Mission 13: Take a Little Time

[Peters]

ON: <USS Malinche Main Engineering, Day 5, 0930>

Peters leaned back in his chair, his feet up on the desk in front of him as he looked out on Main Engineering from his office. It was nice to have the entire place to himself, even if it was only for the day. But as much as he enjoyed the abnormal quiet, it was oddly too quiet.

"Computer," Peters said, "Music."

"Please specify," came the immediate response.

Peters thought for a moment. "Something up-beat... late 20th Century... Rock."

The computer bleeped acknowledgment and after a brief pause the sound of a piano filled the Engineering bay, quickly joined by guitars and drums. Peters grinned as he recognized the song, but it took him a moment to place it as "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.

Davis entered Main Engineering just as the chorus from the song started. All he was looking for was his communicator badge. But, he had heard this song before back home. Thinking that no one could see him, he started moving to the beat.

"Man, I love this song," Davis said to himself as he moonwalked across the bay.

Peters blinked at the sight of Davis moonwalking past his office, seemingly oblivious to the fact that anyone else was even in Engineering. With a shrug, Peters tapped in a quick command on his desktop terminal and the music changed to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Looking out, Peters wondered how Davis would react to the change.

Davis stopped when the music changed to "Thriller." It was unknown to him that it was Peters who made the change and didn't think it was him, but someone else in Engineering. So, as the new song played, Davis did the "Thriller Dance"as he continued to look for his badge.

"Whoever it is that's playing the music, I'm going to keep on dancing," Davis said to himself as he really got into the song.

Peters thought for a moment about whether he should step out of his office or not, then decided to see if he could really throw Davis for a loop. With another command tapped into his console he changed the song to Barry Manilow's "Copa Cabana", which happened to be one of the songs that had first announced something was going wrong on the Malinche's last mission, by way of being played over every commbadge and speaker in Main Engineering.

Davis immediately stopped and cursed loud over the music. He hated Barry Manilow. Of all the musicians he liked from the late 20th century, Barry Manilow wasn't one of them. He slapped his forehead and continued to curse.

Hearing the cursing, Peters decided enough was enough and stopped the music for the time being. Once he heard the curses stop, he stepped out of his office. "Lost, Mister Davis? As I recall, you're not on duty today."

Davis turned toward the office where his superior was standing. He let out a sigh and hung his head. "Sorry, sir. I was just looking for my badge and when I heard the music, I thought no one was around so I started dancing until Manilow ruined it all."

"Have you checked the upper level work stations?" Peters asked. He didn't recall seeing any loose commbadges around, but he hadn't been looking either. "I mostly wanted to see what your reaction would be."

Davis' face turned beet red as he thought about every dance move he pulled while the music played. "I just made myself look silly, didn't I?" Davis asked as tried to regain his composure. He looked over where he was last working at and saw his commbadge. He quickly went and got it and returned to where he was standing.

Peters grinned. "The older I get, the more willing I am to make a fool of myself in public. Sometimes it's fun. But I won't tell anyone about your hidden talent."

Davis gave a big sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir." Davis promptly put his commbadge on and said, "You're probably wondering why I'm still here and not enjoying myself down on Ivor Prime."

"That was going to be my next question, yes," Peters answered with a mock scowl. "I got an enforced 4 days off, I want everyone else to get at least one or two. Preferably 3 in some cases, but you I'll need back after two."

Davis grinned a little. "I was going to use that time to work out. I don't relax much as you can see," Davis said as he stretched a little. "I like to keep my body in good health and tone. I start to freak out a little when I relax too much."

Peters shook his head. "All work and no play makes Jim a dull boy. I don't care what you do with your time off, I just don't want to see you in here for the next 24 to 48 hours. Now out with you!"

Davis wasn't going to protest to Peters' command. With a small grin, he stood at attention and gave a firm salute, "Yes, sir!"

Peters waved off the salute with another grin and headed for his office as Davis headed for the door. As he entered his office, Peters paused for a moment. "Computer," he said, "Let's try the music again... this time, I want a bit of variety..."

OFF:

This has been a Joint Post With:

Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche

[Davis]

ON: <LaFayette Park, Ivor Prime, Shoreleave, Day 5, 1100>

Davis had himself beamed to a park he heard about through some of the crew members. Once he was there, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It has been the longest time since he was able to enjoy a quiet area where he could actually, for the first time since graduating StarFleet Academy, relax and get his mind refocused. In his possesion was a drawing pad and a pack of about 100 colored pencils. He found a large tree and sat down on the ground and started searching the area for a good spot to do a drawing.

"Where would be a good spot to start?" Davis muttered to himself. "I need something with a little light... AH found it!"

He saw a clear area where the ocean was visible. He gave a warm smile as he situated himself to start his drawing. But as he started to relax, he became unsettled and restless. He really wanted to relax. His disposition made him unable to do so. His heart was telling him to take a load off, his mind was telling him to return to the ship and get back to work. The restlessness was getting to him. He immediately jumped up off the ground and started walking down the path that led to the beach.

"What is going on with me? Why can't I relax like everyone can?" Davis said to himself as he made it to the beach.

Finally, it dawned on him as he recalled what his father always told him. It was years ago when Davis was still in high school and his father caught him still studying for a big test at two in the morning....

"James, why are you still up studying?" His father had said.

"I can't sleep, Pop." Davis' reply was.

Then came the words that Peters had told him shortly before Davis left the ship to go planet-side. Peters had said it almost identical to his father's words.

"Listen Jimmy, you can't keep going on with your so-called "all work and no play" mentality. You're gonna drive yourself insane one of these days. Especially if you join StarFleet. I'm sure they'll order you to go take a breather and knowing you, Jimmy, you'll have no other choice but to obey the command. Now, I'm commanding you! Get to bed, boy!

Davis smiled as the recollection of his father's words replayed in his mind. As they replayed over and over again, he started relaxing. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and got comfortable. He pulled out his drawing equipment once more and as the words of his father continued to echo in his mind, Davis began to draw a picture of the horizon. This drawing contained everything he saw in reality, but contained one thing that wasn't present on the planet with him... his family.

[Steele]

Ivor Prime
Day 5
09:00 hrs

"We have an update on a story we have been following for several weeks now, the disappearance of the Sentry and the Tempest. Starfleet has already ended the full scale search but there were still several leads that had yet to be fully investigated. As none of these leads have panned out and there has been no contact with either ship since their disappearance, Starfleet Command has voted to officially changer their status from overdue to Missing In Action.
Memorial services for both crews will be held three days from now on Starbase Sheridan at 15:00 hrs. We will be covering the service for those unable to attend.
Once again, the crews of the Sentry and Tempest have been officially declared missing and presumed dead. This is Tom Pennington for the Federation News Service reporting live from Majuro Station."



Day 7
SB Sheridan

Aaron stepped off the transport shuttle and soon joined the throngs of people milling about. As he did so a voice from the past caught his attention.
"Lt. Steele, over here."

It was CPO Harrell, an old friend of the Steele family who wasn't above pulling a few strings to help them out.
"Chief, good to see you although I wish it was under better circumstances."

Stephen's expression softened.
"Me too Aaron, me too. I was surprised when I heard you were attending the ceremony considering the relatively short notice given about it."

"We were on shoreleave at Ivor Prime which is only a two day journey from here; I got my CO to grant me an emergency leave. Sarah and I were close; I would have done anything it took to attend this ceremony…"

Off:

[Davis]

ON: <LaFayette Park, Ivor Prime, Shoreleave, Day 5, 1500>

Time had seem to slip away from the young ensign as he completed three more extensive drawings of his surroundings. After dealing with some previous memories of his past, Davis was then able to relax a bit more. Afther the completion of his third and final drawing, Davis had gotten up from his place on the beach and returned to the park where he was originally beamed down to. The whole four hours that he was on the planet, Davis was able to think back on everything leading up to his assignment on the Malinche.

"Something tells me that I have chosen a decent path to follow," Davis had muttered to himself. "If only my family could see this place. It's so peaceful, so relaxing."

As Davis was packing up his drawing tools, a slight twinkle had caught the corner of his eye. He looked to where it had been coming from and went over to investigate. He walked over to the location of the twinkling object and there to his surprise was a ruby-like gem that had been slightly buried beneath the sand. Using a tricorder that he took with him, he had analyzed the gem to make sure it wasn't harmful to bring back to the ship. Sure enough, the gem had checked out to be harmless.

"Now, this is neat looking. It almost looks like one of the gems I saw on one of Dad's daggers back home. Tricorder didn't pick up any harmful elements. I'll have someone in the science department have a look at it to see what this gem really is," Davis had whispered in delight.

It wasn't every day that something so exquisite had caught Davis' eye. He packed it away in his small carrying pack to take back with him. He gave one last small grin and observed his surroundings one last time. When he finished, he tapped his commbadge.

"Davis to Transporter Room. Beam me back to the ship, please."

OFF

[Kersare]

<<Ivor Prime, Day 4, 1000>>

All the arrangements made, Isabel had shown up at Derek's (NPC) quarters about a half hour prior and had taken him to the transporter room to beam down to Ivor Prime. He seemed to be glad to get out of his quarters, which was understandable considering how long he'd been confined to them.

They had arrived at the edge of the colony; Isabel hadn't been completely sure what Derek would want to do. She looked over at him and gave a brief smile, "So, this is Ivor Prime... There are some gardens, two parks, a beach, shops within the colony..."

"Could we go to the memorial," Derek asked her, softly.

Isabel raised her eyebrow - she hadn't expected that request. "The memorial for the original colony?"

He nodded, "Yes, that is where I would like to go, at least that's the first place."

"Alright, I believe it's this way," Isabel motioned towards a stone path leading out of the colony, just off to their right. Trees surrounded the path on both sides, but were kept back far enough that the path was clearly visible. She headed for the stone path, walking a bit slower than usual, making sure he stayed by her.

Derek walked along beside Isabel quietly. He was determined and various thoughts raced through his head. When Isabel told him she would take him to Ivor Prime, he recalled what he knew of the place from before...and his memories from the Collective. Of course, the Collective had had their own 'reasoning' for what had happened, but Derek had still known all along, deep down, that it was wrong.

Eventually, they arrived at the memorial. Much of the original colony had been either destroyed or, if salvage-able, used for the new colony. Some foundations were still visible, but grass and other plant life had started settling in. In front of the remnants was the memorial, which was built of stone.

The memorial was an oval structure, with beautifully carved columns supporting the room. Inside were a few benches and a large slanted table-like surface where a plaque was mounted. Across the top of the plaque, the words, "Always To Be Remembered..." appeared, along with a depiction of the original colony and a description of its history and the events that surrounded its demise.

Derek entered the memorial first, walking slowly through, his eyes still focused on what used to be Ivor Prime's original colony, which could be seen between the columns. He paused at the plaque, reading through the information given. Moving to the other side of it, Derek read the list of names - those who were lost in one way or another. He shuddered slightly at the thought.

At first watching Derek, Isabel slowly moved to join him. She too read the plaques before looking up at him. "Why did you want to come here?"

He didn't answer her right away, but eventually said, "I know of what happened here...I know because of my first life...and I know the Collective's thoughts. Knowing those things...knowing the pain, suffering, and destruction that was caused...how could I not come?"

"You weren't responsible for what they did, Derek. You didn't choose to be among them, you didn't choose to have them do what they do. It isn't your fault," she replied.

"I was there when they assimilated others. I was part of them and they were part of me," Derek said quietly. "I will always have to live with that..."

Isabel moved next to him and gently placed her hands on both his arms, looking directly at him, "It is not your fault. You have to believe that. You were not yourself. It's alright to feel bad about what happened and about what the Borg did, but don't blame yourself."

He looked at her, "You seem so sure..."

"I am. I know the experience must have been terrible - I can only imagine...but if you're going to move forward, you have to be able to put it behind you. It may be difficult, especially at first, but if you don't, it will continue to eat at you. And they will have won, regardless of the fact that you are no longer among them," she said.

Silently, he nodded, then turned to look out from the memorial, to remember those who were lost and to grieve.

OFF:

[Barrett]

<Ivor Prime, Day 4, 2100>

Jason was never really one for clubs but Adam (NPC) had insisted that they go. He partly blamed Joey (NPC) for that, seeing as he was the one that had found the place and suggested it. At the moment they were sitting in a corner both, watching several fellow crew members from the Malinche dance the night away. Jason wasn't a very good dancer and as such didn't really enjoy places like this all that much.

"You're telling me that you just want to sit here?" Adam asked, sipping at his drink. Jason wasn't sure what was in it but even next to him he could smell the alcohol coming of the drink.

"You're the one that wanted to come here," Jason said. "You know that I'm not really a dancer."

Adam looked dejected and Jason was about to give in when Joey stood up.

"Come on Adam, let's leave him here."

"Aren't you concerned people might get the wrong idea," Adam asked.

"Meh," Joey shrugged. "There isn't a girl in here that looks really fun anyway."

Adam beamed and leap out of his seat and followed Joey to the dancer floor as the music turned from a slow song to a heart pounding ballad that got everyone moving. Joey and Adam were none to shy on the dance floor, dancing close and almost seductively, if it wasn't Joey out there Jason might actually have been concerned.

He watched Adam's body, its muscled proportions and was struck once again how beautiful he was. His light eyes, his shaggy hair, the well defined arms and shoulders and the chest and abdomen that lay beneath his shirt. Jason shoved aside his discomfort, getting up and making his way to the dance floor. Joey saw him coming and smiled, sliding away and back to the bar.

"He was making me jealous," Jason stated, coming up behind Adam and snaking his hands down to his hips.

"Looks like my plan worked all along."

OFF:

[Zeral]

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Transporter Room 1, 1100, Shoreleave Day 6>>

Nora smiled warmly as Dr. Julie Dormand (NPC) shimmered into view on the Transporter Pad, moving forward to greet her with an extended hand.

It had been somewhat of a surprise when Nora had received another message from Dr. Dormand the day before, and even more surprising when the doctor told her that she was en route to Ivor Prime in order to meet with Nora in person. She couldn’t help but admire the woman’s persistence and dedication. She knew from personal experience that when a loved one was lost, it was nearly impossible not to go searching for answers.

“Hello, Dr. Dormand. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”

“Likewise,” Julie said, stepping off of the Pad to taking Nora’s hand in a firm grip. “You’re a little...shorter than I thought,” she commented, smiling down at the indeed smaller counselor.

“And you’re much taller than I thought,” Nora responded in kind, chuckling good-naturedly. “I trust you had a pleasant trip?”

Julie nodded. “Yes, thank you. It was perfectly fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Nora said. “I can show you to your quarters if you like--”

“Thank you, no,” Julie interrupted, though she was polite enough about it. “I’ve come a long way, Counselor, and I’d appreciate it if we could get to the point.” Julie's eyes flashed with momentary pain, and Nora could easily sense the conflict she was experiencing. “I’m sorry to be short with you. It’s just that…I’m looking for answers. I need answers.”

“Of course,” Nora gently agreed. “If you’ll follow me, we can go straight to my office and speak there.” Nodding curtly, Julie followed Nora into the corridor.

<<Zeral’s Office, 1107>>

Settled in a comfortable chair in Nora’s office, Julie found herself wondering yet again if she was doing the right thing. In hindsight, it seemed like a strange thing to do—immediately taking a leave of absence to meet with a woman she’d only met once to seek answers concerning her husband’s death.

Perhaps it wasn’t totally rational, she conceded to herself, but she didn’t regret her decision. Alex (NPC) was gone. She had been forced to assume the worst, but it still hadn’t helped ease the terrible pain that his passing had left her with. Whatever had happened in his final moments, she simply had to know.

“We met on a Starbase,” Julie murmured, staring at her hands. “At a bar. His friend thought my friend was pretty cute, so he sent Alex over to find out her name. Only my friend was shy too, and she made me give her name to Alex. It was…well, I’ll be damned if I can explain it, Counselor.”

Nora ventured a guess. “Love at first sight?”

“Maybe,” Julie smiled, tearing up a bit as she thought of Alex and those first exciting days after they had met. “We ended up talking, and we were joined at the hip for four days after that. When I had to leave, he promised me we’d stay in touch. I didn’t believe him at first—I’m really sort of a cynic at heart, you see. Alex was the one who brought the optimist out in me. Anyway, by the time we were able to meet in person again, we knew there was nothing for it. We eloped, and we never regretted it for one moment. That was three years ago.”

After offering Julie a tissue, Nora sat back in her chair. “Dr. Dormand, I’m afraid I wasn’t completely honest with you the first time we spoke.” Julie frowned slightly but remained silent, waiting for her to continue. “It’s true that we found the log buoy for the Rome. But the full story about Alex’s last message for you is a little more complicated than that.” Taking a deep, calming breath, Nora began her story, leaving out no details this time and offering Julie the whole truth of the strange situation in which she’d come face to face, so to speak, with Alex.

“Just before we located the Rome’s log buoy, I asked Alex if there was anything I could do for him. He asked me to deliver the very same message that I gave to you; that he will always be with you, and that he wants you to be happy. That he loves you was, of course, implied.”

For a long time, Julie had no words. The two women sat in quietly as the minutes ticked by, the silence just shy of uncomfortable. When Julie did finally speak, her words were stronger than they had been some time before. “This all is really quite extraordinary, Counselor. I think I understand why you didn’t tell me all of it before, but I’m very grateful that you’ve told me the whole of it now.”

Nora nodded, glancing at her hands as she said, “I had a difficult time deciding how much to tell you in our initial conversation. I’m so sorry for keeping the whole truth from you, but I thought that the message itself was the most important part.”

Julie nodded crisply, smoothing a hand over her hair. “I do understand what you mean, Counselor. I’ve been a doctor long enough to know how difficult it is to tell someone that their husband or wife isn’t coming back, let alone without the presence of something…supernatural, I guess you’d say. I just could use some time to…think about all of this.”

Nora stood to escort her to the door. “If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to tell me,” she insisted.

“I’ll be sure to,” Julie assured her. “Thank you again for meeting with me. I’ll just ask the computer for directions to my room.” Extending her hand, she briefly shook Nora’s hand. “Until later, then,” she said, smiling briefly before striding out the door.

OFF:

[Steele]

On:
Ivor Prime
Day 9

When the Trout's had followed Aaron to the Malinche, they did so with the agreement that after three missions they could choose to transfer to another posting. Aaron knew that he was fortunate to get them onboard at all and as civilians they had little obligation to remain on a Starfleet vessel. As two missions had already wrapped up and the third was about to start, they found a quiet restaurant on the planet to discuss their future in Starfleet.

"Neither mission has been as easy as they started out to be but I guess that's the nature of the beast."

"Agreed, DS7 had plenty of challenges as well. The biggest drawback I see to remaining onboard the Malinche is the lack of marine life."

Morgan was referring to her husband's training as a marine biologist and hers as an oceanographer.

"That is true, but maybe it's time we took a break from the aquatic life and brushed up on our other scientific skills. Besides, I know of a few marine institutions that contract out some of the aspects of their research. It's mainly book work but it could be a way to have the best of both worlds."

Paul allowed the waiter to serve their food before continuing the conversation.
"Well either way this isn't something that needs to be decided immediately, but it should be done soon."

Off:


Doctors Paul & Morgan Trout (NPC)
Science Division
USS Malinche

[Peters]

ON: <Ivor Prime, New Cannon Beach, Day 10, 2032>

Peters sat on a rock that seemed perfectly shaped for use as a chair, staring out at the sunset over the water and listening to the waves crash against the rocks and sand that made up this stretch of coast. He was a good distance away from the main bulk of the colony and there was no one else in sight. In short, it was a perfect setting to sit and reflect on his time aboard the Malinche and ponder the future.

But that wasn't what Peters was doing. He had grown up on Earth, and this planet had been settled by Humans because of its striking resemblance to their home planet. This beach was named for a beach in the old state of Oregon that it resembled almost down to the placement of the rocks protruding from the water. The only difference was that here there was no sign of "civilization" except a faint glow of light near the eastern horizon.

In truth, Peters was just enjoying a glimpse of what his home planet would be like had Humans been more sensible in centuries past. Certainly in the past 400 years great strides had been made to correct the damage humans had caused to their home world, but there were still plants and animals that would never be seen again, and even if every one of the cities was abandoned, signs of them would remain for millennia, though hidden amongst vegetation.

Earth was a beautiful world, even with cities everywhere. But this planet... it seemed almost more like home to Peters than the house he'd grown up in on Earth did. Of course, at this point the Malinche felt the most like home for him, and that probably wouldn't change anytime soon. But he still felt the urge to walk amongst REAL nature now and then, and this shore leave had been his first opportunity in ages.

With a shake of his head, Peters stood as the sun slipped totally beneath the waves. He had to be back aboard the ship by morning, if he wanted to enjoy the last hours of his shore leave, he should probably stop sitting around thinking about things he couldn't do anything about. With a small smile on his face, Peters turned north and started walking, enjoying the sights and sounds of the beach in the moonlight.

OFF: