You Can't Judge A Planet By Its Dilithium

[Fairbairn]

<< Starbase 259, 1130, Day 4 >>

Cameron half sat on one of the diagnstic display pannels at the far end of the main sick bay on the station, his head held in his hands. He sighed and shook it - showing his irritance at the scene playing before him. Unfortunately he knew it all too well. He struggled not to think back to the significant argument before the end of his marriage. The setting was the same, so was the context. The difference was that Ms Sarah Treala of the Bisaran colony and Lieutenant Paul Merchant, Operations team controller for the starbase were not married.

"All you think about is your own blasted career and that's why you've dragged me down here." She muttered angrily at Merchant. "I'm missing one of the most important events of the science year - all so you can do your duty." She practically spat the final word.

Merchant appeared more calm and collect. "It's for the safety of the STARBASE, Sarah. There's more to it than doing what I want."

"Maybe so, but either way this is a complete waste of my time. I have NOT shown any of the described symptoms so I do not have this poxy disease."

"How do you know?" He interjected. "It takes time to manifest itself!"

"It makes you sneeze! That's hardly dangerous, Paul!"

Cameron chose this point to interject. Even if he had to have the base commander issue the martial order, he was going to scan Treala and find the origin of this virus. His voice was as calm and steady as ever, his Scottish accent floating through it nice and clearly. "Actually it IS dangerous, Ms Treala." He smiled as he stepped between them. "It's a neural infection that takes charge of bodily actions. And every brain is different. For all we know it could simply shut your heart, your lungs...your entire body down."

"Doctor, I appreciate your concern but I do NOT have this infection. It would be obvious to me."

"Wrong." the Doctor shook his head bluntly. "It's never obvious. There's no way to tell how it has infected a person until certain symptoms are shown. And we have no time boundary on which to judge that."

"Well..." She hesitated, then finally gave in with a sigh. "Let's just get this over with. But I don't want him standing around, peering over my shoulder."

Cameron smirked and sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe the immaturity but who was he to get in the way of young love and all it stood for in it's magic. Besides, this was an important medical case. He may have a disease named after him yet! Not that it was particularly a dream goal, of course, but it would be nice to at least figure out what was going on. He turned his attention to the bemused looking Merchant.

"Lieutenant...I think it's best if you return to your duties for the time being. I can exmaine you for any after effects later, although I'm sure the cure worked fine." A smile was offered.

Merchant opened his mouth as if to protest, then sighed and stropped off out of the sick bay's main doorway. Cameron couldn't quite blame him but he did wish the situation wasn't so irritatingly complicated. If they could just set their differences aside for a moment or two while he tried to get his work done. But that was people, and being a friendly person he understood why they reacted in such ways. Again, it wasn't his place to interfere so he would leave it alone.

He turned and approached Treala, lifting his medical tricorder and scanner from the pocket of his blue coat, and began to scan her. He tried to focus on the task at hand but was soon interrupted by the frustrated woman, who huffed and sighed occasionally and then finally let loose with an icy attitude, her bright blue eyes brimming and watering.

"I'm sorry about that, Doctor."

"That's not a problem." He said softly, trying to extend the readouts - noting that her vital signs and neural activity were stable - he tapped in to scan for anomolies in her blood system. "I've dealt with much worse, let me tell you."

"It just frustrates me! All he focuses on is his career and how he works on the starbase. We had to cancel dinner plans the other evening just so he could attend a briefing on some silly new cargo something or other..." Another heavy sigh.

Cameron was a reserved man who kept his opinions to himself. But, for some reason he felt his sympathy leaning more towards Merchant. "Well, I'd tell you what I think Ms Treala, but you're not going to want to hear it." He still studied the tricorder readouts, confused by the sudden information he had gathered.

She stopped, and looked up at him. "What?"

"I'm telling you, you're not going to like it."

"What?" She murmured again.

He sighed and placed the open tricorder on the bio-bed, then stood back to take her in. She was incredibly beautiful, incredibly strong-willed yet she seemed somewhat self-centred. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers and like a father giving a lecture, he sighed softly and offered a meek smile of ressonance. "Cut him a wee bit of slack."

She huffed again. "I knew you would say that, it's a Starfleet thing."

He nodded, interjecting again. "Yes...unfortunately it IS a Starfleet thing. You're looking at a young man in the prime of his career with many prospects ahead of him. He joined Starfleet to get this far, to be part of the team and the family." With a sigh Cameron looked at the floor, thinking of his own reasoning, then back to her. "There would never be a doubt that he loves you. But he put his name down to years of training and obedience to become part of something that he knew would become his life. It's not his fault that he can't simply walk away from that - if he had known he would have met a stunning young woman such as yourself, perhaps there would have been second thoughts..." He paused, watching her eyes flick down to the ground. "You can't take his entire life away from him because of cancelled dinner reservations. You have to learn to fit your love in with the career he has built for himself - and to be frank - it's a career that he'll continue to build for you."

Treala's eyes continued to shimmer at the ground as she mulled it over in her head. Cameron only watched her for a moment longer, feeling sorry. Not so much for himself as her. He felt he had been unnecessarily harsh. But it was time for a change of subject, there was a much more serious matter arising. "It's my understanding that you were part of the borg collective, is that correct?" He asked suddenly.

She snapped up to attention. "Yes...I was. Not for long, perhaps a month or two..." She trailed, picturing the scene again. Cameron blinked and lifted the tricorder to re-check his scans.

"So your personality, your emotional activity remained despite the assimilation process?"

"Yes - somewhat. It was a procedure taken on board by Starfleet themselves. It took a year or so of counseling but what was left of who I am...came back to me." She offered HER meek smile this time. The Doctor returned it. "I was a drone for only a short period of time and despite being linked to the collective, I was still me all along really. Somewhat." There was that word again.

"All your bio-neural and mechanism's were removed?"

"Yes - via a mixture of grafting surgery and of course, deprivation."

"Deprivation?" He asked, unaware of the term.

"They starve the neural feed that links your nanoprobes to your mind. Your mind returns and the nanetics die and wither. Eventually your neural implants and cellular mechanics stop working and can be removed." She explained it thoroughly and preciscely now with the clear logic of a Vulcan in her tone.

"So your brain is incapable of developing that same technology. Your body is free to be fully human?"

"Yes - and since then I've been very healthy."

There was a long silence as Cameron bit his lip, checking the readings again. It was both disturbing and confusing and he couldn't quite seem to pin it to his cause. "I have good news and bad news." He said eventually. "The bad news is that you have a trace of the virus floating in your blood stream." Again - another hesitation, he couldn't quite believe what he was going to say, locking eyes with her again he sighed. "The good news is that your newly prepped nanetic technology is keeping it dormant and from accessing your brain - those nanoprobes are stopping the virus from infecting you."

She blinked in disbelief. "How...how is that possible. I can't produce nanetic cells."

He shook his head, but in agreement with her confusion. "Well something did." He was quick to react as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lie down on the biobed...I'm going to take a look at your neural activity and try to figure out what's going on here. Let's see if we can't pinpoint the origin of this activity. You are, after all, a human."

[Kersare]

<<Direidi Courtroom, 0008, Day 4>>

After a good while of avoiding pies and getting run over, Isabel, Britny (NPC), and Nate (NPC) finally ended up at the back of the courtroom. Unfortunately, in all the chaos, there still weren't able to locate Todd or Mark. However, at one point Isabel did recognize transporter beams, and looked back in time to see Mason and his team being beamed away, along with a few others who she assumed were the Sirion crew.

At this point, she had to assume they were safe, as it seemed that was the case. Isabel turned to Britny, "You didn't see Mark or Todd, did you?"

"No," Britny replied, shaking her head. "But there were so many people..."

"Well, why don't we--" Isabel began, before being interrupted. She turned around to see who it was.

"Captain Kersare?" Emily (NPC) and Kyler (NPC) looked at Isabel.

She nodded, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"We'd like you to come with us," Emily replied. "We'd like to get some things cleared up, considering the recent events."

Isabel certainly wouldn't argue with an explanation. "Absolutely, just one moment." She turned to Britny, "While I go with Emily and Kyler, could you please continue looking for Mark and Todd? If you see them, ask them to return to the Malinche right away."

"Sure," Britny said.

<<Direidi Courthouse, Meeting Room 3, 0014>>

"Have a seat, Captain," Kyler said, taking a seat himself. "And here, this should help you clean up a little," he handed her a towel.

"Thank you," Isabel replied, taking the towel. She wiped her face and tried to wipe off some of the larger clumps of pie from her uniform. Unfortunately, her face still felt very sticky, but there was little that could be done for the time being. Not to mention that she was rather intrigued as to what Emily and Kyler would have to say.

Emily looked at Kyler, then back at Isabel, "First, I'd like to say that the majority of your crew took everything in stride, which we very much appreciate. From some of your reactions, we could tell that at least some of you are versed in your history - regarding Captain Kirk's visit here. It was obvious some of you were prepared."

Isabel nodded, "Yes, Lieutenant Peters knew quite a bit about it and shared the information with the rest of us."

"Well, it showed, in some cases. But that's not why we wanted to speak with you now," Kyler said. "We wanted to explain why we hid the Sirion's survey team... As you know, the USS Sirion disappeared. We weren't sure what exactly happened to it, nor are we now. However, we did witness what we thought were explosions from a spacecraft in orbit. After that, we were concerned and wanted to keep them from being harmed. Since we knew they were sending you and your ship, we felt it might be best to keep them hidden until you arrived and we were sure of your intentions."

Isabel quirked an eyebrow, "Weren't sure of our intentions?"

"You can never be too careful," Emily said. "Things aren't always as they seem, and we had to be sure. We had the feeling something terrible happened to their ship and we wanted to protect them from further harm."

"Understandable," Isabel replied. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Kyler shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Captain. Your best bet would be to ask the survey team. They may have gotten more information before they lost contact with their ship."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Emily said.

As she did, Britny (NPC) walked into the room. Smiling sheepishly, she looked at the three already in the room. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I had a request."

Kyler frowned slightly, "What is it Britny?"

Hesitating a moment, she turned to Isabel, "I'd like to come with you..."

Isabel hadn't expected that... She looked over at Emily and Kyler, "Well, I believe that would be up to Emily and Kyler."

Emily's eyes met Kyler's and held his gaze for a few moments. "Why do you wish to leave?"

"I want to see new places...have new opportunities. I'm grateful for what I have here, but I can't help but feel that there's so much more out there... I'd like a chance to see what that is," Britny replied, looking hopeful.

"Well," Emily began, "You sound like your mind is made up already. And I know it's been difficult for you since your parents...left. It's alright with us, if Captain Kersare has no objections."

Isabel thought for a few moments, then replied carefully, "There's certainly more than enough room on board. I can't promise you a glamorous life, Britny. It would be filled with many challenges and dangers, though there will be wonderful experiences as well..."

Britny nodded, "I understand."

"Alright, you may come with us. You can start off as my yeoman, with the rank of crewman. Once you're aboard, we'll see about a uniform for you, and a curriculum for study on StarFleet, agreed?" Isabel watched the young woman carefully.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you," she smiled.

Isabel nodded, then looked back at Emily and Kyler, "I hate to leave so quickly, but I'm told my ship has been damaged and I should get back to it. We have the Sirion crewmembers with us, from what I know. Thank you for all your help."

"You're quite welcome, Captain," Emily replied. "Good luck. We'll keep you in our thoughts."

Isabel smiled, "Thank you, Emily." She turned to Britny, "Take a few minutes to say goodbye, then meet me out in the hallway and we'll beam back to the ship."

Seeing Britny nod, Isabel headed back to the hallway, closing the door behind her quietly. It'd certainly been an interesting day. A very, very long day. However, it seemed all had turned out for the best... Other than the Borg spotting, and Lieutenant Abubakar. She sighed, remembering she still had to deal with those when she got back.

At that moment, Britny walked out of the meeting room, smiling. "I'm ready, Captain."

Isabel nodded and returned the smile, tapping her comm badge, "Kersare to Malinche, two to beam up."

OFF: Just about done with the mission! If anybody has any loose ends, please take care of them ASAP. I want to have everything wrapped up this week.

[Benson]

ON:
<<Starbase 259, Promenade, 0425, Day 4>>

James was white as a sheet. Thankfully Josephine had slept through his ravings and thrashings whn he had woken from the nightmarish memories of his failures. His hands still felt the weight of the young girl's lifeless body and he rubbed them over his dark shirt and pajama pants that he'd worn to bed. It didn't help that the promenade was nearly deserted at this early hour, only a few odd stares from security personnel and the odd civilian walking by wondering why this man was walking around pale and somewhat shaky in his PJ's.

Doctor Fairbairn strolled calmly and deliberately through the promenade, his glance brushing from the floor to the nearby bars and shops to the window that provide the view of the vast expanse of space outside the station. A loud sigh escaped his lips, he had not yet gone to his temporary quarters. To be honest the case of Sarah Treala bugged him. How does human tissue begin producing nanetic technology? It's impossible. A neural scan had provided more information on the virus, however. It had been developed somehow within her body and consisted of particular samples of her DNA, another strange occurance. He blinked his blue eyes and glanced up ahead as he neared the end of the corridor. The sight of a man wandering in sleek, black nightwear immediately grabbed his attention. "What the hell..?" He murmured to himself, immediately taking it upon himself to approach cautiously, he placed a soft hand on the mans shoulder. It was important to be gentle, there was danger in interrupting a sleep walker. "Excuse me?"

Benson's head jerked up and he fixed the man approaching him with an empty dead stare. He said nothing, but acknowledged the man, wondering who this was and what he wanted with him.

"Yes?" He asked slowly after a moment.

Cameron kept his hand on the man's shoulder, somewhat restraining him should he have problems with an outburst. "Are you alright?" The doctor asked softly, seeing now the pale complexion and shivering taking over the persons body. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm on Starbase 259, in my pajamas. As for all right, I don't think I'll ever be 'alright'." He snapped at the man, then frowned a bit at himself.

"I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have snapped. I just...." Benson started, trailing off.

Cameron stepped back and lifted his hand from his shoulder, still peering down and examining his face. A pair of intensely bright blue eyes peered up at him from under a layered mop of straight brown hair. He seemed healthy mentally, but physically he was shaking, showing signs of anxiousness. "It's fine." Murmured Cameron in response. "Do you fancy telling me why you're out here in your pyjamas at this hour Mister..?" He let it trail, searching the man for a name.

"Bad dream..." He said hoarsely. His voice was choked a bit with emotion as the visions made him tremble, imprinted and branded into his memory. Benson looked at the man.

"It was a bad dream... I needed a walk to clear my head... that's all." He said as his eyes misted up and he tried to choke back his emotions and keep them reined in.

A hand was placed on Bensons shoulder again, this time with a sympathetic edge to it. Cameron offered him a smile and gestured to a nearby promenade bar. "Care to discuss it?" He said, still trying to seem casual as if it wasn't a worrying problem. "I can't sleep myself."

James looked at the man, a bit unsure, but nodded slowly and decided it would probably be best to discuss things with a stranger over a drink. That's just how things were done in Texas, so why not here?. He nodded and headed towards the bar with the teal uniformed Lieutenant.

Cameron's mind swam as he led the man inside, picking a table in the far corner where a red illuminous light glowed from the ceiling. They uncomfortably sat down, Cameron removing his blue medical coat and sitting it on the back of the chair. A bartender wandered over - a Bolian by the looks of things and displayed a confused look at the garments of Benson but nonetheless took Cameron's order of two Carluke Whiskies doubled with Arcalaan soft mix. Nice and sweet, but with plenty of alcahol. As the man wandered away, Cameron turned his attention back to Benson. "So you had a nightmare? Clearly a pretty bad one, you look very rough. A little of the past sneaking up on you, I take it?" He remained casual.

He looked at the man and narrowed his eyes.

"What are you, betazoid or somethin'? Maybe Starfleet Intel?" He asked suspiciously and critically.

Cameron widened his eyes and smiled. "I'm a doctor, sir, if that's enough for you." He hesitated. "And everything you've displayed shows the result of what could be anxiousness and post traumatic stress. Judging by your bulky demanor and quick reactions, you're a fighter. And we all know that most fighters are haunted by what they witness in said fight." He spoke quickly, his Scots accent apparent
.

"Yeah... something like that." Benson said as the waiter returned and set Cameron's order on the table.

"Just... some memories of the war." Said the Texan, running a weathered hand through his dark hair as he looked around took a deep breath. He looked down and found a bead of moisture on the black table surface and dipped his finger into it, swirling around.

Cameron nodded, not lifting his eyes from the man. "Drink that, it's a good mix." He said. "It'll at least release a little dopamine into your body system and that should help you to relax."

"There ain't much that'll help me relax pardner, but thanks." He said, downing the whiskey in one quick gulp, in true Texan fashion.

Cameron smiled, and sipped his softly. "Tell me about it." He had peered into the mans eyes the whole time, his pupils had returned to their normal size and he seemed to visibly be returning to his normal state. Luckily his neural reactions seemed fine. "So you are a soldier, huh? Starfleet?" He asked.

"Yeah... Lieutenant James Benson... most call me Jim..." He muttered without looking up, finding that little bead of moisture fascinating as he dabbed his finger into it and swirled it on the table.

"Lieutenant Benson..." Cameron extended a hand across the table, trying to distract him from his thoughts. Not that he thought he could cure this man, he just found that a friend was sometimes the best treatment on such occasions. "I'm Doctor Cameron Fairbairn...or Cameron. Either one."

He looked up at the hand and shook it after a moment.

"I'm just here temporarily. Waiting for my ship to get here." He said as he folded his hands on the table.

Cameron nodded, being stuck in the same position. "The Malinche or the Utility?" He asked, knowing there were two ships due with pending crew members.

"The Malinche..." He replied and looked at the man.

"I'm her new Chief Tactical Officer." James said.

Cameron seemed stunned, he wasn't aware that other crew members were waiting to transfer aboard the ship. "Me too, well I'll be the senior medical officer of course." He smiled and sat back in his chair, sipping more of his drink - a large pause ensuing until he interrutped it again. "So tell me about your nightly haunting, Lieutenant. I'm curious. You were displaying real physical symptoms."

"It was during Operation Return..." He said, and began recounting the nightmarish memories, stopping now and again to catch himself before he broke down into tears and shaking.

"I could've saved her damnit... I COULD'VE SAVED HER!" He yelled and slammed a fist down on the table.

It was time to get serious, the shock of the reaction genuinely surprised Cameron - he felt a surge of fear and then anger alongside the Lieutenant. "Could have saved who?" He demanded loudly. "Tell me who..."

"There was a little girl escaping the Dragoon... Damn Jem'Hadar monsters... We were escaping, running to the pods and they shot her in the back... She was only eight. Couldn't have been any older." Said James through fierce tears.

The doctor watched him intently. "So this little girl. You lifted her up?" He asked, provoking the memory. "You took her under your guard and upon yourself to rescue her?"

"I was the last one off that ship. I was Chief of Security... She got left behind. Lost... So I took her with me to save her... THOSE BASTARDS! THEY KILLED HER!" Growled Benson as he slammed his fist into the table again, fierce hot tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Yes...they did." Cameron said softly. "They killed her. That's what surfaces, isn't it? So where does your guilt lie, Lieutenant. What makes YOU wander the corridors at night, eh?"

"I could have saved her. I didn't... I failed! Damnit! I failed! She died right in my arms... I couldn't save her." He said, clenching his jaw and his fist as he tried to stop the crying.

"You idiot, you picked her up and carried her until she died. In doing this you risked your own life for hers...you were the push in her safety while others fled. What happened was in no way your fault, Lieutenant."

"She died... I failed. I picked her up and carried her and she STILL DIED. That's a FAILURE." He snapped angrily, glaring at the doctor.

Cameron didn't flinch and stared right back. "You failed through impossible odds. That's still heroism."
"It would be heroic if she lived... but she didn't. She died right there in my arms... she was crying for her God damned mother and she died right there!" James said, closing his eyes furiously as his knuckles turned white from his clenched fists, his fingernails digging into his palms to leave a few small cuts.

Cameron noted the anger, gained premise from the action and decided to take another route. "Then you are a failure. Let's keep telling yourself that...let's keeping beating yourself up. How does that sound, Jim?" He deliberately used the man's nickname. "Continue to tell yourself it was your fault...that you killed her."

"I didn't kill her... Damnit I tried to save her..." He said, long since lost to this grief. It was hard to come to grips with for him.

Cameron sat back. "And there you have it." He sighed as there was a long pause. "Listen to me, Jim, I'm a Doctor. I deal with the critical results of life and death on a daily basis...I've killed people due to my own failures. What you did was heroism, you tried against odds that you could not fight. Yes, this wee girl died, but much less so than she would have at the hands of the Jem'Hadar. You prolonged her existence. You tried when others did not...you're kicking your own head in over nothing."

"I know... I know... I think that's the hardest part of it all. Knowing that there isn't anything more I could have done... I hate feeling helpless like that." He admitted softly.

Cameron pushed the last of his own whiskey drink across to the man. "Have a little more. I guarantee it'll help." He sighed and shook his head. "Welcome to that harsh reality of life - sometimes things don't go the way we planned. And sometimes, bad things just happen."

James nodded and accepted the whiskey, downing the drink and wincing as he bit down the harsh warmth coursing through his throat like a thousand tiny knives all cutting up his stomach and esophagus.

"Do you know what your problem is?" Cameron smiled...letting the statement sink. "You're too dedicated. And too good at what you do. At least I can tell myself that the Malinche will be in safe hands."

"I hope so." James said, setting the glass down with a clunk on the table.

"I'm just glad that war is over... Maybe the past can stay buried there." Benson said softly.

"That's up to you, Lieutenant. You need to do that for yourself."

"I hope I can." Said James with a slow long sigh.

"You will in time." Cameron said. "But hopefully the realisation that you did all you could for that little girl will help the harsh side disappear."

"Or at least it'll help me get some sleep tonight." The Texan said, looking at the empty glass with a nod.

"You think you're ready to go back to bed?" The doctor asked jokingly.

"Yeah I think I'm good." James said, looking around, now that he was calmer the fatigue had caught up with him.

Cameron analysed him a little more. It had been a strange meeting, not entirely friendly and not entirely casual. Yet every day he felt more and more like being a doctor was all he was good for. He smiled and stood up, pulling his medical coat back on. "Well it was nice to meet you Lieutenant Benson." The two shook hands again. "If you do have anymore sleep trouble drop by the starbase sick bay
tomorrow morning and I'll try to find something to help. But I think you should be fine."

"Thanks for the drinks... and the talk doc." Said Jim with a nod, extending a hand.

Cameron shrugged, shoving his hands into the coat pockets. He actually felt a little better himself - and answered his own query with a ywan and then nodded. "That's what I'm here for. Go get some sleep. I'll probably see you on the Malinche." With that the Doctor turned and wandered out of the bar to reach his own quarters.

James nodded to the doctor, turning to return to his comfy couch back in his room.

OFF:

A JP Brought to you by,

Doctor (Lt.) Cameron Fairbairn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Malinche-B
NCC-38897-B

&

[Armand]

-={On}=-
[The Stargaze Bar, Starbase 259, Somewhere in the morning]

Josephine was in the bar, but not liking it to much. She sat closely to the window, looking out, hoping nobody would actually sit with her. Whenever somebody did she would usually make a 'worst case scenario' psych report. If those were anything to go by Starfleet had a lot of troubled minds and potential killers working for them.

Walking through the bar, Jake noticed a new face. A pretty face at that... With a huge smile, he walked over to her, "Well hello there gorgeous! Does heaven know it's missing an angel?"

Josephine frowned a bit turning her gaze from the stars to the man before turning back to the stars "I didn't know there were people left that still believed in heaven" she remarked, knowing for herself immediately what kind of guy this was.

"I wasn't sure either, til I saw you," he winked. "Mind if I have a seat?" Without waiting for a reply he sat down across from her.

"Would it stop you if I said yes?" Josephine reacted, knowing that it would make absolutely No difference what she would answer at this point.

He chuckled, "Been a while since a lady played hard to get. So what's your name, angel? Haven't seen you here before."

"That possible, I arrived at three in the morning..." Josie reacted, noticing that her perceptions of the man were correct thus far "...Josephine Armand..." she then stated her name, she figured if she played along he would be gone sooner "...what's yours?"

Giving her his most charming smile, he replied, "I'm Jake Turner. Three am is awful early to be arriving, here for business or pleasure?" Jake sincerely hoped it was the latter...or that she'd at least have time for the latter.

"Business" Josie responded immediately, knowing that would be at least a reason to just walk out on him "and you?" she then asked, trying not to seem like a bitch.

"Oh, I'm here for pleasure," Jake said, watching her closely.

Suddenly, a woman came up behind him, "Jake??" As he turned, she slapped him across the face, "What do you think you're doing??"

Stunned, Jake could barely manage any words, "I...I...She.."

"Yeah, same old story, isn't it?" The woman glared at him. "If you know what's good for you, you'll head back to our quarters and look after Melanie."

Quickly he got up and rushed out of the bar. Once he'd gone, the woman sat down. "Sorry about that."

Josephine had glanced at the stars again during this entire ordeal and turned back to the woman that just sat down "Don't be..." she simply reacted before looking outside again, leaning on one hand.

"Jake has a slight memory problem; keeps forgetting he's married," the woman said. "Did he bother you?"

Josie shrugged not turning to look at the woman "He just wasted his time..." she responded, suddenly straightening up a bit as a ship came out of warp in her view, she turned back to the woman and smiled a bit shyly "...You're his wife then?" she asked.

The woman nodded, "You could say that. I'm Sara, by the way."

"Josephine..." she folded her arms on top of the table "... tell me, Sara, why would you stay with a guy if you know he's going to try to cheat on you?" she asked, rather bluntly.

Sara raised an eyebrow, not expecting the question, "Well, he is a good father. When he's around. And he's not violent."

"On the other hand he just try to..." Josie thought a short moment to find the right words "...get it on with another woman..." she got a bit closer to the table, and consequently Sara, "...he might even have succeeded once or twice"

"No, not anytime recently. I did catch him cheating once, but since then he loses his nerve - too worried about getting caught," Sara said.

Josie shook her head "Why are you still with him? really?" she then asked, her Counselling side kicking in, wanting to know if this woman was hurt, emotionally unstable or just very protective of their daughter.

Sara was silent for a few moments and felt a lump rise in her throat, "Melanie. She's a daddy's girl... If we weren't together anymore, she'd go with him and I'd never see her again..." She took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure, "Besides, I made a commitment to him...my family would disown me if I left him...so I do the best I can."

Josie shook her head a bit "But you're not happy..." she stated the obvious "...have you ever thought about what effects this is having on you?"

Sara sighed, "My daughter needs to come first. And everything would be worse if I left Jake."

"How old is your daughter now?" Josie then asked, wanting to get a bit more history before coming to conclusions.

"She's eight," Sara replied. "But..." Hesitating, Sara looked at Josie, then down at the table, "I'm expecting another."

Josie leaned back and ran a hand through her hair "And is Jake the father?" she asked, knowing how some people could get in these situations.

Sara frowned, "Yes, unfortunately."

"Have you thought of alternative solutions?" Josie thought, knowing that most people didn't want to talk about abortion or adoption. But in cases like these it might just be the only thing left to do.

"I couldn't give up my own child, regardless of the circumstances," she said. "And I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I killed an unborn child."

"I know a lot of single mothers that manage just as well... sometimes even better... as the ones with a husband..." Josie shook her head a bit "...all I'm saying is that this is not a solution... it's the problem... and people should not be stuck in their problems"

Sara looked up at Josie, "I don't have much choice. This is the world I live in. I do the best I can with what I have.."

"And you don't realise that you can have so much more..." Josie remarked "...I'm not trying to put you down, Sara, I am trying to help you make the right decisions..." she sighed a bit "...in this world we live in people don't care a whole lot about other people, it's a lot less social then everybody wants us to be... it's every man, or woman, for him or herself"

Suddenly, tears slipped down Sara's cheeks, "I don't want to be alone... I wouldn't have him, I'd lose my daughter, maybe this one too, and my family..."

Josie reached out to take Sara's hand "You will never be alone..." Josie said, trying to look her in the eyes "...look at me Sara, there will always be people that Do care about other people then themselves..." she shook her head slightly "...from the little information I got I kind of figure Jake is not one of those people..." she placed another hand on top of Sara's hand "...I don't want to ruin your marriage or your life... but in all honestly it seems that Jake was already doing that before I even got the chance"

Too caught up in her emotions, Sara continued sobbing for several minutes. When she was finally able to regain control of herself, she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm so sorry about that...here you are trying to help and... My hormone levels are all sky high and just...just...everything...it's so hard."

"Nobody ever said it was going to be easy Sara..." Josephine responded "...but then again nobody ever said you should stay with your cheating husband either..." she added "...did you tell Jake yet about this new baby?"

Sara shook her head, "I tried to tell myself I wasn't having a baby...but finally I went to the doctor last night and she confirmed it. When I got back to our quarters, I put Melanie to bed and went straight to bed myself. I didn't see Jake til I found him here."

Josephine smirked a bit "I think you will have to tell him and, in doing so, also tell him how you feel about everything..." she knew this wasn't an easy thing to do "...you need to get your head straight... maybe a small break wouldn't be all that bad..." she said, but then again who would trust a woman that also had a man cheat on her before she stumbled from one star crossed relationship into the other "...For the past eight years you've only thought about your daughter? don't you think you've build up some credit to think about yourself as well? If only just for once?"

"I know I'll have to tell him," Sara admitted, "I'm not that far along, but he's also not blind... How can I think of myself though? I'm still Melanie's mother - she should come first."

"Does she? Against all odds?" Josie asked, of course she had never been a mother "Do you think that constantly living in fear that your husband might cheat on you, that your family would disown you and that someday your husband might even leave you..." she took a second to let all this sink in "...is it worth all that?"

Sara paused to consider what Josie said. "Those things are terrible...but what would I do without my family? Without my daughter?"

"You're in Starfleet right?" Josie asked just to make sure, Sara responded with a nod "Then you will never be without a family..." she remarked "...you can say a lot about Starfleet but they have one thing going for them... everybody in the crew you work with is family..." she shook her head a bit "...and it's not a bad thing to have them as your only family" Josie knew, after the loss of her brother she hadn't talked to any of her family again.

Sara nodded slowly, taking in the information, "I don't want to miss out on seeing my girl grow up though... And I just don't see how to get around that if I leave my husband.." A sadness was in her voice. She'd really tried to be close with her daughter, and was to an extent, but she knew Melanie preferred Jake.

"There are arrangements that can be made..." Josie said, she suddenly noticed how just sitting in the bar ended up with her trying to have a woman break up a relationship "...I..." she hesitated a bit "...I can't do these things for you... I can just tell you that I hope..." she was a bit at a loss for words "...I just hope that you make the right decision"

At Josie's words, Sara sat up a little straighter, "I suppose I won't know unless I try. And everyone around here knows that Jake can sometimes drink too much for his own good...maybe that would help me keep my daughter?" Hearing herself coming up with more suggestions, she couldn't help but continue, "Maybe I could request a transfer to a ship that will allow me to have my children with me..."

"Or a Starbase... or a Colony..." Josie added, knowing that there were a lot of option for her "...and that would most certainly work in your advantage" she remarked about the alcohol problems. "If you ever need me, I'm Lieutenant Josephine Armand... currently assigned to the USS Malinche..." she stood up from her chair and shook Sara's hand.

Sara smiled gratefully at Josephine and stood up, shaking her hand, "Thank you Lieutenant. I'm sorry to have dumped all this on you, but thank you for all the advice. I'll try to live up to the kindness you've shown me."

"Just doing my Job, Sara" Josie responded before letting go of the hand, making way for the exit of the bar. That feeling in her stomach that always came to her when she was unsure if she had to do something else. With her personality she usually enjoyed the short moments in between those times.

-={Off}=-
A JP by:

Lieutenant JG Sara Turner (NPC)
Science Officer
Starbase 259

played by:
Captain Isabel Kersare

&

[Grayson]

<<< Uss Malinche>>>
<<<Intelligence Office, 0900, day 5>>>

Mike Derrin (NPC) knew his friend Mark enough to know the man was in a terrible mood after the Direidi Mission. Not only Mark had be reticient about what happened, he had been silent since coming to duty that morning.

"Mark, old buddy", tried Mike, "You really should...",

"Talk about what happened?", completed Mark. "Why should I? You don't tell me all your failures".

Mike sighed. "So, that's what happened. You feel like you failed. How can that be possible, Mark? The Syrion crew is safe and no one got hurt". Mike got up from his chair and walked over his friends' desk. "That's so like you Grayson", he said. "Always trying to obtain the impossible."

Mark punched his desk. "It was not impossible! I failed in get information without give in to their games! I was trapped in that ... RIDICULOUS trap all day, having to play the game. I was manipulated, Mike and I'm not used to be!"

"True, normally, you do the manipulating", quipped Mike.

"You're not helping, Mike", replied Mark. He sighed. "Its just I lost all day, didn't find out anything that they didn't want me to find and there was the Borg sighting..."

"Don't worry, Mark. I got that covered. There's a report about what happened here in the Malinche."

Mark looked at one of the several PADDs on his desk. "I know. I read it. What impresses me is that our Science Officer was in command for some time. She really doesn't have a 'commanding' air about her."

"Her psych file doesn't mention anything about command, but, people do change and usually they have hidden resources", said Mike, sitting back on his chair.

"True. For example, I would never imagine that Kersare knew how to play that hellish game", spoke Mark using the replicator to get some coffee.

" Oh, you must be talking about the Volleyball game".

Mark turned around. "Do you know about that?"

"Sure, everybody knows", replied Derrin.

Mark put hand on his face. "Dammit, I really thought I could avoid the humilation."

"Really, Mark!", said Derrin with a smile on his face. "How could you not know how to play Volleyball? You're the Intell Officer! You were supposed to know everything!"

Grayson sat back on his chair and drained his mug. "I probalby was too busy learning how to kill people and make look like an accident", said him with a very odd tone of voice.

Mike's smile faltered. "Uh... What?"

"Nothing, Mike, nothing... I just would pay more attention next time you take a turbolift", Mark said darkly.

Derrin shivered. "Sometimes you give me the creeps, Mark".

Mark smirked. "That's what I do", muttered him, starting to compose his report to Kersare.

OFF: just a char development. Great mission, everyone!

[Peters]

ON: <Direidi Court Room, 0010, Day 4>

The tables were finally out of pies and the floor was suddenly very slippery. Peters, for his part, was quite satisfied with the number of pies he'd landed on people's faces. He was also very sticky.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Peters warily turned. He was now facing Britny, who had been on the opposing Volleyball team. "Hi," he started, "Good games."

"You too," she replied. "Captain Kersare asked me to tell you to return to the Malinche as soon as possible."

Peters nodded. "I don't suppose I could clean up before I go?"

"Yes, you can," Britny smiled. "We've actually had your uniform cleaned. It and a shower are waiting for you in the same changing room you used before the game."

"Thanks," Peters replied and started that way. He nodded and smiled to the people he recognized from the days adventures, but he saw no sign of Grayson anywhere.

"I wonder where he got to," Peter muttered to himself as he entered the dressing room. Still no Grayson, but both of their uniforms were there. Peters shrugged and started peeling off his pie-smeared outfit.

He gratefully stepped into the shower and turned the water on, glad to finally be able to get the filth of that refuse pile off of himself.

<0020>

Peters materialized on the transporter platform feeling a lot better than he had in hours, though very very tired from the day's exertions. One look at the mess that was the transporter room immediately banished all thoughts of sleep from his mind however.

"What the hell have you people done to my ship?!"

OFF:

[Kersare]

<<USS Malinche, Transporter Room 1, 0042, Day 4>>

As soon as Isabel and Britny (NPC) reappeared in the transporter room, Isabel simultaneously sighed inwardly in relief and steeled herself for what she would see. She smiled at Britny, who seemed a little disoriented, "Don't worry, you'll get used to that. Let's head to the bridge. I'll find someone to take you to the Quartermaster for a proper uniform. If you have any questions, just address the Computer and you can get the information you need."

Britny nodded, "Okay."

Isabel nodded to the transporter operator and headed out the door. The ship was at red alert and crewmembers were rushing by. Obviously, she'd missed a lot. The look on her face grew more serious as she beckoned Britny on, "Follow closely. I'm not sure what all's gone on, but I'm going to find out. I'm afraid you'll be getting brought up to speed much quicker than I'd originally oped."

<<Bridge, 0109>>

It taken a good portion of time for Isabel and Britny to get to the bridge.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a fair amount of damage to some systems and the turbolifts were acting up. As she arrived on the bridge, Isabel noticed Yrel and Mason talking off to the side. She turned to Britny, "Stay here. If anyone asks, you have my permission to be on the bridge. Just be quiet and out of the way and it should be fine."

Britny's eyes were wide, taking in the scene..."Yes, ma'am," she managed.

Isabel briefly placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder, then walked over to Yrel and Mason. "I see I've missed quite a bit.."

Yrel was about to reply to the Captain, still in command mode from the time on the bridge, when Hunt cut in with a reply instead.

"You could say that Captain. I will have a full report sent to your ready room before the day is out."

"Let's go in my Ready Room and you can fill us in, Lieutenant," Isabel said.

Allowing the others to go ahead of her, Isabel took a last look at the bridge before entering her ready room. Sighing, she said, "Take a seat, everyone. Ms. Sovereign, why don't you start? What's been going on here? It appears we've sustained damage..."

"Well," she took a deep breath. "We still are recovering from the damage the fighter did to us from awhile ago. Systems are pretty much on the fritz still, although there's a reasonable level of stability now, as reported from engineering."

Isabel nodded solemnly, "How are repairs going?"

"Kind of slow, unfortunately. We're trying our best, but there's a lot of specific damage that's taken time to locate and fix."

"Yrel...on my way to the bridge, I heard some rumblings about an escape, a destroyed shuttle, and Mr. Abubakar. What exactly happened?" Isabel watched Yrel closely. The details could be important, and if it were true, the matter would need to be taken up with StarFleet directly.

"I was on my way out of the bridge at the time, when Hunt's party arrived. I returned and that's when things went nuts everywhere. First, we had reports of a breakout from the brig, followed almost immediately by a computer virus. Systems, what was still operating well enough, was almost offline. I jumped on the controls and was able to assist the computer's self automated systems in neutralising the virus. We dispatched security to intercept Jaran. It wasn't all that difficult since I had a nurse inject him with a simple enough radioactive agent that we could track. They headed for the shuttlebay where a fire fight went on. Shortly after that three shuttles departed. We tried to stop one of the them, but they acted as a well made group against our disadvantaged ship. On their pass of ship, trying to disorient the shields and sensor, we hit of the shuttles in the nacelle. IT spun into the atmosphere...where it...um..." Yrel had a hard time saying the last bit. "Burned up, completely." She paused again.

Isabel placed her thumb under her chin, fingers close to her mouth in a thoughtful pose, "I'm sure you did everything you could. Remember, Jaran has a great deal of experience. Hopefully we'll still be able to track him. Do you have any information on that?"

"Jaran and another shuttle escaped. Mostly likely to nearest starbase, 259."

Isabel nodded. Hopefully they would find their AWOL crewmembers. Isabel wanted to make sure they were unharmed, though they certainly wouldn't be able to go unpunished. "And Mason, what happened to you and your team? The last I heard, the Malinche had lost contact with you..."

"Yes, we should had a little adventure through connecting rooms that seemed to go on without end. Designed somehow to throw us off of finding the crew members."

"Well, it sounds like you certainly had some adventures...to say the least. How is the Sirion's survey team?" Isabel was interested to know their status. At some point, she'd probably make a stop in sickbay and visit Michael Lansky (NPC), the Sirion's CO.

"Sickbay reports the Sirion's crew are able to talk to you."

Isabel nodded, "Good to hear. I'd like to find out what kind of information they have - Emily and Kyler mentioned the survey team would most likely have more and better information than the Direidi. I met with them after the...sentencing."

"Oh?" was all Yrel could really say.

"It's a long, long story....I'll fill you in after the situation here settles down. Suffice to say that Todd and Mark were pushed to their limits...it ended with a volleyball game - we won one game out of three - and getting pied," Isabel replied. At that moment she looked at Yrel, noticing the remnants of pie, "Yrel...dare I ask how you managed to get pied?"

"Well, that's what I want to know too," Yrel said. "I tried to have Hunt and his party beamed up A-SAP, and instead a pie materialised. As we listened to the background of someone's comm. badge, and the fun that apparently went on in the courtroom, I was subsequently pied myself..."

Isabel nodded slowly. "I don't think much could surprise me anymore. Anyway, one of the Direidi decided to join us; her name is Britny and she'll be my yeoman, rank of crewman. Which reminds me that I should have a pile of transfer orders..."

"We do have a lot of those actually. So far a new Medical officer has come aboard, Quarterstaff. I sent her to deal with the pilots of the shuttle that went to scout the Borg sphere. More files had been sent earlier, mine for instance, but I didn't go over any of them. We're been a little occupied for file reading..." Yrel thought. "Oh, and I believe 'Commander Darkhelm left us before we lost contact with Hunt."

"Well, I'm sorry to see Amanda go... At least StarFleet was able to provide us with a new Chief Medical Officer quickly...and with various other officers. I'll have to look over their service records...sometime... Mason, since you've met Britny, would you mind taking her to the Quartermaster for a uniform and pips, and then find out if the entire Malinche crew is on board? I'd like Yrel to come with me to begin showing me the damage, if you have no objections, Ms. Sovereign," Isabel said.

"None, ma'am." She looked a bit uncertain. "But there's still the Borg to attend to."

She nodded. "Then, let's get going. I'd like to get to Starbase 259 so we can get the ship repaired and our new crewmembers aboard," Isabel replied, standing.

OFF: Okay, I'd like to get one more post in and then I'll write the opening shoreleave thread.... If you'd like to post something else in the mission, please let me know ASAP!

JP brought to you by:

Commander Mason Hunt
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant Yrel Sovereign
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Sovereign]

<<Turbolift, 0142, Day 4>>

Isabel watched Mason begin talking with Britny as she entered the turbolift with Yrel. It had certainly been one of the longest days she could remember; a shoreleave was certainly in order. Looking over at Yrel, Isabel asked, "How did being in command suit you?"

"I'm really sure," she said, thinking for a moment. "It wasn't the best of ircumstances to have to take command in. I don't know if I made all theright decisions today in regards to Jaran and the Borg."

Nodding, Isabel replied, "It's not always easy. You just have to do the best you can with the information and resources you have. You did well."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Captain."

"Let me ask you, how is the crew's morale? I know they've certainly had their share of surprises today," she said. Isabel caught Yrel's eye.

Yrel frowned. "Not well. Red alert status has been keeping everyone on edge, and Borg keeping everyone demotivated."

The turbolift stopped, the doors opened, and the two women stepped out. Though Isabel had known Yrel only a short period of time, she trusted the woman, who seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She turned to Yrel, "Which area are we going to first? I hear there was damage in the shuttlebay and several other areas...."

"Might as well head to the shuttlebay. We should check on the status there, to see how damage went. I've only gotten a scarce report of what happened. I bet sickbays a little overloaded. Jaran and his...friends hurt a number of people."

Isabel sighed, "I wish it hadn't come to that. At the very least, things will be unpleasant when we find them."

The two women entered the shuttlebay and saw the wreck. Phaser fire was almost everywhere, from the walls where Yrel could only assume was the positioning of the security details and the Jaran's forces respectfully. A couple other shuttles were also scorn with phaser fire too. Off to the side was the damaged shuttle that had gone after the Borg, only to return with dark matter damage around various sections.

"Not the first thing you wanted to see when you returned to your ship, huh?"

"Not exactly," Isabel replied, shaking her head. "I'm sure Mr. Peters will be rather unhappy as well. Something tells me Engineering may not get the shoreleave they deserve. How long ago did this happen?"

"A couple hours ago."

Isabel nodded, "Do you have any estimates as to how many people were involved in this? Or how many were injured during the altercation?"

Yrel was watching as engineering and security personnel hurried about their business, attending to the chaos that Jaran had left behind. She turned and looked at Kersare. "Frankly? Too many. A lot of people were stunned and minorly injured. Some might not be a part of the first people to get shoreleave. I'd say more than half the crew isn't going to get to shoreleave right away. Engineering's got its hands full with the ship, and thesickbays the same with the crew."

As they moved around, Isabel's eyes slowly surveyed the damage. When she saw a damaged shuttle, she turned back to Yrel, "What happened to this one?"

"This is the shuttle that Jaran had order in scout of the Borg Sphere during his command. It was hit with what we, still, think is dark matter. This is where I pulled the ship from orbit to grab it before further harm could besustained. The personnel were sent to sickbay and have been reported fine."

"Well, it seems that everything that could've gone wrong while you were in command did. Luckily you acted quickly. During the chaos, did you have a chance to meet any of the new crewmembers?"

"Just Quarterstaff," Yrel said. "A real green one, her. There wasn't much choice at the time, so I put in her command of sickbay to attend to the shuttle's crew. I haven't checked in with her lately." She cleared her throat. "Which reminds me. Commodore Barden contacted the ship. He was quite...irratated..." Yrel coughed to get across the understatement to Kersare. "...to hear about the status of the mission. He's not a big fan of science officers in command of ships like these. He was even more irratated when I told him about the Borg. Reinforcements should be here soon...to uh...relieve me of command."

Isabel sighed, "Barden has one way of thinking, his way. He doesn't take kindly to anyone straying from his 'vision'. You did very well and I wouldn't hesitate to put you in command again, nor do I regret doing so in the first place. We'll deal with the reinforcements when or if they come. Though Barden is a Commodore, his ideas don't always go over well with his superiors."

"Oh," Yrel said. "That's reassuring."

Isabel smiled at her before growing serious again, "What other damage should I see? And how soon do you think we can be en route to Starbase 259? I'd like to get there as soon as possible so we can get some assistance with repairing our ship."

"Nothing else of great importance right now," Yrel turned and headed for the shuttlebay doors. "Hopefully, we can be underway in a few hours..."

OFF. JP by

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche

and

[Abubakar]

0200 Malinche Time. Shuttlecraft Washington. Day 4.

Abubakar Jaran thumbed the phaser in his hand as the shuttle warped towards an independent Starbase in the region. He looked up and out of the window and saw the Shuttlecraft Leeds slightly ahead and to the right of them, he noticed a large scorch mark on the port side and presumed Malinche scored a direct hit.

'Malinche...'

He closed his eyes and saw the flash from the direct hit to other shuttles nacelle, he remembered the orange glow as it burned up in the atmosphere. Jaran and stone had done a head count between both remaining shuttles, of the 7 that were left after the firefight - 5 remained. Two good people were killed in the shuttle, they weren'r just nameless, faceless crew - they were people that Jaran ordered to their deaths, again.

As Jaran stared absent-mindedly out the front window, his gaze floating on the tense atmosphere, he noticed the Leeds' nacelles flickering. Utilising his years of training and experience, he leaped from his complacent state and hit the comm panel. "Washington to Leeds, we're seeing power fluctuations, report"

In a few tense seconds, Stones voice laced with static filled the Washington; "This is Leeds,...power failures...ditchin...."

Jaran immediately dropped the Washington from warp, within seconds the Leeds did the same just ahead of them. "Lock onto them, beam them aboard" Jaran said to the Engineer - whose name was James.

Jaran and James turned around to see three Officers, including Stone, materialise inside the Washingtons aft section. "What happened?!" exclaimed Jaran.

Stone walked into the cockpit rubbing his face, "Power fluctuations, massive power drain. I mean that descent and rapid ascent on the planet...whacked the power grid - we took a hit on the run and its just buggered up regulatory systems. Leeds aint going anywhere"

Jaran nodded and put his hand on Stone's shoulder, "Ok Tone." he exhaled and walked around the shuttle.

"We'll access the remote system, point it towards the Starbase... we gotta get it into warp somehow, then destroy it with us along side, if we can make it seem that the shuttles were destroyed - we can mask our warp trail and by the time they catch up they'll probabaly assume that the explosion was both of us.

Jaran was cut off when James stepped forward; "If we beam a torpedo over, connect it into the power grid from the torpedoes anti-matter containment field, once the shuttle sucks the power it'll go into warp, as soon as it does that the torpedo will lose containment and detonate - if we leave it very close to the core, well...."

Jaran nodded and looked at the group, there seemed to be no better ideas so he nodded. "Ok, make it happen."

James nodded and walked over to the cockpits control panel, the transporter pad dimmed and then James stepped inside it. The lights came back on and James was beamed away.

Jaran and Stone walked over to the cockpit and sat down in the two forward chairs, the remaining two in the aft section sat on the floor with their backs against the walls. "So what's the plan?" asked Stone.

"There's a Federation Starbase not too far from here, we'll head there and claim we were on patrol when Malinche was attacked or something. We'll leave some torpedoes here to pump out anti-leptons, any transmission Malinche is going to send to the starbase will have to travel through this region, it should be disrupted when it gets here"

Stone nodded but frowned, "what if they've already contacted the Starbase?"

"If they have it's unlikey they know about us. The Starbase deployed two ships a short time ago, seemingly to intercept Malinche at the planet, if they knew about us they would more likely have come to grab us instead."

Stone nodded once more and turned to the controls, apparently satisfied. James beamed back in. "It's ready, remote access code is Victor-Tango-3-3-7-Bravo."

Jaran keyed in the controles, "Victor-Tango-3-3-7-Bravo" he confirmed as he transmitted the code and gained control. "Initiatng warp, now"

Washington and Leeds both leaped into Warp, it was barely a second before they both dropped back out of waro and Leeds exploded in a blinding white flash. "Ok, Tone, deploy the torpedoes, and prepare to mask our warp trail."

Jaran briefly accessed sensors, he saw that the two Starships from the Federation base were closing on Malinche fast, so far there was no sign that either of them had taken any interest in the explosion. If they weren't tracking the shuttles then the explosion of a small ship would be insignificant, small skirmishes happened all the time and more often than not one party was destroyed.

"Ready to go" Stone said, Jaran looked behind, the other 3 guys looked tired, they were mentally burned out more than anything else - it took a lot to turn their back on 'Fleet, their ship and friends, and they had lost some of their number too. People had already died.

Jaran jumped to warp in the direction of the Starbase, it would only take about 30 minutes to get there, the quicker the better. If they could get in, get a civillian ship and bolt it the shortest amount of time then they should be fine. Either way they had to lose the shuttlecraft, it was to distinguishable travelling around the frontier.

[Thundera]

ON: <<USS Malinche>>
<Security/Tactical Office, 0145, Day 4>

Cheetara sat there reading over all her reports that she needed to turn in, as well as the ones that her staff had sent to her when she got a subspace message on a secure channel. She tapped a few buttons and downloaded the message to her personal padd.

"Again?!" she yelled to herself as she slammed her fists into the desk.

Cheetara began gathering her things from her desks. She sent word to the Captain of the transfer oders and that she would be in her quarters gathering up her belongings should the captain wish to come see her.

<Personal Quarters, 0200>

Cheetara was packing up the last of her belongins. The only thing she had left to do was to dismantle the borg pieces that she had added to the bed for regeneration. All of a sudden, she bursted out into tears. Something that she hadn't done before. And she didn't understand why. She tried to stop them but couldn't. Just then, her door chimed. She tried to compose herself, but wasn't able to do it so easily.

After leaving Yrel, Isabel had headed straight for Cheetara's quarters. She hadn't heard from her Chief Security/Tactical Officer since she'd gotten back on the ship. From what Mason had told her, Isabel felt it would be a good idea to get an account from Cheetara as to the events...

As she stood outside Cheetara's door, she thought she heard someone inside. Isabel rang the door chime and waited for a response.

"Enter", Thundera finally managed to get out of her mouth.

Hearing Cheetara's voice, Isabel stepped forward, allowing the doors to swish open before she walked in. "Hello Cheetara," Isabel said.

Isabel looked around the room at the packed bags. Cheetara seemed to be dismantling the Borg parts of her bed.. Looking closer, Isabel noticed Cheetara's tears, "Are you leaving the Malinche? What's wrong?" Isabel walked over to her, concerned.

"You haven't heard already?" Cheetara asked puzzled and handed her the padd. "It seems that I'm being transferred to Starbase 14."

Shaking her head, Isabel replied, "No, I hadn't heard. I just got back to the ship - the only things I heard about where Jaran's escape and the Borg."

"I find it hard to believe that with my vast knowledge they would take me away from a Prometheus Class ship to a lonely starbase that doesn't go anywhere."

"I don't understand it either," Isabel said sympathetically.

"I guess the only good thing is that I get to keep my status the same there as it is here. I'm hoping that it's only temporary, even though I see Starfleet has already sent you a replacement." Cheetara replied.

Isabel nodded, "At least they aren't demoting you or having you take on an unrelated position. I didn't notice the replacement yet - there's a pile of transfer orders on my desk that I've not gotten to yet. Are we dropping you off at Starbase 259?"

"Yes. When we get to Starbase 259, I am to transfer my personal craft to their bay and await for the Charleston. They will take my craft and myself to Starbase 14, at which point I will store my craft and take my post." she answered in her usual detail oriented self as she picked up another padd and handed it to the captain. "Here is my report from the planet surface."

"Thank you Cheetara," Isabel replied as she took the offered PADD. Another to add to her already overwhelming pile... "If you have time, could you write up a report or seek out the new Chief Security/Tactical Officer so he'll be aware of the current state of the department?"

"Of course Captain. I will go meet with him and show him how I have everything set up in the offices." she replied.

"Wonderful. I wish you luck at your new post," Isabel said sincerely.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Benson]

ON:
<<Starbase 259, Promenade, 0445, Day 4>>

James Benson finished his conversation with the doctor, and the two whiskeys, and was quite determined to get back to his room and get some rest on his couch. He stretched a bit as he crossed the promenade of the starbase on his way to a turbolift that would take him back to the habitat levels.

Debora looked around the promenade, she got her new assignment and was happy, also she got great news from home and was happy about that. She looked around and decided to go back to her room. She started to head for the turbolift.

He stepped through the promenade and rounded the corner to stop in front of the turbolift, tapping the call button.

Debora walked to the lift and waited with another person, "Hello." She said softly.

"Evenin' ma'am." He said, looking the rather attractive officer over as he stood beside her dressed only in his pajamas.

Debora looked at his outfit, "Did you lose a bet?" She asked arching her brow.

"No... just some sleep." He said with a soft smile, running his fingers through his dark hair as the lift doors opened and he gestured for the lady to enter first.

Debora walked in first. "Thank you, so couldn't sleep and decided what? Tour the station in your PJ's

"Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go for a walk before heading back to bed." He corrected her with a soft smile.

Debora gave him a warm smile, he was cute. "Ah well they look nice."

"Thanks." He chuckled with a smile.

"Where are you headed?" He asked her, since the lift hadn't begun moving yet.

"Back to my room...My ship isn't here yet so stuck on this sorry excuse of a starbase." She shrugged.

"What ship are you assigned to? And what room?" He asked her.

"Well I won't tell you the room...you might just stalk me." She gave him a smirk, "As for the ship, I am the new Chief Diplomatic Officer of the USS Malinche."

"Ahhh I'm the Chief Tactical Officer there. Well I will be whenever she puts into port. Lieutenant James Benson the Third. You can call me Jim." He said, extending a hand.

She took his hand a shook it, "Lt jg Debora Angelini."

"Nice to meet you." Jim said, smiling at her. She was attractive.

"So when did you put in?" He asked.

"A couple hours ago." She answered him. "You? Well I am guessing at least a day since you feel comfortable to walk around in your PJs."

"No, actually about... Oh, 2 hours ago.... but it was a LONG series of transport flights. I settled down in my room and then the damn Starbase quartermaster screwed up my room assignment with the Malinche's new Counselor so I had to take the couch, I had a bit of a nightmare and decided to go for a walk, hence the PJ's." He explained.

Debora looked at him a nodded, "I bet that must have been some hell of a night terror."

"The worst kind..." He said, shivering a bit, not wanting to remember it.

"Sorry..." Debors said softly.

"Not your fault. If you were in my dream it wouldn't have been a nightmare." James said with a grin.

Debora blushed...was she developing a liking to this guy? "Yeah well...I was never in your dreams so how you know?"

"I'll know when I go back to sleep." He grinned and winked at her.

Debora smiled, "You flirting with me?"

"I might be... Although I'm not a hundred percent certain, it is four something in the morning." He chuckled.

Debora nodded, "Then I guess we try to find out later?"

"When I'm more awake and a tad better rested." He agreed, the lift doors opening up to the hallway containing his quarters.

Debora smile, faded somewhat, "This is where our path has split, I am on the next floor above you."

"Well then I guess angels really are above poor men like me. Good evenin' ma'am." Said the Texan with a grin and a slight bow as he left the turbolift to walk back to his quarters.

Debora smiled at his compliment and the doors closed and the lift ascended, "Oh yeah, he was hot." she said out loud.

OFF:

A JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Debora Angelini
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

&

[Barrett]

<<USS Malinche>>
<Barrett's Quarters, 0700, Day 4>

Jason slapped the alarm clock on the side of his night stand, sending it bouncing away into the recess of the room. It was an evil thing that made an evil noise; and as far as Jason was concerned should have been banished from the existence of man long ago. He sighed loudly, wishing that he could have squeezed in a few more hours of sleep before coming back to the waking world.

He rolled over, smiling when he saw Adam (NPC) curled up into next to him. Adam slowly opened his eyes, smiling when he saw Jason.

"Sleep well?" Adam asked, propping himself up in bed.

"Ok, I guess," Jason shrugged. He leaned in and kissed Adam lightly on the forehead before laying back down, Adam laying down and resting his head on Jason's chest.

"You know we should both really get up, there's a ton of work to do and we both know that Joey (NPC) will come breaking down this door if you aren't there to help him."

"I know," Jason sighed. "Its just that this mission was one bad blunder after another...I mean honestly, who the hell do these people think they are?"

"Ah, its not that bad."

Jason shrugged again, sliding out of bed and grabbing his robe.

"Thats easy for you to say, you were up here...not down there."

"Alright, point taken," Adam responded, slipping out of bed as well. "So, who gets the shower first today?"

"Hmm," Jason smiled. "No reason we can't share it."

Adam returned the smile and then bolted from the bedroom, sealing the door to the bathroom behind him.

"That was my attempt at being cute and sexy!" Jason yelled to the door.

"So noted," Adam yelled back.

Jason flipped the door off and then went to get some coffee.

[Angelini]

-={On}=- [Starbase 259, Promenade, 10.00 hours Day 4]

Josephine was walking along the Promenade, hoping to be able to find a nice dress. After packing what little bagage she had back on earth, found she had none. And she had to buy one for her brother's funeral. Of course she would never want to wear that dress again, especially not on a joyous moment. So now she was walking along the shops, trying to find a tailor.

Debora making her way through the shops of the starbase...some she was unimpressed with, others she liked the stuff in them. She decided not to spend too much credit when she was here.

Josephine came to a halt in front of the tailor; she sighed a bit and looked around if there was any other around. The shop didn't seem appealing to her but it seemed that it had to do. She stepped closer to the door and it automatically opened.

Debora was making her way out of the store when the doors opened and a woman was right in front of her, "Oh hey..." she said kindly, "We better be careful or we might hurt each other

Josie looked up a bit startled "I'm sorry..." she immediately reacted stepping aside to let her pass through "...find anything you like?" she asked, wondering if there would actually be anything for her in this place.

"Not in here...waste of my time...and don't be sorry." She smiled at her. "Debora Angelini." she introduced herself.

Extending her hand in greeting "Josephine Armand" she introduced herself "I'm looking for a good dress... but I guess..." she glanced around one last time and thought about the other woman had just said "...is this, the only tailor on this base?"

"No, there is a store, two stores down in fact that has nice dresses."

Josie hesitated a bit "ok..." she smiled "...thanks" she added turning out of the shop and looking to both her sides again "Which one?" she then asked glancing over her shoulder, wanting to make sure she didn't walk off in the wrong direction.

Debora smiled and shook her head, "Two stores down and I don't tell you where...sorry." She chuckled. She turned the woman to her right, "Two stores to your left that way hon."

"No problem, I almost crashed into you anyway..." Josie smiled "...I wouldn't tell me where to go if I did that to me" she frowned a bit, almost confused herself.

Debora looked at her, "I am the one who almost crashed into you...and I am a kind person." She gave her a huge grin.

"I am sure you are..." Josie didn't actually know the woman so that's all she could really say "...so do you live on this base?" she then asked, not at all turned aback by this 'social talk'

"Oh no got here a few hours ago...I am the new Chief Diplomatic Officer for the Malinche."

"Malinche?" Josie was certain that this couldn't be a coincidence, but then again she didn't believe in a higher being "I'm the new Chief Counsellor for that ship" she smiled and put out her hand again "Lieutenant Armand"

Debora smiled and shook her hand, "Then I am glad to have you run me over..." She laughed, "I met my first shipmate." She did meet one other one but Josephine was the first female she met from the ship.

"Me Too!" Josie actually had met another shipmate but that was so awkward that she'd rather not talk about it "care to help me find a new dress?" something in her mind started to click, what happened to her? She was never this social, normally she would have just said sorry and moved along.

Debora smiled nodded, "Sure....what is the occasion?"

Josie shrugged "Just something that really fits me I guess..." she didn't actually have an occasion "...you know when I need to go somewhere fancy but still want to be myself"

"So basically a party dress that screams you?"

Josie slowed down in front of the shop, it looked even worse then the last one "Yeah" was her short reaction.

"Oh trust me...looks bad on the outside but has nice dresses inside" Debora reasured her.

Hesitantly taking a step toward the door, triggering the sensor to open it up, was Josie her silent response.

"Don't worry no one will walk over you this time." Debora grinned and walked closer to Josephine.

"Can't be too sure right" Josie reacted with a smile before continueing her way into the shop. She looked around and knew that Debora was speaking the truth, a few of the dresses looked really good. There was one that immediately caught her eye, however it wasn't really a dress you would wear to a date or another official occasion. She walked closer to it, already her mind full of doubt.

"That dress looks nice...but you said you were looking for a dress for social functions...this is more a going out on a date dress' a bad man can ruin it for you so I say we go with another kind." Debora suggested.
The dress they were looking at was a black gothic dress with long sleeves, "to be honest, I don't think I would wear this on a date either..." she sighed a bit "...but it sure is beautiful" she pulled her gaze from the dress and looked around the rest of the room.

Debora looked at her and the dress then the others. She walked up to another black dress, but was less gothic in style. "What about this?"

Josie looked at it and then stepped closer "Would they be able to make that in another fabric?" she said not really liking how it looked but liking the design.

"I am sure."

Josie shrugged "I guess I'll just have to try this on first then" she stated looking around to find the owner of the shop.

"The owner would be in the back" Debora told her.

Josie frowned a bit, this woman wasn't betazoid right? She shrugged it off and walked to the counter, just when she leaned over and wanted to shout she spotted a small bell. She pressed it and a ring sounded through the store "That works" she smiled a bit to herself.

The owner came out of the back "What you want?"

Josie was a bit startled by this response, "I... uh..." she was a bit hesitant now to ask the owner about the dress

Debora looked at her new shipmate and the owner, "Hey...be nice." She threatened. She walked up behind her new friend, "She wants to know if the dress comes in other fabrics." The owner looked at the other woman, "Yeah it does." He said softly. "I'll be right back."

Josie looked at Debora "Thanks" was all she could bring out and even that was in a whisper. Oh what would she be thinking about her now? This wasn't good, she was supposed to be the Counselor, she should be good with people, confident about herself and radiate that onto other people.

Debora placed a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed it, "No problem girl, this man is an ass anyway."

Josephine looked down and smiled a bit, what did she do to deserve this? "Still..." she reacted, then the shop owner walked back into the shop, she looked up all of a sudden.

"Choose a fabric and let me know, I have the dress made by it." He handed the book of fabric samples to Josephine and gave her a soft smile.

Immediately Josie opened the book and wanted to find a soft, and preferably smooth, fabric.

Debora walked over to the owner and decided to see if she can get her friend a discount.

Josie stopped on the page that had a velvet specimen on it. She looked up, first behind her to find her new crewmate then to her side when she realized she was gone. She spotted her talking to the owner "I think I'll take velvet"

Debora whispered something to the owner... he looked at her then nodded. He then talked to Josie, "Sure anything you want." he gave her a big grin. Debora walked over back to her, "I got you a great deal."

Josie blinked a bit at that "what did you tell him?"

"Nothing just I would be happy if you got a good deal on the dress and he said ok"

"I would like..." Josephine turned around to the dress she wanted and pointed "...that dress..." she turned back to get confirmation "...in dark red velvet"

Debora smiled and looked at the owner. "Sure...I just need to take your measurements." He smiled fearfully as he looked at Debora.

Josie nodded "just tell me where to stand"

The tailor nodded and pointed. He proceeded in taking her measurements. A few minutes later he said, "Ok, I should have it ready in the next two hours."

Josie nodded and smiled to Debora "Thanks..." she had already thanked her but she figured another time wouldn't hurt "...for everything... you don't have to wait two hours with me..." she then gave her a reason and opportunity to leave.

Debora looked at her..."You kidding, I help you get that dress I want to see you in it when you try it on. Would you like to get lunch in the meantime, my treat?"

Josephine nodded "sure" she smiled and motioned Debora to lead the way.

OFF:

JP by

Lieutenant Josephine Armand
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B
"In giving advice, seek to help, not please, your friend"

&

[Hunt]

ON:

Hunt realizing he had some late paper work that needed to be done before the day was out. The bridge was quiet and serene as though it was a normal routine day aboard the Malinche. As he got out of the turbo lift and headed down the corridor to his office Mason felt a cool breeze brisking only his shoulders. The last time he felt something like that was when the away teams were on the surface.

The XO merely shrugged it off and walked in. Everything was just the way he left it untouched and dusty. He hadn?t in fact been in that room months. The lights and terminals within soon powered up, one screen which was the biggest in the room lit up with the United Federation Of Planets on it then flickering to a list of newly security and medical personnel due to arrive on the ship?s next stop to a starbase.

?Man, this place is filthy I really must speak to the maid.? Said Mason laughing to himself while putting some old books away in a case just near the window. Needing to sit down, Hunt walked over to the desk chair and sat down. ?Computer, call this weeks messages and display tomorrow?s work schedule.? Ordered Dean dusting off the replicator just behind his chair.

In the midst of all the messages he came across one from his old academy buddy, Ted Williams(NPC) the two were inseparable especially after graduation. The message had asked Mason to visit him on his next leave. Mason sat back thinking how good it would be to see his old friend once more.

OFF

[Abubakar]

ON: Shuttlebay Washington. 0210. Malinche Time. Day 4.

Petty Officer James Lynch(NPC) stepped onto the shuttles transport pad, as the lights came back on and the pad powered up he looked over to Jaran. He and Stone had just sat down in the two forward chairs. James was oddly aware of the phaser pressing against his hip bone. It would be fairly easy to just shoot Jaran, shoot him right before the transporter beam took hold...

His hand twitched, it was all he could manage before he was paralised by the beam that within seconds deposited him onto the transporter pad of the much larger Shuttlecraft Leeds.

"Idiot" he scolded himself, walking into the large holding bay. The torpedo was already there, throbbing with power though the photonic warheads were still offline.

He looked at and past it towards the doors into the flight command area, the Type 11's were seperated much in the same way as Danube's were, he found that comforting as the command area was significantly quieter, it wasn't all the nice having a live torpedo throbbing away at you.

James sat down in the pilot chair, the port-side controls were blown, most likely due to the hit from Malinche. There was also fire damage to the port side wall, it was no wonder the Leeds had suffered power loss, it was a bloody miracle it had lasted this long.

james accessed communications, it took a few seconds but he managed to bring enough power round to the comm array to send off a transmission, there was nowhere near enough power to transmit a package as large as an audio. "Text it is then..." he muttered.

He had to make ti brief, something that Kersare would understand but that would be small enough to get off the comm array. "Got it" he exclaimed.

'38897BWashington.Head259Wp5.8-0225'

He encoded the message for the Captain only, and hoped to whatever god was out this far that she would understand it.

With the message sent, he darted back into the aft section and hooked up the torpedo to the warp core. He took a second to survey his work before tapping his comm badge and re-materialising on the Washingtons transporter pad.

If she understood the message, they would be captured at Starbase 259 -all James could do was hope and pray.

OFF

Petty Officer James Lynch
Engineer[ NPC]
U.S.S Malinche

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