Daln had just come from literally stumbling upon the Chief Flight Officer, and now, hopefully, he could report in to the CO rather than send her crashing. He stopped outside the door, smoothed his uniform, and rang the chime.

"Come in," Enalia called, looking up from her desk terminal.

Daln entered and saw the standard ready room for a Nebula class with a Galaxy class bridge, though the captain had added a few personal touches with art no doubt from Trill.

He nodded at the woman behind the desk and said, "Lt Daln Hadren, reporting for duty ma'am."

"Excellent. Have a seat," Enalia said as she motioned to the seat across from her. "I've been expecting you. Would you like something to drink?"

Daln set his bags down and sat gratefully in the chair. "Just ice water, ma'am."

Punching up a glass of ice water and a fresh cup of tea for herself, Enalia slid the cold beverage towards Daln. "I haven't looked over your whole service record yet, sadly. Have you served on a ship like this before?"

Daln took a sip of the water and sighed. "Yes, I've been on several nebulas. I was an interim security chief for a while, but I got my first permanent posting on an excalibur class. For most of my career, I just went wherever I was needed. I had been hoping to make the Palamedes my home for a while, but..." he trailed off, thinking of Malaxi.

"That's good at least. We're not a run of the mill Nebula though. The Hera is a Bonchune series Nebula, directly based off of the Galaxy class ships in many ways. Hence one of the reasons we have a Galaxy class bridge outside that door." Enalia rattled off distractedly. "One of the perks of falling under Starfleet Intel and overseeing your own refit."

Daln nodded. "I'll take a look at the weapons and see what I have to work with when that time comes."

"Plenty and then some. For a science vessel, we're pretty well armed. Again, another perk of reporting to Starfleet Intel." Enalia replied with a grin. "So is there anything you're looking forward to on this assignment?"

Daln thought for a minute. "Hopefully staying a while. As an interim officer, I moved around a lot. I'd like to stay grounded for a bit."

"An interesting choice of words... Grounded... But I think we can do that. You'll have a lot of work but you'll be around to see the results of that work." Enalia said with a smile. "And keep in mind the training regimens for the security personnel. Dragon fighting is on Tuesdays."

Daln gave her an odd look. "Dragon fighting?"

"Dragon fighting." Enalia repeated in all seriousness.

Daln closed his mouth, and could tell that the woman was having a bit of fun. "And what does that entail?" He was getting less and less happy with this posting.

"You have to be ready for anything. Hence Commander Fairchild had them doing dragon fighting training just in case." Enalia explained, still perfectly serious. "I just see the training reports. If you want to know more about it, you might want to ask her."

Daln shook his head. "Yes, we have to be ready for anything, but dragons? Really? Anything remotely similar to that is entirely encased in a nebula that is next to impossible to get through safely for a ship, and even then they are barely larger than a Clydesdale, and unable to fly for long periods. Dragon training will not happen. Boarding scenarios, kidnapping scenarios, surgical strikes, those are legitimate."

"Then since we've already had a mission against zombies and ghosts, train them against undead borgified creatures created by a mad scientist and Devidians." Enalia replied, still serious.

Daln looked incredulous. "Zombies and ghosts? Zombies and ghosts?" He stirred in his chair, trying to alleviate the pain between his shoulderblades. "Ma'am, with all due respect, what kind of madhouse is this?"

Enalia had to smile at Daln's reaction. "One that gets sent on some crazy missions from Starfleet Intel."

Daln nodded, a little worried. "I'll get right on the training, ma'am."

"Good. Anything else I can do for you?" Enalia asked, still smiling.

Daln shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"Then I place the security and wellbeing of the ship and crew in your hands." Enalia said cheerily. "Dismissed."

Daln was just getting to the gym, the big workout area where they worked on hand to hand combat. He didn't have a partner, being new and all, so he went to one of the punching bags and started boxing. Thoughts whirled through his head as he thought about Ivy and the Palamedes. Ivy had been one hell of a woman, but just as they had their first date, the ship was mothballed. Taken back to stardock for upgrades. Just peachy, as Jenny would have said. She had come over with him, from the Palamedes. Jenny and Bart would guard the Hera's brig. He smiled grimly to himself as he thought about that dog. More than one prisoner was kept in his or her cell by fear of that dog's teeth.

He became aware of someone coming in, turned and looked. It was a very nice looking woman, with dark eyes and reddish hair. He'd always had a fascination with what oddity of genetics made hair red. He nodded at her.

"Morning."

Nexi nodded, but said nothing as she passed him by in search of her own punching bag to wail on. Aewia was in therapy and Nexi found herself with some free time and was now restless. Her tension started to practically melt off of her as she began working at the punching bag, putting a good deal of force behind her strikes despite her smaller frame.

Daln watched her for a bit, seeing that she knew what she was doing. "Um, excuse me, miss?"

"Hm?" Nexi put a hand on the punching bag to still it, turning to look at Daln. "What?"

"I'm new here, and I'm searching for a sparring partner to keep up my hand to hand skills. Do you know of anyone who needs a partner?"

"Not really," Nexi said with a shrug. "I don't know too many people on the ship; I tend to keep to myself. But if you're itchin' to fight, I suppose I could go a few rounds with you."

Daln nodded. "Let's go. No holds barred." He backed off into the middle of the floor and got into his fighting stance, waiting on her.

Nexi got into her position, nodded, and jabbed at his nose, which he dodged, ducking under it and punching her in the ribs. Nexi's breath gusted out, and he followed up with an uppercut to the chin, before dancing backwards. She grinned at him, reassessing, and feinted with another jab, only take a strike to his ribs, which he spun out of the way for and elbowed her in the back of the head. Now Nexi was getting pissed. She feinted with a left hook to the ribs, but instead gave a spinning back kick to Daln's head, knocking his to the floor.

Daln grunted, as he got up, wiping the blood off his lips from biting his tongue. He watched her more closely, thinking that she wasn't half bad, but then she tried to fake a roundhouse kick, but instead of retreating, he grabbed her foot and knocked her down, hurting her thigh muscles.

"Fuck," Nexi blurted out as she went down. Damn, she could usually read people better than this! But she wasn't going down without more of a fight. She rolled back onto her feet. She was definitely favoring her leg, trying to keep the weight off of it so the discomfort wouldn't distract her, but it wasn't slowing her down in the slightest.

Daln gave a roundhouse punch to her ear, followed by a jab to her eye, then a kick to her chest, sending her flying. Nexi landed with a hard thump, the air whooshing out of her lungs, but she got up, glaring at the man opposite her.

Daln was feeling pretty good about holding his own, although he felt bad that it was against a girl. Until she kneed him in the groin. "OW!" he squeaked, holding his balls. Nexi kicked him in the face and he fell over on his side, holding his balls. Breathing a few times, the pain got down to a manageable level, but now he knew that she was not "just a girl". She could hold her own and would prove it. Now Daln got up glaring, but was not so stupid as to give her an open shot at male weakness again.

Nexi just grinned and punched him in the nose, breaking it, before sending in another punch, but he stepped sideways, allowed the punch through, and pulled on her arm to strain the tendons. With a roar, she tackled him. She didn't give him the chance to recover his footing before she was on him, her fist raised, poised to deal the final blow as it sparked with the natural current her body produced. There was a madness in her eyes as she stared at for a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity. In that moment, she was ready to kill him.

But then her hand fell to her side, the deadly charge dissipating back into her body. "You alright?" she asked with a ragged breath.

Daln nodded. He had seen and felt the madness in her. "Yeah....are you...not going to kill me? If you are, then no, I'm not all right. But you're pretty damn good. I haven't had a match like this in a while."

Nexi offered a weak smile, then climbed off of him, offering a hand to help him up. "Nah, ain't gonna kill you," she said. Though she had considered it for just a moment before common sense told her she probably shouldn't. "It's been a while since I've had someone to practice with. Most of my 'practice' comes in practical application, so I guess I kinda forgot that this weren't for real."

Daln took the proffered hand and tried to stand, but only pulled her down. "I guess I hurt your leg more than I realized. Come on, I'll carry you to the infirmary. We should do this more often. Though, without the knee to the groin, please." He stood and scooped her up in his arms. "Ow. I think I can make it."

Nexi didn't take too kindly to being picked up. She had always done things on her own; only one person, her mentor, had ever done anything for her just as a kindness, and even then he had asked for something in return. Irritated that this man presumed to care for her now when she could take herself to Sickbay, she sent a jolt through her body and into his, not enough to hurt him but it would definitely get his attention.

Daln went down on one knee, shaking his head to clear his ears. "What was that?"

"That was me, telling you I can walk myself to Sickbay," Nexi said, pulling herself from his arms and hobbling towards the door. "Guess I should say thanks for not dropping me."

Daln shook head again. "I was trying to help. I hurt your leg, so I thought I should help you to sickbay. At least lean on my shoulder." He got up and stood beside her. "Here, put you arm over my shoulders. It'll help with your leg. Sorry about hurting you so much." He smiled sheepishly.

"It ain't that bad..." she grumbled. But she could feel his regret and that was a feeling she wasn't used to feeling, especially when it was regarding her. So she leaned against him. Slightly. "I guess I'm sorry for breaking your nose. And the kick to the nuts," Nexi said, almost begrudgingly. It was obvious that apologizing was not something she did very often.

Daln almost laughed. "I think I deserved it after your arm. It was supposed to be practice, not beating each other to a pulp." He put a hand on her waist and helped her along to the turbolift. He pressed the button. "You are the first person to give me a run for my money in quite a while," he said when they entered. "Would you like to spar more often, like partners?"

"Guess I wouldn't mind," Nexi said, pausing to think it over. "Since I been on the Hera, I've been on edge, antsy I guess. Life on a 'Fleet ship is a lot different than the one I'm used to." So it would be nice to have a sparring buddy, so she could work out some of her frustrations from time to time.

Daln smiled. "It would be nice to have a friend here. I've found this ship a little...odd." He frowned for a minute, then smiled at her. "Besides, you don't need to spar to come see me. I'd be willing to listen all day long. Part of having a counselor for a father," he laughed.

"Yeah, I ain't okay with the talking thing," Nexi said bluntly. As it was, she'd already exceeded her daily quota for talking about her feelings. Ew. "This ship is kinda weird, even for a 'Fleet ship, but it's alright. I like it."

Daln nodded, understanding her reluctance. "Okay. Here's our stop." Together, they walked out and headed down the hall to Sickbay.

T'pel endured the almost agonizing transport, falling to the floor as she finished materializing. That had to have been the single most painful transporter she had ever been through, but if it got her out of harm's way and let her continue living... Slowly getting back to her feet, she looked around. The Hera only had 12 medbays on record, so for a moment she thought Enalia really was going to disintegrate her. Thankfully, she seemed whole enough and definitely alive, standing in a secluded medbay. She had nothing to do now but wait so she sat down in one of the chairs and waited.

Angel wasn't entirely sure how long T'Pel would be waiting by the time she located the hidden medbay, but once she arrived she glanced in T'Pel's direction then pulled one of the cabinets open. She knew the med bays were stocked with non-prescription medications, and she quickly found the two she was looking for. Popping one of the antacid tablets in her mouth and chewing on it, she took that and a bottle of a mild analgesic over to where T'Pel was sitting. "Those transporter pistols do a number on you," she said softly, offering T'Pel both medications. "These are safe to use without a prescription. Can't have Ethan dispensing meds to a dead woman."

"Thank you," T'Pel said as she took the meds. They seemed to help, but now she was curious just what they were going to do. "So what now? I can't be seen on the ship."

"Believe it or not, Enalia's planned for this sort of thing. Seeing as we work for Starfleet Intelligence, we have resources most ships don't." Angel set the two bottles of medication on a table and sat down in one of the other chairs. "What's going to happen next is I'm going to talk to Doctor Chaparral privately, with no recording devices." She pulled a tiny device out of her pocket that had been there since before she'd found T'Pel in the mess hall. "Everything we've talked about has been a secret. The one thing Section 31 gave me that I'm keeping is the toys. And this medbay technically doesn't exist so there are no sensors here at all. You'll stay here, off the grid, until your new identity is complete. Any ideas for who you want to be?"

"The genetic resequencing for Vulcan was easy enough since I was Romulan. The whole distantly related 5000 years ago thing and all that. Anything the doctor recommends is fine I suppose." T'Pel said, having not really thought about doing it a second time. "Oh and my real name is Marzil Sa'Vvn, not that it matters. I'll have another name soon." It did feel good telling someone her real name though.

"Marzil... that's a pretty name. I'll see if Ethan has anything similar we could use." Angel squeezed T'Pel's shoulder as she got up, tucking her little device into her pocket as she did so. "Wait here until I come back. No one else knows you're in here... well. Other than Enalia."

"Don't worry, I'll be here," the agent said with a weak smile.

"All right, I'll be back soon." With a flash of a smile, Angel swiftly departed med bay 13 and slipped into the main sickbay, easily feigning the weak-kneed and wobbly posture of someone who'd just seen another person vaporized. "Doctor Chaparral?"

Ethan was about to leave to fix dinner for Dylan, so the two of them could spend some time together just the two of them. It had been a busy few days and Ethan just wanted to be with the man that he loved without anyone else around.

He looked up at her concern instantly etching his face. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I prefer to talk privately if you don't mind. Don't want my personal business getting around the ship, you know?" Angel feigned a weak smile.

Ethan nodded, "In my office," he said as he began moving, trusting the XO was following him.

"Perfect." Angel followed Ethan into his office, but she didn't entirely drop her act when the door closed behind them. Some of it had still been real enough. "I'm not sure there's anything you can actually do... just the unpleasantness of watching someone get vaporized. Sort of." Pulling her device from her pocket, she held it up. "No one can hear us... this neat little thing blocks all the sensors in the room. Enalia and I need a favor."


"The Captain saved my life, what is it that you need?"

"Chief Petty Officer T'Pel. She needs a new identity to hide from from Section 31 and the Tal Shiar. Officially, T'Pel is dead. Unofficially... well I know where she is and it's kind of a secret." Angel wasn't sure if Ethan could concoct a new identity on the fly or not, but she needed him to. Really needed him to. "She's shaken up and not enjoying her solitude. How fast can you do it?"

Ethan though for a moment. Surgery wasn't his specialty, especially delicate surgery like this would entail. Still it wasn't something he could entrust to the EMH, "How much of a change do you want?" he asked, "I can make some subtle changes without too much work. But if you want major changes that's beyond what I can do anyway. I can make her look like a different Vulcan, or Romulan apparently, but I can't make her look human."

"What if we made her Rigelian? They look almost entirely Vulcan," Angel mused, thinking about their options.

"That I can do the bone structure is a bit different, but that could work. I'd want to do a little study, maybe look at some images, and it might increase her recovery time a day or so. But that would make her different enough, I think."

"All right then we'll do that. I'll let her know the plan... when you're ready, call me and I'll bring her in." Angel paused before leaving, giving Ethan a serious look. "No one else can be in sickbay when I bring her through."

"I'll make the arrangements and I won't tell anyone about this. Tomorrow morning about 0330 should work."

"Fantastic, I'll let her know. Thanks!" Without wasting a moment of time, Angel quickly slipped out of Ethan's office and made her way back to med bay 13 to relay the news to T'Pel.

T'Pel was still in the secret medbay, finally calming down and recovering from the shock of being disintegrated/teleported when Angel came back. She didn't say anything - just looked up at her hopefully.

"He can do it," Angel said by way of greeting. "But not until 0330, when sickbay is empty. And we don't have resources for the fancy cosmetic changes so since our choices are Romulan, Vulcan, or Rigelian..."

T'Pel nodded. Those weren't bad options, all things considered. "Vulcanoid Rigelian wouldn't be so bad. At least I'll scan the same. Any idea what my new name will be?"

"He didn't provide any ideas for that, unfortunately. I'm not terribly familiar with Rigelian names and we can't ask the computer or it risks blowing your cover... maybe something close to your actual name? Close enough to be familiar but not so close it would be suspicious..." Angel had to think about that for a bit, and she wasn't coming up with anything.

"I could take my sisters name. If you don't think that would be too obvious, that is. Besides, I'm not sure where Miril is or if she's even still alive." T'Pel said softly.

"Miril is a common name in several cultures. I don't think that would be suspicious at all." Angel smiled a bit. She hadn't heard anything about a Miril Sa'Vvn, but she made a mental note to see what she could find.

T'Pel smiled at that. "Then I'm now Miril. Just Miril. Will you still want me as a chef? I suppose that might be suspicious as well unless you say you hired me on as a civilian at your next port."

"You like to cook and your food's damned good, so personally I'd keep you there. I can come up with a story that explains it all neatly... I mean, Enalia did vaporize Petty Officer T'Pel in her ready room." Angel grinned. "Naturally we would need to replace her."

"This is very true. Those sensor logs will clearly show that..." The chef's stomach chose then to flip flop from the stress and the thought of having gone through that, immediately souring her mood. "Ugh... I think I need some more of those tablets."

Angel picked up the bottle of tablets and handed them to her. "Take as many as you need... they're harmless, particularly for a Vulcanoid metabolism."

Thank you," T'pel said as she opened the bottle and chewed on a few more of the tablets. "I can't wait for this to be over. I also hope I'll survive it all."

"Don't worry, you will." Angel gave her a reassuring smile. "You should probably get some sleep so you'll be ready for the procedure."

"I think I can do that. Thank you, Commander. For everything. And please thank the Captain for me as well." T'pel said with a smile.

"You're welcome and I will. Rest well." Leaving T'Pel to rest for a while, Angel quietly slipped out to go back up to the bridge. If she was away too much longer it might arouse suspicion.

Ethan let out a slow breath as he tried for the third time to focus enough on his PAaD to read it, but he was finding it difficult to do so. A hundred thoughts were fighting for dominance in his mind. The news of his father's death, mother's sudden appearance on the ship, her intention to stay for an undetermined amount of time, his new arm, his upcoming wedding, his discussion with his fiance about children, his mother having come into their bedroom by accident and catching him performing fellatio on Dylan, his promotion among others.

He tossed the PAaD down on top of his desk and decided to walk out into sickbay.

Daln walked into Sickbay, looking at a padd in his hand, but walking into another person. "For Deities' Sake!" he yelled. "Second time today!" He had stumbled but the other person had fallen down, again. And again, he offered a hand up to the person. He could sense a jumbled mind from him, but tried to stay out of it. Every now and then, he caught a shout, causing him to be very uncomfortable. "Um, I'm looking for the doctor. Lt Hadren, I've got a physical?"

"You too?" Ethan asked smiling as he allowed the other man to help him to his feet. "They need to put up some kind of warning signals."I'm Dr. Chaparral, I can help you Lt. Hadren, you just move over to biobed two there and we'll get started.'

Hadren made his way to the mentioned biobed and hoisted himself up onto it. He was nervous because even though Zi, the doctor on the Palamedes, had treated his testicles so he would be able to father a child naturally, he worried that something would go wrong again and he would once again become sterile. As a noble, that was not a good thing.

Ethan ran the scan, which at first glance was pretty much routine, with one notable exception. A little anomaly, which he almost overlooked. He checked it again, then looked down at his patient.

"So, it looks like you've had some surgery, is that right?"

Daln nodded. "Please tell me I am not sterile again." He had gone through a massively painful experience to be able to father a child naturally, and he did not want to go through it again, but would if it meant he could become a father.

Ethan adjusted the tricorder and ran it over Daln's groin. "No, it still looks as if you should be able to father children, probably as many as you want. Are you single?"

"For now. There was one woman, but..." he trailed off, not wanting to dwell on it.

Ethan regarded him briefly, then hoping he wasn't intruding said, "I don't know your story, but I can tell you from personal experience not to lose hope. My first love was killed when I was sixteen and i thought I'd never get over it. Then I meet this really special person back at the academy and thought maybe I would have someone to love for the rest of my life. But, we had a big fight and they left. After too many years we found each other and rekindled our love for each other. We're actually making wedding plans now."

Daln nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He thought for a second. "Any other problems?"

"No, you seem to be in pretty good health. Any allergies, or things I need to know that aren't on your chart?"

"A cat allergy, but I'd like to get a pet cat. I hear they're pretty fascinating companions."

"Cat's can be fascinating, though I am more of a dog person. I can give you some shots if you want, it will eliminate your cat allergy as long as you keep it up, or at the very least greatly reduce it. Would you like to do that?"

Daln frowned. "I've only ever seen Bart, a brig guard dog. What are dogs like?"

Ethan who had, had dogs most of his life shrugged his shoulders. "Well dogs are more loyal than cats and more dependent. Both can be pretty bright for animals, but I think dogs are more trainable. And they are more affectionate. They like to be petted, cats not so much, or at least with cats its on their terms.

But if you're sold on cats I'd go for them."

Daln sat up. "No, I'm not sold on cats, but I was thinking of getting a pet. I don't want a bird, or a snake, and tribbles multiply too fast to even think of having one as a pet."

"Well I can give you something for the cat allergy if you decide to go that way. Maybe you can find something when we're on shore leave."

Daln nodded. "That would be nice. I have larger quarters here, so maybe a dog isn't out of the question. Do they all look like the Brig Dog, Bart?"

"No, dogs, come in all shapes and sizes. You should check out out a description on your computer, I'm sure it would give you all the details."

Daln nodded. "I'll do that." He paused for a second. "Am I cleared for duty?"

"You're all clear, just try to be careful and not do anything stupid so you find yourself back in here, "Ethan said, only half in jest.

Daln nodded. "Thanks. I'll see you around, Doc," Daln said as he left. "Now to check my staff..." he muttered to himself as he made his way to the Security Offices.

The young man with his pale exotically appealing green skin and damn good hair, well groomed with some Risian product to spike up his bangs ever so slightly, Rhett Beaumont walked around the USS Hera's main Engineering room shaking his head. “Damn. Damn. More Damn” he muttered to himself as he walked around examining the nooks and crannies of his territory. This is not turning out to be a good day he thought to himself with a sigh. He ran his fingers through his thick hair as he inspected the damaged systems.

“Temporal vagina” he said shaking his head. He had heard the term thrown around the ship. Where it had come from, he did not know nor did he really care to know the source. It had made him chuckle the first few times he heard it, but now it was just a term that made him wince. The USS Hera had gone through something, experienced a voyage through time that had pushed them out a few years in the future. While the Command no doubt were thinking of the diplomatic repercussions of the impromptu voyage to their new time setting, and while the Science squints were surely abuzz squirming about nervously assessing the potential tearing the Hera may have caused in the space time continuum or some shit, Rhett and his mechanical grunts were climbing and crawling about the starship trying to determine how bad of shape the ship was.

Having recently been promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant JG, the extra weight on the young man's collar had affected him significantly. However, the effects were a mix of positive and negative. Positively, he felt more comfortable and in control of his Engineering staff who some had been ranked Ensigns and Lieutenant JG themselves and had been in Starfleet longer than Rhett. He had the seniority from his position of Chief Engineer, but as an ensign, he always had one or two Lieutenant JG ranked engineers under him who did not follow his orders without questioning or defying him openly in front of others. Now, Rhett had rank, positions, and title on his shoulders which had ignited a fire in his belly and kick started the passion of the engineer once again.

Negatively though, Rhett had only become more confidently arrogant in his role as Chief Engineer. He was rubbing his engineers the wrong way at times and cracking the whip a bit hard at times. Confidence was one thing, it could boost his performance and those underneath his leadership. However, his cocky arrogance sometimes produced overworked engineers who in return made the work environment dangerous for themselves and others. Over the past few days, several had caused plasma fires that were quickly thwarted but not without an injury or two. Another engineer had thought he had turned off the power to a conduit which another engineer was working on...resulting in one engineer being electrocuted and rushed to Sickbay while the negligent one pissed Rhett off enough that he out him on the night shift for the next four months.

To worsen matters, Rhett was still trying to get himself used to the new command changes aboard Hera. The starship had a new First Officer in a familiar face. The Security Chief and Second Officer, Angelica Fairchild was promoted to First Officer and was wearing her full commander pips and command red uniform well. Though Rhett did not like that Fairchild had moved up to First Officer, but he had no say in the matter. All he could do was try to get along with his new boss. Snarky, sharp tongued, and ice cold at times, Rhett questioned if the woman even had it in her to command. She had been Security. She was calculated and tactical which would be great in a dog fight or scrap with some unruly folk, but being in command meant to have so much more. Only time will tell he thought as he exited the turbolift and headed across the Bridge and to the First Officer's Ready Room with a stack of PADDs in his hands and a lot on his mind.

Lieutenant Beaumont knew that things were falling apart in Engineering. He needed to change things up down there before it was too late. There were parts that needed repaired and replaced just as there were personnel which may require the same. However, he knew he was not alone. He had PADDs with proposal and more to present to the First Officer.

No matter how much work she did, it seemed there was always more waiting for her. Angel was quickly discovering that she really hated paperwork, but a lot of what she was sorting through now couldn't go to Amelia's desk... or it had been on Amelia's desk and was something sufficiently important that she actually had to lay eyes on it. And she was looking at so much of it that she thought she might actually be going cross-eyed.

The sound of the chime was a welcome relief as it signaled a much needed break from the work. Dumping her stack of PaDDs into a desk drawer to handle later, she took a quick sip of her water. "Come in!"

Rhett proceeded forward through the parting doorway and slowly walked into the woman's office. He looked around the room, examining it. It was authoritative, cold, and very Starfleet. He looked at the First Officer and raised an eyebrow. "You know... you can decorate this place a bit. It doesn't have to be so you" he commented.

The Chief Engineer placed the stack of PADDs on the woman's desk and slid them toward her. "I prioritized them for you and organized them appropriately, Commander" he said with a small smile as he took a 'seat,' planting his ass atop her desk on on corner and turned to face her. "The first has a list of materials we need to appease Hera and get her up and running normally. This old peacock ship did not take her temporal voyage peacefully" added Rhett.

Lieutenant Beaumont then pointed to the PaDDs beneath the top one. "The rest of them deal with personnel matters starting with my evaluations of my Engineering personnel and then go into several complaints filed against me that require your attention. The last few are requests for transfer... some people I want gone."

More PaDDs? She was running out of room in her desk drawer! At this rate, she'd be drowning in them soon. "I haven't exactly had time to decorate," Angel said dryly, pulling open the drawer that held the PaDDs she was already working on. "Get in line. And maybe next time see if Amelia can handle any of it? I hired her for a reason." Uncomfortable with him sitting quite so close, she poked his leg. "Off. You're making me claustrophobic."

Mildly offended by the cold Commander's poking his leg off her desk, has cast an appalled glare upon her. "Well, you make me feel aphenphosmphobic" countered the light green skinned man with the glare then breaking away.

The Chief Engineer scoffed at the woman and shook his head. "You and your own personal Yeoman. Less than 800 souls aboard and you need a Yeoman. I'm sorry to add to your already copious amount of PaDDs, Commander, but no... Your little secretary is of no use to me. We need these materials and I need engineers who can get things done without harming one another, making their work environment unsafe. You are the First Officer of this starship now. Personnel matters are your thing and I do believe you would want this starship fully operational and battle ready. I cannot get you that without these materials. Unfortunately, I cannot have said materials without your pretty signature and blessing" added Rhett.

"Well you are going to have to wait. Your department does not trump the needs of Starfleet Command or the needs of other departments who have filed before you did. As for my personal yeoman, the specifics of why I have one are none of your business, Lieutenant." Wondering just how the hell Rhett had gotten this far in Starfleet with this kind of attitude, Angel physically shoved him off the desk, standing up as she did so. "I am aware of my responsibilities, and discipline is one of them. So unless you would like to see that particular duty carried out on you, you will stay off my desk and act like the officer you are supposed to be."

Rhett shook his head. "Your foreplay is flattering, Commander, but I would rather not be disciplined by you. Now, the Captain is a whole other story" replied the Chief Engineer. "I am well aware that I am not your priority, but I thought you should know that until I get these materials, I cannot ensure you safe travel beyond warp 5 point something" added Rhett.

"We aren't going anywhere. We are staying in orbit of New Sydney for the foreseeable future, and you will get your materials before we leave." Angel had half a mind to stun the engineer and transport him into the brig, but that would be crossing the line. "Now get out of here before I have you scrubbing manifolds with a toothbrush."

"Har har" replied the Chief Engineer, crossing his arms and looking at the woman. "The toothbrush will not be necessary. I will leave, but before I do... in that stack is an invitation. Some of the crew and I are throwing some sort of weird human dance thing. It is called a Disco and it would be nice if you made an appearance."

Being invited to any sort of off duty function was a rarity for Angel, and she cracked a smile despite being annoyed with Rhett a moment before. "I'll try to be there."

"It would help boost morale" quipped Rhett flashing a smile. "You could get out on the dance floor and shake your groove thing and I've watched you at the tactical station, you have a nice little groove thing."

"I do not 'shake my groove thing' at the tactical station!" Angel laughed a little at the thought, shaking her head. "I hope you don't mind if I bring a date."

Rhett snorted and smiled at the woman. "You can bring whoever you want. I did not know you had someone, is it the Captain?"

"The chief science officer, actually." Angel blushed ever so slightly talking about her relationship, and she looked away, trying not to seem too flustered.

Rhett looked a bit surprised as he remained at a loss for words. She's with him? The pointy eared science officer? thought Rhett. He really could not believe it. "Ah fuck! I just lost seven bars of latinum on this. I bet Spinelli seven bars that you were a lesbo."

"You were betting on my sex life? What the hell kind of department are you running?" Despite some indignation, Angel had to admit that was pretty funny. "You know.... I think Enalia thought so too."

"Oh trust me, we stay busy down there, Commander" replied Rhett with a small smile. "However, we do like to bet on things or play little trivia games to pass the time down there. Sometimes, we sing songs as we work. Really, you kind of have to do something to keep it lively down there. It isn't like us engineers really get away missions. If we do, it is go to this alien ship and fix their broken technology that we have no idea how to even work."

"All right, just try to keep it under control." Angel smiled a little, not able to say much about wanting to have a bit of fun while keeping busy. She'd injected enough strange scenarios into combat training herself.

Rhett gave a wink and proceeded to leave. "Always, Commander" he replied, but he knew just how out of control he could get.

Loving someone was new to Lieutenant Commander Sinek. He knew he was not experienced on the matter and the things he read made no logical sense to him. He had some of the memories of the Doctor in his mind. They confused him as well. He decided to go to the source. He was not below learning, especially if it enhanced his relationship with Angel.

Dressed crisply as usual, Sinek walked to the quarters of Doctor Chaparral and Lieutenant Dylan Santiago. He pressed the chime to announce his arrival and quietly awaited to be accepted into the quarters.

Ethan, after a refreshing shower, alone this time, had just changed into a pair of khaki yoga pants and teal parrises squares short sleeved shirt and was moving to the kitchen to start some coffee. Coffee was more Dylan's thing than his and he only really drank it with his fiance.

He heard the chime sound and moved to the door to answer it. When he saw it was Sinek, he stepped aside so he could enter, "Come in Sinek," he invited, "I was just about to put some coffee on, would you like a cup?"

Sinek was about to enter and answer when he heard a female voice say, "Well hello tall, green and handsome!"

Sinek turned just in time to see a rather tall female with auburn hair and jade eyes. It was a civilian, one he had not met before.

Ulani approach and wrapped her arms around Sinek's. As in ancient times, when people would attempt to get Buckingham Palace guards to react to them, any time Ulani would see a Vulcan she would see her mission to get the Vulcan to blush. She looked into his midnight eyes and winked.

Ethan rolled his eyes, "Mom, really?" he asked. If he could have hid behind a cabinet he probably would have done so.

Sinek raised a brow and turned his head toward Ethan as he evenly asked, "This is your mother?" There was nothing that would have logically told Sinek the two were related. They were as different as Klingon and an Andorian.


Ethan shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, she's my mom, what can I say?"

In honor of his friend, Sinek raised his hand in the Vulcan salute and said to her, "Peace and long life."

Ulani looked at the Vulcan's hand, then down at his feet. "Hmmm," she proceeded her eyes wide, "you know what they say about males with long hands and big feet! Right Ethan? I bet you wished Beefcake's hands were that long!"

"What is said?" Sinek asked. "Beefcake?" Sinek was still monotone. Vulcans do not get excited or embarrassed.

Ethan rolled his eyes once more, "I am quite satisfied with the size of Dylan's hands they're actually a tad longer than mine."

Sinek looked down his hands, not understanding what was meant.

"All I'm saying is," Ulani innocently expressed, "if his other parts are as long and pointed as his ears, I'd like him to return to the Aphrodite with me!"

"We're having a party?" Dylan asked as he walked through the door and saw Sinek and Ulani standing with Ethan.

Ethan looked up relief as Dylan walked in. "Something like that, my mother is teasing Sinek, well at least I hope she is just teasing him."

"One never knows, does one," Ulani teased. "Buttercup, are you going to invite us in or are we just going to awkwardly stand here?"

"Buttercup?" Sinek inquired, brow raised. "Perhaps I should come at a better time. I only came to seek advice."

"Sorry," Ethan replied, stepping aside so they could enter, "Come in, both of you. And Sinek don't pay any attention to my mother she's just being a pill."

"A Pill?" Sinek inquired. He clasped his hands behind his back and went to enter.

Before he could enter, Ulani looped her arm with Sinek's. She looked into his face and stated, "Great! Let's enter, shall we?"

Sinek nodded and said, "Indeed."

"Can I get you some drinks?" Dylan asked as he removed his uniform jacket and tossed it on a nearby dining room chair.

Sinek sat in a chair in an attempt to remove the leech on his arm. "I will have a cup of coffee, since the Doctor has some prepared. Black, no sugar." Sugar tended to have the same effect upon Vulcan's as alcohol did on humans.

Ulani as disappointed Sinek didn't sit on the couch. But she remained close, dropping on the arm of the same chair. "I'll have the same," she said with a wink.

"Coffee coming up." Dylan headed for the kitchen area and as he passed Ethan asked "For you too? Or did you want something else?"

"Thanks, I think I'll just have some orange juice." He took a look a his mother and her attempts to make his friend uncomfortable and added, "Make it a mimosa."

"Now Ethan," Ulani teased, "isn't it too early for that. Remember what you told me?"

She turned to Sinek. "Now tell me, tall, green and handsome, how can we help you?"

"I came for the Doctor's assistance. As you know Doctor, we have shared memories since the meld. Through your memories, I have learned that love is an action. You make a logical choice in deciding who you love. Based upon that knowledge, I have established a close personal relationship with a human female."

Ulani's face couldn't hide her surprise. She shrugged and turned to Ethan, saying, "Don't look at me, Buttercup! There's actually someone else I've been seeing a lot of." She turned back to the Vulcan. Just once, she would like to see his face blush a darker green. "And when I say, 'I've seen a lot,' I mean all. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing all of this specimen of the male gender."

"Damn it, "Ethan said, his voice rising,"Leave the poor man alone for Universe sake. Enough is enough!"

Sinek had been doing well at blocking the words Ulani spat. However, it seemed the Doctor was having difficulty. Sinek put his hands together in the triangle shape before him. Quietly and evenly, he spoke.

"Do not allow your mother's chaos disrupt your peace."

At the word chaos, Ulani tilted her head toward the Vulcan and arched both brows above her forehead. But the Vulcan continued.

"As your mother, she is entitled to respect."

Now Ulani tilted her head toward Ethan with a grin. She knew he respected her and never took offense at what he said. She was used to pushing things to the limit. When she did that to the enemy, they began to lose control and it gave her the upper hand. But Sinek was not the enemy, so she changed her tone.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. Please continue with you dilemma, Mr. Sinek!"

Ethan truly loved his mother, but sometimes he thought she went too far. When she did, he had no problems telling her what he thought. She'd always taught him, both his parents had always taught him to speak his mind, and that was one lesson he had learned in spades.

Sinek continued, "As I was saying, I have developed a close personal relationship with a human female. We have kept the relationship low key, although we have spent considerable time with each other. I have read books on human mating and they all seem illogical with much based on emotions. How do I enhance the relationship so that it will continue to grow?"

"There's nothing like a few passionate screws!" Ulani explained.

"Well, I would have to agree with my mom on that one,"Ethan said, good sex, or human mating can be quite intense, but there is a lot more to a relationship than just sex. Sure some it is emotional, I don't know that you can limit things to just bare logic.

When I am with Dylan I'm fulfilled. He completes me. But, like you said, I have made a choice to love him. Like making coffee. I think coffee taste like Yak pee, but Dylan likes it, and the smell is nice, so I fix it for him. I even drink it sometimes. Not because I like it,but because its an excuse to spend time with him.

And I'm sure there are things that he does for me or with me, that he doesn't necessarily like because it means we can be together, or just because he knows I like it."

"So find out what she enjoys," Sinek thought out loud, "and spend time doing it with her."

"Who is this human female?" Ulani explored. Perhaps Ethan can give you an idea of what she likes.

Sinek raised a brow. Should the crew be made aware that the First and Second Officers were in a relationship together? How does Angel interpret no one else knowing?

"We're all friends here. Feel free to say it. We won't tell." Dylan commented as he arrived back with the drinks and handed them out.

"It is Commander Fairchild," Sinek evenly admitted.

"Commander Fairchild?" Ethan repeated a bit unnecessarily, trying to hide his surprise.

"The one who made the speech?" Ulani probed. "She seems to have strong character."

"Yes," Sinek responded, revealing no feeling. "She assisted me with an issue shortly after I came aboard. We quickly developed a friendship, as I and the Doctor have. She sought direction and I taught her the art of Vulcan meditation. We have been meditating together quite regularly. The Doctor knows how her voice brought me back from depths of darkness. We have developed a bond."

"What kind of bond, big guy?" Ulani continued to probe.

"Uh...isn't that kind of personal?" Dylan cut in and shot Sinek an apologetic look.

Ethan took a long drink of his mimosa and shot Ulani an angry look.

"It is safe to say," Sinek affirmed, "that the act of love is mutual. Do I continue doing what we have been doing? Or do I add something new?"

"Variety is the spice of life!" Ulani interjected.

"What kind of something new did you have in mind, Sinek?"

"According to the Doctor's advice, I must find out something she enjoys and do it with her. You have known her longer than I. Do you know what she may enjoy?"

Ulani sputtered, "How long have you been together? And you don't know what she enjoys? How pathetic!"

Ethan massaged the bridge of his nose and wished, just for a moment to be far away. "Mom, really? You need to back off."

The turning to Sinek with an apologetic half grin, he said, "I'm sorry for my mother's outburst, she has always been outspoken. I am sorry I may have been on the ship longer, but I really only know her in passing. You're really asking the wrong person. Sheis the one you need to ask. Just talk to her. Ask her. I'm sure she'll tell you."

"That would be logical," Sinek responded.

"Ya think?" asked Ulani.

Not trusting himself to speak for fear of losing his temper he just nodded his head.

"Thank you all for the assistance you have given," Sinek spoke. To Ethan and Dylan, Sinek stated, "Gentleman, may your day improve." To Ulani, "From Ethan's memories, I know he loves and respects you. He is very grateful for you."

This was one time Ulani was speechless. The Vulcan's words hit a soft spot in her heart. She couldn't recover enough for a witty comment. All she could so is thank Sinek with grace.

Sinek nodded to all, turned and left the quarters.

Ethan too looked up in surprise, "I do love you mom. I mean you do know that right?"

"Of course I do," Ulani commented with sincerity. "And I love you, son! I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I was just having fun with Mr. Sinek."

"Yeah I know you were mom, but you gotta know when to let up."

"If I truly were bothering him, I would have stopped," Ulani confessed. "You saw the man; he wasn't even phased."

"I suppose you're right he s a Vulcan after all. Are you doing okay, I mean really okay?"

"Would I have had such a good time if not," grinned Ulani. "Now that he's gone, I'll have to turn my attention to Beefcake!"

"No, mom, you're not. Please. Just leave him alone."

Dylan simply rolled his eyes before looking at her challengingly and saying "Hey...give it your best shot."

Ulani looked at Dylan, shaking her head with a grin on her face. You have no idea what you're saying, do you Beefcake?

Now it was Ethan's turn to roll his eyes. He threw up his hands looked between the two and said, "I give up. You're both impossible."



A joint post by

Lt. Commander Ethan Chaparral
ACMO

Lt. Commander Sinek
CSO; Second Officer
USS Hera
&

Lieutenant Dylan Santiago
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Hera

Daln had the parts of the three types of phasers on the bench in the phaser range, just waiting for the captain to show up. He knew he should allow the master-at-arms to do this, but he needed to get to know the people he was going to be working with, he was helping with the senior and junior officers. He looked up as the doors opened.

Finally arriving with her customary teacup, Enalia leaned against the bench, looking over the various weapons parts laid out across the bench. "Am I late? I had a lot of paperwork to deal with, if I am." Strapped to her side was an antique looking phase pistol that looked to be from before the birth of the Federation.

Daln shook his head, a half smile on his mouth. "No, you're not late. But you might want to put down that teacup. You're going to need your hands." He stepped to the other side of the table, pointing to a target. "There's the target for this first part."

No mention of hitting the target. Apparently Enalia's new Security chief didn't like how she had slacked at target practice. Setting her teacup down, she looked over the parts again before looking back up at him. "Let's get this over with then."

He held his padd up to take notes. "Alright, first, you're going to put together a type I phaser in under 60 seconds. Assemble it, fire it at the target. Understand?"

Nodding, Enalia waited for him to start the time, then reassembled the weapon from various parts around the table with ease, not even looking at the target as she flipped the completed phaser around and fired it at the target, hitting one edge of it. Setting the phaser down, she looked up at Daln expectantly. "Next?"

Daln's mouth and shoulders tightened a bit. He didn't like it when people had flippant attitudes about safety, because it made his job just that much harder. "Alright," Then he spoke to the computer. =A= Computer, set timer for 60 seconds. Start on my mark =A=

He turned back to the captain. "You will hit as many target points as you can with the type I phaser inside 60 seconds. Ready? Mark. =A=

Dots appeared around the room, targets for the captain to hit.

She had to use this thing? Figures... Enalia didn't like the modern phasers in general, though she was still good with them. Shooting from the hip, her spacial awareness kicked in as she looked for the targets and shot them as they appeared.

Daln nodded. She had hit 92 percent of the targets. "Now you need to do the same with the Type II phaser. You have 60 seconds to put it together correctly and fire at the target. Mark!"

Enalia took a few seconds longer for this one simply because it had more parts to it. Flipping it around like the last time, she activated it and fired, nicking the target without looking, only using her spacial awareness to do so.

Daln shook his head. "Ma'am, you need to actually look at the target so your shots don't go wild. Otherwise, you could damage something." He heaved a sigh and set the timer on the computer. "You have 60 seconds to hit as many targets as possible. Mark."

"Then don't make them so easy to hit. Besides, you said to fire at the target. You didn't mention hitting it." She said calmly as she once again fired from the hip, easily hitting almost all the targets.

Daln nodded; she was good, really good. "Okay, final test. Type III phase rifle. Put it together correctly in 90 seconds, mark"

Ah the rifle... the one that wasn't so simple. Enalia still had it together with time to spare, but it was a pain getting the pieces to line up as usual. Finished, she stood there with it, looking at Daln. He hadn't said to fire it so she didn't.

"Fire..." he said, getting irritated.

Enalia actually looked at the target this time as she fired, hitting it dead center.

Daln nodded. "You have 60 seconds to hit the targets with the rifle. We also have TR-116s and TR-118s. We will set up something for that..." he trailed off as he frowned at the logistical problem of that. "Mark."

Again firing from the hip, Enalia went through the motions of tracking and shooting all the targets she could, pretty much just as accurately as the prior two runs.

Daln nodded. "Except for the attitude, I'd say you passed. I'll try to get with Cmdr Fairchild about working with the TR rifles. That's going to be tricky." He started going over his notes, trying not to tell off the woman who was, in fact, his boss.

"There are holoemitters all through the ship," Enalia said distractedly. "Computer, access holoemitter arrays and create a replica of the TR-116B rifle with targeting headset and the TR-118, without the targeting headset. Authorization Telvan Sierra Charlie Three." With a chirp the computer replied, both rifles Shimmering into existence on the training room table.

Daln scowled and crossed his arms. "And what, exactly, are you going to fire at and where? Without endangering the crew?" Now he was pissed, and was definitely going to put this in his report.

"Computer, are all holo-safeties still in place?" Enalia asked, to which the computer promptly replied with an "Affirmative." Glaring at Daln, she refrained from completely berating him as she picked up the holographic TR-118. "Apparently I can shoot whatever I damned well please, wherever I damned well please. Next objection?"

"It is not the same as the actual weapon. Security officers all over the fleets know it. There is a different feel to it, as well as in the kickback. That's why security officers generally train with the real thing."

"The Hera has one of the best ship wide holomatrix arrays Starfleet can get their hands on. The training systems, this one included, are designed to be completely indistinguishable from the real thing. We also have a cargo bay converted to a holo-training suite with transporter capabilities and everything. If we wanted to, we can and have kidnapped cadets in the night and dumped them into the middle of a survival program with weapons and enemies that register as real and as alive as the two of us." Enalia ranted and handed the TR-118 to Daln, slightly peeved. "Don't underestimate the Hera, Lieutenant. She'll surprise you at every turn."

Daln knew he had crossed the line. However, he'd be damned if he wasn't going to do his job correctly. "There is a procedure to things. I follow procedure wherever possible, because they've been laid out for a reason. I did not mean to insult the ship or you. However, I want to do my job to the best of my abilities and that includes following procedures."

"Then please review the Hera's training procedures. Now tell me how that TR-118 is different from a real one. The specs are exact, the recoil is exact, and the action is exact. This was a training ship for a while, hence why everything is immaculately reproduced to the smallest detail." Heading over to the nearby weapons locker, she entered her code and unsealed the casing for the 'real' TR-118, bringing that back with her and handing it to Daln as well. "Use both of them and honestly tell me which one is real."

Daln put the headset on and stood with his back to the target, targeting it from behind. He aimed, pulled the trigger, and felt the recoil. He set the rifle down with the headset and picked up the other one. It felt very similar, but he could still tell a difference, small as it was. "This one is the real one. But...I see your point. The difference is extremely small. Still, I would like to train people to use them without firing shots all over the ship in populated areas."

"Computer, remove all holographic projectile based rifles in this room." The computer complied with Enalia's order with a chirp, the rifles vanishing - even the supposedly real one. "There is one TR-116 aboard this ship and Commander Fairchild is the only one that's used it. By the book, we're not supposed to still have it - it should have been recycled immediately after the mission it was replicated for."

Daln frowned. "There are several in the armory...they came aboard when I did. Didn't they tell you?"

This darkened Enalia's mood. They had delivered weapons and she hadn't been notified? Someone's head would roll for this. "No, no one told me that weapons had been transferred aboard or that they had even been requisitioned. Who authorized the manifest?"

"An Admiral. Don't remember the name."

"I mean who on the ship signed for it? Which officer am I going to have to throw out an airlock?" Enalia demanded, clearly upset at this point.

Daln's mouth thinned. He didn't like people threatening his staff. "Ensign Jameson. He probably thought you knew."

"If he didn't tell me, why would I know?" Enalia asked. "I want a complete inventory of all weapons and arms aboard the Hera on my desk by morning. And don't forget my personal phase pistol I normally keep in my ready room," she added, pulling the archaic phase pistol from its holster and offering it to Daln for inspection to show that it was more than a prop.

Daln inspected the power pack, then sighted down the phase pistol and fired at the target, hitting it dead center. "It works. And he's fresh out of the academy, got here last week. Please, try to go easy on him."

"I'll go easy on him once the inventory is reaccomplished." Enalia said as she took back her antique phase pistol and reholstered it. "And I didn't say you can't help him with it. I want to make sure there are no other rifles, pistols, grenades, torpedoes, or whatever aboard this ship that I'm not aware of."

"Aye, ma'am. We'll get right on it." Daln understood the necessity, but still was not happy about it.

Enalia nodded, expecting the situation to be settled. "A word of advice. Angel can be touchy about her personal armory so use some tact with her. Is there anything else I need to do for qualification?"

"No, just the TR's, which we will be doing later apparently." Daln knew enough when to stop. He was receiving lots of thoughts from Enalia that he wondered how vicious the woman could be.

Enalia's memory flashed to the recent disintegration of T'pel in her office before calming down and returning to administrative thoughts. The addition of the TRs to the certifications must be new from the 4 years they had lost. Something else to catch up on, it seemed. "Losing four years is just too much..."

Daln said nothing. He knew how that must have hurt their families. He knew they found out later that the crew had not died, but still...that was a lot of new technology to get used to and a lot of time with family to make up for.

"Anyway, I have more things to review and paperwork. We need to hire a new chef here at New Sydney since our last one met an untimely end." Enalia said as she turned to leave.

"Have a good day, Captain."

"You too, Lieutenant."

Enalia had left the current bridge crew to complete the docking procedure with the Hera and instead, she stood at the port side docking hatches with Angel, Daln, and a couple security officers waiting for the procedure to complete. On the other side of the matching docking hatches on the Katana stood a criminal and a murderer from another universe. As the two ships came together and the gangways linked, the pressurization cycle started, filling the locks with breathable air.

"Here he comes," Angel said quietly, watching the door on their side of the airlock. She didn't know all the details of this trial, but she'd skimmed over the reports that the Katana's chief of security had sent over... reports that hadn't quite followed the proper format, but the small note at the bottom had explained that away. With the loss of their actual security chief, there had been a lot of departmental shuffling. With that in mind, she leaned toward Daln and lowered her voice a bit more. "Word of warning... the woman you're about to deal with came up through intelligence." She knew more than that, but that was all Daln needed to know for now.

Daln nodded. "I'll remember that." He stood relaxed, his eyes set on the airlock. He was relaxed, yet ready if a fight broke out. His mind was aware of the tension in the room except for one being: Bart. Bart was relaxed. He was very good at his job.

Cadet Thorne was occupied as well. She was a smallish woman who was just coming out of her teens, and she wanted to prove that she could do anything a man could do. Still, she was not unaware of her weaknesses.

Bart was, in a word, relaxed. He looked up at Jenny before returning to looking around the room. He could sense the tension, but everyone seemed okay.

Vitor was in perfect attention. After four years of dealing mostly with administrative issues being back to active was just what he needed. His breathing was regular and only his eyes moved looking for possible blank spots or any suspicious movement.
His only reaction was a slight grin every time his eyes passed by Bart.

I cannot believe this actually happening thought Kristopher Kerouac as he took a deep breath. The time had passed so slowly that it felt like torture, but now the time had come. He was being transferred from the USS Katana to the USS Hera as a prisoner. Kris had been lead from his cell to the starboard docking port of his starship. "Go gentle on me, kids" he said to his security escorts. "I am fragile" he added as he prepared himself for the exchange and waited for the two starships to connect.

Jhu snorted at him. "Yeah, sure you are." Once the airlock flashed its green light to signal the connection was solid, she tapped the button next to it to open the door on their side. "Walk." She prodded him - more gently than he might have expected - to spur him forward.

As the prisoner came closer, Daln began to feel a mixture of emotions, fear chief among them, and betrayal. Bart growled as they came closer.

"Steady," Jenny said to the dog.

Kris looked back at Jhu as he proceeded forward. "He would have been lucky to have you as his wife one day. I'm sure he would be proud of you, Jhu" added Kerouac.

Hitting the door actuator, Enalia waited for the arriving party to cross the gap between their ships. It wasn't a long way, but it seemed to take forever.

"I shouldn't be in this uniform. He wouldn't want this." Jhu blinked a few times, barely keeping tears at bay. She didn't know why Kris would mention Nathan now, of all times. It was almost cruel. Looking for something - anything - to think about other than the missing father of her child, her eyes fell on the dog waiting on the other side. He didn't look friendly, but for a security K-9 he was downright adorable.

Kerouac knew what she meant, but it was not what he had meant. He made an effort to rectify it. "No, not the uniform. The woman you are, strong and dutiful. Most people would be on leave still, maybe not even consider coming back, but not you. You are so very strong" said Kris. "You should not be in that uniform, Jhu. I know that and it is my fault. I know that you will likely hate me every moment of everyday" added Kerouac.

"...all right, I'll give you that one." With that, Jhu fell quiet, not responding to the last part of what Kris had said. She didn't think she really hated him, but she wasn't happy with him either. It was a hard place for her to be.

On the other side, Angel watched as the small group approached, wishing they were meeting this crew under better circumstances.

Before reaching the small group, Kris took one more deep breath. "Jhu, please. If you have any respect for me left in you at all...you'll do me one last favor. In Liam's and my quarters, in our bedroom on my side of the bed, there is a end table. Inside of it is a small box. Take it and whatever you do not tell Liam about it."

"I will do it because you were my friend. Maybe you still are... I don't know." It was the first time Jhu had voiced that particular sentiment, and it felt odd to finally say it aloud.

"I fucked up" said Kris with a sigh. "I know that I did. I cannot change that, but I can go away knowing that I had a family here, the only family I have ever known" added Kris. "I'm ready" he said as they headed towards the group.

"Seriously people..." Enalia began. "I don't mean to give a bad first impression, but could you walk the guy the 10 meters any slower? Is he really that dangerous?" she asked as the Katana team finally made it to the other end of the docking ports. "Welcome aboard the Hera, by the way. Please feel free to avail yourself of our facilities during your stay."

Angel cleared her throat. "I think it's more they're having a personal conversation they don't want us to hear. Either way, they are here now. Lieutenant Hadren, please take custody of the prisoner."

Vara stepped back from Kris, lowering her weapon as Daln took control. "I relinquish responsibility for this prisoner," she said mechanically - a holdover of her Lagashi training.

Daln and Vitor took out their phasers. "Tito, on his left. Thorne, behind. I want Bart to have a clear road if he runs." They took their places and Daln nodded to Enalia. "We're ready, ma'am." He looked at Kris, ready if the man caused trouble.

Vitor positioned himself like Hadren told him. He kept a somber expression wondering about the complicity between the prisoner and his escort from the Katana.

"He's promised me he won't run." Jhu knew that didn't make much difference to them or Bart, but she wanted to reinforce that thought in Kris's mind. She couldn't help watching the dog; he seemed to really enjoy his job. On an impulse, she knelt down to be on Bart's level, close enough for him to sniff if he so pleased but far enough back as to not be a threat to him. "But if he does run, I want you to bite his ass hard as you can. Can you do that for me, Crewman Bart?"

Bart was confused. What did this woman want? She had not said any commands. He looked at her and whined.

"Still," Jenny said to him. She looked at the woman. "Ma'am, he has to concentrate."

"Sorry. I don't work with dogs much. I don't mean to confuse him." Getting up from the deck made her head spin a bit, but Jhu moved carefully to avoid any sudden movement that might alarm Bart. "He's fabulous. I'm sure he'll make you proud." Taking a few steps back, she looked at Enalia. "Some of us have to be present for the court-martial proceedings. I understand there's not an abundance of room for visitors... perhaps we could synchronize both ship chronometers to ensure everyone arrives on time?"

"The initial team requested we set ourselves to standard time for Starfleet command so if you set your chronos to that, we should be good. Our computer databases should be data-linked by now as well so you should be able to easily access the rosters and schedules." Enalia said, mildly enjoying the discourse between the strange woman and her newest Brig officer. "Lieutenant Hadren, please escort Mister Kerouac to the brig at your leisure."

"Come on, guys. Hadren prodded the prisoner gently and the three of them left to walk to the brig. Upon reaching it, Hadren led the into the brig, Tito staying outside the brig, the prisoner behind Hadren and Jenny and Bart behind the prisoner. Jenny stopped just within the cell block, while Hadren opened a cell and ushered the prisoner inside.

Vitor stood in attention outside the Brig, holstering his phaser, but ready for any eventuality.

"All right, we'll do that then." Briefly watching the security team walk away with Kris, Jhu sighed a bit. "I should go back to the Katana... we've got a hell of a paperwork snafu to finish cleaning up over there, and I have an appointment to get to."

"Good luck then. Please give my regards to your acting captain." Enalia said somewhat diplomatically. "Our ships will be docked with each other throughout the court martial so feel free to allow our crews to mingle. I know there are a few on your crew I'm hoping to get to know better." Enalia added with a mischievous grin.

"I'll let them know they can visit, but we're having a rough transition. I'm not sure how many will accept the invitation." Jhu managed a tight smile, one that suggested that if she didn't have to socialize she probably wouldn't. "All the same, we appreciate your hospitality and will keep our doors open as well. I'm sure I'll see you again soon." With that she quietly retreated back across the connection between the two ships.

Watching her leave, Angel tilted her head to the side with a curious expression on her face. "There's something she's not telling us."

"You saw the look in her eyes," Enalia said, surprisingly softly. "She's lost someone dear to her and she's reminded of it every single day. Amelia has that same look."

"Maybe that's all it was. Either way, she's in a rough spot." The doors on either side of the gangway slid shut, making the moment seem very final. Angel sighed a bit, not sure anyone was going to like the next few days...

After reporting in with his new Chief, Vitor took the turbolift and walked inside Sickbay.
He asked around and was told to speak with Commander Chaparral.
He found the name curious and wondered what was his origin as he approached him.

"Commander Chaparral?"

Feeling a bit girly Ethan was looking at rings on a downloaded catalog on his PAaD while he sat in the reception area, when he heard someone call his name.

He sat the PAaD down and looked up.

Vitor offered him his hand and smiled. "Vitor Tito, freshly arrived Tactical Officer. I believe it is still custom to report to the ship's Doctor when we board a new ship?"

"It is, " the doctor replied taking the proffered hand and shaking it, "I'm Doctor Chaparral, but you can just call me Ethan." He stood to his feet. "Good to meet you Vitor, let's go find an empty biobed. Any symptoms or complaints?"

Vitor smiled, recalling the work out Seras gave him.

"I am a bit tired, but that is due to the travel, surely. Other then that I am fine, just some old injuries from old missions. Ready to get some new ones." In spite all the action he had seen he bared few scars, only those close to his left eye, barely visible to others might have been noticed by a medically trained officer.

And only trough a medical examination could be seen that he had broken a rib and his left femur.

"I forgot I had myopia and used a visor to correct it for many years, but a few years back I had to get surgery." Vitor's smile dimmed as he recalled that mission. It was either make the operation or go blind. But he winked at Ethan. "Not much of a choice, and besides I think one of the things that made catch my wife was these blue eyes."

"Could be, " the doctor deadpanned, "eyes are always the first thing I notice. Of course the last man I saw with blue eyes like yours tried to seduce me and then kidnapped me."

Vitor arched his eyebrows at Ethan's words not sure if he understood it. Without pause he replied hopping he got the right meaning.

"Well, I hope I can prevent any kidnapping now that I am here... Unless it's voluntary off course."

"Well that particular situation has been dealt with from what I understand, but we're not here to talk about me, we're here to talk about you. You mentioned an operation on your eyes, how recently did it happen?"

"About five years ago, I was hit in an explosion and some debris entered my eyes. There wasn't other alternative then to operate."

"Well whoever did the surgery did a great job, I wouldn't want to have to try something that delicate. You can hardly even tell they operated. Is your vision twenty-twenty, or is it even better than that?"

“Twenty-twenty, I was always lucky to have great Doctors in all the ships I served in.” He tilted his head to Ethan. “I have a feeling I will keep up like that.”

Ethan blushed slightly, "Well I hope you're right about that, but you better not be buttering me up so you can make frequent visits here and get moved to the front of the line. You're all checked out and ready to go, I certify your fit for duty."

"Thank you Doc..." Vitor paused, he wondered if Ethan was like Mosley and didn't like being called that. "or would you prefer Ethan?"

"You can call me either, whichever you prefer. I'm not picky."

Vitor smiled. "Then if you don't mind, Doc it is. Again thank you and it was a pleasure to meet you."

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well. I'll sign off on your evaluation and you're good to go."

After the refreshing arrival, and a quick shower and change in uniform Vitor went along the ship with his PADD at hand. His orders were to report to Lieutenant Hadren, his new Chief.
He strolled inside with a smile on his face having already questioned a crewman about the Lieutenant.

He nooded to the officer in front of him, the dark eyes confirming his Betazoid origin.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Vitor Tito reporting in Sir."

Daln looked up from the reports and gave the guy a small smile. "Pleasant day," he said, like he would on Betazed, holding his hand out for orders. Receiving them, he reviewed the man's service record, nodding a few times. Very clean record, typical of security officers, not many medals, always shows up on time, and very polite. Daln looked back at him. "I want you to be aware that we may deal with things that are a little out of the ordinary here. I just got here myself, so we'll learn about the crew together. One person came here with me and I know she's good: Cadet Thorne. She is a K9 unit brig officer, and Bart can be...testy. He does not like raised voices. He will bark and growl, and if it goes on too long, he will bite. So keep your voice level at all times."

Just then a young woman with dark hair in a braid and a large dog on a leash walked in.

"Just a minute, Thorne."

Jenny stopped, curious.

"Have Bart meet Tito here." To Tito, he said, "You may want to get down on his level."

Jenny brought the dog over. "Hold out your hand, sir," she said. "Relaxed, and fingers pointing down."

Vitor smiled and nodded. He held his hand as he was told and kept his voice on his natural tone, not louder nor quieter. "I know the drill. Many years ago we had a family member from his kind."

Jenny shook her head. "Bart is not a pet. His job is to protect and serve. And yes, sometimes to bite."

The dog sniffed the hand, then sat. "You're good." Jenny said.

Daln nodded. "Off you go, Thorne. Just keep close by, there's going to be a prisoner exchange at shore leave." After Jenny and Bart went into the brig area, Daln considered the man before him. "You're coming with us." he said.

He took a padd, entered some information onto it, and handed it to Tito. "We will take turns with the other shifts as needed, but right now, nothing is needed. I'm yet to plan some drill scenarios, so we'll get together with that after we get the prisoner."

"Understood." Vitor picked the PADD. In his opinion, for a Betazoid Hadren looked as efficient as a Vulcan. "Any weapon recommendation for the prisoner exchange?"

"Type II phaser, set to maximum stun. From what I've heard, he's dangerous. Probably was in security or something." Daln debated for a moment and then decided to go ahead with it. "I know you're new here and so am I. I need a spotter for when I lift weights. If you want to partner...I'm not objectionable to it. But I wouldn't object if you didn't want to. Just one newbie trying to befriend another."

"Of course, if you don't mind me asking for a favor as well." replied Vitor with a smile.

Daln arched his eyebrows, waiting.

"Punching bags don't fight back and I really need an opponent to get me back to proper shape. Do you mind if we use the ring? In these four years the only other person I manage to brawl with was my wife, and most of the time we ended up in a different kind of sparing" Vitor winked "if you know what I mean."

Daln frowned. "I've already got a sparring partner, but I could help you while you search for another. I have to warn you though: I don't box, and I fight dirty."

"Isn't that the proper way to fight? And thank you in advance. I will try and find a partner as soon as I can."

Daln nodded. "Great. I'll see you at 1630 in the gym"

Vitor grinned and nodded. He couldn't help but wonder if Hadren was as good as he looked.

"I look forward to it. See you then."

Alden was starting to think that this crew knew little to nothing about what even happened. They had enough information just from the CO and XO, but he needed a bit more. There was something behind all this that just didn't sit well with him. Glancing up from his PaDDs to check on Jenkins, he decided it was time to call his next interview. Hopefully this person had some extra information. "Lieutenant Dylan Santiago, please report to Conference Room 3."

Frowning as he heard the voice, Dylan tried to work out who it was then finally gave up as he pushed away from his desk and stood up. "On my way." he reported before heading out of his office. Moments later he found himself entering the conference room, his eyes settling on its occupants. "Dylan Santiago reporting as ordered." he said curtly, biting his tongue to keep from adding 'And you are...'.

"Excellent. Please have a seat. We have questions we'd like to ask." Alden said as he set down his PaDD and looked up at the Chief Intel Officer. "As a member of intelligence, we're hoping you have further... light... to shed upon this mystery."

"Uh...okay." Dylan said as he took a seat and finally couldn't stand it any more as he asked "I'm sorry...who are you again?"

"Temporal... Investigations..." Alden said, drawing those 2 words out as much as he could. Please tell us... In your own words... What happened while you were... stuck... in the past..."

Dylan snorted and said "I should have figured that you guys would turn up." he leaned forward a little, opting to be awkward and asked "Do you mean what happened to me personally? Or to the ship?"

"Both, but only what you personally observed, please. No anecdotes or sensor information." They'd interviewed enough people at this point that Stephen was pretty sure they'd heard all the sensor data by now.

"Okay, well I was stationed on the bridge for most of it." Dylan replied, "So I'm sure you've already spoken with the Captain and the XO...so I'm not really sure what I can add." he shrugged.

"You can add whatever you personally witnessed that they may have missed and you can corroborate the facts... that they have set forth." Alden said, expecting this sort of dance from an intel officer.

"Okay...well when we uh...arrived it was very apparent, very quickly that we weren't in Kansas anymore." Dylan began, "We could work out what time we were in from the ships all around us and it didn't take a genius to work out where we were and what point of history we'd just landed in the middle of." he shrugged, "And before you ask, we took all steps to ensure that our presence didn't interfere with the course of history."

Alden blinked a few times - a sure sign of satisfaction in the stoic agent if there ever was one. "Was the Captain ordering an attack upon a Klingon battlecruiser and disabling it while defending a ship of that era part of these steps?"

Dylan grinned and said "Ah...now I'm starting to understand why you're knickers are in such a bunch about all of this." To tell the truth, he was enjoying being a total ass about all of this. He hated temporal investigations almost as much as he hated section 31 and the opportunity to annoy one of them was too tempting to pass up.

"We have reason to believe that a rogue Section 31 agent orchestrated the entire event and we would appreciate your cooperation as an Intel officer." Alden said with a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

Remembering his conversation with Ethan about Section 31, Dylan frowned and then sighed "I haven't found any evidence of Section 31 here but if I were going to recommend people to investigate, I'd start with Nexi and..." he paused because of the implications of the second name, "Ulani, Ethan Chaparral's mother." He winced internally as he said her name, wondering if Ethan would react badly to him mentioning her.

Alden was mildly surprised by the mention of those two names, especially as they had already been cleared of suspicion. He didn't think he would get any further usefull information so he decided to check and see if Dylan knew any other names on their list of S31 agents.

Sliding the PaDD over, Alden drew out his words carefully as he usually did. "This is a list of known Section 31 agents and accomplices. Other than Commander Fairchild, Chief Petty Officer T'pel, and Franklin Drake, do you know of any of the others or if they have contacted any member of this crew?"

Taking a moment to look down the list, Dylan finally shook his head, "No...sorry. None of those names sound familiar." This time, he was sincere.

This didn't surprise Alden and he had come to expect this response from interviewees. The surprising part was that the ship's Intel Chief gave that same response. "A question about the ship's chef and XO then. Fairchild and T'pel are known associates of Section 31. What do you know about them personally?"

"I'm brand new here." Dylan replied, "I haven't met them yet...at least not personally, just in meetings for the XO and in passing in the lounge for the chef." he shrugged. Did the goon really think he'd say anything even if he did know anything?

"Very well, since you have no further information for us, you are... dis... missed..." Alden said slowly and deliberately, returning to looking at his PaDD.

With a silent nod, Dylan stood up. Alden had given him food for thought and the first thing he was going to do when he left there was look up everything he could about Fairchild and T'Pel. "Wish I could say it's been a pleasure." he drawled as he headed for the door and added "Good day to you."

Lieutenant Commander Sinek awaited Doctor Mingenbach in his office. He had sent a communication to her to report to his office at precisely 0900 hours. He did not give her any indication why he desired to see her.

Dr. Mingenbach reported to Sinek's office at exactly 0930 hours. She knew she was late but she had overslept and gotten lost on the new ship. She rang the chime, deeply afrais of what her department head might say about her tardiness.

Sinek assumed that the visitor was Dr. Mingenbach. Mentally, he noted she was thirty minutes late. "Enter," he spoke, infecting no tones of anger. His entire demeanor stayed steady and even throughout the conversation.

Vi entered silently at first and then blurted out: "I apologize for being late commander! I'm still getting used to the Hera! " She breathed heavily.

Sinek placed his hands before him, fingers forming the familiar triangle shape. "This is a first occurence; do not make it a common practice," he replied. "Please have a seat."

She sat down in the chair in front of his desk. She wondered what he was about to tell her. It was probably something to do with the cane. She waited quietly for him to speal.

Calmly, Sinek began, "As you know, the Captain is granting leave soon. During this time, there is something I wish for you to consider."

She raised an eyebrow, not realizing what the commander was talking about. "And what is that, sir?"

"As you know," Sinek continued, "I have been given the opportunity to serve as the Second Officer of the Hera. I have duties added to those of being the Chief Science Officer. If am am able to fulfill those duties, I will need an able person to serve as Assistant Chief Science Officer. During your leave, I would like for you to consider the position."

Doctor Mingenbach gasped. "Sir...while I appreciate the offer, I think it's a little too early for a position promotion. Wouldn't you agree?" She really couldn't believe her ears. She hadn't done a damn thing to deserve this. She had just gotten on the ship and now she was expected to be the assistance chief science officer? Unbelievable.

A stoic look remained on the Vulcan's face. "I understand you are new to the ship. That newness brings anxiousness to some beings. I have reviewed your file. You are qualified to be my assistant. I realize that others have been here longer. However, your qualifications outweigh their tenure. I am not expecting an answer from you today. I prefer you evaluate the opportunity during leave. Report your decision when you return."

Vi listened to the Vulcan speak. It was neutral and monotone, but that was what she expected. She had had many encounters with Vulcans in the fleet because most of them went into the fields of science. She sighed but smiled reassuringly. "Yes sir. I will consider the position...thanks for the offer."

Sinek thought that given enough time to think about it, Doctor Mingenbach would make the logical choice to be his assistant. She was bright, qualified and she her research was organized and detailed.

"Thank you Doctor," Sinek evenly responded. "That will be all."

"Yes sir," said Vi and she got up to leave out the chief science officer's office.

JP by:

Lieutenant Commander Sinek
CSO/Second Officer
USS Hera

Lieutenant Vi Migenbach PhD
Science Officer
USS Hera

Lieutenant Commander Sinek thought he was much wiser after speaking with the Doctor and Lieutenant Santiago. Ulani was the confusing one, but the two men seemed to clear things up for him. Sinek needed to find out what Angel enjoyed doing and then do it with her.

Sinek walked with his hands behind his back trying to think of something she might enjoy. The only thing he could come up with was the fact she knew a lot about phasers. Sinek did not know much about them but what willing to try. Beyond that, Sinek was not sure.


Reaching Angel's Office, Sinek rang the chime.

I swear, if whoever that is brings me one more PaDD, I'm going to lose it. Very slowly setting her PaDD and stylus down on her desk, Angel quietly took a meditative breath and put on the most genuine fake smile she could muster. "Come in!"

As soon as the door whisked open, Sinek entered. After it closed, he approached Angel, hugged her and gave her a kiss.

"I do hope that will make your smile genuine," he calmly stated.

"I think you're the only person on the ship who knows when I'm faking one." Relieved that it was Sinek - and he wasn't carrying any PaDDs to add to her growing collection - Angel let out a breath and relaxed, her smile gradually becoming more real. "You don't look like you came here for official business. What's on your mind?"

"I've been making inquiries," Sinek explained.

Not entirely certain that answered her question, Angel raised an eyebrow at him. "What sort of inquiries?"

"I have spoken with the Doctor, his mother and Lieutenant Santiago about us," came the stoic reply.

"Well Enalia knows, so it was only a matter of time before everyone else found out anyway." Angel didn't know Ethan's mother, but she knew Ethan and Dylan. She expected they'd both be able to keep a secret, but not for very long... not if it involved budding romances on the ship. And now she was curious just why Sinek would have spoken with them. "I hope you didn't tell them anything scandalous," she said humorously, getting up to get a glass of tea from the replicator. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I will take a Vulcan spiced tea, thank you," Sinek answered. He followed Angel's movement toward the replicator, clasping his hands behind his back. "I probed their opinion of the love relationship. Ulani, the Doctor's mother, seemed rather bizarre. The two men appeared to help. It seems I should find out what you enjoy doing and do it with you."

"Haven't met Ulani yet." Angel turned to the replicator. "One iced southern sweet tea and one hot Vulcan spiced tea." Both drinks materialized, and she handed Sinek's to him. "Things I enjoy... well. I'm not sure I have unfettered access to the firing ranges anymore. I usually read when I have spare time. Which I... haven't had." Taking a sip of her drink, she pointed at the desk covered in PaDDs and scraps of paper with notes on them. "And the holodeck's nice. Can do just about anything you feel like doing in there."

Sinek accepted the tea from Angel and took a sip. He sat down on the chair across from her desk. By the looks of the desk he was certain she got plenty of reading in each day. "You do not need to handle all those yourself," Sinek observed. You may pass some of those to me as the Second Officer. It would give you more time to do the activities you enjoy. I would be honored to do something you would enjoy."

"Oh this is just the stuff Amelia's already filtered through. Now I'm filtering through it to see what I can send to you and what needs to go to Enalia... and what I need to do myself. I'm starting to miss my old job. This is way more paperwork than I ever imagined it would be." Angle also thought that some of the department heads might be testing her or using the mountain of requests as a way to get back at her for some imagined slight, but she kept that thought to herself as she sat down with her drink. "At least coordinating with the Katana hasn't been too bad." She paused for a moment, considering some things they could do while they both escaped for some shore leave time. "New Sydney isn't a great place for vacation spots. I thought the river would be nice, but there's some sort of pollution problem and you can't go in the water..."

Sinek took a sip of tea before responding. "You are speaking to one who is from a very dry and arid place. I would not mind not entering water. A river can be a peaceful place."

"No, I meant that the water on New Sydney isn't fit for it. Organic solvents... dissolves flesh. Not pleasant." Angel chuckled a little at the misunderstanding. "But I can find a program on the holodeck."

Sinek had only seen the practical use of the holodeck before Angel had mentioned it for leisure use. If that was something Angel enjoyed doing, then he would be there with her. That was the important factor - Angel.

"You prepare the program," Sinek responded, "and I'll be there."

"Deal. Give me ten minutes to finish this one report and I'll meet you there." Angel picked up the report in question, one that was nearly finished and only needed a small amount of polishing before she could send it to Enalia.

"I shall be there," Sinek evenly replied. "I look forward to spending time with you."

Sinek wrapped his arms around Angel's waist, leaned in and kissed her lips. He glanced into her eyes once again before exiting her office. Outside, he grasped his hands behind his back and walked to his own quarters. His current uniform was wrinkled. It was time for a fresh one. He wanted to look his best for Angel.

Angel needed a break. Between dealing with Temporal Investigations, preparing for the upcoming court-martial, and taking over Aelyn's job, she was starting to miss being the chief of security. Sure, the job had been hard, but it was nothing compared to fielding requests from every department on the ship and trying to coordinate that with other shipboard business! Feeling rather fatigued, she left her office and went for a walk, remembering when she'd be able to do that in the name of 'security patrols'. It felt different now, like she might be slacking off or ignoring her work. Maybe she needed to slack off for a while.

Aewia however, was slacking off. Not that she had anything to do other than her therapy. She was looking down into a random jeffries tube crawlway, seemingly to look for someone or something when Angel rounded the corner. Glancing up at Angel, Aewia grinned happily and waved to the XO. "Hello!"

Seeing Aewia looking into the Jefferies tube, Angel stopped short and kind of stared at her. "Uh... hi. What are you doing?"

"Looking for beetles," Aewia replied cheerily. "Have you seen any?"

"There... aren't any beetles on the ship, Aewia. Aren't you supposed to be in your cabin?" Already tired and pretty certain she could feel a headache coming on, Angel really hoped that would be enough to change Aewia's mind about the imaginary beetles.

Ignoring the question, Aewia instead focused on what she just felt from Angel. Focused on her, Aewia walked up to her and peered at the XO quizzically. "Are you not feeling well? You should see the doctors. They help me a lot."

"Hey now. No telepathic probing," Angel said gently, trying to deflect Aewia's attention on whatever it was she was picking up. Apparently the next thing she needed Sinek to teach her was how to shield her thoughts. "I'm okay. Just have a lot of PaDDs to stare at."

"PaDDs and... What has you so stressed out? It's not my returning empathy, is it? That stresses me out... All those feelings. I mean, it's nice hearing them again, but i have my own thoughts to worry about, you know?" Aewia asked cheerily as she stepped away from Angel, misinterpreting her request for probing.

"A lot of things." Angel decided not to be specific about any of them. "I have a lot of people asking me for things that I might not be able to get them. It's a lot of work."

"Want to relax and help me look for beetles then? My sister says their snuff is really valuable." Aewia said invitingly.

Beetles again. Aewia seemed to have a fascination with insects today, and Angel just smiled a bit. She didn't think she'd be able to convince Aewia that there weren't any beetles, but she'd feel awfully silly looking for imaginary bugs. "What do the beetles you're looking for look like?"

"They're um... made of latinum? And big?" Aewia replied, not entirely sure herself - just basing her concept on them from her sister's dreams.

"Made of latinum?" Angel blinked, almost certain that was the craziest thing she'd heard all week, giant beetles made of latinum. She had no idea where to find anything that would resemble that description. Not to mention latinum being a liquid and difficult to make things out of. "Well I've never seen a latinum beetle, but I don't think we have any in the Jefferies tubes."

"Oh..." Aewia said simply, a bit crestfallen and closing the access door.

Uh oh. Realizing she'd upset Aewia, Angel quickly continued with, "Where else do you think we should look?"

"Maybe the EPS conduits but that's dangerous and full of hot plasma." She really didn't even know where they'd be, but Aewia wanted to find one anyway. "I've never seen anything like them in the halls and there are too many people anyway, so I doubt they're just anywhere."

"Well... do you have a picture of one? I don't really know what I'm looking for." Angel was quickly running out of things to say, and she really had no idea what a 'latinum beetle' would even look like.

Aewia sensed that Angel had nothing to go on, so she decided to give up the mythical hunt for now. After all, this was all based on one of Nexi's dreams. "Let's not worry about it for now. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere really, just walking. My eyes hurt from so much reading." Angel really hadn't had any sort of destination in mind. She just knew if she went home she'd go to sleep and not go back to work.

"Then I'll walk with you. Maybe we'll find something interesting." Aewia offered.

"Good idea. Maybe we can find some coffee and sit down somewhere." Angel hoped that by drinking something with caffeine in it she could sit somewhere and not risk falling asleep. "Unless there's something else you want to look for?"

Aewia shook her head, more worried about her new friend. "I'm not supposed to have coffee and all that, but I can have juice. There's an observation lounge on this deck too. I found it earlier but there weren't any beetles there so I left."

"All right, juice then." Angel knew where the observation lounge was, so she subtly shifted their direction toward it. It wasn't one that was used often, so at least it would be quiet.

Aewia hummed a soft tune as they made their way to the observation lounge. Thankfully it wasn't far and when she got there, she punched up an iced mocha latte and a mango-melon slushie, offering the coffee drink to Angel. "Here you go," she said cheerily, expecting that drink to help with Angel's mood.

Now that was a trick she hadn't expected. Angel grinned a bit as she accepted the iced coffee drink and took a sip of it. "This is perfect. Thank you."

"Any time!" Aewia replied cheerily, sitting down at one of the tables and looking out at the planet below.

Angel watched Aewia for a moment before joining her at the table. From orbit, New Sydney was gorgeous, but she knew down on the surface it was a mining world, not quite so pretty as it appeared from space. Still, it was nice to look at while she sipped her coffee drink.

Sipping at her own drink, Aewia couldn't help but wonder where they were and if it should be familiar to her. was it yet another lost memory or did she just not recognize it because she didn't recognize it? "What was your name again?" Aewia asked, a somewhat subdued worry in her voice as she watched the planet rotating below.

That was an unexpected question with how Aewia had seemed to recognize her earlier, but Angel knew Aewia was better with faces than names. "Angel," she said simply, not bothering with using her full name. No one seemed to use it anymore, and surprisingly she was okay with that.

Aewia smiled warmly at Angel. "Sorry, I meant the planet. I didn't think i spoke out loud. Thank you though. I only knew you as Commander Fairchild before."

"Oh the planet. The planet is New Sydney." Angel knew it had another name too, but she didn't remember what it was.

"New Sydney..." Aewia said, rolling the name around on her tongue. "Do you think I've been here before? I don't remember anything about it."

"I don't know if you've been here. The ship hasn't been here before, but you weren't always on this ship," Angel replied gently. "Nexi might know."

"I'll have to ask her later then," Aewia said, surprisingly calmly. Apparently she was having one of her sane-lucid moments. "Tell me about the ship please? My sister doesn't let me go out on my own too much so I've only learned what I could from sickbay and our quarters."

"Tell me what you'd like to know, and I'll see how much I know about it." Angel wasn't as much of an expert on the Hera as Enalia was, but she'd learned a fair bit by now.

"Recreational facilities I guess. I'd like something to do rather than stare at a computer all day doing puzzles and mental exercises. And I have to admit now that looking for a latinum beetle based on my sister's dream is a bit out there..." Aewia replied.

"Mostly standard Starfleet stuff... holodecks and holosuites - I don't know the difference between those. There's a gymnasium on deck 11...." Angel used the recreational facilities so rarely she wasn't sure where all of them were. "There's an arboretum too but I'm not sure where it is."

"What class of ship is this?" Aewia asked next, somewhat sheepishly.

"Boy are you lucky you asked me and not Enalia." Angel laughed a little imagining the wounded look Enalia would have given Aewia for that question. "The Hera is a Nebula class. Bonchune series, which just means it has some pieces that would usually go on a Galaxy class."

Nebula class... Galaxy class... she was vaguely familiar with both but she knew now that the halls all had computer terminals throughout every main corridor. That would help a lot, if she could remember that later. But why was she lucky she didn't ask Enalia? "Enalia is nice. I like her. Why am I lucky i asked you instead?"

"Hera's her baby. She'd pretend to be offended and mad at you for not knowing." Angel snickered some more at the thought, knowing by now just how much of a prankster Enalia could be. "She likes to play jokes on people."

Aewia had to giggle a little at the thought of Enalia doing that. "That does sound like her. I think she's fun. What about holo-emitters? I think I saw a few in our quarters."

"We have holo-emitters all over the ship. Amelia is going to use the ones in her room to make a pet... but you can do anything you want with them." Angel took a few sips of her iced latte.

"Anything?" Aewia asked, the gears in her head turning. There was a lot she could do now, knowing that. "I could look at pictures I don't remember taking a lot easier than on a PaDD."

Angel nodded. "If that's what you wanted to do, sure. Plus you could spread them all out on the floor if you wanted, look at them all at the same time."

"That would be easy too. Do you need any special authorization to do it?" Aewia remembered that some holosystems like the EMH you had to have a certain level to do anything but activate them and tell them what was wrong in an emergency.

"I think the ones in your quarters you can use without any special codes, as long as you're not, like, making rifles or something crazy like that." Angel hadn't tried using the holoemitters in her cabin, but the thought made sense.

"I'd use the replicator for that anyway," Aewia said offhandedly. "Sorry..." she continued, slightly confused. "I think that's from my intel training."

"The replicator won't make them without a command or security code anyway." Angel smiled a bit, knowing Aewia wasn't likely to try replicating a weapon.

"I doubt my old access codes are active, as well." Aewia said with a smile before sipping at her drink again. "I don't like this, you know. I know it hurts my sister, seeing me like this. Lucid and coherent one minute, then acting like a child and not able to think clearly the next."

"None of us like to see you go through this, Aewia. And we don't like seeing Nexi hurting because of it." Angel put her hand on Aewia's arm. "Everyone on this ship is here for both of you. Starship crews are like family, you remember that, right?"

Did Aewia remember that? Not really... "It's hard to remember that sort of thing. I think I know it but that's about all I can remember right now." Aewia said, smiling weakly. "I don't have any memory of the Academy, I barely remember my first ship, and my second assignment was an Intel group on a starbase..."

"I don't remember much of my first assignment either," Angel assured her. Despite a somewhat humorous tone, it was also a serious comment. "And if you never remember, that's okay."

Aewia nodded solemnly, already feeling her mind starting to go fuzzy, likely from being tired. "Thank you for taking care of me. Do you know where we are? I think I forgot..."

"The observation lounge on deck one." There wasn't much left of her coffee at this point, so Angel finished it and set the empty glass on the table.

"Deck one? The bridge? I'm really lost this time..." Aewia said, finishing her juice as well. "I'm not in trouble, am I? I don't want to worry my sister."

"Not on the bridge, just near it. And you're not in trouble, Aewia... unless Nexi thinks you should be." Angel smirked a bit. "I can take you home if you'd like."

"I think I might need that once the ocean calms down. There's too many fish swimming through my head," Aewia said, resting her head against the table.

"I think most of us have too many fish swimming around lately," Angel replied softly, in a sympathetic tone. "Let me know when you're ready."

"I think I should go now," Aewia said, turning rather pale.

"Okay, let's get you home then." Angel quickly recycled the two empty glasses then went to help Aewia up. "Or do you want to go see the doctor first? You're... kind of pale."

"I think the Doctor maybe," Aewia said just as her chrono on her wrist chirped, displaying a message that it was time for her medicines. Staring at the device, she leaned against Angel and wondered what it even said.

"All right, we'll go to sickbay." Angel didn't know why Aewia's watch was beeping, and she wasn't terribly concerned about that either. She was more worried that something might be wrong.

Aewia's chrono chirped again, this time more insistently. "What are medi chimes?" she asked, looking at it again as Angel helped her walk.

"It means you need to go to medical. Good thing we're going that way, right?" Angel had no idea what sort of medi chime Aewia had exactly, and she wasn't going to guess at it.

It didn't take long for them to get to sickbay and thankfully Aewia made it easily enough with only a few distractions on the way. Flopping into a chair, she sat there trying to hold still, her head swimming and fuzzier than it had been before.

It wasn't long before a nurse spotted them and came over, pausing only to wash her hands and grab a tricorder. "Hi, sweetheart, what's the matter?" she asked gently, checking Aewia's chrono as she started her tricorder scans. Seeing that it was time for Aewia's medications, she made a mental note to go get them once this situation was settled.

"We were talking and she just turned white, like a cadet on their first warp jump." Angel didn't know how helpful that was, but it was all the information she had.

"My brain feels fuzzier than normal. Not like kitten tribble fuzzy but like... super-fuzzy-central." Aewia added, a bit better now that she was sitting.

The nurse frowned a bit at the description. "All right. I'll get your medicines and we'll see if they help at all, okay?"

Aewia nodded and muttered something about fishies and soup as she waited for the hypospray.

As the nurse went to get the medications, Angel gently patted Aewia's arm. "You can have some soup later if you want."

Within a few moments, the nurse returned with the loaded hypospray. Knowing that Aewia wasn't entirely lucid, she did a quick identity scan to verify her name before carefully giving her the injection.

The hypo gave Aewia near instant relief, her clarity and lucidity returning to her. "Thank you," she said, one hand on her head. "I guess I forgot about my new meds."

"You're welcome. Any fuzzies left?" The tricorder read everything as fine, but this nurse preferred to rely on what her patients told her instead.

"No. Yes. Normal fuzzies. No super tribbles." Aewia tried to clarify.

"All right, we can live with normal fuzzies. Try to get some rest, okay?" The nurse patted Aewia's arm and then went to check on other patients.

Aewia nodded and looked to Angel, smiling softly.

"Come on. Let's get you home before Nexi starts to worry about you." Angel got up and offered Aewia her hand.

Which Aewia took as she stood up. "I think you're right. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Angel smiled a bit, guiding Aewia out of sickbay to take her home.

Sinek had left the boys' quarters. Ulani had tried to get an emotional reaction from him, but failed. It was too early to tell if he would take their advice.

Although she had not gotten an emotional response from Sinek, Ulani sure got one from her son. It was obvious that Ethan cared about Sinek. It was strange to see a Vulcan ask advice, let alone have a friend.

If Ethan got so emotional about me teasing a Vulcan, what's he going to do when he meets Airi?

"Ethan," she began, "I've asked someone to come here to meet you. It's someone that has become special to me."

"Special?" Ethan asked, "special in what way?"

"Do you remember me saying the other evening that I have been lonely for someone other than family?" She reminded. She looked between Ethan and Dylan, hoping one of them recollected the talk.

"I remember, " Ethan acknowledged, "does that mean you've found another man to be with?"

"There is someone who has very capably filled the void in my life caused by you father's death," Ulani affirmed. "I hope you can support me with my choice as I have supported you in your choices. Can I count on you and Beefcake?"

There was a second's pause, the thought of his mother being with someone other than his dad was a difficult concept for the young doctor to wrap his head around. "Yeah mom, I trust your judgement. I support you. You too Dylan, right?"

"Hey...this is family business." Dylan put his hands up, "But whatever floats your boat I guess."

Just then, the door chime rang. Airi had come over after doing what she needed to do, and was still in her uniform plus black leather flight jacket.

Ethan, trying to figure out what man among the crew could possibly replace his father, and if he would want to be called dad, opened the door. It took him a second to realize the person standing in front of him was a woman and another second for it to register in his brain why she was here.

"Come in," he said, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice as he stepped aside.

She was in full tomboy mode, with short hair and all. Fully confident in her element and she gave him a short nod. "Thank ya." Airi gave, stepping inside, one hand laying at her side while the other rested on her waist. "Evenin' fellas. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Her eyes look up at Ethan and Dylan, with a slight inclination of her head towards Ulani. The two men were taller than her by several inches..something that didn't escape her as her back foot pivoted ever so slightly off of her front foot. The usual wariness being there. How would Ethan react, and then there was Dylan who would no doubt help his ...lover? She wasn't sure what stage they were at yet. And then one thought struck her.

I'm surrounded by tall people.

Ulani saw the apprehension in her lover. She also knew a way to get her to relax. She got up from her seat, walked over to Airi, put her arms around her love and gave her a full kiss on the lips.

Turning back toward Ethan and Dylan, Ulani spouted, "Boys, meet Lieutenant Airi Saxa, my new love!"

The thought of his mother taking another lover had been something of a surprise to Ethan, though he couldn't really blame her, it had been a year and a half for her, so he wanted to show his support and had vowed to do it. However, to say that he was surprised that she was seeing and if the kiss were any indication, doing a lot more than seeing, another woman, would have been the understatement of the decade.

It wasn't as if he objected really, how could he since and Dylan were together, but he was surprised. He cut his eyes between his mother, Ari and Dylan and simply shrugged his shoulders~What the hell,~ he thought to himself,~as long as she's happy.~

"Good morning Ari, " he said, "can I get you something to drink?"

Airi had reciprocated the kiss, and then nodded slightly. "Sure, some sweet tea would be good, when you can please." She was definitely trying to make the right impression. And if a few "dad's" got thrown in there, she wouldn't mind that either. Already having a parental instinct did sometimes help.

Ulani admired how quickly her son had gotten past the surprised look on his face. She also knew that if he took more after her, the look wouldn't have crossed his face. He wouldn't allow his face to register the feeling. People in her profession had died doing so.

"Come Love," Ulani implored, "sit on the couch with me."

Airi walked over easily and sat with her, watching what would come next..

Dylan had watched the whole interchange silently as he leaned against the wall. The turn of events didn't really surprise him, not when it came to Ulani. What was more on his mind was Ethan. If both of his parents were bi then what did that mean for him? Would he, Dylan find himself being tossed aside for some woman some day? Forcing his expression to remain neutral, he chastised himself for being silly then pushed away from the wall. "I...uh...need to go shower. I have a few work related things to do tonight."

Ethan turned and looked at Dylan, his facial expression betrayed nothing, but there was something about his lover's body language that troubled Ethan. He would definitely talk it over with him later.

Ulani's expression took a serious note. Although she had been trying very hard to like Dylan, he was Intel. If anyone knew the Intel types, it was Ulani. The jury was still out.

"Well!" she sounded offended. "That was rude!"

"He's just busy mom, he's a department head and all," Ethan replied in Dylan's defense, "I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it."

"Need I remind you," Ulani said with the sharpness of a dagger, "you are a department head too! So is Ri, for that matter. And both of you are still here."

She let that point sink in before adding, "Regardless of what you think, Ethan, Ri and I are lovers. We will remain lovers. We wanted you to know our joy. And that we will be gone for a while."

"Mom, I'm the last one to complain about you being lovers with a woman. A little surprised maybe. Okay, a lot surprised to be honest. But if she makes you happy I'm not going to complain. And I know Dylan well enough to know he isn't upset about it either, but something did. He's not a rude man.

I'm going to go talk to him, but first, what do you mean you and she are going away together. Do I want t know why?"

"I'll let Lani answer that, but...about Dylan, he seemed like a wounded puppy. Just an educated guess, but he's probably worried about getting marginalized or pushed aside." Airi shrugged a bit, crossing her legs and watching the response.

Ethan face lost some of is color. "Marginalized? But I love him, I would never do that."

"I know you wouldn't. But maybe someone else? Like...family." Airi shrugged. "I dunno, it's just a thought."

"We will be going away on unfinished business that I have," Ulani confirmed to Ethan. "Ri agreed to come along for the adventure." She didn't indicate what part of the trip would be the adventure part. The "unfinished business" or the adventure taking place on the shuttle as they were taking the time getting there and back. Just the thought placed an arousing image in Ulani's mind.

"What kind of unfinished business?" Ethan pressed.

She gave Ethan a grim look as she would only state, "Family business."

"It's best you not know," Ulani suggested. "We plan to return as quickly as we can. However, in the event we don't, I've left some things in my guest quarters that I intend to pass down to you if I don't make it." She looked at Ri and winked, "But with this team, we'll be back. Have you ever seen her shoot a phaser? I'm sure we'll be back for the wedding."

"Good, I wouldn't want you to miss that. We haven't even set the date yet, but I am going to talk with Dylan about that. Do you know about how long you'll be gone?" Ethan asked.

"Shouldn't be that long big guy. But long enough to get the job done." Airi nodded at that, a small smile on her face as she leaned her smaller frame against Ulani's taller one. The latter could add to her words if she wanted to.

"Just know that I love you, Buttercup," Ulani expressed. "Hell, I even like Beefcake; just don't tell him that," she added with a grin.

"And my new girlfriend has quite the way with words." Airi murmured, chuckling a bit.

"We'll leave you and Dylan to yourselves,now," Ulani stated. She mischievously looked at Ri and winked, "We've got a lot to do tonight before we leave bright and early."

In an unusual turn of events, when they had tried to page T'Pel for her briefing, the computer had informed the Temporal Investigations team that she was no longer on the ship. Some deeper probing had revealed that she was, in fact, dead, and then Stephen had received a message from Commander Fairchild that she and Captain Telvan wished to discuss the matter with them before they left. Now they were waiting for the Hera's command staff to arrive, and Stephen was tapping a PaDD stylus against the table in an irritated fashion.

Alden wasn't too happy about this turn of events either, but he wasn't about to show his displeasure without an audience. That was when Enalia and Angel walked in. Enalia wasn't one for wasting time as she sat down. "T'pel is dead. I disintegrated her in my ready room." She said bluntly.

"Would one of you care to elaborate?" While Stephen had been the more pleasant of the pair to deal with, now he was agitated. Annoyed that they'd apparently taken this matter into their own hands and created a bigger mess than was necessary.

"Sure," Angel said bluntly, sitting down next to Enalia. "She was passing information about this crew back to Drake. She refused to stop passing him information. She was a threat, and she was dealt with."

"What... the ... Hell... were you thinking? On whose authority did you do... that?" Alden asked, obviously put off by what Enalia had done.

Enalia fielded this question, not currently caring what it would mean to Angel. "Under the command authorization of Starfleet Intelligence. When I agreed to take aboard Section 31 agents, they made it clear, in writing, that if I felt they were a threat or a danger to the ship or crew, I was to remove them from being a threat by any means necessary. I chose disintegration."

"You have one of those agents sitting next to you!" Stephen exclaimed in disbelief, not entirely sure what he was hearing.

"Okay, let me stop you right there," Angel growled at him. "I turned my back on Drake before we even did our time travel nonsense, and when those bastards called me, I told them in no uncertain terms to leave me alone. You don't get to compare me to T'Pel."

Alden was simply speechless as Enalia followed up Angel's comment with her own. "Exactly. She has proven her loyalty to this ship and crew several times and has made clear her position with that group of fanatics in a closet. Besides, if I had any inkling that she would have been a danger to the ship and crew, she'd now be atomic dust on my couch as well."

"I see," Stephen said quietly, falling rather silent after that. His judgement of Angel's loyalty had clearly been wrong.

"Do either of you honestly think that Enalia would have made me her first officer if she thought I was a threat to her crew?" Angel rolled her eyes at the thought.

"I don't know her well enough to make that sort of assessment," Alden said as he flopped back in his chair, exasperated. "This leaves us with two things left to do, then. The first is to ascertain what information T'pel passed to Drake and how. The second is to interview your romantic interest and have him vouch for your personality and loyalty after a mind-meld."

Angel pulled a mini-PaDD from her pocket and tossed it on the table in front of him. "I pulled everything she sent him right off the shuttle's computer. She deleted it, but she failed to completely wipe it. As for my romantic interest... you can't force him to meld with me or anyone else. So take your threat and shove it."

Taking the mini-PaDD, Alden glanced at it briefly before resuming his threat in an even, monotone voice. "Then we'll have to bring in our own psychic and probe both you and your Captain. We have to be sure of facts."

"Isn't that illegal, forcing people to go through psychic probing against their will? I'm pretty sure it's illegal." Angel folded her arms over her chest, staring at them both.

Uncomfortable with Angel's piercing gaze, Stephen looked away from her, swearing under his breath.

"Leaning forward, Alden lowered his voice as he spoke. "Not in New Sydney's territory. They don't fall under Federation law. While I would prefer voluntary cooperation of both yourself and Commander Sinek, I will do what is necessary."

"You will do no such thing," Enalia said in a deadly serious tone, not taking anymore shit from this Agent. "I remind you of what I did to the last person I deemed a threat to my ship and crew. Shall we have a repeat performance?"

"New Sydney may not fall under Federation law, but the Hera does. And I'm pretty sure that if you force something like that on me, Commander Sinek will very quickly become your worst nightmare." Pacifist or not, Angel knew that Sinek wouldn't allow anyone to force their way into her brain. Or anyone else's for that matter. It was just plain wrong. "If you know what's best for you and your team, you'll get off our ship."

"I agree," Enalia said as she stood. "Your investigation is concluded with this interview. You have one hour to be off my ship. Find your own transportation back to Earth."

Before Alden could say anything stupid, Stephen grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him back from the table. "Let's go. We have what we needed, and pushing any further isn't worth getting shoved out an airlock."

"A wise decision," Enalia said as she turned and left the conference room with Angel.

Once Enalia and Angel had left, Stephen let go of Alden, sorely tempted to beat him in the head with the PaDD he picked up from the table at the same time. "You idiot! You could have gotten us killed! Don't... just don't say a word. Go get your stuff so we can get off this ship before Fairchild comes back with a rifle."

Alden nodded and started packing his things there in the conference room, still speechless at what Enalia had threatened.

Meanwhile, a little ways down the hallway, Enalia slumped against a bulkhead and laughed a little, turning to look at Angel. "So how do you think that went?"

Giggling a bit herself, Angel leaned on the bulkhead next to her. "Better than I thought it might... best fun I've had in a while. I can't believe that asshole honestly thought we would let him bring psychic probing into this mess!"

"Yeah, that was such a painfully obvious bluff it was almost sad," Enalia said, relaxing and smiling a bit. "Now that that's over, let's get to some shore leave. Got any plans with Sinek?"

"I might see if there are any restaurants worth visiting down there... the rivers are all gross and polluted, so they're not really suitable for anything. So maybe the holodeck." Angel brightened a bit more talking about Sinek. "I think there are a few pet shops on the planet. I might drag him to one and see if I can get him to crack a smile in public. Could be fun."

" That sounds like a lot of fun. I'm headed to the orbital station. I've heard they have spas there that put the Risian hot springs to shame." Enalia replied.

"Spas aren't really my thing, but have fun, all right? You deserve it after the crap we've been through on this ship lately." Angel smiled a bit. "And leave your comm badge in your cabin. That way if you miss a call you can be all apologetic and claim you forgot it."

"I'll leave it on my uniform. I plan on taking a shuttle and changing on the way." Enalia replied with a smirk. "I don't get to fly much anymore, let alone in anything nice." Moving away from the bulkhead, she waved to Angel as she headed off down the corridor. "See you in a few days."

She had finally had some free time to get around and do some things. Vi wanted to go ahead and get the requirements for being aboard a new ship done and out of the way so she went to sickbay to go ahead and get her physical done. Being that she was a science officer and could work closely with medical, she didn't really mind it much like most officers did. Next she'd stop by the counselor's office. She walked in, looking around for a vacant doctor.

There seemed to be a rash of new arrivals to the Hera. Ethan had just completed yet another physical. He didn't mind, it was easy work and he enjoyed meeting new faces. He was rearranging some meds, doing some reorganization when he saw another patient. He'd seen her around, she wasn't that new. "How are you?" he asked.

Vi smiled. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm here for my physical. "

"yeah, a lot people are doing that today. Let's go find a biobed and get you checked out," Ethan said.

Vi followed Ethan, brushing her pink curls behind her ear. She smiled at him when they reached a biobed. "I'm Vi Mingenbach by the way." She held out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ethan," he said taking her hand and shaking it. "Looks like you're in the Science Department, judging from the uniform. Am I right?"

"You're correct," she said with a warm smile. "I specialize in astrophysics and scientific weaponry."

"Scientific weaponry?" the doctor asked, "excuse my ignorance, but aren't all weapons scientific?"

She stared at him blankly, and ignoring his question she said: "My physical, doctor?"

"Just trying to make conversation," he said keeping his tone professional, you are the one that told me your specialty. But you can just use the biobed there. It should do fine."

Vi sighed. "Alrighty..." She didn't say anything. She was trying to make a good impression on all the members of the ship but she was doing an awful job. She was embarrassing herself significantly.

"So any illnesses or injures since your last physical? Anything else I should be aware of?"

"Umm...well the last ship I was on, before I went on my sabbatical, was destroyed, and I suffered a concussion."

"And how did they treat that?"

"Oh you know," she said with a smile. "A magic wand and a bippidty boppity boo."

It took Ethan a few minutes to get the reference, "Well I'm no fairy godmother, but we'll try to repeat your treatment if you need us to."

"That's good," she said softly. She looked at him. "Say commander...what's it like on this ship?"

He smiled at her, "Well, it has been an interesting ride, let's say that much. You know about our passing through the space/time anomaly, the last three CMOs have died or been transformed. My ex, from back in the Academy who I thought I would never see again showed up at the same time I did. I've been kidnapped and tortured. My ex asked me to marry him. My mother showed up, not sure how much she likes my fiance and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately or unfortunately as the case maybe, I don't think the drama is confined to just myself.

This is not your typical ship, but I like it."

"Wow that sounds like my kind of ship," she replied.

"Well, welcome aboard and welcome to the craziness. Now let's get you checked out, so I can sign off on your file and certify you fit for duty."

"Sure thing," she said. She thought he had done all the medical stuff while they were having a conversation. Apparently this doctor couldn't multi-task.

Ethan ran the tricorder wand over the woman's body. All the fields were green and there was nothing out of the ordinary. "I think we're about done," he commented, "Any per-existing conditions I should know about?"

"No," she replied simply. "Are we done yet, doctor? You're the chief medical officer but this was by far the longest physical I've endured. If I didn't know you were gay already, I'd say you were checking me out."

Ethan laughed, "Yes we're done, and sorry if you were inconvenienced, but I'll sign off and approve you for duty. But no, I was not checking you out."

She hopped off the biobed and held out her hand for Ethan to shake, and she also laughed. "Good, thank you for the check up, doctor. I'll be seeing you around." And with that she left.

Lieutenant Vi Mingenbach PhD
Science Officer

Lt. Commander Ethan Chaparral
CMO

Serving as the Second Officer aboard the Hera meant some administrative duties alongside those of the Science Department. One of those duties involved routine inspections of all departments and reporting back to Angel. He decided his first surprise inspection would be operations. This would also give Lieutenant Commander Sinek an opportunity to meet the new OC.

A surprise inspection was not the only thing waiting for Karina. As Sinek made his way towards the Operations Center, a short blonde woman with slate grey eyes and cranial protrusions stepped out of a lift, smiling brightly at Sinek as she fell in step along side him, obviously headed for the same destination.

"Good morning, Lieutenant..." That's where Sinek stopped. Had he seen the New Transfer Report, Sinek would have recognized Lieutenant Seras. However, today he had to rely upon the lieutenant introducing herself.

"Good morning, Commander," the woman replied cheerfully in a ghostly, synthesized tone. Verbal communication was not her strongest point, so she missed the way his voice trailed off to prompt her to provide her name.

Lieutenant Commander Sinek briefly looked at her, awaiting the continued response. When he realized there was none coming, Sinek picked up the conversation. "I have just arrived in operations for a Level 2 inspection." A Level 2 inspection was not quite as detailed as a Level 1, but with a Vulcan doing the inspection could almost be the same.
"Perhaps you should alert Lieutenant Sha'ha'zen."

"Goodness! Had I known there was to be an inspection, I would not have lingered so long to report in!" the woman exclaimed softly. "I suppose that would make you the First Officer? No no, both the Captain and First Officer are female, right?" The woman stopped short, her long ponytail swishing behind her. "Perhaps an introduction is in order. I am Seras, and who should I tell Lieutenant Sha'ha'zen is performing the inspection?" she asked pleasantly.

"Lieutenant Commander Sinek," the Vulcan replied. "I am the Second Officer as well as the Chief Science Officer. Lieutenant Seras...yes, I remember seeing that you would be joining us. I was just not yet aware you had been on board. I have not yet seen the morning report. I'm sure you will be an adequate addition to our crew."

"The shuttle from my homeworld arrived at New Sydney just this morning," Seras informed him. "And I hope I'm adequate, at the very least," she added with a bright smile. "I will go report in and let Lieutenant Sha'ha'zen know that you are here." Then she turned to continue on to the Operations Office, pausing to make sure she was going the right way, then found the right door and rang the chime.

Having an office of her own had been unsettling even for Karina whom usually preferred some solace. She'd been occupying herself with a PaDD with the latest operations reports, inspection summaries, and crew manifests when a sound at her doorway rang. Looking up with a short flush of her freckle line, the Hiigaran's brows furrowed as she wondered who'd be visiting.

"Uhm... enter," Karina said after a moment, having almost forgotten to answer at all.

Seras entered the office briskly and handed Karina a small PaDD with her transfer orders. "Lieutenant Seras reporting for duty," she said. There was a strange look on Seras' face as she looked at Karina, but after just a couple of seconds she blinked and then shook her head as if to dispel a funny feeling. "And Commander Sinek has come for an inspection."

The word inspection almost made Karina jump out of her chair. It was hard for her not to set her PaDD down the table immediately and start to make her way out, but the Hera's new Chief of Operations used an old trick to maintain some semblance of calm and dignity.

She counted slowly to three...

At the number three, her mind fully processed what was happening and even had the courtesy of delivering a reasonable response. "In that case, welcome aboard," she said, slowly rising out of her chair. Karina took one PaDD, not particularly sure which report it had on it, but an old instructor at the Academy used to tell her that she should always have something in her hands. It was a good way to look like she was busy.

"Where is Commander See-nek, now?" Karina asked next, mispronouncing the Vulcan's name. Realizing the error, she closed her eyes and formed the name silently before trying again. "Sinek."

"He is just outside the door," Seras said. Her chipper attitude was fading as that strange look reappeared on Seras' features. There was something about Karina... Again, she had to dispel that feeling before continuing, "He wanted to give me the opportunity to report in and inform you of this inspection."

These were expressions that Karina had seen thousands of times before, a strange sense of deja vu. She could see the gears inside Sera's head turning, grinding, trying to figure out where she recognized her from. It was part of the reason that Karina kept such detailed personal log entries... log entries she usually added to the public record.

But usually they occurred more frequently in people that Karina had met. And unless Sera was capable of emitting similar pheromones, Karina had never met her.

Now isn't the time... Karina thought, remembering that Sinek was just outside.

"Ok then. No point in keeping him waiting," Karina said as she hurried towards the door. It parted evenly, revealing the Vulcan in blue collar. Vulcans... Karina thought; with only one or two exceptions in her entire life, she rarely got along with Vulcans. "Commander See-nek," Karina greeted, deliberately mis-pronouncing his name. If he wanted to throw a surprise inspection, then she'd have no issue trying to get underneath those emotionless nerves of his.

Karina flashed a smile, ignoring even a hint of perturbment he might betray. although it hardly carried any sincerity. "Rumor has it you're here for an inspection. Nice way to see if I either sink or I swim."

"Indeed," the Vulcan replied, his face expressionless. "I have reviewed your file, Lieutenant. On PaDD, you appear highly capable of smoothly managing a department. This is a Level 2 inspection, no documentation needed for review. Give me a walk-through and will see the details of how things are holding up. Mentioning details, my name is pronounced like the human work "cynic."

Sinek motioned with his arm and held out his hand away from the office, "Shall we?" Seeing Lieutenant Seras still present, he added, "I suggest the Lieutenant be given a tour with us."

Karina flashed a quick glance in Sera's direction. She hardly knew anything about her new Assistant beyond the woman's name. Would her presence help or harm Karina right now? Help... hopefully, Karina thought with a nod. "Of course," she said, leading the way towards the nerve center of the Operations Center.

Unlike the smaller Intrepid-class vessels, and those of comparable weight and class, the Nebula-class Hera possessed a dedicated Ops center apart from the bridge. Here, most of the things Karina did on the bridge, she could do here. It also allowed her to hand out duty assignments and maintain a clear picture of the Hera's systems at all times.

It was also the first time Karina had seen one...

"Here we are," Karina said, trying to sound confident even though it were possible, even likely, that Sinek was more familiar with this room than she was. Casting a gaze towards the main status board, she saw a lot of green, one or two yellows, but thankfully no reds reading the Hera's present status.

And as it was, the two yellows merely indicated that the ship's warp drive was operating at below standard levels, which was routine seeing as how they were in orbit of a planet.

Seras was more than happy to tag along. She was Karina's assistant now, so it made sense that she be present for the inspection anyway. Thankfully, she had had the pleasure of serving aboard a Nebula Class ship before her Leave of Absence, so just a brief glance at the Master System Display and Seras had a good idea what was going on with the Hera.

"Sensors are operating at peak efficiency, Environmental systems are functioning properly, and power distribution... is adequate, but it looks like there is an obstruction in the EPS lines near the phaser banks. Repair teams are already flushing the problematic lines, they should be done within the hour," Seras rattled off as she traced along the MSD to get updates from around the ship. "Although... Why were the phasers modified with triolic waves?" Since the incident with the temporal event and the Devidians was still under investigation by TI, that mission had not been released for Seras to read about when she was researching the Hera.

Sinek observed the Master System Display as it was reviewed for him. "It was changed after we were pulled back in time to make our phaser fire look similar to the Federation star ships of the time. It appears everything is functioning well."

Looking at the main screen, Sinek punched the command to bring up the duty rosters. He reviewed them for each department. Turning to Lieutenant Sha'ha'zen, he spoke, "I trust you notified Lieutenant Beaumont that Crewman Fielder was not punctual for his duty shift in Engineering today." It was a statement not a question.

Karina looked at the same screen and saw where Fielder -- (whoever he was!) -- had reported in for his shift several minutes late, then turned back to Sinek. "Hmm..." she began, studying the screen more thoughtfully. Her first and second passes at a response would have flirted dangerously with insubordination. Granted, a question like that was micro-managerial, and any seasoned Department Chief would brush it aside as such. Then again, she was the new kid on the block.

Fighting a battle here over something so trivial would handicap her down the road...

"Not yet, but I will be sure to handle this," Karina continued, swiping at the screen so that it detailed Fielder's history... or lack thereof... in reporting on time to his duty shift. The man was either late or barely on time. "With Lieutenant Beaumont's cooperation, of course."

Dammit... she was playing too defensively. If there was something shiny that she could have distracted Sinek with, she would have. But for the present time, Karina was forced to continue letting him run the court.

Sinek momentarily looked reflective. He realized it was only a few minutes. He realized it was only a few minutes. However, repeated offenses would result in decreased productivity and overall crew efficiency. The crewman may have a logical explanation. That was up to Lieutenant Beaumont to determine and accept. Operations must see to report the incident.

"Very well, Lieutenant," came the stoic reply. "You will be glad to know you passed your inspection. Most will be announced, especially Level 1 inspections. I thank you for your attention to duty."

A wash of relief came over Karina. It started at her temples and then worked its way down to her shoulders where she realized she had been tense only a moment before. "Not a problem," she replied absently.

Sinek nodded toward the COO and evenly stated, "it was good to finally meet you, Lieutenant Sha'ha'zen." Then her turned to the other operations officer and with the same even inflection said, "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Seras."

The Vulcan then turned and strode out of Operations. His pace seemed to say he had somewhere to be precisely in a few minutes.

Ulani was on the Aphrodite, awaiting Ri. She was checking everything out on the console, making sure all systems were up and running for their long journey.

Last night was another one full of passion. Just thinking of Ri made Ulani's core temperature rise. Hopefully, this trip wouldn't be all business. Before Ri arrived, Ulani checked her outfit: black leather pants, a black tank and a leather jacket. She was brimming with confidence.

Ri was still in her quarters, getting herself in order. Her cheeks warmed at the memories of last night. She knew the trip wouldn't be all business, and all of her gear was in a box which was in her transporter buffer. Might as well gear up on the Aphrodite, after all.

For the moment, she got on just a t-shirt and track pants, with her boots, before heading out of he quarters, and to the turbolift. She was on her way, and would arrive in a few minutes, opening the Aphrodite's hatch and walking up the ramp. Her interview with the Investigations people had concluded, and thus per Telvan's instructions she was free to go.

Hearing the hatch release, Ulani made her way to it, arms open wide. She hugged Ri and gave her a passionate kiss. "I want to thank you for the past few nights."

The hug was right at the top of the hatch, and Airi had to hold on tight to her to avoid falling. The passionate kiss lit a fire in her much like it had the other nights, and when they pulled away, she smiled a bit. "Anything specific from those nights? Or is it just the fact that I've made you feel alive again?" Ri was teasing her, but genuinely thankful that she was happy.

"You have made me feel alive again, Ri! I feel complete. I don't need the brandy as much as I have." Ulani explained. "However," she added with a grin as she lifted two bottles from the shelf, "I have brought a couple of bottles along for us to share."

"Once we're underway. I don't drink and fly." Airi chuckled, "But en route? sure. Though I don't think we will have time for too much brandy.." she winked at the other.

Ulani's cheeks heated up at the meaning Ri intended. Or at least she hoped she intended. Her life certainly had become more pleasurable since she met Ri. Just thinking of the past few nights and the possible near future with Ri sent goosebumps up Ulani's spine.

Caressing Ri's cheek, them running her fingers through her hair, Ulani asked, "What did you have in mind?" Ulani then attempted an innocent look upon her face.

The innocent look didn't fool her, but she smirked, placing a finger upon Ulani's lips. "What do you think? It involves me and you, and a lack of clothing. But first we need to prepare our departure, lover."

Ulani smiled, flirtingly acted like she was going to bite Ri's finger, then laughed. She placed the brandy on a shelf. Feeling light and free, Ulani then ran to the co-pilots seat and motioned toward the pilots seat for Ri to take charge. Teasingly she affirmed, "you can take me anywhere, my love."

"I'll keep that in mind.." She chuckled, winking at her again. Sliding into the pilot's seat however, her face seemed to change. All business now. Taking a moment to admire the Aphrodite's controls, she brought secondary systems online, before escalating to primary. "It'll take a couple of minutes for everything to start. Then I'll request clearance to undock."

Ulani sat back and watched her lover with a grin. She loved watching Ri. A few of the past mornings, when she awoke before Ri, Ulani would lay still in bed and just watch her. Ri was not only had a sexy attitude, but she was a looker. Everything about her spoke volumes of sex appeal. It was what drew Ulani into beginning to flirt with Ri in the beginning. She hoped their future together would be long and fulfilling.

She went through the motions, including obtaining clearance, before taking them out of the bay...1/4 impulse power. Usually, it was maneuvering thrusters only, but Ri carried a streak that shared in common with some famous names from history. Soon, they were away, and Ri was plotting warp jump coordinates..

"I love watching you at work," Ulani admitted, still watching Ri's every move.

"Yeah? Why?" She chuckled, pressing the button with a certain vigor that made the Aphrodite leap gracefully into warp, and she sits back in her chair satisfied.

"Not necessarily the work part," Ulani confessed. "I just love watching you. I do it some mornings while you sleep. You sleeping peacefully, breathing evenly, your chest rising as you take in air. You are so damn sexy, I got to watch you."

"My chest isn't even as big as yours." She pointed out, "But you think it's perfect? Well...thanks.." she blushed a little at that, but was proud that someone looked at her in that way.

"Size doesn't always matter, my sweet Ri," Ulani chuckled.

"True enough..though just look at you." Airi chuckled in return, staring at her. "Near perfect proportions..and a loving heart to go with them."

"That heart isn't so loving with all," Ulani explained. "You have fed that heart. Naturally, you will receive from it. I never thought it were possible...to love someone else."

"I know. Gotta be a balance though, right? Can't be all hate and no love, or vice versa. That's just how we are as people. But I'm glad I could bring some light back to those eyes." Airi was rarely sentimental, but when she was it was adorable.

Ulani smiled as Ri spoke. "Have you placed it on auto?" she asked Ri with hopeful eyes.

"Aaah~" Ri drew out in a sing-song voice...pressing the button. "Now I have~" Clearly teasing the other.

"How long until we arrive?" Ulani asked with a grin. "Or should I ask, 'How long do I have you to myself?'"

"I'd say about 10 hours.." Airi stands up and walks back into the main area, beckoning her to follow.

Ulani stood from the copilot seat. She teasingly walked toward Ri. "Hmmmm, what can we do for ten hours?"

"Hmmm indeed.." Ri turned around and looped her arms around Ulani's neck cutely. "How about doing what we've done for the past few nights?"

Looking into Ri's beautiful eyes, Ulani slipped her arms around her waist. She lowered her voice to a soft whisper, "That sounds like a very good idea, my love."

"Un." Airi nodded cutely, gently claiming Ulani's lips with her own, closing her eyes...

Ulani gave in to the passion aroused within her. There was a chance either one of them might not make it from the mission. If one of them were to survive, Ulani wanted this time to be memorable. She surrendered her body to Ri, returning the pleasure that she received back to the giver. Losing count of the numerous times her body quivered over the hours, she now lay exhausted in Ri's arms.

Airi had lost track..but she knew that it was memorable. She'd never forget this. At the end, when she was holding Ulani's exhausted frame in her arms, she remembered how tired she was now. "Lover? I think we need some sleep before we arrive." she mumbled a bit.

Ulani opened her eyes just enough to bring her lover into focus. She gently kissed Ri's neck as she said, "You're right, love! Don't want to go into the wolves' den with no energy." Ulani chuckled and added, "Thank you for being with me; you have brought security to my life...I love you so much."

"Mmmn." Airi gave a soft moan at the kiss on her neck before nodding softly. "You're welcome...and I love you too. Now let's catch a power nap. Computer, alert me an hour before we reach our destination." A corresponding bee-boop showed that her command was recognized, before she closes her eyes again.

True to her word, Angel had finished that one report and promptly escaped the confines of her office, going down to one of the holodecks. Sinek had said he would meet her there, and she wanted to have a program chosen and ready when he arrived. Fortunately, the holodeck menu had plenty of simulations that included peaceful rivers... and several that weren't as peaceful. She picked a program with a gently bubbling river and lush grass on the banks, grinning a bit as she did so.

Sinek had taken the short time to freshen up. He put on his fresh, clean uniform. While he did so, he thought about the program Angel may have prepared for the two of them. Again, he had only used holodecks in the past for training or experiments. He did not fully understand using them for personal leisure activities.

The CSO strode to the holodeck and saw a program had already been activated. The one that he loved was awaiting him inside. Entering, he glanced around, seeing the lush green banks. His sensitive hearing heard the river before he moved forward and saw the water. He didn't see Angel right away, so he said her name, louder than usual, but as even as ever.

"Over here!" Already sitting on the river bank, Angel got up and waved to get Sinek's attention. Like her, he was still in uniform, but even from a distance she could see that his was freshly pressed and hers... hers was not. Hers was still rumpled and creased from long office hours, and she was suddenly acutely aware of it.

Sinek calmly walked over to Angel and sat in the grass next to her. "This is an excellent environment," Sinek stoically replied. "I understand why you enjoy the river. It is calm, peaceful. This is an ideal place to seek reflection in solitude."

He leaned his back against a nearby tree. Opening his arms in an encouraging way, Sinek invited her to lean back against him. "It is also an ideal place to be alone with someone for whom you love."

Sitting back down in the grass, Angel positioned herself so that she leaned back against Sinek, allowing the tree behind him to support both of them. "Yeah, it's pretty perfect for either activity. Decent for swimming too, if the temperature's turned a bit higher... I wanted the cool breeze though. It feels nice."

"Indeed," Sinek agreed.

What felt better than the breeze was Angel leaning against his chest. Sinek wrapped his arms about her waist and gently held her.

Sinek had been concerned for Angel. It seemed she was not getting much sleep. The human metabolism could not take that as the Vulcans' do. Angel needed to experience true down time.

He spoke softly, "it is a good place to relax."

"If I relax too much I might fall asleep." As if to prove her point, Angel yawned, blushing bright pink as she did so.

Leaning forward and kissing her cheek, Sinek asked, "Would that be a terrible thing? You must listen to your body, Angel. Take this time to rest. I will still be here holding you when you awaken."

"Guess it wouldn't be so bad." Angel had to admit that at least she'd be falling asleep in a comfortable place with the person she loved. "The other thing my body's been telling me is that office needs a new chair. My back's been killing me lately."

Sinek was never one to sit too long in a chair. He accomplished more effectiveness by being mobile. However, when all departments needing Angel's authorization, she had been bogged down with administrative duties. He had seen this in Angel's office.

Sinek spoke softly into her ear once more. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you too, Sinek." Angel snuggled a bit closer to him, enjoying how the warmth from his body felt on her sore back.

Sinek was certain if the roles were reversed, Angel would do something soothing that she had learned from her mother. He had learned no such thing from his, nor from the caretaker with whom they left him while they were on business. It was only when he was older that he was permitted to travel with them. This was to encourage Sinek to pursue the path they had determined for him.

"Tell me about your mother and father." The words came out as a statement, but was more of a request.

"Well they were pretty surprised when I decided to join Starfleet." Angel smiled a bit at that memory, the shocked expressions they'd both given her. "Most humans would consider me a spoiled child while I was growing up. No brothers or sisters, and for a Federation family we were pretty high-class. Anything I could dream up, I had it. Not something I like to tell fellow officers about, you know? People hear that and think I'm some sort of rich snob. Way I see it, I was just one hell of a lucky kid. Never had to worry about anything. It's what childhood should be, but so many people don't have that." She sighed a bit. "Always had pets of some kind, so it's been hard not having one. If I was sick or I had a bad day, Mom would put one of the cats in my lap and we'd just sit together. On a really bad day, there would also be chocolate involved. Or a shoulder rub, if she thought I was too tense. I'm sure she thought I'd die at the academy without that."

"It seems," game the even Vulcan tone, "you have the understanding you were loved."

He did not have that understanding for himself. Compared to the relationship he developed with Angel, the one he had with his parents seemed cold and distant. He gently squeezed her. One thing Sinek knew, he did not want this relationship to be distant.

"Very much so. They were so relieved when I called them after our time travel adventure. If they could get their hands on a ship, they'd be here." Angel grinned a bit at the idea. "What were your parents like?"

"They were...distant," Sinek explained without inflection. "Their duty carried them all over the known multiverse. I rarely saw them in my early years. They ensured that I would receive care. But it seemed to be from duty as parents, not love. Vulcan families are much different than Terran."

"I got the impression that Vulcan families were different, but that's... kind of depressing, from a human standpoint. Anyone can provide for a child's basic needs... food, water, shelter. But kids need more than that." It was merely an honest opinion, and Angel's tone suggested it as such. "I'm sure they do love you, but they don't know how to express it."

Sinek momentarily reflected upon his parents, while listening to the gentle currents of the river. He may never have the understanding about his parents that Angel has of hers.

He understood the bond he and Angel had formed was a good thing. As far as he knew, he was the first full-blooded Vulcan to understand love in this way. He gently brushed his cheek against hers.

Quiet and even he spoke again, "I may never know if that were truth. My parents view me as a rebellious son because I chose the path of Science above diplomacy. I have not spoken with them in fifty years."

"Vulcans and family traditions. I swear, they feel more strongly about such things than Klingons do." Angel thought it was a bit silly that Sinek and his parents hadn't spoken for so long, but she politely kept that thought to herself for now. "Imagine what they'd think if they saw us together..."

"Indeed," Sinek replied. They would rather he would be mated to T'Vas, who was a daughter to another diplomatic Vulcan family. She had chosen to follow in the same path. Sinek would not agree to the arranged marriage.

"If I had thought my parent's paths were logical for me, I would be an ambassador. The probability of us meeting near nil."

He gently squeezed her once again. "I know I have correctly chosen the proper path for my life."

"I'm glad you chose this path and not the path of diplomacy." It required some flexibility, but Angel twisted just enough to kiss his cheek. "Never thought I'd say this to anyone but... I needed someone like you in my life." She knew it was no secret that she'd been immeasurably calmer - and easier to deal with - since meeting Sinek, and the more they explored the bond forming between them, the more noticeable it was getting. Not once in her life had she ever thought she'd be dating a Vulcan. Or that through dating said Vulcan she'd find herself feeling more balanced and centered. She hadn't given much thought to dating at all, really, and any prior relationships that had presented themselves had quickly fallen flat or disintegrated completely. Just when she'd finally thought she was just incompatible with people, Sinek had proved her wrong. And boy had he been insistent about it.

Her warm lips pressing against his cheek stimulated the nerve endings on his cheek. He craned his neck so that he could look into her steel gray eyes. Even the neutral color of her eyes spoke to Sinek of the balance Angel brought to him.

"You were much needed in my life. You have brought balance to my life. If not for you, I would most likely be working myself off of my third ship."

He bent his head forward and kissed Angel on the lips as he brought his right hand up to brace her head.

Angel lingered there for a moment, still a bit awed by the seemingly electric spark between them with that sort of contact. She didn't know if it had something to do with Sinek's telepathic abilities, but she'd certainly never felt it with anyone else. "Tell me what you mean by that. Working yourself off another ship."

Sinek again paused for reflection, listening to the flowing river. He never knew what he missed out on aboard his two previous ships until he experienced it here. The fact that not just one, but two people have reached out to Sinek as friends caused him to become aware of the void in his life caused by the distant relationship he had with his parents. He knew these two could not replace his parents. But already, the had become closer than anyone else ever came to Sinek. And the fact that one of these two actually loved him and he had mated with her outside of pon farr, was astounding.

Sinek moved his arms about her waist once more. He held her snugly to himself, placing his left cheek next to Angel's right.

When he spoke, he was at peace. "I never saw the need for relationships before the Hera. If it were not for the wisdom of an ancient half-Vulcan and yours and the Doctor's willingness to allow me into your lives, I would most likely still be referred to by the human term 'Cynic.' Even though I had served with distinction in my previous posts, the Captains transferred me because I did not have my team's respect. You have helped me to see the importance of those relationships. You are my counterbalance."

Angel listened quietly to what Sinek had to say, nodding slightly. "I think I understand. And I'm happy to be your counterbalance. I mean, I had some friends before you joined the crew, but none that had reached out to connect with me the way you did."

Just the corners of Sinek's lips turned upwards as he remembered his first few meetings with Angel. "Perhaps you did not fascinate them as much as you did me."

Angel smiled a little. "Maybe. Most people on the ship think I'm a bitch anyway."

Sinek raised a brow and flatly replied, "Female yes, but you are not a canine. The truth is that there is a similarity. The female canine reacts to a potential threat to her brood. You become dangerous when someone or something is a potential threat to your crew. It is a good quality for a First Officer."

"Well, yes." Angel couldn't help giggling a bit. "But that's not what they mean. It's a human colloquialism... it's a crude word for a mean woman."

Sinek tilted his head as he tried to grasp that concept. "I do not understand the logic of someone referring to another in that way. The very act indicates that the person making that identifying the other in such a way is mean his or herself."

He then spoke quietly in her ear. "Besides, I do not believe I have ever seen you in a mean state."

"I've never arrested you or had to pull rank on you either," Angel reminded him sweetly. "Though to be fair, the only person I've arrested on the Hera was that Deltan woman, and the only people I pulled rank on were the security goobers I worked with." Even as she called the security team 'goobers' there was a note of affection in her voice. "Funny enough, they all liked me just fine." Sinek also hadn't seen her at the end of a long day when she'd used up more patience than was humanly possible, but she decided to just not mention it.

"You added discipline," Sinek suggested. "Discipline is necessary for effectiveness and efficiency." Gently squeezing his arms about her, Sinek softly asked, "is there anything you wish to do planet-side?"

"I thought we could find a place to eat, maybe go for a walk. Just get off the ship for a few hours." Angel didn't crave sunlight or natural air the same way other people did, but it was still nice to get off the ship for a while.

"I have," Sinek began before pausing, seeming to search for the right word, "enjoyed holding you and conversing with you. I am curious about the culture on New Sidney. If it is as polluted as they say, how can the people live there. Could there be a solution? Do you wish to put on a casual attire?"

"It's just the river that's gross... the air is fine, and they have a modern water system, so the people manage. They're a mining community. They're not exactly worried about the welfare of the planet, which is strange to me too but they're not going to accept anything that changes that, Sinek. It's how they provide for their families." Angel paused as she considered the final question, the only one he'd asked that was on a different topic. "I think casual clothing is better if we're going to the planet. It's not a Federation world."

"Then I suggest we prepare for the planet surface," Sinek suggested. "I am sure that Temporal Investigations has worn you thin. Taking some food should replenish you."

"You have no idea." Angel sighed theatrically, trying not to giggle. It wasn't really that funny, but she was burned out on dealing with the investigation team. And anything could be funny after that sort of stress. "Let's go change then."

Sinek stood and helped Angel to her feet. Before he let her go, he pulled her in to himself and gently kissed Angel's lips. Gazing into her gray eyes, he softly spoke, "I will meet you in transporter room 2."

"I'll meet you there." Angel gave him another quick kiss before slowly departing, letting her touch linger against him until she could no longer reach. Then she vanished through the door, heading home to get changed.

When Angel left the holodeck, Sinek spoke, "Computer, save holodeck program Fairchild/Sinek-River." He was certain this could be a place for them to come and enjoy each other's presence. Then he too followed to prepare for the surface.

(Shuttle Bay)

Vitor smiled and squeezed Seras hand. Last time he was onboard a shuttle it was almost five years ago. He enjoyed his time on the Cairn Homeworld with Seras, but they both knew he needed to get back to a more active posting.
He missed it, the confusion of a docking bay, the clean decor of a ship, and the smell. That old car smell he missed so much.

He turned to Seras and winked.

"Ready to return to the madness?"

"Yes," Seras said simply with a bright smile. Part of her was scared, and she'd made no attempts to hide that from her husband, but she was ready. After her capture by the Cardassians, the Cairn woman had been terrified to continue in her service to Starfleet, but she could not hide from her fears forever. Four years had been more than enough time. "You?"

"More than ready."
Vitor smiled at her and looked around again. The movement and the confusion was actually making him feel good and eager to get starting. He held her hand and gave her another wink.

"Now Misses Tito I believe we have to report in."

"Indeed," Seras replied, watching as their belongings were unloaded from the shuttle. "Although, lets stop by our new quarters first. I don't know about you, but after such a long, cramped shuttle ride, I could use a shower and a fresh uniform," she added, her ghostly synthesized voice echoing slightly in the shuttle bay.

Vitor nodded as they steped down. "Agreed, I don't want to report all wrinkled. I will take the first shower."

"Awww!" Seras protested with an adorable pout. "But it was my idea!"

Vitor gave her a nudge and laughed. "Fine, what ever you say Dear." He let her step a bit further then him and slaped her left buttock. "But that means your cooking, and no excuses this time, at the very least you can replicate something."
Vitor thought Seras a few recipies, and she become a very decent cook. He on the other hand learned archery from her.
Althought they were just married for about two years, they have been together for a bit longer, and their companionship and camaraderie was strong. As strong as their love.

Seras grimaced. She wasn't overly fond of cooking. Most Carin cuisine was largely vegetarian and require little preparation. "Alright... I guess we can have that stew your aunt made for us. I ran it through a replicator and got the pattern," she replied with a grin to signify her success at being lazy. She normally wasn't so pro-doing-nothing, but after such a long shuttle ride cooking was the last thing on her mind. "And be careful what you start," she whispered into his ear as she reached around to grope his wonderfully toned posterior, "we're not on duty yet, so I have absolutely no problems with graphic displays of affection..."

Vitor raised an eyebrow and leaned down to her. "We will talk about that later."
He turned walking to their belongings. He picked his and Seras ruffle bags putting them on each of his shoulders. The weight reminded him that he needed to work a bit harder.
He was in shape, but he felt a bit rusty after four years spent on a planet with barely no crime or activities that required a proper Security officer.
If it wasn't for Seras he would have gained more then the four kilos he now had.
Luckly that old saying that you burned as much callories having sex as running a marathon appeared to be true.

He pointed to the two wooden cases. They were rectangular in shape, made from real oak tree. Inside were their bows, quivers and arrows.
"Can you get those?"
Vitor didn't waited for Seras reply and walked across the shuttle bay looking for the turbolift.

Seras grabbed the cases and quickly jogged after him, returning to his side just as he found a turbolift and the doors opened.

(Turbolift)

He waited for her and put down the bags as the door closed. He pulled her to him and gave her a kiss.

"Now, what was that about the displays of affection."

"I was attempting to make a threat. I do not think I did it right," Seras replied with a laugh. She had meant to imply that if he did not behave himself that she would have her way with him right there in the shuttle bay in front of the shuttlebay crew. Not that she was in any way an exhibitionist, but Cairn were not so squeamish about public displays of affection. "I have a new idea. Let's share the shower," she added.

Vitor raised an eyebrow. He was a fairly forward guy, with not many inhibitions, but compared to Seras he might be considered very conservative.
"So since you didn't bang me on the shuttle bay your trying your luck in the shower?" Vitor narrowed his eyes with a teasing look. "I am sorry Misses Tito, but no. We will shower separately." Vitor held her tightly "But since we don't have a proper schedule to report in why don't we try the bed instead?"

He leaned on her, kissing her neck while his hands caressed her lower back.

Seras puffed up her cheeks in frustration. She hated that word, bang, it made sex sound violent... But yet again, her meaning was lost in a miscommunication, not that she was going to fault Vitor for that. But his attentions to her neck and back were quickly making her forget all about her frustrations. She hummed, or made a soft sound that approximated humming, and leaned against him.

Feeling her warmth Vitor put his hands under Seras uniform letting his finger feel her body.
His mouth found hers and he gave her a long kiss. He leaned his forehead on hers.

"Perhaps it's better that we stop until we get to our place..." Vitor was getting so aroused that he wanted to be with her right there.

Seras nodded mutely. His hands... Oh, she loved his hands...

[LATER]

Ever the bed hog, Seras lay draped over Tito. After their little romp, Seras felt strangely energized, but she just lay there being lazy just on principle. You were supposed to feel sleepy after sex, so why was she all wiggly? Probably because some part of her remembered they needed to shower and report in. No matter, they could spare a few more minutes...

Vitor kept his eyes closed savoring the moment. After a few minutes he passed his fingers lazily over Seras' back.

"I think you need to put a good word in Ops. We need something."

"Oh yeah? What?" Seras said playfully like she didn't already know.

He opened his eyes and kissed her. After all the years, making love to Seras was still a unique experience. The emotional and mental sharing of her Cairn nature was something, that even after all these years, he was still discovering.
He grinned as he teased her.

"A bigger bed."

Seras laughed and grabbed a pillow, hitting him with it. "The bed is fine," she said as she pulled herself away from her husband. With a long, languid stretch, she looked to the bathroom. She sighed. She couldn't put off reporting in any longer, but she was so nervous! "You sure you don't wanna share the shower with me?" she asked teasingly.

Vitor grinned as he watched her stretch, enjoying the view of her body. He nodded and sat on the bed.

"Fine. But just shower, I rubb your back you rubb mine."

Seras grinned; that's how it always started....

Vitor raised an eyebrow and walked to her taking her hand. He began to wondered how confortable the shower was, but then he thought they would soon find out.

Nexi was feeling better by the time the the lift stopped and let her and Daln out near Sickbay. Yeah, she hurt hurt, but they had been sparring, a little hurt was good! But more than anything, it just felt good to be active; life on the Hera had become too sedentary for Nexi's liking, so a little sparring had been just the thing to help boost Nexi's mood.

What she didn't expect upon entering Sickbay was to be tackled by her half sister. She'd barely had any time to react or brace herself before Aewia pounced on Nexi, toppling them both to the floor. Nexi's head hit the deck plating with a thunk, causing Nexi to groan. Fuck, there goes her pride...

"Hey kiddo," Nexi said in a strained tone, patting Aewia on the arm. "How was therapy?" she asked as though nothing was wrong with this picture.

"It went awesome! They're trying a new... something... that should help me stay coherent longer. Isn't that awesome?" Aewia said, snuggling on Nexi as if being on the floor like this was the most normal thing.

"Awesome," Nexi managed to squeak out. Damn, Aewia's knee was right on Nexi's leg where it reeeeeeally hurt, but Nexi didn't have the heart to make Aewia move, she looked so excited.

Daln got up slowly, his teeth clenched. "Thanks for that, lady," he said, his voice two octaves higher than its usual baritone. He looked closer, and he recognized her. Aewia, Senator Larani's daughter. He had a brief romance with her when they were in school on Betazed. His cheeks flushed as he remembered how it ended.

He walked over to them, hoping she would not remember him. "Want some help getting up?" he asked, offering a hand.

Ethan walked out into the sickbay from his office to see what all the noise was about. His eyes widened slightly,"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" he called out in a loud voice.

"It's alright, Doc," Nexi said, taking Daln's hand. She definitely needed some help getting up off the floor after that tumble. "Aewia just got excited about her therapy, no big deal..."

"I see, well it does look like you're in some pain,what happened?" Ethan inquired.

Aewia had a look of consternation on her face now that she saw who her sister was with. Did she know this man? He looked strangely familiar... "Are you... Did you own a pet shop on Betazed?" she asked, completely oblivious to any other relation.

Daln shook his head. "No, my family didn't own a pet shop. Just let me get fixed up and I'll talk to you about it."

Daln faced the doctor. "Nexi and I were sparring and we got a little overenthusiastic." He paused a moment. "Where do you want us?"

"You can be on biobed two, right there," Ethan said pointing, then turning slightly "and you Nexi, uh and your sister, can be on biobed four right there," he finished pointing again.

Nexi lumbered along, leaning on Aewia slightly as she took her place at biobed four. When Daln caught his first glance at Aewia, Nexi had been thoroughly distracted and had missed the thoughts racing through his head about Aewia, but now she was alert enough to notice the tension between him and her sister. Nexi was curious about what this connection was, but her questions could wait a moment while the doc tended to their injuries.

Daln sat down on biobed two where he had had his physical and tried not to think about Aewia. "I think I have some broken ribs, and she sent a pretty good kick to my groin." he said as he gingerly sat down.

"And don't forget, I broke your nose," Nexi pointed out with a grin, but then winced and rubbed the back of her head. Damn, her head was killing her!

Aewia was silent, trying to remember what pet shop this somehow familiar man ran.

Daln laughed, then winced. "True, but I did get in both an arm and a leg, and a black eye and your nose, too."

Ethan slowly shook his head, "You two should get a room next time, and not the holodeck."

He walked over to where Daln lay and ran the tricorder wand over him. After he was done he rolled his eyes, "Really?" he grumbled, "the next time you two go at, I'm just going to activate the EMH and let him deal with it." Then in a slightly gentler tone he continued, "You've got two cracked ribs, a broken nose, bruised testicles, but nothing too serious."

He pulled out an osteoregnerator and ran it over the effected ribs. Then he gently took the man's nose in his hands. "This is going to sting just a bit he said, as he resat the nose.

"As for your balls, well I'm not going to touch those figuratively or literally. They'll be little sore for few days and I can give you something for the pain.'

Daln grimaced. "You sure you can't fix them up?"

Ethan held up both hands at shoulder height, "Not really, there's not much I can do. Like I said, I can give you a hypo for the pain, which will help. You'll need to abstain from any sexual activity forty-eight ours or so, other than that there's no long term damage.

Daln grumbled a bit, but said nothing.

"You really want a gay man playing with your balls? Think about it." Ethan said a bit cheekily.

Nexi snickered at Daln. "Yeah, go ahead, let the gay man fondle yer junk..."

Daln's eyes widened, then he shook his head. "I think I'll have the EMH look at them."

Aewia was confused. "What does being happy have to do with it?"

Daln shook his head. "It means he likes kissing other men. I don't."

Ethan couldn't help but chuckle, there was no way he was going to get involved in that conversation.

He then turned his attention to Nexi, "I see you're playing hard to get," he quipped as he examined her. "You're ankle is sprained, I'm sorry not much I can do about that, except wrap it up. You should stay off of it a day or two, so you don't make things worse. You've also go a concussion. I am going to give you something to relieve the pressure."

"Keh, thanks..." Nexi said begrudgingly. "Just a day or two, right? 'Cause I'mma go crazy if it's anymore than that."

"Don't worry," Aewia said, grinning happily. "I'll take good care of you."

"No," the doctor replied, "it shouldn't be much more than that."

Nexi nodded and watched as the doc finished wrapping her foot. As soon as everything was done, she hopped off the biobed and hobbled to the door, not even caring that Ethan just told her to stay off that foot.

Ethan watched the woman exit a look of incredulity on his face.

Daln shrugged as he left.

OFF:

LCdr Ethan Chaparral
Lt Daln Hadren
Nexi
Aewia Larani

Nexi limped down the hall to Enalia's quarters. She had been summoned, but Enalia was being pretty evasive about what she wanted Nexi for. Nexi didn't care; Enalia had done alright by her and Aewia, so there wasn't a whole lot Nexi wouldn't do for the Trill woman. So whatever Enalia had been so evasive about, Nexi would do it.

Nexi arrived at the Captain's quarters and rang the chime, but surprise surprise, Enalia wasn't there yet. No matter, locked doors were never much of a problem for Nexi and in a few keystrokes the door opened for her and she went inside. Once inside, she walked right to Enalia's desk and sat down in the nice, cushy chair, spinning around a few times before kicking her feet up on the desk, wincing slightly as her sprained ankle protested that action, then leaned back in the chair to wait the boss to show up.

Which didn't take long after Enalia had gotten an alert that her quarters had been unlocked without her. She expected it to be Nexi, but just in case, she was careful as she opened the door. Spotting Nexi at her desk, she grinned and relaxed, flopping on her couch. "Comfortable chair, isn't it? Best I could get from the Trill Emporium."

"Very nice," Nexi said as she wiggled her butt in the seat to better appreciate how perfectly it conformed to yet supported her ass. "Mine, this is mine now."

Enalia had to chuckle at the claim. "Get me what I want and it's yours."

"You finally gonna tell me what it is you want or am I gonna have to start guessing?" Nexi asked with a grin. "No wait, don't tell me.... You look like you are in need of some leather. And maybe a nice corset, really give the ladies some lift. Yeah..." Nexi tilted her head slightly, rather blatantly undressing Enalia with her eyes and envisioning her in nothing but a leather corset. Nice...

"You mean you still haven't inspected my wardrobe?" Enalia asked, somewhat amazed, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "No, I have several nice corsets. I just don't wear the more uplifting ones while in uniform." She added, lifting the bottom of her uniform shirt to reveal the black lace number she was in right now. "No, I need the teacup on that PaDD to your left."

"Hey, I only pilfer through people's underwear when I'm paid to do it. Or when it's kinky, which this suddenly is." Nexi leaned forward, wincing again as her ankle throbbed, and picked up the PaDD. "So what's so special about this damned teacup?"

"Are you ok? You look like you're in pain." Enalia said, not missing that wince as she lowered her uniform top and tucked it back in.

"I just got a little rough with your Chief of Security," Nexi admitted. "I'm not used to all this sitting around shit, so I went to the gym, he wanted to spar, and we beat the shit outta each other. It was awesome. So seriously, this cup, what's the big deal?"

"It's the last teacup made for the last royal family member of Trill. It was stolen from the archives on Trill before we were sucked back in time and I've gotten word that it's going up for auction in three days." Enalia explained.

"You want me to acquire this all legit-like or is this one of those 'any means necessary' moments?" Nexi asked, taking in the details of the cup on the PaDD and committing them to memory.

"The starting bid is supposed to be four bricks of gold pressed latinum. I don't have a single brick. Do you?" Enalia said with a wicked grin.

"Yes," Nexi said simply. "Don't forget, I had been saving up to buy my freedom, and after all the interest had compounded over the course of my life, that was a whole hell of a lot. Lucky for you, I'll waive the interest on whatever I spend if I manage to buy it, you can pay me back whenever you can. If It steal it, well, I'll charge a modest fee, well under my usual rates."

Enalia nodded, somewhat amazed. "I'm not sure how I could pay back that much though. They expect the bidding to go well over a hundred bricks. Besides, I work for Starfleet. The benefits are great, but the pay sucks."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that," Nexi said with a snort. "I think I have what I needed. Any further requests?"

Enalia nodded. "Just that you not drink from it. It's rumored to still be poisoned from the one time it was used."

"Don't drink from it, check," Nexi said with a nod, tossing the PaDD back onto the desk. "Maybe I'll use it on whoever does end up buying it," she mused wickedly.

"Up to you, just so long as it's sitting on that desk within a week." Enalia said as she got up and sauntered towards Nexi. "Now would you like a down payment? I have some whips in my closet."

"Ooooh, that is a tempting offer, one I am seriously considering taking you up on," Nexi said, rising from the comfy office chair and making her way around the desk to get close, closer, mmmm closer to Enalia, close enough that breath was briefly shared as Nexi considered kissing her. "You're one helluva woman, Enalia, and I would love to throw down with you sometime... But I'm trying to do better, be better than I was before. I know I just accepted a job from you where I will likely have to steal an heirloom artifact of your people, even joked that I'd kill to get it so I ain't that much better yet... But I gotta start somewhere, so I won't accept sex as a form of payment. I've been on the other side of that bargain, Enalia, and you're better than that," Nexi explained in a husky tone, then drew away from the Trill woman.

Enalia had almost kissed Nexi as well, having enjoyed the closeness. Her declination was somewhat disappointing but somewhat expected, It seemed being turned down was her lot in life this week. Taking a step back, Enalia smiled softly. "Then perhaps later and not as payment or anything. It's been far too long since I wore any of my latex outfits." Turning around, she rounded her desk and plopped down in her chair. "As for the teacup, I do plan on returning it to the Trill government eventually if that helps any."

"Maybe I'll come find you on the beaches of New Sydney and we can shake things up, give the other tourists something to talk about," Nexi offered with a grin.

"I'll be spending my shore leave time on the orbital station. I hear the spas there put Risa to shame. You're welcome to join me at any time though." Enalia offered with that same seductive grin.

"Maybe I will..." Nexi headed for the door, but paused just before leaving. "Oh, I should let you know, that Ulani woman paid me for some work, which is harmless enough and I'll do it, but... Something ain't right about her, she's up to something. Just wanted to let you know I'm looking into her."

"I've got my systems taps watching her as well now that I don't have to watch Angel and T'pal." Enalia said, suddenly serious. "If you find out anything, please let me know. And try not to beat up too many security people."

"Right, I'll limit the beatings to your sexy Security Chief," Nexi quipped with a wicked grin, then left Enalia's quarters, her mind already working through plans for a heist.

The view out of the shuttleport was remarkable. For indeed a separate shuttle had been required to transport the three large boxes that came with Rian, full of belongings and valuables that she had placed worth in keeping.

There was an Intrepid-class, a smaller ship of some kind, and the rather large Nebula-class. Yeah, there was her destination. But since being informed that the Hera was under shore leave, she instructed the pilot to take her to the orbital station. It'd been a long time since she'd had some time in a real spa. And it would be most kind to her seemingly aging frame, though she did not look it.

She tucked her little headpiece away..a memento from her father, and gently fingered the necklace, a memento from her son that had been sent when he was able. This was a new assignment..and one she hoped to help others on. Maybe she could petition to have her son's Cadet cruise be aboard this ship...since she loved him so. Hopefully, it could work out, when the time came.

For now, she waited as the shuttle got closer..and came in to dock.

Ulani didn't know how long she had been asleep. Her mind was still in a haze; something kept nagging her. It took her a few minutes to register the computerized voice announcing, "Fifty-nine minutes to destination."

"Affirmed," Ulani replied.

She took a minute to look at the youthful body next to her. Ri was still asleep. Leaning over, Lani kissed Ri's breast, then began to nibble at it. She chuckled as it perked up.

"Time to rise, my Love. We must get you looking like a love slave."

The thought stimulated Lani; she suppressed it this time. They had limited time before making contact with Glunk and Meeg.

Airi moaned at the ... stimulation, and quickly gets up. "Ensure that my transport buffer is secreted in the outfit. My gear is in there. Also, good morning Love." she gave, watching as Ulani began her preparations, and complying with what she asked.

"Use your imagination in you style," Ulani suggested. "Think of what you would like to see me in," she added with a devilish grin.

Ulani request a forest green snug jumpsuit, with the buffer bracket hidden in the cuff of the sleeve. She stepped into the suit, made sure her dagger was hidden inside of both boots. She then slid the knee high boots over the legs of her jumpsuit.

Airi nodded slightly and input her ideas into the replicator console. Soon it spits out a red outfit that starts with red and black heels and incorporated a red with black trim color into the leggings while it made her spots stand out more. Her legs are left bare, the boots being connected to the waist section by leather straps, with slits on either side of the waist section that show her spots peeking out. Then she has small gauntlets of the same color scheme, showing off her slender arms, a chest piece that is configured to bring out the most in her bust size, and right below it her midriff is left bare as well, looking a little shiny because of a little oil she applied to it. Her hair is shorter for this one, so it won't be in the way. A collar is around her neck, contrasted by small rivulets of sweat that make their way down her chin and her throat. Making her such a delectable temptation...

Ri looked so hot at the moment that Lani almost lost track of what their mission was. She'd have to remember this outfit and wear it for Ri when they got back. It definitely got the juices flowing.

"You look absolutely delectable, my Love," she told Ri.

This time, Ulani got into the pilot's seat. It may not look right to the Ferengi if the slave were piloting. "You can control things from the co-pilot's seat. We've got to keep a front as we approach. It won't matter when we leave. They won't be in the position to notice then."

"Of course." Airi slid into the co-pilot's seat with an easy grace, her backside also being highlighted by the outfit. "And thanks." She was gonna wear this for Ulani too after they were done. Just because the look on the elder's face made the younger smirk more than she should have. "Looks like we have about 45 minutes until our destination..."

The fact that the heels highlighted Ri's legs and accented her tush was not lost on Lani. Ulani took a nice prolonged glance admiring them as Ri took her seat. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a cute patooti?" she asked with her trademark grin.

"You just did." She chuckled. "Though usually I'm the one saying those things. I do hope everything goes according to plan.."

"Me too," Ulani confessed. Trying to be reassuring, she stated, "We're a hard team to beat."

Fifteen minutes later, a hail came across their open comm channel. "Unknown and unmarked vessel, identify yourself!"

Lani looked over at Ri with a smirk, "It's show time!"

Her head nodded and her face shifted into something similar to a poker face. Hard to read, but definitely loyal and obedient. She was a slave girl. And she would fill that role for now. Certainly it'd be enough to fool some simple Ferengi.

Ulani switched the comm channel to the small view screen. One of the ugliest Ferengi she had ever seen was the one hailing. His yellowed sharpened teeth bared at the sight of two women.

"The name is Inalu," she lied. It was the quickest she could alter her name. "A Ferengi by the name of Squart sent me this way for business."

The Ferengi pursed his lips then asked, "Why would he send a hu'mon female to do business with reputable Ferengi?"

He glanced hungrily at Ri, "And you are?"

"Riria. I am a slave girl." She phrased her terminology in such a way, making eye contact to ensure she was regarded as speaking the truth.

The Ferengi's tongue slipped through his pointed teeth. "You have the marks of a worm." His mouth took on an intimidating grin. "I eat worms."

"I am the one with whom you will do business," Ulani sharply spoke.

"Hu'mon, what makes you think I will do business with a female?"

Ulani didn't hint that she was not human. The less they knew, the better.

"Squart said that if the price was right, you will do business with anyone," Ulani insisted.

The Ferengi's mind began to think of profit. He pursed his lips, then stated, "I'm sending coordinates to you for the planet's surface. You can enter. I'll communicate with my brother of your arrival." With that, he cut communications.

Ulani turned to Ri. "What do you think?"

"Pfft. We've got this. I had him with my looks and you had him at money. I'll follow your lead, Love." Airi replied, a grin on her face.

Lani feigned a hurt look. "Do I have to be jealous of a big headed, big eared, pointed toothed one-track minded Ferengi?" She then chuckled. "I know, from the looks of him, I have nothing to worry about."

The computer signaled that a file had been received. "It looks like we've received our directions."

"Then let's follow them, Lani." Ri gave, before smirking. "No, you don't have to be jealous. Because you're a lot hotter looking than he is." she puts in the commands and they follow the course.

Lani turned to Ri and asked, "A kiss for luck?"

She leaned over and pecked her on the cheek..before smirking a little and kissing her on the lips too. Pulling back after a few moments, she gestured out the viewport. "Okay, we're coming up on wherever this place is. I'll go through the motions with you, we'll do whatever it takes to get close to these little bastards. Try to get them all in one room, make it easier?"

"I will miss the taste of those lips while we're here," Lani confessed.

The shuttle gently touched down. Peering out, they could see they were outside a walled compound near a gate. Two figures were walking from the gate to meet them. The huge figures definitely were not Ferengi. They seemed larger than humans.

"Shit! Nausicans!" Ulani exclaimed. Ulani quickly placed two phasers in the spots designed for their bracelets. "This may be tougher than I thought! Be careful, Love!"

"You be careful too. Stay calm." Airi nodded, reassured that the phaser was closeby. As the ramp opened, she took one look at the Nausicaans and gulped slightly. Part of her role..but she was in heels. And she wasn't as manueverable in heels.

The ramp opened up and lowered. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ulani walked with Ri down the ramp to meet the two creatures heading their way. Now it was time for the adventure to begin.