Mission 20 - Answers

[Davis]

ON:
<<Spacedock, Midnight Cafe, Day 7, 1700>>

Isabel was seated at a mahogany hightop off to tthe side of the Midnight Cafe. The cafe was rather busy since it was around dinnertime, which was precisely why she had chosen the table she had. Overall, the whole place appeared very sleek and modern with dark woods and metal.

It was here that she was to meet up with James. Between the numerous meetings she'd been attending and his work with the repairs, Isabel hadn't had a chance to talk with him to see how things were going. Still dressed in her loose fitting khakis and earth-toned scarf shirt, she waited patiently, watching the crowd for her Chief Operations Officer.

James had entered the rather busy cafe and began scanning the place for his Commanding Officer. He was dressed in a suit his father gave him before leaving for Starfleet comprised of brown slacks and dress coat, light blue shirt, black dress shoes, and a red tie. He left the tie behind as he figured this wasn't an uptight business meeting. It was a casual one with the Captain to follow up on repairs over the week.

After a few seconds of looking, he spotted his CO and made his way to where she was seated. "Good evening, Captain. Hopefully I have not kept you waiting long."

"Not at all," Isabel smiled. "Good to see you; have a seat. Since we were meeting around dinnertime, I thought it might be good to get here early to ensure we actually did get a seat." Of the two menus she had, she passed one over to James.

"Thank you," James said as he took the menu from Isabel. "It can be a good thing to get to a cafe or restaurant early, especially a busy place like this." James opened up his menu and began to look through what the cafe had to offer. "By the way, Captain, you look very nice. It must be nice to get out the uniform after a long mission."

"It is nice to get out of the uniform sometimes. Thank you." Isabel watched as a waiter dressed entirely in black began making his way over to them. Realizing that she hadn't really looked at the menu, despite her time waiting, she quickly opened it and found the drink section. Scanning through the options, Isabel narrowed down her choices - apparently just in time since the waiter was now at their table.

"Good evening, ma'am, sir. Could I start you off with something to drink," the waiter asked, looking at them with a smile. He appeared to be somewhat young, perhaps in his early twenties, with shoulder length black hair pulled back in a ponytail and sapphire blue eyes.

"I'll have a chai tea, please," Isabel answered, getting one of her usuals. She had debated between the tea, mocha, or perhaps trying something else, but had settled on chai, at least for now. Seeing the waiter nod, Isabel glanced over at James as the waiter's attention turned to him.

"I'll have a sweet tea with two lemons, please," James told the waiter. He needed a break from the endless amounts of coffee and a nice glass of sweet iced tea was the "cure" for that.

With the waiter now gone, Isabel looked over the menu a few more minutes so she would know what she wanted when the waiter inevitably returned to ask. As she looked up she asked, "So James, how have the repairs been going? I know that before we...returned, you were rather busy with repairs as well, but I haven't really had a chance to catch up with you until now."

"All of the major repairs are done. The warp core was severely damaged. But thanks to the wonderful Engineering staff, it was fixed in about five days. Ensign Reed took his leave earlier in the week and now I have him doing the minor cleanup work. I really needed to get away."

Considering what they'd put the ship through, Isabel had expected there would be a fair amount of damage. It was good to hear that the major repairs were completed. "I'm certainly glad to hear that. If we don't have to worry about additional major repairs, I imagine the ship will be ready once we get our next mission; I don't expect that to be for another week. You are taking time for shoreleave, aren't you?"

"This is my first time off the ship since we docked," James replied after chuckling softly. He had a funny feeling the Captain was going to ask that question. The least he could do is be honest about his decision to spend a little more time making sure every base was covered before he took his leave. "It can be a hassle sometimes making sure it's safe to leave without any issues."

"True, though I also hate to tell you that just because you think it's 'safe' doesn't mean it is. I learned that many times over even before I got command. What you need to remember is that if you simply keep working, you're more likely to be tired or stressed and then potentially either make a mistake or miss something," Isabel explained. "We need everyone at their best. At times we do work more than we should, but there comes a point where you have to take a break to eat, to sleep, to relax...."

"I understand fully what you are saying," James said, nodding in agreement with the Captain. "I guess I have been putting my responsibilities of being a department head over my own health." James smiled a little. He knew the Captain meant well and was concerned about his work habits. "To be perfectly honest with you, Ma'am, I never thought I would be this far in my career as a Starfleet officer. I figured it would be at least another year or so before I would be giving the reigns of a department."

Isabel nodded as she listened to James. "Well, it's difficult to predict where one will end up at different points. You've done well with the Operations department and we needed a Chief Operations Officer. I imagine a number of people don't feel fully prepared when first given new responsibilities; when I was first given command I wasn't entirely sure how I would handle it either."

"Well, I think that you have done well as Commanding Officer," James said with a warm smile. It was the truth. She was extraordinarily better than his former CO on the Skylark. "I know at times things can be stressful at times, but you always handle yourself in a professional manner and you set a wonderful example for everyone aboard." James cleared his throat and straightened his posture. He felt like he was sucking up to the Captain and hoped he wasn't.

Chuckling slightly, Isabel replied, "Well, thank you. I do the best I can." Of course, she wasn't entirely convinced that she was worthy of such high praise, but nearly everyone was critical of themselves in some way. "Are there any concerns you have about the Malinche, your department, or some of the crew?"

James thought for a moment. He really didn't have any concerns with anything dealing with the Malinche or her crew. He began to shake his head, but a question did come to mind as their drinks arrived. "One question, Captain... The next few missions we go on, can we stay in our own time?"

A smile spread quickly across Isabel's face. "If I have anything to say about it, we will most certainly stay in our own time. I've had enough time travel for the time being... At most, perhaps a holodeck program to another time, but that's it."

"Good," James said with a sharp grin. "If I may say so myself... There's no better time than our own time. Cheers Captain, may our next journey be extraordinary and in our own time." James tipped his glass to the Captain and took a drink. As he finished, he thought about what lied ahead. He even thought about what the Captain had said. Hopefully there would be no more journeys into the past, but anything was possible.

OFF

This was a JP by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Zeral]

ON:
<<Angelina’s Waterfront Restaurant and Bar, San Francisco, Shoreleave Day 2, 1815>>

“Hello, Nora.”

His voice was somehow warmer in person, Nora noted absently, feeling the flutter of butterfly wings in her stomach. The moment was surreal, but undeniably exciting too. Gel (PNPC) was here, right in front of her, the distance between them mere feet instead of light-years, and the only thing that was strange was how not strange the situation felt. After putting off this meeting for so long, she would have expected some lingering reluctance once the moment finally arrived. But that reluctance was conspicuously absent now, and Nora wasn’t about to mourn its passing anytime soon.

Although she’d seen Gel a number of times through their calls to one another, there were some things that sub-space transmissions just couldn’t do justice to, like the lone dimple creasing his face or the strangely warm intensity in his heavy-lidded eyes. He was, Nora had to admit, a very attractive man, and feeling the full power of his gaze was a much different experience in person than through her personal terminal.

She couldn’t just stand there staring at him, though, and she knew that she had to at least say something. Giving him a bright smile that was only slightly nervous, she returned his simple greeting with one of her own. “Hello, Gel. It’s so nice to finally see you. Really see you, I mean.”

Gel chuckled, and she could feel his emotions rolling off of him like waves. It was part of what made Betazoid relationships so interesting, and so tricky. Everything was out on the table from the very start, since it was difficult to conceal emotions between telepaths. He was feeling a little nervous too, but he was far more relieved and pleased to see her, thankfully. He was curious, excited, and, if Nora wasn’t mistaken, attracted to her in return. All in all, she thought that it amounted to a good start when one was meeting their almost-fiancé.

“I almost forgot,” Gel said suddenly, turning his back on her for a moment. Reaching for something in the chair next to the one he’d been sitting in, he turned back to Nora with the object in hand. It was a carefully wrapped parcel, not very big but not, she was relieved to see, the usual shape of a jewelry box. She wouldn’t know how to accept an expensive or elaborate gift at this point, not when they were still so new to one another, feeling out this pseudo-relationship with both feet firmly on the ground.

Gingerly pulling the wrapping apart, Nora opened the unassuming box that lay beneath. An even smaller packet rested inside, and she did a poor job of hiding her puzzlement as she pulled it out. “Open it and see if you can guess what they are,” Gel said encouragingly, though Nora could sense that he was nervous at how she would receive the gift. Offering him a questioning smile, Nora did as he suggested, and was surprised to find tiny, elongated black discs inside the packet. A moment later, she realized what she was looking at: seeds. Gel had brought her a packet of seeds.

Apparently interpreting her silent surprise as some sort of disapproval, Gel hastened to explain himself. “I know that they’re not the most traditional of gifts, but you did tell me that you love plants, and that there were a number of Betazoid varieties you had always wanted to try growing. I just thought…”

“They’re perfect.” Nora turned her gaze up to Gel’s, her smile growing as she took in his look of relief. “They’re just perfect, Gel. I love them.” Laughing shortly, she added, “I confess, I’m not entirely sure what sort of seeds these are exactly, but I really do love them.”

“Well thank the Four Deities for that,” Gel said with a chuffing laugh, running a hand through his dark, curling hair. “They’re Nox Lily seeds. A little difficult to grow, I’m told, but your brother said you like a challenge.”

Nora was, in a word, delighted. Nox Lilies were not quite a rarity, but they didn’t grow just anywhere, either. She knew that she would dearly love the challenge of caring for them, and raising them from seedlings would only add to her pleasure. Carefully closing the box, she set it on the table, her warm smile never fading. “You couldn’t have given me a more perfect gift if you tried. Thank you, Gel.”

“You’re very welcome, Nora,” he smiled in return, his eyes crinkling at the corner. The ice more or less broken, Gel solicitously pulled her chair out for her. Their waiter appeared at that moment to take their drink order, and soon Gel and Nora were alone once again. Nora sensed that Gel was feeling infinitely more relaxed, and he was regarding her from across the table with a crooked smile. “I still can’t believe that we’re really here,” he said honestly, good Betazoid that he was. “After all these years, we finally wind up on the same planet at the same time.”

“It has been a long time coming,” Nora agreed, glad that they weren’t going to tiptoe around the issue. The fact of the matter was that they were both parties of an arranged marriage, and this was the first time that they had seriously given thought to going through with it. Just by meeting like this, they were on the path to some sort of conclusion, and there was no use denying that. “We couldn’t have kept dancing around the issue for much longer, I think.”

Gel nodded slowly, drumming the fingers of his left hand on the table’s edge. “No, we couldn’t have. I’m glad that we’re here. It’s time, isn’t it, to sort this all out once and for all.”

The waiter returned then with their drinks, and they each took a moment to take a sip from their glasses. “We do have some time, though,” Nora said thoughtfully, breaking the silence. “I have several days worth of shoreleave ahead of me, and you’re not returning to Betazed for…”

“Another fortnight at least,” Gel supplied. “Which does indeed give us some time to spend together. If, of course, you’re amenable to that.” He was turning formal again, a trait that Nora had caught onto early in their correspondence. It generally meant that he was feeling uncomfortable or unsure, and her senses confirmed that that was the case here.

Smiling across the table at him, Nora sought for his gaze and held it. “I am, Gel. I really am. I know that I haven’t always seemed very…anxious to explore the real possibility of our marriage, but now that we’ve gotten to know one another a little better, and now that we’re here together, I want to at least try. I want to see where this leads. We owe it to ourselves, and to our families, to find out.”

Gel looked a little pensive, but Nora could feel that he was far more relieved and hopeful than he let on. After a moment his smile returned, and he nodded. “I want to try too, Nora,” he said sincerely. “And there’s no time like the present. The gods know that we’ve put this off long enough.” Reaching for his wine glass, he lifted it in a toast. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings,” Nora echoed, and together they drank to the start of their strange new courtship.

OFF:

Dr. Gel Mellix (PNPC)
Surgeon
Emil Mellix Surgical Center of Betazed

played by Commander Zeral

and

[Aurora]

<<USS Malinche, En Route to Intelligence Offices, day 7>>

Aurora stalked down the hall in a fowl temper. She had made an utter ass of herself yesterday in front of the XO and she was certain it was going to impact her career somehow. Damn it, it just wasn't fair! Aliens were supposed to look, well, alien! Vulcans had pointy ears, Trills spots, those...bald blue guys...were bald...and blue...

And on top of that, someone on her staff had manufactured several "malfunctions" yesterday and she had yet to find the practical joker. But she would find them, and when she did...

Well, they had better hope they had a spare head, because the one on their shoulders would roll...

She reached the intelligence department and touched the door chime. Well, a simple technical glitch was just the thing to get her mind off of her problems...

Alister raised his head as the door chime and glanced around at the pair of Intel operatives currently in the room, both gave a shrug of their shoulders and returned to their analysis. "Enter," he called out reattaching the top clasp of his uniform tunic.

Aurora entered the Intelligence department and looked around. She recognized the equipment...Well...mostly. It all looked like top of the line Starfleet issue but the configuration of some of the panels were a bit different. And she noted that the ones she could see were dark, the others blocked from her view in one way or another.

Typical.

"Lt Aurora," Alister said watching the woman enter the Intel lab, he gave a quick hand motion and the terminals were switched from the classified intel they had been displaying to a standard Federation display. "I assume you prefer to go by Aurora only?"

Aurora turned to the lieutenant...and paused. He was cute, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly what made him cute. She had the strange feeling that if someone would have asked her to describe him she would have been completely unable to; he had that sort of face.

"Aurora is fine, lieutenant," she replied with a shrug, then a wry smile, "The number is a bit of a mouthful. I understand you have a bit of a problem?"

Alister raised an eyebrow at the mention of a problem, "I wasn't aware we had an issue with our equipment; it was all installed a few days ago by a yard worker." He glanced over at the two operatives still in the room and gave a nod of his head dismissing them, "If you like you're free to look around," as he spoke his hands moved to lock the two operational computers.

Aurora watched the two...technicians? left the room. She shrugged and held out her engineering tricorder to the Intel officer, on it was a log showing power spikes, "You might not be seeing it at your end, but we are getting some buggy power feedback glitches from this deck and we traced it to this room. It could just be a poorly installed piece of equipment. The Prometheus class is a unique design with issues all it's own; it's possible the dock worker didn't compensate for them."

She glanced around the room, "So...what exactly is it that you do here, anyway? If I may ask? It looks like you could run the ship from here with all this equipment."

Alister's eyebrow rose again as he studied the CEO, wondering if it was just in her nature to ask questions, or was she fishing for information for her home planet, "You're in the ship's Intelligence section; we perform a wide range of functions, most of them classified." He took the offered tricorder and studied the results on the screen, "Very well, it seems like there is a real issue," he handed her back her tricorder.

Aurora just grunted as she accepted the tricorder. She nodded at an unfamiliar piece of equipment and said, "Well, likely that is the culprit. I hope there's nothing 'classified' in it because I'm probably going to have to take it apart. Is there anything I need to know before I crack it open, like a booby trap? Last thing I need is a wild ferret jumping out at me."

Alister smiled, as he glanced at the piece of equipment she indicated, "I assure you that none of the consoles are booby trapped. Starfleet frowns on sticking anything harmful to engineers in our console, something about all the training you receive." The piece of equipment itself was a highly advanced decrypt upgrade, which he had no intention of revealing it's proper application, "It's nothing classified, just a routine upgrade to enlarge the storage capacity."

"Glad to hear Starfleet has a line it won't cross," Aurora replied as she knelt down beside the console and cracked open her repair kit, "With all those creepy secret organizations those other governments have it's nice to know I'm on the good guys' team. What's that thing the Cardassians have? The Oblivion Order?"

She opened up the casing and looked inside, "Well, nothing is jumping out at me," as she reached for a penlight she asked, "So what makes a body join Starfleet Intelligence, anyway? The thrill of adventure?"

Despite his experience and training Alister could not help but simply stare at Aurora while his mind raced around in circles. "It's called the Obsidian Order," he said responding to her first question while he struggled to regain a neutral expression on his face. "As for Starfleet Intelligence," he shrugged his shoulders, "It's a job, but no one does it for fame."

Aurora's head snapped up, "Obsidian Order? Damn, no wonder I scored so low on that test. I was always terrible with names; I'm going to forget yours five minutes after I leave."

She scowled as she looked into the guts of the device, muttering, "I still think 'Oblivion Order' sounds better."

The scowl turned into a smile as she reached into the device, "So you didn't take the job to get the cool gadgets and green Orion slave girl? I'm disappointed. You'd look nice in a tuxedo...Um...if guys still wore tuxedos, that is..."

Alister smiled, "Tuxedos are a myth from Earth movies, as for the gadgets we get a large number of prototype equipment, but we typically use native equipment." Shrugging his shoulders he added, "As for sex it's another tool in our arsenal, useful to have in your toolkit but can't be relied upon."

"Believe me, I know about needing the right tool for the job," Aurora replied. She reached back in and frowned with concentration, "As for movie myths, please don't tell my sisters; they live and die by 'em. I think I've got it...looks like a badly seated isolinear chip. When you consider just how many parts a ship like this has you-ah!"

She pulled her hand back out and touched her communicator as she looked at her tricorder. She smiled and showed...Oh hell, what was his name?! She showed the intelligence officer the tricorder and the smooth readout.

"I think we're good," she said. As she packed up she said, "So, lieutenant, what do you do to unwind when you aren't gathering intelligence?"

Alister studied the display and nodded his head in agreement with her assessment, "It depends on the mood I'm in, sometimes I go rock climbing in the holodeck, other times I'll play a game of poker." Handing back her tricorder he leaned over and booted up the computer running a quick test on the system, "It seems everything is in order," he added when the test came back passed.

Rock climbing sounded a little too much like work, Aurora reflected, but she was too polite to say so to the lieutenant's cute, if curiously forgettable face. She shut her tricorder and said, "Well, I play cards about as well as I can surf, and the last time I surfed I broke my nose. But if you don't mind someone at the table with this galaxy's worst poker face, I'm your girl."

She held out her hand to the lieutenant, promising herself she would remember his name if she had to have it tattooed on the back of her hand, "It was nice meeting you, lieutenant."

Alister took Aurora hand and shook it, "Nice meeting you, Lt. Aurora, as for poker night we'll see. I haven't had time to see who on the ship would be interested in playing a game, I will let you know when I find out more."

"Sounds good to me," Aurora said with a smile. She left, her mood much improved, thinking that the guy wasn't so bad. The smile slowly faded, however, as a thought came to mind. The isolinear chip could have been unseated by him, right? What if he had done that just to meet her?

The smile returned as she entered the turbolift. That was just paranoid...

OFF:
A joint post between:

Lieutenant Alister McKeon
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Aurora]

<USS Malinche, Senior Crew Quarters, Day 7, 2000>

After a good meal with Captain Kersare, James decided to go introduce himself to the newest Engineering Chief. He thought it would be best as to not be a stranger. He wanted to make the new Chief feel comfortable aboard the ship. "Good first impressions always last the longest," he said to himself

It didn't take him long to find the Chief Engineer's quarters. He straightened himself and rang the door chime.

What a day! Aurora thought as she sank down on the couch and stared at the crate sitting in the middle of her quarters. She needed to unload the damn thing but the past few days had been so busy...!

She had replicated up a soda and had just begun to sip when the door chime sounded. Aurora sighed and stood, then zipped up her tunic. She wasn't going to get caught looking sloppy again, not on this ship! She said, "Come!"

The door opened and a cute guy was standing there. She smiled; first that intelligence officer, now this one. She could get used to this assignment...

James entered casually and saw the rather attractive lady standing near her couch. "Good evening. I heard we had acquired a new Engineering Chief, so I thought it would be proper to introduce myself. I'm Lieutenant JG James Davis. I'm the Operations Chief here on the Malinche."

"Oh!" Aurora smiled, secretly glad the man was not part of her staff, "Come on in, please! My name is Aurora. Just Aurora; My last name is a bit of a mouthful. I was just drinking a soda and staring at my crate of stuff, trying to generate the will to unpack it. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll have a sweet tea with two lemons please," James replied. He could understand where the young lady was coming from. He was in the same boat as her, with some slight differences. The only issue he had was the will to remain aboard the ship. That was two years ago. "The first few days can be the hardest if you let them be. I think you'll fit in just fine. We are a very hard-working, fun bunch."

Aurora still remembered her mystery practical joker and said, "I've gotten a taste of how much fun they can be." She walked over to the replicator and said, "Sweet tea, two lemons," and when it appeared she walked over to her guest and handed it to him.

She set down her drink and knelt beside the crate. She cracked it open and revealed the contents. Inside were little clear plastic boxes, and in each one was what looked like a small model starship.

"I really need to start storing this stuff off site," Aurora said with a sigh, "It's getting so I'm going to need a second crate," she glanced at the cute Ops officer and said, "But they're like my children; I'll keep wondering if they're all right..."

James smiled warmly. It was always nice to see someone with a wild imagination and a knack for making models. He had a good hunch that she would most likely fit in just fine with everyone else. "I'm sure they will be just fine," James said, still with a warm smile. "Those are some very interesting models. It must take a lot of work and mind power to do up all those. It's almost like my drawings and paintings. Takes a lot of time, but most importantly, it takes a good creative mind to take a picture from here," he said, pointing at his head, "to a canvas."

"Thanks," Aurora said as she removed one of the clear plastic cases. Inside was a ship that would have been unfamiliar to almost anyone in the Federation. It was wedge shaped, with stubby warp nacelles and a small offset deflector dish. It was one of her first models, but even so she thought it held up, quality wise.

"A gunship from my home system," Aurora explained, "About the size of a Defiant, but nowhere near as impressive. We're decades behind, technology wise. Well, in most things."

She turned to...Oh damn, she had forgotten his name already! That had to be a record. She hesitated, then with a nervous smile, hoping it would not come up again, she asked, "So, what do you do in your spare time?"

"I usually spend it doing reports or I'm in the holodecks doing survival training," James replied. "I started it up a while back shortly after my promotion to Lieutenant JG. I mix some sneaking missions in to enhance the training. I got the idea from researching games of the twentieth century. Keeps me alert and focused, especially when things go haywire during a rough mission. I also draw and paint when the time is perfect."

James took a drink of his tea and sat down on the couch. "The Captain rides my ass all the time about not taking time to relax. I guess you could call me a workaholic. Sometimes, well most of the time, I forget to even sleep. I'm always in the belief that my day is never done here. But I'm slowly working to relax when the chance arises."

"I can certainly relate to that," Aurora replied as she put away the gunboat. A sudden thought occurred to her and she smiled. She stood and placed the model case on the table. She said to the lieutenant (How hard would it be to talk everyone into wearing name tags? She wondered), "You know, I met our intelligence officer earlier; there was a slight malfunction with some of his equipment. I was able to sort it out easily enough. But he mentioned he climbs walls," she paused, "No, that's not right. He rock climbs. You know, that thing where people climb a fake mountain? It seems too much like work to me."

Although, she conceded, it was probably excellent survival training.

"Anyway, I found out he plays poker. I admit my poker face is as easy to read as a PADD set for large text, but it might be nice if some of us had a poker night every couple weeks."

James let out a laugh at the mention of the rock climbing. He remembered that he and Commander Zeral did a cliff climbing session on one of the previous shoreleaves. "Climbing cliffs, rocks, and mountains is actually quite fun. I do it every so often especially when I need time away from work," James said. "As for the poker night, I'm sure it can be arranged. I really don't know if there is a rule about gambling. I'm guessing if the stakes aren't that bad, it shouldn't be an issue."

"If we decide the stakes are strip poker please let me know a month in advance so I can train," Aurora replied...and then blushed. Well, she thought. He probably thinks I'm slut. It's his fault he's so cute, she thought wryly.

She cleared her throat and said, "Um...so, maybe you could show me some of your art some time?"

"I don't think strip poker is an option," James replied with a snicker. Granted, Aurora was an attractive young lady. But, that kind of poker was too high stake for even the young Operations Chief. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. As for my artwork, you can come down to my quarters when time permits to see them. I've already done up about ten since I've been here."

"I might take you up on that offer, lieutenant," Aurora replied, glad her strip poker comment elicited nothing more than mild amusement. She said, "Well, I wouldn't want to have a poker night without our resident intelligence officer; I like a challenge. I guess it will be up to him whether or not he wants to play with a bunch of rank amateurs."

"Sounds like a plan to me," James said with a quick grin. "Though I'm not quite an amateur in poker, my skills are a little rusty. I'll need to sharpen my game a little."

James stood and stretched his legs. "Well, I best be headed out and go see the city before we get our next orders. It was nice to meet you, Aurora. I'll be seeing you around, I'm sure of it." He headed to the door, stopped, and turned back to Aurora. "By the way, I noticed you blushed when you mentioned the strip poker. If you are thinking that I think you are 'wild,' the answer is no." With that statement, he gave her a warm smile and headed out.

OFF:
A joint post by:

Lieutenant j.g. James Walker Davis
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche

and

[Setak]

ON:

<Planet Vulcan, ShiKahr Spaceport, MD02, 0805h>

“I have to admit, Ensign,” Setak began as he took in the city below the Runabout. “You certainly have a penchant for punctuality.”

Sirak(PNPC) regarded Setak with a raised brow and pursed lips, calculating arrival times was a simple matter that the computer took care of automatically. She had no hand in the matter and it should have been obvious to the doctor that she hadn't, yet he still insisted on complimenting her. She would have pointed the faulty logic out to her companion but she had quickly deduced the futility in doing so several hours earlier.

The city below was ShiKahr, one of Vulcan's largest cities, and as the Xunantunich descended, the scope of the metropolis' sprawl became ever more breathtaking. The towers of the city were numerous and came to a rounded point at their peaks, in fact much of the city shared that same architecture, Setak noted. His people certainly didn't hold back when it came to the scope of their construction yet the city as a whole lacked the character that Setak found in cities on other worlds. The whole of ShiKahr, despite its obvious artificial nature, seemed to blend into the mountainous red backdrop that surrounded it.

“We're nearly there,” Sirak said at last, her voice loud even in her own ears after breaking the silence. “You should consider taking a walk about the cabin to accustom yourself to the planet's gravity.”

Setak let his eyes part with the scenery momentarily to survey Sirak's expression and he found her mahogany eyes returning the gaze. His heart skipped a beat and his breath quickened as he stared at her, he couldn't help but to be enamored.

“Doctor?” Sirak questioned after a few seconds. “Are you well? Your behavior has been... Irregular, for most of the trip.”

Setak cleared his throat and blinked a few times before returning his attention to the city which then rose around him. “I'm fine, a little distracted perhaps.”

Sirak continued to watch the doctor until her navigation console chimed signaling that the flight control station had cleared her runabout to land. She switched the ship over to automated landing and swiveled her chair around before standing. “We're here... Are you prepared?”

Setak scratched at the stubble on his chin for a moment before he swiveled himself around and stood from his seat, or at least tried to. He was caught unprepared by the difficulty of the maneuver and only managed to rise half way before beginning to tumble sideways.

Sirak was quick to maneuver, and before the doctor had a chance to topple, she had caught one of his arms and effortlessly pulled him up to her side. Another awkward moment followed where in Setak merely stared back into her eyes as if awaiting some sort of queue to continue on his way and if Sirak didn't know any better she might have thought the doctor infatuated with her. Vulcans didn't suffer such base emotional states such as infatuation, but then again, Setak wasn't an average Vulcan.

Setak regained his balance and after a long pause drew away from Sirak a step, “Thank you Ensign.”

“Sirak,” the tactical officer replied plainly.

Setak didn't respond, he merely held the Ensign's gaze and wondered what exactly her motivation was for changing the nature of their association. His mind wandered to possible reasons that he wished would be true but ultimately settled on those that seemed more... Logical.

“You should address me by my name,” Sirak continued after Setak didn't respond. “We are not in uniform and this is, home. Agreed?”

Setak nodded briefly before shaking his hands out and turning to the luggage compartment along the wall of the Runabout. There he found his duffel bags where he had left them and went to retrieve them only to find that what had been light for him a day earlier had become quite cumbersome and challenging to lift.

“Your body will adapt to the gravity here,” Sirak said as she watched Setak struggle with his luggage. She in turn removed her own bag from its resting place with little effort. “This may be your first time to Vulcan but your parents were raised there... Here. A single generation away from your home has not erased your bodies genetic memory of it nor the adaptations that allow you to thrive here.”

“Ensign,” Setak paused with closed eyes to correct himself. “Sirak... This isn't home to me, in fact, I don't have a home save maybe for the Malinche.”

“This could be home for you,” Sirak replied a little more quickly than she had intended. She swallowed hard to retain composure before continuing. “If you let it be.”

Setak raised his own brow to the Ensign's reaction, for the first time he had seen some hint of emotion in the eyes he found so enthralling. Was he a bad influence on Sirak, he wondered? Would he corrupt her impeccable logical nature even as she attempted to instill such a nature in him? Only time would tell. “We'll see Ensign. Shall we?”

Without further argument Sirak opened the Runabout's hatch and let the scorching Vulcan air in to greet the stranger to its ways. She would do everything she could to help her companion and with any luck the help would stick.

Setak followed Sirak closely out of the Runabout and let the waves of unbearable heat wash over him, his body breaking out into a sweat as he had never known before. The figures that waited across the concourse loomed large and motionless, their faces a blank slate as only a Vulcan's face could be. No, this was not home, Setak thought, it was as alien a world as he had ever encountered but for Sirak's sake he would have to try to make it one.

OFF

[Setak]

<Planet Vulcan, Raal Province, MD02, 1405h>

What Sirak had said about genetic memory and adaptations may have been at least somewhat true, Setak thought. It had been half a day since first arriving on Vulcan and Setak had already grown accustomed enough to the gravity that he hardly noticed it. The heat was a constant discomfort but the longer he was in it the less it seemed to bother him. Even the drab, expressionless architecture had begun to grow on him in some way. Despite all this, he couldn't help but to scratch the back of his neck now and again, the result of irritation from the traditional Vulcan tunic that he had been forced to don.

“Leave it be,” Sirak said as she observed the doctors irritation. “It only itches because you keep disturbing the collar's crease.”

“Of course,” Setak said with a huff of frustration. “I suppose that even Vulcan clothing requires some special discipline to wear comfortably?”

“You are beginning to understand,” Sirak said with her normal monotone inflection.

Setak stopped in his tracks with arms crossed and regarded Sirak stubbornly. It took him a moment before he realized that she may have been joking with him, he continued walking with a brisk pace to catch back up. “Was that your attempt at a joke?”

“Vulcans don't... Joke, Doctor,” Sirak replied without looking back. She wasn't sure what exactly she was doing herself, certainly she hadn't felt humor yet her words seemed calculated for that purpose.

“Could have fooled me,” Setak mumbled. He continued following Sirak in silence for a time and studied his surroundings as he did. The narrow lower city streets were tight quarters to be sure but each twist, turn and alleyway seemed to have been constructed with just enough room as to prevent them from becoming claustrophobic. Each individual that the pair passed nodded politely but refrained from disturbing the companions as they went about the business, in fact, few were engaging in conversation at all. “Is it always like this?”

“Please elaborate,” Sirak replied with a half turned head. “Like what?”

“No one is talking,” Setak said only realizing after his words were out just how naive they sounded. “I mean... It feels like we're in a monastery, as if everyone is in some sort of quiet contemplation.”

“Perhaps everyone is,” Sirak said as she came to a stop and turned to face Setak. “Most of our people have little use for idle conversation. What truly do two passers by have to discuss with one another? Why stop at such a trivial location as a street corner to discuss what they could at a more private venue?”

Setak raised his brow at Sirak's explanation, he was somewhat surprised if skeptical. “You make your... Our people sound reclusive, or vain.”

“Neither is an accurate assessment,” Sirak replied with arms crossed. “Privacy is an important part of our culture Doctor, as is etiquette. Simply put, there are times and places for all things.”

“Now that you mention it, that makes a lot of sense,” Setak said as he secretly rolled his eyes. He didn't much care for the seemingly sanctimonious fashion with which the Vulcans he had seen thus far lived their lives. He couldn't relate to the regimented nature of the society and was feeling more like an outsider than he had at arrival. With nothing else to say he turned and continued walking in the direction Sirak had been leading him.

Sirak stood her ground and observed Setak as he began walking away from her. She couldn't understand the Doctor's motivations or his ways most of the time, but a pattern was beginning to emerge. Regardless of where Setak was, who he was amongst or what was happening he always seemed to exist along the fringe, if by choice or by habit Sirak was uncertain. She wanted to call the doctor on it but wouldn't dare put the man on the spot like that in front of so many onlookers. So instead she began to move again herself until she was nearly upon him and, instead of passing the Doctor to lead, settled into a pace at his side.

Setak glanced over at his companion after a minute or two of walking, her posture had changed and the blank expression on her face somehow seemed more understanding. “I'm sorry,” he said at last. “I don't mean to criticize everything as much as I do.”

Sirak looked to Setak with knowing eyes, “yes you do.”

Setak stopped and turned to Sirak with a wounded expression, his face clearly displaying a lack of understanding of what had just been said.

“Don't try to fool me Setak,” Sirak said imploringly. Her eyes conveyed some sort of pain as well, as if she were hurt by the doctor's words. “You may not have learned to control your emotions, but you are as clever a man as I have come across. You are quite adept at playing others emotions and manipulating them into reacting how you need them to. You are an expert at pushing everyone else away.”

Setak stood chastised but, much to his surprise, the anger that would typically follow such a rebuke never materialized. Sirak wasn't wrong, quite the contrary, and no one had ever called the doctor out in such a direct way before.

“I want to help you,” Sirak continued, her voice a little more intense than it had been before. “But to do that you have to trust me. Can you trust me enough to be truthful with me?”

It was a simple enough question but one that Setak was loath to answer, he had never trusted anyone in his life, not in the way that Sirak was demanding of him. “I will try.”

[Kersare]

ON:
<<Earth, San Francisco, StarFleet Academy Courtyard, Day 10, 1100>>

Isabel had beamed down to Earth a half hour ago and had slowly made her way to the StarFleet Academy Courtyard. Around her legs flowed her long teal and ivory skirt and a lightweight black blouse had sleeves that flowed slightly from her elbows. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was here previously, though it had actually been about twenty years. Since she had graduated, Isabel had had little reason to return. Neither her family nor Derek's lived on Earth and she had been busy with ship assignments.

And yet, this is where her life had changed. It was here, in this very courtyard, that she had first met...Isabel turned as she felt a tap on her shoulder, her surprise quickly turning to a smile, "Derek."

He returned the smile, "Good morning, Isabel. I suppose I should've known that you would be here early..." Derek's eyes took in the woman before him. She's still got the look; the years had nothing on her. "You look beautiful." Everything he'd ever do, he'd do for her.

"I suppose you should have," she replied, teasingly. The man before her was older, certainly, and his experience with the Borg had taken away some of his sense of humor, but he was still the man she loved. The Borg had stolen time from them and Isabel couldn't help but notice that they had also stolen a part of who Derek was. However, she knew they couldn't change the past and there was nothing she could do to bring him back to her just as he had been. Sometimes, though, Isabel couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been assimilated... Would they have had children? Would she have gotten command of the Malinche?

Derek could tell that there were many thoughts racing through Isa's head, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he reached down to find her hand, intertwined his fingers with hers, and brought her hand up to softly kiss the back of it.

At her husband's touch and gentle kiss, Isabel smiled fondly. It was enough to break her chain of thought and bring her back to the present. She had to be thankful that she had him back at all. "A little braver now than you were twenty-two years ago, aren't you?"

"Well, to be fair, you were reading so peacefully on that bench over there that I didn't want to disturb you at the time. Besides, it would have been rather forward of me to kiss you when we first met," Derek said, a crooked smile showing on his face. His hair was still a little longer and wavy. For their outing, he had opted for tan pants that were not quite dressy, but not overly casual either. His charcoal grey button-down shirt was untucked, but still he looked well put together.

Nodding slowly, Isabel's eyes moved slowly around the courtyard as she mused, "It doesn't seem to have changed all that much... There's something of a timeless quality about it."

"Perhaps it's to help those of us who've been gone for awhile to still feel a connection with it, regardless of how long we've been away," Derek answered slowly as he followed her gaze. Gently he squeezed her hand before leaning in closer and saying quietly, "Come on Isa, I have a few plans for us..."

Isabel raised an eyebrow as she turned towards him, "Is that so? And just what have you planned Derek?" She had to admit she was rather intrigued. The Malinche had been at Spacedock for over a week, perhaps he had looked into some of the places they used to frequent during Academy.

"You'll just have to come along and find out, won't you? I hope you're hungry; that's all I'll say for now," he responded, mysteriously, as he softly kissed her cheek.

Her mind immediately flashed through various places they had eaten in San Francisco...restaurants, cafes, bakeries... Hopefully they wouldn't be going to all of them. "All I had for breakfast was mocha and some scrambled eggs, so food and whatever else you have planned sounds great. I have the whole day to spend with you," Isabel smiled.

Still holding Isabel's hand, Derek nodded as he smiled and led her out of the courtyard. Somehow, being back where they first met helped him feel even more at peace. This is where it all began and since she had rescued him, they now had a second chance. The past few years hadn't been easy, getting re-adjusted to StarFleet life, but it was most definitely worth it.

OFF: We should be starting the new mission asap (hopefully over the weekend), but in the meantime, continue posting in Shoreleave, Personal Logs, or Character Background. If you're not sure what to do, refer back to the email I sent with post ideas by department.

[Zeral]

ON:
<<USS Malinche, En Route to Lounge, Shoreleave Day 12, 1658>>

It was Gel’s (PNPC) first time on a Prometheus-class ship, and while the ship wasn’t completely unlike other Starfleet vessels he’d been aboard before, the Betazoid had to say that he was impressed. There was a certain sort of energy that seemed to hum all around him, and somehow he could see why Nora loved it here. For her, it was home, and had been for five years. Of course she was attached to the place and the people here, and he couldn’t begrudge her her fondness for the Malinche. The real question was, would he feel as fond of the ship if he spent time aboard it too? Time, he supposed, would tell.

Nora smiled softly to herself as she walked beside Gel, experiencing firsthand all of his feelings and emotions as they toured the ship together. She was pleased by the impressions she was receiving, and she dared to feel optimistic that this could all work itself out somehow. It was lovely having him here, seeing firsthand where she lived and what she did and why she loved it all so much. Their courtship was an accelerated one by necessity, but never had she imagined that it would be so…lovely. And so successful.

Turning a corner, Nora paused, looking up at Gel with a smile. The Lounge is just at the end of the corridor. You’re not nervous, are you? When in public, the two Betazoids spoke aloud, neither of them wanting to be rude to non-telepaths. When they were alone like this, however, they had begun favoring their native telepathic communication.

Gel’s lips twisted in the semblance of a smile. Nervous to meet your good friend and Commanding Officer? The woman who could possibly determine whether or not we can really make a go of this? Why ever would I be nervous about that, Nora?

It’s going to be wonderful. We’re only going to talk, Gel. Nora smiled in encouragement. It won’t be too much of an inquisition either, I promise. And you’re going to love Isabel. Besides, I promised her I’d introduce you to her. Clearing her throat, Nora spoke aloud as she continued to lead the way into the Lounge. “The Captain’s probably already waiting for us. Let’s go and find her, shall we?”

<Lounge>

Earlier in the day Nora had contacted Isabel about meeting Gel and she had agreed. Actually she was quite excited about the idea as it sounded as if things were going fairly well. Isabel had suggested they meet in the lounge, a more informal setting. Since they were still on shoreleave and Isabel wanted the meeting to be more casual, she was dressed in civilian attire. Isabel was seated near the viewports at the back of the lounge, dressed in loose black pants and a teal and green patterned shirt.

Nora smiled when she saw that Isabel was indeed already there. Giving Gel one last look of encouragement, she crossed the lounge to greet the Captain with Gel at her side. “Hello, Captain. I hope we haven’t kept you waiting too long.” She noticed that Isabel was also dressed casually, and couldn’t help but feel that the look suited her. It was almost strange, meeting together while still onboard the ship in their civilian clothes. Strange, but nice too. Since she knew that introductions would be up to her, the Betazoid went ahead and began. “Gel, may I introduce Captain Isabel Kersare, Commanding Officer of the Malinche and my dear friend. Isabel,” she continued, “This is Dr. Gel Mellix, lately of the Emil Mellix Surgical Center of Betazed.”

Shaking her head, Isabel stood and smiled at the two Betazoids, "Not at all. I just wanted to arrive a little early to make sure we got a good view." She nodded to Gel and extended her hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Doctor, and welcome to my ship. I trust Nora gave you at least a brief tour?"

Stepping forward, Gel shook the Captain’s hand with a friendly smile in place. Based on first impressions alone, the Captain seemed to be quite nice. That was a relief considering some of the more fierce and deadly serious captains he’d met in his travels. “The pleasure is all mine, Captain Kersare. Nora did give me a tour, and I am very impressed with your ship. Thank you for letting me visit,” he said sincerely.

"Why thank you," Isabel replied before gesturing towards the chairs, "Why don't you have a seat? Would you like anything to drink or eat? I could have one of the lounge waitresses take orders if you'd like." It was around dinnertime, after all, and she wanted to ensure that Nora's potential beau was comfortable.

When Gel turned solicitously to her, Nora took the unspoken signal that she should make the decision for them. “Drinks would be lovely,” she said, meaning every word. About to seat herself, she smiled when Gel pulled her chair out for her. If there was one thing she had learned about him over the past few days, it was that he was always a gentleman.

Seating himself beside Nora, Gel nodded in agreement. “Drinks really would be lovely.” Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t call himself a nervous man, but there was something momentous about what he and Nora were hoping to accomplish today, and even he had to admit that it made him feel vaguely anxious.

Isabel couldn't help but smile as she saw Gel pull out Nora's seat for her. So far, she had a good feeling about the potential couple. Raising her hand, Isabel got the attention of one of the lounge staff on duty and waved her over. As the El-Aurian woman approached, she greeted her, "Hello, Kiaran; I was hoping we could get some drinks?"

"Of course, Isabel," the lounge manager smiled. "What can I get for you?"

Considering the question for a moment, Isabel answered, "How about an iced chai tea?" She could tell that Kiaran was intrigued by the two Betazoids; most likely the El-Aurian was curious as to who the man was.

Kiaran nodded, "Of course. And what would the two of you like?" She had heard that Nora was going to be meeting the man she was betrothed to during shoreleave and surmised this must be the man.

Already knowing that Gel would expect her to go first, Nora said, “I’d like a small glass of springwine. please.” After Gel made his drink order—he, it seemed, had been influenced by his human colleagues and wanted a Scotch neat—Nora turned to Isabel with a smile. “You look nice today, Isabel. I can’t remember the last time I saw you out of uniform.”

"Thank you; the two of you look wonderful as well. I've been out of uniform a little more than usual during shoreleave, I suppose. It's a nice change from the uniform. Enough about me though... I'd love to hear more about you, Doctor, and what you two have been up to on Earth. If you don't mind, of course," Isabel replied. She didn't want to pry, but she was curious as to how things were going for them. Isabel had spent time on Earth with Derek, so she was also curious about what they had done.

This, Gel supposed, was the beginning of the ‘inquisition,’ as Nora had jokingly called it. Where did he even begin? “Well, I’m a surgeon by profession, though I’ve been on an extended leave of absence from my practice to attend a few medical conferences.” That was the beauty of running your own practice—you could dictate when you would actually be there. “As to what we’ve been up to on Earth,” he slanted a smile at Nora, “just about everything, as far as I can tell. It seems that we’ve been recreating Nora’s Academy experiences,” he chuckled.

“I took him to Market Street, and to Lombard Street, and a few of my old favorite restaurants,” Nora grinned, unashamed that she’d done so much of the leading. They’d also taken a long walk through the Medical Academy’s campus, which had been strangely bittersweet. “Oh, and we went to London for a day,” Nora added, almost as an afterthought. Outside of San Francisco, it was her favorite city on Earth. As it turned out, it was one of Gel’s favorite locations on Earth as well, which was another point in his favor as far as she was concerned.

Looking over to Gel, Isabel asked, "Do you have a specialty as far as surgery?" As she listened to Nora's list of what the two had been up to, she got the impression that they really had been up to 'just about everything' as Gel had put it. "That's a rather impressive list, Nora," Isabel chuckled. "I'm glad you took some time out of your adventures to visit the Malinche."

“I specialize in neurosurgery, though I also perform exploratory surgery on a fairly regular basis. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time researching the physiology of telepaths, though that’s not as exciting a field as it used to be on Betazed,” Gel said with a hint of regret. Glancing at Nora, he continued, “We have been running ourselves a bit ragged lately, but, if I may speak frankly, time is against us. Still, it’s been very interesting to see parts of San Francisco I’ve never visited before, and I really can’t complain about the company.”

Isabel nodded as Kiaran returned with their drinks and set a glass down in front of each of them. "Thank you, Kiaran," she commented before picking up her drink to take a sip. "I'm glad you're making the most of your time together; it sounds like you've enjoyed yourselves, if I may be so bold."

Nora shared a look with Gel, meeting his tentative but nevertheless warm smile with one of her own. This, she supposed, was the opening they had been hoping for. In a perfect world, there would be more time for the three of them to chat and get to know one another, but since time was of the essence, the Betazoid felt that it was now or never. “It’s funny that you should mention that, Isabel,” she said, turning her attention back to her friend. “We have enjoyed ourselves. More, I think, than either of us really thought that we would. And, in light of that, we've decided that we would like to make our engagement official.”

"Congratulations! I'm very happy for the two of you," Isabel said, breaking out into a smile. Based on what they had been telling her and their presence on the Malinche now, she wasn't entirely shocked. However, given Nora's previous reluctance of even meeting with Gel, it was a bit more of a surprise.

Nora smiled. “Thank you so much, Isabel. The thing is, though, neither of us are quite ready to leap into marriage just yet, so we have both agreed that we need a sort of trial run. That is, we need more time to be sure that we’re ready for this.” She paused a moment as Gel touched her hand under the table, threading his fingers with hers. Warmth suffused her, and she smiled at him softly. “Fortunately, save for a future conference or two, Gel has some time to spend away from his practice. The question is, do you think that there's any room for him aboard the Malinche?”

Isabel listened as Nora continued to explain the situation. It made sense that they weren't quite ready to marry. Though things had been going well, it had been a brief time they'd had to spend with each other overall. The Malinche was not exactly built for passengers, but they did have room for some and Isabel was not inclined to decline Nora's request. "Of course there is," she answered. "The Prometheus isn't necessarily the largest ship around or the best for additional passengers, per se, but Doctor Mellix is more than welcome to stay with us."

Gel ventured into the conversation, opting for complete candidness now that everything was being laid on the table. “I have to confess, I’m not really used to being idle. I’ve been a career man for as long as I can remember, and while I want to spend this time with Nora, I think any sort of prolonged inactivity might drive me a little mad,” he chuckled. “Is there some way that I can be of use to you and your crew? In Sickbay, perhaps? I know that I’m not a Starfleet officer, but I have worked with Starfleet Medical many times in the past, and I do have credentials I can provide that speak for my work as a surgeon.”

His request made sense, and Isabel paused to consider it. Slowly, she nodded, "I believe we can work something out. For official purposes, it would be best to have your credentials on record. You will also likely need at least a brief course, of sorts, in StarFleet regulations and procedures for sickbay personnel. If you were in sickbay when we got into some trouble, for instance, it would be best for everyone if you knew what protocol we follow."

“I find your terms more than agreeable, Captain Kersare,” Gel smiled, both pleased and relieved that she had so readily agreed. Beneath the table, he gave Nora’s hand another squeeze. It was strange how quickly things were moving between them. But then again, seeing as they’d been technically engaged for a rather long while now, perhaps it wasn’t as strange as all that. Life as he knew it was changing at a rapid pace, and yet he didn’t feel nearly as nervous as he thought he would. “I’ll send you my credentials first thing in the morning. Whatever else I can do to prepare or otherwise help in the meantime, you have only to ask.”

Isabel nodded and smiled, "Excellent; it will be a pleasure to have you aboard, Doctor. Just enjoy the evening and perhaps sometime tomorrow you could report in to Sickbay to introduce yourself. I'll let the Sickbay staff know to expect you. I get the impression that we'll receive our orders tomorrow and will likely be leaving within the next few days."

“So soon?” Nora asked, but almost immediately realized that it wasn’t so soon at all. They’d already been on shoreleave for nearly two weeks as it was. She’d simply been enjoying herself so much that time was flying by at an unusual pace. “I wonder where we’ll be going this time. Should be exciting no matter where our destination is,” she added with a wry smile. “You’ll find that there’s rarely a dull moment aboard the Malinche, Gel.”

"At this point, I have no idea where we'll be headed. Likely back towards the Horizon Fleet area, but other than that I'm not sure. And yes, the Malinche seems to....well, hardly ever have a dull moment," Isabel replied, chuckling. "After our last mission, I'd be glad for a change of pace, but I'll find out soon enough."

Gel had seen plenty of excitement in his work as a surgeon, but he imagined that he might experience a different sort of excitement while actually living aboard a Starfleet vessel. “Whatever happens, I look forward to being a part of it all,” he smiled, glancing over at Nora. When she smiled back, he knew that she understood the unspoken element to that statement—he was looking forward to being a part of it all with her. Raising his still untouched Scotch in a toast, he said, “To new endeavors.”

OFF:

A JP by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Dr. Gel Mellix (PNPC)
Surgeon
Emil Mellix Surgical Center of Betazed

played by: Commander Zeral

and

[Davis]

OFF: Slight backpost

ON: <USS Malinche, En route to Holodeck 2, Day 9, 1600>

James left Lieutenant McKeon's office with a smile and a full head of steam as he made his way toward the holodecks to do his training exercises. While he was at his home, he researched some tactical espionage games from the twentieth century. The game that caught his eye was called "Metal Gear Solid." He watched numerous clips of the game and decided on designing a Holodeck session based around the game. He wanted to start a survival training simulation to increase his awareness as well as test his physical and mental limits. He figured that would help him stay alert during crucial missions as well as during large repair tasks.

When he reach the Holodeck of his choosing, he uploaded the program into the deck's memory along with an encryption code to prevent unauthorized access to the program. The door opened and he stepped in. "Computer, access program Beta-2-3-7-Omega and... alert Sickbay to be on standby just in case." James made sure to have all of his bases covered in case something were to go wrong. The room began to change from it's usual grid-like surrounding to a jungle area. He looked around at the quiet lush area and was immediately impressed with his work so far. Just then, he heard a sound coming from behind him. He turned around and saw a large box. He immediately knew that he needed supplies and camouflage for this particular mission he was on. Opening the box, he saw where the sound was coming from. He reached in and grabbed what look to be a radio and a headset. He placed the headset on and clicked the radio on.

"James, I see you made it to the landing point." The man on the other end was his "Commanding Officer" Israel Kershaw. It was a small play on Captain Kersare's name. He hoped that she wouldn't mind the reference. He had a rank of Major and was in his early forties.

"Yes, Major. I see that all my equipment is here as well," James replied. He felt a little nervous but he knew that nervousness would compromise him and the mission so he took a deep breath and relaxed. "What is the mission objective, sir?"

"Your mission is to retrieve data from a computer containing plans for an unmanned machine capable of launching a nuclear strike on the U.S. This will be a sneaking mission however. Engaging the enemy should be a last resort. In your case should be everything that you need. A camouflage suit capable of blending in with any surrounding, a Mk. 22 Tranquilizer gun, and a survival knife. You will need to find your own food, ammunition, and weapons as you go. I can only give you advice on the area and the wildlife you could encounter. You should be able to reach your destination by nightfall. If you need anything, feel free to ask. My frequency will be 140.85."

"Commencing Operation Jungle Fever now, Major," James replied once more as he slipped into the camo suit. He laid on the ground and the suit changed into a mixture of greens and browns. "At least the suit works," James thought to himself. Seeing that the suit works, he equipped his gun and knife. Feeling ready, he began to head north and begin the strenuous mission.

<Several minutes later>

James came upon the edge of a small cliff. Below that was a bridge that went across a large river. Upon observing the bridge, he could tell that the river had to be at least two hundred feet below it. One slip and it would mean the end for James. He was ready to descend the cliff when he noticed an enemy sentry below and off a few yards from him. He dropped down quietly and let the camo suit do it's work. The sentry was carrying an AK-74a and had a support radio on his uniform. "He must be the informant for the sentries posted in this area. I better be...."

Just then, James let out a huge sneeze. The sentry immediately whipped around. "What was that? Is someone there?" The sentry started walking in James' direction. "Not good," James said to himself. He quietly grabbed his gun and aimed at the enemy's head. Hope this works." He pulled the trigger and shot the sentry in the cheek. He let out a muffled groan and hit the ground. James stood up and crept over to the seemingly unconscious guard. "He's out cold. For how long, I haven't a clue. I better take his weapon." James retrieved the AK and hung it over his arm. The magazine was full and the gun was even equipped with a suppressor. After making sure all weapons were removed, he began to head for the bridge when he remembered the radio on the guard. Taking his knife, he cut the wire from the radio to ensure that communication with other sentries and their base was cut off for the moment.

James wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief. That could've been worse if he was caught. Seeing the bridge in front of him, he continued with his mission. He had hoped that he wouldn't run into any more trouble. What he didn't realize though was that this was just the beginning. It was only going to get harder as he got closer to his destination.

(To be continued)

OFF

[Davis]

ON: <USS Malinche, Holodeck 2, Day 9, 1645>

((Program in Progress))

After making sure that the guard was out, James dragged him into some bushes and stripped him of all weapons. He acquired an AK-74a assault rifle, extra ammo, and a few grenades. Happy that he got extra fire power, James looked around for any other items he could get. He did, however, see two more guards beginning to make their way across the bridge. He had to act fast so that he didn't get caught. Seeing that the bridge was solid and not free swinging, he decided that hanging over the side was a good way to test his strength... and save ammunition for his Mk. 22 tranquilizer gun.

James tiptoed over to the bridge and laid flat on the ground to allow the camo suit to match with the stone on the bridge. He then crawled over the side and started sliding across the edge, keeping his movements as steady as possible. One slip and James would fall two hundred feet to his death, thus ending the simulation. The two guards were walking casually across the bridge. They never suspected that James was already by them. Suddenly, one of the guards noticed one of their own yawning and getting up out of the bushes.

"Hey, what the hell were you doing there? This isn't nap time, you idiot," one of the guards had yelled at the guard who was knocked out. The knocked out guard pulled the syringe-like bullet out of his cheek. "I was shot with a tranquilizer dart. There's someone around here. I'll radio for backup, we'll get whoever it was that shot me," the now fully conscious guard said reaching for his radio. Unfortunately, the radio was destroyed. "Damnit! The radio's gone. Split up! Find him and kill him!"

James couldn't help but smile and snicker as he continued across the bridge. His feeling of accomplishment would come to an abrupt end when another sneeze from the "Covert Ops Agent" was let loose. James couldn't understand why he was sneezing more than usual. He had to hurry. The three guards were on to him. He started moving faster than normal to get across. James was nearly across when he lost his grip on his right hand. He let out a yell which alerted the guards who began to open fire on the young man. There was nothing James could do to dodge the onslaught of bullets whizzing at him. Not wanting to kill the guards, he pull out the Mk. 22 to put them to sleep. But, just as he readied the weapon, a bullet struck him in the hand causing him to drop the gun. The intense pain caused James to growl loudly. His options of escape were running short.

He then took a quick look down and noticed the river was deeper than he originally thought. Looking back up at the guards, who were quickly reloading their weapons, James gave all three of them the one-fingered salute and said "See you in Hell, boys!" With that said, he released his grip from the other hand and plummeted into the river below. The guards opened fire once more and, in grand fashion, missed every shot as James faded from their view. He hit the water with great velocity that it nearly knocked him out, but thanks to his strong will (and the fear of losing the simulation), he managed to swim his way to the riverbank. He crawled to a nearby tree and rested against it. His hand bleeding from the shot he took. He knew he was way off course and ultimately decided to end the simulation. He knew that he had misjudged the difficulty of it and decided to try it again on another day.

"Computer, end... simulation," James said, still attempting to catch his breath. The room faded back to it's original layout. The wound on his hand gone and he was dry as a bone. He knew all along that any injury he suffered would be like a dream. It wouldn't be real. But he was thankful that it wasn't. The captain wouldn't be too happy about one of her senior officers suffering an injury during shoreleave. He sat in the middle of the silent room and a grin spread across his face. He felt accomplished for doing the sim and disappointed for not finishing it. He knew there would be other days do finish it. Tapping his badge, he stood up, "Davis to Sickbay. I'm on my way there for a checkup if all possible."

OFF: Sorry about ending this so soon. My brain has been hurting doing this. I wanted this to be a work of art from my own mind, but I just can't get past the headache. I'll be sure to write all of it down next time.

[Aurora]

<<USS Malinche, Engineering, Shoreleave Day 8, 1620>>

Nora just managed to resist the urge to hum as she made her way through the ship on her rounds. She was in an unusually good mood today and was already looking forward to her plans with Gel (PNPC) that evening, but she thought it would be best if she acted at least a little professionally while she was still on duty. Smiling and nodding to a passing crewmember as she entered into Engineering, the Betazoid spotted the ship’s CEO and crossed the room to greet her.

Aurora had just replicated up an iced tea (she preferred her caffeine cold) and grabbed the glass as she eyed her padd. She had been working on a video letter home and thought the rough draft looked good. Now all she needed to do was polish it up a bit and get the diplomatic corps to ship her special package back home.

She sipped her iced tea just as she was turning, and two things happened. The first was she felt the iced tea dribble down chin and stain her shirt. The second was she spotted the XO coming her way...

“Hello, Lieutenant Aurora,” Nora smiled, coming to a stop in front of the Chief Engineer. She couldn’t miss the fresh stain on Aurora’s uniform, but, having experienced a few embarrassing and poorly timed spills herself, she purposefully ignored it. “How are you today?”

"Just...just fine, sir," Aurora replied as she wiped her chin with the back of her hand. She was amazed at how clumsy she had been, to not be able to take a simple sip of...

She held up the glass and examined the edge; the pattern embedded in the glass had hidden little slits. It was a dribble glass. Her practical joker. Again. Her mind flared with a brief image of her people strung up en mass from the upper walkway. She rubbed her temple and set the glass down on a console.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked as she struggled to maintain her temper and dignity...

“I just wanted to see how things are going in your department today,” Nora replied. “And I wanted to thank you for the repair work on my replicator. It’s working like a dream again. No more strange, unrequested foods showing up uninvited,” she smiled.

"Hmmm?" Aurora looked up from her wet tunic and a reluctant smile crossed her face, "Oh! Of course. Yes, well, all part of the service, sir. At the rate your delinquent replicator was going I was afraid it was going to achieve sentience and eat you."

Their eyes met and Aurora's smile faltered. For a moment she had forgotten that the XO was a Betazoid, and that her every thought was bare to her...

Nora had seen that look before. That look, coupled with the sudden flash of uncertainty and even a trace of fear emanating from the engineer led her to believe that her telepathy didn’t sit well with Aurora. Mistrust of telepaths was not uncommon, at least in Nora's experience. It wasn’t the first time that the Betazoid had come across it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, either.

“Lieutenant,” Nora began gently, “forgive me if I speak bluntly for a moment, but does the fact that I’m a Betazoid make you uncomfortable? You can be honest. I promise that I can take it,” she smiled encouragingly.

Aurora's hand fidgeted with the glass on the console as she felt a stab of guilt. She thought she had been doing so well! But...

"Yes, sir," she confessed, "I...Look, I come from a culture that's, well, xenophobic. There are a lot of us who have trouble handling humans who look weird, let alone aliens...Not that you look weird. Sir. But...Well, I come out here and I guess a lot of aliens are just...intimidating. You can read minds, Klingons are strong, Vulcans are strong and smart...And so many of you live longer than us! It just feels, I don't know...unfair?"

Nodding, Nora folding her arms across her chest as she considered Aurora’s perspective. “I’ve never really thought of it that way,” she said. “And I suppose you have a point. These different abilities that some species have do have their advantages. But you should also consider the fact that no matter how advantageous, they often come with a price."

Nora gestured to herself. "Take Betazoids, for instance. We live by a strict rule called the Code of Sentience. It means that we never read another person’s thoughts without their express permission. All the same, many species find it very difficult to trust us, and we just have to live with that. And it’s not always easy, being so susceptible to others’ feelings and emotions. It can be uncomfortable and overwhelming if one isn’t too careful.”

Aurora's eyebrows rose, "I...I didn't know you had a strict code of ethics like that. Of course, I can imagine there must be unethical Betazoids that must violate it."

She smiled wryly, thinking about the manipulative bastards back home trying to box her into a corner, "I guess no race has a monopoly on unethical behavior though, do they?"

“That’s a fair point,” Nora chuckled. “There are always exceptions to every rule. But the operative word there is ‘exception.’ I’ve found that most people, regardless of their species, are good. There are occasionally shades of gray, but that’s beside the point, really,” she smiled. “At the very least, I hope that you know that I am one of those Betazoids that honors the Code of Sentience. It’s more important to me than I can say, and I would never pry into your thoughts or anyone else’s, for that matter. I do promise you that.”

"Thank you, sir," Aurora replied, feeling relieved that all of this was out in the open, "And I will try and not to make an ass of myself," she glanced down at her stained tunic and sighed.

"Although it seems that, some things seem beyond my control..."

She glanced up again and her eye took on a fierce resolve.

"For the moment..."

“You haven’t, and you won’t,” Nora assured her. “All I see is a smart and able engineer ready to embrace the adventures the galaxy holds despite any xenophobic aspects of upbringing. Goodness only knows we need smart and able engineers like yourself aboard the Malinche,” she added with a knowing smile.

"You sound more like a counselor than an XO," Aurora noted, "You sure you didn't miss you calling?" she cocked her head, "Or is wearing multiple hats part of the job description?"

She heard a clatter behind her, someone cursed. Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed an argument was about to break out.

"Speaking of counseling..." she said with a sigh...

“It’s funny you should say that,” Nora remarked after Aurora’s uncannily accurate description of the Betazoid’s ‘calling.’ “I was a counselor for ten years, up until a few months ago when I was made Executive Officer. But you are right—I’m learning firsthand that XO’s do wear multiple hats, as it happens,” she chuckled. At Aurora’s sigh, she gave the engineer an enquiring look. “Have you made an appointment with Dr. Dallas yet? I remember you mentioned it when we last spoke.”

"Ah...no," Aurora confessed. She was surprised that a counselor had made it to the rank of XO. Then again, a large part of an XO's job was handling people, wasn't it? "No, I haven't," she brightened, "But I do think I have come up with an appropriate response to my problem, sir," she held up her PADD with her video letter, "I was crafting a response in my vanishingly spare time. Which does remind me; I have to schedule a trip to stop off at the base's diplomatic attache to schedule a package delivery..."

“Well, I won’t pressure you about the counseling appointment,” Nora said. “But I will say again that Dr. Dallas and the other counselors are truly wonderful. I may be a little biased, though, having spent so much time in that department myself,” she added a touch wryly. “So you’re preparing a package to send home, then?”

"Yes, sir," Aurora said with a nod, "Some personal effects, and a letter to go with them."

She did not say she had her doubts about whether or not they would arrive, but if she handled things right, with the proper instructions, then perhaps...

"A sort of birthday present," Aurora explained, "Something that could not be rep-"

The argument raised in volume. Aurora sighed and said, "I think I had best handle that before there is a fatality on my watch, sir."

Nora was frankly a little surprised that the arguing crewmembers would do so in the presence of the ship’s XO, though she supposed they might not have realized that she was nearby. For a moment she wondered if she should be the one to step in, but she soon thought better of it, deciding that Aurora was more than capable of seeing to her fellow engineers. “Well, if you need me, you've only to call,” she said with a small smile, turning to go. “Take care, Lieutenant.”

"And you, sir," Aurora replied, a smile on her face...which immediately faded once the XO was out of sight. She turned a smart 180 degrees and marched towards the pair who had decided to make her look bad in front of the boss.

OFF: A JP between:

Commander Nora Zeral
First Officer, USS Malinche

And

[Kersare]

OFF: Backpost

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Dallas' Quarters, Day 7, 1000>>

Though the situation of Setak had been on her mind for days, Isabel was just now acting on her concerns. She'd been in meetings for several days and had wanted to give Karyn a few days to enjoy shoreleave before bringing up business again, so to speak. And so, she found herself outside the Chief Counselor's quarters. Hoping to not appear too formal, Isabel was wearing a scarf shirt in earthtones along with a slightly loose fitting pair of khakis. Pausing outside, she ran the doorchime.

"Come," Karyn called out. She was back at work reading reports and getting organized a good week into shoreleave. Dallas wasn't used to having extended time off and found the freedom to be a bit...boring. Promising herself she would work only half-days at least, she was surprised to find she was relieved for the interruption.

Isabel moved forward, waiting for the doors to open before stepping inside. Offering a smile, she said, "Good morning; I hope I'm not interrupting you. I know it's shoreleave, after all."

Dallas smiled and waved Isabel in. "I'm grateful. Ever hear the expression 'I need a vacation from my vacation'?"

"Indeed I have," Isabel confirmed with a smile. She walked further into Karyn's quarters and paused next to a chair near the counselor, "May I?"

"Of course," Karyn offered politely.

Taking a seat, Isabel paused, folding her hands in her lap. The subject wasn't easy, but she knew it was necessary to touch base with Karyn about it. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go ahead and get straight to the main point of my visit... Have you read the reports regarding what happened with Commander Zeral's away team? Specifically with Lieutenant Setak?"

Dallas nodded. She was concerned about the doctor but in all honesty, a bit apprehensive about assisting him. She wasn't as well versed in Vulcan emotional suppression and therapy as she wanted to be. "I am, and I'm interested in your take on things, as you've known him longer than I."

"Obviously he is not like other Vulcans we know, since he's from the Mirror Universe. I know the transition has been difficult for him, but it seemed he was doing fairly well overall. At least, until the incident during the last mission," Isabel explained. "I did speak with him, and he has expressed interest in remaining a member of the crew. The conditions I gave him were that he go to Vulcan to begin learning how to better control his emtions and that he would have regular counseling sessions upon his return. Ms. Sirak accompanied him on the trip and I suspect she will continue to help him once they return."

"That's good to know," Karyn replied. "Vulcan practices aren't my area of expertise, but I would never turn a member of the crew away for my lack of knowledge. I'm just grateful to have someone to learn from in the interests of giving Setak the best possible care."

Isabel nodded, a somewhat hopeful smile on her lips, "Of course. I do think that the doctor can be helped, as he has admitted to having a problem and seems genuinely interested in trying to deal with it properly. Whether or not it will be successful remains to be seen. I'm hoping that it will though."

Dallas nodded. "Me too. A desire to change does bode very well, I agree. I can't help but wonder how you're holding up overall. I'm sure it wasn't easy to see Setak lose control."

"Well, I didn't see it myself. The descriptions that Commander Zeral gave, though, were....unsettling. I imagine even moreso as Vulcans from our universe are generally very much in control of their emotions. It'll be interesting to hear what Ms. Sirak has to say about their experience on Vulcan," replied Isabel. "It's still not a spectacular feeling to know that one of your crew was out of control. I thought the doctor was doing fairly well at adjusting to life on the Malinche, but I now have to prepare myself in case it won't work out..."

"A lot of emotional problems only manifest with time," Karyn replied with a nod. "I'm just sorry he didn't feel comfortable reaching out for help."

Nodding slowly, Isabel answered, "I imagine it has a lot to do with him being from the Mirror Universe. I'm sure it's not easy adjusting to a universe where practically everything is different. Even some in our universe have a hard time reaching out for help, so I imagine it's even more difficult for him. Ms. Sirak had high hopes that their trip to Vulcan would help him, though, so I'm interested to see the results of that."

"Me too," Karyn added. "I'll reach out to him as soon as possible, and in the meantime, I can assist in sickbay too if necessary. I don't want my nursing skills to get rusty, and it's possible with Setak out, they're short-handed."


Isabel smiled at Karyn's suggestion, "That would be excellent, on both counts. I'm not sure exactly when the doctor will return, but I'll make a point to have him stop by once he has. Feel free to stop in on sickbay to see what they need, should you feel inclined. I'm sure they won't refuse additional help, even if we are on shoreleave. Right now they're without a Chief or Assistant Chief, so it would likely be appreciated." She felt bad about Julie (NPC), but was glad to hear that the young woman seemed to be recovering. From what she understood, Julie was considering staying behind on Earth, but Isabel hadn't confirmed it yet.

Dallas nodded. "I'll look forward to helping out. I never want to roll over toes, but I'm used to keeping busy. Something I'm sure you can relate to," she added with a grin. "I don't want to keep you."

"I'm afraid I should probably get going... I have some things to take care of that I'd like to get finished up as soon as possible. If you need anything though, please let Commander Zeral or I know. Oh, and don't forget to take some time off for shoreleave. We don't usually end up near Earth and it seems there's quite a lot to do here," Isabel noted as she stood with a smile. Since she had grown up on a ship rather than a planet - or more specifically, Earth - Isabel was perhaps a bit less attached to Earth than others, but she had spent her Academy years there.

"I'm sure I'll find something interesting to do," Karyn replied. In truth, she didn't do well with free time and didn't have any connections with people on Earth. "I know I need to set the right example," she added with a wan smile. "I appreciate how you've made yourself so accessible to me, Captain. If you ever need anything, personally or professionally, please know I'm here for you as well."

Isabel chuckled softly, "I suppose some of your patients wouldn't be thrilled to find that you recommended they get some shoreleave time in if you don't follow your own advice. Even going to Spacedock for a meal could count, and I can assure you there are plenty of interesting people to watch there too." Smiling at Karyn's comment, she replied, "I'm not always able to be as accessible as I might like, especially with everyone, but I do try. And I appreciate that. I'll keep it in mind, certainly. Have a good day, Counselor."

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Karyn Dallas
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Zeral]

OFF: This is a backpost.

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Intelligence Department, Shoreleave Day 7, 1650>>

The ship was quiet today as Nora made her rounds, though that was hardly surprising considering it was shoreleave. Having just left Engineering, her final destination was Intel, where she hoped to see how their new Chief Intelligence Officer was settling in. As she entered the Intel Lab, she noted that all of the new equipment he had brought aboard had been installed, and it was certainly a far cry from the mess it had been when she last stopped by. Smiling to herself to see the progress, Nora crossed the room to the CIO’s office and pressed the doorchime.

"Come in Commander," Alister said leaning back in his chair, the top button on his tunic was undone as he glanced up from the last PADD he had to get through today. "Please distract me from this current, PADD before I rip out my hair."

Nora laughed quietly as she stepped through the doors, eyeing the PADD he held speculatively. “Some PADDs can do that,” she remarked with a knowing smile. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’d be happy to provide a distraction nonetheless. How are you settling in?

"You're not interrupting anything important," Alister said putting down the PADD, "I should be off duty anyway." He stood up and stretched out slightly working out a few kinks, "I'm settling in fine, haven't gotten lost on board the Malinche, which is always a positive." He walked over to the bar that ran along the side of his office, "Would you care for something to drink Commander, it is almost time for your own duty shift to end?"

“I do believe you’re right. Officially speaking, my shift ends in less than five minutes,” Nora said. The last time she’d visited Alister in his office, she’d had to refuse his friendly offer. Now seemed like the perfect time to take him up on it. “If you still have springwine, I wouldn’t mind a glass. You did tell me it’s a particularly excellent vintage,” she smiled.

Alister pulled out the spring wine and poured a glass for the Commander, his own bourbon on the rocks followed. "It's supposed to be one of the best to have come from Bajor after the Cardassians withdrew." He placed the glass in front of her, and his own on the table turning to the replicator to produce a selection of cheese and crackers. Sitting down he took a sip of his own drink and closed his eyes briefly, "How has your day been Commander?"

“Very well, thank you,” Nora replied, the hint of a smile on her face as she watched McKeon relax. He looked like he must have had a long day. “The ship’s been quiet since so many crewmembers are taking advantage of shoreleave.” She took a sip of her springwine, humming in approval. “Have you had a chance to take a little time off yourself, Lieutenant?”

"I had some time to myself before the Malinche showed up, after my debriefing by Intelligence," Alister said in reply to her question, "I gave shoreleave to all my department staff to enjoy Earth before heading back out." Taking another sip of his drink he glanced briefly at the ceiling, "Just trying to catch up on the important events that have been happening in our normal patrol area. I however made the mistake of starting to read Starfleet Diplomatic Corps reports, I tend to find their reports dry and usually overly optimistic."

Nora chuckled. “I believe that’s usually a diplomat’s prerogative. My parents were diplomats, and regardless of the reality of the situation, they were ever the optimists,” she said, smiling at the memory. “At any rate, it’s probably wise of you to get caught up while you can. Before you know it we’re sure to be off and away on our next whirlwind adventure. I did warn you that there’s rarely a dull moment on the Malinche, didn’t I?”

Alister barked out a laugh, "I can assure you, Intel will be more then happy to fill in those dull moments. We're still rebuilding from the Dominion War, and spread thinner then we would like to be on experienced personal, they'll fill in any free time I have doing something that more then likely has me seeing parts of planets that aren't in any tourist guides." He shook his head, "Just once I wish it would end like those old Earth movies with the spy going to a tropical paradise and always ending up with the beautiful woman."

“You mean that hasn’t happened to you yet? How shocking. Intel must not be as exciting as I was previously led to believe,” Nora laughed, pausing to take another sip of her drink. “I suppose that working in Intelligence isn’t always very glamorous, but there’s no disputing all the good that you must do there. And besides, even if you haven’t always been to the most fashionable places, it sounds to me like you’ve had plenty of adventures.”

Alister smiled, "I'm glad to hear someone appreciates what we do." He closed his eyes briefly as he thought back on his Intelligence career, "I have had adventures, but it's a different type then most Starfleet personal have. As for beautiful women I think I'll keep that answer to myself for the time being," he said with a grin, "And what about you, any exciting adventures?"

“That all depends on your definition of 'exciting' and 'adventure,'" Nora replied with a quiet laugh. "I’ve had my fair share of adventures too, I suppose, though they likely don’t quite compare to yours, and there weren't very many of note before I joined the Malinche. I was a counselor for most of my career, so you can imagine that that didn’t invite too much excitement,” she smiled. “But I did travel quite a bit with my parents when I was younger. Those trips often turned out…rather adventurous, at least for a young girl.”

"I never left Earth until I joined Starfleet," Alister said smiling softly as he recalled his childhood, "I grew up in North America right in the blue ridge mountains. Spent most of my youth out in the woods, until I decided to try and join Starfleet, never figured I would join Intel." He shrugged his shoulders, "But then again, I doubt most people choose to join Intel, they seem to prefer recruiting potential recruits after they entered the academy. I was going for Starfleet Security, when they asked me to switch. How about you, any shadowy figures try an recruit you from being a counselor," he asked.

Nora smiled as Alister shared some of his childhood. Although she didn’t know him very well yet, it all seemed very fitting. “I can honestly say that no shadowy figures tried to dissuade me from my career path while at the Academy,” the former counselor said. “Just the opposite, I think they would have laughed in my face if I had tried to pursue either Security or Intel. I was the very definition of a bleeding heart.” Which really wasn’t surprising, considering that she had been the youngest daughter of peace-loving Betazoid diplomats.

Alister shook his head lightly, "I think you're selling yourself short, I doubt you would have been assigned to Covert Ops, but you would have made a good handler. Even Intelligence has their bleeding hearts," he grinned slightly, "So what was it like growing up moving to all those different diplomatic posts?"

Taking a sip of her springwine, Nora considered the question. “It was truly wonderful, traveling to a good number of exotic worlds and far off destinations, and all before I was twelve. But I think I was happiest when my family was all home together on Betazed. The adventures were wonderful, but home was still home.” It had all changed once she'd grown older, but that, the Betazoid realized, was a story for another day. “I’ve let the time get away from me,” she said, smiling apologetically. “As nice as this has been, I have an appointment on Earth that I really should keep. Thank you for the springwine, Lieutenant. It really was as good as you said.”

"Stop by any time, Commander," Alister said standing up from his desk, "My office door is always open for you, and the bottle of springwine will be in the fridge." He held out his hand to the XO, "It was a pleasure talking with you, I hope your appointment on Earth goes well."

OFF:

A JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant Alister McKeon
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

[Masterson]

ON: [[Lakeview Park, Manitowoc, Shoreleave Day 02, 1948 Hours]]

Michael (PNPC) checked his chronometer for what must have been the twentieth time in as many minutes. There he was, reclining on a large blanket, listening to the steady rhythm of the waves crashing against the shore, and watching as the sun slowly started sinking below the horizon. Everything was ready and in its proper place for Aaron's arrival...except that it was getting late and Aaron still hadn't shown up.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise. The Malinche had just gotten back from a pretty significant excursion into Earth's past, not to mention having to deal with Romulans and the Tal Shiar. There was no doubt most of the ship's senior staff were dealing with a considerable amount of follow-up work. Both Captain Kersare and Commander Zeral had seemed supportive when he'd spoken to them. Despite this, however, a part of Mike wondered if he might not have been a little too eager to move forward with things.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he felt a pair of hands start to gently massage his shoulders. His first reaction was to tense up, but the slow, steady movement caused the muscles in his neck and shoulders to relax. "Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice said somewhere near his right ear, "I'd say the captain wanted me to get something finished, but the truth is...she was actually pretty insistent that I get off the ship."

"Really," Mike asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Threatened to call security on me if I didn't wrap things up," Aaron continued, "Now that I think about it, she seemed pretty insistent that I get my butt off the ship altogether."

"You don't say," Mike remarked. So the captain had managed to nudge Aaron along. He would have to remember to thank her for it at some point.

Aaron continued massaging Mike's shoulders even as he took in the little set up around them. It wasn't all that elaborate or anything. The only other item present besides the blanket was a wicker picnic basket which Aaron assumed contained something for the two of them to enjoy later. "What's all this," he asked, lowering his hands and moving to lay down alongside Mike.

"Picnic," Mike replied, "We don't get to spend much time on Earth...I thought maybe it'd be nice to take advantage of it."

"While it lasts," Aaron agreed, looking out across the breaking waves. There were no boats visible on the water and the beach itself seemed rather empty. Already, the sun was starting to set behind them, casting a brilliant array of colors against the eastern sky. Aaron could see clouds covered in splashes of pink and orange as they drifted high over the lake. Photons and forcefields could hardly compare with actually being on the shore of Lake Michigan. The two of them hadn't been back here since Aaron graduated from the Academy.

"Would you mind grabbing me a sandwich," Mike asked after a few moments, "I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving." Starving might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it was already going on eight o'clock and he was hungry.

A sideways look was all Aaron gave in reply. He pushed himself up into a seated position and reached over Mike's side to open the picnic basket. Inside, he could see a few plastic containers filled with fruits, vegetables, and some sort of whipped green fluff he assumed was supposed to be the dessert. Aaron pushed them gently to one side, reaching instead for one of the wrapped sandwiches laying along the bottom edge. He lifted it out of the basket and was just about to close the lid when something caught his eye.

"What," Mike asked when he saw Aaron had stopped moving, "Don't tell me we've got ants..."

Aaron gave Mike another look before reaching into the basket. He felt his fingers make contact with the small box that had been lying under the sandwich and, grasping it firmly with his one hand, he lifted it out of the basket for a closer look. At first glance, it was not unlike the one the captain had revealed midway through their meeting that afternoon. Aaron doubted Mike would have heard about his promotion from anyone and it didn't make sense for the captain to have told him about it ahead of time. Aside from looking somewhat like a flattened cube with two brass hinges on one side, the box itself was rather nondescript. It seemed odd that Mike would have packed something like that for a picnic.

His thoughts were interrupted as Mike's hand wrapped around the box and slowly began prying it from his grasp. "Hold on a sec," Aaron said, trying to pull it away, "What is th..."

"It's..." Mike paused and let out a sigh. He had gone over at least a dozen different scenarios in his head, everything from casually bringing it up to the more traditional getting down on one knee. None of them had seemed quite what he'd been hoping for...so he went for letting Aaron find the box instead. "There's something we need to talk about, Aaron," he continued, his hand still wrapped around Aaron's, "I know things have been a little crazy lately, well...a lot crazy. Cardassians and Romulans and time travel and the Mirror Universe and..."

Mike trailed off. This was supposed to be one of the more important moments of his...of their lives and he was mumbling on about, well...Cardassians and Romulans and time travel and the Mirror Universe and stuff. Get it together, he chided himself silently, The beach...tell him why he's here...

"I know we've not been able to spend a whole lot of time together lately," Mike started again, "Things have been busy, we both have responsibilities...I get that...but it's made me realize...how much you mean to me. That day, the day you pulled me out of the water...right here...that was a wake-up call for me. Then you were off to the Academy and I was stuck back here, having to settle for long-distance communiques and the occasional visit. We were together a little while and then you were off to your first assignment. When I saw you in the middle of that fight on the Promenade...and then the captain letting me transfer to the Malinche..."

Aaron couldn't tell if what he was feeling was the rapid beating of his own heart or of Mike's. Despite how random some this whole thing seemed to be, Aaron was starting to think he knew where it was heading. He should have known to expect something like this. Mike had hardly spoken to him in the past twenty-four hours other than asking him to come to the beach. Then there was the unusually persistent manner in which Captain Kersare had urged him to take some time off away from the ship. "Mike," he said slowly.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...I love you, Aaron," Mike continued, "You mean everything to me and I can't imagine going through the rest of my life without you, especially since you're the one who keeps me out of trouble. Will you...marry me?"

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Ensign Michael Kepler (PNPC)
Security Officer
USS Malinche
Played by: Lt Masterson

and

[Setak]

OFF: This is a Backpost.

ON

<Planet Vulcan, Draus Settlement, Sirak's residence, MD02, 1720h>

For the entire trek through Raal province and during the ride out into the countryside beyond the city Setak had envisioned Sirak's home to be a secluded cloister tucked away in some vast monastery, like the ones he had read so much about. He had been quite mistaken. The structure was a slate gray flat perched on the edge of a gradual slope that led down to a beach on the Voroth Sea. No plants or shrubbery adorned its exterior but instead a rock garden with stones of varying shapes, sizes and colors rested in a sand like material in which their sudden immersion had caused far reaching ripples.

Roughly cut stepping stones, no two of which were the same, led up to the flat's oblong front door, which Setak curiously noted had no locks. Beyond the door a hallway extended a dozen feet before opening into a wide living area. Two doors led perpendicular to the hallway and the walls themselves were adorned with vaguely artistic etchings. Sirak led her guest up to the door and once open turned and gestured for Setak to enter before her.

Setak paused but after receiving an insistant look from his host he pushed forward through the doorway. Two steps in running lights illuminated along the base of the hallway walls casting a soft golden light upward; they continued to light gradually until more lights came on in the main living chamber directly ahead. Setak pushed forward examining the walls of the hallway and sneaking a peek into the first doorway he crossed, on his right.

“The kitchen,” Sirak said as she studied Setak's reactions to her home. “To your left is the lavatory.”

Setak turned and nodded absently, “of course,” he replied before resuming his course forward. The living room was wide and narrow with its rear wall composed entirely of glass, the sight of the red sun setting over the Voroth sea was quite a sight to behold and Setak couldn't help but linger to watch as the glowing orb's light slowly disappeared under the horizon.

“That is why my grandfather built this place,” Sirak said after a long while of silence.

Setak was brought back into the moment from his revere and he found that Sirak stood beside him, her elbow ever so slightly touching his. He glanced down for a moment before clearing his throat and moving forward to study the rest of the room. “This house has been in your family for generations then?”

“Yes,” Sirak replied as she sat her luggage in an alcove to the far right side of the room. She sauntered back toward a large couch like piece of furniture and rested upon it with her legs stretched out before her. “My father's name was Valkith, he was an architect. He built many homes like this one but this was his last.”

“I see,” Setak replied with a quick glance toward his host. Sirak sat watching him, studying his reactions presumably as he found other Vulcans were apt to do. He was impressed of course, by the design and scale of the house but also by the strangely fine adornments that filled its interior. None of which were the Vulcan antiquities that he had expected, rather most were pieces of Vulcan art, three dimensional representations of scientific concepts, logic principals and in a few surprising cases, what he was sure were emotions.

He glanced to the far left side of the room and noticed a pair of archways with no doors each leading to more rooms which light had not yet illuminated. He had a good guess as to what rooms those were but instead of prying as he wanted to he returned his attention to Sirak and sat down on the couch, one astoundingly hard cushion away.

“Are you hungry?” Sirak asked as her guest settled against the foam like material. He seemed agitated still by the security officer's estimation though she didn't understand why. He was a strange man with strange reactions but it was that very quality that fascinated her about him. “Perhaps you would care for a spiced drink?”

“I'm fine actually,” Setak replied with a slight smile. He felt incredibly awkward suddenly, having made such a long trip and seen so many sights only to end up in yet another uncomfortable silence. It wasn't the way he had envisioned the evening ending. “I had a bite from the replicator on the trip here.”

Sirak didn't reply, instead her gaze drifted toward the glass southern wall and she stared out at the emerging stars, bright over the dark water. It had been a long time since she had been home and she had so looked forward to it but now that she was there she felt as though some piece was missing. Her eyes drifted back to Setak who had also discovered the star-scape outside and she watched him for a few minutes in silence.

“What now?” Setak asked finally, not surprised to find Sirak staring at him when he glanced back at her.

“I recommend you rest and meditate on your journey so far,” Sirak replied quickly, for while Setak had been playing the tourist she had been carefully weighing their options to make the most efficient use of their time on Vulcan.

“I figured that much,” Setak laughed softly. “I meant what comes next?”

Sirak wasn't sure she understood the doctor's levity but there was much she didn't understand about the man, another thing that intrigued her about him. “You would benefit from learning the basic tenants of Surak's teachings directly from a master, for that reason I was planning on recommending we visit a temple first.”

“I've already studies Surak's teachings,” Setak replied somewhat disappointed.

“No, you have read Surak's writings,” Sirak corrected him quickly. “One can spend a lifetime in deep contemplation of Surak's teaching to understand the full depth of their wisdom. That is not our path of course but there is much to be learned from those who do walk that path.”

Setak sighed but remained silent, he understood Sirak's meaning but wasn't certain how hearing the same details over again would benefit him in his situation. Then again, he wondered if he wasn't approaching the situation too analytically. While reason was a major tenant of Vulcan mysticism a large part was not.

“Get some rest,” Sirak said finally as she stood and placed a gentle hand on Setak's shoulder. “We will plan our journey in the morning, for now I just want you to think about what you have learned so far. Please feel free to help yourself to any amenities you require.”

Setak held Sirak's gaze for a moment before she turned and retired from the living room into what presumably were her sleeping quarters. The room had no door and this fact didn't seem to bother the Ensign and even in the dim light that now illuminated the room Setak could make out her form. He turned away finally and gazed back out the southern wall at the stars, she likely intended for him to utilize the sleeping quarters next to her own but having stretched out on the couch he was content to fall asleep with the view of the stars before him. As he did so his mind drifted between Sirak's words and the fresh memories of her company and he found himself looking forward to the unknown that tomorrow held.

OFF