~The Third Match~

Zan Lanaka
E'xch

"It looks a little small."

Zan turned around and nodded to her friend, "Sema, Cutter. The ceiling is way to low." They stood near the entrance of the tournament room, one of the four gyms on Deck 12. It was a long narrow room, just under 40 by 15 meters. Platform seating had been set up at either end of the room, facing a 10 by 10 meter red square painted on the floor. The ceiling above, though too low for Zan's tastes, was still two decks high, 5 meters tall.

"You just won't be able to win by repeatedly diving at them. You're fighting humans by human rules," Cutter smiled.

"On the ground," Zan agreed.

At that point, a medium sized man with a PADD in his right hand approached the two Fruna'lin. He smiled politely, "Are you part of the competition?" he asked Cutter.

"No."

"I am," Zan said.

The man reddened slightly, caught in his sexism. He recovered quickly, as if nothing was amiss. "Very well. May I have your name please?"

"Zan."

He paused for a moment, apparently expecting more, but when none came, he squinted down at his PADD, running his finger down a list of names. "Ms. Lanaka?"

"Sema," Zan nodded.

"Ok, Ms. Lanaka, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the locker rooms and introduce you to your opponent. You have been placed in the third match. You, sir," he said to Cutter, "You will have to take your seat."

Cutter glanced over at the still sparsely populated seats briefly, then turned back towards Zan, "Should I save a seat for Arku?"

"No, he's not coming," she said with some contempt. She extended her wing out to her right, indicating for the tournament coordinator to lead.

"Aydzurzodreku ruhkadome y||otet," Cutter called out as Zan walked away, then took his seat in the stands. [Defend with the agility of Kadome].

*****************************************************

"Alright, remember what we went over?" Lieutenant O'Rourke threw a towel at a judo suited Lieutenant E'xch. The cocky, half hearted Denobulan allowed his human compatriot to do the worrying for him. There was nothing that a trained officer of Starfleet Security, much less a Denobulan with years of experience and unsurpassed abilities, had to worry about.

"Oh, don't be so ridiculous, Lieutenant." E'xch crooned, shadow punching and laughing at the total ease of his movements. "I am a trained officer and a practicioner of the the Denobulan martial arts, which is known to be not only one of the most effective, but also known as a great aerobics exercise. I am fit, I am skilled, I am ready. That is all I need."

O'Rourke rolled her eyes. Security's reputation was now in the hands of a zealous braggart, and it didn't settle well in her stomach. "If you say so. Just don't lose. The last thing we need is for you to screw up again."

"Screw up again? Your human idioms are amusing, but unjust." E'xch brushed off the comment, sauntering towards his locker and procuring himself a bottle of water. He squeezed the bottle, spraying water into his mouth.

"Hey! Not too much of that! Your kidneys will be a weak point." O'Rourke pointed out.

"Nonsense..." E'xch scoffed, "Denobulan kidneys..."

"Are very resilient. Yeah yeah, who cares? E'xch, I just don't want you hurt out there because you underestimated something. Now stop horsing around and take this seriously, ok?"

Somberly, E'xch faced his compatriot. "I'll do my best, sir. But when is the Commander getting here?"

"He'll be here. Just wait. Now get to the ring!"

*****************************************************

Zan looked her opponent over as they stood at the entrance to the gym waiting to be announced. He was rather pudgy and unattractive, but was apparently unaware of this; he stood, stretching his back by rotating his torso back and forth, pausing periodically to feel and awe over his own musculature, well hidden as it was.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed from inside the arena, "Welcome to our third match of the evening. This should be quite an interesting bout, folks! Our first competitor is a civilian Fruna'lin, Zan Lanaka. Weighing in at an unheard of eighty-four pounds, Zan practices a number of ancient Fruna'lin fighting styles. Ladies and gentlemen, Zan Lanaka!"

E'xch turned to the thin, winged woman next to him. "Eighty-four pounds?" he asked with a cocky smile.

"That's right. Less, how do you say? Inertia. Quick and light versus big and slow," she shot back before dashing out into the arena.

The announcer's voice rang in the next competitor. "The next opponent hails from the Denobulan colony of O'ru. Weighing in at one hundred ninety pounds, he is a specialist at the Denobulan martial art of P'fhen. From security, Lieutenant Junior Grade E'xch!"

The young and self confident security officer strutted out of the back locker area and towards the ring, his eyes away from his opponent and towards the throngs of cheering officers. His look roamed mostly towards the attractive nurses and science officers, whom seemed more interested in the more musclebound marines on the sidelines than the cocky security administrator.

"Who loves me..." E'xch grinned, mistaking a chuckle from an exceptionally cute nurse for some form of flirting.

Zan scanned the room for white wings. Cutter was sitting in the back row, calmly clapping as others cheered and whistled, but smiling and happy. He caught her eye and winked. He, unfortunately, but as expected, was alone; Arkedi had not come.

"All right, you know the rules," the announcer began.

"Wait a second." E'xch interrupted the announcer, "What rules are you using?"

"Federation Mixed Martial Arts Tournament Association rules, Lieutenant. No hits below the waist. Match ends after being pinned for five seconds, or by knockout. Now that you are aware of the rules, I suggest you all to have a clean, fair match. Understood?"

E'xch nodded with a grin, "Fair would be two of her, my good man."

Zan crouched slightly, standing near the corners of the marked square, opposite of her Denobulan opponent. Her arms were held in front of her, one hand balled into a fist, the other left open; her wings half open behind her, angled forward. E'xch was going to make the first move.

"Eh?" E'xch purred. He didn't go into a martial arts stance, but stood in front of the smaller Fruna'lin, staring her down like a self confident cat waiting to pounce on a flying robin. His smile twitched, hiding mirth through whatever scraps of discipline he bothered to dredge up. E'xch saw no need, for his opponent was smaller, and besides the wings, she would be no problem.

The Denobulan shrugged, charging forward, his lumbering mass stomping the ground. He balled his fist, twisting his arm for a corkscrew punch. He shifted his weight forward to send his entire bulk at the bird woman, hoping one good hit would send her relatively light mass sprawling out of the arena.

His fist corkscrewed out, aiming for what appeared to be the Fruna'lin's vulnerable gut.

She was surprised, he was quicker than he looked, but not quick enough. The charge could have been dodged in a variety of ways, the least of which being a simple step to the left, but she had hung around Arkedi too long for that. He was entertainer, he is, and the number one rule -- please the crowd. So, she danced a bit. Her wings shoved hard to her right, tipping her in the opposite direction and she rotated, using the momentum to spin her away in a quick cartwheel.

E'xch lifted himself off the floor, coughing as his lungs were vacated. "What in the blazes..."

Zan's back leg flexed, compressing like a spring as it stopped her weight and ended the spin. Release, and she jumped into the air, her heel forward like a spear flying towards the fallen Denobulan.

The Denobulan surprised the light footed fighter, by rolling out of her attack on time. His self confidence was instantly eroded. Though his security officer mates were cheering him in the stands, E'xch was more uncertain about his moves, and unsure of what to do about the bird lady.

Though he did think of one idea. One illogical, stupid idea.

"RRRRRRRRRRaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" E'xch bellowed, allowing a barrage of fists and feet to fly past the nimble Fruna'lin. He pressed the attack, first with a spinning kick that barely missed her jaw, then using the same spin and foot to go once again for the stomach.

He hit! Surprise was quickly pushed out by arrogant triumph, but the victory was short lived. As his balance was quickly regained and was about to launch the second wave, E'xch's head was knocked hard in the side. He stumbled, catching a flash of green feathers retreating behind his opponent.

Zan recovered quickly from E'xch's kick as he did her hit. She stepped forward, launching out with her left fist, but E'xch batted it away. Her right followed, and in a lucky swipe, was locked in the Denobulan's grip. A pang of panic struck, and came down with the bend of her right wing into his shoulder; up with the left into the side of his chest. This he had no defense against and it clearly stunned him, but her wrist was still trapped.

It was the Denobulan's turn to grin, as he locked the elbow, spun his heel, and threw all of his shoulder into tossing the Fruna'lin over in a classic shoulder throw. Zan was relatively easy to throw, and made a satisfying smack on the arena mats. But he didn't stop at that attack. E'xch pressed the advantage with a P'pfen body roll, appearing to Zan's other side. His meaty palm enveloped around her birdlike neck, while his other fist balled up for a quick attack.

The Fruna'lin's foot launched the cocky security officer's bulk off her body. E'xch managed to stay on his feet, a slight grunt his only indication of discomfort. Contrary to what he should have felt after having his skills taxed and deflected away, E'xch smiled, and waved to the crowd in his brief respite.

His security mates were too ashamed to look his way.

"Tell you what, my good compatriot." Sure of himself, E'xch said, "You are a rather lovely individual, and I would hate to see this match sour our... new relationship. If I win, you go on a date with me. You win... name your price."

A loud laugh errupted from her lips. "All right," she agreed, "If I win, oh, I don't know... how about a tour of security and numerous introductions as the better fighter?"

"Accepted, since there's no way I will lose. I am sure of it."

Zan nodded, confirming the deal. Then she launched forward, getting in two quick punches to the chest. He swung back, but she ducked to his left, past his frame. Her elbow stabbed back into his kidney, her wing forward into his sternum, knocking him from both sides, and she rolled away to the side.

E'xch withdrew, feeling the sting of her wing again. "Your wings should count as cheating!"

"Your fat should count as illegal body armor, but I'm not complaining."

E'xch raised his two fists in physical retaliation, ready to club Zan's crouched frame, but her wings flapped downwards, hard, creating a gust of wind that slowed the Denobulan's approach. She was airbourne now, her knees suddenly level with E'xch's eyes. His clubbed fists would hit nothing, but it was too late to stop his momentum. Zan used it against him; as she fell back down to the ground, her leg kicked up striking his chin. E'xch stumbled backwards to the other side of the ring.

He charged forward, as predictably as the first move he made when he lost composure. Bellowing like a crazed mastadon, the Denobulan rapid fired his punches and kicks. He dazzed with combinations unheard of, and frankly, quite sloppily combined. His foot lash out as a forward kick to the upper chest, but was overextended and poorly trajected into Zan's hands! She plucked the security officer's foot out of the air, and using a gust from her wings and all her strength, pushed the Denobulan off balance!

E'xch fell back first into the mats. His cool rapidly eroding away, he jumped back up, and had a personal introduction to Zan's other wing. The wing's impact left a surprisingly deep welt on E'xch's cheek.

"I'm still getting that date." E'xch vowed.

"Its good to have dreams," Zan chided as E'xch launched forward again. She shrank beneath him, rolling onto the top of her back. He looked down at her, confusion covering his face. Her wings pushed against the ground, the strongest muscles in her body lifting her up and she kicked, the heels of both feet contacting the Denobulan's jaw. The crack reverberated in the gym, the crowd seem to hush, and then a loud thud shook the ground. E'xch was down.

The referee, Klaus Fienburg, quickly counted, and the announcer jumped in and grabbed Zan's arm. "And the winged wonder, Zan Lanaka, wins the match!"

*****************************************************

The countdown reached ten, before E'xch woke up, starry eyed and quite out of tune with reality. His security mates in the stands could barely watch, as one of their own not only was defeated, but made a mockery of himself in front of the crew.

"He bet a date..." O'Rourke shamefully stared down, "What an idiot."

"The bet." T'lan forcefully got to the point.

Reluctantly, O'Rourke handed over a handful of Federation credit chits to her logical, and more rational, Vulcan partner. "I should never bet against a Vulcan."

"A logical conclusion." T'lan confidently nodded, almost to the point of smiling.

NRPG: I'm introducing and unnamed NPC Badger. if anybody wants it, they can have it. The First half of the Post is a Dream.

"Badger"
Erik Stiener, Shopowner.
Numerous Characters....but all my own.(Dr. Harrison looks and sounds exactly like Cristopher Walken)

Location: Sickbay

The Mooch lay on a Biobed writhing in pain.

Klaus Fienberg Approached his brother.....sadness in his eyes. "Erik, it's a Badger."

Things had suddenly gotten strange. "A badger?" barely came through the clenched Teeth. "Yes, We've brough in a specialist. His Name is Dr. Harrison."

"Yes......these charts show that a Badger crawled up your but. Now to get him out."

"Well, get the bastard out! Beam him out or something!"

"Transporters were not designed to be used on Badgers.....it might be harmful to him."

Erik wasn't playing nice now. "Well it's going to harm ME if you don't get him out! What about Surgery!"

Dr. Harrison thought for a moment. "No, it would be harmful to the Badger."

"WHO F**KING CARES ABOUT THE F**KING BADGER!!! JUST GET IT OUT!"

Nurse Betty walked up, a real Southern Bell. "Oh....What crawled up his but?"

Dr. Harrison casually said. "A badger."

Nurse Betty picked up a PaDD and began to walk away. "Well, good luck with that sugar."

Klaus was just as worried as Erik. "Well, we must get it out. If it should die in there---" "I have a Plan! We are going to Lure the Badger out with Soft Music, Moody Lighting, and a Pot Roast." Erik damn near screamed."WHAT???"

"Theres nothing a Badger loves more than soft music, moody lighting....and a pot roast. The badger will likely tear it way out torward the pot roast. It's hard to Watch."

"Well.....What about me???"

Suddenly Nurse Betty returned with a Pot Roast. "Oh good. Thank you Betty." Just as sudden as Betty's, light jazz started playing and the lights went dark. Lets just say that the badger didn't pass up the opportunity and shattered Erik's ribcage on the way out."

"Ding! Round 2!"

By

Lt. Ella Grey,
Assistant Chief Engineer

Kylar Curran,
Chief Liaison Officer

Klaus Fienberg,
Referee (Authorized)

"To your corners!" Klaus Fienberg, refereeing the match cut a swath between the woman and Curran. The Kelvan stumbled to his corner where a stool materialized under him. Dabs of cleaning solution touched up the sweat that was beginning to glisten.

"You've got her, Kylar! Keep jabbing and using your body. The kicks really wore her down." The growling voice of his 'trainer' echoed in his other ear, encouraging him. He glimpsed the woman glaring back at him, unblinking.

"This human is uncivilized. She has no honour." Curran inhaled deeply.

"She is as methodical in her attacks as Kelvans expect themselves to be, Legate." This garnered a cold hint of anger from Currans eyes as he faced the trainer, who himself was taken aback.

"Now, that's what you need to be Curran! Bring it to her! Prove yourself!"

The bell rang, announcing Round 2.

Grey and Curran rushed to the center of the mat, both drawing back roundhouses to clash at contact, sending them both to the hard surface.

Ella fell back with little sound. She sat up, breathing heavily, and glared at her opponent again before struggling to her feet.

Curran felt a tenuous ache in his jaw, and felt a loose tooth with his tongue. Casually, he spit it out.

"You will pay for that, woman." He rolled to a seated position, surveying her stance, working to anticipate her next move.

She rolled her eyes at him before striking.

Curran curled to the side as she came at him, sweeping out with one foot to catch her off balance. As she came forward, he used her momentum against her as he brought up his hamstring to ram her full blast in the face.

Ella cried out.

A most satisfying crunch came from her as his knee came away with blood and she fell into the pool of blood now flowing out. Fienberg made a motion to step in and for a moment, Curran thought the match was his, and so stepped back.

Outraged, Grey shoved Fienberg away though, struggling to her feet. She pushed the doctor out of her way, her fingers flying in some odd manner the Kelvan did not recognize.

"Cede the match woman. You are nothing against the superiority of the Kelvan race." He eyed her warily. Her face, a splotch of blood continuing to well from her shattered nose, held the stark image of animal rage. She took a step forward. He raised his fists to strike. She in turn spit out two teeth to the mat in front of him.

Again, the bell rang, signaling the end of the round.

Ella held a hand to her mouth and nose, trying to ignore the excrutiating pain that shot through the nerves of her mouth and up her jaw. Tried to ignore the pain that was throbbing from her nose under her eyes. Tears formed in her eyes and she practiced saying every word in the sign language book to make her feel better. The bell rang again and Ella jumped up ready to go.

~~The Kelvan race can kiss my ass.~~ Ella signed to the man before full on tackling him.

Nothing prepared him for the fly through the air by the human. She was so unpredictable!

Her weight carried him into the ropes that halted his backwards movement. Problem was, it didn't halt hers.

Her shoulder burrowed into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs in a single breath. She caught his arm as the other came to his belly on instinct, yanked him off the ropes, and spun him into the turnstile. His back slammed against the buckles with a force at least double his weight, sending pain rippling through his sensory paths.

He was in effect, blind for several seconds. At which Grey took full advantage of. Blow upon blow rained on him, sending him to crumble to the mat corner. He couldn't discern whether the roar in the background was his blood churning through veins or the watchers in the crowd.

Fienberg pulled Grey off Curran.

"Legate Curran, you can speak, yes?" The Germanic drawl sounded like it was deep in a well, and he reached out for it. His eyes searched through the haze for the source, and fixated on the mouth of the ship's doctor.

"Five... Six...." Curran pulled himself up one rope at a time. Grey tried to shove past Fienberg, swinging at Curran. "Keep away, Lieutenant! He is injured! I must attend to him!" Klaus threw his hands up in a scurrying motion to the female, then turned back to Curran.

Kylar had struggled to the top of the rope, using the time to regain his composure. He could see again. He reached up. There was a cut above his left eye and it grew puffed. He clenched his fist to shove Fienberg aside.

"Let's finish this. Do you agree to waive the rest periods between rounds and carry this through without intermission? No bells, no stoppages."

Ella nodded sharply, which made her head hurt more. She got into stance.

Kylar wavered on the blood soaked mat. He brought up one hand high over his eye level and flipped over, elbow crooked. The other came in underneath to meet in an invisible connection of thread to complete the circle.

He made mental checks and balances as Ella and he made the dance of duels around each other.

Over the next 12 minutes one attacked, the other would parry. A kick, a leg block. A sweep, a jump. Punches would flurry, forearms would stop the barrage.

No one made a mistake for those dozen minutes. Each time one would connect, the other would follow it up with just as vicious an attack. The two of them were bloodied and panting heavily. It would be only a matter of time before one dropped.

Both were intent on winning, though. No one wanted to give it up to a loss.

Kylar sure as hell didn't want to give in to loss from another woman. One was enough.

Ella had Victor and his judgment to be concerned about.

Then, someone hesitated a second too long, and the attack was opened up.

Curran slipped in the mingled blood, breaking eye contact, and Grey moved in for the kill.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled back tautly. Kylar thought his head would snap off his shoulders and rued the life he led for those seconds he felt he had left when everything started to go dark.

He clawed at her arms as he fell to his knees, the breath that these Terrans needed escaping him. It was only a stroke of luck that they both slipped in the blood and his head snapped back into Grey's broken nose, making her break the death grip. He shot an elbow into her side for good measure.

Kylar stumbled away, dropping to one knee and rubbing his throat with one hand where he almost lost the life he led, no matter how miserable it was. He coughed as he balanced himself on the floor with the other hand. He spit up blood. She must've broken a rib on him in an earlier bout.

He crawled, albeit painfully over to Grey, also exhausted on her back on the floor. He excruciatingly got to his feet, grabbed a handful of hair and dragged her to the corner. He then stepped on her throat and twisted his boot into her. He balanced himself on each rope in the corner giving him leverage.

"Say it. Cede the victory to me." The battered and bruised face of Curran glared down on his equally beaten opponent's face.

Ella laughed at him. Sort of. More liked coughed. This jackass obviously didnt know about her.

"What was that?" The face under his booted weight spluttered and coughed up spittle mixed with blood. He eased up a hint. He may not be keen on females serving in such a militaristic capacity, but he was by no means a killer.

With her last strength, Ella flipped him the bird and then kicked out to throw him off balance. Pain mingled with blackness and then there was nothing.

He was caught off balance by her wrenching his boot off. Even more so, was her extending her middle finger in some sign of defiance. He'd seen that expression before. Before he could respond in any sense of finishing her off, she greeted him with a show of strength he hadn't foreseen she had left. They were both exhausted from the conflict beyond any comprehension.

Her boot as she elevated off the mat hoofed him in the nether regions, sending him into the ropes encircling the ring.

He dropped, shots of pain lancing through his pelvis, breath coming in ragged gasps. His mouth dripped lifeblood to the already soaked mat. It was all the Kelvan could do to fall to his side, and shut down. Without intervention, the stars set in his vision, bringing twilight, and finally, soothing night.

"A Visit and A Kiss"

By:
Lt. Commander Rose Isis MacAllen
Karyn Shinta MacAllen
James and Diana MacAllen
Lt. Commander James Corgan

**Rose's Apartment**

Rose was in the middle of feeding her twins, James and Diana with there bottles. Now this two little three months old babies were very very hungey tonight and their just as beautiful with there raven black hair and their olive color skins as both of them was smiling and cooing while their big sister Karyn was sitting by her mother holding the bottle.

**************

The hallway was quiet.

No cameras, no passerby's.

Not a single eye to catch him.

~"Perfect-o."~ James grinned like a bandit. Glancing over his shoulder, just to check in case someone else was spying in secret, he was happy to notice that his instincts were correct. Everyone was in their quarters, and he was the only one about. There was enough gossip as is about a potential Corgan-MacAllen coupling, and the rumours were getting on his nerves (and it was all because they have lunch at Ten Forward).

There was not a single more juicy piece of gossip potential than the gift James tucked under his arm. Wrapped in shimmering silver gift paper, and oddly shaped like a small ring box, the gift alone was enough for anyone to come to conclusions. So much, James practiced the line he was going to say when asked about the package, such as "It's a birthday present" or "It's nothing, really." to the hostile last resort, "f**k off, it's not yours."

He hoped not to use that one. Thanking god that he didn't have to fend off the legions of snoops, fangirls and gossipers, James rang the doorbell.

"She'll love this." James listened to the musical chime, and hid the present behind his back.

The young Betaziod looked up when her door bell rung, hold both of the twins who was still sucking on there bottles the young officer order the door open, "Hey, James how are you?"

"Ummmm... fine! Thank you for asking." James harrumphed and nodded. Every bit the stoic security officer (including the obvious hands behind his back), Corgan looked uncharacteristically official. His mind raced, ~"Geez, she's a Betazoid. Wonder if the gig is up? Should I give it to her now... or later?"~

"So what can I do for you handsome?" Rose asked with an gentle smile while little three month old James and Diana looked up at there godfather with an smile and giggle.

"Well..." He nervously stumbled through his lines. Why didn't he practice those lines instead of excuses meant to slay rumours? "We all heard that you were transferred as the new Liason Officer for the Starfleet Scientific Corp. So... on behalf..." James reveiled the package from behind his back, "...of all of us from the security department, may I present to you... a congratulatory gift." He slowly handed the package over to Rose. "Congratulations on your promotion, Missus MacA."

He secretly chuckled in his mind. The men at the security department insisted he call her by the petname they've adopted for her.

"Oh that so sweet of them, I bet the boys wanted to come down with you didn't they? Would you do me an favor and hold your namesake and Diana for an minute so I can open it?"

The shiny wrapping, now torn, revealed brass that shined like dull gold. It was a tube like cylinder, attached to a rotatable suite of small glass and brass nubs, looking down at a metal platform with a thumb sized hole drilled through. The platform held two prongs meant to pin down a flat item. All this equipment was straddled to a stand, made of varnished wood and brass fittings, with cranks and wheels like clockwork gears. The item looked very old, but well preserved, almost new.

"It's a microscope." James explained, "The antique store owner at the starbase told me it's from the 19th century. Look at the plaque." He pointed to a wooden plate, not 19th century, but crafted for the microscope to rest upon. A brass plate was attached to it, and engraved in it were the words "Congrats Missus MacA, USS Galaxy Security Department".

"It beautiful thank you." Rose replied while giving him an kiss on the cheek, the babies started cooing and smiling at James.

"Uncle James!! I want hug!!"

"Oh you do, do ya?" James laughed. Making big strides, he plucked Karyn out of her chair, and gave the young girl a big, shaking hug. Growling like a comical bear, he then propped the little girl on his shoulder. It amazed James how much the gleeful little girl had grown, and how effective the new training marine training regiment was to his physique and performance. "Ohhh... you've grown, Karyn! You won't be able to sit on my shoulder for long!"

After James gave back the twins the young Betazoid woman walked over to him while sitting back down on the couch and replied, "We missed you James...so did I."

"I did as well." James smiled like sunshine, "Especially after what happened the last few days. I have to ask, did you have some strange memories as well?"

"Yes, very strange but that all over. I glad your here with us now."

Rose smiles at James as the twins looked up wanted to be hold by their godfather, "Do you want to hold little James?"

Glancing at the children, James became undecided. Between carrying Diana in his one arm, and Karyn on his shoulders, he was running out of room! "Sorry Karyn, gotta help your mom for a second. Here you go. Whoaaaaa!" He expertly scooped up the toddler off his shoulder, and softly landed her on her chair, the picked up the cooing baby.

~"Don't tell me you're getting good at this, Broken Head."~ His sub-consious mocked.

"Oh take an look, James they love you!"

"They sure do." James placed Karyn back on her seat, and cradled the other baby. "And you know what? That's why i'm worried about the next stupid stunt that i'm going to pull. That's why i'm going to clear it with you first... being that it has the potential to hurt me and whatnot...."

Rose looked back towards James with concern in her eyes, "Are you going to be alright? What is it?"

"I figured you would would be concerned, so I better be out with it. Rose... i'm in the shipwide tournament. The martial arts tourney."

"What, that nothing but an bloodsport to you."

"I know... it's nothing but bloodsport to me, but security has to represent, or it will look bad for the department. And since I partially lost eyesight, i've been working less on marksmanship... and more on close quarters fighting styles. For the first time in my life... I have a chance in hell of winning this kind of contest."

The young Betazoid shook her head as she got up from the couch and walked towards him.

With her small, soft hands Rose carees his face gentle then kisses him gentle on the cheek and replied.

"Please be careful James, promise me you will?

~"Feh?"~ His mind echoed. ~"She just came onto me again. Is she really that lonely? That eager. Uh oh... you're pausing too long. Say something before she realizes you're in shock..."~

"I'm not known for being careful." James truthfully told.

A deeper part of his conscience smacked itself on the forehead.

~"What?"~ He thought, ~"It's the truth, isn't it? But... oh... I shouldn't worry her.... oh right... oh... crap."~

"But for you, I'll be very careful. Just do me a favour... cheer me on?"

Rose grin at him gentle, "I always do don't I, tell your men I coming down to the department to visit with them before the match...just tell me what time."

"Got it." James looked down at his wrist chrono, "I have get training for the tournament. If you'll excuse me." He handed the baby over to Rose, "I must be going. It was great to visit. And trust me, my department won't know when Missus MacA will come back to visit. Caio!"

"Bye James, I will come down and visit the boys soon." Rose said with alittle sad look on her face because of the other officer rather hasty retrest.

James rather hasty retreat from Rose's quarters left him a little flustered, and barely able to keep a full grasp on what was going on.

~"She kissed me... AGAIN!"~ His hand brushed the still fresh feeling on his cheek caused by Rose's lips. It still felt warm and ticklish. ~"Now I can't just ignore this. Rose freakin' well wants me. For god sakes, she might as well have spelled it out in big photonic fireworks outside the ship's bow!"~

He paused in the turbolift, and thought, ~"So, broken head? What are you going to do about it?"~

His answer unknown to him, James punched in the co-ordinates to the gymnasium.

“Heat 1: The Underdog”

By
Lieutenant Commander James Lionel Corgan

And
Lieutenant jg T’lan

Location: Gymnasium, first annual USS Galaxy mixed martial arts tournament

His legs stretched, as tight as a cat, as James started his warm up routine. His basic stretches were broken up by a lack of concentration, as he was worried about the oncoming tournament.

James Lionel Corgan. Specialty: Anbo Jytsu, the standard martial art style of Starfleet security officers. A mix of Terran martial arts (Earth was surprisingly renown for the variety and skill of its various martial arts forms) such as Karate, Judo, French Savate, Boxing, Capoera, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu. Known for its variety of moves and surprising effectiveness, many Klingon warriors, Naussican brawlers, Jem’Hadar troopers and Orion pitfighters have been surprised by a tenacious Federation officer with a lethal two hit combination.

James was one of these fighters.

He was also ranked 24th in the tournament. The lowest rank possible. Which, of course, brought pause to the usually confident security chief.

As he worked on his leg stretches, he couldn’t blame the tournament staffers for putting him at the bottom of the heap. He was a marksman by trade, or at least used to be a couple of years before. His sole specialty had been phasers and their use. Once ranked in the top 10 in the Federation, and the winner of the 2374 marksmanship trials at Starfleet Academy, he could admit he was decent at his job. But that was before the injury by the Hirogen, the injury that took partial vision out of his eye. Now, he couldn’t even go into the top 100.

This specialization left some neglect to his martial arts skills. After the injury, like all of his other security skills, his physical combat regiment underwent an upgrade, turning a vicious trench brawler from the Dominion War into a decent martial artist.

And still, his lack of diligence, up until a couple of years ago, was haunting his rankings.

~”I’m untested.”~ He admitted, ~”No tournament experience. And other than some recent training, all I’ve learned was either at the academy, or busting heads on the Cardassian front. I don’t think I can do this.”~

=/\=”Lieutenant Commander Corgan. Please report to the arena floor.”=/\= The computer ordered.

Rising out of a crouching position, James sighed, ~”Oh well. Lets turn some heads.”~

“WAIT!”

Popped out of his self introspective fugue, James looked to see who was disturbing him. Whomever intruded on him, he was heavily accented, and extremely loud. And when James looked at the interloper, he noticed that for a loud person, he was exceptionally small. Asian, shorter than himself, and dressed in outlandish clothing in which he could pin no origin. He was accompanied by other similarly dressed humans, two males and a female, also Asian. Everyone carried a tambourine like instrument and a stick.

“Who are you?” James said, slightly annoyed.

The leader of the outlandish pack walked forward. “Ensign Fugikawa, sir!”

Said one of the men in the back, “Petty officer Sawa. And this is my cousin, petty officer Maasato.” He gestured to the only female in the group, whom gave an eager grin.

The last man in the group ventured forth. “Crewman Takeshi.”

All together, the group sang, “We’re from your fanclub in Osaka!”

Amidst the cheering of voices and the clanging of loud, obnoxious instruments, James kept his straight face despite the urge gasp in exasperation. ~”Wasn’t Osaka known for bring rude, loud and obnoxious?”~

“What fan club?” James asked.

Ensign Fugikawa couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Explaining as if it was common knowledge, he said, “You know… your band?”

Blankly, Corgan groaned, “It was an indie act that lasted a couple of years.”

“And it brought rock and roll back to Earth. But that’s not why we’re here.” Ensign Fugikawa reached into the pocket of his gaily coloured suit, and pulled out a simple looking strip of black cloth. It was decorated with a red circle, and on each side of the circle was some strange letters he could not identify written in white. “We wanted to cheer you on. And to give you this. Wear it during the match, and you will kick some royal ass.”

“I will?” He gratefully, if sceptically, took the cloth and tied it to his forehead. It felt comfortable, better than the sweat headbands he usually wore during exercises. “I’d hate to disappoint, and I do appreciate your confidence in me, but I’m rated the lowest in this tournament. I’m also very rusty. There’s no way I’m going to win this.”

“Get your head out of your ass!!!” Ensign Fugikawa bellowed, keeping true to the Osaka stereotype, “You don’t kick their asses, and we will kick your ass for feeling so damn sorry for yourself like one of your stupid songs! So there! Go! Kick ass! Now!”

“Hey! Now hold on for one…”

But the rest of the Osaka fanboys (and one fangirl) were behind him. Pushing, prodding, yelling in one big tide of colour and sound, James was led to the arena much like the nervous bull before facing the cocky bullfighter. By the time James had enough sense to shake off his bewilderedness and fight back, he was already out in public view, watching the ranks of fight fans cheering on the latest calf led to the slaughterhouse.

“Oh…” He gulped, “…sh*t.”

The throngs of cheering fans (most waiting to see if Crazy Corgan would be systematically bitchslapped by an overtly aggressive alien or a lowly ensign) wound up James’ nervosa even more. He saw the security staff in the front row cheering his name on, and noticed that Lieutenant E’xch was sporting a few welt marks from his previous match. He noticed the Osaka fans shove their way through the crowds, tambourines clanging, suits blocking annoyed spectators, as they worked their way behind the security row. The sole woman in the group was even unfurling a banner, with unknown symbols followed by the name “Corgan”, in big bold letters, written in Federation Standard.

In the face of a crowd, James could only do one thing, as expected by one whom usually tried to slink from the spotlight.

He waved. Once.

~”How weak.”~ He thought, ~”But this isn’t professional wrestling.”~

His opponent was already out on the mat, and trying a few dexterous exercises of her own. James knew his opponent well. In fact it was one of his own.

Lieutenant jg. T’an. Specialty: Vulcan martial arts. Agile even for one of her race, and three times stronger than the average human. She was exceptionally skilled, and ranked 10th in the tournament. As expected from a Vulcan, she let on almost zero emotion, and displayed a great amount of discipline. But for a Vulcan, she was eccentric. Known for playing ‘tricks’ and showing hints of mischief, she could be surprisingly erratic.

A most difficult opponent. James surmised that he didn’t have the skill or physical conditioning to take on T’lan. His experience on the front and his relatively unknown status was going to be relied on extensively during the match. It was nothing, however, solid enough to place a victory on.

“Sir.” T’lan addressed her superior curtly.

“Lieutenant.” Corgan replied politely, “I suppose I already know your prediction?”

The pinnacle of Vulcan confidence, she smoothly replied, “If your assumption is that the odds of myself defeating you in one on one combat is seventy eight point nine six eight percent, then you are correct. I am trained, and I have observed you before. You are rusty, and you have barely observed me. Therefore, I will win due to those deciding factors. Oh sir, they have made the announcements. We can start at any time.”

“Alright then.” James cracked his neck, “Lets do this.”

He was aware that there was nothing else but the chaotic cheers of the crowd, and his opponent in front of him. T’lan radiated confidence and nonchalance, while James couldn’t decide if he was nervous or just plain vexed. Even the crowds died out in his ears. Everything else was silent. There was just T’lan, seemingly towering over him, her gray undershirt, gray headband and tight workout sweats a contrast to James’ loose Anbo Jytsu uniform and headscarf.

This was it. The dance of brutality. A ballet of fist and feet. The swift mongoose and the crafty snake. James could almost see the poetry inspired by such a showdown.

What he saw next was less than poetic. It was more on the lines of T’lan shuffling towards him, then watching her try a short hop, as her left foot shifted to it’s ball, and lashed the left in a whistling arch.

“Holy…” James gasped, instinctively bringing his arm up in a block. Her foot head on collided with his forearm, pushing it back until the momentum was lost. Then her foot came back to the ground, smarting James with a welt and a throbbing pain that shocked him.

There was no time to react to the hurt. T’lan sensed the Commander’s startled reaction, and pressed the advantage. Her fist swung out, which was an inaccurate blow that James could easily avoid by moving his head. Her other fist followed, and James sidestepped while sweeping his arm to deflect and brush it aside. As T’lan rained more fist blows, James swept them away.

~”She’s f**king quick! I can barely keep up.”~ The chief of security sweated as he barely avoided a short kick to the solar plexus. ~”Think… think… how the hell am I supposed to fight her?”~

The errant thought came to mind. ~”Fight back, you f**ktard!”~

~”Oh, right.”~ He batted another fist blow. His forearms and palms were getting sore from T’lan’s persistent assaults. Her foot came up, and James stepped back. But the heel clipped his shoulder, unbalancing the commander as he tried to avoid his opponent. When T’lan backspun into a backfist, his confused feet couldn’t keep itself in balance. His feet balanced itself…

And then lost equilibrium again as her backfist move glanced his skull. The stars exploded in his head, and he felt himself hit the mat.

~”Come on come on… ROLL!”~ He screamed in his head. There was enough brainpower left in him to roll backwards, avoiding a loud stomp as T’lan’s foot crash into the mat where his body used to be.

As James picked himself up, the cobwebs still clouding him, T’lan paused, waiting patiently in a fighting stance. He could swear that T’lan raised an eyebrow.

“Not bad, sir. You have exceeded my expectations.” She confessed.

“High praise, for a Vulcan.” James shrugged.

It was James turn to throw an attack. He started with the same move T’lan pulled in the beginning. The spinning kick to the solar plexus was aimed slightly higher, but even then T’lan could see it coming. She easily grabbed the foot out of air, and tried to twist it. James saw the move coming. He pulled the foot back, while T’lan still had it in her hands. Her astonishment was well hidden, but with T’lan being pulled closer, his other foot could attack. Jumping up with the spring his other foot could muster, it then caught T’lan in the head, a harder blow than the one she executed before. Hard enough to send her sprawling into the mat.

Leaping back to his feet, and breathing hard, James waited for T’lan’s next move. She got back up, confused but coolheaded. He wanted to attack, to press on while T’lan was still dazed. She was on her feet by the time James mounted the second attack; an overhand swing. She ducked out. Hoping to catch her off guard again, James tried another swing with the other fist. T’lan also ducked that blow.

~”Well if she’s going to duck… let her try to duck this!”~ His free arm arched, palm up, and uppercutted straight to jaw.

But she was gone. Air meet his devastating blow. T’lan already rolled behind him, and hooked his legs with her own. T’lan’s legs scissored, throwing James weight off balance. He hit the mat hard, bashing out the wind in his lungs.

“Oh no you don’t!” Doggedly, James tried to fight off T’lan as she scrambled to pin her superior officer. She had a hold of one arm, then the other. James felt them being wrenched back, kept from moving free, as he was thrown to his chest, his cheek touching the cold floor. A final push, and both shoulders touched the mat.

1…. 2….

Growling like a caged animal, James struggled, but couldn’t break the Vulcan’s grip.

3….

Her lock was strong! He recognized it as the chicken wing. The irony was appearant, a Vulcan beating a Human with a human wrestling move.

4….

A human wrestling move James could counter, and easily.

…..

Using the last of what he had, James shifted T’lan off his back. Her grip on his right arm was loosened enough for it to move. As his shoulder escaped from the mat, James used his free arm to help push himself and T’lan out of a defeating pin. Both bodies rolled, and in the confusion, James wrapped his arms around her waist. Then with a mighty grunt, he lurched back, throwing T’lan with him in a classic German suplex.

The impact jarred the Vulcan. He felt her resistance waning as he pressed his strength in keeping her shoulders pinned.

1…. 2…. 3… 4… 5!!!!!!!!

As soon as he heard the last announcement, James let go. T’lan’s weigh sank into the mat, as James breathed a sigh of relief.

“The winner is Lieutenant Commander James Lionel Corgan!”

The announcement was acknowledged, though James barely cared. The surrealness of the fight, combined with the adrenaline in his veins and the pain in his temple, blocked out the throngs of people cheering his name. He wanted back up. That was all. A simple upright position would have done better than any trophy at the moment.

He pushed himself upright, which brought on more cheering. Breathing a sigh of relief, he then gave himself the time to enjoy the victory.

“T’lan?” James whispered, checking to see if his opponent was all right. She was still on her back. Moving, or more rolling, her eyes blinking as if she was run over by a latinum shipment truck, she couldn’t move more than slightly, and no higher than what her elbows could prop her up to.

Since James was already standing, he offered the beleaguered Vulcan a hand.

“Sorry about that, ma’am.” His hand offered truce, “Are you alright?”

Still unemotional as far as she was concerned, and unaware she looked as if pained by the loss, T’lan accepted James help. He lifted her off the floor, and shook her hand.

“Thank you for the match, Lieutenant.” James shook, “You gave me quite a ringer.”

“I thank you as well.” She mumbled, “I was not expecting such… tenacious resistance.”

“Neither was I.” He admitted, though unknown if he meant T’lan, or himself.

"Culture"

Lt. JG Ahdjiia D'Tinya-Bolivar,
Security

Sub-Commander Savar ir-Aihai tr'Khellian

Ahdjiia hadn't quite shaken the report she'd taken about the Romulan ambassador who had the overzealous bodyguards. She knew there was another Romulan officer on the Galaxy and to satisfy some innate pondering, she decided to seek him out to find out in her own manner if this other was just an aberration.

She found him in the Officer's Mess, sitting alone, as usual, in a corner with a window view. The view was not much to behold, since the Galaxy was docked with a Starbase, but in any case, Sub-Commander tr'Khellian was too busy frowning at a PADD to pay the scenery much mind. An observer might have thought him hard-working, isolated in his dedication, but in fact he was trying to word a letter to his father, in the sure knowledge that his father would refuse to read it, and it would instead be passed, most likely, to Nevek, the old family friend who had at least sympathised enough with Savar's plight to speak with him after his fall from grace.

His sharp, Vulcanoid hearing, however, did pick up the approach of the Chrysalian security officer, and at the last moment, he discretely placed the PADD face-down on the table, looking up at Ahdijiia with a blank expression. "Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked, having glanced quickly at her collar to verify her title.

Ahdjiia nodded politely, "May I join you?"

A brief quirk of his eyebrows betrayed his surprise. "As you wish," he said, simply. He eyed the unusual-looking woman as she took the seat opposite him in the quiet mess. He had seen her once or twice in the ship's lounge, in the company of Major Bolivar. But he knew nothing about her, not even her name. Her uniform indicated she was probably from Security, but it was possible that she was an aide to the Chief Intelligence Officer. "How can I help you?" he asked, a little awkward with the human phrase, assuming this was a business matter.

"I have not conversed with many of your people in my years, and I have seen you from time to time on the ship. If I am not disturbing, perhaps we may speak?" Ahdjiia said politely with a pleasant smile on her lips.

So, the lieutenant wished to.. what was the human term? 'Chat chit'? Something along those lines. Idle conversation. It had been - well, frankly, a matter of months, since he had met someone who wanted to engage him in an unnecessary conversation. "Certainly, Lieutenant," the Rihannsu replied, with a small smile. "My name is Savar ir-Aihai tr'Khellian."

"Ahdjiia D'Tinya-Bolivar," she smiled, offering her hand.

Tr'Khellian reached out and shook her hand firmly, rather pleased, actually, at a rare opportunity to use the learned gesture. "You are a relative of Major Bolivar?" he queried.

"I am his wife," she replied. "It is a recent event, not many are aware of it yet."

"I see," Savar nodded. It would explain why he sometimes saw them in each others' company. The revelation put him somewhat on edge. Perhaps Bolivar had instructed her to try to gather information from him. After the conversation with Legate Curran, he had the feeling he was being pumped for information for reasons beyond his understanding. "What would you like to discuss, Lieutenant?" he asked, somewhat guardedly.

"What have you found different from the Empire to the Federation?" she asked, noticing he was a bit tense. At least her wording did allow him ample leeway to tread where he felt comfortable and hopefully showed she wasn't looking into anything that might be considered governmental secrets.

He shook his head slightly. "What is not different?" he asked, rhetorically. "Although I underwent training when I arrived in the Federation, I am still becoming accustomed to the manners and habits of you all. It is not helped by the mingling of so many disparate cultures, with apparently no one unifying code." He paused for a moment, and an example sprang quickly to mind. "We have just shaken hands. This is a human gesture, alien to both of us. Yet no human has shaken my hand since I arrived in the Federation." He shook his head again. "It is difficult indeed to comprehend the mixed messages and signals implicit in these different gestures, or the lack of them. In the Empire," he said, perhaps the slightest twinge of nostalgia creeping into his voice, against his will, "there is a unifying High Culture which all aspire to, which is universal. It is.. far simpler."

Ahdjiia frowned slightly in thought. She hadn't quite thought of things in that perspective, coming from a culture that was more laid back than most when it came to dealing with themselves. After all, just ignoring most of the other worlds around them was far different than actively throwing up a wall of protection so to speak.

"Are you more comfortable in a societal structure that is more...delinieated?" she asked, hoping she had the right words.

Savar frowned back at the Chrysalian. "What do you mean by 'delineated'?" he queried.

"Clearly defined as to position and status," Ahdjiia clarified, mentally kicking herself for having picked the wrong word.

"I see," tr'Khellian responded. "It is a more efficient cultural system: everyone knows where they stand in relation to everyone else. True, there are some complex calculations to be made at times, but there are protocols to cover for just those situations, as well. Granted, to an outsider, it may all appear complex, but the 'rules' are simple and context-based, and all abide by them. Here, apparently any conduct is to be expected and deemed somehow 'appropriate'," he remarked, sourly. He could list a litany of uncouth behaviour, ranging from M'Kantu's failure to greet him appropriately in the human fashion, right up to Legate Curran's recent abusive treatment of him.

Ahdijiia cocked her head to one side. "Can you give me an example of the context-based rules?" she asked.

Tr'Khellian nodded, his suspicion starting to ebb, secretly grateful that someone was taking an interest in the great Rihannsu culture. He took a sip from his glass of sparkling water before proceeding. "Imagine you serve under me in the Rihannsu Galae. Our primary fleet. Your rank is lieutenant, for the sake of this example. Mine is Sub-Commander. For matters military, it is clear that you defer to me. However, let us also imagine that you are the head of your House, and I came to you not to discuss military matters, but matters pertaining to your House. In that case, I should defer to you. It could not be simpler."

"Fascinating," Ahdjiia said in honest appreciation. "And are there lower castes that would be considered servitors?"

Tr'Khellian narrowed his eyes, and picked up his PADD. He tapped on it a few times to access the Rihannsu-Standard dictionary, and looked up the word 'caste'. The universal translator was, he found, exceptionally good, but certain words had no direct translation and what it provided simply jarred and made less than good sense in context. Caste, he found, was a word used to describe fixed groups in a society which performed certain tasks. One was born into a caste and there was no possibility of moving between them, regardless of merit. Examples were given of early-modern human societies, such as Japan and India, and, more recently, Bajor.

"It is not quite like that," Savar said, replacing the PADD face-down on the table. "Although our society is hierarchical, and each group has its own social roles and responsibilities, social mobility is possible. Above all, our social structure is based upon merit." An outsider would not consider this statement to be true, since the Rihannsu factored in birth and current social standing when considering a person's merit. Not to mention race.

Ahdjiia was silent as she pondered this over. She had no reason to believe that Savar was being deceptive and so far he'd been quite polite and forthcoming with the answers to her questions so now she was getting quite convinced that Ramir was what the Terrans would call a jackass and the exception to the civilized behavior described by Savar.

It didn't make things easier concidering his position, but it did clear up any concerns she'd had that he might've been following some cultural more that was common to Romulan society.

"Are there those who reject this social structure?" she asked, once she had things organized in her head.

"There are always those who stand in the way of civilisation, Lieutenant," tr'Khellian replied, his eyes narrowing slightly again as his face took on a sour expression. "As you will be aware, the Tal'Shiar is tasked with taking care of any.. subversive elements within our society." He wondered for a moment if the Chrysalian had been lulling him into a false sense of security before preparing to goad him about the Reman Rebellion. Well, he would head that one off.

"Clearly, however, there are many subjects of the Stellar Empire who are not of the Declared and stand in opposition to our civilising mission. The Reman Rebellion is a timely reminder to our leadership of this often-ignored fact. Sometimes, in our eagerness to bring glory to worlds mired in darkness, we have neglected to truly win over our new subjects." He picked up his glass of water and sipped at it. Perhaps to an outsider these seemed like repressive views, but these were the expressed opinions that had led directly to Savar being hurled from the Senate and, indeed, the Empire. "These are testing times," he added.

She nodded, taking note of his unease. "Indeed they are," she agreed. "However I was a bit more curious about how one of the Declared rejects the social order but gives...what is the word....lip service to it." Ahdjiia frowned as she realized she wasn't clarifying herself too well. "I guess the example that I am intending would be one who is concidered a proper member of society by others, yet does not follow those codes of behavior when not around others of their ilk."

She was hoping she didn't have to elaborate on the case she was involved in, but even as she spoke she was working around a way to explain things without giving away vital information.

Savar paused imperceptibly, and a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. This was the sort of language he was used to, one which he revelled in on the Homeworld. It was abundantly clear what Adhijiia was getting at, and the purpose of her engaging him in conversation was now becoming apparent.

"Although social mobility is possible in Rihannsu society, it is not always through merit alone that people achieve standing and power. Sometimes, brute latinum is used to advance the interests of an individual, or even a House." He sipped at his water again. "Glory and Honour drive the machines of Empire, but the fact is that latinum is what keeps its wheels turning. From time to time, good men are forced to advance lesser men simply because they can grease the cogs."

"I see," Adhijiia replied. "And where do these people fit into the structure?"

"It depends on the individuals. Some are modest in their ambitions, or skilful in the execution of their responsibilities, and respectful of those of long-established merit. But.. We have a saying on ch'Rihan: 'those who fly too high must beware being burnt by the sun'. It.. loses something in translation. I have been told, however, that there are equivalent idioms on most other worlds. Sometimes arrogance and crudity predominate in the spirit of a man like this. Such men are tolerated, but unliked; more reviled in private than respected in public." He sipped at his water, looking off into the distance. He refocused his eyes meaningfully of those of his fellow conversationalist as he finished his response with a riddle-like phrase. "Those sometimes chosen to represent the Declared, are not always representative of the Declared."

A half smile did cross Ahdjiia's lips. "On my world we do have a saying that is almost verbatim," she said, about those who fly too high getting burned. His 'riddle' pretty much answered the question she had been mulling over, and it did put much into perspective. "As you have told me much, is there anything you would wish to know of my people?" she asked.

"Regrettably I know nothing of your people, Lieutenant," Savar said, politely. "Perhaps you would enlighten me a little?"

"Most know very little if anything really.", Ahdjiia said, "But that is expected with their...reclusiveness. To my knowledge, I am the only Chrysalian who has left our homeworld for a life among the stars. A hard choice, but one that was right for me." Her eyes closed briefly as she let the memories come, "From all I have seen during my time since leaving our world, I have yet to see any who have blended the modern world with the old as it is on Chrysalia. Everything balanced in perfect harmony."

"Everything is balance?" Savar echoed, a mite sceptically. "What is your social structure? How does your government operate?"

"Family groups live where their ancestors have lived since earliest memory, each region is by their area with one who brings the concerns of the mountain people to the valley or the plains and so on. We have no solid leader like the Federation has a president, the closest we have is a gathering of religious elders each from one of the main lands. All share what they have so none have wanted for longer than 10 generations, and all contribute to benefit our society." Ahdjiia went on, "Religion is of great significance to our lives, complimenting rather than dictating behavior or controlling it.

The Rihannsu frowned with incomprehension. "I do not understand," he said. "You state your only government is a group of 'religious elders' and yet religion does not rule your lives? Surely, if you have no secular government, your world is a theocracy?" Her world sounded backwards indeed, just the sort of bizarre peasant world the Empire had brought civilisation to on many occasions.

She smiled softly. "It is hard to explain, better to see it really. The Elders enforce no rules and the closest thing to a law is what was decided by all generations ago with our turning our backs on the worlds around us, they simply share what information is going on for their region with the others. The only time they have spoken as an authority as most would consider it was when I left, and that was to excommunicate me."

Tr'Khellian continued to frown. "You have no government? Anarchy? How does your society cohere? How is order enforced?" The picture Adhijiia was painting was a bizarrely alien one to the Rihannsu - a world in which nothing could function, surely?

"It just never has been.", she said, "Perhaps on some level we just act in the way that is beneficial to the others on our world, or our religion has shaped us that way. My curiosity was what set me apart from the rest."

In tr'Khellian's opinion, such a system could only prosper amongst a population comprised entirely of dull-witted simpletons. Perhaps Adhijiia was some sort of genetic mutant, and thus exiled, like him. He found it completely incredible that any world could live without government, and everyone just 'acted in a mutually-beneficial manner'. Nowhere was actually like that except in the mythology of naiive peasant folk tales. Savar had never encountered anyone who did not act in their own interests, even if they were capable of altruistic acts, and could not believe in the existence of a society where no one was self-interested, or where by happy fortune self-interest equalled mutual interest. It was simply impossible. For the sake of politeness, he decided to say nothing, and let her continue.

Ahdjiia thought she saw something in Savar's eyes, rather remeniscent of Saladin's when he about to pronounce something foolish, but she continued on. "While we avoid the worlds around us, we do see that they are needed from time to time and that is when one of the few agents that are empowered to act are called upon."

Tr'Khellian lifted his chin, considering the information. "But what do your people hope to gain by their isolation? Do they believe their culture so perfect that they believe they have nothing to gain by contact with others?" The Rihannsu Stellar Empire had been greatly enriched by the addition of new subject worlds, and the Sub-Commander found it unlikely that any world seemingly so insular and backward could truly possess the greatness it seemed to see in itself.

"They only see the disorder, the conflicts that always seem to repeat and want no part of it. There is too much against such openness rather than what benefits could be gained," she said, repeating what she'd been told repeatedly as a child. "For them it is like having the need to build walls against the barbarians who refuse to see the light."

The Romulan's left eyebrow rose sceptically, but he 'bit his tongue', as the humans would say. Her world seemed more barbarous than most. "Why did you choose to leave such a 'perfect' society?" he asked of her. "I grew curious," she said honestly. "True we have peace and tranquility, but nothing changes...and there must be change to grow in mind and spirit. In my time with Starfleet, I have been injured in combat, seen much death, but the good I have seen makes the unpleasantness worth dealing with." Savar nodded grimly, as the 'memory' of his own death surfaced for a moment to haunt him. Over the last few days the flashbacks had eased and he had been somehow comforted by the notion that he was not alone in these horrible experiences. "There is some merit in a sedentary lifestyle," the Rihannsu concurred, but he did not mean the sort of backwardness Ahdijiia had described, rather the life of a country gentleman, tending to his estates, consolidating the standing of his house, and, if he was enlightened like tr'Khellian, looking after his tenants and workers. "But there is nothing to rival the rush of blood in one's veins when facing the unknown, or staring into the very maw of death," he said, with relish, recalling tireless campaigns for the Glory of the Declared. "I agree," she said with a soft smile. "The moments I have had regretting my choice are far and few between, and with the life I have built here, that is good enough for me."

Savar smiled, genuinely. "On that note, I hope you will excuse me. I have some matters to attend to." He rose, and the security officer followed suit. He gave a short bow, which she returned with a smile. "I have much enjoyed this conversation. I hope to see you again soon. Give my regards to Major Bolivar."

"Friendship Comes When Least Expected"

Lt. Commander Adrian An'quinsos
Asst. Chief Counselor
USS Galaxy

And
Ensign William Giardini
Doctor (Surgical Resident)

*** Ten Forward ***

This was one of the few times he had visited the deck and certainly a good place to meditate. Maxim, quiet as he was could be a touch precarious, especially Rogers brought their son over, or he was eating, or his estranged hobby of painting good portions of his wall with images reflecting missions given to the ship. Recently, one such made Zerhi ballistic when she noticed a great torus, containing a portal. The two figures before it were daddy and Mister Corgan.

Adrian walked over to one of the chairs in the room, in thought still about recent events. He had also gotten word of some form of fighting competition aboard the ship- perhaps he and another Counselor should check this out. Karyn might be interested. He might have been tempted to compete had he heard sooner, but the El-Aurian Konthirel was not a style to be using on even the most suspecting of bystanders. Sitting down, he brought his hands up, clasped and stared into the waters before him, as though he were peering into forever.

William entered the room and looked around. He couldn't believe the beauty and splendor of the room. Noticing a man in a blue uniform in the corner, he walked over. "Greetings, Care to make a new friend?"

Adrians eyes flickered a moment as he heard the voice rather distantly. A touch annoyed, if not amused by the statement he glanced over at the approaching stranger, sighing to himself. Adrian, Adrian Anquinsos, and who do I have the honor of addressing?

William held out his hand, "William Giardini. Is something the matter?" His mind started to wonder.

Shaking it, Adrian motioned Giardini to have a seat, before speaking further. No, nothing really. He glanced towards the aquarium and then back at the man. New on the Galaxy I take it?

"Yes, sir. I am posted as a Surgical Resident," William said as he sat down in the chair. "Where do you work on the Galaxy?" William looked at the man and thought to himself, ~~ Gosh, he's hot. ~~

Ah, He smiled. Nice to have another Doctor aboard, you can never have too many. Im a Counselor aboard the Galaxy.

"Oh really, what am I thinking right now then," William smiled at the counselor, admiring his eyes.

The El-Aurians smile died away, vanishing as though it was never there. Making eye contact, he peered at the Doctor, almost hauntingly as though gazing into the deepest areas of his soul. The action took maybe seconds, but for Adrian it seemed to be forever. If youre not careful, you thoughts could be overrun by your own stimulating emotions. He looked back at him, as though seeing his face for the first time. You remind me of someone I met barely a century ago, on Betazed.

"Oh really, what exactly are my thoughts? Who was this person on Betazed? Was he good or was he bad?" William smiled. "I like talking to you, sir. I am already feeling at home."

While not overall into mind reading, El-Aurians seemed to reach with a person, as though searching for something hidden, locked away. It could of the most subtle as it was mysterious and foreboding, if not creepy in form. Doctor Soran appeared to demonstrate this ability as have other El-Aurians, though none have been forthcoming, and as expected, would be.

Not sure He trailed off with inquisitive eyes. They seem to be ebbing and flowing into one direction. He shrugged, tossing it aside like an out of date newspaper. As for the person on Betazed, a person I knew that lived a long, healthy life- a friendly young boy when I first met him. And as for talking, His eyes twinkled. Talk away.

"What kind of direction? Would you care to tell me more about you?" William winked at him.

Adrian caught the wink quickly, but made no indicative gesture. An inkling suspicion came to him- he reminded him in one aspect of Gailyn Nohisyndiosyn, the Ten-Forward Manager from the old Galaxy, and his brother-in-law. He glanced back at the William, as though clearly failing to make note of this persons gesture. I served aboard the old Galaxy, and the Andromeda before that.

"Is that all your going to tell about me about you? You seem very fascinating and I would love to learn more about you. You can always ask questions about me. My life is a open book." William ran a hand through his hair.

All right, The somewhat younger looking officer replied. What was life like, living under Dominion Occupation?

"Life was very difficult under the Occupation. You had to hide your knowledge of Starfleet otherwise they would of tortured you to get information out of you. It was very traumatic." William started to tear up.

Im very sure it was. Adrian agreed placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. I had family living there during the Occupation. One, an officer died during the initial attack. Its not something you soon forget.

"Definitely not. What was it like where you came from?" William placed his hand on Adrian's and squeezed too show his thanks.

The reticent El-Aurian pulled back at the question while his face became etched full of distant, though vivid memories. Beautiful, He half whispered, searching for the proper words. A precious crown jewel set among the Galaxy for all to behold her splendor in awe. Her mere sight made event he most wanderlust among my people cry for joy. She was a radiant beacon worlds in the Quadrant, dead now for over a century. Adrian looked back at William; his eyes reverting form their former cornflower, to a glassy appearance. And the memory of home never fades. Im an El-Aurian.

"I am here if you ever want to talk." William gave a heartfelt look to the Counselor. "Care to tell me about your life on the Galaxy?"

Thanks. Mercurial, his expression changed to a light smile, as though his words had taken place ages ago. The question though amused him internally. The Listener was being listened to instead of listening. The day wasnt over yet. On the old one, life was good. It was captained by Robert Price a ship of the line, with the best captain there was. As for life, well, it was pretty good. His eyes twinkled once more. Indirectly through the old Ten Forward Manager, I met the wife and mother of my child, Zerhi. * Was even married on it, with Price conducting the ceremony. Then this one came along, and I figured they wouldnt mind an old codger like me coming back to fill a place within its ranks. He glanced over at William. And you?

William glanced back. "Well my life on the Galaxy just started. I'm hoping to find a new home. Think that is possible?"

Oh yes, He concurred with a slight chuckle. I believe that is very possible to do.

William smiled and shifted. "Think you could give me a tour?"

Adrian smiled brightly, leaning back in his seat. It will be my pleasure.

"Well, where should we begin?" William stood and brushed off his uniform.

Hmmm He slowly arose himself, giving it some thought. How about the Galaxy Promenade? And then make our way from there.

"Lead the way. I promise I will follow." He motioned for the Counselor to go first.

OOC: Backdated to around 3/12. after "A Baby Rhino is loose? WTF??"

"Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold"

By
Lieutenant Commander James Lionel Corgan
And
Ensign Kira Murphy
And
Butthead, the Baby Holo-Rhino

Location: Deck 24, USS Galaxy

"What a day...." Sighed the chief of security, bemoaning the time he had. It had been one of his more unusual days which seemed to come whenever they docked at any starship port. So far, he arrested two on drunken disorderly charges, five for public disturbance, and released an unpresidented twenty five other minor infractions that resulted in fines.

That was just the Galaxy crew. He didn't want to get started on how much of a trouble the merchants and other visitors on the promenade had become. Adding the merchant's area was revolutionary in ship design, changing the entire feel of the starship into a floating city. But the cell space was not adapted to such a revolution. The brig was the same as the original Galaxy. James thought of sending a formal request to the Captain or Starfleet for more brig space due to the increased volumes of visitors.

His mind was on the first sentence when a baby rhino appeared out of nowhere, staring him down.

"Why, hello there boy." Greeted the security officer. "What are you doing out of your quarters? Your owners are being pretty bad, letting you roam about like this. They know you're not supposed to go out unless you're with them."

~"I hope to god he didn't crap on the carpet."~

Looking up at the man standing in front of him, Butthead tilted his head, wondering what the person was going to do.

It took a minute into the staredown to realize the animal wasn't an ordinary housepet. ~"Jesus f**king Christ, did the science department let out one of their wild specimens again? Just f**king perfect! Now i'm going to have to stun the bloody thing. Let's see..." James brought out his phaser, adjusting the stun setting, ~"Weight's close to three or five hundred pounds... this ought to do it!"~ The phaser agreed, giving a happy chirp as stun was set on maximum.

When Butthead heard a sound, he let out a soft little roar before turning tail and bolting, banging into the wall as he did. Bounding forwards, he stopped and left a little message on the floor from fear.

Looking at the stinking mess on the floor, James groaned. "Oh, you f**king..."

Smashing into a wall as he turned around a corner, Butthead reached a dead end and turned, tapping his foot on the floor.

"HEY! Get the f**k back here!" James bolted after the rampaging rhino. As he reached the dead end, his phaser stared down the animal dangerously. "You're not supposed to be out. Either you let me take you back to whatever cage you came from... or I'll phaser you."

Cautiously, James inched closer to the rhino, "Now don't worry. You cause no trouble, you get no trouble. Ok? Is that cool?"

************************

Entering Paediatrics, Kira stopped suddenly when she found it was totally blacked out.

"Computer, what has happened? Why isn't the holographics on?"

[ A systems malfunction has occurred. Paediatric Holographic System is currently in deactivated mode.]

"Oh shit. Computer, lights."

Once the lights came on, Kira went straight to a terminal and brought up the status of her holographic pets. To her relief, none of them were damaged and the diagnostics came back positive.

However, she did notice that one of the animals was still running. Checking, she found it was Butthead, her cute baby rhino.

"Computer, location of computer program Butthead."

[ Program is currently running in holo-emitter 7.]

"What the fuck?? Computer, how did program get transferred?"

[System malfunction.]

"Oh.. Where is Holo-emitter 7? I don't wanna get busted for a having a baby rhino loose."

[ Holo-emitter 7 is currently on deck 24 and moving. ]

"Okay. Alert Engineering to send someone to check out the paediatric holo-system."

[Working. Report sent.]

But Kira had already raced out, heading for a lift.

************************

Arriving on Deck 24, Kira raced forwards, spotting the holographic sign that Butthead had been around.

"Oh dear. Computer, clean that up."

[Working.]

Heading on, she skidded to a halt when she heard the voice of the Chief of Security uphead.

Groaning, she peeked around a corner and saw that Butthead was corned and James was slowly approaching.

Thinking for a moment, she stepped out from around the corner and called out, "Butthead, stay."

Moving forwards, she blushed when James saw her and she said, "It wasn't my fault.. I promise on all that is.. well, I still promise."

~"I should have known..."~ James thought to himself with a sigh of frustration. The memory of her holographic golden retriever was still fresh. It was no surprise to him that yet another one of her holographic children's companions turned out to be a danger to anyone it encountered. He calmed himself before he could scream Kira stupid. "Ma'am, do you know how much trouble this little ba... I mean Butthead, has caused? Besides self esteem problems from his name alone, i'm getting reports that he damaged ships systems and ran his way through the ship. You're in enough hot water as is. Do you know how much trouble you are in now, malfunction or not?!"

"Ummm.. A lot?"

"Look, at best you'll get a misdemenor. But for the love of Christ, i'm not in the best of moods. I still remember that goddamn dog. You think I won't pass up a chance to get you in trouble? Think... again." James growled, but with a hint of satisfaction. He had Kira by the shorthairs now. All that was needed was a tug.

~"A bit unfair."~ The subconcious mind thought, ~"You did want to bury the hatchet once, didn't you?"~

He thought back, ~"That was before her golden lab tried to bite my balls off."~

Walking over to her pet rhino, she rubbed him and giggled as he rubbed up against her, "I modified Lassie so he doesn't become solid anymore.. So he can't hurt anyone. I did it for all of my holo-pets. And Butthead hasn't hurt anyone. He's just scared."

Stepping forwards, she put her hand on James, pouting.

James glared threateningly at Kira's hand, then back at her. "He still damaged ship's systems. A panel just as easily could have been an officer, or even a damn civilian. And then what? The disdemenor would have been bad enough. But negligence? Guilty or not, it would look disasterous on your f... career!"

Cross armed, and looming over Kira and her baby rhino, he grumbled menacingly, "So, how do you propose we tell the Captain about this without getting you into trouble?"

"He can't hurt anyone.. He has holodeck safties always on. Nothing unrepairable was damaged."

"I'm not a machine. I'll cut you some slack because of as of late, you have been good. But make no mistake about it. You owe me." His glare hardened, and his smile grew, "Big. Very big."

Kira grinnned, thinking of ways that she could make things upto him. Then she shook her head because she was pretty sure that he was with someone. "I will do whatever you want me to."

James groaned, ~"Geez, any more lecherous and she would be an Orion slave girl."~

His PADD at the ready and his phaser holstered, James punched in a few discreet, scattered letters while he talked. "With you, I have a pre-made report; a testiment to your predictability. But worry not. It was a malfunction, so it can be explained away. However, that doesn't explain why your companion holopet has to be a large mammal capable of this kind of damage. I mean, can't you stick with dogs? Or better yet, planarians?"

"If the computer hadn't dumped him here, he would be safe. He doesn't hurt any of the children."

"Be that as it may, it still damaged systems. So, how did it get tied into the ship's holoprojectors? And judging by the route he took, he went through some gaps in the holoprojection system. How did he manage that?"

Walking over to where Butthead was, she spoke, "Computer, make Butthead go totally hologram without any solidity."

[Working. Done.]

Thinking for a moment, she quickly slapped her hand through Butthead and banged the small holo-emitter inside, causing it to make Butthead shimmer.

"Because he is in one of the mobile holo-emitters."

With a final few words keyed in, James smiled. "Ok, this is satisfactory. I think this wasn't your fault, so i'm going to let you go. But of course, this is one of a thousand warnings you have received in your lifetime, so for once pay heed to them. I don't want to drag your ass into the brig, no matter how many times your dog attacks me. Now if you'll excuse me...." He said with an exasperated sigh, "I have to take another troublemaker like you out of the drunk tank. Excuse me."

"Thank you. I will promise to be better."

"Chop Suey"

(In order of rank)

Adm. Jebediah Hendershaw,
Starfleet Command

Cpt. Dahmyen Ki'ia,
CO, USS K'Hotan

Cdr. Victor Barrakshasa,
XO, USS Relentless

Cdr. Kiedra Macgreggor,
XO, USS Yamato

Lt. Cdr. Axel Hendershaw,
Command School Student

Lt. Cdr. Taalis Jaxom,
Rogue Squadron XO, USS Miranda

Lt. Cdr Jaal Jaxom,
Chief of Ops, USS Miranda

Lt. Cdr. Geoffrey Macgreggor,
Chief Tactical, USS Yamato

Lt. Cdr. Mariko DelJudas,
Chief Engineer, Starbase Dark Range

Lt. Cdr. Rose Hendershaw,
Chief Science, USS Resolution

Lt. Cdr. T'arianne,
Chief Security, USS Hawke

Lt. Cdr Daniel Macgreggor,
CMO, USS Resolution (and no relation to Geoff)

Lt. Cdr Rrovorg,
Chief Security, USS K'Hotan

Lt. Cdr. Rosalea D'Judaasi bani Lytherraias,
XO/Chief Science, USS Agamemnon

Maj. Viktor,
Pilot Squadron CO, USS Remora

Maj. Saladin Bolivar,
Chief Intell, USS Galaxy

Lt. Jack Davies,
CMO and Surgeon, USS K'Hotan

Lt. Damien Crowley,
Engineer, Starbase Dark Range

Lt. Steve Chambers,
Tactical, Starbase Dark Range

Lt. Liam O'Connor,
Asst Chief of Security, Starbase Dark Range

Lt. Lucidique,
CMO, Starbase Dark Range

Lt. Medea Sinistrari,
Hellryder Squadron CO, USS Yamato

Lt. Kesh,
Chief of Security, USS Remora

Lt. JG Ahdjiia D'Tinya-Bolivar,
Security, USS Galaxy

Ens. Boone Cabal bani Bahomea cha Davoust,
Science, USS K'Hotan

Itchaiyok,
SWA-sehlat with attitude, USS Miranda

Bucky the wonderwolf,
Starbase Dark Range

more Little Ones than I can possibly name,
USS Galaxy

and massive unauthorized use and mention of significant others and whatnots.

The message had gone out for those who could make it, and it was understood if some couldn't get on as always. Axel was the first to log on his father's emergency line that was always up. While this wasn't an emergency, the line was one of the best party commlines available short of what the assorted ambassadors and government heads had.

He relaxed in the chair he had by his desk, having finished his last batch of finals and was too wiped to go to any of the parties he'd been invited to, and honestly, that was okay with him. He had his friends he hung with and that was enough. Axel sipped from the huge stein of eggnog and was licking his lips when the next to arrive logged on.

"Nice to see the tongue again.", grinned Mariko, looking exhausted herself as she pushed her glasses up her nose. Considering she was expecting her first child, on numerous medications to carry to term because of how mixed her blood was, and having two husbands to be, well, 'nuff said.

Axel smiled at the woman he'd once had a thing going with. "Good to know it still brings a smile to your face even if it's not the way it was.", he said as he set his stein down, "How're you doing and the wigglie and the two fellas?"

"They're all doing.", Mar said, "Baby's settled for the night. Kept thinking all the moving was gas, until Luci set me straight. Guys are crashed for the night. Long day and wearing them out later, meh."

"Looks like you're gunning to beat out 'Dea on the endurance, eh?", Axel joked.

"Like hell.", chimed in Medea as she popped up on the screen. The Romulan/Orion had a man's shirt hastily thrown on and her hair was sticking up in odd places. Judging from the wide smile on her face, she was having a good night so far.

"Oh, you can actually outdo the Bajoran Stamina, eh?", Mar smirked while Medea's eye twitched at the mention of Bajoran.

"Um...", Medea started looking sheepish while Axel discreetly looked aside and rubbed a finger near his mouth to tell Mar to drop it for now and he'd fill her in later. Mar let it drop, now wondering what was up since last she heard 'Dea had been pretty hot and heavy with some guy named Joran Kes.

It helped when a languid man logged on, an enigmatic smile on his face as he rubbed a nostril. "Greetings all.", Dahmyen said, "I see I've not missed much, or I've missed the evening." It was easy to tell the R'lyendhari Captain was flying a little higher than usual.

"Not missed much.", Axel smiled, "The usual wingding still going on over there?"

"Of course, though I believe some will try to attend this. Boone was absent from the festivities, but then he's still keeping to himself after the demotion.", Dahmyen said as he leaned forward and got his usual glass of absinthe.

"Well, trying to chew the arm off the Second Officer while trying to kill the Chief Helm officer will do that.", Taalis said wryly as she joined the group, her sehlat, Itchaiyok sniffing at the screen.

All leaned back from their respective screens when Medea loudly 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'd' at seeing Taalis again.

"Mingyaoratlay....", grumbled a new voice as a man with blue/grey skin shook his head, "Forgots 'Dea's motsamutsa loudselfs." Damien blinked, his solid black eyes a bit on the glassy side and unreadable as always. "Shoulda 'membered, she always motsamutsa loud."

"Always was.", growled yet another voice as a massive part K'zinti male with a thick head of blond hair finally spoke up. As usual, Victor was being his 'social' self and spending time alone in his quarters. A half empty bottle of whiskey in hand. He took a swig while lazily scratching his almost furry bare chest with his claws. Since his wife and unborn son's death, he'd become far more reclusive than thought possible and it was quite the surprise to see him here, especially since he'd been the only one to specifically request leaving the K'Hotan because of the memories it brought up.

Medea's reply was to stick out her tongue to the assorted rolling of eyes and chuckling.

"I believe mine's more impressive.", Lucidique said as she joined in, showing off her heavily pierced tongue. Even on screen the statuesque Abyssosi female cut an imposing figure with her cultural religious augmentations that were painful to look at by many.

"I see everything is still the same.", Rosalea chuckled as her face joined the roster. The Dhampyrr Noctembaali officer had her usual pleasant smile on her face as she stretched out her batlike wings lazily, "I cannot stay long, Arch..Captain Baker is expecting me for a meeting." Her words were made more obvious in that she was dressed for a more private celebration.

That brought some muffled chuckles and snorts.

"They didn't buy that excuse when I would use that when it was involving 'Commander Macgreggor.", spoke a woman of mixed Klingon heritage with a hint of a smile on her lips, "And it wasn't believable when Geoffrey said it either." Kiedra's smile widened more as memory welled up of those occasions.

An assortment of heys and hello chimed around with a nod from Victor.

"Cousin, how are you doing?", Taalis asked with a faint smile on her lips.

"I am doing well.", Kiedra said to her cousin several times removed, "Geoffrey still worries over our son and I." She gently put her hand on her almost showing belly as she said the latter.

That brought a unified chorus of 'Eh, he's only human."

"That could apply to those of human stock as well.", Ahdjiia said as her mantilla veiled face popped up and a small spider walked across the viewscreen, "Saladin tends to show as much concern as he will allow himself to."

"So 'that's' his name.", Medea said, "Why I keep calling him Salad..I don't know."

"You're the reason we all call him that since you can't get that name right.", Taalis smirked.

"I know that's how for me.", Rose said sheepishly as she joined in, clearly ready for bed with her long black hair in the side plaits she braided it in before going to sleep, "I hope he wasn't offended by the Christmas card then."

"I explained it as a fault of the transmission.", Ahdjiia said with a soft smile.

Mar chuckled, "At least now I can stop thinking of him as something green and leafy." At even the slightest mention of food, Mar's six legged pet wolf, Bucky roused himself and padded over to beg. She'd acquired him during her time on the Vanguard-A when it had been lost in space and they'd come across him on an away mission to a dead planet that was infested with zombies. He'd been near starving then and he still took every chance he could to glut himself.

Itchaiyok snorted at seeing another animal on the screen and promptly hefted his massive bulk on his haunches to snorfle the screen wetly while Bucky reciprocated, making both Mar and Taalis have to get up for something to clean the screens from animal snot.

"Ah, two animals slobbering on viewscreens, a few already intoxicated and talk of the one we all thought was sentient vegetation...I must be in the right place.", loudly mused a partially scaled Vulcan woman with a flick of her forked tongue, "I hope I have not missed the comparisons of anatomy yet." The other face, a mixed Klingon like Kiedra though with a more serene bearing simply nodded in agreement.

A half chorus of 'Hey Kesh' and 'Hey T'ari' chimed around with yet another nod from Victor.

"Where's Viktor?", Medea asked, trying to peer around Kesh to see if the mountain of an El Aurian that the security officer had taken up with was in the background. He was one of the 'K'Hotani' as well, and one who'd Medea'd propositioned repeatedly only to be politely turned down. That had given her a serious blow to her self esteem and she'd moped for quite a while thinking she'd lost her mojo. Of course, she got better.

"Running late.", Kesh said with a soft hiss and flicker of her forked tongue, "There was an error in fighter maintenance and he's 'personally' overseeing things. Once he is off, we're having dinner together."

"That is the way of things.", Taalis and Mar agreed as they wiped off their viewscreens.

That brought a chorus of nods, and a 'Booyah that one can cook' from Damien which brought stronger headnods and a flurry of overlapped chatter on recipes while Victor finished off his whisky and pulled out a bottle of potent Trill wine.

"You talk Viktor.", rumbled the massive bearlike Bulrathi who filled his viewscreen, "He do good mead for not-Bulrathi."

This time the chorus of hellos was much more boisterous and even Victor nodded with a rumbly 'Rrrrovorrg'.

Daymyen sat up with his absinthe when his security chief showed up. "How is the ongoing chaos?", he asked with a bored air to his voice.

"You miss Davoust make big announcement of to be mate of Helga. That give them all third wind, but now they too busy all happy than me have to throw ** in brig." Rrovorg's chair creaked as he sat down, a sparklie bra hanging off one of his potruding fangs which he politely removed. "I take some time away to see old faces.", he said smiling at those who'd been in his department, "Taalis, Ahdjiia, Kesh, Barrakshasa, T'ari, you all look well."

Victor just growled low with a nod while the ladies all smiled with chiming in of further greetings to their former boss. No one really noticed Boone logging on, silently gazing at Rosalea, a love that was forever denied him due to a now dead horny sumbitch.

Taalis noticed the bottle Victor was starting to drink from. "Oh, did all of you get the cases from Jaal's family?", she asked the group. Her bondmate's family had been vintners for generations and naturally Jaal made sure they'd all gotten sample bottles and ended up boosting the clientel for his family.

That brought a chorus of yes' or a hefting up of the current bottles being drunk. Taalis smiled and relayed the message through her bond with Jaal who was starting to get ready for bed. **Thanks evlor.**, he replied, **They were concerned since it was a large order.**

The chatting started to simmer down until Luci spoke up with an open musing. "I must admit, this year we have more pregnancies that we did last year, and from those I did not expect to see either."

"Don't look at me.", Axel said as he finished off his egg nog and headed to get a fresh one, "I've been too busy with school to even think of going anywhere or doing anything short of just studying."

"It was quite the surprise for us.", Ahdjiia said, "It came out during the physical Saladin's Matriarch insisted I have to assure that I was a genetic benefit to their family line."

"Didn't expect it.", Mar said, idly scratching the suicide attempt scars on her forearms, "And honestly, the shit ain't all it's bullshitted out to be. If I ever puke up my shoes, well, I'm on record saying I knew it was going to happen."

"Really?", Kiedra said, "It has been quite mild for me."

"Weeell...Ain't you speeeecial....", Mar said with a not too thrilled snide smirk while Damien closed his eyes and stuck his fingers in his ears with a softly muttered 'mingya' to muffle the explosion that was going to happen. Even on a viewscreen, Mar's Angry Face was terrifying and he also had to work with her on a daily basis.

"Ladies.....", Rrovorg rumbled before tempers started up, "No cranky, no Angry Face." Even the virtually silent Victor growled low and loud with a slight baring of fang to add to the 'simmer down' tone. To him, getting riled wasn't good for the children they carried and since the loss of his son, he was touchy about things like that.

With even Victor adding his weight, Mar changed the subject knowing how deeply he felt about things. She'd been one of the few who'd been crazy enough to approach the part K'Zinti during his grief, and still bore the mating bite scars he'd put on her collarbone in his extreme drunkeness. That had also been the only suicide watch she was in that she wasn't the one being watched. "I talked to my cousin Tam today. Tante Tam was let out to spend some time with the family, so the Tucker end of the Horde's in a good mood.", she said off on a completely different tangent.

"Who is Tante Tam?", Dahmyen idly asked as he refilled his absinthe.

"One of the old ones in my family, Tamara's great-great grandma or something, has one foot in the grave and the other on a bar of wet soap. Been like that for as long as I can remember.", Mar went on, "Her bondmate passed away ages ago and she flipped. Keeps hearing him in her head and for the past ten or so years keeps forgetting to take care of herself and keeps calling out for him."

Axel and Rose silently groaned. Way to go Mar....you happy ray of sunshine you.

"Chop Suey" Part 2 of 3

The cast of thousands

...Way to go Mar...you ray of sunshine you...

Rrovorg and Victor were untimely widowers, Damien and Lucidique had both lost their betrotheds, Taalis, Kiedra and Kesh had uphill battles to their bondings, Medea and Rose had trouble with commitments, Rosalea had only just bounced back from her near severe breakup which had kicked her self esteem somewhere near a planetary core, Boone had long loved Rosalea but due to the cultural restrictions their people placed on age, he'd never acted and it was now too late since she'd become intimate with another, and the jury was still out on what could be up with Dahmyen and T'arianne. Mar wasn't quite exempt from the situation either, only after years of being suicidal she only just managed to get some peace between both her husbands to be. The only one who had anything normal was Ahdjiia, and even she looked a bit off at Mar's words.

The uncomfortable silence was broken when Dahmyen fell out of his chair and an arm along with a leg could be seen sticking up by angles not allowed by anything not dislocated. Rrovorg sighed and leaned off to the side. His deep voice calling for Dr. Davies, the CMO to please report to the Captain's quarters as he's gotten himself tied up in knots again was audible and he ran a pawlike hand over his head. "At rate Captain do that, Davies go put him on crucifix to keep him flat.", rumbled Rrovorg.

On Dahmyen's side of things, a rather exasperated human male with a chin that could cut titanium strode in and looked at the captain, "How the hell did you do that this time captain....haven't I told you not to tie yourself up..."

"Fell...", came the muffled reply as Medea cackled "Teach me that one!".

Jack looked up, "Suuure.. let's just get you fixed."

"Soooo...what *do* they call you....", Medea purred, leaning forward and giving a goodly view of cleavage while the rest were all in full eyeroll.

"You must be Medea..."

"Whatever they said....didn't capture the full me...they always understate.", Medea purred, looking Davies over like a filet mignon.

Jack just sighed, "Let's get the captain looking less like a pretzel."

"It's just twisting the back, I can do the rest.", Dahmyen said, his voice still muffled by his head twisted oddly half under his desk.

"Captain.." Jack sighed, "Let me do my job before the good Lieutenant there considers me dinner."

That brought a chorus of 'Too Late' from the others and another stuck out tongue by Medea which was replied to in kind by Lucidique.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Just a small Christmas chat among old friends.", Axel said, "And so far it's going along as usual."

"This is usual?" Jack moved under the desk then a grunt could be heard, "Ok does this happen often?"

"Nani should've forwarded things along.", Rose said, "Just log onto Admiral Hendershaw's emergency comm channel and we're all just talking."

Jack sighed then the pop was heard, "Captain, you're fixed again..."

Dahmyen rose only to stumble and go down again. Rrovorg sighed, "It one of those nights."

Jack moved him to a chair, "Captain, no more pretzel tonight."

"I'll be fine.", Dahmyen protested as his head rolled back at an angle more seen with decapitation.

"Someone needs to be cut off at the bar.", Mar chuckled.

"That would be an understatement."

"Medlab or quarters?", Rrovorg asked Davies figuring it was about that time for Dahmyen to be wheeled off.

"Quarters is fine... medlab is only for the big things."

Rrovorg nodded and a chorus of good nights sounded with a nod from Barrakshasa and a more flirtatious good night from Medea to Davies.

Jack sighed, and helped the captain up. "C'mon let's sleep it off. this is not exactly why I went to medschool."

"But somehow it still manages to happen.", Luci quipped as Davies adjusted Dahmyen's lanky form for the hefting away.

"Yea yea..." Jack grunted and moved up the captain...

Dahmyen's screen went out and then Rosa started to get up. "I must go, it's that time.", she said with a smile.

"So soon?", Ahdjiia and Medea asked.

"Once the Captain of the K'Hotan has passed out and is being rolled to quarters, it is acceptable to call it a night.", Rosa smiled, "I did enjoy this so we must do this again."

The chorus of goodbyes, good nights, and one 'Don't do what I wouldn't do...or is that what I would do..' sounded again and Rosa's screen went dark. Boone's followed, his reason for being there having left.

"I guess I'll take a break to go pee.", Medea smiled as she bounced off for a few moments. Mar took the time to look to Axel, "Okay, spill."

Once it was clear that Medea was out of range, Axel spilled. "Well, going by what I've heard about a rather upset Bajoran engineer coming by dad's and asking where'd she go...looks like things were pretty serious between her and him and she just up and left."

"Medea always did like variety.", Ahdjiia said as Taalis nodded. "I wager he mention Meet Family and she get wings on feet.", Rrovorg said as he leaned back in his chair.

"She's got reason for that.", Victor rumbled as he reached halfway on his wine.

A chorus of nods began. They all knew Medea's mom was an Orion courtesan, and even though 'Dea wasn't in the business, she still got painted with that rather broad brush. There could be a repeat of why she was transferred off the Independence where she was a Lt. Cdr, Chief of Tactical and Second Officer simply because a high ranking married admiral was a client of her mother's.

"I hate to say, but it's last call for me. It's late and Jaal's waiting for me.", Taalis said as her head tilted slightly. Her Trill bondmate's face popped in the screen to wish everyone a happy holiday and then they were gone.

"At this rate Medea'll be coming back to an empty channel.", Luci said as she idly fidgeted with a wire braided dredlock which had been bolted into her scalp and sending the yellow tinted sunglasses she had been wearing perched on her head to fall down.

"Or just stuck with Dimmy asleep.", Ahdjiia said as she looked over to Damien's where he'd fallen asleep with his head propped on his hand, mouth open and slightly snoring.

"An image to remember.", said the until now mostly silent T'arianne.

"I can wake him.", Mar said in a sing-song tone, a particularly evil look in her eyes, while Kesh replied in like, "I don't think so." Then the two were pleasantly bickering until a pair of very muscled arms wrapped around Kesh and a bald head dropped into view to kiss her cheek. "Hello all, sorry I missed the party.", Viktor said with a smile.

"It happens.", Rose smiled.

"I wish I could stay but I promised dinner to Kesh and Filet Mignon Lili with Potatoes Anna cannot wait.", Viktor smiled.

There were a few envious groans. "What is the rest of the meal?", Kiedra asked, knowing Viktor would be showing off for the holidays.

"A light bouillon appetizer, Punch Romaine for cleansing the palate, asparagus salad with a champagne-saffron vinaigrette and peaches in chartreuse jelly for dessert.", Viktor said while Kesh beamed a smile.

"Okay, who wants to either bump off Kesh or kidnap Viktor to be our cooking slave.", Mar said with a grin.

"Not a chance and we'll keep in touch.", Kesh said as she and Viktor waved and signed off.

"Who wants to wager she'll be having trouble fitting into her uniform in 10 years.", Mar said with a smirk.

"There are ways of working off caloric intake.", Ahdjiia said with a soft smile as Medea came back and sat down. "...aaand what would you know about that...?", she purred.

"Not as much as you...but enough.", Ahdjiia said enigmatically.

"My ass.", Medea snorted.

"No...", piped up a low and quite drunken by now rumble, "*This* is an ass." Completely unexpected by all, Victor stood to his full height, unzipped his jeans and turned around to show all a quite hairy moon. T'ari immediately signed off upon seeing the fuzzy posterior.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooh BUNS!", cackled Medea as she mock grabbed Victor's rear, causing a peal of laughter from the others and making Victor shake that shapely butt.