Mission 19 - Another Voyage Home

[Thundera]

ON:<<USS Malinche>>
<Science Office, Revised Timeline-Day 1, 2100>

Cheetara had just finished up some paperwork after her meeting with Brianna. She wasn't the least bit tired so she figured she'd go stop by the counselor's office before heading back to her quarters. Stepping up to the door she rang the bell and waited for an answer.

<Counselor's Office, 2105>

After hearing permission to enter, she walked through the doors and into the counselor's office.

"Hello. I am Lieutenant Cheetara Thundera, the new Chief Science Officer", she explained.

Karyn had come around her desk and offered her hand. "I'm Karyn Dallas. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. I was hoping we could chat, but first, how may I help you?"

Cheetara wasn't really sure that she needed help. She was just trying to be a little social and begin to get to know the crew. "Well I thought I'd come by to introduce myself. I just rejoined the crew after a long special ops mission." Cheetara paused for a moment. "Usually it's customary for a psych evaluation with new crew members, but I'm not exactly new, so I don't know how we should proceed on that."

Karyn smiled. "It seems we had the same idea in mind." Dallas gestured for Thundera to make herself comfortable anywhere she wished in her seating area. "May I get you something to eat or drink?"

Cheetara wasn't one to really talk about herself or what she had been through. The last counselor found that out the hard way. But Cheetara complied and sat down in the leather lounge chair that was sitting against the wall. She figured that's where she was wanted anyway since there was a regular sitting chair near there as well. "No thanks. I just ate a little bit ago", she replied. "Just so you know, I'm not very talkative when it comes to my past."

"I don't know too many people who are," Karyn replied honestly. "Tell you what, I won't go digging into your past as long as I have no reason to think it's affecting you in the present. Deal? For now, I just want to chat and get to know you a bit. I've been told it's much easier to ask for a counselor's help if there's at least an acquaintance there beforehand, you know?"

"If you say so, you've been a counselor longer than I have", Cheetara laughed a little bit. "I do have a friendship with the Captain from when I was originally on the ship. She helped me become the 'woman' I am today. She taught me how to act more human when I was first assigned here. You should have been around then. Things were really difficult for me dealing with people back then."

"Oh? In what way? I suppose it's all written somewhere, but I'd really like to understand it from the source if you're willing."

Cheetara wasn't sure if Dallas really wanted to hear the WHOLE story. That would take awhile. So she figured she would just give a few examples.

"Well when I first got here", Cheetara began, "No one wanted to even speak to me. I got stared at all the time. At first my department didn't even want to take orders from me. That was fun to straighten out. I was a very direct person back then, still am to some degree. But back then I was more like a robot. I didn't show human characteristics or use emotions. And I know that I wasn't the least bit friendly. I didn't understand all of that until the Captain took me under her wing and helped me develop social skills. If you really want to see all the details, you will have to check out the computer files."

Karyn considered Cheetara's words thoughtfully and then asked, "That's quite remarkable. I can't help but wonder why you don't like to talk about your past? With everything you've overcome, I'd say your story is something to be proud of."

Cheetara looked at Dallas wondering if she was nuts. "Proud of?", she asked and continued before giving Dallas a chance to answer. "Yes, the part I just told you may be something to be proud of. The fact that I have become a better person maybe. But you do not understand what I have really been through. I have the memory of everything I have done as a borg, the memory of what other borgs have done, the memory of everything evil that the borg stands for still in my head. Every day I have to live that. I have to remember what I have done. The species I have helped to destroy. All the people I assimilated and are now part of the borg. That is not something to be Proud Of." Cheetara paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her heart rate was now elevated, but she was not done rambling to make Dallas understand. "I now have these mechanical parts in my body that I have to make sure to recharge or they will fail and possibly paralyze me. I can still see the faces of everyone I forced to become the THING I was. I have nightmares of me being re-assimilated and forced to do these things all over again. How can you say I should be Proud Of my past? How can you wonder why I don't like talking about it? How can you say I should be PROUD?"

Cheetara stopped. She knew the counselor didn't deserve all that. Dallas was only trying to make small talk and be friendly. But she couldn't help it. This is why she doesn't like talking about her past. "I'm sorry", Cheetara said after speaking to Dallas in that manner.

Karyn paused for a beat to make sure Cheetara was finished. The counselor was surprised to hear her apologize after her statements, but she respected the other woman's desire to spare Karyn's feelings.

"For what? For expressing your hurt and frustration in a healthy way? You don't ever have to apologize to me for that. You're right, you do have reason to be proud for what you've overcome, but I get the sense you haven't given yourself permission to feel that. Perhaps I can help you. At the very least, your sleeping issues must be very hard to deal with."

Cheetara looked a little puzzled at her reaction not understanding why she wouldn't have taken offense to the angry tone in which she used at her. "I said sorry because of my tone and practically shouting at you. I know you are just trying to help, and I was being rude." Cheetara paused for a minute still processing what Dallas said.

"How can you help?", she asked wondering what she would propose. Wondering if it COULD all go away without actually erasing her memory. She wasn't sure that she would EVER just accept what she had been forced to do even though it was against her own free will. She still felt responsible somehow.

"I'm wondering if you'd be willing to see me for regular counseling sessions? I can help you sleep better over time if we talk about the things your mind and body are fighting so hard to keep inside. We'd go at your pace, and I'd help you get ready to face the tough stuff, but I can't promise it would be easy. It might seem counter-intuitive that talking about traumatic experiences can help people feel better, but I compare talking to cleaning a wound. If you don't clean a wound properly, it never heals."

Cheetara noticed the time. She had to get going. There were plenty of things she still needed to get done and upgrades she had to see were completed.

"Very well, I will contact you later for scheduling. I need to get going", Cheetara said as she stood up. "It was interesting talking to you." With that said, she turned and exited the counseling office.


OFF: End of Part 1. A JP Done By:

Karyn Dallas
Acting Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Kersare]

ON: [[Mess Hall, USS Malinche, Mission Day 1 - Revised Timeline, 1327 hours]]

There were many who thought of Starfleet Security as the people who spent their days going on away missions, protecting important dignitaries, and catching the bad guys like in one of those old Wild West stories. No one ever talked about the long hours patrolling corridors or filling out paperwork that really took up most of a security officer's time. It had been a little over twenty-four hours since they'd managed to apprehend the saboteur in main engineering and Mike (PNPC) had spent a majority of that time filing a report for the official record of investigation. Sure, he hadn't exactly expected Aaron would ask him to be part of the interrogation, but it would have been nice not to have been stuck with all the paperwork.

Pausing just inside the doorway of the Malinche's mess hall, Mike could see he had done a pretty good job of missing the noontime rush. There were a few personnel seated in various locations around the room, many of them attempting to enjoy a quick meal before getting back to their duty shift. Mike finished scanning the room before making his way toward the replicator slots along the far wall. The sight of food combined with the feeling he was getting from his stomach was enough to tell him it was time to eat.

As Derek (PNPC) walked slowly into the mess hall, his thoughts were in various places. He'd had a lot on his mind lately, it seemed, and few friends. To compensate to some extent, he'd been trying to work a little more than usual and thus was having a late lunch. He didn't really feel hungry and was more going through the motions as he walked up to the replicator. "Basil Tomato Soup, hot, two garlic breadsticks, and a glass of cold milk."

The sound of a familiar voice caused Mike to turn his head slightly as his own meal materialized in the replicator slot before him. Despite the size of the Malinche and familiarity amongst her crew, the young security officer hadn't really been expecting to run into anyone he knew all that well this late after the lunch hour. The fact he hadn't seen Greyman outside of their duty shifts together in awhile made it all the more surprising.

Slowly, Mike lifted his small tray from the replicator. "One of those days, huh," he asked as he turned toward the tables nearby.

Derek glanced over at the sound of the man's voice and recognized Mike. "I think most days are 'one of those days', to be honest. You too?" After he picked up his tray, balancing it so as not to spill any of the liquids, he moved over next to Mike. Though Derek didn't know him all that well, he did know that Mike wasn't one of the ones giving him a difficult time which he appreciated.

"Yep," Mike quipped in reply as he began moving slowly toward an open table near one of the viewports, "been working on filing paperwork pretty much all morning. One of those necessary evils, you know what I mean?"

"Ah, paperwork," Derek nodded knowingly, "Indeed it is. Just be glad you're not in charge of the entire department...you'd have even more paperwork to fill out." It had been quite some time since Derek had had that responsibility - one thing he didn't miss, at least. Going with the assumption that Mike didn't mind having company, he set down his tray on one side of the open table and took a seat. "What kind of paperwork is it, anyway? General department reports or something about the incident earlier?"

"Incident reports," Mike grumbled. He set his own tray down across from where Greyman was already taking a seat and lowered himself into the open chair. "I mean...I understand why we need to file them," he continued, "but do they have to make it so complicated?"

Taking a gulp of his milk to quench his parched throat, Derek replied, "Well, if they were too easy, anyone could do them and I imagine some people would be out of a job. Some higher ups need to justify the need for their position, so they make things even more difficult just to have more to do. Or at least that's how it seems sometimes." He reached for his first breadstick, "So you were there, I take it? I suppose that is why you are doing the report..."

Mike nodded as he took a sip from his water before lowering the glass back to the tray. "Yeah...I was there," he replied, "happened to be in the area when the engineering chief called it in. He hadn't done anything by the time I got there, but I suppose it didn't take long for that to change, now did it?"

"Well, I wasn't there; I just know what others have been saying," Derek replied slowly as he dipped the breadstick in his soup. "And others who weren't there tend to get facts mixed up with some sensational story they want to tell. A determined person can make a lot of things happen though; I would think this saboteur was rather determined and since he was given the assignment and seemed prepared, he probably had back up plans. We are probably lucky he didn't do more damage than he did..."

"Got that right," Mike agreed. He took a bite of his sandwich and allowed himself a moment to chew before continuing. "This incident has got the whole ship buzzing," he added, "The captain, Lieutenant Masterson, even that Intelligence officer...they've all been pretty busy since we apprehended the saboteur."

Derek nodded, "I would imagine so." As he took another drink of his milk, he watched the young man. If he wasn't mistaken, Derek thought he noticed a different tone when Mike mentioned the Intelligence Officer. "Not impressed with Lieutenant JG Drexel?"

"Not particularly," Mike replied as he took another sip of water, "I mean...he nearly blew the entire operation just walking into the room like that. Not all that uncommon to find gold collars in main engineering, but grey? Dead giveaway if you ask me." The young security let out a sigh and lifted his glass of water once more. He still didn't understand how the lieutenant could have possibly thought openly walking into the situation like that could have been a good idea.

"I see how that wouldn't help the situation," Derek answered; truthfully he was somewhat surprised that the Chief Intelligence Officer would do something like that. Most Intelligence Officers seemed to be more the type to sneak around rather than just barge in. "Maybe he thought that Security was just going to go in and apprehend the saboteur, rather than be more covert about it? I honestly don't know what he was thinking...but after this I would think he would be more careful in the future."

"One can only hope," Mike said with a sigh.

Derek nodded silently as he dipped a breadstick in his soup and took a tomato basil-y bite. Unsure what to say, he continued eating for a few minutes. He grew uncomfortable with the silence and finally asked, "Other than the saboteur situation, everything going okay? Ready to get on with our next mission?"

"Ready as anyone else, I suppose," Mike answered. He knew a lot of people were still coming to terms with what they'd witnessed on their last mission and the discovery of a saboteur only served to make an assignment aboard the Malinche that much more 'exciting'. "Just taking things one day at a time," he explained, "makes it harder to get overwhelmed that way."

That was what the counselor had told him to do...take things one day at a time. "It does help to look at it that way," Derek agreed. "That's what people kept telling me once I...once I returned. Take it a day at a time, do what you can, and things will fall into place. I'm not entirely sure how true all of that is, but still I've been working on it."

Mike supposed he should not have been all that surprised at the kind of reception Greyman had been getting from most of the crew. Maybe it was something he'd picked up from spending time around Aaron or maybe it was just some inner sense of perspective, but the young security officer couldn't see any reason why Greyman didn't deserve to be treated like any other person aboard the Malinche, even if he had spent the last few years as a Borg drone. "I'd say it's looking better from where I stand," Mike said after a moment, "I mean...we're lucky to have you aboard."

"I appreciate that... It would be nice if some of the others saw it that way though. Some seem to be doing better with it, but not all. To be fair though, even if I hadn't been part of the Borg there could be people that wouldn't have cared for me," Derek replied thoughtfully. He hadn't entirely thought of it that way before, but it was true enough he thought.

"What makes you say that," Mike asked.

Derek looked over at Mike and paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before responding, "Some people simply don't get along. Perhaps something about the other person rubs them the wrong way or something specific happens that causes it...maybe it's someone that just doesn't like other people."

It was no secret there were those aboard the Malinche who had a harder time dealing with the presence of a former Borg drone aboard ship, especially within the Security/Tactical department. The way he was choosing his phrases, however, made it seem as if he might have been referring to something different entirely. "You used to have Aa...Lieutenant Masterson's position, right," Mike asked slowly, "before..."

"Yes, but not on the Malinche. It was...quite some time ago, really, on the USS Cheyenne. I started out as a Security Officer and was promoted over the course of ten years there," Derek explained. Mike seemed to be curious, though trying to tread somewhat lightly on the topic of his assimilation. Most people did, really.

"I see," Mike said, taking another drink from his water. Given what little he knew of Greyman's past, the young security officer was of the impression Greyman had worked very hard to make something for himself in life only to have it all taken away from him in what amounted to the blink of an eye. The man had lost his career, his friends, and those he loved because of the Borg. Even after he had finally been rescued, Greyman still had to fight an uphill battle just to gain the respect of his colleagues.

Derek nodded, unsure of what else to say about it. He didn't mind talking about the past, really, but he preferred to look into the future instead at this point. Finally, he said, "I'm afraid I must be going Ensign...My lunch break is over and I have some things to attend to. It was nice speaking with you."

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Ensign Mike Kepler (PNPC)
Security Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Lt JG Masterson

and

Derek Greyman (PNPC)
Security Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by:

[Kersare]

ON: <<Chief Security/Tactical Officer's Office, Day 1 RT, 1330>>

The interrogation earlier had given Isabel a fair amount to consider. Even with the additional information she had there were a lot of unanswered questions. Most of those, however, would have to wait. For now, she found herself outside Aaron's office; she'd been meaning to discuss something with him before, but with all that had happened, she had not had the chance yet. Hoping to take care of a few things from her mental list, she rang the doorchime and waited for a response.

Aaron had been going over the same recording since he'd left the interrogation more than a few hours ago as if watching it one more time would magically reveal something he'd missed previously. The fact a saboteur had been able to slip aboard the Malinche was leaving quite a weight in the pit of his stomach. What's done was done, however, so the only way this was going to get any better was if he could somehow put all the pieces together and make something of it.

"Enter," he called when he heard the sound of his doorchime.

Isabel moved forward into the room and listened as the door swished shut behind her. She eyed his desk as she moved closer and paused, "Good afternoon, Lieutenant... Let me guess - the saboteur?" While she couldn't be sure, it seemed that something was troubling him - it could have been anything, really, but considering the events of the last day it was likely a safe bet that it had to do with R’daek.

The fact the captain was able to identify his frustration should not have come as a surprise to Aaron. It was a sure bet this saboteur was going to be on quite a few people's minds for some time, especially those who had been more involved with his detection and capture. "Yes, ma'am," Aaron replied as he deactivated the display and turned his full attention to his commanding officer, "I'm still trying to put a few of the pieces together. I guess I hoped there might have been something more...something we missed the first time."

She nodded as she took a seat. "There very well could be, but that doesn't mean we'll find it right away regardless. Sometimes you need to give yourself a break from looking into it so you can see it from a fresh perspective and other times you don't get all the pieces until later. It very well could be that we're still missing key information. Considering the fact that R'daek was apparently trying to keep us from leaving so soon, it may even have to do with our current or next mission - maybe he needed to delay us. I don't see many other reasons why he would target our specific ship... Then again, I could have it all wrong. Did you have any theories?" Isabel didn't mean to steal Aaron's thunder in any way, but based on what the Admiral had told her, what she knew from the temporal agent, and her own deductions, it was what she had come up with.

Aaron thought for a moment, then let out a somewhat frustrated sigh. "Nothing concrete," he said as he leaned his arms against the edge of his desk, "We know he's most likely an agent working for the Romulans and, like you said, we know his intention was to delay our departure, but we don't know why yet." It was that very question which had kept Aaron going over the same recording...that and a very strong desire to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Well, I have a feeling we'll find out at some point," Isabel replied. Perhaps they would find out sooner rather than later, though she wasn't sure if that would be good or not. Hoping to take his mind off the saboteur, if only for a little while, she said, "We can discuss it further if you would like, but that's actually not why I originally came to see you... I was wondering how Mike (PNPC) is doing and how the two of you are doing, for that matter, particularly after the incident on the base."

The shift in conversation topics caused Aaron to hesitate somewhat. He had expected the captain to come around at some point to check up on his progress with the investigation, but he would not have expected her to ask about Mike. Recent events with the saboteur had completely pushed aside his concerns with the incident in question. In fact, this was probably the first time he'd actually given it any serious thought since she'd asked him to begin look into improving ship's security measures.

"Fine," he began slowly, "Ensig..." Aaron paused mid-sentence, realizing his commanding officer had referred to Mike by first name. He had been doing his best to refer to Mike as he would any other member of his department ever since requesting Mike be transferred aboard the Malinche. Yet the way Captain Kersare had phrased the question seemed to indicate this wasn't exactly meant to be a formal inquiry. "Mike and I are doing fine," Aaron continued, "We talked about it and I made it pretty clear to him how I felt about the situation. He seemed to understand..."

Isabel nodded in understanding, "I'm certainly glad to hear that. I don't think there'll be any more official incidents since I think that's been straightened out... I certainly don't mean to pry; I just wanted to make sure that there hadn't been any negative effects on your relationship because of it. It can't always be easy serving with someone you're in a relationship with, particularly when the person is your subordinate, so I wanted to inquire. If there is something I can do, please let me know."

"Of course, captain," Aaron replied, "and thank you for asking." It made him feel somewhat better to know his commanding officer was there to support him, even if he didn't always think he was working at his best. She had been willing to approve Mike's transfer even after learning of their relationship and had gone so far as to allow Aaron to deal with the disciplinary issue rather than stepping into the situation herself. These were actions which proved the sincerity of her words and Aaron knew it was something to be appreciated.

"You're welcome, Lieutenant," she responded sincerely, shifting slightly to sit a bit straighter. "There was one other thing I wanted to speak with you about... It's been on my mind for some time, to be honest, but that's partly because I felt it was something I needed to carefully consider." Looking over at him, Isabel continued, "I'm sure you're aware that the Malinche has been without an official Second Officer since Lieutenant Commander Zeral was promoted to Executive Officer. In some respects it's not completely necessary to have one, but I do find it beneficial."

Isabel looked over at Aaron, considering how to proceed. He was a humble man, certainly, but he had done well since joining the Malinche. "I would like to have you as the Malinche's Second Officer, Lieutenant. Since coming aboard, you've taken on every task I've given you and have succeeded. You've done well with your department and at commanding one of the ship sections while in MVAM."

It took a moment for Aaron to process what the captain was saying when the realization hit him full force. He had been so worried about how he might not have been living up to the expectations of his superiors and concerned with keeping his own house in order that he'd hardly realized where the conversation had taken them. "I...uh...I'm not sure what to say, ma'am," Aaron said slowly. There was no way he could have expected such an offer to be presented to him, especially so soon after having arrived aboard the Malinche and receiving a surprise appointment as Chief Security/Tactical Officer. Yet the message was unmistakably clear...this was a genuine offer from his commanding officer.

"You don't have to say anything just yet," she replied with a grin. "You're welcome to think about it and then make a decision. Lieutenant Commander Zeral and I spoke about it and we felt you would be a good fit for the position. It would involve some extra responsibility, of course, so I wouldn't want to see you take it if you're not comfortable with the idea."

Not comfortable, Aaron thought to himself, more like completely surprised. He knew the captain was waiting for him to say something to acknowledge he was at least considering the offer she had presented, but the young security chief was still trying to wrap his head around the idea. "I...uh..." Aaron hesitated. It should not have been this hard to comprehend what she was asking of him...to serve as the Malinche's Second Officer. "I...uh..." he repeated, pausing again as if that was all the further he could go.

Isabel tried to give him a comforting smile, "Why don't you sleep on it? You can think it over, get feedback from some people if you wish, and then let me know. Even Lieutenant Commander Zeral didn't say yes to being Executive Officer right away. Take whatever time you need and then let me know what conclusion you come to."

"Yes, ma'am," Aaron replied with relief, "I would appreciate that very much."

"Of course, Lieutenant. Do you have any questions about the position...or anything else?" While she didn't particularly want to put him on the spot, Isabel did want to make sure he didn't leave with numerous questions that she could have cleared up for him while she was still there. It would be better for Aaron to make an informed decision. She did hope that he would take the position as she felt he was suited to the job, but she could understand if he turned it down for now as well.

"No, ma'am," Aaron answered after a moment's consideration, "I think I've got enough to be thinking about for now. If anything comes up, though, I will be sure to let you know."

Isabel nodded, "Very good; thank you Lieutenant. I'm sure you still have lots to do, so I"ll let you get back to it." As she stood, she gave him a smile and nod before turning and heading out the door.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer & 2XO
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Kersare]

ON:
<<Main Engineering, Day 0 Revised Timeline, 1300>>

Isabel had already read through the reports regarding what happened in Engineering earlier and had been wanting to check on L'randil since. According to the transfer records, the Malinche had also gained a new Assistant Chief Engineering Officer... So, she had decided to take care of two things at the same time.

The doors to Engineering slid open as she strode forward. Isabel noticed a few who paused and looked up when she entered; someone in command red certainly wasn't always there, after all. She nodded to them as they went back to their work and looked around, trying to find the two in charge. Having been an engineer herself, Isabel was quite comfortable moving through the area and eventually found the two...though to be fair, they did stand out slightly...a Caitian and a Ferengi. Smiling to herself slightly, she headed in their direction - approaching them from the left so they would notice her, though she remained silent while they were working through something.

"Well done, Krem. Those clamps are pretty pre..." L'Randil stopped herself and turned to face the captain. "Afternoon, Ma'am?" A visit from the captain was unusual but always welcome.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant," Isabel said with a slight smile playing on her lips. "I don't mean to interrupt - if you need a few minutes, that's fine." One thing that had frustrated her when she held positions in Engineering was being interrupted when in the middle of something; later she had to remember how far she had gotten with it so she could pick up where she left off.

The caitian smirked. "It's alright." L'randil reassured, then glanced at Krem. "It's nice having someone else with good ears around here. We tuned the docking system more precisely than the shipyard had it, to say the least."

Smiling Isabel replied, "I'm glad to hear it. Anything that allows the Malinche to operate more smoothly is fine by me. The shipyard engineers are good at what they do, but they don't know her as well as those who regularly work with her..." When she had been in Engineering she had found that to be the case on a number of occasions - at least once she had more experience with the ships' systems. Turning to the Ferengi, Isabel said, "You must be Ensign Krem, our new Assistant Chief Engineer. I'm Captain Kersare; welcome aboard."

Krem grinned from lobe to lobe, reaching out to shake Kersare's hand. "Yes, ma'am, thank you. I am really excited to be on board. I've always wanted to see a Prometheus class close up. Now I can climb all over her and around and have you ever done a space walk on all three sections? I want to do that. Not when she's actively separating, of course, but someday if they're separate and still. Very still. Moving, it gets a little nerve wracking and..."

Krem quickly shut her mouth a moment. "Pleasure to be on board, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

Chuckling, Isabel said, "Glad to have you with us, Ensign. It looks like you got right to work; did you have a chance to settle in at all? Oh, and no, I can't say I've done a space walk on all three sections..." She couldn't help but smile at the young Ferengi's enthusiasm. It was certainly nice to see.

Glancing between Kersare and N'Rass, Krem shrugged bashfully. "Oh, I've been keeping busy, ma'am. Settling into work. No time for anything else until we're really on our way. It's alright, though. I've got a whole ship to explore."

"That you do," Isabel agreed. "There'll be plenty of time for long hours once we're on a mission though; I would suggest you work on settling in at least some while you still have something of a chance and things aren't as hectic." Looking a little more closely at L'randil, she said, "From what I understand there was some...excitement here earlier anyway..." Isabel wasn't sure if Krem had been around for the capture of the saboteur, but undoubtedly the crewmembers that had had been talking about it ever since.

"That was enough excitement for this kitty." L'Randil remarked with rolling eyes. "Hopefully he was the closest to death I'll be for a good long while." In fact it was the only time since Starfleet where the caitian had felt threatened directly.

Nodding, Isabel asked, "Are you alright, Lieutenant? Did you go to Sickbay to get checked out?" Although her crew could be in danger at any point in time, especially during a battle, it somehow seemed more difficult when someone's life was put in more....direct danger - such as when the saboteur had taken L'Randil. It was more personal, perhaps. One didn't always feel death's icy fingers on them, per se and they weren't always helpless. If something was happening in battle, the crew usually had various options to help remedy the problem.

L'randil nodded. "I didn't feel the need to get checked out, but he did bruise my shoulder a little when he pinned me. I've had worse injuries." She glanced at her hip then back over to Krem and Isabel. "At least we managed to get him."

Krem's eyes widened, glancing between Kersare and L'Randil. "So what happened to him? Is he still alive?" She assumed he was, but in the heat of a battle, who could say what might happen? A furious, glorious battle ensued in her imagination, somewhat disengaging the animation of her face to the point she looked like half her brain must be watching a holonovel. She shook it away. "What are you going to do with him? I've never been on a ship that was sabotaged, or almost sabotaged."

"He is alive, though I would have rather he wasn't." L'randil remarked sarcastically crossing her arms. "After him attacking my ship and almost shooting me, it's good security has him." Then she glanced at the Captain for a more official response.

Resisting the urge to chuckle at L'Randil's reply - the situation was, after all, serious, Isabel responded, "He was to be taken to Sickbay first, with a security escort of course, and then to the Brig. He'll be questioned, but will remain with the Malinche for the time being... Until we transfer him anyway, which will likely be at or on our way to our next mission."

Nodding, Krem processed the situation in her mind. Starfleet law and terrorist activity weren't things she ever thought that much about. They were there, they happened, but she usually considered them someone else's domain. She stuck to the neutrality of nuts and bolts. "I hope he won't endanger the ship while he's still on board," the Ferengi said finally. "Like if anyone comes to rescue him or finish what he started."

"A good point." L'randil remarked. "At least now we have a bit tighter watch in place." Although the words came out, she was still working on believing them personally.

Though she hated to see crewmembers concerned or shaken by events, Isabel knew it was inevitable in some cases. Still, she tried to reassure them, "We do have the extra measures in place and I can vouch that security is keeping an extra close watch on him. Considering recent events, it will be extremely difficult for unauthorized personnel to get on the ship and, besides that, we'll be leaving the base soon. I'm sure Lieutenant JG Drexel is looking for whatever information he can dig up as well."

"Glad to hear it, Ma'am. At least the damage was minor enough this time around." L'randil replied, trying to lighten it a little.

Isabel smiled, "Indeed... Well, I'm glad I got to meet you, Ensign Krem, and I'm glad you're not seriously injured from earlier events, Lieutenant. I don't want to hold you up from your duties and I have some of my own to attend to, so I'd best be going. If either of you needs anything, let myself, Crewman Liras, or Lieutenant Commander Zeral know." With a brief nod to each, she turned and headed back out of Engineering.

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Ensign Krem
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG L'randil N'rass
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Setak]

ON:

<IRW Jatrel, Bridge, Day 2 RT 1200>

Colonel Rasek hadn't slept in nearly forty eight hours and had no intention of resting at all for the foreseeable future. The Jatrel had entered Federation space nearly two days earlier and since that time had shifted its course to avoid detection by picket vessels a dozen times. The tension of their situation was palpable with each passing moment adding another level of weight to the surly officer's shoulders. Rasek was determined to succeed and he would not risk failure by leaving the mission in the hands of the ship's Commander, even for a few hours of rest. Thus he had ordered the ship's medical officer to give him regular injections of stimulants so that he might be frosty clear when needed. Soon, he mused, his plan would come to fruition and the thorn that was the Federation would be forever removed from the Empire's side.

Striding through the doors to the Jatrel's bridge Rasek made a single round examining each of the ship's consoles while ignoring the questioning gazes of the ship's senior officers. As far as he was concerned the ship was his, with Commander S'vol and her staff only remaining in their positions by his good graces. He would have dispatched with the troublesome Commander had it been convenient but such a heavy handed move would have undoubtedly complicated his plans and at such a critical point in the operation such complications were out of the question. No, he needed S'vol for the time being but when it came time to reveal the true nature of their mission Rasek was prepared to quash any descent with deadly force. The notion brought a sardonic smile to his lips.

"Commander," he began in a formal tone. "What is our status?"

At the sound of Rasek's voice, S'vol's jaw clenched. It was bad enough that he gave her orders mostly privately, but to have him parade onto the bridge and have the audacity to question her on their status... Despite the arrangement she was enforced to endure, she was supposed to be the commanding officer. Not that that meant much to him. "My bridge staff has informed me that we are three and a half hours away from the Sol system. Tactical and Intelligence have helped us avoid Federation starships thus far, but as we get closer we'll have to be even more careful."

Subcommander D’Urak(NPC) cast S'vol a sidelong glance as he noticed her bristle with agitation, he knew his Commander well and had come to be quite protective of her. Not that the veteran officer needed his protection, she was more than capable of taking care of herself but perhaps there was more to his feelings that he had not fully admitted to himself. Regardless of the reasons, D'Urak had come to be quite empathic toward S'vol and her body language and was also keenly aware that her loathing for the Tal Shiar was at least a match for his. One day, he mused to himself, one day he would have the chance to put Rasek in his place, for good.

Colonel Rasek clasped his hands behind his back and nodded his agreement before striding toward the Commander's wardroom, "Of course Commander, we would not want to risk everything now at this critical junction. Have your helm officer take us out of warp on the far side of the system's star once we arrive and then plot a course to intersect with the star. And then I want you and the Sub Commander to join me."

Part of her wondered why Rasek even "let" her give any orders to her crew, if he was just going to tell her what he wanted her to do.... But S'vol knew that was part of his game. He liked to show her and everyone else what power he had - the power to give her orders and make her carry them out. Watching after the Tal Shiar agent for a few moments until he went into her wardroom, she finally turned and said, "Lieutenant T'saran, you have the bridge. Ensure that the Colonel's...recommendation....is followed."

Looking over at D'Urak, S'vol stood from her chair and nodded her head towards the wardroom. "It appears we're being summoned....and I doubt he'll want to be kept waiting," she said quietly, not that it truly mattered.

D'Urak stood with the Commander and moved with her toward the wardroom but as they drew near he placed his hand on her shoulder to slow her, "I know I don't need to tell you this but I feel the need to say something. We must tread carefully here Commander; I don't know what Rasek is up to but this game he is playing, taking us into the heart of the Federation, is a dangerous game. I want you to know that if the time comes, I will be prepared to do whatever you feel is, necessary, to protect this ship and its crew."

Nodding, S'vol replied, "I know; I certainly don't like it either. It will do no one any good if he removes us from our positions - especially both of us, as little control as allows us to have. Still, we can make a difference in some ways. So for the time being, it's in our best interests to go along with what he says, I'm afraid. If the need arises, we may need a different strategy, but I don't think we're at that point yet."

"I hope you are right Commander," D'Urak said before pressing the wardroom's access key and allowing his superior to enter before him.

Rasek had entered the wardroom ahead of the two command officers and stood behind the seat at the head of the table, the seat usually reserved for the Commander. As the two officers entered he gestured to the closest available seats before producing a PADD from his pocket and taking a seat himself. He let an awkward silence build in the room until he felt S'vol's agitation quicken slightly before finally speaking up, "We are nearly to our destination and the time has come for me to give you some need to know information. Our ultimate destination is the star 'Sol', the heart of Federation's capital system. We will proceed on a course that put us into the star system at coordinates outside the range of their planetary defense grids. I am highly confident that our cloak will continue to hold long enough for us to approach the star and achieve out primary objective."

As she listened to the 'need to know' information that they were finally being given, S'vol resisted the urge to arch her eyebrow, instead keeping her expression steady. Though he had been on the Jatrel for quite some time - far too long, really - she still did not appreciate his obvious shows of superiority - insisting on giving orders, taking her seat, the demeaning briefings... Trying to keep in mind the advice she had given her Executive Officer, she remained calm and asked, "And what would that be, Colonel?"

"Temporal displacement," Rasek said plainly. On the surface he knew that it would sound absurd but he was dead serious and his expression suggested as much. "The Tal Shiar has obtained a device that will project us into the past where we will find our secondary objective."

S'vol mused that it must be part of Tal Shiar training to give information in frustratingly small bits. He could have simply explained all the information he had chosen to bestow upon them, but instead seemed to feel the need to only tell them a little a time. Perhaps Rasek just liked making them ask for more information. She sat quietly, digesting the information he had given while simply waiting for him to give them more... Temporal displacement, though not a new concept, was not particularly appealing. It was not guaranteed to succeed, so the intended outcome of the whole 'mission' would have to be very worthwhile...especially to potentially lose an entire ship and crew.

"Secondary objective?" D'Urak questioned with a skeptical tone. The whole idea of time travel had always seemed like a far fetched theory to the pragmatic Romulan and that the Colonel's plan hinged on it was almost too much.

"That is correct Sub-Commander," Colonel Rasek said. "Once we have arrived in our target era the Jatrel will engage in seek and destroy operations in the vicinity of the Sol star. Our target will be an old Klingon Bird of Prey, a ship with little chance against the technology of our era."

At this point, she could no longer resist the urge to raise an eyebrow. While she didn't know every last detail of Kirk's mission to save Earth from the probe, it was - more or less - common knowledge that it had happened and so the Romulan knew what he was referring to...and its implications. "The SS Bounty? You mean to prevent Kirk from saving Earth...essentially causing the destruction of that planet and likely more?" S'vol rose to her feet, the shock mixing with anger and disapproval. "The Jatrel was meant to deliver life-saving supplies to our people and instead you wish to commandeer it for death and destruction? The Terrans were not the cause of our misfortune, Colonel. It would be senseless genocide. I want no part of it!"

D'Urak couldn't help but to stand up with the Commander; the spontaneous fury that had consumed her had swept him up as well and his nerves bristled. Even so, he was surprised that S'vol had lashed out so rashly, especially after her comments before they had entered the wardroom and since she had, D'Urak found himself in a precarious position. His instincts told him to draw his disruptor and take the madman Rasek into custody but what the Commander had said before stuck with him. The Colonel undoubtedly had minions all over the ship and they would not let their superior simply rot in a brig cell until the ship got back home; there would be mutiny and that was simply unacceptable.

Rasek was taken back by the Commander's action as well but on some level he had been prepared for it if not anticipating it. With a cool smile he leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers, "I'm impressed Commander, I never took you to be the type interested in history. All the same, I'm afraid that your attitude simply wont do if we are to succeed."

D'Urak took the queue from the Colonel and though it pained him to do so he quickly drew his Disruptor and chose to back the Tal Shiar officer, "I'm sorry S'vol, but the Colonel is right. Whether you like it or not, this is going to happen and if we don't maintain some semblance of order here we're all as good as dead."

Clenching her jaw, S'vol inwardly reprimanded herself for losing her temper. The plan had been too outrageous and had shaken her, causing her to lash out. Her eyes turned to her second in command, narrowing slightly. What she had said couldn't be undone, but she had to think strategically from here on out. She trusted D'Urak - a trust that came from years working together...particularly against the common enemy now before them. S'vol's gut told her that D'Urak liked the idea no more than she, but that he was following her advice from earlier; something she should have done herself. "I see no advantage for me either way. If you fail, we die regardless. If you succeed, I would have to live with the knowledge that I was part of this...this...madness. You would do what you want regardless, Colonel, but like it or not you still need me and you still need this ship if you want to obtain your objectives."

"Commander," Rasek began as he stood. "I think you overestimate your influence here, do not for one moment think that you are in control of the situation or that you ever have been. The fleet and it's officer are but a tool, a tool of the empire and the Tal Shiar is the hand that wields it."

Rasek was deeply satisfied with the turn of events, he had been hoping for this moment for a long time and now that it had come he reveled in it. It would have been his preference to simply kill the troublesome Commander and put a permanent end to her constant indignation regarding the Tal Shiar but it wasn't the time for that. There were many crewmen aboard the Jatrel who were fiercely loyal and he would not risk a mutiny.

"Subcommander," Rasek said finally. "Take S'vol to the brig, ensure that her cell is under constant watch, we do not need any disruptions at this phase of our mission."

"Yes Colonel," D'Urak said unemotionally even though his compliance in the order made him sick to his stomach.

"And Subcommander," Rasek added as the pair prepared to leave. "Do ensure that this order is carried out, if I get even the slightest impression that you plan to betray me I will ensure that you aren't the only person in your family who suffers for your treason."

D'Urak reflexively cast Rasek a deadly glare and at that moment was certain that their 'mission' would end with his hands around the arrogant Colonel's throat. "Understood Colonel, I live to serve."

OFF

A JP by:

Commander S'vol(NPC)
Commanding Officer
IRW Jatrel
(Played by Captain Kersare)

and

Sub Commander D'Urak(NPC)
Executive Officer
IRW Jatrel
(Played by Provisional Lieutenant Setak)

and

Colonel Rasek(NPC)
Tal Shiar Political Officer
IRW Jatrel
(Played by Provisional Lieutenant Setak)

[Thundera]

ON:<<USS Malinche>>
< Personal Quarters, RT Day 2, 0700>

Cheetara woke up from another of her disturbing dreams. This time it was the assimilation of Species 149, the creators of nanoprobe technology to reverse cellular necrosis. A couple tears streamed down her face as she recalled the horror on their faces during the battle of assimilation. They were really no match for the Borg. They were merely another race with technology the Borg wanted to improve their 'perfect' culture.

Cheetara tried shaking off the feeling remembering what she had talked about with Dallas. She had been thinking about it since last night's meeting with her. She hoped it what Dallas had planned would work. Cheetara was getting fed up with having these memories in her head and wished there was a way to purge them all.

Cheetara grabbed a bite to eat and then showered. She had to be on duty at 0800. After her shower she put on a fresh uniform and headed to the Science Lab. After all, there was work to do.

<Science Office, 0758>

Cheetara walked in nodding to the crew that was already there. It was time for shift changes, so some were going and others were coming in. Cheetara walked over to her desk to check for any messages or notes from before she had come back. Luckily there were a couple for her to figure out the new experiments. With her upgrades, they should be more easily accomplished. She saw a note from the Captain, telling her about a cloaked ship that they needed to find as they headed to Earth. She decided to begin working on that.

Cheetara walked over to one of the consoles and began tapping a few buttons to research different cloaking devices and their weaknesses. Even through the many different designs, they all had the same basic properties. Cheetara walked over to the holographic projection table to run some similations. After a couple hours of working on different scenarios, she figured developed a plan based on an ancient sonar concept from Earth in the 1900's.

She gathered all the information from the tests and downloaded them onto a padd. She was pleased with her researched. A good first assignment back on duty. She took the padd over to her desk and tapped her commbadge.

=/\=Thundera to Kersare, I am sending you my research for detecting a cloaked ship.=/\=

Cheetara tapped a few buttons on her console and sent Kersare all the information while she awaited her next set of instructions. But in the meantime, she went back to work on some of the projects at hand.

OFF:

[Drexel]

ON: [[CIO Office, USS Malinche, Mission Day 1 - Revised Timeline, 1303 hours]]

Arron had been locked away in his office all day. He was grumpy, agitated, and didn't feel like doing much of anything. He was completely stressed out after 2 days on this ship. Everything in his career had been going so well. But now here he was on a new ship, and he was acting like a completely different person. There is no denying the appeal of rewriting who you are when you get a fresh start, like transferring to a new ship where nobody knows you. But he had gone about this in completely the wrong way.

The events of the last 2 days played over and over in his mind. The saboteur, his capture, the interrogation, hell even his interaction with women lately. He was doing a great job giving off the wrong impression. Things had been so much easier on the Washington.

Arron leaned back in his chair and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He had to fight through this frustration. He was sure that if he put forth the right effort he would start blending in with this crew.

Arron wrote up a quick message to his friend Ryan Stone back on the USS Washington, he wrote a few paragraphs about life on the Malinche, and how he was feeling a bit home sick, then erased the part about being home sick, certain that Stone would verbally smack him across the face. Satisfied with the message he sent it, wondering how long it would take to hear back from his closest friend.

Arron finally decided he had stewed in his office enough. He needed to talk to someone and straighten things out. He stood up, feeling his legs ache from sitting still for too long, and left his office looking for the Chief Security Officer.

OFF:

[Kai]

<<USS Malinche, Science Labs, Revised Timeline – Day 1, 0810>>

Bri had been in the Labs for about fifteen minutes now. After a cursory glance around the rest of the room, she had gone over to the main table to review the morning reports that were rolling in and get them in order for Lieutenant Thundera. Granted, in the science department there weren’t all that many. She had finished reading the last one and starting thinking about the events of last night. Mostly after she had left the lounge.

Last night when she had gotten back to her room, Bri had performed the Rite of Emergence so she could bring forth the personality and memories of Kerrie Kai and focus on her. Bri got all the answers she needed after about forty-five minutes. The session took longer because of the anger that Kerrie, like most every other Trill, had harbored toward Arron Drexel for the sex scandal. Apparently he’d had an affair with a young Ambassador from Trill who was married to a powerful businessman. Brianna hadn’t heard or seen anything about that. But then she had grown up with adopted parents far from Trill. She suspected that they never told her anything about it because they wanted to shield her from any fallout. But for what reason, she know not. Now, not only was she well informed for her dinner with Arron, but she was also more cautionary. Bri liked to prance and show off, but marriage was not something to mess around with. Especially somebody else’s.

The beep and blinking light brought Kai out of her thoughts and back to her work. Something had set-off the long range sensors along their course. Her fingers glided over the table and some screens came to life behind her. Bri turned and made some minute adjustments. The only thing out there was a comet passing by. She sent the information to Flight Control just in case there needed to be any minor course adjustments.

It was then that she noticed that their course was taking them to the Sol system. Bri laughed as she thought about all that time, trouble, and money she spent to get to the Malinche when she probably could’ve just waited right where she was and get picked up. But such is life in Starfleet. Then she started wondering what kind of mission could possibly be taking them back to the Sol system. It was odd, at least to her.

Bri heard footsteps and looked up to see Warrant Officer 3rd Class Todd Delman (NPC) approaching, padd in hand. She put on her best work smile and nodded as he stepped up to the main table.

“Mornin’ ma’am,” said Todd in his thick Tennessee drawl.

“Good morning, Mr. Delman,” replied Bri. “What I do for you?” His was an accent that she wasn’t all that familiar with. The only thing she knew was that it made her feel ‘at home’ for some reason.

“Well, ma’am,” began the Warrant Officer, “I was wonderin' if you could forward this to Lieutenant Thundera for me, please.” He stuck the padd out towards the Trill.

Bri kindly took the padd and skimmed it’s contents. It was transfer request to gamma shift; the really late night crew. “Two questions, Warrant Officer. Number one, why do you want to trade shifts? Number two, why don’t you take it to the Lieutenant yourself?”

Delman shuffled a little. The new Assistant Chief Science Officer sure was pretty and he had always been shy around pretty women. He had hoped that she would take the padd, no questions asked, and turn it in to the Lieutenant. But such was not the case. So, he cleared his throat and answered, “Um, well, ma’am, I’d like to take the few long-distance, live streaming classes that the Academy offers via subspace. And they only offer them during the daytime when classes are in session.” He paused and took a breath. “I want to continue my education towards someday becoming a full-fledged officer. And for your second question, well,” he hung his head slightly, “Borg scare me, former or not.”

Bri smiled, seeing his shyness. “That’s commendable that you want to further your education to becoming an officer someday. But being an officer is a lot more than just education. You’ve got to face and overcome your fears. I’m no counselor, so I’d suggest seeing Ms. Dallas. She should be able to give you better advice than me. But in the meantime, I’ll hold on to your request so you and I both can take it to Lieutenant Thundera. How’s that?”

Todd Delman slowly nodded his head. “Alright, if you think that’d work. But...can we wait until after I talk with the Counselor?”

“Of course, Mr. Delman. Now, is there anything else?” asked Bri.

“No ma’am. I’ll be gettin’ back to work now. Thanks, ma’am.” Warrant Officer Delman walked back to his workstation with mixed feelings of relief and apprehension. Relief that the conversation with the Ensign was over and apprehension because he now had to talk with the female counselor. Sighing, he went back to work.

Ensign Kai watched as Warrant Officer Delman returned to his console and shook his head. That kid needs to get out some, she thought. Then she turned her attention back to the main table.

OFF:

[Thundera]

ON:<<USS Malinche>>
< Holodeck RT Day 2, 0900>

After all the research she had done, Cheetara decided to take a stroll to the holodeck and try to relax a little bit. She could feel the tension in her brain from all the thoughts that had been rushing through her head about everything that has been transpiring. The constant nightmares of being re-assimilated, the new assignments that had to be done. She felt a little over whelmed.

She entered the holodeck thinking that she would try to play some baseball to relax and maybe take out some frustration. "Computer, begin program Stadium Four" she announced.

The greenish yellow grid outlines immediately disappeared as the program began to load the old earth baseball stadium Camden Yards from Baltimore, Maryland. Her team was up first so she took her place on the bench with the rest of the team and waited for her turn to bat for the first inning. She was fourth in line.

The first person hit a line drive down the middle and made it to first base. The next batter hit a pop fly to right field, which was caught, causing the first out for the team. Cheetara was now on deck taking practice swings as was customary. She watched as the third batter kept swinging at the pitches that would obviously have been balls. But since he swung and missed, they became strikes. Three of them made him the second out of the inning. Meanwhile the first batter was still on first base waiting for his chance to run to the next base.

It was now Cheetara's turn to bat. She put on her helmet and grabbed the bat she wanted to use, then walked up to the plate. She had studied and play a few times before, but she was still new to the game. First pitch came and she didn't swing. The umpire called it a ball. The next pitch she hit but it fouled to the right. The third pitch came. She didn't swing again. The ball hit home plate and bounced backward behind the catcher and umpire. All of a sudden the man on first took off for second base. Cheetara back up from the plate as the catcher got up and ran for the ball. He threw it to second after picking up the ball and noticing the other guy stealing a base. But it was too late. The base had been stolen.

Cheetara stepped back up to the plate. Another pitch came and she didn't swing. It was now a full count. This next pitch would basically determine the outcome of her turn at bat. She looked intently as the pitcher threw the ball. She swung as hard as she could. She felt the bat vibrate as she hit the ball high into the air and into the distance. She began to run slightly just in case it was caught and she would be out. The ball didn't come down though, it went into the stands past the outfield. She hit a home run. What a great start, she thought to herself. She finished rounding the bases and took a seat back on the bench. The next person went to bat and stuck out. It was now time for the team to head to the field.

It was the bottom of the nineth. Her team was on the field for the last time. The score was 8 to 5, her team was winning. The bases were loaded and the batter up for the other team was a power hitter. She wasn't sure how this was going to end. If he was to get a grand slam, the game would be over and her team would lose. The other team still had no outs. It was not looking good.

The pitcher threw the ball toward the catcher. The batter swung. It was a line drive right to third base. Cheetara acted quickly putting her glove down to get the ball as it rolled across the ground. She grabbed it and stepped on third base. Then she quickly turned and threw to second. The second baseman caught it, stepped on the base and threw to first. It was a triple play and the game was over. Just like that her team had won.

"Computer, end program", she commanded. Everything disappeared and it went back to the greenish yellow grid lines. Cheetara had worked up a swear. She headed to her quarters to freshen up before going to get a bite to eat.

OFF:

[Kai]

ON: <<USS Malinche, Science Labs, Revised Timeline – Day 1, 1545>>

Cheetara was sitting at her desk in the science office going over some reports about the new modifications on some of the systems. There was still a few more that needed to be done, but she knew that would have to be done with the Chief Engineer. She was deep in thought when she heard the chime of the door.

"Enter", she said waiting to see just who was there.

Bri looked at Warrant Officer Delman (NPC). “Are you ready?”

Todd nodded and smiled. He straightened his back and held his head up. His meeting with the Counselor had gone well and he had learned a lot. Mostly about himself and how to overcome his fear and anxiety. Now it was time to put some of it to work. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, drawing out that last ‘ma’am’ in his down-home Tennessee accent.

Bri smiled at the Warrant Officer. “Let’s go, then.” She entered the office, Mr. Delman behind her, and approached the desk.

Cheetara looked up from her PADD and watched as Ensign Kai and Mr. Delman walked through the door. Delman seemed to straggle a little behind. "Good afternoon. What can I do for you?", she asked calmly in a monotone.

Bri looked back over her shoulder to Mr. Delman and raised an eyebrow. To which he responded by coming a little closer. She turned her attention to the Lieutenant.

“Warrant Officer Delman wishes to transfer to the gamma shift so he can take Academy classes during the day and work towards becoming an officer someday down the road.” She handed Delman’s transfer request to her boss and stepped back two steps. Her goal was to try and put Delman a little further forward.

Cheetara took the PADD from Brianna and looked at it closely. She looked up at Delman. "And just what kind of officer do you wish to become Mr. Delman?", she asked staying calm even though she didn't like the way this was being done. She wasn't understanding why he couldn't have just come to her by himself. But she could guess.

Todd noticed how Ensign Kai had moved back. She seemed to be giving him an opportunity to step up. He looked at the Chief Science Officer, ready to answer…and then he saw the Borg implants again. Taking a deep breath and remembering what the Counselor had told him, he answered.

“Ma’am, I, um, want to be a science officer,” unsure of exactly what she meant. “I’ve been thinkin’ about makin’ Starfleet a career and I want to know more about bein’ a full officer.”

Cheetara could sense Delman's anxiety and chuckled a little bit. She watched as he looked at her with fear in his eyes as he studders along trying to get out his words out.

"Are you okay Mr. Delman? You seem a little anxious. Am I making you nervous?", she asked already knowing the answer." She wanted to see if he could speak the truth or try and cover up his feelings.

Todd had been caught. And now he was faced with a major decision. Taking in a deep breath, he looked Cheetara straight in the eye and decided to get it over with and out in the open. “Uh, not…you, per se, ma’am. I talked with the Counselor earlier today regardin’ some things. Number one was…well, no offense intended and with all due respect, but Borg scare me a little, ma’am. Rescued or not. I don’t mean anything by it. The Counselor is helpin’ me work through it. And number two is a little embarrassing.” He stopped, thinking that he had just said all that in one big breath. At least that’s how it felt. And he hoped beyond all hope that Lieutenant Thundera wouldn’t pursue the second reason he was nervous. He really didn’t want to admit to that in a room with two pretty women.

"Very good", Cheetara said glad he admitted the truth. She could tell he was too nervous to lie. "Well let me explain something to you about being a Science Officer", she changed her tone from calm to stern. "If you think that being in Science is gonna keep you away from the Borg, or rescue you from things you don't like, keep dreaming. In fact, the Science Department is more likely to put you in those situations. Especially while doing research or experiments. And I commend you for wanted to take classes to become an Officer. But if I think for one minute that you are just scared of ME, I'll put you right back on my shift and give you hell until you get over it. Is that understood?"

Todd straightened up and looked square at the Lieutenant. “Aye, ma’am. Understood.” Perhaps a little stern firmness was exactly what he needed.

Ensign Kai felt herself standing at attention as well. Lieutenant Thundera most certainly had a commanding presence and voice. Then she started thinking about what she could take home from this. What kind of lesson had she just learned from her Department Head?

Cheetara calmed her voice after apparently scaring the shit out of Delman. But she knew it was necessary. "Now I will fully support you in your classes, and you can always come to me if you need help. I know it doesn't seem easy to come to me, but you will learn about me in time. The few things that I demand are hard work, respect, honesty, and loyalty. As long as you can do that, we shouldn't have any problems."

Cheetara decided to test his honesty even further. "Now in case you aren't aware, I am a Betazoid. And you know what that means right?"

Todd hadn’t realized that…ever. It was no wonder that she seemed to have such an insight into him. “It means telepathy and empathy, ma’am. And, that it will never do me any good to try and hide something from you.”

"Good. Now you mentioned that there was second reason for not wanting to come to me see alone for this shift transfer request. I'm sure it can be any more embarrassing than admitting I scare you. So what is it?" Cheetara asked.

Todd sucked in a sudden draught of air as he gasped. He was sure it was noticeable by both women. “What good will it do me, right? Well, so long as I’m getting everything off my chest…” He trailed off and hesitated a few seconds. “I’m a shy young man.” He felt a slight heat rise to his cheeks as he finished the rest of his statement. “Especially in front of pretty ladies.” Unsure of how the Lieutenant, or Ensign Kai for that matter, would respond, he broke eye contact and looked beyond Cheetara.

Cheetara chuckled a little as she looked over at Bri. "Well, at least he's honest. What do you think Brianna?"

Bri smiled and laughed a little as well. “I’d agree, he’s very honest.” Then she added, “And I’d like to take the opportunity to thank him for his complement. Maybe sometime we can grab a cup of tea in the lounge?”

Todd turned a deeper shade of pink. And a stammering ‘p-p-perhaps’ was all he could manage to get out.

"Well Mr. Delman. Your transfer is approved. I wish you luck with the classes. Remember my door is always open", she told the young man. "And by all means, keep talking to Dallas. I'm sure she can help you get over your shyness and fears."

Cheetara knew all to well about fears. After all she was going through her own issues and trying to get over them.

"If nothing else, you are dismissed Mr. Delman. Brianna, I'd like to have quick word with you before you leave", Cheetara stated.

Warrant Officer Delman nodded and said, “Thank you, ma’am.” And then he headed out the door and back to the science labs.

Bri nodded and moved to the side to let Delman pass. When he left, she approached the desk at which Lieutenant Thundera was seated. “Ma’am?” she inquired.

"I want to know what you think of Mr. Delman. He seems to like you", Cheetara said. "After all, he apparently talked to you about this transfer before coming here. He probably even asked you to do it for him. Didn't he?"

“He did ask me to bring it in for him,” admitted Bri. “But I think it was more of a timing issue than anything. I think he was looking for anyone to bring it in so he didn’t have to face you himself. I just happened to be there when he made the decision. And I think he probably did it first thing in the morning hoping that I would just take it with no questions asked. Taking into consideration everything that needed to be done at shift change as well as the regular morning stuff, he may have thought it would get put in a pile of padds or put aside until later.” She paused a second giving it some more thought. “Did I do the right thing in holding on to it and sending him to the Counselor for some help first? And then accompanying him here? Or should I have just sent him by himself on to you with the transfer?”

Bri was trying to look at this as a learning experience. She had learned a long time ago that everyone in the galaxy is different in they way they think. The memories of the three previous hosts confirmed that. For example, Vora Kai would most likely have been blunt, telling him exactly what was on her mind and that he just needed to get over his fears if he were going to be an officer worth his salt.

Cheetara listened to the explanation of what had happened. She could tell from the events that Mr. Delman was trying to be slick and not see her in person. He probably didn't realize that he would have had to come see her anyway once she had gotten the request. He'll never make that mistake again now that he knows how she operates. Cheetara would never just approve anything without talking to the parties involved. Especially since her former position was as Chief Security and Tactical.

"You did fine, don't worry", Cheetara told her. "I just wanted to know how the events unfolded. I'm glad you did what you felt was right. And in the long run, it's probably better the route you chose. I'm sure he will make a fine officer one day as long as WE guide him in the right direction."

Brianna nodded and replied, “Thank you, ma’am. It’s a help to me knowing your thoughts on things within the Department. If there’s nothing else Lieutenant Thundera, I’ve got to get back to the labs.”

Cheetara said, “There is nothing else Brianna. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, dismissed.”

To which Bri nodded and left the office.

OFF:

JP by:

Lieutenant Cheetara Thundera
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 3rd Class Todd Delman (NPC – played by Ensign Brianna Kai)
Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

[Kersare]

<<Bridge, Day 2, 0945>>

Still en route to Earth, the Malinche's journey thus far had been uneventful. Nonetheless, Isabel was on the bridge and was doing a little multi-tasking. Partly she was keeping an eye on what was going on, glancing down at the readouts to make sure nothing out of the ordinary was happening...though truthfully, her bridge crew or the ship's alarms would alert her to any immediate problems. In addition, Isabel had received information a few hours ago from Cheetara regarding finding a cloaked vessel. Knowing she would want to be on the bridge, she had downloaded the information to a PADD and had been reviewing the information.

Some of the information included ideas she already knew about, but some of it was new...or at least a different spin on a familiar concept. One issue, of course, was being able to effectively scan an area while at warp. It was easy enough to miss important clues at low warp or on impulse power...let alone high warp. There was certainly the chance that they had unknowingly come across the Romulan vessel and just hadn't seen it. Or they could have come across evidence that would've helped them find the ship and passed it by in the blink of an eye.

As she finished reading through the information, Isabel eased back in her chair. She would forward the information to the relevant departments for their assessments and implementation, along with her thoughts. Isabel also made a mental note to check in with their guest; he surely had some interesting stories to share and it might help take their minds off of what had happened over the last several days. Thus far she hadn't heard of any complaints that he had had, so she'd assumed for the time being that he was doing fine.

More troubling, however, was the report she had received from Setak regarding Julie (NPC)... He had informed her just under a day ago that the doctor had attempted suicide and had instructed Nora to take the rest of the day off. Isabel had stopped by to check on Julie, but there was little she could do. Though she hadn't wanted to pressure Nora, she had visited her friend to check on her. Seeing how shaken her Executive Officer was, Isabel was rather concerned. She had no doubt that Nora would be alright; hopefully Julie would be as well. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, Isabel had suggested it might be best not to make a commotion out of it. Partly she didn't want news or rumors to be spreading while Julie was still in Sickbay and partly, if Julie did survive, she wanted to make sure the woman wasn't treated with some of the typical stigma associated with suicide attempts.

Frowning, Isabel tapped her thumb on the side of the armrest. The waiting was practically unbearable. Where was the Romulan vessel? How would they get back to Kirk's time? How would the crew react to the time travel? Would they be successful? So many questions... Soon enough they would be answered...she and her crew would do their best, which is all anyone could ask of them. But Isabel knew how important it was that they succeed.

[Kai]

ON: <<USS Malinche, Science Labs, Revised Timeline – Day 2, 2330>>

Todd (NPC) was thankful that he had been approved for the transfer. He was also thankful that the meeting was over. He never thought that he would have to go into so much detail. But it was all out in the open now and he was getting some help with his issues. So maybe it was a good thing.

He had been off all day in order to prepare for the gamma shift. Todd had to work hard at trying to sleep that day, though. His sleeping schedule, along with his eating patterns, had to change quickly…and it wasn’t that easy. Which is why he yawned as he stepped through the doors into the Science Labs.

The random beeps and sounds of a few active consoles was all the noise that wafted through the mostly empty room. The beta shift was wrapping up and preparing for turnover to the gamma shift. Todd was one of the first to show up for the midnight shift. Although he expected only one more person to show up. After all, this was the ‘skeleton crew’ shift.

The Bajoran Warrant Officer, Second Class, walked a few minutes later. He nodded at Todd as he approached. “Well, well, well, I was told you would be transferring to this shift.” He smiled and continued. “Welcome to the most uneventful work shift that Starfleet has to offer aboard any ship or Starbase. I am Jaran Arol (NPC), resident Physicist. And if remember right, you are Todd Delman, Science Officer.”

“That’d be me, sir,” said Todd. Not being that good of a judge of people, Todd Delman wasn’t sure how to take Arol.

“Oh cut out that ‘sir’ business. Unless you care about it, no one else on this shift does.” Arol grinned as he gestured to emptying room. An Ensign plopped a padd in Arol’s outstretched hand as he left and told the two to have fun.

Todd looked around at the science lab. Then he caught the Bajoran’s joke and laughed. “Oh, well then I guess that nobody else minds.”

Arol chuckled. “Where are you from Delman?” The Bajoran hadn’t met Todd before and was curious as to his home of origin.

“From Earth. My family’s from the Tennessee region of North America.” Todd smiled as he asked, “And whereabouts are you from, Vulcan?”

Arol smirked. “Your sense of humor needs a little work, funny man. But I can work on that later. For now, let’s see what we’ve got to do.”

Todd followed Arol to main table to look over the padd that he had been given a few minutes earlier.

OFF:
Warrant Officer 3rd Class Todd Delman (NPC)
Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Jaran Arol (NPC)
Physicist
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

played by

[Kai]

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Science Labs, Revised Timeline – Day 2, 2359>>

Cheetara couldn't had another night where she couldn't sleep. So she decided to go do some work when she had an idea. She headed to the Science Labs to check on a few things. She hadn't looked in on the Gamma shift since she got back on board, so now was as good a time as any.

Arriving at the labs she stepped through the door. There didn't seem to be very many people there. She pulled up the schedule on her padd. Sure enough, a couple were missing. She would check up on them shortly.

"Hello everyone", she announced as she stood at the doorway. "How are those experiments coming along? I don't see any of you working on them!"

Arol (NPC) never even flinched as the Chief Science Officer entered the room and made her announcements. He just stood up from previously leaning over the main table and addressed his boss.

“That would be because I’ve just finished going over the shift change information from beta shift. Warrant Officer Delman (NPC) over there is making sure all the other stations are operating normally; seeing as how we’re still a couple of people short, ma’am. Oh, in case you were wondering, ma’am, I was giving them to one minute after midnight. Then they were going on report for being late.”

Todd spoke without looking up from the environmental station. “I’ll get to the first experiment as soon as I’m done here, ma’am. This is the last station I need to check for normal ops.” He then realized that he had just spoken to the former Borg woman without stuttering and stammering over his words. Maybe his focus on the current job was helping.

Cheetara wasn't too happy that people were late to their shift. "Arol, have you located where the MIA's are? Have you tried contacting them?" Cheetara's tone started getting harsher. "And why didn't you contact me for that matter? You should know better than that. How long has this been going on?"

“First time it’s happened, Lieutenant. That’s why they were only going on report and I hadn’t contacted you.” The Bajoran looked at the chronometer in the wall. One minute after. “And I was just about to try and contact them.” He heard the tone in her voice change. He then smiled and nodded toward Thundera. “Unless of course you would like to do the honors. If it came from you, perhaps it wouldn’t happen a second time.”

Cheetara tapped her badge. =/\=Cheetara to Nassir and Blake. You have exactly three minutes to get to the labs. You are already late for your shift. So I suggest you get here quickly or unless you want to learn how to clean bulkheads with a toothbrush! Cheetara out.=/\= Her voice was very stern and harsh.

Cheetara did NOT like lateness. This wasn't the first time for these two. Just the first time with Arol on watch. Cheetara walked over to where Delman had begun working.

"And just what are you working on?", Cheetara asked a little harsh, still steaming about Nassir and Blake.

If Delman had been fine earlier, the harshness in the Lieutenant’s voice changed that. “Um, well, this particular experiment is more…observational…than actual testing. Uh, at least at this stage.” He made a few notations and transferred the recent recorded activity onto the padd. Handing it to the Science Chief for perusal, he continued to brief her on it.

“From what I can tell initially, the, um, biochemist is assisting the Medical department by running some, uh, in depth tests on a series of altered medicines by seeing how they affect various micro-organisms. It looks like…yeah…there it is. It looks like it has to do with dosage amounts. And right now it’s mostly observing how the micro-organisms react to the different dosages.” He looked up at Cheetara, which took a little work. But once made eye contact, he managed a nod and slight smile. If nothing else, he hoped his shyness would lessen Cheetara’s degree of frustration that was seemingly apparent in her voice.

Cheetara looked over the information on the padd and listened as he spoke. She did find it a little humorous at Delman's reaction by studdering all of a sudden. It was beginning to lighten her mood a little. She knew she would have to keep rattling his cage a bit to help get him over his shyness as well as fears. An old trick she learned from the former Counselor, now the XO, on the Malinche.

"This is good work Mr. Delman. I think you should try some different isotopes though. The ones you are using are basic. And as I have learned with this ship, nothing basic ever happens here", Cheetara said almost calmly as she made some notes on the padd and handed it back. "Try using these."

Just then Nassir and Blake walked in and it caught Cheetara's attention from the corner of her eye. "Excuse me, I have to go take care of them", she said in a stern voice.

Todd took the padd from his boss as she handed it back to him. “I’ll…definitely get them in the mix during the next…round of doses. Thanks, ma’am.” He set the console to sound a small beep when that particular time came round. When he lifted his head, Lieutenant Thundera was off to confront the late-comers. He smiled as he thought, I’d sure hate to be in their shoes right now. Then he moved on to the next experiment.

OFF:

JP by
Lieutenant Cheetara Thundera
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 3rd Class Todd Delman (NPC)
Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Jaran Arol (NPC)
Physicist
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

played by

[Thundera]

<<USS Malinche, Science Labs, Revised Timeline – Day 3, 0010>>

Cheetara had turned and started walking over to Warrant Officer Nassir and Ensign Blake as she heard Delman responding to her orders. She was VERY unhappy with what had happened.

"Do you two think you can just stroll in here whenever you feel like it?", Cheetara started barking at them. "There is a schedule for a reason. Don't you realize there are experiments here that need to be done in a timely manner? I wasn't joking about what I said to you earlier."

"We sorry Ma'am", Blake started to answer.

"It won't happen again", interjected Nassir.

"I don't want to hear it. I want to hear WHY you are late? This IS NOT the first time this has happened", Cheetara retorted getting angrier with each passing moment.

Blake and Nassir looked at each other trying to figure out a good reason to tell her. They had a couple ideas while on their way to the lab, but didn't really figure one out.

"Well Ma'am, it's like this", Blake started. "We were playing raquetball before our shift, and Nassir here got hurt."

"I had to go to sickbay to get treated before coming here, Ma'am", Nassir said.

Cheetara tapped a few buttons on her padd to pull up Nassir's medical records. Of course, she didn't find a record of him being there. She looked up at Nassir with an evil expression on her face.

"You are lying, and you know it. What's worse is that I knew it before even looking the medical logs", Cheetara told him.

Nassir and Blake looked back at each other again and gulped.

"I knew that wouldn't work", Nassir whispered.

"QUIET!", Cheetara stated loudly. "Both of you follow me, NOW!"

Cheetara walked over to a replicator with the guys right behind her.

"Computer, I need two Earth toothbrushes with small heads", Cheetara stated to the replicator.

The replicator began to make swirling sounds as the toothbrushes materialized. Cheetara picked them up and walked to the supply closet with the guys still in tow. She opened the door and pulled out spray cans of cleaning solutions and rags. She handed them each a toothbrush, a spray can, and a rag.

"Now, get to cleaning those bulkheads", Cheetara ordered them as they took the items. "You will learn to be on time and not to lie, or you will be punished like a child. Let this be a lesson to ALL of you in here."

Nassir and Blake went to opposite sides of the room and began cleaning as Cheetara watched them like a hawk. As they cleaned the bulkheads, Cheetara would yell things like, 'missed a spot', 'use some elbow grease', and 'start over'. They were getting annoyed by her but didn't dare to say a word.

"Alright men, that's enough", Cheetara yelled out about two hours later, after she thought they had learned a lesson. "Now put them away and get to your duties. Next time your punishment will be worse. And this will be logged into your files."

Cheetara didn't like to be mean, but she knew she had to teach them a lesson. She let them get away with it before with a warning. But the obviously hadn't learned a lesson. So hopefully this time they would. As the guys got back to work she went over and told Arol to make sure they get all the 'dirty' tests for the next month.

After Cheetara checked out a few of the experiments, she headed back to her quarters to get some rest.

OFF: A JP By

Warrant Officer Aymin Nassir(NPC played by me)
Chemist
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

Ensign Michael Blake(NPC played by me)
Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A

and

[Thundera]

OOC: Backpost we have been working on

ON:<<USS Malinche>>
<Counselor Karyn Dallas' Office, Day 2, Revised Timeline, 1300>

Cheetara walked into the Counselor's Office for another session as she had agreed upon. "Hello Counselor", she said as she sat down on a chair.

"Thank you for seeing me, Cheetara," Karyn began. "I know you agreed to see me regularly earlier, but I also know sometimes self-doubt can creep in between sessions. I'm really glad you decided to come back, and in return, I promise to do everything I can to help you. There's definitely some things we can do through talk therapy to address your symptoms, but I'm also wondering if you've talked to a member of the medical staff about your symptoms? I'm curious to know if the nightmares and flashbacks are partly the result of the hyper-stimulation of your brain due to exposure to the implants. Perhaps there's medical options available to treat the root physiological causes of your symptoms instead of just the symptoms themselves?"

Cheetara looked at Dallas for a minute with her usual blank expression and then answered in a monotone voice. "I just met with the Doctor for a routine physical so he could get to know me and my robotic systems. I haven't felt anything wrong, and he doesn't seem to think there is either."

"Have you mentioned the nightmares and difficulty sleeping?"

"I believe there was something quickly mentioned, but we talked about so much", Cheetara answered. "I'm not sure there's gonna be a medical reason solution behind this, but I'm willing to figure it out."

"I can come with you if you like," Dallas offered. "I'd always envisioned working with you and the doctor on a comprehensive treatment strategy. In any case, I want you to know you don't have to face this alone."

"I understand that. But in case you haven't noticed, not many are as kind as you have been. Seems alot of people worry about me reverting to Borg and having them assimilated into the collective." Cheetara answered.

"I'm sorry for that, Cheetara," Karyn replied sincerely. "I'll do what I can to address this sort of prejudice, but in the meantime, I think it's also important to give you the tools you need to feel good about yourself. Believe me," Dallas said, looking down at her own hover chair, "I know what it's like to have people judge something that isn't my fault. As much as I wish I could fix them, I really just have power to fix myself."

Cheetara looked at her hover chair. She had wanted to ask how it happened at their last meeting, but didn't want to sound rude. Something she had been trying to work on. But now Dallas put it out in the open, she figured it would be okay to ask the details.

"So what exactly happened for you to be stuck in that chair?" Cheetara asked.

Dallas smiled, not offended in the least by the question and in fact impressed by Cheetara's directness. "I was born two months early. Because of that, my lungs weren't developed enough to deliver a proper amount of oxygen to my brain. I suffered a brain bleed in the area that controls balance and motor coordination. My official diagnosis is cerebral palsy, and it wasn't officially made until I was about eighteen months old, around the time I was supposed to have walked already. My father wasn't big on doctors, so I was never in a position to receive corrective treatment. Hence, why I use this chair."

Cheetara really didn't know what to say. "And technology hasn't been able to fix them? I would think you could get cybernetic implants to stimulate and contract the muscles in order to walk."

"Well, sure," Karyn replied amiably, "and for the record I do have a pair of mechanical legs for Away Teams. Still, I choose not to see myself as broken, in need of repair. My life isn't always easy, but the chair and my limitations are part of me. Changing those just to make someone else feel better is equal to changing me entirely. I realize you didn't choose to be assimilated and I know you're dealing with some truly painful trauma, but you have more control over your attitude than you realize."

Cheetara was trying to understand why anyone would want to be limited if they didn't have to. It was all about character she guessed. "I think I understand", she replied. Cheetara looked at her watch looking at the time. "Well I'm gonna need to get going soon. I have some things I need to get done. When is our next appointment?"

Dallas was surprised to see their time was indeed up. She often lost track of time when in session because she became so engrossed in her clients' stories. Cheetara's was no exception. "Same time next week? You can always request an appointment before then if you need it. I'm flexible."

Cheetara stood up. "Thank you. I'll set the appointment on my way out." She turned and walked out to head back to her duties.

OFF: A JP by

Karyn Dallas
Acting Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and