didn't. I found out when they made us go through physicals when we got back to the ship." It hadn't necessarily been an unpleasant surprise, but Jhu did remember being shocked... for a long time.

"I would have never gone had either of us known." Nathan said, his hands reaching out and laying on Jhu's stomach again. "But, that's my point. You should be going into labor soon. At least from human standards. I am ok with waiting."

"Well we've been kind of guessing. Romulan pregnancies typically run ten months... Trills are just a little longer than humans. And the baby's all three." Science and medicine went a bit over Jhu's head, and she didn't pretend to understand it. "Best guess is at least another month and a half, maybe two. We have time."

"Our poor baby's not going to know what she is." Nathan said with another chuckle. "Its your call. Ill marry you right here and now if that's what you want. Ill drag Kris in, you can get dressed up in that sexy armor again..."

"Fire and Ice, not the armor. Do you have any idea how heavy that contraption is?" Jhu laughed a little, shaking her head. "And no support for the baby either. You'd think it would be supportive with how it's shaped but... no."

"You should keep it. You know, for after your not pregnant anymore." Nathan said then winked at her.

Jhu poked him in the ribs. "You wear it. You'll see how uncomfortable it is."

"Yeah...well Kris already told me to go get fitted for one so I guess Ill be finding out for myself." Nathan said while rubbing his side from the poke.

"I guess so." Jhu giggled a little, obviously delighted that Nathan would, in fact, find out how uncomfortable Klingon armor could be.

"You are avoiding the topic." Nathan pointed out, still rubbing his side.

"Okay, fine. I'll keep it." It wasn't often that Jhu gave in quite that easily, but she'd only just gotten Nathan back. If he wanted her to wear the silly Klingon armor she'd wear it.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "The wedding, not the armor."

"Oh right, that topic." Jhu grinned at him, bopping him with the pillow. "Klingon ships are not my idea of a romantic wedding. Let's do it on the Camelot."

Nathan nodded. "I would like Andy and Maica to be there at least. Kris should perform the ceremony." He suggested.

"I thought you were mad at Kris." Jhu gave him a quizzical look, not sure she understood him.

"Only cause he left me, he came back and got me." Nathan explained. "Besides, anger is fleeting and it does not change the fact that he's the main reason we ended up together. It just seems right the he seals the deal."

Jhu nodded slightly. "Okay, that makes sense. I don't mind... I mean, if he wants to do it I'd be thrilled."

"Oh he will do it, we are talking about Kris. Hes going to go all gay about it and start picking out flower arrangements, just watch." Nathan said with a huge grin. " FLAME ON! " He said in a mocking tone and then broke down laughing.

"...I don't know if I can watch him pick out flowers with a straight face." Jhu snickered at the thought. "Ask him then. I can't wait to hear his answer."

"I will after I apologize to Seras for trying to kill her." Nathan said. "I should probably go do that."

"Go ahead." Jhu kissed his cheek before sitting up to let him off the bed. "I'm going to try taking a nap."

A kiss on the cheek was not enough for Nathan, it had been months after all. He pulled Jhu back against him and kissed her with passion. After a few moments, he let her go. "Enjoy your nap e'lev."

Walking side by side down the deck three corridor of the USS Camelot, Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac and Lieutenant Noxa quickly discussed the situation in brief. She provided him with as much detailed information as she could as he himself skimmed through the information contained on a PaDD.

The two were heading to the Camelot's meeting room on deck three, which was designed like a small academy lecture hall rather than a briefing room of ships past. "Her safety is the Federation's utmost importance," said Noxa as she walked down the corridor with a phaser strapped to her thigh. "If we were not aboard a starship with a crew that I trusted, I would not be letting her out of my sights, Captain," added the small female Ferengi.

"She's safe here, Lieutenant," Kris said reassuring her. "Commander Tonkin will be assuming duties as head of the Security Department in addition to taking over as Camelot's Second Officer. There's no safer place for her to be," added Kris.

Noxa felt more at ease with Nathan in charge of the ship's security. "We've come too far, Captain, to turn back now. I will not fail in my mission to protect her and I know that I do not have to tell you that you cannot fail," added Noxa shaking her head. "If she becomes Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, the Federation may just acquire its closest working relationship with the Ferengi Alliance to date."

Kris nodded simply as he and Noxa arrived the the door to the meeting room. "Believe me, I know what's at risk here, Lieutenant," countered the Captain. "I'll take a back seat on this one. You know more about the situation than I do. You can lead the briefing. I already called for a handful of my Senior Staff," explained the Captain gesturing for Noxa to enter. "Ladies first," he said with a small smile.

Walking into the room, Noxa quickly descended a series of steps that lead her to a podium, front and center. Kris had filed into one of the rows and had taken a seat. While Noxa was walking down, she spotted Jenni Matthews, Nathan Tonkin, and Jhu t'Dharvanek. He wasn't lying when he said he took the best he could from Katana

There were a few faces that Noxa did not know, but if this was Kris' crew, she knew they had to be damn good. She took a stance behind the podium only to find that the podium was about as tall as she was and she could not see over it. "Damn it," she said as she pushed the podium aside.

The downsides of being Ferengi she thought to herself. "Good morning," she said to those looking at her. "Some of you know me already and have served with me. For those of you who have not... consider yourselves lucky. Now, to the business at hand," said Noxa as she took a quick breath.

"The USS Camelot has laid in a course for the Sigma Iotia system. We will be making a stop at Sigma Iotia II, home of the Iotians. You may know this world as once belonging to the United Federation of Planets as of a few years ago. It has since been acquired by the Ferengi Alliance."

Jenni hadn't been surprised to see the short Ferengi on board. After all, she'd come to expect such things by staying near Kerouac. In regards to Noxa's comments about Sigma Iotia, Jenni couldn't help but wonder what sort of backroom deal diplomats and counsel members made with the Alliance in exchange for the planet. Whatever it was must have been lucrative to let such a planet go.

Oh great, the gangster planet. Though Jhu had initially smiled a bit at seeing Noxa again, her expression changed to one of disappointment. No matter how liberal a commander Kris was or how much he liked her, there was no chance of her leaving the ship while in orbit of a place like that. At least, not when she was fat and pregnant.

Atom sat up straight in his chair. He knew the Ferengi was someone important and he wanted to make sure he made the best impression. He had had a Ferengi roommate back at the Academy and had always liked the guy, even though he did find him a little bit sexist in comparison with other species. He was very excited that this one was a female although disappointed that it was sort of hard to tell it was a female. The females didn't seem to be much different in appearance then the males. He was definitely curious about the Sigma Iotia system though, he had heard that you could get almost anything there, anything you might want or need, ANYTHING.

Quintina was unimpressed and her demeanor reflected the boredom she felt. She wouldn't be able to leave the ship to go planetside and enjoy herself and she'd likely have very little to do on this mission anyway, unless they wanted her to try to talk the Ferengi Alliance into joining the Federation. That would go against her own self imposed Q prime directive though.

Nathan could not help but grin as Noxa walked into the room, and had to stifle a chuckle as she was unable to see over the podium. "Someone should have gotten her a stool." He whispered very quietly into Jhu's ear.

Jhu couldn't help snorting at Nathan's comment, though she did hope Noxa hadn't heard it. "Yeah, seriously," she whispered back, trying not to laugh too loudly.

Noxa cleared her throat and looked at Nathan and Jhu. "My lobes may be small, but I still have excellent Ferengi hearing," the female Ferengi quipped. "That aside, I did not just personally escort someone aboard who has survived several attempts on their life just to listen to jokes about my being vertically handicapped."

The lieutenant folded her arms. "Commander Tonkin, I am glad to see your death was greatly exaggerated. However, the seriousness of my mission is not... and my mission is now your mission," added Noxa.

"You and I are going to be spending some quality time together on Sigma Iotia," stated Noxa bluntly as she gestured for the Captain to come take over.

Kris was already on his way down the series of steps and soon stood beside Noxa. "Nathan, assemble a few of your best men for a security detail. We have taken aboard a VIP passenger of the utmost importance whom Lieutenant Noxa here has been assigned to protect. You will be providing additional security and ensuring the safety of our guest when she visits the planet's surface."

"You can count on me Noxa," Nathan said all joking aside. He gave the small woman a nod and a friendly smile. It was good to see so many familiar faces after almost a year of seeing none.

"You should all be made aware that our guest is a Ferengi woman named Alara. You won't recognize her name as Ferengi media has been whiting her out. There have been no major reports of her nor her plans. However, as Lieutenant Noxa has stated several attempts on her life have been made," explained Kris.

Lieutenant Noxa spoke up adding, "Alara, aside from being an ambitious female in the sexist Ferengi society is making a bid to become the next Grand Nagus. She has received generous donations and is quickly gaining popularity among the liberal radicals within the Ferengi Alliance."

Kris chimed in "The Iotians are not the biggest fans of the Ferengi at the moment. If Alara is able to gain the support of the Iotians and quell the tensions between the Iotians and the Ferengi, she may have a shot at making history and becoming the first Female Grand Nagus."

The Captain and Lieutenant Noxa looked at one another and nodded. Kris then continued onward. "If this sounds like a simple a security protection matter... it's not. Nathan, you'll have your work cut out for you down on Sigma Iotia. But we believe there's more to this... that this is more than a few simple attacks on a politicians life."

Atom frowned and his ears lay back against his head. He never liked to hear that the people were trying to kill the peacemaker. A female Grand Nagus though... that was something else entirely. He was certain that Ferengi males were probably dropping dead all over the place at the mere mention of the possibility of a female Nagus, but it was progress and it was definitely interesting to witness. He wasn't sure what he could do to help, aside from find the safest route for them to take, so he kept his opinions to himself and waited for further instructions.

"Starfleet Security is working closely with Starfleet Intelligence in relation to the attempts made on Ms. Alara's life. Over the past year, there have been a series of incidents. Mysterious deaths, political uprisings, coups d'état, assassinations, and a string of strange events. Initially, these were thought to be isolated incidents....we're not so sure anymore" added Kris.

Kris and Noxa picked up a stack of PaDDs and began to go up and down the rows, handing PaDDs to each person. Each had differing details. "Nathan will be handling Alara's protection down on Sigma Itotia. Some of you will be remaining aboard the Camelot, but a few of you will be making use of the Camelot's shuttles to carry out support missions," explained Kris.

Taking the PaDD she was given, Quintina didn't even make eye contact with Noxa. She had no interest in Ferengi in general as they seemed to have been socially stunted as a 'child' civilization. Sure they had warp travel and commerce and highly developed rules and social structures... But they had no real morals and even with Rom being Nagus for a while, they showed no real signs of improving. She just assumed that a Ferengi in Starfleet was one of the few that escaped such a primitive culture to join an only slightly less primitive culture. And now she had another PaDD to read... setting it aside for now, she resumed staring off into nothingness, waiting for the briefing to continue. At least she didn't walk into the wall trying to get into the conference room this time. The writing had started with everyone already gathered and she was thankful for that - it spared her yet another embarrassing episode.

Atom took the PaDD and immediately started reading. He was intrigued by the entire situation. He'd lived and worked closely with Ferengi before and had almost enjoyed learning about their interesting way of life. He had found them to mostly be very shrewd and the few he had met that had managed to turn their focus from profits to science or mechanics were actually quite innovative and intelligent. His tail twitched back and forth as he read. It seemed to him that he was going to definitely be responsible for finding them a safe route to their next destination.

Jenni quickly glanced over the information on her PADD. Nothing fancy was assigned directly to her, other than being prepared with a few engineered "magic tricks" should they be needed.

Kris cleared his throat and straightened his uniform. "You will all receive further information in the coming hours. That is all for now, you are dismissed" added the Captain strangely professional.

The loss of the USS Whisperer was still weighing heavily on Kris' mind, the burden of command was, however, not the only reason for the bags under his eyes and the night of short sleep with little rest. Tea and coffee were his greatest allies now as he carried the newborn baby, Cadence in his arms as he walked, in uniform down the corridors of his starship and into the starship's mess hall.

Typically, he would have called for a more formal meeting to discuss the situation at hand, but his schedule was a mess and he was trying to squeeze in the time when he could. This was the one hour he had the most opportunity. He had grabbed a quick bite to eat and was gently bouncing the newborn on his lap and making funny faces at her which so far was proving effective against crying.

Kris sat at a table with a few empty chairs pulled up to the table as he awaited the arrival of the officers he was sending on this mission. Though Doctor Kavyn Rajol was expected to be slightly delayed with duties in Sickbay. The Captain had been made fully aware of the situation on the planet and the cultural circumstances. Though the Captain would have otherwise allowed the leader of the away mission to pick his or her own team, Kris thought it best to consult the ship's Counselor and with her assistance selected Dr. Rajol's away team members.

The choices were made on various grounds, but all seemed picked with sound logic and reasoning. Dr. Gideon Nichols, Camelot's Chief Science Officer would be able to assist in finding the cause be it geological or chemical and whether it was organic or inorganic in nature. Lieutenant Seras' technical skills would be crucial in deploying purification devices on the planet's surface and instructing the community on the uses of simple hydro filters. Kris, however, also knew that her cultural sensitivity and experiences with her own species could prove effective. Then, there was Dr. Fisher whom Kris knew would be able to provide Dr. Nichols with scientific support and knew that Scott's linguistical expertise could come in handy. Lastly, with the sickness sweeping through the community, Kris trusted his Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rajol to conquer whatever was crippling the community.

As the doorway to the Mess Hall parted, Kris saw that members of this away team were coming.

Scott Fisher had walked into the mess hall, and immediately stopped whistling. He carried a PaDD just in case he needed to take notes. Though he found it odd to be summoned to the mess hall for a meeting, he didn't question it. Nothing wrong with things being odd, you are odd remember that, he told himself. Then he saw the captain and Scott's face lit up.

"Hi Kri... hey you have a baby." Scott for the briefest moment looked perplexed at the sight, then the often goofy grin he wore, returned. "Wow! You have a baby! Where did it come from? I mean... I know where babies come from, but how did you get this one? Can I hold it? Is it a boy or a girl? I think maybe a girl, I mean her clothing looks kind of girlish, but I don't know..." Abandoning his though, he crouched down and looked at the newborn more closely. He then started to make silly faces at the newborn.

Gideon, with a mug of tea in one hand, and a Padd in the other, entered the mess hall. It was mostly empty, which he was grateful for. The idea of a meeting here had seemed absurd, but the captain seemed to be quite the unorthodox type. He moved quickly to the table with which the captain was already seated, Doctor Fisher was crouched down, and on the captain's lap was a baby. A baby? He set the mug down, along with the PaDD and took a seat. "Captain, Doctor," he addressed the two that were there already, but didn't say anything of the presence of the newborn child.

Kris looked up to see Scott, causing a slight blushing of his cheeks, but a trained Commanding Officer and skillful pilot maneuvered himself and quickly masked the change of complexion. "I am glad they taught you the birds and the bees at Starfleet Academy" replied the Captain teasingly. I probably should have told him sooner. Why didn't I just tell him sooner? Kris pondered, questioning his own lack of action.

"You know...this is Cadence. She's a girl and she's my daughter" said Kris quite openly, though he traversed through the topic cautiously. "Not biologically though" he quickly added in order to try and save himself from potentially harming he and Scott's relationship as young as it was. "She was an orphan. Her parents were two of my crewmembers aboard my previous command, they died before she was born. Cadence was born yesterday" explained Kris.

Good job, Kris. Now how do you explain the birth of a child yesterday from a mother who's been dead for a while? he reminded himself. "Before you ask...the birds and the bees you've learned doesn't apply here. Cadence is half Arboreal and was born from a...pod like structure left by her mother."

Gideon's eye brow rose at that. A pod? He was intrigued, but he wasn't too fond of babies, so he just observed.

"That isn't typical birds and bees, but a pod was involved, like an incubator I guess. I mean, it sorta works right?" Scott didn't knew, in his mind, that this would need to be discussed with Kris in private. One the things he had to learn in life was that there were things that meant to be private, and others not. Private yep. "Cadence is a pretty name," he said, the gears switching in head.

Kris smiled slightly "Thank you, I picked it out" replied Kris. "If you have interest in the Arboreal species, you may consult the ship's computer or read the logs of the crew of the USS Katana whilst under my command, or we can discuss matters later" offered Kris. The Captain's gaze was broken away from Scott as he observed the Chief Medical Officer enter "Ah good. Doctor Kajol has come to join us."


Doctor Kavyn Rajol had left sickbay to the doctor on duty, and made his way to the mess hall. He knew most would question why there would be an 'official' meeting in a mess hall, but he truly didn't mind. To him, it was more comfortable, and a relaxed atmosphere. The doors to the mess hall parted with the customary quiet hiss, and he stepped inside. Since it wasn't a huge compartment, he spotted the captain, and Doctor's Fisher and Nichols immediately. Fisher was on his haunches playing with a newborn baby, and Nichols was sitting there quietly. No surprises there, Rajol thought to himself. As he approached, a warm smile spread onto his lips. "Don't tell me, is this..." Indicating the newborn.

"Hello, Doctor" said Kris as he acknowledged the man. "I believe you two are already acquainted...the half Arboreal pod baby brought aboard that Merith was looking after. Well, she couldn't wait any longer. Fresh out of her pod...meet Cadence Kerouac."

Rajol hadn't realized that the pod had bore the newborn. He and Merith had discussed the Arboreal pod, he had ran scans, did some research, but now there was a baby... and he missed the birth. A part of him felt sad he missed out on such an event; but he was just glad the newborn was okay. He would just need to consult with Merith, and he of course would want to see the newborn named Cadence Kerouac in sickbay. With a smile that wouldn't ever fall while looking at the beautiful newborn, he reached out, and brushed two fingers against the soft cheeks of the baby. "She's perfect," he managed to say, in a tone that was so soft it could barely be heard.

Open TAG

"Thank you, gentlemen for coming. We just are waiting on Lieutenant Seras to join us" stated Kris.

As if on cue, Seras stumbled into the mess hall, looking as though she had maybe rushed through her morning grooming routine, her usually perky ponytail looking a little limp and lopsided as she moved over to the replicator to get a mug of coffee. Then she joined the Captain and the others at the table, smiling brightly albeit a little tiredly at the baby in Kris' lap. "I apologize if I'm tardy, Captain, it won't happen again," she said quickly. Even her synthesized voice sounded tired. "I am... still destressing from our most recent away mission," she added, knowing that the Captain would understand what she meant.

Kris did not care that she had been a little tardy. "Things happen and stuff comes up, Lieutenant. You are here now and that is all that matters" said the Captain rather relaxed. He was not the rigid regimental Commanding Officer that others were used to serving under aboard previous postings. "I've chosen the four of you for an away mission. There is a small M Class planet in a neighboring star system, they are well within Federation space and are considered a protectorate world. However, they have chosen not to have contact with the Federation...until now. These people are in trouble and in need of our help. Something has happened on their planet and people are falling ill. These people would not have reached out to the Federation unless absolutely necessary" explained Kris before reaching for four PaDDs and distributing them about the table.

He looked around the small table. "I've chosen the four of you for good reason. Each of you has something key to offer on this away mission, and I have faith that the four of you can truly help these people. These people left Earth in the 2100s and managed to eventually get this far, settling on a class M planet and building themselves a small yet productive civilization. They left Earth, leaving behind technology for a more....simplistic life. That said, what little technology they have and use is archaic by our standards and their way of living is quite different than ours" briefed the Captain.

Captain Kerouac looked at them one by one. "All of you have the training, the skill, and the compassion that this mission requires. We have very little to work with a no Starfleet Officer has set foot on their planet in quite some time. This colony predates even the formation of the Federation" continued Kris carefully. "These people were lucky enough that a passing starship had the courtesy to stop after picking up their distress beacon."

"Is there any clue as to the nature of this illness?" Seras asked, her concern for these people overriding her weariness.

The Captain lifted his hand and tilted it side to side in a wobbly motion. "Clues yes. For certainty we are unsure. There are only several hundred people on the planet and they live in communities that are not too far from one another. They rely heavily on agriculture and trade with one another in order to survive. They share the same food, breathe the same air, drink from the same water and hunt the same wild life" said Kris. He looked at Seras "It has to be something on the planet that they share in common. The vessel that was passing by took scans of the planet. So far we have only been able to rule out the air. Nothing shows out of the ordinary there...an away team can easily breathe the air there. The people of the planet are even pre industrial with their beliefs and practices. If anything, its about the cleanest air one can find without the help of technology."

"Naturally clean air, now that is a bit of a relic concept," Rajol piped in. Sure, planets like his own, Earth, Betazed, all had clean air now but that wasn't always the case. He gave some thought to what the captain had said, the inhabitants were pretty self-contained. It would be hard for any type of virus, or sickness to slip in there. Especially if a routine was never broken. But, that didn't mean there couldn't be a contaminant of some sort. "I'll need to be able to set up a make shift lab, is that going to be possible? Because," he looked to the chief science officer, "we will need to collect samples from the food, soil, water, and even the inhabitants."

Gideon nodded at the doctor. He figured there would be no issue with putting up a temporary lab, but still the question was needed. Though, he did have reservations about dealing with a pre-industrial beliefs and practices. There certainly could be... complications concerning that. But, this group of people needed their help, and he was glad they sent out the distress beacon to get that help.

Scott Fisher sat there in silence as he listened to the older officers talk. He had assumed that he was there to help not only Doctor Nichols, but to help any language barrier they may encounter. Though, despite that, he couldn't stop thinking about the newborn. Now that the excitement of a new baby ebbing, he had wondered why Kris hadn't said something sooner to him? He had suppose that it wasn't his business, he knew Kris would tell him more eventually.

Kris smiled a little as the Chief Medical Officer's words. "Indeed, naturally fresh air is hard to come by these days. So, enjoy your time on the planet as much as you can" commented the Captain. "Honestly, I wish I could join you four on this one. You are to pack whatever you will need, take a shuttle and land set down outside of the community. You are welcome to bring the necessary equipment into the communities, but respectfully we've been asked to tread lightly and respect these peoples' ways and their ideologies. If at all possible, use the shuttle as your base of operations and set your lab up inside of it" instructed Kris.

Rajol nodded. "Of course, sir." He would be sure to confer with the two science officers present, he was sure at least Nichols would have some thoughts on what he would want to bring a long.

The Captain looked at Seras. "Lieutenant, have you passed your certification for piloting auxiliary craft?" asked Kris openly.

"I, uh..." Seras fidgeted with her coffee cup. "I was certified before my leave of absence, I have not recertified since returning to duty," she admitted sheepishly. "But I think I can still do it. Shuttles haven't changed that much in four years, have they?" At the very least, she could set up a mobile lab in the shuttle, so that was not a problem.

Kris chuckled, the former helmsmen in him quite enjoyed her response. "They fly the same. It's like riding a horse, but one that travels at warp speeds and fires weapons" replied Kris. "I believe you'll be just fine, Lieutenant."

"I thought the saying involved bi-cycle?" Seras asked, enunciating the two separate parts of bicycle separately. Human idioms confused her! "I can have the lab equipment installed in the shuttle fairly quickly, I'll just need a list of what to install"

"We will need at least an hour for that," Rajol said, indicating the 'we' as Nichols, Fisher, and himself. "I can also help as a co-pilot if needed."

"Excellent" replied Kris. "You four have the information you need. I'll have the Astrometrics department send the coordinates of the planet to you as well as a few safe routes to take, should you need to make any adjustments. Get that lab equipment installed and ready as soon as possible, and let me know when you are ready to disembark" finished Kris. "You are all dismissed" he said with a small smile.

tag

The Captain's Ready Room was faintly lit, the lights were low as Kris was battling a rather resistant migraine headache. However, the screen of his computer console was casting an emerald green illumination that made the room seem more like a Romulan Warbird than a Federation starship. Two chairs were pulled up towards his desk, set across from the Captain. Both were presently vacant, but were soon to be filled. The first by Captain Kerouac's First Officer, Commander Sratford Brooks. The second to seat the man or woman that Stace had selected to join him on this little somewhat covert away mission.

Kris had summoned his First Officer to join him and when the door chime to his Ready Room rang, Kris had an accurate idea of who was on the other side of the doors. "Come," he called out, and the doors parted way. "Ah, number one... right on schedule. Please, have a seat," added Kris with a small smile and a quick pleasant exchange.

Stace gave a slight nod and smile in return, then took the offered seat. He noticed the subdued lighting and was vaguely curious, but not so much that he bothered to ask why the Captain was sitting around in a half dark ready room. "Interesting." He held up the PaDD Kris had given him earlier. The reason they were here after all.

"If interesting is all you have to say, then I know I picked the right person for this journey," commented Kris. "The first First Officer I had was a by the book, ruthless authoritarian Andorian. If he were sitting across from me right now, he'd be cursing me up and down and practically breathing fire down my neck citing the Treaty of Algeron to me," said Kris raising a brow. "I take it you see now why we can't send Camelot... a shuttle would pose little threat, a Federation starship as well armed as the Camelot is entering the Neutral Zone and then crossing into Romulan space, a diplomatic nightmare."

"Yes, indeed it would be. If the shit hits the fan, it's less collateral damage as well." Stace paused. "Bit risky though, I hope it's worth it."

The Captain's eyes had been studying the screen when Stace spoke. He broke his attention and brought his eyes up from the screen. "Extremely risky, Commander... extremely risky. The Treaty of Algeron prevents any vessel of the United Federation of Planets from donning a cloaking device of our own. For decades, we've been prevented from developing the technology and shunned from even studying it for potential use," said Kerouac.

Kris shook his head. "Risky is a severe understatement," scoffed Captain Kerouac. "Is it worth it? You damn right it is worth it, but only if we can get in and get out with what we need quickly and swiftly. This is an under the radar job, Stace... a covert operation and a man of your skills was needed to take the lead on this one. Have you chosen a member of the crew to join you?"

Kris was right, bit risky was a vast understatement, but Stace had spent a lifetime at risk, it was nothing new. "Yes, Ensign M'aarra. His engineering skills may come in very handy." It was true, and was the main reason he'd chosen the Caitian. But he had to admit that the fact that he made a good sleeping companion was a very nice, and needed bonus.

"The ensign? That is an interesting selection, Commander," commented Captain Kristopher Kerouac. "Sounds like I am not the only one who has taken an interest in the young Caitian's career with Starfleet," said Kris. "Stace, you are responsible for personnel evaluations. What are your thoughts on Ensign M'arra?" asked Kerouac.

Stace smiled. "I think he has a lot of potential. This mission would offer him a chance to grow, and perhaps mature a bit. If there's anybody who would be able to tell us if we've actually got what we went to get, I'd trust his judgement. He's amazingly good with tech."

The Captain smiled and nodded in agreement. "It is rare that one comes across an officer so young with such potential. Though he has so much to learn and needs more experience... his best opportunity to get that is through more exposure aboard and abroad. If you feel comfortable taking him, then I see no reason to disagree," replied Kris.

Captain Kerouac leaned over towards the side of his desk and hit the inter comm to the Bridge. "Ensign M'aara report to the Captain's Ready Room, please," said Kerouac over the comm channel.

Atom was surprised to get the call. His ears lay back with his uncertainty as he tapped his com badge, to respond, "On my way, Captain." He stood from his position on the bridge currently and waited for another helm officer to slide into his seat before heading for the Captain's Ready Room. His tail flicked back and forth quickly as he thought about a million things at once, some of them useful, but he did managed to smack several people with his arching tail. Was he in trouble? Had he done something wrong? Why did the engines make a high pitched whine right before they dropped into warp? Was it something he was unfamiliar with? What if he'd done a really good job and the Captain was going to compliment him? It didn't take him long to essentially cross the room and tap the buzzer on the Captain's Ready Room door.

"Come," Kris called out with a small smile. The Captain gestured for Atom to have a seat next to the First Officer. "Ah Ensign, please come and join us. We were just discussing some matters about an away mission that the Commander here is going to be leading. Commander Brooks feels that you should accompany him," said Kris simply.

Atom looked at Stace in surprise, his ears swiveling between the two men. "Oh really?" Atom grinned and leaned back in the chair, crossing his lean arms over his chest. "What kind of mission needs a pilot and an engineer?" He was immensely flattered that Stace wanted him to come along. After all, he was just an Ensign, and even though he was currently the department head for Navigation, that never meant to him that that wouldn't change in the future. It was very possible that they would, at some point, get a higher ranking officer to take his place. In all these thoughts, he suddenly remembered about the Ferengi on board, his tail twitching in excitement at the thought of maybe getting to do something important.

Stace was just about to explain when he realized that was actually the Captain's prerogative. He closed his mouth and looked over to the CO.

Kris looked at his First Officer. "I think the Ensign deserves to know the details of this little mission, Commander. Since you will be leading it, please go ahead and brief the young man," said Kris with a nod.

Stace nodded in return, then turned to Atom. "We'll be travelling to Deleth Station, in Romulan territory. We will meet with a women name Vara where we will pick up a Cloaking Device and return it with us." He knew it sounded very cloak and dagger, which it was. There was no need to sugar coat that fact. "Obviously we are to be discrete, very discrete."

Atom sat forward in his seat, his eyes going wide and for once his long tail stilled. It took a moment for his mouth to actually drop open. He stared between the first officer and the captain. "But..." was about all he could manage. He was pretty sure that the Federation was not supposed to have cloaking devices, but he was also pretty sure that both men he was currently staring at knew that as well. "Alright..." he was always up for some intrigue and this was definitely intriguing. "How... and why?"

"Why don't we stick with as much plausible deniability as we can." Stace smiled. "We'll be taking a shuttle to Deleth and we will meet with Vara. I'll be handling the actual transfer of the cloaking device. I"ll need you to verify, or at least try to verify, that we have what we came for." Stace explained. 'And to keep me from going stir crazy' probably was best left unsaid.

Atom nodded. "Don't worry sir, I'll be able to verify if what we get works or will work. What will we do if it's not workable?" he asked, his green eyes flicking between both humans. "I mean what is our course of action if our illegal transaction goes south?" He grinned. He found it rather amusing that he had joined Starfleet to get away from dealing with questionable goods and trafficking them and yet here he was. He had never really known for sure, but he had always suspected that one of these types of exchanges had been the reason his father had been killed, but he didn't have any fears concerning the mission.

Kris cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair ever so slightly. "The station is of Romulan design and is presently under the command of a Romulan officer. However, the station itself presently rests safely within Federation space and is home to a few Federation citizens and some Starfleet crew," added the Captain. "I'm trusting that the device is genuine and functional, but I would like your second opinion, Ensign. Especially when it comes to applying it to the Camelot itself," stated Kerouac.

"If something is wrong or goes south, you are to get off that station and return to Camelot immediately," explained Captain Kerouac. He looked at both Stace and Atom. "The woman you are meeting is a Lagashi. However, she's a Starfleet officer and one I'd trust with my life. In fact, I have had to trust her with my life in the past. Her name is Cho'vara, she's a junior grade lieutenant and served under me aboard the USS Katana. She won't screw us over," added Kris reassuringly.

Atom nodded. "Yes, sir," he said with confidence. "I really want to thank you both for this opportunity. I'm sure that nothing about will ever be mentioned on my record, but honestly, it means more to me that you both trust me enough to include me and trust my skills. It's very flattering." His tail swished back and forth with pleasure. "Is there anything else I need to know? Code words or anything?" He'd never participated in any covert operations and wasn't quite sure how these went down, unless one wanted to call smuggling Romulan Ale into his rooms at the Academy covert.

Kris let out a small chuckle. "No, Ensign. No code words...no safety words, just a simple operation that requires the tact of being subtle. I will be making a note in my log and my report of your performance, ensign. In due time, I am sure it will all be declassified" replied the Captain. "This is not the first time Starfleet has made attempts to make some headway in regards to cloaking technology."

Stace had to hold his chuckle in, but Kris handled the young Ensign surprisingly well. Atom was growing into quite the officer, and hopefully this mission would put him a few steps in the right direction. "Anything else Captain? I can fill Ensign M'aarra in on the details a bit later."

"Not that I can think of number one" said Kris as he stood from his desk, gesturing the men to do the same. This meeting was over and Kris was herding them towards the door. "Just be safe and come back home as soon you can" added the Captain.

Nathan and Kris had a lot to talk about. Mostly Nathan was personally worried about his future with Star Fleet, but he also had a message to pass along to the Captain.

Nathan had been directed to where Kris' cabin was. This time he knocked on the door instead of hitting the button that would slide the door open without request. He had learned his lesson with Seras

After having a nice early morning breakfast, Kris was dressed and ready for the day ahead. He had yet to get into his Klingon battle armor and head to the Bridge, but Fisher had already left.

The knock on the door did not sound Klingon. It did not have the hardness of Klingon knuckles, but it was loud enough for Kris to easily hear. He had opened the doors and found himself looking at Nathan.

"My face is still healing, so I'm sitting this round out" said the Captain as he gestured for the man to come in and enter the cabin. He could tell that there was a lot on the man's mind and of course they had several months time to catch up on. "What's on your mind, Nate?" asked Kris.

Nathan held his hands up in a gesture of peace as he entered the room. "I hit you once, I think that was fair. Anymore would be indulgent." He lowered his hands. "I have a number of things I want to talk to you about. Most important first. Again, thank you for risking as much as you have to come back and get me. I know the cost of that mission."

The Captain scoffed as he headed towards the small portable Federation food replicator he had brought aboard, mostly for Fisher. "As if leaving you there forever was an option? No. I'm sorry you were there for as long as you were, but your 'death' was convincing" explained Kris. "Would you like anything to drink?" asked the Captain

"That thing make whiskey?" Nathan asked only half joking. "I will need a salad for Seras before I leave."

Kris looked at Nathan judgingly. "As if I'd bring it aboard without the ability to whip up a good whiskey. If you want whiskey, you can certainly have it. I haven't touched a glass of alcohol since you were left on Talos IV" replied Kris.

"Not that there wasn't plenty of prison blood wine going around, but I made a commitment to myself to change my ways, and its one vice I don't plan on letting back into my life" added the Captain. "We can definitely get Seras a salad as well."

Nathan ordered a whiskey for himself and held it up in a toast to Kris. "I have not had a drink since I was left as well." He stated, but it was not for the same reasons. The Talosians didn't have anything even close to alcohol on their planet.

"I need you to do something for me Kris." Nathan said, casting the Captain a serious look over his glass.

Kris leaned forward slightly. The look in Nathan's eyes was unsettling to Kris. Clearly this was more than a simple favor. "Something serious I take by that gleam in your eyes" commented the Captain.

Setting down his cup of tea, the Captain took a deep breath. "How serious of a favor are we asking here, Nathan? I know a lot has changed since Talos IV, but one thing hasn't. Command does not like me most days."

Nathan chuckled. "Nothing like that Kris. As our Captain it is your right to preform the ceremony for Jhu and I. But more then that, you are a very close friend to both of us and the reason the two of us are together. I would be honored if you would wed us."

Kris smiled and it quickly broadened as he let the news sink in. He quickly extended his hand, offering it to Nathan in order to shake his friend's hand. "Congratulations, Nathan. I am quite happy for you both and it would be a great honor to perform the ceremony. I never thought I would live to see the day someone actually married that woman."

The Captain chuckled and shook his head, letting out a sigh. "It is a Captain's greatest honor to perform the marriage of two members of his or her crew, but an even delightful honor for me as your friend to wed the two of you" added Kris.

"Truly, I am happy for you both. Though I must know, what have you two discussed for a ceremony? When will it take place? Where? What sort of theme, are did you agree on a particular culture? What sort of dress attire?" Kris added shooting off question after question.

Nathan let the man ramble for a moment and enjoyed his glass, taking a couple of small sips. "Easy Kris, The only detail that has really been worked out is that we both want Andy and Maica to be there and not on this ship."

Kris let a warm smile form. "It would be nice seeing those two again" he said softly. "Once you pick a location, we can discuss scheduling the two of you some leave time, and I'll make room in my schedule to oversee the ceremony."

"Well I know for a fact that Jhu does not want to do it here." Nathan said with a chuckle. "She was very clear that she wants to wait till we are back on Camelot. I guess the biggest thing right now is, do we wait until after our daughter is born or not."

The Captain looked at the man and nodded. "Of course. I didn't mean right here and now aboard this Klingon rust bucket" replied Kerouac, shaking his head at the thought. "The two of you deserve a much nicer place for the ceremony to be held. I am sure that your daughter will be born a very happy and healthy child" assured Captain Kerouac.

"Now, I must ask, Nathan...what the hell did the Talosians want with you for these past several months?" asked Kris. Though he was greatly concerned for his friend, Kris was also concerned for the Federation. "They abducted a member of my crew...a Starfleet Security Officer. Would you say they are a threat to the Federation?"

"Quite the opposite. They are actually still in contact with me." Nathan explained. "It seems that since they have been cut off, taking in guests is the only way they can get information on the state of everything out side of their planet. They are scared Kris. There are threats out there now that they can't protect themselves from." Nathan took a deep breath, then let the shit hit the fan. "They are hoping that the Federation will change there mind and consider letting them join. They didn't mean to cause me discomfort, they simply didn't understand the impact it would have on me. Lucky for them, they picked me to hang onto for months. While I am not happy about it, I don't feel that it has affected me negatively. I am willing to speak on their behalf, I believe that them joining the Federation would be an exciting opportunity for both parties."

Kristopher N. Kerouac had heard a lot of incredible things in his many years as an officer of Starfleet, and had some rather fascinating voyages and encounters as a starship Captain, but what Nathan was spewing out was purely remarkable. The Talosians as members of the Federation was unfathomable and awesome in the original sense. It was alarming and scary to even think about. "Nathan" said Kris with a heaviness to his voice. "The Talosians? Join the Federation?! That's absurd" said Kris shaking his head.

Kerouac pointed at Nathan "They took you. Held you captive and did who knows what to your mental state. I cannot even believe that I am having this conversation. Why should we trust them? The entire Christopher Pike incident is enough to send chills down even the most veteran of Captains' backs" said the Captain of the USS Camelot.

"This is way above my rank and ability, Nathan" admitted Kris. "If they truly have an interest in joining the Federation....fine. But they will be doing so through the proper channels and that is going to take time. Months at the very earliest though with them, probably years" stated Kerouac. "I am willing to begin the process with you for them, but they are going to have to change the very foundations of their beliefs and practices to even be considered for Federation membership."

"Both I and they are very aware of this. It will be a long a delicate process. But the Borg scenario they stuck in my head has me more terrified than the Pike incident. Kris, imagine what would happen if the Borg got to Talos. They would take over that planet in days and then what?" Nathan pointed out. "And that's just the Borg, you and I both know that there are bigger and badder dangers out there. The way I look at it, keep your friends close and your enemy's closer. At least if they were part of the Federation we could keep tabs on them."

Kris nodded in agreement. "The Borg, Kro, Romulans, Breen, Cardassians...it is an infinite list of potential problems. If any one of them or even someone we do not know as of yet manages to take over or ally themselves with the Talosians, it could mean hell for the Federation" said the Captain. "I understand the seriousness of this matter, Nathan. However, how trusting can we even be of the Talosians. They capitalize on deception and misdirection" offered Kerouac.

"So do the Feringi, we still manage to work with them. Between you and I Kris, when we cut out off the red tape and bull shit, them joining is going to be what is best for everyone involved. Maybe twenty years ago there would be a valid argument for not including them. But nowadays, with some of the races that have joined the Federation, frankly I don't see where anyone could have a truly valid argument against this." Nathan stated then took a sip of his whiskey.

Kris scoffed and nodded. "Well placed and well said. I'll go through with it, Nate. I'll draw up a report before we get back to Camelot and inform Starfleet Command of the seriousness of the Talosians interest in joining the Federation."

Vara was sitting in her command chair aboard the IRW Sistius, staring at a PaDD. Apparently, the new cloak they had found in storage had been easy enough to hook up and get working. In fact, trial runs had proven to be extremely promising and everything should be working within the hour. Unfortunately, the other cloak that they had found, wasn't working nearly as well. It had been running for twenty three years, so some wear and tear was expected, but the engineers working on it couldn't figure out why it would turn on but not actually generate the cloaking field.

This left Vara with two choices. Abandon work on it and just leave it as a side tinker project, or find someone that could fix it. deciding upon the latter, she had already sent out a communications request through Starfleet's networks for Andy. Hopefully, she'd be able to get in touch with her and see what she thought. Heck, if she was lucky enough, she could get her to even take a look at it. There was just no doubt in her mind that Andy could fix it and she was willing to take the IRW Sistius to her to prove it.

Andy was aboard the USS Camelot when she got the communique. Andy settled in at the console in the guest quarters to answer the incessant chirping. A message from Vara? But the signal looked like a Romulan frequency! Well, best answer the call and see what was up. She tapped in her authorization to reply to the call, opening a communication channel between the two ships.

Looking up from her PaDD, Vara smiled at Andy as her image flashed up on the viewscreen - one of the few things on the antique Romulan bridge that had been fully upgraded. "Andy! It's good to see you. How have you and Maica been?"

"We've been good," Andy said with her trademark smirk. "We're settling in on Earth pretty well, though the natural gravity felt pretty weird at first. How about you? I see you're... on a Romulan ship?"

"Yeah, I'm in charge of sector security for Deleth Station and I have my own ship to do it with. She's older than the Federation, but most of her major systems have been updated. We even just installed a brand new Romulan cloak." Vara said, glancing nostalgically around the bridge. "The spaceframe can only do warp six at best and the singularity core was stripped out and she's running with an antimatter reactor now, but she's proven to have more teeth than anything we really have to worry about out here."

"Well that's sounds interesting. At least you don't sound bored," Andy said with a grin. "Oh, did you hear the good news? They found Nathan! He's alive, Kris took a team out there to get him!"

Vara smiled even brighter now - she'd obviously come to terms with emotions and had started acting more 'human' to fit in. It was liberating in a way to be able to freely express herself like that. "That's awesome news! I was worried about Jhu getting through all that, but since he's still alive I don't think I need to worry quite so much. I have good news for you as well. I have a Romulan cloak that ran constantly for twenty three years and we need help getting it working. Do you mind looking over the scans of it?"

"Forget the scans, patch me through to your Engineer and I'll help as much as I can from here," Andy said, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look at the screen. "I mean, you do have a decent Engineer over there, right?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah Chase is pretty good. not as good as you, but still up there." Vara said as she ran the patch herself at the nearby comms station.

After a few moments, a scruffy looking trill came on the screen with a gruff look on his face. "Yeah Cap'n? What is it now?"

"I have a specialist on the line and I'm hoping you two can brainstorm a solution for our cloak that doesn't cloak." Vara said, the man giving a grunt and a nod in return.

"Andy Carter," Andy said to introduce herself. "Gimme a rundown of what you've done so far and transmit scans of the device and we'll see if we can't figure out something to get this thing working."

Vara transmitted the scans as Chase spoke. "I'm Chase. Just Chase. The power systems blew out and we've fixed them. The system fires up and all readings look normal... but no cloaking field. By the scans, everything seems to be in tolerance but after twenty three years on, who knows..."

"Alright, lemme take a look..." Andy said as she pulled up the scans. As she looked over the scans, she could see where the power system had been replaced, but the rest of the device looked in decent shape, she could see no immediate reason for the device not to work. "Yeah... Yeah, I see the new power relays feeding into it... and the new regulator... Did you replace the manifold valve?"

"Yeah, brand new from Romulan stores. Had to swap half the flow control regulator too."Chase commented, looking over the scans as well. "Power readings through the manifold are identical in both the new one we found and this one."

"Mhmm..." Andy replied with a nod. "Did you check the polarity? That gets the grunts in trouble all the time during repairs!"

"We checked and it appears to be ok. Running another scan now of the emitter grids themselves just to make sure. This'll take a minute." Chase said as he punched up the scans. "In the meantime, what's your connection to the cap'n?"

"We used to have sex," Andy said bluntly, grinning. "And we were stationed on the Katana together, so we're from another universe." She watched the scan output as it appeared on the screen. "Good, looks good..." she said as she read. "Ah, there it is, you've got something clogging the emitter system."

Chase nodded as he tweaked the scan for a bit more depth. "Hmmph... I see it now. it's depolarized on all the tertiary adjuncts, creating a jamming field. Should have caught that. I'll get someone on repolarizing everything and let you know how it goes."

"Alright, I'll be here," Andy said as she watched the repairs taking place.

As a technician ran a start to the repairs, the cloak started vanishing a piece at a time, proving effective once again. "Scans on the repolarized areas are proving effective. In a few hours we should have this baby purring like she should for our client. Thanks for the help, Miss Carter."

"Hey, just call me Andy, and no problem, I'm happy to help," Andy said with a nod. "You want me to stay on the line in case you need anymore help?"

"Andy then. Thanks but no. If we can't cloak the mass of that ship... Camelot, I think it was. I'll put in a comms request." Chase was distracted now, running scans and tweaking the power levels across the emitters.

"Alright, fair enough, I'll let you work," Andy said, then closed out the channel to chase so she was only talking to Vara now. "So... You didn't say this cloak was bound for the Camelot," Andy said with a grin. "You know them things are illegal for us, right?"

"Specifically, it's illegal for the Federation to develop cloaking technology. It's perfectly legal to own one if you can pry it from the cold dead hands of a Romulan commander." Vara said with a wry grin. "Which is about what we did under salvage rights. Just don't spread word around, ok?"

"Hey, you know me, my lips are sealed," Andy assured Vara. "Just wanted to make sure all the bases were covered. Don't want you or Kris getting in trouble. And I assume something is underway to get the thing over to the Camelot?"

"That's what I'm told. I'd have come to deliver it myself, but pirates have been bad lately and even this old warbird is the only thing scaring them off right now." Vara was at home fighting pirates at least.

"Well you take care of yourself out there," Andy said with concern. "And I've got a shipment of, uh, parts, you know, for you. I sent them to Deleth before I knew I was coming out this way, so if you get hurt, the medical officer on Deleth will have the tools and resources to take care of you."

"Thank you again. It seems you're always patching me up when I need it." Vara's smile softened to one that she had previously reserved for Andy in bed. "If you ever need anything, please just let me know."

"Well, don't thank me yet, it's just a partial shipment," Andy spoke up quickly. "I sent the most important bits I had finished, the rest are on my work bench waiting to be finished, but I figured you'd appreciate the promptness of this first batch. And you'll have to forgive the delay of the second batch, though given that Nathan's the cause of the delay, I'm sure you won't mind. Just don't get hurt too bad out there!"

"I won't. I have a whole crew to help keep me out of trouble now." Vara assured her, pausing for another moment. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around Vara," Andy replied with a reminiscing grin, then leaned forward to shut off the console; she hoped Vara would be okay out there...

Stace had ordered Ensign M'aarra to the shuttlebay. There mission needed to stay secret, and while he trusted M'aarra there were plenty of other eyes and ears that wouldn't know better than to spread gossip. So a private meeting inside a sealed shuttle would provide the necessary secrecy. All he had to do was wait a few minutes for the Caitian. Then they could get started on their mission.

Atom made his way to the shuttle bay. He was a little confused as to why Stace wanted to meet him in a shuttle, but he was sure that it probably had to do with all the activity surrounding their recent guest. He also secretly hoped that maybe Stace had some sort of grand adventure planned for him, but he knew that was probably just a milk-dream. He entered the shuttlebay cautiously and looked around for the Commander. His long tail flicked back and forth slowly, behind him, showing both his caution and his excitement.

Stace saw Atom enter the shuttlebay and opened the shuttle doors. He waved Atom over then rubbed cheeks. "So, this is going to be our home for the next week or so." Only then did Stace hand over a PaDD with the specifics of their mission, not just the outline Kris had given them.

Atom took the PaDD and started to read it with interest. He looked around the shuttle. "Think we can stay in here for a couple of weeks and not kill each other?" He made scratching motions at Stace with one paw, in a joking fashion, a smile on his face.

Stace mock growled at him, then quickly looking around to make sure they were alone, closed his jaw over Atom's Carotid Artery, though there was no pressure in the bite. He let go quickly and snickered. "As long as you don't get fur in my water, we're good."

Atom made a surprised noise and put one paw over where Stace had put his teeth, shoving the human gently away from himself with his other paw and laughed. "OH you're getting fur in your water... you can count on that. And on your clothing and in your bed and possibly even in your food." He grinned, showing teeth. "So how are we going to get past the Romulan border in this? I think they're gonna notice us."

Stace just smiled. Atom was right about the fur, and Stace had only been teasing, he was quite use to Caitian fur in, well everything. He turned serious then and explained the plan to get over the border undetected. "So, you ready?"

Atom nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be. I hope we brought plenty of guns." He laughed, sort of joking and sort of not. It had always helped him to make light of serious situations. It helped take some of the pressure off and relieve tense situations. "So when are we leaving?"

"As soon as we get clearance." Stace motioned towards the shuttle. "Let's make sure everything is in place."

Atom nodded and rose, going around the shuttle with a fine tooth comb and looking for anything that might be out of place or not working. When he had finished the system check of the engine, shields and weapons, he returned to where Stace was and started to go through the launch sequence check with him. "Do you ever get nervous about stuff like this?" he asked after a long pause in their check.

"Hrrm?" Stace asked, not quite sure what Atom was referring to. "Going out in shuttles? They're perfectly safe."

Atom laughed and looked over at Stace. "No, I know they're safe. Just... do you ever get nervous when you're faced with the unknown?" He flipped several switches on the console in front of him. "Especially when things could go really, really wrong? It's not the shuttle, it's the task ahead of us."

"Ohhh." Stace blinked, realizing what Atom was asking. "Ummm. I don't really think there is anything out there that's worse than what I've already been through." He shrugged, leaving that the extent of his admission. "But it's natural to be nervous." He smiled at Atom. "Everything will be fine." Stace said with confidence.

Atom laughed heartily. "Yeah, yeah... that's what they all say..."


Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO
Ensign R’Aattom M’aarra
Flight Control Officer

Fixing his uniform with a few tugs every few inches he progressed as he walked down the corridors of the USS Camelot, Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac was en route to the Manticore class starship's main transporter room after the Camelot received some very unexpected guests in the form of several Federation starships exiting out of warp ahead of Kerouac's starship, cutting him off. The initial response was to quickly go to yellow alert despite the starships being Federation. Kerouac had been about to give the command to elevate to alert status yellow when he was informed that the Camelot was being hailed.

The fact that Kerouac was being cut off by several Federation starships was disconcerting for the man. This most certainly was not the first time he was either directed to report to a starship or starbase or have a starship come for him. Those instance involved facing disciplinary hearings, facing court martial, and in the most recent incident it meant being sentenced to prison. What awaited him now was something different.

Kris found himself stopped in the middle of the corridor by a young man who he did not recognize. The young man approached the Captain with a PaDD in hand and a good pace to his steps. “Captain Kerouac, Sir...this is for you” said the Yeoman. “The Admiral wants to see you aboard the Paladin, Captain” added the young man.

“Admiral?” replied Kerouac inquisitively. His interest was certainly perked at this point. “Admiral who, Yeoman?” asked Kristopher as he considered veering off and doubling back to his quarters to put on a dress uniform. Captain Kerouac was not expecting an Admiral.

The young man directed Kris' attention to the PaDD that he had handed him. “Admiral Riker, Sir” answered the yeoman simply. “He requests a meeting with you aboard the Palatine immediately” added the yeoman. “The details are on the PaDD. I am to escort you to the Paladin, Captain” explained the yeoman further.

Riker thought Kris taking a deep breath. “Yeoman, I'll meet you the transporter room in ten minutes. I need to make some quick preparations if I am going to be meeting with Admiral Riker” countered Kris, notably to the yeoman's agitation. Begrudgingly, the yeoman seemed to agree to the terms and conditions. Captain Kerouac immediately headed back to his quarters and intended to also make a very brief stop by the Camelot's Mess Hall.

Several minutes had passed since Kris dismissed the yeoman. Ten minutes since on the dot, Captain Kerouac entered the primary transporter room, dressed in his best looking dress uniform, with the PaDD laid atop a box of assorted chocolates. Seeing any Admiral was intimidating, but this one had a lengthy distinguished career and a nasty reputation for being stern, opinionated, and had been known to chew out inadequate starship captains.

Captain Kerouac had met the Admiral in the past, though at the time of their first encounter, Riker was a Commander. Kris' past experiences with Admiral Riker were limited and few and far between. The last Kerouac had seen of the man, Riker was a Captain in command of the USS Titan. Though it was not Kris' career in Starfleet that had lead to him becoming faintly acquainted with the man. After Kris' fiance went missing, he underwent grief counseling and met with a few Starfleet counselors. One of the initial counselors that Kris had seen was Deanna Troi.

Kris went on to see different counselors, but had stayed in touch with Deanna every now and then. It had been several years though. What Kris had briefly neglected to consider was the fact that the man he was going to meet was not the man he knew. This Riker was a complete stranger. Regardless of how similar or how different this man's life was than the Riker from Kris' time line and universe, he was not the same man. Still, it did not stop Kris from picking up an assortment of chocolate.

Kerouac wasn't ripped from his fantasy until the yeoman spoke up. “Have you met the Admiral before, Captain?” asked the young man.

Captain Kerouac looked at the man slightly taken aback. “Uh...no. No, I actually have not” replied Kris with a shake of his head. He then joined the yeoman on the transporter pad. “Energize” ordered Kris with a nod to the transporter operator.

Andy took a deep breath, excitement oozing from every pore as she walked with Maica to the transporter. They had been on a civilian transport ship for several days waiting to rendezvous with the Camelot to reunite with a long lost friend who had recently been recovered. As soon as the news had been confirmed, Andy booked the first transport off Earth and it had been a long, tedious wait to get to this moment, and now it was finally here; they were going to see Nathan again!

"You ready?" the ex-Borg woman asked the voluptuous Orion android at her side.

Maica nodded, nervous as to how this would happen. For her, her memory engrams were solid proof that Nathan was dead. She would need similar proof that he was alive and that alone opened up the possibility of doubts in her mind. If they weren't right, what else could be wrong?

Andy chuckled at Maica's nervousness and took her hand. "Hey, cheer up, this is supposed to be a good thing!" she said excitedly. They rounded a corner and passed through a set of doors to the transporter room, the operator standing by to beam them over. Andy led Maica up onto the pad, still holding her hand. "They should be waiting for us on the other side, be happy," Andy said in the soft and gentle tones she reserved for Maica's ears only, using her free hand to caress Maica's cheek.

Maica purred softly at the caress, relaxing slightly. "I'm just worried that my memories are wrong about his death. Don't mind me."

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out, and once we see him, I bet you won't care that those memories are wrong," Andy assured her, then looked to the transporter operator, giving him a nod to let him know they were ready to go. The operator returned the nod and began the transport, whisking them away to the Camelot...

Captain Kristopher N. Kerouac had been waiting for this family reunion for quite some time. It had been weeks since the crew of the Camelot had rescued Nathan from Talos IV though it was more like a retrieval than a rescue given the Talosians recently vested interest in formally joining the Federation. With the Sigma Iotia mission behind them the USS Camelot was chugging away through Federation space with an ultimate heading into the Beta Quadrant.

Kris stood in the Transporter Room of the Camelot, dressed in a fresh, clean, and very white dress uniform. His hair was a bit grown out, a little shaggy and he had a few days growth on his face, but he still looked a lot healthier and cleaner than he had in Klingon prison. Giving a nod to the transporter operator, the Captain of the Camelot awaited the materialization of two of his closest friends and former crew from his time as Commanding Officer of the Intrepid class, Katana.

Nathan came into the room with Jhu in hand. He stopped short when he saw the Captain in formal dress. "No one told me that I should dress up." Nathan said with a slight smirk on his face. He would save the majority of the teasing Kris to Andy. "How long has it been since you two have seen them?" He asked, entering fully into the room. Nathan guessed it would have been about a year by now.

"Don't mind me, I am killing two birds with one dress uniform" said Kris with a smile. "I have a date tonight" he explained simply "And it has been a long time...over a year, and way overdue" added the Captain.

"It has not been that long!" Jhu laughed a little, pointing at her very rounded belly. "Maybe nine months, not much longer than that or she'd be out already."

The transporter pad was illuminated with the blue matter stream and soon Andy and Maica materialized on the pad. Andy barely waited for the transport to complete, practically sprinting off the pad; then Andy's lips were on Nathan's, and she didn't spare the tongue either, though before any protests could be made she immediately turned to plant a kiss on Jhu as well, you know, so she wouldn't feel left out. Then she swept them both into a hug. "Fucking hell, it's so good to see you two," the red-haired ex-Borg said, almost afraid that this moment wasn't real.

Nathan was not shocked by Andy's lip lock, and just wrapped his arms around her. She was probably the only woman ever who could get away with such a thing right in front of Jhu. He did react when Andy gave the same treatment to Jhu herself.

Jhu squeaked in protest, pushing Andy away and pretending to be offended. "Last time you did that we both nearly ended up in the brig!"

Maica stood on the transporter pad staring at Nathan. All her senses said it was him. Heart rate, physical measurements, the sound of his mechanical arm as it moved... Stepping off, she reached up a hand and touched his cheek, her fingers meeting the resistance of flesh. It really was him, wasn't it?

Nathan reached up and gently touched Maicas hand and smiled warmly to her. " Hi Maica, it's good to see you."

Kris smiled warmly when he saw Andy and Maica appear before him. It was not like a dream come true, it was a dream come true. He had literally spent months in prison dreaming of seeing them again, and now it was actually happening. Though his heart all but shattered when Andy came forward and kissed Nathan and Jhu, and then Maica being so fixated on Nathan, touching the man's cheek.

I shouldn't have come...I don't belong here thought Kris as he started to back away, inching backwards for the door. He had wanted to be hugged, to know that everything was alright, but how could it be? he told himself. Months in a Klingon prison and nobody replied to you. The only visitor you had was Jhu he reminded himself as the feeling of rejection sunk in.

As if reading the man's mind, Andy finally let go of Nathan and Jhu and looked over to Kris. "I''m not kissing you," she said bluntly, and instead pulled him into a hug. "Fuck, I have missed all of you guys!"

Kris smiled and warmly reciprocated the embrace. "That's ok...I know where your tongue has been" he said to the woman.

"Well... you know. The cat." Jhu shrugged slightly, like it was no big deal. Then she looked at Maica, a bit sheepishly. "I should have said goodbye. I'm sorry about that, but none of this was really planned out."

"No, it wasn't... Nothing seemed to have been planned at all since Kris left. Even Starfleet offering me the Katana when the cat left." Maica spoke softly. then something in her finally registered and she pulled Nathan into a hug, then moved to Jhu for a tender hug. Then after a moment, she moved on to Kris, hugging him as well. "And you're not allowed to be sent to any more penal colonies."

The Captain scoffed "Tell that to Starfleet or the Federation. I'll do my best to stay out of prison" he added. He looked at the Android shaking his head. "I was not entirely thrilled when I heard you passed command of the Katana up. I would have taken her myself if I didn't have the Camelot, and I was really pulling for you to take her, Maica" added Kerouac.

He looked at Andy and then back at Maica. "You made the right decision though. Both of you. I had the chance to see the Katana several days ago and meet with the new Commanding Officer. I think she's going to be in good hands."

"Maica in command of a starship?" Jhu giggled a little, remembering the conversation they'd had when she'd briefly made Maica her XO. "Actually I think you'd be pretty good at it. Better than me at any rate."

"You might be right and we might find out soon. Who knows?" Maica said as she wrapped an arm around Andy's waist, grinning happily. "I have to admit that I'd prefer something in design similar to the Olympic class if possible."

"I would serve under you." Nathan said with a nod. "I think you would make an amazing CO"

Kris shot a look at Nathan. "Don't get any ideas. I didn't just come to Talos IV, hull your ass back here and make you my Security Chief and Second Officer to just lose you to a CO with larger breasts" joked Kerouac. "I do believe Maica would have been an excellent Commanding Officer" added Kris with a nod.

Captain Kerouac looked at his friends. "How long will you two be aboard? I'll have a nice dinner set up this evening if you all can join?"

"Well, ain't got any plans at the moment. I'd like to stay long enough to watch them two get hitched," Andy replied, gesturing to Jhu and Nathan. "I also understand Nathan's arm might need some work and there's no telling how long that could take. Anyway, if we're gonna do dinner, I wanna run through a shower and put on some fresh clothes first. That oughta give you a few minutes to get something ready."

"Smashing" replied Kristopher with a broadening smile. "Andy, if you are going to be here a while...I know you aren't here on any sort of official duty, but if you would not mind, I... We... Um, The Camelot could use your help with something."

Maica pulled Andy in tight, a lewd grin on her face. "You can borrow her, but I plan on keeping her busy too."

Andy chuckled as she put her arms around Maica. "Yeah, I can help out, but between Maica and Nathan, I plan to be busy. For different reasons, obviously, but I can spare some help for you."

"Thank you" replied the Captain as he thought about the projects presently going on aboard the Camelot. "I am Jenni will appreciate the assistance, even if you just spare an hour or so. It will help us out a great deal, Andy" added Kris with a small smile. Installing the cloak, getting our engines back in order, and preparing for our journey ahead thought Kerouac as he ran through several matters in his head. "Your experience with Borg technology is really what I'll need to borrow you for. The Camelot will be heading towards the Delta quadrant and I want to have our weapon systems and shields as ready as they can be in case we encounter the Borg. If anything, just having back up plans for those systems will be helpful" finished Kris.

"For a moment there, I thought I was gonna have to put my foot up your ass, though maybe you got your hands on another Borg transwarp device, but this is okay. In fact, this is right in line with the research I'm doing with the Daystrom Institute. I'll contact them in the morning to get myself attached to the Camelot temporarily, that way you don't have to worry about me disappearing too soon," Andy replied.

Oh no, I have Romulan cloaking technology to play with these days thought Kris with a smirk. "No, Andy. I learned my lesson not to fuck with Borg technology. I would however, like to be prepared for what they may throw at us should we encounter them" added Kerouac.

"I can make sure you're prepared," Andy said with a nod. "Now, can we get to some quarters; I really want a shower and for you to feed me."

Kris smiled at Andy. "You never were very good at staying still" he joked, a small teasing jab at the woman. Even when she was his Chief of Operations, she was constantly working, always moving about, and it was something he admired about her. Though he also valued that she could knock some sense into him at times...even if it had to be physically done.

The Captain looked at the transporter operator who had been hovering around. "You heard the woman" said Kris with a nod. "Take the Chief and Commander Maica to their guest quarters."

The young transporter operator smiled at the Captain and nodded in his direction. "Aye sir" she said as she departed from her station with a PaDD in hand. She looked at Maica with a small smile. "May I carry anything for you, Commander?"

"No thanks," Maica said with a smile as she looped one arm around Andy. "I've got everything ok."

"Alright, looks like we have you in VIP guest quarters on deck nine" said the young woman as she gestured for the two to follow her.

The iridescent glow surrounding the away team yielded all too quickly to their new environment. Jenni immediately reached to her waist and retrieved her tricorder, her small of her hand brushing against her tool pouch as she did so. It didn't take her long to confirm that the air was indeed breathable (even though they'd already determined it from Camelot), though it tasted just a bit stale.

Stace's first instinct was to sniff. Unfortunately his sense of smell wasn't really better than any other human, though some part of him felt it aught to be. It smelled about like he expected, recycled, but not pristinly.

But what mattered to her was what they didn't detect from Camelot. No signs of life, and no signs of activity. Whatever this ship had been doing, she couldn't believe it had been abandoned or left alone here at this white hole.

"Looks like I was wrong," Jenni confessed to the Executive Officer. "We beamed too far away from any of the critical areas. This level seems to be storage holds and crew quarters. We need to go up for the bridge or down for the engineering holds."

"Let's head to the bridge first." Stace replied. It only made logical sense that the bridge would hold the most information, but in this situation he wasn't really sure how much logic would hold.

Lieutenant Da'Kar was a science officer, but he was quite the diverse individual, both professionally and personally. His education was in science but also in engineering. He was all around a jack of all trades in the scientific and technical sense. He himself, was half Klingon...his other half being Betazoid.

As soon as they arrived, he had whipped his tricorder out and started taking some scans. The tricorder read no signs of life as they knew it, but the young science officer was not about to rely purely on technology to examine the possibilities. "I am not sensing anyone other than ourselves, Commanders" he said reporting to Matthews and Brooks.

Nothing from his tricorder either. Stace realized. With three of them out, he doubted they would all miss signs of life.

The lieutenant proceeded onward, heading for what was potentially the 'bridge,' thought the lieutenant maintained concentration on his tricorder. The tricorder began to make a rather curious sound, indicating that it was detecting something. Da'kar approached his immediate superior, Doctor Nichols. "Doctor, have a look at this" he said showing his tricorder readings to the man. Clear indication that significant amounts of neutronium composed the hull.

Having tricorder already in hand, as soon as the beam in was complete, Gideon had his opened. The scans were already started, his fingers tapped against buttons as the scans cycled. He hadn't paid much attention to the others, however he was keenly aware enough to walk forward as the rest did. Then the half-klingon, half-Betazoid addressed him, drawing him out of his concentration.

As asked, he looked at the tricorder screen. "That's odd, typically hull designs have a much more balanced composite." He notated the finding, and thanked the man.

Another finding was presented as the group drew nearer to the 'Bridge'. Da'kar looked at the Chief Engineer. "Ma'am, I am detecting...indications of isomorphic technology aboard" announced Da'Kar

Stace turned his attention to Matthews as well. There was a reason Da'kar had addressed her. Stace only had the foggiest idea of what isomorphic technology even was.

At that, Gideon lifted his head. "Isomorphic? Are you positive?" He looked to Matthews then to Da'Kar.

Da'Kar nodded. "No, Sir" replied the half-Klingon. "However, I am as positive as I can be without getting a closer look and examining it myself, but all the signs are there...it is indicating isomorphic technology."

Jenni was detecting it on her tricorder as well. She'd only heard of isomorphic technology and its capabilities. In fact, her first thought was of an old friend of hers who could possibly benefit from understanding it. "Seems like we stumbled on a find worthy of papers and R and D. Let's get to the bridge and see if we can restore power to those systems."

"Definitely would seem so" replied Da'Kar as he moved ahead onward.

"Bridge" / The Nerve

As they arrived on what appeared to be the Bridge of the vessel, Lieutenant Da'Kar headed towards the very center where he found a raised platform with what looked like a console in the center of the platform.

He was sensing something. "Communications" he said checking with his tricorder. "I think this is some sort of communications center...but not like we know it" he added as he staggered backwards and nearly fell into the Chief Science Officer

"Woah there," Gideon said as he reached out to grab the younger man, nearly dropping his tricorder in doing so. He helped steady the young geologist, and kept a firm grip on the man's arm to keep Da'Kar steady.

Da'Kar then looked at the First Officer. "Commander, this...ship or whatever it is...it's affecting me. I feel energy in this room, especially near that communications device. Not electrical energy though...more like..." the Lieutenant struggled to put it into words. "I guess more like Psychic energy. Telepathic or Empathic of a sort."

Gideon himself gave some thought to what the young science officer said. It almost sounded organic in nature, but no electrical energy? Brain activity had electrical activity. This perplexed him as well, though he wasn't a neurologist, so his theory could have been total bunk at this point.

"Could it be a log or perhaps some sort of AI?" Jenni asked, checking her tricorder once again. Thinking of Arivek, she also wondered if it could be some sort of sentient being translated to isomorphic form. "I'm definitely detecting something," she said, closing the tricorder and pulling a spanner out from her toolkit. "But it's going to need some power for us to find out what it is," she said, looking to the First Officer. She then glanced over to Da'Kar. "Unless you think you can coax it out with some empathy."

Da'Kar studied the raised platform more and slowly approached it. "Mmm" he said simply. "I don't think what I am sensing it necessarily related to the isomorphic readings, Sirs" he said looking at the trio who all out ranked him.

"I have a theory" he said and smiled. "But I think I am going to need a volunteer from the audience" he said smoothly.

Without even giving it a second thought, Gideon spoke up, "Alright, I'll be that volunteer." Part of the reason he wanted to volunteer was his own scientific curiosity pushing him to do so. The other part was that Commanders Matthews and Brooks were far more valuable rank and position wise.

It might not be the best decision ever, but Stace gave a small nod of permission. Being in Starfleet wasn't risk free, and he wasn't going to wrap everybody in a vacuum, nothing would get done. He'd trust that Da'Kar and Gideon had the experience and fortitude to not get in over their heads.

"Well, then...sha'll we?" said Da'Kar gesturing for Gideon to join him. As soon as both gentlemen were within close distance to the center, it seemed like the area came to life. "That's more like it" added Da'Kar.

A few moments later, the half-Klingon's suspicions were confirmed. As he focused his concentration and relaxed, he could do more than sense the Chief Science Officer's emotional presence. 'Doctor Nichols...Doctor, can you hear me?' asked Da'Kar as he used the communications area to communicate telepathically with the man.

Gideon nodded. He thought for sure hearing the voice in his head would have surprised him, or even caught him off-guard, but neither happened. Maybe it was because he was a scientist himself - and was always curious - he was sure to keep his mind fully open to the other scientist. I do.

Looking back at the others, Da'Kar was pleased to confirm his suspicions. "It is a communication device, Commanders. However, not by any means the Federation use. It's allowing Dr. Nichols and I to communicate telepathically with one another...something like this would easily allow a crew to communicate rather flawlessly" reported the lieutenant.

"With enough power, it could allow for communication throughout the entire ship or whatever this is. I'd suspect it could operate the same as our Universal Translator. Though instead of hailing a starship and communicating verbally, they may be able to communicate telepathically" offered Da'Kar.

Jenni colored herself impressed. Keeping an eye on her tricorder, Jenni opened her mind and thought, 'Seems like an efficient way to brainstorm and chat.' It was true. No need to tap a badge or a nearby panel. Plus, if all of their thoughts were on an open ship-wide channel, she could only imagine the innovation that resulted from it.

"I wonder..." Jenni mused aloud. "If the crew can speak to each other, telepathically, could they do the same with the ship itself?"

The whole concept unnerved Stace. He was excellent at reading body language, gleening information from minute changes in stance, voice, skin changes etc. But that wasn't invasive, just observation. To have someone actually privy to your innermost thoughts was disturbing on a deep level. "Good question." He commented to Matthews, keeping his composure the best he could. XO and all that. "Can you think of a safe way to test the hypothesis?" He asked.

Lieutenant Da'Kar looked at Commander Matthews. "A fascinating speculation and pondering, Commander, but Commander Brooks has a point. Can you think of a safe way to test your hypothesis?" asked the lieutenant.

"I'm willing to volunteer and provide my empathic abilities if you need them" offered Da'Kar.

As a scientist, Gideon was certainly curious as to how far this telepathic ability could go, but... he wasn't sure if wanted to place one of his own in harms way. Gideon swing his attention to the commanders. "I think we should let him at least try, we can monitor him, though," he turned his attention back to Da'Kar, "could we break the telepathic link if something went wrong?"

"In theory, yes, of course" said Da'Kar but the look on his face showed concern. "Though we are aboard a ship or facility of some sort that is entirely alien to us. The technology is alien to us, and we have no way of knowing 100% if we can break the link. It's a gamble" he admitted.

That bit of information wasn't surprising to Gideon, but that fact left him feeling a bit uneasy. However, sometimes getting answers as a scientist, at times involved risk. As Da'Kar's direct superior, he would allow it, but Gideon was not the final say in the matter. "You have the final say on this," Gideon said, directing his comment to the XO.

Jenni grunted, an unusual action for her. If she hadn't been so focused on her tricorder, she would have spoken up sooner. "We don't need to do anything fancy like warp to a new star system or change the environmental systems." Looking at Da'Kar, Jenni suggested, "Let's try something simple, like turning on the lights or firing a thruster for a split second. Something what won't endanger anyone."

"I like simple" said Da'Kar with a nod. "Something like turning the lights on might be simple enough. I'm ready for it" added Da'Kar as he took position. He put himself at ease, breathing with his stomach, deeply yet gently. He concentrated hard...focusing one simple task. Lights...lights...lights he thought to himself.

After several attempts in his meditative state, Da'Kar felt the room illuminate. The lights shown and he opened his eyes to fine the room was now illuminated. "I think I am getting somewhere with this" announced the lieutenant. "At least now we can see a little better."

"Fascinating," Jenni commented, ignoring her opened tricorder. "I could spend a couple months here," she spoke freely, her gaze moving about the room, not allowing her eyes to fixate anywhere for more than a few heartbeats at a time.

Gideon's breath hitched as the lights came up. His gaze swept the area, he turn in a circle as he did so. "I certainly concur," he said, agreeing with the chief engineer.

"There is the matter of the big white hole this... Vessel came out of," Jenni began. "I'm having more of a feeling that this ship had a hand in making it. We'd have to go below deck to see if we can find a power source, or even a set of emitters that could create such a phenomena."

Lieutenant Da'kar smiled at Jenni. "Shouldn't be too hard to find Commander" he said with a nod. "This place is rather small" added the half-Klingon. "Complex and weird, but still small."

---------------------------------------------------------------
CO Note: Due to two people being on LOA due to personal reasons, I have decided to write an end point to this as of 2/29/2016.

The shimmering effect of the Camelot's transporter's faded away as it dissipated. Soon, the sensation of being aboard the starship was gone and Lieutenant Noxa found her boots well planted on wet asphalt streets with a cooling mist in the air. It was daylight, but not a streak of sunlight to be seen. There was rain, a cold hard rain that began to steadily downpour soaking her Starfleet uniform. However, the small female Ferengi didn't care one bit. With a Starfleet issued phaser strapped to her side, she looked around and quickly took a head count. All were accounted for.

The two Nausican body guards, Ghet and Fex had transported down several minutes before to secure the area. Following them were Commander Tonkin, Lieutenant Noxa, Dr. Feigenbaum, Dr. Quinzel and their honored guest and the woman they were tasked to assist and protect, Alara. Commander Tonkin had the lead on this one and Noxa could respect that, but she was more familiar with Ferengi ways and hoped to use that as an advantage should the need arise.

Dr. Figenbaum's role was minimal in this whole thing. He was simply there to treat any injuries and over see the general well care as a physician of Ms. Alara and the general care of the members of Camelot's crew. The medical officer definitely would have rather been on a nice tropical planet or at the very least not one where it was raining, but he would have to deal with it.

Lieutenant Noxa looked at the members of the Camelot's crew. She was nervous about Captain Kerouac's choice to have a Q powered or not aboard his starship, and as his Ship's Counselor and Diplomatic Officer no less. They had transported down to an alleyway away from the heavily populated areas of "New Chicago" in order to be less of a target.

The female Ferengi officer looked up at Tonkin, happy to be working with the man again. "The outfit runs these neighborhoods, but we should be relatively safe so long as we stay clear of contested sections" stated the lieutenant. "Don't be too alarmed by the every day violence... rats usually up gutted on the streets or sleepin' with the fishes" added Noxa.

"How dismal..." Quintina muttered under her breath, commenting on the weather. "And refreshingly so, at that. I was bored with the lack of weather on the ship and this is quite refreshing."

Noxa smiled "I know how that can be. A lot of the planets in the Federation use devices for climate control and maintain a bright sunny day or clear cloudless night" added the woman. "There are a lot of Ferengi on this planet now. They removed the Federation climate controller...the weather here is more natural and fortunately for the Ferenngi, it naturally rains here quite often."

Nathan raised his face to the down pour as soon as he felt the rain. It had been a long time since he had been in a natural rain storm and he loved it. Noxa's words were almost lost to him in the second that he took to enjoy the water, but he was on duty and this was a very serious mission. He glanced to Noxa and nodded. " Unless it involves someone from our party, we are to ignore an and all violence. The safety of Alara is number one priority with starfleet officers being number two. Am I clear?" He said with an air of authority.

"We can't even pause and enjoy it? Aww..." Quintina said with a bit of a pout. "It's so fascinating trying to figure people like that out though."

Noxa looked at Nathan and nodded. "Whatever you say, darling" said Noxa with a chuckle. "You make yourself loud and clear, Commander. Would you like me to lead the way, Sir?"

Nathan smirked at Noxa, " Its good to work with you again, yes please lead the way."

"You got it" replied Lieutenant Noxa as she headed out, taking point and leading the others down the Chicago-esque looking streets and alleyways. She looked at the two Nausicaans "Numb skulls, stay closer to Alara" said Noxa in a near growl. It's a freaking wonder how she hasn't been killed yet with the guards they give her thought the small Ferengi.

Alara herself glared at Noxa. She feared nobody and though she appreciated the fuss that people were giving about her, she felt the guards were unnecessary. As the two bulky Nausicaans moved closer to her, sheltering her, Alara took a deep breath. I can do this. I just need to get to the center and deliver my speech she told herself.

Several minutes had passed without a hitch. Noxa was still leading the way and doing so with great caution. "I don't like the sound of this" she said as they were only a handful of miles from the center. She pulled her phaser out and looked over her shoulder at Nathan, who had been protecting the backside with the Doctor and Counselor.

Doctor Feigenbaum had a standard type II hand phaser holstered to him, a peculiar sight on a medical officer, but a necessary precaution. "What is it? What do you hear, Lieutenant? I don't hear much..." said the doctor who was partially Vulcan.

Noxa grunted. "Yeah, and that's the problem. I hear nothing nearby. Very light traffic...we are nearing the center of the city and I am not hearing the sounds of hustle and bustle. I don't like that."

"Yeah and the people we are seeing look scared. If I had any extra sensory perceptions, I'd say we were walking into an ambush." Quintina said just loud enough for the team to hear.

Walking down the somewhat narrow alleyway, Lieutenant Noxa was on high alert. Her ears were her greatest asset in the moments that came. The team moved closer and closer to the end of the alleyway. It poured out into a larger street that had a small yet steady flow of traffic. "We don't have much farther from here" commented Noxa. "We take a right onto this main road up ahead, walk straight for bit and we will arrive at our destination" she added nervously.

She knew they were walking into something. It had been too quiet for her liking. As the group drew closer towards the main street, a sound of a speeding vehicle alerted Noxa to trouble. "Protect Alara!" she shouted to the two Nausicaans and to the others. She watched as one of the Nausicaans moved towards Alara, serving as a human shield for her. While, the second Nasuciaan did not move an inch at first. However, he did soon attempt to pull the other Nausicaan away from Alara, leaving her vulnerable.

"Traitor!" shouted Noxa, but she did not have time to react to the Nausicaan. The Vehicle had arrived ahead, blocking the exit to the main street. The driver had a small hand gun and shot off a few rounds towards the group. The other man in the vehicle appeared armed with a "Chicago Typewriter" also known as a "Tommy"or Thompson Submachine gun.

It spat out bullets left and right, spraying the alleyway. Noxa felt herself get hit a few times, her one arm was bleeding and she dropped to her knee in pain, but she managed to fire off a few phaser blasts. The car sped off and Noxa had a few seconds to look around before she blacked out.

Doctor Sylar Feigenbaum was trained to take cover if an away team he was on took fire. He returned fire with his phaser, but for the most part, he had taken cover behind a bulky garbage dumpster. A bullet had caught him in the ankle, but after all was said and done, he was alright. After the car sped off, he left the safety of the dumpster. "Who's still with me?!" he shouted, hoping that they had survived the ambush.

Dr. Figenbaum saw Noxa was on the ground, he did not know if she was alive or dead yet. His medical kit was somewhere amidst the chaos. He fought the pain of his injured ankle and checked on Noxa. "The lieutenant has been hit in the arm multiple times. She's unconscious but alive" he reported aloud to anyone that could hear him. He saw a Nausicaan body lying atop Alara. The Nausicaan was riddled with bullets and had no life in him. He had bled out like a broken dam pouring water.

The Nausicaan was heavy, but he could here Alara making noise beneath the dead Nausicaan. "Help me move him off of her" he said, hoping The Counselor or Commander were able to assist him.

"Help Noxa!" Nathan ordered Quintina with a finger directer her to were the wounded Feringi woman now was as he rushed to assist with Alara. The two men were more then enough to lift the dead weight of the Nausicaan off her. Nathan held his breath as the body was lifted, hopefully all the blood was from the guard and not Alara's.

Quintina headed to Noxa, kneeling by her side. Then she snapped her fingers and started muttering to herself. There wasn't much she could do at the moment.

With the deceased guard removed from atop of her, Alara was able to breath more comfortably. "I'm fine, I'm fine...just shaken" she said as she struggled to get back to her feet. "What happened?" she asked, noting the chaos around her.

The Doctor checked on the other Nausicaan. "Both of the Nausicaans are dead, Sir. That one took a barrage of bullets and this one looks like he was killed by a phaser...one of ours probably" reported Dr. Figenbaum.

Figenbaum looked at Alara "We were attacked...ambushed to be more accurate. I think one of your Nausicaan guards betrayed us" he said shaking his head.

Alara looked around and saw Noxa was down on the ground and the two Nausicaans were lifeless. "That one covered me, knocked me to the ground and made sure I was safe. His family will receive my compliments and I'll compensate them reasonably. The other one was no doubt bought out by whoever is trying to kill me" she said to Tonkin.

Being pregnant sucked. Sure, it was the miracle of life and all that jazz, but Jhu was so physically miserable that she just wanted the baby out already. She really needed someone to vent to, but the Camelot's crew had put up with enough of her drama. Besides, there was someone visiting that she dearly wanted to spend more time with. It had only taken a matter of minutes to figure out which guest cabin Maica was staying in and a few seconds more to figure out that she was currently there. Hoping for a hot cup of tea or apple cider to greet her as it often had on the Katana, she rang the chime at Maica's door to request entry.

"Come in," Maica called from the replicator. She knew those footfalls and was already punching up an order of spiced cider for the both of them. It was the least she could do. Andy was out visiting friends and though she was an android, Maica still felt exhausted from the trip and emotionally drained at seeing Nathan alive and well. Hence why she was in these guest quarters alone.

Just from the smell that wafted out into the corridor as soon as the door opened, Jhu could tell it was spiced cider. If she wasn't being heavily weighed down by her unborn daughter, she might have pounced on Maica. Instead she settled for hugging her friend before reaching for a cup. "You're my favorite person right now."

"I'm glad I could help," Maica said, returning the hug and getting her own mug. Sitting down on the couch, she leaned back and sighed. "So... A lot's happened, it seems. How have you been? Besides the obvious, that is."

"Better since I got away from Eisovo and his nagging. And the doctor here finally found something that keeps me from puking. Long as I stay off the bridge." Sitting down on the couch next to Maica, Jhu took a sip of her warm drink. "I still have to pee every thirty minutes though."

"The toilet here has the three seashells, if you need it." Maica said with a soft chuckle as she sipped her cider. "However did you escape him, anyway? I had to become a lab rat for the Daystrom Institute for a few weeks."

"I honestly didn't do much, just begged for leave time because my nerves couldn't take any more of the 'working at a standing station while pregnant' nonsense. I almost hurled on his stupid furry head a few times... but the worst of it was when I blinked and found myself on the deck." That had been a fairly painful fall with a lot of questions afterward. It wasn't Jhu's favorite subject, but Maica had asked how she got away. "I went to visit Kris, found out he'd been sent to Vulcan, and we got together there and he offered me a spot here."

"Yeah, the Katana's bridge wasn't very well designed in some aspects." Maica mused. "At least the Camelot has a decent bridge layout. Not as nice as some, but at least it has that chair invention that some people seem to be allergic to. Definitely a good choice taking Kris up on his offer."

"Well we also have an understanding. If he has me pull tactical duty for any reason and I start feeling sick, his choices are I transfer tactical control to my console where I can sit down or I throw up on him." Jhu smirked a little, resting her warm drink against her belly.

"That sounds like a solid agreement if I ever heard one." Maica chuckled softly again, sipping at her lightly steaming mug. "Speaking of offers though... I've gotten three offers at command since I went to Daystrom. I'm seriously considering it but I don't want to do anything that Andy would have issue with, you know? I mean when she saw the outfit I wore during experiments and saw what kind of experiments they wanted to do on me... I can't blame her though. They wanted to do some pretty invasive stuff."

"Invasive stuff is bad, yeah..."

"Anyway, I don't want to see her that mad again so I'm trying to find a chance to talk with her about possibly accepting one." Maica sighed again. "What do you think?"

"If that's what you want. I was serious when I said you'd be good for it." Of course, Jhu also found the idea a but amusing, and she smiled thinking of it.

Maica eyed that smile mischievously. "What's that smile for? Something naughty?"

"No, I'm trying to imagine you actually threatening a member of your crew." Jhu snickered a bit, not sure she found the idea of Maica yelling at someone to be entirely convincing. "I mean, you were convincing as anything on Talos IV, but you'd just watch them kill somebody. That's different."

That thought sobered Maica quickly. "Yeah, that was a pretty extreme situation. I'd never felt rage before that and never again since. I'm just glad that Nathan is ok now."

"He's okay physically. Still a bit traumatized mentally though. Can't blame him, after all that bullshit they put him through." Jhu shook her head slightly, drinking some more of her cider then setting the half-empty mug on the coffee table.

"I can't even imagine," Maica said softly. "You're holding up well enough through all this I hope."

"I'm okay. I've been through a whirlwind... there's no other way to describe it. But I'm coping with it. Better now that Nathan's here, obviously." True, she still had nightmares, but at least she wasn't having them alone. Jhu was thankful for that at least.

Maica smiled softly. "That's good at least. And yeah, I've discovered that a life partner really helps a lot. Someone to love and to hold and confide in. Someone that can sooth you when you wake up from a nightmare. Before I met Andy, life was good but it was still pretty bland. I can only imagine what it's like being biological."

"Well if it helps any we don't know what it's like to be non-biological." Jhu smiled slightly. "Being flesh and bone can be overrated."

"This is true but it's still something some strive to be more like, if you know what I mean." Maica replied.

"Sure, I get it." Maybe other people wouldn't, but Jhu understood the need to be someone other than who she was. She'd struggled with it on and off since joining Starfleet... and right now she'd be willing to pay just about anything for the nagging soreness in her back to go away. She stretched slightly, trying to ease the ache at least a little.

"Need your back worked on a bit?" Maica offered, setting her mug aside. "I'm told pregnancy can really do a number on the spine."

"Could you please? It's killing me... the chairs on starships are not made for pregnant women. Honestly I don't think they're made for women at all."

"Generally not," Maica said, turning Jhu away from her and starting a massage from the top down.

"Someone should probably redesign them, but no one ever will. 'Too expensive', they'll say. Or 'not worth the time' or some other nonsense excuse." Under Maica's skillful hands, Jhu felt her back starting to loosen up a little. "Maybe Jenni would be willing to at least customize the chair in my office."

"If the captain of the Hera can have half her bridge redesigned to better suit her symbiont, I think we can afford the antimater and time to make you a proper chair." Maica said, working her way a bit lower.

"Did she really?" Jhu giggled at the thought of rearranging the entire bridge to satisfy what was basically a worm in someone's gullet. "I didn't visit the bridge when we met with them. I gave them Kris and left, basically."

"I took the captain up on her offer of a tour. I think she had more on her mind than a tour but after I told her about Andy, she backed off. She seemed depressed about it though. I really hope she finds someone special, you know?" Maica chatted away a bit as she moved one hand to Jhu's sternum and massaged her mid back with her other.

"I'm sure she will eventually. And I know you're doing that so you can touch my boobs." Sure, there were other reasons, like making sure she didn't move away from the pressure. But Jhu knew Maica pretty well by now.

"Nah, if I wanted to grope you, I would." Maica insisted, moving both her hands to Jhu's lower back and continuing the massage. She was almost able to cop a feel...

"Yeah, I bet you would. Still jealous that Andy didn't call when we were exposed to polywater?"

"Maybe a little. I don't think it would have effected me in my old body though. Too far removed from biologics and I'd be too worried about the rest of you to enjoy it." Maica started massaging Jhu's butt by this time.

"That is not my back! Maica!" Too amused to really pull off the 'fake offended' tone, Jhu giggled and squirmed away. She really had missed Maica since leaving the Katana.

Maica giggled softly, letting Jhu get away from her. "Aww but your gluteus is tense too."

"Uh huh. You just wanted to see if you could get away with it. What would Andy say?" Jhu knew what Andy would have said... something along the lines of 'hey I want in on this' or some other crude or sassy remark.

"She gets my special massages every night and she mostly just makes pleased noises." Maica said, standing and taking their mugs to the replicator to refresh their ciders.

"I don't think I needed to know that..." Jhu shook her head slightly, but she was never surprised by the borderline inappropriate comments that sometimes escaped Maica's brain.

"You asked. I answered." Maica said with a soft chuckle as she handed one of the mugs of spiced cider to Jhu. "How's Nathan holding up, by the way?"

"He's holding up fine... I think it helps that he's already shown me some of what happened to him there." Jhu tapped the side of her head before taking the mug Maica offered to her. "I'm not sure what they did to him to make it possible, but we can talk to each other when we're not together now."

"Wut?" Maica paused in the middle of sitting. Did she mean telepathy? From a human?

"So far it only works if I'm asleep... it's not really telepathy. Maybe more like... I don't know... astral projection? If that's a thing anyway." Jhu looked at Maica with an amused expression on her face. "You're gonna fall."

Maica slowly finished sitting. "That sounds... interesting... like sleep wifi or shared dreams maybe..."

"Yeah it was a little weird at first. I got used to it after a while though... well. Sort of." Jhu took a sip of her cider.

"Sounds a bit like when that goddess entered my mind, I guess." Maica said, musing over the possibilities.

"Huh?" Jhu gave her a quizzical look, not quite sure she remembered that.

"Oh, uh... When we crossed the dimensional barriers, we attracted the attention of a being that had evolved further along than the Q and my positronics are similar enough to her own past origin form that she could link up with me and sort of communicate." Maica explained.

"I... don't remember this..." Jhu's brow furrowed slightly as she tried to recall the event, but nothing came to mind.

"Andy and I kinda kept it under wraps. I'm not surprised." Maica said dismissively. "Besides, it wasn't all that exciting. I found my own deity and learned I have a chance to evolve to that point in a few trillion aeons. No biggie."

"Okay..." Jhu still had no idea what to make of that, but she decided not to pursue the topic. She didn't think she'd understand it anyway. "Well you learn something every day I guess."

"That's part of living," Maica said with a soft smile. "How long until you're due?"

"Uh... soon. Maybe another month. If I don't beg them to get her out early. Hey, quit kicking me." Jhu glared down at her belly, trying not to laugh at how her shirt fluttered every time the baby kicked. "I think she's going to be a soccer player."

"Sounds violent," Maica replied. "I'll still hope she goes into the fine arts, but just being healthy and happy will be perfect."

"Art might be nice, but she's a hell of a kicker. Oof." Setting her cider down, Jhu placed her hand over her belly in hopes of calming her daughter down. "I don't know what has her so riled up."

"Probably trying to stretch. Or she sensed you were feeling better." Maica offered.

"Maybe. But if she keeps it up I'm gonna pee on your couch."

"Then may I recommend using the restroom?" Maica chuckled softly.

Of all the people Nathan had seen so far, there was one in particular that he had not gotten to see yet. He made his way down to engineering and stopped just inside the door. He leaned against the wall and watcher her work for a moment.

In her world down here, Jenny moved around the the room working here and talking to her staff there. Nathan could not help but grin, it was just like the old days.

"Should I grab your ass again to get your attention?" Nathan quipped once she was close enough to here him.

Jenni, having just started to look at the PADD she'd been handed, looked up in surprised. "Nathan!" she nearly squealed, quickly embracing him with a hug. She'd heard he was indeed alive and back aboard, but this was the first time she'd been able to verify the rumor. "It's good to see you!" Keeping her smile, she slapped him on the arm with her PADD. "And, I wouldn't recommend my ass. As much as you may like it, I would not want to see what you'd look like after Jhu hears about it."

Nathan embraced Jenni with a huge grin. "Let be honest, she would not stop with just me. Besides, im happy with the ass i have back in my quarters" He said as he looked down at his friend. "You seem more at home in here and back in the gold uniform. Black didn't suit you."

"Nothing was the same without a warp core to tinker with," she honestly replied, keeping her gaze on him and not looking over to the active core. "Plus, now I've got some slipstream elements and some cool tech to play with. And red is an interesting color on you, Commander," Jenni added, stressing his updated rank as well. The last she'd seen him, Nathan was a lieutenant like her.

"Yeah, I think I look good in red." Nathan said looking down at himself for a moment, then back to Jenni. "We both have new pips on our collar I see Commander" He said putting the same emphasis on the rank as she did.

"I think we know who to thank for that." Her smile faded just a bit, thinking about the hard road they'd all had the last few months. Of course, none of hers compared to Nathan's or Jhu's or Kris's. "How are you doing, now that you're back where people don't mess with your mind?"

Actually, Nathan had no idea who to thank or what Jenny was talking about. He made a mental note to come back to this topic. "It's good to be home. I missed everyone terribly. I have to tell you, seeing everyone watch me die was...traumatic." Nathan said honestly. "Otherwise, it was not all that bad. They treated me well, I just could not go home. Even if they wanted to let me go, I had no way off the planet."

"Watching you die was traumatic enough," Jenni countered. Was it wrong that her only thought at this point was wondering what Katana would have been like if his "death" had never happened in the first place? "I'm just glad you're back."

"Me too Jenny. So, what the hell happened on Katana? I hear a rumor about you and M'Rayr?" Nathan asked bluntly.

All Jenni could do was chuckle. "Well," she said, leading him out of Engineering into the corridor simply because she didn't want to talk about her personal life in front of a team of engineers who could very well gossip about her plight. "I'm sure you heard we got married."

Nathan got the hint right away, and watched two officers pass by them before he spoke in a much quieter tone. " That's about all I heard. No one really seems to know what exactly happened past that and everyone is scared to ask you. I figured I would be bold and just ask."

"Scared?" Jenni asked, completely surprised. She would have told anyone what had happened if they'd only asked.

She stopped in an alcove and pulled up her sleeve to reveal the purple tattoo on her wrist. "It was an accident, really," she told Nathan. "M'rayr and I stayed at a Turush hotel. Turns out, they thought we were eloping, so they performed the ceremony themselves. The Federation apparently recognizes their marriages, even though we had no idea what had happened." Chuckling, Jenni added, "It was a shocker back then, but the morning after really was a hoot."

Nathan cringed, "That's more detail than I need." He said holding up his hands. "You and sour puss..." He shook his head to try and get the image of M'Rayr Jenni out of his head.

"Once you get past his shields," Jenni said, "he's actually rather sweet. But, with Kris going to prison, and after an interim CO left M'rayr in command, things started to change. We grew apart really fast, and I missed having an engine room. Katana wasn't really my Katana, so when a chance came up to be in an engine room again, I took it." Smiling, she held both of her arms out, gesturing to her surroundings. "So here I am on Camelot. In fact, I'm pretty excited that a lot of people who helped me on Katana are here. Your, uh, death really hit the crew hard. Katana was never the same after Talos IV."

"You are not the first person to tell me that." Nathan explained. "I keep feeling like I should apologize or something, but had it been up to me things would have been very different. But that's all in the past now. Did you hear that Andy and Maica are on their way here?"

She was about to tell him to stop apologizing--after all it's not his fault he was killed--only to find herself surprised by his last statement. "Andy!? Maica!?" she shouted. Those two women were the two who had helped her the most once she came aboard their Katana. She hadn't spoken to either one in a long time, so she had no idea they were coming.

Nathan nodded with a huge grin. He felt the same way Jenni clearly did. " Yeah, when they heard I was not dead they hopped a transport and should be here with in the next 14 hours. They are going to stick around for the wedding..." Nathan said cryptically.

"Wedding?" Jenni asked. "I thought Andy and Maica married before leaving Katana?"

"They were." Nathan said "Not theirs." He waited to see if she would get it with that grin still plastered on his face.

Jenni looked away for a moment as she tried to figure out what Nathan might be talking about. The Captain could very easily have arranged his own in a private manner, and it didn't seem like something Commander Brooks would do...

Then it hit her.

She looked back to Nathan and the oversized smile on his face and chuckled. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed, giving him a hug. "I'm so happy for you and Jhu!"

Nathan hugged her back, "Thanks Jenni, I cant wait to call her my wife!" He said with an equally excited tone. " Both Jhu and Kristina deserve it. Oh yeah, that's what we are naming our baby, Kristina!"

"I don't suppose you've told Kris about that yet, have you?" Jenni couldn't remember if she knew Jhu was carrying a girl, but it didn't break her excitement or enthusiasm. "When's the big day anyway?"

"Kinda, I had to tell Jhu her name to not have her kill me on Talos." Nathan released Jenni and shrugged "Maybe it will be a surprise. Kristina Maica Tonkin. Maica does not know yet..."

Jenni's smiled widened. "That's so sweet. She'll be honored."

"Thank you, we thought so." Nathan said with a slight blush. "So...uh, you seem to be settling in well."

"I am," she said with a chuckle. "And it's even better knowing you're here and alive. It's like a family reunion on board. All we need is Andy, Maica and Arivek to complete it."

"I bet we could get Arivek's program transferred over for the wedding." Nathan suggested.

"Only if Katana's around," Jenni said. "Unless he's a more daring man, I wouldn't transfer his program from any distance outside transporter range. Too much risk of degradation."

Nathan just kind of blinked and shrugged. He was a security man, the technical aspects of how things worked were beyond him. "Ill take your word for it Jenni."

She smiled, knowing that it had gone over his head. She hadn't meant for that to happen, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself. "It's good to see you again, Nathan. Stay for a while this time."

"That is a promise I intend to keep." Nathan said bluntly.

ON:

"Here you go sir," a nurse said, as he handed over a PADD to the CMO.

"Thank you, Ensign," Kavyn Rajol said as he accepted the information device. He looked to the small screen, nodded then dismissed the ensign. He stared at the report he requested, and had been surprised no one had graced his sickbay. One in particular he was definitely surprised. He decided to rectify that situation. He reached up and tapped his commbadge then spoke, "Rajol to Commander Tonkin, please report to sickbay."

Nathan had been meaning to get down to sick bay as soon as he had gotten back, but so many familiar faces and requests to catch up had distracted him. Its not everyday a fellow officer comes back from the dead after all. It was no shock to Nathan that he got a call to report to Sickbay. He slapped his com badge, "On my way." he reported as he stood from his desk.

Moments later, Commander Tonkin entered into Sickbay. His eyes drifted over the pristine equipment and large area. " Wow, much nicer than Katanas..." He commented as he glanced around for who ever Rajol was. He had not familiarized himself with the crew manifest yet.

At the sound of the doors opening, Doctor Rajol looked up from his PADD to see a man walk in. A man, who he had assumed, was the Commander Tonkin he was looking for. With a smile, he approached the other man. "Commander Tonkin? I'm Doctor Kavyn Rajol," he extended a hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

Nathan took the mans hand in his own. "Doctor Rajol, its nice to meet you too. when was the last time you had a dead man walk into your sickbay?" he joked. "I am anxious for you to send word that I am indeed alive to Star fleet and get back to work."

Offering a welcoming smile, Rajol nodded. "I am anxious to let Starfleet know you are alive and well, as well," he said. He then lifted an arm to indicated a bio bed. "Why don't you have a seat, Commander, and we can get started." A nurse handed him a medical tricorder. "I promise this shouldn't take long, mostly it will just be a comparison between the current scans, and the last scans that were taken of you. I will take some blood as well. Sound alright to you?"

Nathan took a seat and started rolling up his uniform sleeve on his left arm. " You will see in my charts that my right arm is prosthetic." Nathan mentioned. "But yeah, sounds like a plan to me,"

Rajol nodded. "The prosthetic will have a serial number, or some sort of marking which we can cross reference," he answered. "I do apologize for all of this, but Starfleet can be a bit finicky about these things." A nurse was at his side, with a hypo ready to draw the blood. Once drawn it would only take a few minutes to match what was with the computer. As the nurse completed her task, Rajol opened up his medical tricorder and began the necessary scans that Starfleet Medical, and Command would want to see.

"My Prosthetic came with me from the other dimension, I'm sure that all in my file." Nathan explained. " No need to apologize, I have been around enough to understand procedures."

There was that other dimension stuff again. Just the thought of all that made Rajol's head hurt. Nevertheless, he would still do all the cross-checking and cross-referencing that would be required of him. He looked down at the his readings, everything was checking out as fine. Even the prosthetic was performing near perfect. "Have you experienced any adverse affects from being moved from the other dimension to the this one? Or from being on Talos?"

Nathan could not contain his laughter. " Oh lets see, got to this dimention and found out my father married my fiances mother, making us step-siblings. Promptly got kidnapped by aliens and held on a forbidden world. While there found out that I was going to be a father, oh but I don't get to see the mother of my child. Had to learn to psychically reach out to my fiance who was under the impression I was dead and convince her to convince others that I was still alive and to come get me. Through all this I manage to keep my wits and sanity enough to have a star fleet councilor clear me for duty." Nathan took a deep breath. "So you tell me doc, any adverse affects showing up? Or did I manage to cling to good health as well?"


TAG

OOC B: FYI, The prosthetic was damaged on Talos and Nathan will not let anyone work on it much. Its fictional right now but not in good repair.



OOC: This post is getting old. You still around?

Jenni slowly climbed down the ladder beside the warp core in engineering, all the while keeping an eye on the tool pouch strapped to her right leg. Like most engineers, she found it cumbersome to carry around a tool kit everywhere she went, especially if she was only using three or four tools all of the time. The pouch she wore, something fashioned from some heavy duty cloth, had been her lifesaver since coming aboard the Camelot, especially as she was constantly disappearing into tight spots, plus everything was now at her fingertips.

She just hadn't thought of fashioning a method to keep the tools secured when her legs were not in an upright position. As such, they constantly found ways to escape, especially when she was climbing down ladders.

This time, she'd managed to make it all the way to ground level without losing a single tool, but she still swore that tonight would actually be the night she sewed a cover onto the pouch.

"Commander?" asked an ensign, approaching her with a PADD. "Here's the latest update on the warp power conversions."

"Thanks," Jenni said, taking the PADD and skimming through the data for a few moments. As she did, her ears heard him say something else, but none of the words were comprehendible. "Erm?" she asked, looking upward to give him her attention, at least for a moment.

"I asked if you heard about the Orion that came on board?" he said, with a large smile.

Jenni could only imagine what was in his mind. "I've been in the tubes all day," she replied, a little uncomfortable.

"I saw her!" said another ensign nearby who happened to overhear the conversation. "She's greener than most," she said gleaming. "And bustier than anyone on the ship."

The commander was about to object to how they described the mysterious visitor when her own eyes shot open. She's here! her mind exclaimed. She immediately handed the report back to its owner and stated that he had engineering until the Assistant Chief returned.

He watched as his department head ran out the door. "Hey!" he called after her, knowing Jenni was out of earshot. "You have to sign this!"

Ducking into a turbolift, Jenni didn't care what she had to sign. A quick inquiry to the computer told her where she needed to go. Moments later, she was pressing the chime outside the Guest Quarters. Jenni took a step back, tugged down on her jacket and waited to see an old friend.

Maica, dressed in a 'casual' dress suit, was near the door so she just pressed the controls herself. She hadn't expected to see Jenni but she smiled her brightest smile and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Jenni! How have you been?"

Jenni surrendered herself to the warm embrace. "Oh, I've missed you!" she practically exclaimed. After a moment more, Jenni released and stepped back. "I've been doing great," she said with a trademark smile. "Nathan told me you and Andy were coming, but I didn't know it was going to be this quick."

Pulling Jenni the rest of her way into the guest quarters, Maica chuckled softly. "Well, strings were pulled and things happened. You know how it can be. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Sure," Jenni said, remembering how vast Maica's collection had been aboard the Katana. "How much did you bring with you?" she asked, believing that the size of what she packed would indicate how long she was staying.

"Ah... nothing, actually..." Maica said as she stared at the replicator sheepishly.

Jenni's smile remained, albeit a little hollow. Hopefully this didn't mean that Maica's stay was going to be brief. "I could go for a bit of cranberry juice, actually," she said, choosing something that wasn't tea or water.

Punching up a cranberry juice and a mocha latte, Maica carried them over to the coffee table and set them down before sitting herself. "Sorry for not bringing any booze. We left kinda suddenly and with all that's been going on..."

"Yeah..." Jenni's voice trailed off as she joined Maica at the couch. "It's been an unforgiving year. At least we're all together again for now." Smiling, she picked up her glass of juice. "How's Daystrom?" she asked, thinking she remembered correctly that that's where Maica and Andy had relocated to.

"It's an interesting place. We got to stay in an apartment that had more room than an entire deck on the Katana and though some of the questions were a bit uncomfortable, it wasn't bad overall. I think Andy is glad to have me away from them now though. Some of their experiments didn't sit to well with her."

Jenni's left eyebrow arched. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Maica shook her head no. "Not at all. it was a bit embarrassing at times, but that was it."

"And how about now?" Jenni asked, sipping her juice. "Do you have to go back when this is all done?"

"Actually, I think I might accept a command if the right one comes along. They have all the data they can get for now and it'll take them at least twenty years to go through all of it so I'm free as can be." Maica explained.

"You'd look good in red," Jenni said with a smile. "Aside from matching your hair, you'd actually make a good Captain, especially with your diplomacy background."

"Thank you. I'd prefer to keep my purple, but red isn't bad either." Maica replied.

"Well, there's no rush." Jenni smiled. "After all, this is a reunion. We should make the most of it."

"This is true. While I'm aboard though, I don't expect this to be a vacation. I want to help out in any way I can." Maica reassured Jenni.

"I don't think vacation is in Starfleet's vocabulary," Jenni remarked. "But for now, just being a friend is helpful enough."

Stace was glad to be home. He trudged out of the shuttle bay, tired but pleased. The mission had gone well, if not perfectly. They were in possession of one very illegal cloaking device, and undiscovered by the Romulans, so a success. He threw one arm around Atom and briefly rubbed cheeks. “We can debrief the Captain in the morning.” He then headed out of sickbay, and straight for Seras. Atom had been good company, but for the past three days the Caitian had not been enough to keep Stace from getting mentally itchy. He needed to see Seras, good idea or not.

He quickly made his way to her quarters and sounded the chime.

Seras was just getting out of the shower when she heard the door chime. She quickly slipped on a loose shirt and her pajama pants then ran a comb through her damp hair so she could go answer the door. When the door swished open and she saw Stace, her face lit up with the brightest smile. She was so glad to see him!

Goddess, it was good to see her. Stace quickly stepped in, and spent too long just looking at her. Clearly just out of the shower and he had to drag his mind out of the gutter with monumental effort. He hurried over, only staying out of her personal space by sheer force of will. “I missed you.”

Seras gave him a warm smile. she had missed him too! Although… Suddenly she reached out and punched him in the arm, hard! She gave him a scolding gaze; that’s what he got for leaving without saying something to her!

Stace looked confused, and hurt. Oh not physically, her punch had hardly been devastating, though she’d obviously meant it. He looked around quickly, and when he spotted her voice synthesizer he hurriedly grabbed it and brought it back to her. “What did I do?”

Seras snatched the device from his hand, but hesitated before holding it to her throat. Did he really want to hear what was on her mind? Well, he was gonna hear it whether he wanted to or not! “I was worried about you! You left the other morning without saying anything to me! And after the way you woke me that night, whimpering in your sleep… I didn’t know what to think!” Seras said as calmly as she could muster.

Stace looked down at her, then realized he didn’t want to be looking down at her, so he flopped to the couch with a hand over his face. He had left without any explanation at all, dammit that had been stupid. “I’m sorry. I meant to explain, well at least as much as I could. I’m fine, really.” He looked up at her now, all puppy dog eyes, he came by them naturally after all.

Seras couldn’t stay mad at him, especially with those eyes… “At least tell me what was bothering you that night,” she said softly, plopping down on the couch near him.

Stace shifted so he was closer to her, just barely not touching. “It was just a dream. I don’t even really remember it. Running, cold featureless faces.” He shrugged, as if trying to dislodge the weight of the dream from his shoulders. He turned his head towards her a bit, then shamelessly smelled her hair, less than an inch from actually touching the soft damp strands. He sighed in contentment. Home.

Seras could feel that sense of ‘home’ and she closed her eyes with a soft hum. “If you ever have that dream again, come to me. I don’t care if you wake me, you’re always welcome here.”

“I will.” He replied. “Can I hold you? I’ll get the blanket. I just...” He just what? “need to hold you.”It was more than that, but his thoughts were scrambled and unfocused. All he did know what that he had a very deep need to be closer to her than even their current position was.

“Okay,” she replied softly and watched as he went to go get the blanket and wrap her up in it. She leaned into him and relaxed; she had missed him far too much to stay distant and rigid.

Stace relaxed as well, as soon as he felt her go lax in his gentle hold. He smelled her hair again, then placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head. He waited for a reaction.

Her only reaction was to smile; she adored how he could be rather rough and gruff one minute then be so sweet and gentle the next. Of course, then there was the problem of the growing feelings between them and how to deal with the desire she could sense in him. Not that she was without desire, but she could feel so much need in him, and she appreciated the level of his restraint. “Is that a phaser in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” Seras said softly. She couldn’t help herself, teasing him seemed to be the right thing to do.

Stace snorted. “I’m very happy to see you. I left my phaser in the shuttle.” He stilled though. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Just give me a minute.” He took a slow breath and tried to think of anything extremely non sexual, but it was a difficult task with her in his lap and smelling so damn good.

“It’s alright, you can’t help what you feel,” Seras replied, looking up at him. “Do you think I do not have feelings and urges as well? Who am I to tell you what is right or wrong? The only thing that I see as wrong would be hiding yourself.” Then she sighed and closed her eyes as she listened to his heart beating, not at all mind the poking she felt.

Well, there was news. “Feelings and urges, for me?” He asked, both terrified and hopeful of the answer.

“Who else, dummy?” she replied with a grin.

At that, he let out a real laugh, and kissed the top of her hair again. “Well aren’t we in a pickle.”

“Don’t I know it…” Seras said with a sigh. “And to think, I’ve been like this for 4 years, at least you get to go chase tail…”

‘You’re the only tail I want’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. There was no need to burden her with something she obviously couldn’t do anything about. “I’m sorry.” it didn’t seem like enough to say, but there really didn’t seem anything else either. He let out a sad little sigh, and rubbed his cheek over the hair right above her forehead.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not like you made me this way…” Seras pulled away from him enough to look him in the eyes. “And I know you want only me. Even if I hadn’t heard that thought you held back, I knew… I overheard K’Tarr talking about you, I know what you said.”

Well, if they were being that brutally honest with each other. “I did the same thing to Kris, well while humping his leg in my sleep. I thought I just needed to get laid. That didn’t help.” He sighed. It really was an ironic situation. He gently pushed his nose against her cheek with a smile. “This is nice though.”

Seras tried to hold back the laughter, especially when he was being so sweet, but she couldn’t hold it in and eventually she was giggling hard. It turned into a silent giggle when she dropped her synthesizer, which she scrambled to find in the blanket. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh, but you humped the Captain?!” Seras had to take her laughs where she could, but she didn’t want him to think she was laughing AT him, so she took a few breaths to calm her giggling. “And yeah, this is nice,” she added with a smile.

The giggling, well really the wiggling that the giggling caused, was not helping the problem at all, in fact it was making it quite a bit worse. He tried to shift his pelvis so he wasn’t so blatantly stabbing her, but that would require letting her go, and he wasn’t willing to do that just yet. He let out a soft grunt, but then chuckled with her. “Well, just his leg. He teased me viciously about it too. I’m pretty sure I’m down a sleeping partner there.”

“Good, that means you can spend more nights with me,” Seras replied in a very serious, matter of fact tone.

Stace smiled, the thought was extremely pleasing, but also laced with possible problems. “That might not be such a good idea, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and obviously I can’t control my reactions in my sleep.”

“You know what, we’ll tackle problems as we get to them,” Seras said, offering a smile to appease his worries. “I trust you Stace, I have since that first day we met. I wouldn’t let you get this close to me, even with a blanket, if I didn’t trust you completely. And if you’re that worried about your urges, you won’t hurt my feelings if you sate your physical needs with someone else. We both know I can’t do that now.”

He smiled back, relaxing a bit. She was right, they could deal with it when and if the problem arose. “Yeah, well I’ve been gone a week in tight quarters, I’m about ready to sate with my left hand.” He blushed slightly, not meaning to be so crass in front of her, it just kind of slipped out.
“Yes well, that doesn’t mean you need to hear it gossiped about, but life on a starship. We all know gossip travels faster than warp speed.”

“Yeah, I didn’t particularly like hearing one of my subordinates talking about being with you. Hearing that you said my name was flattering, but I know gossip is unavoidable,” Seras replied with a nod. “And if you need to take care of yourself, don’t let me stop you,” she said with a hint of wiggle in her hips; she might have to go take care of herself in a bit as well…

“Oh geez, Seras.” He let out a low half grunt half moan noise. He was definitely going to need to take care of his erection, and soon, or it was going to be very uncomfortable in his pants very quickly. “I don’t want to leave you.” He lamented. “But I am going to need to ummm...take care of this.” He put it as gently as he could.

“So, don’t leave…” Seras said, removing herself from his lap. She walked back to her bedroom, dragging her blanket along with her, pausing at the room divider to look back at him invitingly. Then she dropped the blanket and pulled her shirt over her head only to disappear behind the room divider...


[Later]

Stace gently tugged Seras into his side but didn’t restrain her in any way. Her head tucked into his shoulder was a natural fit, and he drew random designs across her back, over the protective shield of the blanket that separated them.

Seras smiled with a contented sigh. This was so nice… She was feeling so much from him now, not that he was thinking all that much, just a lot of that ‘pack’ feel that she didn’t quite understand but it still made her feel like she was home. She just wished she could share some of her own feelings with him in return...

Before he could get drowsy, Stace’s stomach reminded him that it had been over twelve hours since he’d eaten, he was also thirsty. He rubbed his nose on her cheek. “Are you hungry?” He asked, not really wanting to move, but knowing that she was probably getting hungry too.

At first Seras just shrugged, not really being all that hungry as she had eaten earlier, but she could use something to drink. She made a gesture, like miming a drink.

“Water?” He asked, gently moving away and swinging his legs off the side of the bed. He still watched her though, so he could get her answer.

Seras nodded, rolling to her belly and resting her chin on her arms crossed in front of her so she could watch her impressively stacked wolf-man strut around.

Stace smiled as he turned. “Don’t think I don’t know that you are checking out my ass.” He chirped, exiting the bedroom. He got two glasses of water and a chicken breast from the replicator then returned to bed. He took a sip of her water then offered it to her, not consciously aware that he’d just taste tested it for her. It was a very old habit he hadn’t fallen back on in years.

Seras chuckled silently as she took the glass from him, taking a few sips. Then she reached up to pull a piece of chicken from the chunk in his hand, chewing on it with a silent but appreciative hum. And she was completely shameless about watching him, smiling as she continued to drink in the sight of him. He was very nice to look upon.

Stace smiled, perfectly content to let her look her fill. When his chicken was down to one bite left he held it to her lips with a smirk.

Seras nibbled the morsel from his hand with her own smirk. She was really enjoying this playful yet casual chemistry between them; it was so easy to simply be near him knowing there were no expectations for anything. So often she had been in relationships where her partner wanted to talk or cuddle or do something. Well, she knew one of them would have something to say eventually, and there was nothing wrong with that, but just knowing she wasn’t expected to carry on grand conversations when she didn’t want to was nice. They were enjoying the company of one another, no strings, and that was nice.

Stace finished his water and put the glass on the bedside table. He then slid back down into the bed and curled up along Seras’ side, leaving himself outside the blanket. “Sleepy” He mumbled.

Seras reached over to brush her fingertips over his eyes; sleep was good...

Stace let out a long very content sigh and was quickly pulled under into sleep. It wasn’t long before his natural inclination asserted itself, especially after accepting her as pack, and for all intents and purposes lover. His head above her right breast, his right arm wrapped around her stomach, and his legs intertwined with hers.

On Seras’ world, they did not have ‘boyfriends’ or ‘girlfriends’ or ‘spouses’. Aside from the fact that they didn’t have names for anything, they didn’t really identify themselves in a ‘relationship’ until they found the one who felt like a part of them. Cairn would do things that humans would equate as dating, but it was very casual in comparison, and once they found their other half, they did not get married in any sense, they merely recognized when another was ‘the one’ and that was that.

It was quite different than the human concept of ‘the one who completes me’, as Cairn did not see themselves as ‘incomplete’ in anyway. Seras certainly did not see herself as incomplete, but she was coming to see that Stace may have been ‘the one’. As they tangled up in each other during the night, it did not bother her to be in direct contact with him; he was becoming a part of her, so her personal space was becoming his as well, his touch was no longer the violation her phobia became agitated over. So even as she woke the next morning and realized how intertwined they were, she remained calm and relaxed, even daring to take it a step further by putting an arm around him, cradling his head to her chest as she nuzzled against his forehead.

Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations

Stace pinched the bridge of his nose. His debriefing and meetings were finally done, but the paperwork never would be, It could wait until tomorrow, he was already feeling edgy and he’d only been alone in his office for three hours. He set the PaDD down and headed to Seras’. He leaned his head against the door as he sounded the chime.

Seras was just sitting down for a bite while she read a stack of her own reports when the chime rang. she got up to answer the door, smiling with a sigh when she saw Stace’s weary face. So much for reading those reports… “Stace, you know I don’t think you need to ring the chime anymore. Unless it’s official business, then you should ring.”

He smiled. “Just needed you to say it.” He leaned down to plant an affectionate kiss on her lips.

Seras initially stiffened, purely a reflex; this change in their relationship would take some getting used to! But after a second she smiled against his lips, leaning in to the kiss and caressing his cheek with a featherlight touch of her fingers. “Sorry. Be patient with me?” she said in apology for her initial reaction.

Stace just smiled and gave her a little nod. “It’s ok, I understand. Just let me know if I get overly affectionate.” He pushed his cheek into the top of her head lightly, and took a good smell. It immediately relaxed him. “hmmm long day.” He sighed.

“Of course,” Seras replied with a nod, glad he was being so understanding. “I had a pretty long too, but you look like your day was worse. Anything I can do to help you unwind?” she asked.

“Just sit with me?” He asked. He really did just need the close company.

“Do you mind if I read while we sit?” she asked. “I’ve got a few reports.”

“Not at all. I might even tackle a couple more reports of my own. I just need some down time first.” Stace went and plopped on the couch. Once Seras was settled he curled up, slowly putting his head in her lap to make sure she was ok with it.

Seras smiled warmly and ran her fingers through his hair to help him relax, and to help pass the time she read one of her PaDDs , enjoying the companionable silence.

Stace was perfectly content to just lounge with his head in Seras’ lap. The couch was a bit small for him to try and curl up on, but he didn’t mind. He’d certainly folded himself into worse places. “Duncan time stamped that EPS check wrong.” Stace said casually.

“Hn?” Seras looked down at him curiously, then looked back to her PaDD. “Oh, he did…” She made a notation to talk to Duncan tomorrow about his reports. Then she returned her free hand to Stace’s hair to continue petting him. “Don’t you have your own reports to read?”

Stace chuckled in amusement. “Mmm hmmm, but you’re much more entertaining, and you smell good. Don’t stop petting.” He nuzzled into her lap happily.

“If I scratch the right place, will your leg twitch?” she asked teasingly as she continued reading.

Stace snorted. “No, but something else might.” He licked her hand playfully, but let her get back to reading without bothering her. He enjoyed the petting and contact for a few more minutes, before trudging up and grabbing water and a beef barley vegetable soup. “Do you want anything?” He asked from the replicator.

“Uh, just get my plate and my tea from earlier,” Seras said, glancing over at the dining table where her snack from earlier rested. When he returned to the couch, she leaned against him as she continued to read while he sipped his soup. “Looks like I’m going to have a serious talk with Duncan, he need another lesson in writing proper reports.”

Stace gave her a small smile. “You could always threaten to send him to me. I can make him piss his pants.”

Seras chuckled softly. “I think I can handle it. He’s just a little green, he’ll get the hang of it, without pissing his pants.” Seras set her PaDD aside to give him her full attention. “So, how did things go with the Captain. He wasn’t upset you were late, was he?” she asked, worried since she had been the cause of his tardiness.

“It was fine, he was running late as well, so he didn’t even notice. It wasn’t that time sensitive.” Stace assured her.

“Good, I’d hate to be responsible for getting you into trouble,” Seras said. The rest of the evening passed without anything interesting happening; it was mostly spent reading reports until both of their eyes grew blurry and they called it a night. Seras decided to try cuddling without the blanket between them, though it took her a while to relax enough to fall asleep; she knew she would get used to this, she just needed time. It really helped that Stace wasn’t rushing her, he’d always (well, almost always) moved at her pace.

Stace wasn’t able to fall asleep until Seras’ relaxed, but he was soon to follow her into slumber. He was naturally protective, but with Seras’ there was an added layer of possessiveness. She was his. He had a long history of people he cared about being taken from him though, and the fear reared its ugly head in his sleep. Instead of vague faces, or former pack members, it was Seras’ being taken. Stace growled, standing his ground instead of running. She was worth fighting for. He clutched Seras to him, none too gently in the midst of his nightmare.

Seras squirmed uncomfortably as he held her tighter and tighter. Add to that his growling and the growing sense of fear and even hostility she was picking up from him and Seras was starting to get scared. She pushed at his shoulder a few times in an attempt to wake him.

It did the trick. Stace jolted awake, sitting up and letting go of Seras rather unceremoniously.
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” He scooted back so he was flush against the headboard as he tried to catch his breath.

Seras took a few breaths to calm herself and then she crawled closer to him, cuddling into his side to comfort him. She hoped he would talk to her tonight, because whatever was bothering him was serious and she wanted to help him if she could.

Stace breathed out a sigh of relief when she cuddled to him. He was worried he might have scared her badly. “Did I hurt you?” He looked over as he asked, concerned.

Seras shook her head, then made a few hand gestures and pointed to her synthesizer on the side table. Once he’d handed her the synthesizer, she pressed it to her throat. “Stace, talk to me, what’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Stace let out a sigh, clearly frustrated. “I’m not usually so plagued with nightmares, I’m not sure why they’re so frequent again. Something, or somebody was trying to take you.” He paused to take a long smell of her, as if to soothe himself that she was actually there, and fine.

“I’m right here, Stace, no one is going to take me away,” she tried to assure him, but even she knew that she couldn’t promise she would always be fine; she knew better than most how dangerous a life in Starfleet could be.

“I know. Trying to convince my subconscious.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Yeah, I know how that can go,” she said with an agreeing nod. She had the same problem with her phobia; consciously she knew there was nothing to be afraid of, but her subconscious often had other ideas...

“You’re doing fine.” He smiled. He gave her a gentle squeeze. “See, you’re cuddled up to me and it’s fine.”

“It is because you are Stace,” Seras replied like the answer should have been obvious and required no further explanation. “Is your subconscious okay now?”

Stace smiled. It was something he knew was true, but it was nice to hear it anyway. He knew Seras still had a long way to go in fully coping with her phobia, but she’d made great strides with him. “Yes, all good now.” He leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Time to get back to sleep.”

Seras sighed in contentment as they settled in to go back to sleep. “Tomorrow, I need to start teaching you sign language,” she said, still holding her synthesizer.

“Good plan.” He nodded in agreement.

Seras pulled him closer so his head was resting on her chest and she lightly stroked his hair as she stared into the darkness of her quarters. “I do not understand something I feel from you,” she said softly, then yawned. “I do not know how to put it into words, but whatever it is I am sensing from you, it makes me feel…” she paused, struggling to find the right words. “It reminds me of the times I used to fall asleep in front of the fireplace with my sister when we were children. I feel warm and…” she sighed; words would not do this feeling any justice.

“It’s ok. I think I understand. You’re describing...” Stace had to pause himself. It really was hard to explain in words. Pack dynamics, but that only got close, and it wasn’t complete. “Home.” It really was the best way he could put it.

“Mmm, yes…” she said with a sleepy nod. “Yes, that is what it feels like.” She looked at him. “I am your home?”

Stace rubbed his cheek against her, then licked her cheek. “Yes, home.” He said happy and sleepy. “It’s been a long time since I had one.”

“And why do you do that?” she asked, leaning in to the rub. “You rub your nose on me or lick me; is it just a show of affection, or does it mean something in the way you were raised?”

Stace snorted derisively. Raised was hardly the term he’d use, but he knew what she meant. “I’m really not entirely sure. It just feels natural. I really don’t remember much about my early childhood, I’m sure it was formed in there somewhere. Like a hug or a kiss, it’s just a tactile form of affection.”

“I like it, it suits you,” Seras declared softly. “I wish I could reciprocate in the way of my people, but that involves telepathy and I do not want to cause you any harm.”

“Cairn telepathy is more than humans can handle, right? Too intense?” Stace hadn’t really studied the matter, and they’d yet to really discuss it.

“Mhmm,” Seras replied with a nod. “It can even be too intense for Betazoids and Vulcans, we have to be careful when interacting with other species.”

“Is that a problem for you? I mean do you need a level of telepahty with your partner to be healthy?” Stace asked. She knew his physical and mental needs, he wanted to make sure that her own were being taken care of as well.

“Need?” she repeated, looking somewhat quizzically at him. “Well, I guess it would be like saying a relationship doesn’t ‘need’ sex… Although since telepathy is our method of communication, it would be like having a relationship without talking. But since I can speak verbally…” Again she looked confused. “I guess there is no easy way to answer that.”

Stace thought about her answer for a moment, trying to put it in a context that he could relate to. He supposed it was like him living without a full pack. It would be ideal of course, but he survived and got by with just a few select people to provide companionship. He didn’t have another option, not really, and neither did she. “I think I understand.”

Seras smiled; he did understand, didn’t he? “Our brains our so much more complex that we can’t even read human minds, which makes us pretty lousy telepaths when compared to Betazoids!” she said with a chuckle. “But I’ve been living around humans long enough that I’ve learned how to sense and even read human minds. It takes time… I’m already starting to read you…” Then she blushed. “That is, if you’re alright with that! I do not mean to invade people’s privacy, but sometimes I forget to ask permission…”

Stace smiled and kissed her nose. “You don’t have to ask. I’m not telepathic, but when I had a pack, we could read each other so well, it almost seemed like telepathy. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, quite the opposite actually.” He paused for a moment. “It might not always be pleasant up there.” He motioned towards his brain. “But it’s all yours.”

Seras giggled at the kiss. “I do wish I could show you what it’s like to communicate our way. I’ve never come across another form of communication that comes close to it. And I think you would like it; it’s simple and straightforward.”

“Me too. But we can start with the sign language. At least that way you don’t have to have your voice synthesizer on for us to talk.”

“That would be nice,” Seras replied. “I do not like my synthesizer. During the Stargazer incident, my old synthesizer was broken, I had to get a new unit and a new implant to go with it, but the old one…. I had it since I was a child, that was my voice, it had become a part of my identity, and this one sounds different. I’ve tried to replicate the old sound files, but it’s just not the same.”

Stace just nodded and pulled her close gently, letting sleep draw him back under.

Seras chuckled silently and took the hint to go back to sleep; she dropped her synthesizer and snuggled into the protective embrace of her wolf-man and drifted back to sleep, all the while wondering if she could get him to take a day or two off…

Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations

After a morning of 'creative' and 'stimulating' lessons in sign language, Stace was slow to move, more than content to just bask in the afterglow. He grumbled. “Don’t want to go anywhere.” He contemplated his options. Could he get away with putting off some paperwork in lieu of staying curled up with Seras. It was a moot point if she couldn’t do the same. “Want to play hooky?” He asked with a grin.

Seras nodded against his chest with a contented sigh. Yes, she liked this idea!

Stace smiled, then pulled himself out of bed. He grabbed her voice synthesizer and handed it to her, than fumbled for his communicator, which was still attached to the uniform jacket he’d shed earlier. He let his yeoman know he wouldn’t be on shift today unless needed. With that done, he padded off for food, returning to the bedroom with a pile of bacon, eggs, and a bowl of oatmeal.

Seras found her communicator and called her assistant to let her know she would not be in as well today, then she watched Stace move about her quarters. “You forgot my fruit” she said both verbally and in signs so he could learn.

“Oh, fruit.” He curled up his nose. “Berries or Melon?”

“Berries” she answered with a smile, continuing to sign along with her speech. “I know you like meat, but why don’t you like fruits and vegetables?” she asked.

“Vegetables aren’t so bad, if they are in a stew or stir fry. But fruit is too sweet or acidic.” Stace explained. He dutifully went and returned with berries for her.

“Weirdo,” she replied with a chuckle, dumping some of the fruit he brought back into her bowl of oatmeal. As she spooned a bite of oatmeal into her mouth, she looked over at him like she was facing a challenge. “I’m going to find a fruit that you’ll like,” she said as she accepted this unspoken challenge.

Stace chuckled. “Why?” He asked curiously “I assure you it’s practically impossible to contract scurvy while on a starship.”

“What is scurvy?” Seras asked quizzically.

“A severe lack of vitamin C. Humans require a certain level to remain healthy. It was a joke.” He smiled.

“Oh, okay,” Seras replied, then took another bite of fruit and oatmeal. “What is it with humans and the strange names they give things?”

Stace snorted in amusement. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know.” He made quick work of his bacon and eggs then nuzzled into Seras’ neck. “Mmmmm” he hummed happily.

Seras giggled softly. She finished off her breakfast and lay back on the bed, looking up at Stace with a look of pure contentment. “Wolf-man” she said and signed, sharing her little name for him and hoping he would like it.

Stace raised a brow. “Is that what you call me to yourself?” He asked.

“Maybe” she replied with a faint blush. “Cairn don’t have names, so we identify people by a trait that we feel best exemplifies them. You are my beautiful wolf-man,” she explained softly.

Stace wasn’t entirely sure he liked it at first. He’d had a tenuous love/hate relationship with the lupine aspects of his being. He’d come to terms with it all, both good and bad, well for the most part he had. But from Seras it was clearly a fond endearment, not a debasement, or medical over simplicity. After a moment he nuzzled into her armpit, taking a long smell before he smiled. “I like it.” He decided.

She could sense his initial dislike of the name and his inner conflict over something deeper she could not see yet, but she could it out from what she knew about him so far. “I accept you for who you are Stace, all of you, not just your human traits,” she said softly, reached over the cup his face in her hands. “And not ‘despite’ the wolf traits, I like those too; it’s so completely who you are, how could I not like that as well?”

Stace relaxed and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He didn’t really have words to express what he felt at the moment, but he kissed her, soft and loving, then laid his head over her heart so he could just listen to the comforting beating. When he’d let the repetitive beat soothe him long enough, he shifted so he could look at her. “That goes for me too, you know. I love all of you, even if you do like fruit.” He teased at the end, breaking the rather deep mood.

Seras giggled at his words. “Oh, is that how you identify me, as fruity?” she continued giggling. his little slip of a confession of love was not lost on her, but then again it hadn’t been much of a surprise when she already could feel what was in his heart. It made her wish now more than ever that she could show him how she felt for him.

Stace just smiled. He then went about cataloging every inch of her. Kissing and licking and smelling. It wasn’t actually that sexual, but it was definitely sensual, as if he was trying to memorize every taste and smell and sound that she made.

It may not have been intentionally sexual, but it was definitely having an effect on Seras. And since she was still wearing her synthesizer, he could hear each and every breathy moan that escaped her as he explored her. And she really liked it when he licked the back of her neck; she didn’t know why, she’d never been sensitive in that spot before, but it made her shiver pleasantly. And later once the conclusion of his explorations left her sated, he pulled her to his side, happy to just feel her pressed against him.

There was no way Seras was staying awake now that she was all warm and cozy in his embrace, the feelings of happiness, contentment, and safety practically radiating off of her as she slipped into a brief but deep slumber.

Stace was content to hold her as she slept, surrounding her in a blanket of deep love, possessiveness and protectiveness. It was stronger than anything he’d felt for his packmates. Those childhood attachments not given long enough to develop into full adult dynamics. Nothing in his adult life came close either. He’d had plenty of friends and lovers, and felt deeply for them all, but not with the all consuming intensity that Seras sparked.

Those feelings resonated within Seras and soon she began to unknowingly project her own feelings back to him, emotions for which humans had no name, namely that sense of ‘oneness’, the blurring of the line between the two of them. But there were other feelings he would recognize; love, adoration, a peace and calm that only comes when one feels completely safe and content, and she did mirror his protectiveness and possessiveness. He was her wolf-man, and now that they were together there was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect him as he protected her.

It was an odd feeling, to feel her emotions. They mostly mirrored his own, and were easily identifiable, but he had not word to label some of them. It was an emotionally comforting feeling though, and he embraced it. But as soon as he let them sink in, he felt a pressure behind his eyes, almost like his sinuses were congested. It was quite unpleasant. He ignored it for awhile, not wanting to wake her, but the onslaught of emotions, as nice as the actual emotions were, only made the headache worsen. It became a blinding pain, and Stace had no choice but to nudge her. “Seras.” He bit out painfully.

Seras opened her eyes and looked back at Stace, snapping fully awake when she recognized that pained look in his eyes. “Oh Stace, I’m so sorry!” she said as she rolled to face him and began to massage his temples to help ease the headache. Of course, she’d put a lid on her emotional outpour as soon as she was awake, but the least she could do was help sooth the residual headache.

“It’s ok.” He offered her a smile, leaning into her touch. Now that she’d stopped projecting, the pain was easing back to a level he could manage. “I liked the emotions.” He told her. “I get the oneness now.”

“I just wish it didn’t have to hurt for you to understand it,” Seras said sadly, sighing as she continued to massage his head. then she offered a meek smile. “But I’m glad you liked what you felt. It’s not easy for me to talk about my feelings because words are so painfully inefficient and inadequate.”

“I’m fine.” He assured her. “Hardly the worse pain I’ve ever felt, it was worth it.” He placed a kiss to her wrist.

Seras shivered pleasantly. oooh, she really liked that kiss… “I would like to try something,” she said softly, laying back on the bed and pulling him down to rest his head on her chest. “Tell me when it gets uncomfortable.” Then she began to press her awareness against the boundaries of his mind to better learn his limits.

It was different than the first contact she’d made while asleep. This wasn’t so much an outpouring of emotion as it was a simple presence in his mind. At first it was just a vague feeling of her there, but it grew stronger, and then the headache returned to the same spot, right behind his eyes. He hissed out. “There.”

Seras drew her mind back so that she wasn’t causing him pain, then she rested there to allow him a moment to get used to this feeling. ‘Can you hear me?’ she projected directly to him, her ‘voice’ barely a whisper in his mind, but she had faith it would grow stronger as they grew closer.

As the pain receded he smiled and kissed her wrist again. He gave no indication of feeling any further telepathic communication. “So.” he asked cheerfully. “What shall we do with ourselves today?”

Seras laughed softly; so he couldn’t hear her yet, but he would, she just knew it! “I don’t know… how about-” then she made a sign she taught him earlier to see if he would remember it.

His eyes lit up and he smiled. She was going to be the death of him, but in the very best way. He’d never been so sated in his life, but just that sign had a certain part of his anatomy taking notice. He growled, but there was no malice in it, it was definitely feral and erotic however. “Yessss.” He then kissed her, gently pulling on her bottom lip.


[Later]

“Shower.” Stace murmured as he nudged Seras with his nose.

Seras grumbled, not wanting to wake, and it took her a moment for her to realize what he’d said. She shook her head and signed ‘bath’ even though she was still wearing her synthesizer, not used to wearing it in her sleep. And of course she had forgotten that she hadn’t taught him ‘bath’ but she did not have the strength to stand up long enough for a shower.

Stace pondered for a moment. There really was only one logical choice though. “Bath it is.” He then moved to carry her, but stopped before rolling her fully into his arms. “Is it ok if I carry you?” He asked. It seemed a little silly to be worried, after all they’d certainly had enough sex that it was clear she could stand touching him. But it wasn’t quite the same as being carried, and he didn’t want to derail her progress by doing something that sparked her phobia.

Her only response was a non-specific grunt, then she put an arm around his neck. This was Stace, she didn’t mind what kind of contact was between them now.

He just smiled and kissed her forehead before lifting her easily into his arms and padding to the bathroom. He stepped into the tub with her then sat her in his lap before reaching forward to turn on the tap.

Seras hummed with a sleepy smile as the water rose around them. The sound of her hum reminded her that she was still wearing her synthesizer, so she took off the strap and dropped the device on the other side of the tub. then she nuzzled against his chest; could this day get any better?

Once the tub filled, Stace turned off the water then slowly started bathing Seras. He nuzzled at the back of her neck and shoulders making contented sounds as he cleaned her. “This is nice, the bath was a good idea.” He spoke, even though he knew she couldn’t respond verbally.

Her smile widened, clearly pleased with herself. Then she looked ready to melt into a puddle of goo when he washed her hair, she was so relaxed, especially when his fingers massaged across her cranial protrusions. Of course, once he was done she felt the need to wash him in return but she was so relaxed she could barely move. What to do! She would make it up to him later, she wasn’t moving!

Stace gently held her in place with one hand as he cleaned himself with the other. He left his hair alone, as the logistics seemed too complicated at the moment. Once he was done he lifted her out of the tub and wrapped her in a large fluffy towel before carrying her to the couch. He was dripping the whole way, but didn’t return to get his own towel until she was safely perched on the couch. He dried himself and then replicated a pair of underwear, but couldn’t be bothered with anything else. He padded to the bedroom and grabbed underwear and pajamas for Seras though, so she could change into them if she wanted. He smiled and presented her with the small pile of clothes before sitting next to her.

Seras pouted at the offered clothing, but eventually put them on. Once clothed she curled back up at his side. ‘Can you still feel me?’ she projected to him, curious if he could hear her and if she could increase the depth of her mental presence around him.

Stace squeezed her shoulder lightly, surprised at the unexpected thought in his mind. “Yes I can feel you.” He told her with a smile. He waited for the headache, but it was not forthcoming.

With any luck, there would be no more headaches; she would work slowly, getting closer and closer until her telepathy was no longer painful to him. she’d never be able to communicate with him like another Cairn, but she could at least share those emotions for which she had no name. And she started with that feeling that was most important to a Cairn, the feeling of oneness, this was how she would show her love.

Stace just cuddled into her, basking in the emotion she was sharing. It was a feeling he’d always longed for, but never thought he’d have. He unconsciously clutched her a little tighter. Now that he’d found her he feared that he’d lose her; that she’d be taken from him. It was a very old fear that reared it’s head without him fully realizing it.

As often as he’d assured and soothed her fears, now it was her turn. ‘I am here, I’m not going anywhere,’ she projected to him, putting her arms around him to hold him comfortingly. She would not ask him to talk about things he was not ready to talk about, but she impressed on him that she was there to listen if he did wish to talk.

He was surprised by how clear her telepathic communication was. All the gaps that language and body language couldn’t quite fill were gone with such an intimate form of communication. It was intense, but nice.

Oh, he had no idea! This beginning was just the tip of the iceberg, an iceberg they would never get to fully explore because of the limits of his human mind, but he was starting to see why she said verbal communication was inefficient, and for her that was more than enough. ‘I am here’ she repeated as she leaned in to give him gentle kiss, an assurance and a promise that so long as she had a say in the matter that she would always be there for him.

Stace relaxed, still holding her close though, but without the intensity of a moment ago. “I know. I’m glad you are.” While receiving her telepathy was quickly becoming natural, he had no idea how to go about, or even if he could go about replying in kind, so talking it was.

She giggled silently. ‘No words, just feel and I will sense it,’ she instructed. Now that her ‘voice’ was becoming clearer in his mind, it was notably different than the sound produced by her synthesizer. It was still a synthetic sound, if anything it was more artificial than her current voice, but it had this wonderful ghostly echo to it that made her sound almost ethereal.

His first instinct was to clam up. Her feeling all the things he’d long ago buried and tried to keep buried was frightening. He’d scare her off. His need to protect her even from himself was very strong.

Her amusement was so great that he could hear her laughter in his head. ‘Dummy’ she ‘said’ as she held him tighter, nuzzling against him to calm him. ‘You wondered how to respond,’ she explained to further ease his mind. Then she press her trust in him, knowing that some secrets are kept for a reason, she would not go prying as it was not the Cairn way. And she knew he would never hurt her, but appreciated the effort he was making to try to protect her.

That calmed him, and he chuckled out loud. He let himself relax for a moment longer then kissed her forehead. “Be right back.” He got up and got two glasses of water, downing his and refilling it before returning to the couch. “Do you like music?” He asked. It might have seemed like a bit of a non sequitur, but it really wasn’t. He needed a distraction, and music was something he enjoyed, and it would be nice to share it with Seras.

Seras took the offered glass and downed it about as quickly as Stace had, though she refused an offer for a refill. Ah, yes, and she liked music very much! She shared her interest of stringed and woodwind instruments of various worlds, and an intense curiosity of vocal music, particularly the harmonics of a capella as neither existed on her world.

Stace smiled, as soon as she mentioned an interest in stringed music his choice was made. Since the first time he’d heard one, he’d always found the violin relaxing, especially when it played classical music. He asked the computer to play some then curled up to Seras again, lightly running his fingers through her hair.

Mmmm, this was relaxing! Just sitting here with her wolf-man listening to music after a shared bath and a morning of explosive orgasms, nothing could be better! She found his hand and laced her fingers with his as she closed her eyes and listened to the lovely sound of the violin. ‘Hobbies?’ she asked with a glowing smile.

“This.” He indicated the music. “Sometimes I’ll sketch if the mood strikes. Most of the time I’m content enough to do whatever the person or group of people I’m with are doing. Card games, or just talking.” He answered. “You?”

Seras wondered if she could send more than just words and feelings to him. She gave it a try, recalling a memory of archery practice, drawing back and feeling the tension in her body as she held the bowstring back, and then the exhilaration of the release and watching the arrow fly. She looked at him with a cautious gaze to see if he saw it and how he was dealing with it.

He’d gotten the image and related emotion well enough, followed by a pressure behind his eyes, but it wasn’t actually painful, and passed quickly. “You’ll have to show me sometime, it sounds...” He trailed off, not really having a word for it. Her telepathic communication had done it justice, but trying to transfer that over to verbal communication left a lot to be desired. “Exhilarating and relaxing at the same time.” He had to settle for as close as he could get to what she’d shared with him.

She nodded with a smile, and now he was starting to see the difficulties she had with verbal communication. ‘I also weave, family tradition,’ she added, not willing risk a second memory so soon.

“Like tapestries? Or cloth?” Stace asked with curiosity.

‘Cloth’ she answered. ‘may I see your drawings?’

He frowned, remembering what some of those drawings were of. He sighed. Yes, he wanted to protect her, but he couldn’t close her off in the process. “Yes, they are in my quarters though, paper drawn, not digital.”

Seras managed to catch a glimpse of a couple of mental images as well as his hesitance to share those images. She offered him a sad smile and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. ‘You can show me when you are ready,’ she said gently. ‘Until then, I will give you new things to draw.’

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” He told her. But he was quick to take up her suggestion. “I’ve always wanted to sketch a nude.” He waggled his brows playfully.

‘But you wanted me to put clothes on!’ she rebutted playfully, giving him her best pout.

Stace just chuckled. “No, I offered you clothes. I never said I wanted you to wear them.” He teased right back.

Well, he had her there! She chuckled with him. ‘Go get some paper,’ she dared him, pulling herself up for the couch so she could go take off her clothes. She cleaned the breakfast dishes off the bed and took them back to the replicator, then returned to the bed where she lay waiting for Stace to come sketch her.

Stace decided to go get his own sketchpad while she tidied up, and brought back the two full ones he had as well. When he entered the bedroom he scrunched up his nose. There was sex smell, and then there was hours old musty sex smell, and the bedroom was definitely leaning towards the latter. “Up” He ordered, hiding his slight smirk.

Seras gave the bedding a curious sniff, then nodded in agreement; yes, it was definitely time to change the sheets. She got up to pull the old ones off with his help, then replicated fresh sheets. The replicator didn’t do the fabric justice, but her replicator made the sheets in the same fabric that her people made and used, a plant-based fiber but it was very fine and smooth, almost like silk. She returned and fixed up the bed, then plopped back down. ‘Draw!’ she said teasingly.

He’d watched her with open appreciation, enjoying the lines and movement of her body as they went about stripping and then putting new sheets on the bed. At her order to ‘draw’ he simply paused to nuzzle and kiss her shoulder before pulling a chair to the foot of the bed and opening up his sketch pad. His charcoals were already sharp, so he was able to get straight to work.

Seras lounged on her side, watching Stace with great interest, both sensing and observe the focus and concentration that went in to this creation. Although as he drew, she did become self conscious about her scars; he’d never shown any disgust in them, if anything he had been as accepting of her as she had been to him, but knowing those marks would be on paper for her to see did leave a heavy weight on her.

Stace paused when he noticed her discomfort. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

Her fingers traced a couple of the scars on her chest, sighing as she looked away from him.

Stace immediately put the sketch pad down and climbed into the bed. He’d noticed her scars, of course. But they were every bit a part of her as was the color of her eyes, or her cranial protrusions, they didn’t bother him aesthetically, only in so much as they were a reminder of her pain. He gently took her hand and put it low on his left side, tracing her finger over an area above his liver.

He had shown her a couple of his scars before, and of course she’d felt a number of deep tissue scarring during their love play, but the gesture still meant a lot to her, especially since he could not block out the intense pain of something being driven into his side, not a weapon from what she could gather of the brief flash of memory, but possibly medical...

“You’re beautiful.” He said fiercely, then kissed her fingers “You’re beautiful” He repeated, as if the repetition could make her see what he saw, what he felt.

It worked; in her own mind, Seras saw herself as broken, but she didn’t feel that way when Stace looked at her, she felt beautiful and her scars didn’t matter. She was still self conscious about them going into his drawing, but now she wasn’t sad about it. She gave him a kiss and nodded, glad that he could brighten her mood.

He held her for a moment longer, then kissed her forehead. “You’re beautiful.” He repeated one more time before returning to his sketch pad. It took awhile, but he finished. He got back in the bed and showed her. “See. I told you so.”

She smiled as she looked at the drawing he created; he had drawn her scars just as she’d been worried about, but she barely noticed them. All she could see was this beautiful, alluring woman who was obviously in love with her artist. Seras gave him a kiss; the picture was amazing!

Stace smiled and returned the kiss. He then got off the bed only long enough to grab the two full sketch pads he’d brought from his quarters. He placed them next to her.

She looked at him curiously, then took one of the other sketch pads, opening it hesitantly. What she came to see was at first pleasant; pastures of what looked to be a colony, a few buildings, a young group of people, all of which were bring up a lot of heavy emotions in stace. Then the images grew unsettling, even disturbing, depicting that groups of people, little more than children, dead at his feet. and then there were the rage-filled scribblings, expressions of pure emotion, she almost didn’t need him beside her to feel it, the emotions were practically leaping off the page. One page was nothing but faceless corpses and she was surprised when a tear suddenly dripped onto the page. It took her a moment to realize that she was the one crying, and quickly wiped away the offending moisture. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to damage the drawing’ she ‘said’ quickly, taking a corner of the sheet to blot the moisture away.

Stace had been lost in his memories as she went through the sketches. It took him a moment to realize she’d started crying. He quickly took the sketch pad. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shown you.” He immediately felt guilty for causing her pain.

‘Stace…’ She reached out to try to stop him, but he pulled away too quickly. Why did he feel guilty? He didn’t do anything, why did he feel this way? Why was he pulling away now? ‘Stace, talk to me,’ she pleaded in the hopes that she had simply misunderstood something.

He ran a thumb over her cheek, clearing a tear. “I’m sorry.” He then nuzzled into her hair.

Not caring that she now had charcoal smudges on her cheek, probably anyway, she put her arms around him, confused and insecure about what exactly he was apologizing over. ‘I am not,’ she replied, trying to keep her own feelings out of this for the time being. ‘Why are you?’

He held her close to him and took a few deep breaths, letting her closeness and scent relax him. When he felt her presence in his mind, barely a flicker, he realized she must have been trying to talk to him. “Whatever it was, say it again, please.” He then made an effort to further relax, making sure he would get her telepathy.

‘Why are you sorry? I do not understand.’ She held him tighter, trying to figure out how things worked in his mind, but all she could sense was that overwhelming urge to protect.

“I made you cry. I never want to hurt you.” He said in a rough voice.

‘You did not hurt me,’ she insisted. ‘My tears are my own, you do not get to decide what they mean.’

Stace was taken aback by the strength of that statement in his mind. He was momentarily left speechless as he processed. “Ok” He finally mumbled lamely.

‘I was sad,’ she started softly, struggling to find the right words. ‘It made me sad to see what you had lived through. Why? I just kept thinking ‘why- why would anyone ever do that to another person?’ even though I know the galaxy is not always a kind place. I wanted to take that pain away so you wouldn’t have to carry it anymore.’

He kept his mouth shut, instead trying to show her how he felt. It was the exact same sentiment he felt. He wanted to take her pain, protect her from it. He let the feeling wash over him as he watched her. Then he finally spoke. “I understand.”

‘I know…’ She offered a gentle kiss to soothe him. ‘May I see the rest?’

He took a deep breath, then nodded and handed the sketch pad back to her.

She took the sketch pad and snuggled into his side. ‘I am sorry if I damaged your drawing,’ she said as she found the image she had cried on. hopefully it would not be too bad once it was dry.

“It’s fine.” Stace gave a nostalgic grin. “He was never much to look at anyway.”

The words and the emotions did not match up in a way she could understand, but she didn’t need details since she knew this was already a touchy subject. She continued through his sketches which documented his loneliness, but they did not stay lonely for long as soon he was sketching new people he had grown close to. She even found sketches of Kris and Attom! ‘Look, it is not sad forever!’

That brought a smile to his face. “No, it’s not.” He especially smiled at the one of Kris. He’d caught the CO practically drooling on his pillow. It was an image he couldn’t pass up capturing when he’d woken and spotted the man that way. The weight of Captaincy momentarily lifted in sleep, and between REM cycles that Stace knew often brought bad dreams.

Then she opened the other sketchbook to his newest sketch. ‘I’d say that it gets better, right?’

“Definitely.” He kissed her lovingly, the weight lifted.

Seras responded in kind, smiling against his lips as they kissed. She was still sad that he had lived through something so horrible, but at least he seemed more in the moment instead of living in the past. And she knew how tough that was, she still struggled with the very same thing.

Cmdr Stratford Brooks
XO

Lieutenant Seras
Chief of Operations