"Back Aboard"

Lt. Commander Brianna "Anna" O'Shea, Chief Engineer / Liaison SCE
Ensign Paulo DiMillo, Intelligence Officer
Ensign Marcus Slayton, Engineering Officer

Paulo stood in the shuttle bay and watched as Anna's shuttle touched down. He had yet to tell her that her father had made a visit while she was gone, but she would know within the next few moments. Once the shuttle was touched down, the ramp opened and Anna was first at the ramp smiling. When she heard Paulo she smiled.

Paulo walked up to the two love birds. "I hope you had a good trip," Paulo said.

"Hey... it was good." She said, then looked at Marcus and then back to Paulo. "Marc... this is Paulo.. my brother." Anna said. "Paulo, this is Marc... my... fiancée."

"Nice to meet you," Paulo replied shaking Marc's hand.

Marcus looked at Paulo for a second and then shakes the younger man's hand. Marcus said with an easy smile "good to meet you, Paulo."

Paulo then looked back over to Anna, "your dad stopped by," Paulo said flat out.

"What?" Anna asked, surprised, and wondering why exactly he was here. "I didn't tell him about you, but the look on your face tells me he now knows."

"Yeah, he knows. He thought I was trying to blackmail him!" Paulo then thought for a few seconds, in retrospect it wouldn't have been a bad idea... "I think he is still on his way to earth."

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and looked thoughtfully for a second. "I can understand that, My dad did mention that there was a chance that Commander O'Shea was possibly going to be pulled in to help with the Trill Recovery Effort." Marcus explained and then he got a big smile on his face as he stepped between his fiancée and his future brother-in-law and said simply "How about this, lunch or dinner first, just the four of us which is myself, you two and Peckerwood and then we can figure out what to do next? Good idea?"Marcus asked hoping to lighten the mood soon and hoping to also get to know a future family member a little better.

"Starfleet must have called him out of retirement to help out then, cause he was retired." Anna said, then thought about what Marc suggested. "Not that hungry, but if you two are, then I'll go with you. I need to check in with my department to."

"Dinner would work better for me, Cora has be working on a new assignment and I should be hearing back from someone pretty soon," Paulo replied.

"Okay.. so dinner tonight. Come to my quarters and we can eat there... I'll cook something." Anna said. "Give me a chance to check in with my people, let everyone know I'm back." She said, then hugged Paulo, having slowly fallen into the sister role with him.

Paulo hugged her back, "till tonight."

Brianna watched Paulo leave, then picked up her dog and looked at Marcus. "Lets go drop him off and then I need to check in with my people... you need to check in with your boss and tell her your back." She said, then snickered since she was his boss. Heading out of the bay, they headed for her quarters to drop off her dog.

"Problems To Deal With; Whether You Like It Or Not"

Commander Karyn Dallas, RN, Chief Counselor/Second Officer
Ensign Nara Sol Roswell, Engineer

***

Commander Karyn Dallas' Office

Karyn sighed and resisted the urge to drag her chair across her office carpet for the fifth time in ten minutes. Lee's words echoed in her ears. "I was led to believe you were somewhat of a specialist in these matters." If he only knew. She'd agreed to see Nara for what she believed at the time to be purely professional reasons. When she had agreed to talk to someone to sort out her own unfinished business, she promised herself her life was not going to stop simply because she was asking for help. Was she in denial?

The truth was, she *was* an expert when it came to problems of this nature. Having survived an abusive childhood, personal insight was the one good thing she could say she'd gotten out of it. But she also knew the brass at HQ would kill her if they knew she was continuing to see clients with these problems given her own struggles as of late. The same would be true of Counselor Sabriel as well. The young counselor had been invaluable to her, and although they had a lot to work through, Dallas found herself relieved to finally have chosen a direction for her life.

The door chimed, and Karyn shrugged. It was easier to ask for forgiveness than it was to ask for permission. "Come in," she called.

With the recent events, Nara had almost forgotten about this situation she needed to take care of. The same dread came over her. She knew the price, but she just wondered exactly how many people she would have to talk to before this was settled.

She walked in and started talking, "Just to let you know, I'm really over the whole thing. I'm simply here to confirm it so Professor Marks can be put to justice. I honestly don't have any issues to deal with."

She paused and, "Oh. I'm Nara. Thanks for seeing me." With that, she sat in a chair and crossed her legs.

Karyn wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this appointment, but this particular greeting decidedly wasn't even in her realm of possibilities. She wasn't expecting the engineer to state her intentions so boldly, but instead expected her body language to speak for her. The "I'm ok-you're ok" stare was universal across all races. "Hi, Nara," Dallas greeted, "I'm Karyn Dallas. It was no problem for me to see you, and in fact I'm happy to help." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "In fact, I should be thanking you. I realize it can't be easy talking about what you went through."

Nara looked at her a moment. "I understand I have to do what I have to do." She kept that brave facade. Inside she was thinking, ~Just tell me you're the last person I have to tell.~

Karyn frowned. "But that's just it, Nara. You don't have to do anything, not if you don't want to press charges. As counselors, Lee and I can't reveal what you've reported without your permission and I believe the Captain will respect your wishes on the matter. The only thing we care about is helping you to deal with this memory now that it has surfaced. Lee thought perhaps you'd feel more comfortable talking to another woman about it, and I've had some experience working with people who have experienced this kind of trauma. Are you really over it, Nara?"

Nara sighed, "Yes, I do have to do something. If we want to make sure he doesn't do it again. It's not even about being over it. It's about justice. I'm functioning just fine. I have a few friends and work is going well."

"I just need to make sure you know what you're getting into, Nara. Don't get me wrong, you should report him if that's what you think is right, and I will help you any way I can, but you're going to have to re-tell and re-live everything that man did to you, in front of perfect strangers who will be inclined to doubt you rather than a well respected professor whom you are accusing years after the crime. Even if he goes to prison, Nara, it still doesn't change what happened to you. There's no shame in needing to talk to someone about this."

Nara leaned forward. "I shared parts of that memory with at least two people. Possibly others I don't know; through the whole memory jumping thing. I can show you telepathically what happened to me. Not much to doubt in that."

Karyn frowned suddenly, realizing she might be giving an impression she didn't want to give. "I believe you, Nara, absolutely. But I imagine coming to realize this memory was an awful shock. Lee told me you had no memory of this event before. Is that why you sought his help?"

Nara sighed, "I didn't really seek help as in I need therapy. I sought help because I was told you could file it as evidence against Professor Marks."

Karyn took that in for a moment and focused her attention on what was barely said. "Do you want therapy?"

"I don't believe I need it." Nara's eyes looked down. She wasn't sure she believed it. She FELT fine. But was she?

Karyn leaned forward slightly. "And what would it mean to you if you did need therapy, Nara?"

Nara shrugged, "I'm functioning just fine as it is."

Karyn frowned, unsure of how to approach this because she knew what it was like to be on the other side. "You didn't answer my question, Nara. What would it mean to you if you did need therapy? Do you think you could ask for help? Please understand, I'm not trying to tell you you're incapable of knowing your own mind, I just...I would like you to know that...it's ok to feel overwhelmed. It's ok to ask for help."

Nara looked at her and shrugged, "As far as I know, I'm fine. If I'm in denial then I got it real bad because I'm not seeing where this would have affected me."

"Maybe it hasn't," Karyn allowed. "But if you thought it did, would you ask for help? I imagine this is going to get uglier before it gets better."

Nara sighed, "To be honest, even since the memory came back, I've ignored it. No point in really letting it haunt me."

"And how's that working for you?"

Nara smirked, "Fine, actually." She wanted to laugh now. If there WERE some subconscious, deeper level that she had to deal with, she couldn't find it and she doubted this counselor could. "Commander, let's cut to the chase. I think I'm fine. You're trying to prove otherwise. If I'm not, I don't know how these questions will bring any issues up."

"They won't," Karyn replied, "not if there's nothing for you or I to be concerned about. As I said before, my job is not to give you problems, but to be an objective observer. You've realized a pretty traumatic event. I just wanted to be sure you're doing ok."

She sighed, "And If I felt I did need therapy, to be honest." She looked up at the woman, "And this doesn't change the fact that I don't think that I do." She looked back down, "I honestly don't think I would seek help." Nara took a deep breath and leaned back, "My mother's a counselor and I know you guys are trained to delve deep into people's minds and emotions. I'm just not comfortable with someone knowing me that well besides people I choose."

Karyn raised a hand. "That, I completely understand, believe me. So you have other people you can talk to if need be?"

"I first told Dr. Feinberg." Nara wasn't sure he would count though. She wanted to keep a safe distance considering he was married. Though their relationship was far from that--it was more like he was her uncle--rumors start like wild fire.

She sighed, "No one I would really want to get in detail about it with. The one person I got in depth with it about is on the Miranda." Nara brought a leg up and hugged it missing Cernu suddenly. She missed the serenity of Verlu. Facing it there felt safe. Facing it here made her feel vulnerable. "Besides Counselor Lee and the Captain of course. They saw the memory." Still no one she could talk with about it.

She stood and paced, "What good would talking do? Let's just get him punished and I think I'll be done with this whole thing." She was getting very uncomfortable.

"You think? You seem to be very angry, Nara, and you don't appear to have anybody to talk to about it. Can you understand why that would concern me? You have Saia to think about."

Nara sighed and looked at her. "Exactly! You'd think in this day and age we'd be safe! But we're NOT! It's people like HIM I need to protect her from! We saved her from some madman crashing his ship on her home, only that she's orphaned! I would feel a whole lot safer and feel she is safer if he were locked away!"

Nara calmed down realizing her voice had raised and her emotions came out. She sat down feeling tired. She spoke more calmly, "I've been in war, I've been tortured for information. Why is this memory what troubles me?" She sighed, "Well it didn't till I had to talk about it." She pouted and gulped holding back tears.

She tried to keep a solid face, "Just tell me I have a case, counselor and I'll be on my way."

Karyn leaned forward and folded her hands, considering all that had been said. "I'm not a lawyer, Nara, but we won't do anything to keep you from pursuing this, and speaking personally, I'll do whatever I can to make sure that whomever can handle the legal aspects of this will sit up and take notice. Whatever happens, I want you to know I believe you, and I hope you and I can continue to talk. You're dealing with a lot right now, and it might help in long run to talk about it."

Nara nodded her appreciation. If anything, this darned meeting gave her things to think about. Things she really didn't want to think about. But it was time to go. After telling Dallas, she would come back--sometime, Nara left. She hadn't intended to blow up like she had, and it ticked her off that it just proved Dallas' point.

"Baile and the Blue Furie"

1Lt. T'Shani a'Akledorian Furies Detachment CO

2Lt. Jebidiah Baile Furies Red Team Leader

With:

SgtMaj. Carl Johnson (APC, M. Miller) Furies Command NCO

SSgt. Matthew St. Valentine (NPC, M. Miller) Furies Aide de Campe

== Deck 4: Flight Deck =

"...And I'm not wild about Lieutenant Branwen's retainer of the XO spot, Sir. After Leran Manev, I'm not sure she can handle a *real* firefight," Johnson finished his thought as he and the Red Team Leader, Second Lieutenant 'Jeb' Baile finished inspecting the Anduril and Glamdring before signing off on Tmmros' and Ergransi's flight-readiness checksheets.

Baile ran a hand through his shortcrop mohican and rubbed his unshaved chin. "She's about as green as they come..." he responded after a few seconds and put the beret back on his head. Johnson and Baile were the veterans of the Furies, two men who had spent virtually every minute of their life in one warzone or another.

"No shit, Jeb. How long you think our new CO will last?" Carl asked as he signed the padd for the Anduril. He liked the new First Lieutenant. She was more organized and professional than Hayes had been, in Carl's opinion.

"Fuck me if I know.. " Baile said and shrugged. "Depends if she's career or not.. " Few veterans thought highly of the so-called careerofficers. With them it became politics, not warfare.

"Yeah, true. But so far, she's humpin' it okay," Carl replied. He handed one padd to Tmmros, before starting to sign off the other one. "How's your team doin'? I hear that Furji's havin' quite a time with Donut."

Paperwork. Why couldn't someone just toss him into a pit filled with rabid elephants? "Team?.. bunch of no good girlscouts.." he frowned. "I'm surprised they can even wipe their asses without instructions.." he grinned slyly.

Carl only grunted in agreement, while he finished signing off the last form, then passed it to Baile for his final signature.

"I don't know.. I'm still trying to figure out who to shoot first.. Donut or Furji.. Preacher is also a candidate.. " he replied and signed off the padd. Or at least tried. After the third attempt he frowned at the electronic torture-device. "I hate the damn things... "

"Yeah, they're not--"

"Lieutenant Baile?" a voice called from behind them. Carl instantly recognized it as the voice of Staff Sergeant Valentine, the CO's aide.

Rolling his head, followed by a muffled cracking sounds, Baile turned around and glared at Valentine. Now was not really a good time to interrupt the recon specialist. He hated paperwork and just wanted to get it over with. "At ease..." he replied none the less.

"Lieutenant T'Shani would like to speak with you, Sir."

"I'm sure she would, Sunny... " Baile responded and looked at the padd in his hand with disgust. He tossed the pad over to Carl and gave Valentine a quick nod. "Hustle, Sunshine.."

Valentine nodded, ignoring Baile's always-cheerful personality. "Very well, Lieutenant. I'll let her know that you're on your way, Sir," he said while briefly coming-to and then leaving.

Carl just smiled and gave Baile a 'sly-eye'. "Well, look at it this way, Jeb. Maybe she's gonna tell you that they're finally sending Donut to the looney-bin."

"And maybe," Baile commented flatly, "the Busdrivers will actually grow a pair.. "

"Yeah," Carl replied chuckling, "I doubt it too."

----------------
T'Shani's Office
----------------

Baile could almost always been seen wearing the same style of clothing when not on mission. Sandcolored BDU-pants, a tight blue t-shirt with the SFMC insignia on the left handside of the chest, heavy duty spitshine combatboots, and a sidearm, a good old fashioned automatic gun in a holster strapped to his thigh. And his hat. Baile didn't care much for the beret, which would either be the Marine or Special Ops Beret. Instead he wore the hat he had started wearing during the first skirmishes of the Dominion War. Now it was probably the most seasoned and experienced Marine hat in the entire Corps.

Baile liked the hat. Good hats was hard to come by and this was a very good hat. A bit worn, but it had gotten to the point were it was very comfortable. A bit like a worn baseballcap.

The veteran reconspecialist had another bad habit. He rarely made much sound, something that had proven useful at times, but had also made a nervous security Guard shoot him in the... stern... when walking by. Good thing the guard hadn't hit the hat. The ass would heal, but the hat wouldn't have been the same.

Walking through the door to the CO's office Baile noticed a few things. First one was the stars. He hated the stars. Or rather, the empty space between them.

Second was the chair, which in itself looked comfortably enough.

Third was the blue... thing... sitting in it.

Andorian. How sweet. A race of aggressive hotheads with a chip on their shoulders.

The final thing Baile noticed was the fact that while the Andorian was physically in the room, her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Flawlessly, with the unbeatable Marine precision, Baile stood attention, arms slammed tightly to his sides, chest out, beergut (if he had been in possession of one) in and eyes looking forward. "Second Lieutenant Baile reporting in. Ma'am."

T'Shani had been watching the stars. Although she had registered the shushed swish of her office doors, her mind had gone back to the depth of the stars.

A part of her still yearned to be out there, in some way. She was sure she was better off with this unit (and was better off to be back in the Corps), but still wondered sometimes about it all. rising from her seat, she turned to face her newest project.

"At ease, Lieutenant. Sit."

Baile lived and practically oozed Marine. From his composure to the way his eyes looked, that slight squint with just the right touch of viscious evil to them. He stood at ease and sat down in the chair offered to him.

T'Shani sat back down in her chair, facing Jebidiah across her desk. She had read Baile's jacket thoroughly (as all others), and was impressed by his service, if not the many reprimands. She also realized the irony in the fact that he had been serving in the SFMC long before she had even learned the First Movement of the Chaka.

Picking up the padd from her desk, she read off the list displayed on its screen: "Two bronze stars, SpecOps, many reprimands, and a former member of the infamous 'Crows'." She paused, looking up from the padd to meet Jebidiah's hard, steely eyes. "Why are you stuck with this rinky-dink outfit?"

He wondered how much she knew about his former unit, or rather the Colonel. It didn't really matter, he corrected himself. That was then. He shrugged, but looked into her eyes with the utmost self-confidence. "I drew the shortest straw."

"I see," she deadpanned. Like her, he had been involved in many things that he couldn't talk about, whether due to binding orders or just not wanting to relive those times. She could definitely sympathize.

Changing subjects, "Tell me about your team, your sergeants: Furji and Van der Groot."

To tell the truth Baile hadn't had much chance to check them. He'd done two exercises with the group, just basic Marine exercises to get a feel for the team. He was still observing their "off-battle" behaviour. "Can't really say that much. Furji shoots his mouth from time to time, but his heart is in the right place.. Van der Groot.." he shrugged. "He's a bit.. colorless, but he should do alright.. "

"And the rest of your team?" she paused, calling something up on her padd, "and a Mister... Donut?"

Donut. Baile wasn't sure if he'd end up spacing the moron or just space him. The guy had what it took, but when he was shitty, he was so shitty even a greenhorn looked good. But on the other hand - when he was good. Then boy. "Big mouth, likes to shoot it off, but if he just learns to listen to other than himself then maybe he'll be able to wipe his nose without help..."

"And he's still a Private?"

Baile shrugged and scratched the tattoo on the side of his neck. "I've seen his type before and they either make or break."

"I see. Can he handle a rank upgrade, to PFC?"

"If he can't handle that then he's got nothing to do in the Corps."

"Good, then see that it's done. Even if he is a little... 'off', as I've heard, he has the experience."

Experience with what, Baile asked himself. But if the CO wanted to give Donut a promotion then Baile wouldn't object. kicking him up one step to PFC meant nothing for the team, but would mean quiet a lot to Donut.

Tish noticed Baile's silence. ~Not much of a talker,~ she thought. But, then, that wasn't so bad. And from what his duty jacket showed, he had plenty of reason *to* be silent. It seemed he had his own ghosts to deal with. A theme Tish was well familiar with.

"Very well then, Lieutenant. I'm giving the teams a 'day off' tomorrow, when we get to 212. Tell them to enjoy the time off, because while the Galaxy is acting as a ferry service for Proctor, the Marine's will be undergoing Performance Reviews." As a young Marine, Tish had *hated* the dreaded Performance Reviews - or 'PRs', as they were known - since they were nothing more than glorified training. Now, as a CO though, she saw the usefulness in the exercise.

The terran marine managed to keep a straight face. He hadn't done PR's in at least ten years, mainly due to the fact he'd been in warzones most of the time. "What do you have in mind?" he asked flatly.

"A simple Red versus Blue exercise is all. Then, we'll see from there. I'll be overseeing it, with Red and Blue teams in opposing field positions."

"Looks like we'll be busy wiping asses and blowing their noses." Baile grunted, referring to the PR and the fact that they had some very inexperienced marines in the department.

Tish smiled and stood, "Anything else, Lieutenant?"

Baile shook his head. "No ma'am." he replied and stood attention.

"Very well. Dismissed, Lieutenant Baile."

The salute was precise, a textbook example of how to make one. He put the hat back on, turned around in true Marine form and headed for the exit.

"And Lieutenant?" Tish asked as the doors swished open again.

"Yes ma'am?" he answered and turned around again to face her.

"I've been in SpecOps, too. Maybe not like what you went through. But..." her voice softened to a friendlier non-commanding-officer tone. "If you ever feel the need to discuss what you *can*," she stressed 'can', since she knew the regs regarding Classified material, "never hesitate. My door is always open."

The marine fell silent for a second. He had told Branwen that Marines only talk to Marines because only Marines would understand. That was only partly true. SpceialOps was a strange breed, who kept to themselves and Baile had spent six years in specops and the last two shuttling from unit to unit. The only people he trusted enough to talk to was hundreds of lightyears away. "Is that a suggestion or an order, ma'am?" he asked in a flat voice.

"Not a suggestion, Lieutenant. An order, if it comes to that." She said simply, but with a supportive tone underlying her words. The last thing she needed was for any of her soldiers to break down on the field of battle.

His face went blank, even more so than before. "Understood ma'am."

"Very well, then. Off with you, Lieutenant."

The doors closed behind the Marine. Worries about what would happen if she ordered him to debrief would have to wait until such a thing happened. Right now he had some planning to do for that sorry excuse of no good monkeys that made up the Red Team.

[BACKPOST]

"Toast"

Ella Grey
Marcus Slayton

****

She took small sip of the drink and winced. The newest bartender of Ten-Forward winced with her. "Too much tomato juice? Not enough? Needs more tabasco?"

Ella Grey gave the man a sympathetic smile. His first night of the job appeared to be rattling the young man's nerves which was why she forgave him for making a (sort of) Bloody Mary when she had asked for a Daqueri. She pointed at the water instead.

If the guy wondered why she didn't speak, he didn't say anything and Ella would have gladly given him some credits for that alone.

Marcus entered Ten Forward looking for something to drink, he still had some time before he was to report back to sickbay after the DIIS attack on the Galaxy and the comment of "I need a really stiff drink" was more than the right comment than anything at the moment. He went to the bar and got the attention of the bar tender as he handed the water to Ella.

"Yes sir, what can I get for you tonight?" the bartender asked and Marcus went through his list of drinks in his head before finally responding but some abject part of him was wondering why the bartender looked nervous.

"I'll have a pint of Wheran's Reserve whiskey with a shot of Kanar or Andoran Ale if you don't got canar, it's been one of those days in engineering, my good man." Marcus said with a smile on his face as the bartender went about getting his order. He turned to look at the young lieutenant, smiled and nodded but then winced as the bandage on the right side of his jaw reminded him of how tender that part of his jaw still was.

"Good eve, Lieutenant Grey, how are you this fine evening?" he asked honestly.

Ella raised an amused eyebrow and entered a reply in her computer PADD before passing it over to him. *I'M GOOD, HOW ARE YOU?*

Marcus looked at the PADD, smiled and then looked at her again. "I'm doing fine, Lieutenant. Could be better but I'm still concerned about Anna and the others that got hurt during this little...fit of Commander Thomas. So, how did I do for my first day on the job so to speak?" he asked, not really fishing for an approval or anything of the sort but more to make small talk with another officer than anything as he was still the FNG (Fucking New Guy) on board the ship.

Ella made an 'okay' gesture with her hand and smiled. *YOU DID FINE* she elaborated on her computer PADD. *SO HOW DO YOU LIKE THE DEPARTMENT*

"It's cool, I've got some questions though. Like who are some of these people that I keep hearing about such as Dhanishta Eshe and Naranda Sol Roswell for example? I keep hearing about them in passing conversation and before I came in here to get a drink, I heard Anna saying something about having to deal with a Miss Roswell suddenly appearing back on board. Can you fill me in?" Marcus said with a confused look on his face and he took a drink of his whiskey and winced at the sharp bite of the liquid.

"We thought she was dead." Ella said, deciding that she might as well practice her new voice since this might turn into a long story. "And then it appeared that she faked her death, althout I'm not really clear on all the details. O'Shea was pissed."

Marcus blinked a couple of times really fast and then blinked once for good measure before finally saying "So, how's your throat?" he asked without a second thought, not knowing why she was was talking now where she was writing on the PADD a few seconds ago with a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Fine." Ella said and then laughed. "I'm sorry, that must have been a surprise for you. I've got this new voice here and I have to work at making myself use it, that's all. You've joined an interesting department."

Marcus knew what she meant, a fellow crewmember on the Hiro' had to relearn how to walk following the Jem'Hadar attack on the ship during the war with the Dominion, normally that wouldn't be a memorible thing if it wasn't for the fact that he got stuck with a certain young marine by the name of Private Dexter Grif. Marcus then looked at Ella and smiled.   "Well, the department is indeed interesting but the primary thing to remember is that it takes an interesting engineer to make a ship truly memoriable. Professor Scott once told my fourth year starship design class that only the engineers get to have all the fun aboard a starship because they are the ones that get to truly tinker with the cosmos and in short, god must have been an engineer." Marcus said as he raised his glass up.   "To the engineering staff of the Galaxy, despite what Brhode or Thomas or anyone else says, the finest engineering staff in the entire fleet!" he toasted.   "To the engineering staff." Ella said with a smile as they clinked glasses. God help us, she added with a silent smirk.

"That Which Goes Unseen"

Lt.(JG) Naranda Sol Roswell
Lt (JG) Victor Krieghoff

***

Ten Forward

Nara kept looking over curiously to the man across the room. In the other corner of the room, something was intriguing about him. How people seemed to whisper about him and how he genuinely didn't seem to care.

There was a darkness about the man that reminded her of the darkness of her father. The darkness her mother said is much more subdued than when she first met him. Nara smiled deciding to see how he reacted to strangers coming up all friendly. At best, he would be civil. At worst, but most entertaining, he would become hostile.

She walked over and set her drink down across from him and sat, "I hope you don't mind me joining you." She smiled at him. Nara tried to be intuitive enough to know who would mind such boldness. He seemed one who couldn't care less. Or growl at her. Either way would be interesting.

She wasn't looking for trouble. She'd leave him alone if he wanted. A little rise would be enough to amuse her for today. She was surprised, but unconcerned, that even having Saia to be responsible for, she still had quite a mischievous streak.

Victor looked up from his coffee as the woman approached. He didn't remember her, but that wasn't surprising, there were enough people on the Galaxy moving in and out all the time that it was impossible to keep track of them all. In general, he just kept track of the ones that were problems, or that he talked to. The rest weren't likely to be an issue unless they moved into one of the other two categories.

"Sit if you want," he offered. She was close enough to him that she had to know what he was by now, which meant that she was either one of the ones that didn't see it immediately, one of the ones that either didn't see it at all or didn't care if they did, or one of the ones that was attracted to it.

No matter which one of them it was, he knew what to do.

"Do you need something?"

Nara shrugged, "No." She considered him a moment, "You just remind me of my father."

That was, at least different. Oddly enough, he knew what to say in response to it without having to think. "I'm sorry."

Nara laughed, "What for?"

"Because I know what I am, Lieutenant. I know what I do to people, and no matter how bad it is with adults, with children its worse. They haven't learned to look at the masks we wear on the outside yet." He frowned. "Children shouldn't have to face things like that, certainly not every day."

Nara was confused, "What are you talking about? I'm no child. What is it you think you do to people?"

She was one of the ones that didn't see it then. Victor spent a heartbeat wondering why there were so many of them aboard the Galaxy, and then discarded the thought. It wasn't important why they were here, or even that they *were* here; like everything else, that was the way it was. Like him.

"If you can't see it immediately then perhaps there's no need to be sorry," he said tonelessly. "I imagine that most of the crew would consider you lucky - or perhaps not. It might depend on who you asked."

He frowned again, the expression somehow completely different than the one he'd used a moment before. "As for what I do to people..." he made a small gesture with one hand, "I don't have to do anything, just be present. The rest is up to them."

Nara frowned as well. She then shrugged, "Doesn't sound like anything to do with you. These people are just jerks. They don't care to get to know people, but will judge them just the same. Now George Kastanza, I admit, I got on the he's-a-sleaze train and after awhile I just figured he was lonely and pathetic." Nara focused again on Victor, "You just seem melancholy to say the least."

"No, it's real," Victor assured her. "It has been all my life, even while I was an infant. It's less threatening to some, more to others, but it's always there. Just because you don't feel it now doesn't mean you won't, or can't." He looked up. "You don't have any Vulcan, Breen, or Horta ancestry, obviously - that means I can probably show you if you want." He met her eyes with his expressionless ones. "I don't think you really do, though."

Nara looked at him curiously, "I'm half Betazoid and am telepathic if that's what you mean."

Victor tilted his head to the side and looked at her. "Truly? I'm surprised; Betazoids are usually the species that have the worst reaction to me. My first roommate at the Academy was Betazoid - he took one look at me as I walked into the dorm room for the first time, screamed, and jumped out the window." He took a sip of his coffee. "We were on the third floor. They entered a flag into my service jacket after that and a few other incidents prohibiting me from being assigned to duty with Betazoids in close quarters."

Nara raised an eyebrow, "What are you, the Grim Reaper?" She shook her head laughing, and then frowned, "I'm in denial about who I am most of the time. It would make sense I put up guards concerning the truth of who anyone else is. I rarely let my walls down anyway, now that I know how to use them."

She looked at him again, "I heard about you, though. I'm just now remembering. It only makes you more intriguing to me. But you are not without friends, so you can't be too bad." She smiled, knowing he wouldn't return it, "By the way, I'm Nara, and I'm assuming you're Victor."

"Yes," he agreed. "To both." She obviously understood, at least on some level, even if she'd made the comment into a joke. That was something he was used to, too. People did it sometimes when they realized something unconsciously and didn't want to face it.

Nara raised an eyebrow, "I don't believe in grim reapers." She stated it seriously, "If anything, you have a dark, troubled soul and whether you intend it or not, are quite sure people know it." She smiled slightly, "Any demons or angels, I doubt would be in Star Fleet." Her smile grew to one of amusement, "Or a bored Q. Thank goodness the last people they pestered was the Voyager crew."

"Never met a Q," Victor shrugged. "I wasn't assigned to DS9 the one time Picard's Q showed up there, and none of the other duty stations I've been on were interesting enough to attract one's attention, I guess." He took another drink from his coffee. "But you shouldn't dismiss something casually like that as a general rule. Just because you don't believe in something, doesn't mean that it doesn't believe in you."

Nara grinned, "I'm open-minded, but I prefer to think that you're just as human or humanoid as anyone here. Just a little darker." Nara tilted her head, "You're not the first dark-souled person to ever exist, you know. But others seem to enjoy that people fear them, often using it to their advantage. You seem rather indifferent to it. I'd almost guess you wish it weren't so." Nara leaned a bit forward, "Take no offense, Reaper, but I have a feeling you've got a gentleness in there somewhere." She spoke softly so no one else could hear. She leaned back again wondering what he would think of the nickname.

"I wouldn't know, Lieutenant. I am what I am, that's all. No point in wishing for things to be different, or whining about the fact that they aren't. No point in trying to be something I'm not. This is what I am, so I just accept it and move on." He set the now-empty coffee mug down.

"I'm not saying any of those things. Just that maybe there's another layer. Don't deny that part of yourself either." Nara stated sensing him getting a tad irritated.

"I'm not a nice person, at least not by the definitions that most people use. I don't think like other people do and I don't act like they do because I'm not like them. Or anyone." He tapped a few keys and the mug faded out to be replace on the table's transport pad by another, identical one. "They can like me or not, fear me or not, it simply doesn't change anything. What is, is."

Nara smiled, "By my definition, you seem nice enough. I know that doesn't matter to you, but sometimes we just need to say things. It just seems impossible that someone can be so confident in who they are and not care one iota what other's think. I sometimes wish I couldn't care." The man had the calm of a Vulcan, but wasn't near as irritating as them.

"Don't."

She laughed, "Don't say you're nice?"

"Don't wish for something like that. Caring is what makes you human. And I'm not nice."

Nara smiled, "You're right. I don't really wish it. Just it hurts sometimes. I think you have a caring spot. Maybe not for yourself, but for other people who are your friends."

"People keep telling me that they're my friends," Victor offered quietly. "Perhaps they are, I don't know. I'm not good at that, being a friend. Because I don't think like anyone else, I don't do things they way they seem to expect me to when I do them at all." He took a drink from his coffee. "You should probably go soon."

Nara gave him a look, "You don't know my schedule." She was getting slightly irritated now. "I'm not saying I'm your friend; I don't know you well enough. I am sure you underestimate those friends, though. All that's required in my book is that they're there for you. Surely there's someone who feels better just by having you around?"

"Yes," Victor frowned. Rissa had needed him to keep the nightmares away on DS9, and after her there had been Grey with the same need here on the Galaxy. At least Grey had needed that before the first night he was back aboard, when she'd told him about Geluf and what he'd done. She'd been happier when she was around him before that, when he was there to keep the monsters at bay. "But she isn't speaking to me now."

Nara nodded and looked down, "That doesn't mean she still doesn't need you." Nara knew she was also preaching to herself concerning Saul. As much as she wanted to kill him, part of her wanted to run to him. A very small part at the moment, but because of circumstances and their own closedness, they had not been very close since meeting months ago. She felt deprived of a friendship that might never be.

"You should still go, Lieutenant." He looked up from the coffee. "Seventeen people have seen you speaking to me so far. By shipboard standards, that means you will be classified as a freak, mentally deficient in some way, or as a sick adrenaline-junkie looking for a thrill by standing here and speaking to me."

Nara laughed, "I don't really care. Don't worry about me. I'm not picky about who I choose to associate with. If they don't like it, well...maybe I am picky, cuz I wouldn't associate with anyone so close-minded." Nara knelt forward, "Maybe you are who you think and what people say. Even so, I'm not dead yet. So, I have proved that being around you does not kill." Nara shook her head, "For goodness sake, if that were so, they wouldn't let you around another being!" Nara found the whole thing ridiculous.

"They don't have to, Lieutenant." He nodded at the swath of empty tables that curved around his, separating him from the other crewmen in the room like the Neutral Zone separated Romulan and Federation space. "It happens all by itself."

Nara sighed, "Ok. So most people don't want to touch you with a ten-foot pole. Does that mean you will push away the people who are willing to at least give you a chance?" Nara smiled, "I tend to gravitate toward the oddballs. They're the most intriguing." Nara wondered if that's how it was with Saul. Was he an oddball that intrigued her? No. It was his secrets that were intriguing.

"Three meters."

Nara raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"That's the average distance when I start to affect people, Lieutenant. Not ten feet." Victor frowned. "Some closer, some further away. Once, I met a green Orion woman who could get close enough to touch me before she started to scream inside." He shrugged, the emotional context of that statement apparently nil for him. "It all depends."

Nara considered a moment, "You really are something, aren't you?" She rested an elbow on the table to rest her chin on her hand, "I would guess I've just got too many walls. Or too preoccupied to realize if there is anything." Nara found herself curious, "Is it just a darkness or something people fear because they don't know it? How strong is it?" She looked at his eyes, "And if you have such power, why be among common folk?" Nara opened her walls slowly to see what the fuss was about.

Victor looked back, eyes expressionless. "Where else would I be, Lieutenant? What else would I do? I can either guard the sheep, or be one of the things they must be guarded from - when I was a child I chose to protect rather than prey. I haven't found a reason to change that decision since then."

Nara didn't hear what he said. She had closed her eyes and slammed the walls shut again. A tiny crack for a tiny fraction of a second was all it took. She didn't scan or anything, it was just there. As he had said in a round about way, it's always there. She was glad she met him now and not before she learned how to use the shields. She wanted to run. She fought the impulse as she gripped the edge of the table and told herself he had not hurt her. In fact, from talking to him, he seemed gentle as a lamb. Yet for some reason he had this *thing* that was so dark and menacing.

"Lieutenant? Are you.... Ah." Victor nodded. He'd seen the signs many times, every time he met someone. "You had to know, so you looked." At least she wasn't like Angelienia, all he smelled was the fear.

She breathed and heard her heart beat in her chest. She blinked her eyes open and looked at him again. She opened her mouth and a squeak came out, and she tried again, "I guess you're right." She cleared her throat and shook her head, "I'll just, um, keep my walls up around you." She looked down at the table contemplating, "It just doesn't fit though."

She remembered the words he had previously spoken. They were drowned out before by the enormous darkness that seeped through the crack she opened, but she tried to remember, "Did you say something about guarding?" She smiled weakly, "That makes sense. Like a mother bear. Gentle and kind to her cubs but could tear anything that attacks them to shreds and then eat them." Nara laughed nervously. She was still trembling, but she refused to follow her instinct when the truth of the matter was he was of no real threat.

"I think," Victor offered quietly, "that the analogy you're using may be flawed. I'm not particularly gentle or kind, Lieutenant, just polite - because no one wants to see me when I'm not polite. Perhaps a better analogy might be that I'm a tiger, you all are sheep, and that no one can hunt here, can kill you or harm you, without coming through me first, because this is my territory, and no one hunts here but me." He picked up his coffee again and sipped at it. "I just choose not to hunt."

Nara smiled as her adrenaline slowed, "I like to think it's a mix of the two." She sat there sipping her drink feeling herself relax again. "I do feel safer with you around. Well feel is not the right word, I guess. I feel scared to death." Nara grinned, "Forgive the unintentional pun. But it's the fact of knowing you have the power to destroy anything and you choose to protect this territory and I'm part of it." Nara looked at the people obviously whispering about them, "I know you'll deny it and liken it to the animal kingdom, but I think it's sweet. I feel sorry for the people who don't overcome their fears to get to know you."

"No sheep like a tiger, Lieutenant; even one that has been set to watch over them. That's just the way things are. Feeling sorry for them, or me, is pointless," Victor shrugged. "At least you understand why I said I was sorry that I reminded you of your father now... and why I don't spend time around children."

Nara nodded. "Reminded me of him and now I realize you are different from him. My father is just human with a scarred soul." Nara shrugged back, "No matter what you are. I am glad to meet you."

"You might not be, later," he told her. "People sometimes aren't, and I can't say that they're wrong. I may hurt you or kill you, or someone you care about, and if that happens it won't scar me like it would you or one of the other crew. I'll do it, forget it, and move on."

Nara raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Well my guess is you wouldn't hurt me unless you have reason. Reason being I hurt one of your friends or fellow crewmembers. I don't plan on doing that. Thank you for the warning, however."

"Seemed only polite," he nodded, "since you talked to me." He looked up and across the room again. "You'll get questions, you know."

Nara smiled, "Good."

"What I said. What you said. Things like that. There are people that worry about such things. When they ask you, tell them whatever you want - if they don't like it, they'll just make something up, anyway." His voice carried no sense of emotional context to the words; he just spoke them as an accepted fact that didn't touch him. "I'd advise you to stick to the truth when Flight Officer Angelienia asks them, though. She's very... determined."

Nara laughed, "Believe me, I know how the rumor mill works."

Victor took a drink of his coffee. "Lieutenant O'Rourke will probably ask questions as well, but she's not like the Flight Officer - she understands the truth. The Flight Officer sees something different when she looks at me - that's why it's better to stick to the truth with her."

Nara shook her head, "What makes you think I would say anything other than the truth. I'm too lazy to lie. The truth is easier to remember."

"I think so," he agreed. "But sometimes people lie to irritate other people. The Flight Officer doesn't deal with that well, not when she thinks that she's being shown another obstacle to getting what she wants. She's... a bitch... then."

Nara nodded, "So much so you can't seem to say her name."

"No," he said with yet another frown. "I don't use her name because I don't talk to her, and she isn't family - those are the only people I call by name. The only people I call by name outside that are the ones I'm trying to make mad enough that they'll make a mistake so that I can kill them with less trouble. I use ranks and 'sir' or 'ma'am' all other times because it's polite, and it falls within a behavioral range that people understand."

Nara raised an eyebrow, "Of course."

"Should I not?" he asked over his coffee. "Should I be rude, instead? I can be very rude if I try - or so I'm led to believe."

Nara rolled her eyes, smiling, "I wasn't being sarcastic. I was agreeing."

Victor shook his head. "I know. I just wanted to know the answer. I might have been doing it wrong all these years."

Nara laughed, "Well, being rude doesn't seem to be of good use. Though it is annoying when someone is being polite to just be polite. Better than nothing though. Keeps things civil."

"I thought so, yes; I just wondered all of the sudden if I'd been wrong, if it would have been better to be rude and give people what they expected from me." He thought a moment. "or at least a small part of it. If I gave them everything they expected, then I'd be the thing they needed to be protected from in truth."

Nara smiled at him, "I think highly of people who go beyond expectations. So many people choose to be bound by what's expected of them."

Nara stood, "It's time for me to go. Not for the reasons you thought earlier, but there's a little girl that I need to go get so she can eat supper." Nara smiled at him again and held out her hand, "And again, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Victor looked at her for a moment, and then at her hand, his head tilted to one side in an animalistic manner. "It was good to talk," he nodded. "But I don't know that touching you is... wise. Physical contact strengthens the effect sometimes, and even with your defenses up you *are* half-Betazoid. I wouldn't want to cause a problem before you went to get your daughter - she doesn't deserve a terrified parent."

Nara retreated her hand sadly, but smiled again, "Thank you again for being protective of that. She's not actually a daughter, but I am taking care of her. Have a good day, Reaper." She winked at him and walked away.

With a long swallow Victor finished off his coffee as he watched her go. He still didn't understand why there were so many people aboard the Galaxy that could speak to him without running, much less so many that were willing to do so for no reason he really understood - but he didn't mind that there were. It made the Galaxy feel like home, the only one he'd really had during his time in the Fleet. He'd miss it when he was gone, when M'Kantu finally transferred him, would miss the moments of conversation that made him feel like something he wasn't and could never be. Just like he missed talking to Grey, missed her being there, saying all those things that made no sense to him but seemed to be perfectly reasonable to her. Even if she was now finally aware of what he was and couldn't stand to be near him again, if she was finally as scared of him as the others were, it had been nice to be wanted, to be needed... to be touched... even if only for a little while.

"These Dreams That Come When I Close My Eyes"

Lt. (jg) Naranda Sol Roswell, Engineer

Soundtrack: end of post..."These Dreams" it's just so freakishly surreal of a song

"Message Sent." The letters flashed and Nara hit the button again to make it go away. She had sent a bit more of a detailed letter explaining Saia to her parents. She wanted to tell them about the issue with Professor Marks, but that was a more of a face to face thing.

She slid off the chair and went to take a peek at Saia, who seemed to be sleeping better. Nara was getting her appetite back. Things seemed to have calmed down since she came back with the 10-year old. She took her hair down and fluffed it as she sat on the couch and picked up a PADD. She looked at the listing of quarters. The way Bran had talked, she still wanted to be Nara's room mate. Nara was ok with that, so long as the quarter master was ok with it. Her eyes started to drift..

The water splashed against the silver sand. Nara found herself in someone's arms. She didn't look up, just sat there content to be in the warm arms of who she imagined was Saul as the gentle breeze blew. Suddenly, she heard someone call, "AHOY NARA!" She looked out over the water to see a sailboat. She saw Saul wave at her and then kiss Branwen.

She looked up and found herself looking into the face of Professor Marks, whose grip on her was growing tighter. She tried to scream but she couldn't. She felt terrified and knew Victor Kreighoff stood over them. She looked up, "Him. Get him!" Marks disappated and she looked up at Victor only to see her father. "You're nothing like him." Her father shook his head and left.

Nara jumped up scared. The only man she thought she'd ever love was on a boat out at sea with her roommate. Victor's presence still loomed over her and her father seemed disapproving. She had to get out of there, so she jumped on the horse-which was odd as there were no horses on Sakaria-and ran down toward her house. But it wasn't there. There was nothing there but a desert. A sandy miserable desert.

She found herself digging in the sand and she suddenly fell in. The tunnels under Trill. At the end of the tunnel, she saw a silhouette in the sun. She walked up to it as it spoke to her, "Is this really you're life, Randa?"

She stopped, "You're judging me?"

The figure stepped out. It was K'Erin, "No. It's just a question."

Nara went to her knees, "I miss you."

"This is your life."

"Don't you think I know that."

Nara's eyes opened and she sat up. She hadn't dreamed in awhile. Not like that. Not the kind of dream that made you think. Then as the sleep left, she realized none of it made sense. It made sense then. She shook her head and found she was trembling. It was obvious that the tiny bit of Victor's grim darkness she saw effected her more than she liked. She was confused about the dessert at first until she remembered she had been in Dhanishta's mind when Dhani was in a coma. Why were all these things haunting her dream?

Too much thinking for one night. She shook her head again and walked toward her room when she spotted, "New Message," on the console. She tapped it intending to just shut it off, but it came from someone that made her smile and freak out at the same time. It was K'Erin. He was on Starbase 212 and knew the Galaxy was around.

Nara frowned. With all that was going on, she wondered if she'd be able to get off the ship. She also wanted to show Saia a starbase.

She wrote a quick reply saying something to the effect of she hopes she gets to come see him while they were there.

Then she lay back down, leaving the lights on and focused on making sure her mental walls were up. She wanted to ask Victor how long till someone normally gets rid of the fear after seeing that presence of his. She didn't regret meeting him, but there is a such thing as knowing someone too much.

She drifted off wondering what was the actual good of being a telepath. It only seemed to serve to make her life and dreams all the more surreal than it already was.

“The Price of Nothing”

Location: Leran Manev View Hospital, Room 8 Intensive care ward

Primary character: Dhanishta Eshe

****

Her body relaxed. And finally her mind emptied. And it was such relief.

To *think* of nothing. To *feel* nothing. To hear *nothing*.

And for a long time that’s all there was. It could have been a long time…. Maybe it was a second or a minute. Or even a year, or ten. It didn’t matter. Nothing seemed to matter.

Her mind was free from thought, and word, and deed and what she had left undone.

For this moment, this everlasting moment, such tranquillity. She felt as if she were floating, far out across a clear blue sea.

Little did she know the sea was made of tears.

****

~Dhanishta….~

A voice echoed through the silence.

Dhani prickled at the sound as it vibrated through the walls. In a place where nothing mattered why did ‘nothing’ suddenly have feeling?

~Nishta!~

Someone was here, with her. Dhani sat still, barley breathing. Straining in the darkness to see, but there was nothing to see; only the blackness.

~Nishta…~

The voice persisted. And the name, *that* name, that sound drove a sensation of pain through Dhanishtas chest. She felt the despair connected to this voice. And the others it hid.

*Yes* she could feel them! Like shadows across her mind. Hiding, laying in wait, to pounce.

She retreated from this voice, this sound of agony.

Here in this place there was no pain. This was *her* place. This was *her* space, all of it. She was safe here. Safe from the pain, safe from emotion.

This place had none. That was its design.

Why come here? Why had this voice broken all that she had created? Why did it continue to hurt her? Why couldn’t they just LEAVE HER ALONE?

Her nostrils flared as she backed further into the walls of her retreat.

That was if she had nostrils here! She wasn’t sure. But it didn’t matter. Nothing had.

Until now!

Why when she had found this place did they deface it with their presence?

Dhani couldn’t escape this voice, this mind; it was full of pain and sorrow. She could feel the shadows as they moved across the sand. It agonised her. She could feel their thoughts, several minds, hiding behind the one.

Dhanishta curled up. Praying that if she stayed still and quite they would move on. Her anger fumed and manifested itself elsewhere. She stilled her breathing. Her muscles tensed and she pulled away.

The sounds muffled and distorted as they moved through the emptiness, where she dwelt, and out into the sun.

Taking their pain; their black hole of despair with them.

She wasn’t ready.

She wasn’t ready to feel those things. Her mind had been bombarded enough.

Soon the feeling of violation settled. As they left it dissipated and fell away back into the nothing.

As did she.

The nothing.

The beautiful nothing.

So calm, tranquil… it asked no questions. It expected nothing. It wanted nothing.

But Dhani gave it everything she had. All of her self she handed over. And she took from it. She took nothing into herself. Until *she* was nothing.

This place was different from death. Dhani had died before. She had ascended, or so she thought, to the stars. She had been one of them. She could go anywhere and do anything. She felt happy and content. It didn’t matter that she left things unsaid, or unfinished. She was dead! Those material things didn’t concern her. She was loved and *felt* loved. She was warm and comfortable. She was everywhere and in everything…. it was amazing.

But here.

Here was different.

There were no warm feelings. No contentment. No happiness. Furthermore no sadness. There was just nothing.

Definition of Nothing: pron. not anything; matter of no importance; figure 0. – adv. not at all. – nothingness n. nonexistence; insignificance

Nonexistence = Death?

Dhanis body was still alive. But her mind?

If she thought and felt nothing, did that mean she was dead?

Her body still breathed.

The blood still flowed.

But her mind, her brain…

It stopped.

But how could it just stop? What does that mean?

Most humanoids fear death. They fear the unknown. Death is the unknown. Because no one has come back and said what it’s like. People continue to tell stories to make themselves feel better about it. They talk of this wonderful place called heaven. Where all your loved ones are, and it’s all happiness and light. Wonderful and amazing… is this a lie?

Others say there is nothing. After you die, that’s it.

Nothing.

It’s what people fear most. Do you lose everything that you were? Your body is dead, but what about your mind? Does that continue? Where does it go? If there is nothing, then I would cease to exist. But I don’t want to cease, I want to continue. I don’t want to be nothing.

But then if there really is nothing then you wouldn’t know you didn’t exist anymore because you wouldn’t feel it. Cause there is nothing!

Right?

Tanson took a step forward and held Kala by her shoulders, “She’s gone Kala,” he said looking into her eyes, “Her body has given up and her brain has shut down, its time to let her go.”

Indeed her body had shut down, the only reason she breathed was because machines pumped air through her lungs. But what about her brain? Had the nothing shut it down?

She didn’t think, she didn’t feel, she wasn’t aware of her surroundings.

So maybe she was dead.

What was awareness anyway?

****

Within the oblivion Dhanishta had encapsulated herself in she continued to float across a sea of nothing. She had been so happy to give herself over to the painless nothing. So happy to not exist. She had wanted the nothing to take her away from all the suffering. To silence the thoughts and emotions that gnawed away at her.

But what was the cost?

“Love don’t cost a thing…?”

Location: Leran Manev View Hospital, Room 8 Intensive care ward

Primary character: Dhanishta Eshe (APC)

Also featuring Ethan Suder (NPC)

**

Within the oblivion Dhanishta had encapsulated herself in she continued to float across a sea of nothing. She had been so happy to give herself over to the painless nothing. So happy to not exist. She had wanted the nothing to take her away from all the suffering. To silence the thoughts and emotions that gnawed away at her.

**

~Dhani hold on, don’t go. If you die, I die. Do you hear me? Find your way back home, find your way back ho….~

This voice penetrated the silence with its urgency and fear. Dhani recognised this voice. It had pained her before. Scoured her mind and agonised her in its relentlessness.

But something changed. And it was sudden. The floating sensation stopped and Dhani fell hard to the ground. This place of nothing was now something. It was somewhere and it had feeling.

*She* had feeling.

This place she had created, that she had escaped to, retreated into and felt safe, no longer held its appeal.

She could feel the walls close in on her. She reached out with her mud covered hands and pushed against them.

The air changed.

She began to feel hot and light headed. This place took on an evil to it. Stifling her, constricting her. She had wanted this place. She knew that. She had needed it. But now she didn’t. She didn’t want to be nothing. Not anymore.

Invisible hands clasped around her neck, she could feel the air leave her, and she tried to breath, tried to force her lungs to take in the oxygen.

She began to suffocate.

The steady beat that had accompanied her, unnoticed, became irregular and slowed.

And to her fright it stopped. And now there truly was silence. No beat, no breathing… she felt the panic set in to her body. Did she have a body? Uncertainty tugged at her. Her eyes searched the walls. The walls that had protected her now imprisoned her and she was afraid. Afraid of dying. Of being nothing. Of ceasing to exist.

Of losing Kala.

Kala!

Oh my god! KALA!

Dhani tried to scream. But there was no air, she couldn’t breath. She began to choke, her body thrashed inside, her hands pawed at the ground, her eyes pleaded to the darkness.

The darkness.

Black as ebony.

She wanted to fight it. To beat the darkness into submission. But she couldn’t, she could move, couldn’t breath.

Was this it?

Was she over?

Finished?

Was this the end of the line?

She closed her eyes. It was dark…. But it was dark when she had her eyes open… or had she always had her eyes shut? Did she have any eyes?

~Gee Dhani! Way to go. Think about the irrelevant stuff while you’re suffocating! That’s just great, now mock you’re self! While we’re here why don’t we just practice the art of kicking your own arse?~

Dhani shook her head. And if she could have she would have laughed at herself. Of all the predicaments!

She could feel the dry mud that clung to her hands. For the first time since crawling into this pit she had what she thought was a real sensation. As the mud had dried it pulled the skin. She could, if she tried, wiggle her fingers, really slowly… and yes! She could feel the mud cracking and flaking, falling from her fingers in clumps.

~Well done!~ her inner voice congratulated her, ~that’s just truly amazing. Of all the things to get excited about, its dry mud for you! Bah, don’t worry that your trapped inside your own mind, suffocating, will you? Cause that’s just a side issue. I’m sure that those flakes of mud will fall into place and set this whole thing straight. Hey, they may even form a map to get out of this place! Because some stupid idiot forgot to pack one! Oh yeah that would be y…~ her inner voice silenced its mocking as Dhanishta really began to panic.

~I don’t want to die, I don’t want to be nothing…~

~KALA~ she screamed inside herself.

She tried once more to breath, opening her mouth she gulped for air. But there was none. She felt herself drifting. Little spots began to flood her vision; it reminded her of pins and needles. If the sensation of pins and needles could form an image, she imagined that it would look like a snow storm, like interference on a view screen, but smaller and less crowed. And maybe some colour too! White, black, pink and yellow too, forming small pinpricks of light before fading away and being replaced with another…

Light!

Dhani finally noticed. It trickled through at first, making her think she was seeing weird sun spots. She continued to stair in disbelief as the walls around her crumbled. The light poked through the holes, streamed in like laser beams. Bathing her body, warming her as it flowed across her skin.

She reached up and ran her finger along the roof.

A shower of dust and dried earth rained down around her. Half coughing, gulping for air and sneezing Dhani pushed herself away from the rocks. On to her knees she steadied herself, but the earth fell away. And she stumbled as she rose to her feet. Above her the clear blue sky darkened as huge black clouds formed and cracked.

Still gulping for air Dhani focused hard and again tried to breath. The wind whipped her with the sand. And she fell on to the ground. Clawing at it as she choked.

Thunder rumbled through the valley. The sky split with lightening. Dhanishta looked up, her face still pleading, unable to speak she watched in a daze.

The lightening split the sky, its energy and light tore through reality, ripped it open for Dhani to see.

Behind her the steep cliff face rose up towards the sky. To the left of the cliff the hills, made of compact sand, rolled across the horizon. And there on the ridge the dust cloud formed. It gathered momentum like a hurricane and began to form a shaft. It twisted like a tornado as it began its decent across the golden hill. Growing larger and larger as it collected more and more sand and dust.

****

“That is time.” She said turning back to him. “My time.”

He felt his stomach lurch. “That means your going?” he asked. He already knew the answer. And now things were finally dawning on him, she was dying.

She smiled at him, “It’s okay.” She said. “I’m not afraid.”

“But, but you can’t. I need to know how to fix this. You have so much still to do, you can’t go yet Dhani, please.”

Standing up she picked up the ginger cat and stroked his head. Walking over to Suder she placed him in his lap.

“They miss him.” She told Suder.

“What?” he asked confused. Taking the cat from her he stood up.

“It’s time for you to go inside now. To be with them.” She said.

“Dhani I don’t…” as he heard the laughter form inside the house he stopped. He had heard that laughter so many times in his dreams, no matter if he was awake or asleep. And that face… he missed her. His chest tightened as he thought of Kay.

“She’s waiting.” Dhanishta said smiling.

****

The image played out in Ethan’s mind. Taking a deep breath he sighed loudly. He had waited all his life for this moment. He had sat alone in his quarters brooding, wondering, wishing he could change things. Wishing he had said all the things he wanted to say, when he had the chance.

And now he did.

And he was speechless.

Upon arriving at Qo’no’S he had searched for her. And now he was here, standing out side her door.

The wind whistled through the alleyway. The drunken voices from the bar across the street caught his attention and he turned and looked across the road. The streets were dark and cold. The buildings were tall and overbearing, Klingon architecture was always dramatic.

‘You must hurry’

Dhanis voice broke through his mind once more. He turned and looked back at the large red door. His heart leaped in his chest as he reached out to the communication pad to its right.

“She’s waiting.”

His hand hovered over the chime. He was here, he was really going to do this. It felt as if he had waited a life time to do this. He could see Kay’s face clearly in his mind. See her smile, the wrinkles on her nose, the curve of her forehead, her golden hair that curled under her chin. He had spoken to her many times… in his mind. Seen her in his dreams. Awake or a sleep he could see her. All he had to do was close his eyes….

His finger touched the button, poised over it.

“She’s waiting.” Ethan mulled over Dhanis words once more. ~Waiting for what?~ He questioned, ~Waiting for me? As if!~ he scoffed, ~If she had any feeling for me then she would never have left. Did she know? She must have known… it was obvious. And if she did know then she wasn’t interested…. Or waiting for me to make the first move…~

His finger twitched.

~But what if she did? And she didn’t, didn’t want me.~ his brow furrowed, ~How can she be waiting for me? Dhani doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know me. And she certainly doesn’t know Samara. She was just saying that because she wanted to live… this isn’t about me at all.~ his inner voice peaked, ~This is all about her… about Dhani. About her survival. And as much as I don’t want her to die, I can’t. I can’t do this for her. I can’t and I won’t. It’s not right. I can’t do this for anyone but me…~

His hand fell to his side. His eyes began to smart. He took a step back from the door and out into the street. Looking up he wondered momentarily which apartment was Kays…

This wasn’t right. Why should he do this for her? How on earth would him finding Kay, better yet being rejected by Kay, help Dhani?

Shaking his head Ethan looked back down at the road. Sighing he turned and walked away.

****

Dhanishta crouched on all fours, looking up wide eyed at the cloud forming on the horizon. She knew it was coming for her. She could feel it, sense it. She watched in terror as it gathered speed. Her fingers dug into the earth beneath her. Her chest tightened and heat coursed through her body. The fear gripped her and shook her to her very core.

There was no where left to hide.

"Invisible Battles"

Lt(jg) Cora Dobryin
Chief Inelligence Officer

*****

Cora's Quarters,
USS Galaxy-A

There were days Cora was convinced it was easier to write a detailed after action report than it was to deal with personnel issues. She knew it came with the job. Normally some calming music could sooth the savage beast within. However today Cora had chosen a piece of late 20th century rock instead. It fit her current mood better than anything else.

Among the ranks of Starfleet Intelligence trust didn't come easily. Once gained it remained like some impenetrable bond until broken. A moment no Intelligence Operative wanted to face with another. Yet they all knew that day may come. Saul Bental had managed to reach such a point with Cora.

"It's a dishonor to the uniform and to Intelligence," she mumbled to herself. Each phrase of music and its loud bass rhythm easily covered up Cora's voice. For once she didn't bother to whisper. To enraged, appalled and frankly upset to worry about it. Besides this self conversation was taking place within the confines of her own quarters which she kept bug free.

Sure there were times duty required them to do the unthinkable but this one had crossed that invisible line. Far too experienced to let denial set in and too dedicated as an officer to let anything slip her notice.

Since Cora's impromptu conversation with Cassius Henderson she'd been thinking long and hard about the whole situation with Saul. If things had improved she wouldn't feel so betrayed.

Despite considering the Commander more than a friend, saving one's life easily changed one's perspective on things; he was also Galaxy's Executive Officer. That very reason is why Cora had a duty to approach him when she originally had. Certainly none of it changed her personal feeling of failure

and betrayal but it had been necessary. In short Dobryin would have failed more if she didn't carry out her duties as a Starfleet Officer.

Maybe one day it would all make sense, perhaps it never would None of that mattered to Cora because she had others to protect and a job that demanded more than anyone could imagine. No one outside of Intelligence ever saw the

full impact. All they would see is a well constructed illusion, while deep inside her light and dark continued to fight the battle they'd always fought

against each other.

"Mice"

Col. J'Genthk Gessekensett CO,
SFMC 188th TSS Btn. Starbase 212

1Lt. T'Shani a'Akledorian CO,
SFMC 188th Furies 2nd TSS Dtc. USS Galaxy

Sgt. Louise Markinson (PCC, F. Byrne)
Furies Cryptologist/SFI Agent

== C Ring, Starbase 212: Baxter's Restaurant and Lounge ==

Andorian Blues was... unique.

Actually, the art form had much in common with its Terran equivalent, though the instrumentation was a little different. But then again, the Andorians had been exploring and expanding upon their version of "Jazz" several hundred years before Earth's Beethoven had even been born.

So, they had had a little bit of a head start.

The same could be said for J'Genthk Gessekensett. At seventy-nine human years old, he had been given a little of a head start on some of his Intelligence contemporaries. Like the blues from the Andorian singer on stage, J'Genthk's life had taken many ups, downs, and in-bet ween's. Soaring from powerful, soulful highs, to bitter, bending lows.

But he had learned a thing or two.

Like when someone was standing behind him.

"Sit down, Lieutenant. I've been expecting you." The tall, blue-purple Saurian Colonel stood and took the shoulder coat from his subordinate, hanging it on the booth's attached hat hook. Though old by Terran calendars, Gessekensett (not his real name of course, but a close approximation of the typically unpronounceable Saurian name) was actually middle aged: he'd gone through three gender shifts already, and was now back to his male phase, of which he'd stay in for another fifteen to twenty Earth-years.

"I've looked forward to seeing you again, Colonel," T'Shani replied, her antennas slightly bowing in respect to her commanding officer. Though it was true that she was 'seeing' him again, this was really the first time to *meet* him, as the first time was over an encrypted subspace transmission.

"Good choice," she smiled as the on-stage band finished their song and announced that they'd be back in a few minutes. Not only was it a comfortable atmosphere for T'Shani, but it made sense: with the underlying rumble of conversation and eating, it would be hard for any snoops to listen in on their conversation.

J'Genthk motioned for the waiter.

Louise Markinson was painfully average in many ways. In her youth, it had been her downfall more often than not, though her quick mind and attention to detail had seen her easily through her her schoolwork. She'd always wanted to be liked, but she just... blended in. She wasn't outstanding enough to catch the attention of very many people.

But recently, all that had changed. Louise had only been working for Cass Henderson's SFI detachment for a few months now, since the Furies had arrived on board. He had seen in her what she had most despised about herself. The ability to blend into crowds, to disappear in plain sight. It was unconscious for her, and where once it was her worst fault, was now her greatest weapon.

Tonight she was dressed casually. She'd been fairly sure of where Lieutenant a'Akledorian was going, and had prepared accordingly. She'd kept a safe distance while following the Andorian woman to Baxter's.

While Louise - dubbed 'Mouse' by Henderson - was confident in her abilities to not be noticed, she knew that a'Akledorian was the superior agent, and thus exercised more than her usual amount of caution. Luck was with her, however, as the women's room was in an area just beyond the table that a'Akledorian was seating herself at. Heading for the women's room, she carefully dropped a listening 'bug' into the potted plant that sat next to the table.

The 'bug' - as it were - did as it was programmed to, and burrowed an inch into the soil, extending it's recorder behind it to just below the surface, where it could transmit safely from. By the time Louise Markinson sat down on the toilet, the receiver in her ear, the bug was firmly in place.

"Guh'even'n young lady," the black waiter with a rich Cajun accent bowed to T'Shani, "An' fine sir," he tipped his hand toward J'Genthk. "What'll it be fo' da dinnuh dis'even'n?"

"Atchafalaya Boiled Crawfish," T'Shani said without conferring the holomenu. She had been here more than once, as it turned out.

"Mertuskian Carspalashaye, with extra lemon," Gessekensett said. During every phaseover, he had an almost insatiable craving for citrus fruits. It didn't matter if they were Terran or Saurian; amazingly, there wasn't that much physical difference to them.

"Verruh'fine, Mons'wa," the waiter replied, writing the orders down on his padd. "Anuthin' ta drink fo' da nigh'?"

"Water."

Tish was going to ask for a Retaxian Sparkleblaster, but then thought better of it, remembering again what had happened the other night when Rex had brought the bottle of champagne over.

"Water," she said flatly.

Louise settled in for the long haul. She wasn't really planning on coming out of the bathroom unless there was a real need. No matter how easily she might slip through a crowd, she didn't want to risk it frequently in from of the Lieutenant, who knew her. Instead, she had used it to secure a less... open observation point.

Listening carefully, she sat through the ordering of food and privately wished that she too could eat. but that would have to wait.

"Colonel, I -" she was cut off by the wave of Gessekensett's long, four-fingered hand.

"Neither of us are in uniform this evening. And for the sake of those listening," he winked his inner eyelids at her, "you can just call me J'Genthk, T'Shani."

~Oh good grief,~ Louise's heart jumped in her chest as the one a'Akledorian had addressed as "Colonel" had cut her off.

Markinson carefully noted the name the Colonel had given for himself. ~I really need to be less skittish about these bugs. It's going to give me a heart attack.~

Tish pouted her lips out, flared her left antenna briefly, and shrugged. It *was* an informal meeting, after all. And she was dressed to kill, in a black-satin cocktail dress that hugged her body in all the right places. ~If only Cass were here,~ she sighed to herself. Hell, she'd even settle for Rex, right now. Just to be on a *real* date, instead of this cover-up for a rendezvous would have been nice.

Recomposing herself, she sat forward and said, "Fair enough, J'Genthk." Pausing, she tried to think of something to 'small-talk' about - as the Pinkskins called the ritual - while they waited for their food. Tish had to admit that she was somewhat spoiled by starship life: you could just order whatever you wanted from the replicator, and it was... *voila!*... there. From time to time, she had to remind herself that some places, such as this one, prepared food the old-fashioned way.

"J'Genthk," she started again. "I never properly thanked you for your sponsorship. When Colonel Markay'd'in informed me of the offer, I was - in no small measure - surprised."

Louise quickly committed the mention of Colonel Markay'd'in to memory, as well. Though a'Akledorian was a known Red Division member (as was Markay'd'in), the fact that this J'Genthk had introduced the two would bear looking into.

Again, he waved his blue hand in the air. "It was no problem. Actually, Tanner had more to do with it; Alindal was only the messenger. The General felt bad about having to let you go, after the Bajor Incident. Although he's barred from communicating with you, he wanted me to express his gratitude for your services, as well as apologies for what happened."

Tish smirked, causing her left antenna to simultaneously twitch. "Well, who was I to know that the Hydrans would come looking for their lost crystal on Bajor, of all places. They nearly destroyed the Valkyrie. Captain Novonya wasn't very happy about that...it was her baby."

Both of the Marines fell silent as the waiter returned to their table with their orders.

~Now that's strange,~ Louise thought. Commander Henderson had elaborated to her once, during her training, about his visit to Bajor to find the tactical girl... Pennington. She remembered his explanation about the battle with K'rath'nam's battlecruiser. But if the Hydrans had been looking for something else on Bajor...

~Interesting.~

"I heard Henderson survived?" J'Genthk asked offhandedly, while stirring the plate of Carspalashaye.

Tish sighed, stabbing her fork at the crawfish. "Yes, he certainly did. He's back to being the XO on the Galaxy... *again*." ~And he still doesn't notice me,~ she thought to herself.

The Colonel chewed, swallowed, took a drink of his water (swallowing the lemon wedge, in the process), and smiled. "I hear that his SFI clearances have been reinstated," he mentioned casually, again.

Tish wondered where J'Genthk was going with this. True, she had *helped* Cassius to get his clearances back, per his helping her at Rel'kessan. Wary, she met the Saurian's large, unblinking eyes. "Yes, they have."

"And that doesn't bother you, having been in Houghton's outfit?"

Subconsciously, Tish changed her tone to that of defensive, "No, he and I have an..." she paused to think of the proper word, a forkful of food near her mouth, " 'understanding', I would call it. He doesn't spy on me, and I make sure that his clearance stays intact." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as a wan smile crossed her lips. Then she took a bite of her meal.

Louise grinned. Well, Henderson wasn't exactly spying on her, so to speak.

J'Genthk smiled again, having played the 'game' against intelligence-types for as long as he had served in the SFMC. It was his background, his lifeblood. After basic training at Camp Utopia on Mars, the SFMCI had tapped him to be the eyes and ears of the 47th Tactical Reconnaissance Battalion. He had been everywhere, from Century Prime in the Alpha Quadrant, to Beta Cordalis in the Beta Quadrant, and some 'in-between' missions in the other two quadrants.

"How are your teams, T'Shani? What do you think of your XO and Team Leaders?" he probed while sucking another string of the Carspalashaye into his mouth.

Tish caught herself before rolling her eyes. "Branwen London is young, inexperienced, and not battle-tested," she paused, taking a sip of her water, then set it down. "That being said, she has much potential, if she decides to take it upon her to - how do the Pinkskins say? - 'grow a pair'?"

"I haven't met Ward yet. He's been busy with alot of personnel reassignments in his team."

"I see."

Tish set her fork down. "Which brings me to Lieutenant Jebidiah Baile. He - "

J'Genthk interjected, "Second Lieutenant Jebidiah Baile, formerly of the Black Crows under Caileb Smiths. Numerous Secret and Top-Secret mission ops, especially during the Dominion War. Awarded the Bronze star with a second cluster. Violent temper when provoked."

~Well, I guess I won't have to look up Lieutenant Baile's file before I report back in,~ she thought to herself, continuing to take notes on her padd. So far, the conversation seemed fairly tame, but perhaps going over the recording for code would prove more fruitful. ~Though the mention of the Black Crows could be worth looking into. It's a little surprising to see a past member in the Furies~

Tish gave her CO an appraising look. "So, you're telling me to be careful?"

"I am. But not for reasons you might think, T'Shani," J'Genthk said while lowering his voice and leaning forward. His cool bluish-purple skin flushed darker, almost black. "There are mice in the bilge, T'Shani."

"Ah, shit," Markinson muttered. Slipping into wordplay generally meant the target was growing suspicious, more cautious. She could only imagine that somehow, through the crowd, the Saurian had noticed her. She paused for a moment, waiting for more before making a decision. She had other methods.

Instinctively Tish froze, her eyes widening and antennas perking before her higher faculties regained control of her senses. She recognized the code immediately, and thought of the proper reply that she had been trained to give.

Setting down her fork as nonchalantly as she could, she looked J'Genthk straight in the eye. "What of the deckhands?"

"Standing watch, for now. Though, the infestation is small."

"Have they been trapped?"

"No, but they could drown."

"Ah, fuck fuck fuck," Louise muttered, grateful that the ladies room wasn't very busy tonight. Thankfully, her Handler had taught her the translation to that particular code exchange. Unfortunately, that didn't leave her any closer to understanding.

Though she had learned that a'Akledorian and the Saurian Colonel knew that the Furies were infiltrated, she wasn't sure if they were on to her. The last part had translated to a slip up, which she was fairly sure she hadn't committed.

Which left the woman known as 'Mouse' wondering. Was there another infiltrator in the Furies? Aside from herself, of course.

Tish tried to hide it as best as she could, but she was nervous. What was J'Genthk talking about? Was it Starfleet Intel? Temporal Agents? Or was it... she swallowed hard as she realized what the Colonel was telling her.

If it was true, that meant.... ~Well, there's only one way to know,~ she concluded to herself. And there was only one way to find out if she could trust the Saurian sitting across from her implicitly.

"The rowers keep on rowing," she stated in a detached voice.

"That's odd..." she said, quirking an eyebrow. She'd have to ask Cass about it, but given that the previous exchange had mentioned the counter-intel plants in Furies, she doubted that she'd been 'made' just yet, and was probably secure for the time being.

"What's odd, dear?" an elderly voice came from the next stall. Louise nearly leaped from the toilet, her nerves were so on end.

"Nuh... nothing really. Just something in the paper," she quickly recalled the proper response in case she was discovered in the bathroom, reaching into her bag to rustle a newspaper.

~Oh, get a grip, Lou,~ she told herself, then continued to listen.

J'Genthk Gessekensett had been waiting a long time to find the One that the Prophecies had talked of. It was the sole reason he had put so much of his life's work into what he did. And now...

"And they're certainly not showing...."

Tish's hearts literally skipped a beat, as she realized the implications of J'Genthk's ability to complete the code. Slowly, she finished the rest of the response with him, their two voices barely whispering over the din of the restaurant.

"...any signs that they are slowing."

Louise Markinson, growing up on Talvas Colony, had heard a lot of strange things, but this had to be the strangest. Cass would be very interested to hear the recording of this. She hadn't the faintest what it all meant, but when they debriefed, she was sure her handler would be able to put the pieces together.

Tish felt as if she were going to faint. The blood drained from her face, leaving her almost white. Her antennas drooped low over her forehead while she closed her eyes.

"T'Shani, I...I didn't know it was you," J'Genthk solemnly whispered. "I-"

Suddenly, she rose from her seat, and turned to look over her shoulder. Was someone watching them? Listening to them? Her intel-training kicked in, noting everything happening in the restaurant: the bartender wiping down the bar at the far end... the happy couple holding hands and kissing in a darkened corner... the band taking the stage again.

"T'Shani, are you alright?" J'Genthk's face grew concerned.

"I... I just need to-" she stopped, mid-sentence. "You should go. I will contact you later. Goodnight, Colonel."

"Goodnight," Markinson whispered, placing the recording padd back into the bag, leaving it running and her earpiece in her ear. The 'bug' would break down in two hours, without a trace.

She sighed. She was going to have to wake up Cass again. He was going to want to hear about this.

J'Genthk was about to protest her abrupt dismissal, but thought better of it. He *was* her CO, and could have ordered her to stay, but from what he had just discovered, he knew that a power much larger than him was backing T'Shani a'Akledorian. A power that he didn't want to cross. No, he would let her go, knowing she would contact him when the time was right. The Grayman had told him that *that* was the way it had to be done.

T'Shani quickly turned left, then right, and then spotted the women's restroom. She needed a place to collect her thoughts...

~Rhooz,~ she swore as a sharp, stabbing pain flashed across her forehead, causing her to stumble momentarily as she made her way to the bathroom door.

Collecting herself, she pushed the door in and turned the corner. Suddenly, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her, in addition to the searing headache at the base of her neck. Panicked, she rushed for the first toilet stall, mentally willing herself not to lose her dinner all over the tile floor.

"Thuk!" she swore as she found the stall locked.

Louise froze, recognizing the voice instantly. Then her training kicked in, and she altered her voice, ever so slightly. "Busy, I'm sorry."

Tish moved to the next one, which was now empty. Violently slamming the door open, she fell to her knees before retching into the porcelain.

It was time to make a snap decision. Feigning having just arrived, she undid her skirt and made an act of preparing to use the bathroom. Thankfully, sitting there had caused her bladder to slowly fill, so she wouldn't have to try to figure out how to fake peeing.

Markinson sat and listened, continuing the observation in an impromptu way.

After a minute or two, T'Shani stopped vomiting, and collapsed on the floor against the stall's wall, one arm still encircling the toilet.

"Rhooz," she swore softly, wiping the bile from her mouth. Unfortunately, the emptying of her stomach hadn't abated the headache or nausea, that much.

She closed her eyes, her antennas slowly teetering forward and backward. She needed an Aspirin... or something stronger. Re-opening her eyes, she raised one hand to shield her eyes from the suddenly-bright light coming from the overhead fluorescent tubes.

"Rhooz," Tish swore again.

~Yeah, yeah, Lieutenant, we understand you have a foul mouth,~ Louise thought to herself. ~Please tell me that you talk to yourself... Not that there's a snowball's chance in hell that you do.~

Tish regained her senses, stood, and braced herself against the stall as she felt her knees weaken. Her body was still trembling from the exertion of its purge. She had to get out, had to talk to someone who might understand...

She flushed the toilet, exited the stall, and washed her face rinsed her mouth at the sink, before hurriedly exiting the bathroom.

~I have mice to kill,~ T'Shani a'Akledorian thought as the door closed behind her.

Louise ducked out of the room a moment later, eyes quickly scanning the crowd and plotting the easiest, least visible route to the exit. Once she was certain she hadn't been noticed or followed, she made her way back to her quarters, where she'd contact Henderson.

"Just someone to listen"

Lt. Commander Brianna "Anna" O'Shea, Chief Engineer / Liaison SCE
2nd. Lt. Jebidiah Baile, Recon Specialist, USS Galaxy

Brianna had gotten off duty and was still thinking about Nara. The very sight of her at times turned Anna's stomach to end, she knew why. Anna wanted Nara to walk the same strict line of standards she held for herself, clearly Nara wasn't going to do that. Part of her didn't know what to do cause she felt something should happen for what Nara did. Stepping up on the treadmill she began to walk, and then began to run at full pace, taking the offered run as a chance to sweat it out of her system.

The exercise had gone well. Or so Bravo believed. Everyone except Bravo Leader. 2nd Lt Jebidiah Baile, aka Flea to his friends. Donut was the first one out from the Holodeck, exchanging insults and friendly jabs with Preacher.

Baile waited until everyone had gathered outside, feeling just as angry as he looked. He could hear them laughing and joking as he walked out into the corridor. "APES." he yelled at the top of his lungs. "GLAD YOU'RE ALL HAVING FUN CAUSE I SURE AS SHIT AIN'T. THE NEXT MAN WHO SAYS ANYTHING BETTER MAKE ME LAUGH OR HE'LL WISH HIS MOTHER HAD TAKEN HOLY VOWS OF CELIBACY BEFORE HE WAS BORN!"

Bravo team fell silent. Very silent.

Feeling the sweat trickle down her neck and seep into the fabric of her shirt, Anna took a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth as she continued to run. Her red hair had become dark red as it became wet with her sweat, strands began to stick to her forehead. The way she ran looked almost primal, like she was running for her very life.

The members of Bravo team had early understood that their new boss had extremely high standards and no tolerance for failure. That wasn't exactly true though. Baile had a lot of tolerance for failures if people learned from them and didn't make them again. But certain members of Bravo made mistakes, a bad habit Baile intended to remove or kill them in the process.

He continued to chew their heads off for a few minutes, just for good measure, even yelling at an ensign from Operations for dragging his feet behind him. "Dismissed. Leave before I make up my mind and put you out of your misery." the veteran marine barked at them.

"Gladys!" Baile yelled at Donut as he was about to leave. Donut, not wanting to piss off his El-Tee, turned around and quickly ran up to Baile and stood attention.

"Sir!"

"Head to the gym, on the double and wait for me there. Bring gloves."

"Yes Sir!" Donut saluted, turned around and ran to catch up the others.

"What was that all about?" Preacher asked, seeing Donut run by them.

"Mister I'm-so-bad wants to go a few rounds in the gym.." Donut replied as he ran by them.

Preacher watched the talkative Marine disappear infront of them. "That should teach him to shut up."

"I doubt it." someone replied with a grin, everyone there knowing it was the sad truth.

After about thirty-five minutes of running, Anna stopped and had to sit down. Sweating so it was dripping off her as she leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees. Taking a towel she patted her face and then patted her neck as she reached over and took a drink from a water bottle she had brought with her.

Baile almost hoped Donut would be delayed. The thought of promoting him was.... irritating.. at the best, but he also saw the potential in Donut. He could become a good Marine, but it wouldn't be easy. Walking inside Baile tossed a towel and his gloves at the edge of the ring, only noticing Anna when he turned around. "Fleeters... " he sighed and grinned in good humor.

Anna didn't see or hear Baile, her mind and thoughts was thousand miles from her. Looking at the floor between her feet she took several long breaths before she could actually feel herself cooling off some. patting her face once more she then looked up and noticed Baile standing there and she nodded a nod as he looked at her.

"Rough year, huh?" Baile commented in his usual oh so very sensitive and delicate way while wrapping his hands in preparation for the spar against Donut.

"Something like that." Anna replied, standing she walked over to him and began to help him wrap his hands. "Just keeps getting better and better." She then said.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked and held out his hands. Better to let her focus on something else for a few seconds.

"Isn't it you that tells me talking is for people who have a conscious?" Anna asked, her eyes looking up at his face. "Besides, not sure talking about it would help resolve it." She said, continuing to tape his hands.

He shrugged slightly. "I know I don't have a conscious, you on the other hand think you don't.." Baile replied and clenched the hand that was taped down.

"Just got several things going on, one of which I don't know how to fix and the other I know how I want to fix but probably can't." She said, finishing taping the other hand. Once she was done she put the tape back on the rack and made sure the seams were sealed. "The Crows are partly to blame why I am like I am..." She said then smiled softly, half talking about a prior life. "I have a hard time relating to other women, because I spent so much time with the Crows. Right now I find most women weak and whiney, and you showed me how to spot wannabe marine type a while away...." She said, then moved to her water bottle.

"Crows are to blame?" Baile cocked an eyebrow while moving over to a sandbag. "How the hell did that happen? Yeah.. you spent time with us, but you haven't seen nothing compared to what we saw or did." he commented, not as a defence or trying to sound better than her, but stating facts. In part he could understand her. Starfleet hadn't exactly done her a favor when sending her out in the middle of nowhere on a mission that never took place on a planet they had never gone to. They had been Marines, with training and experience to back it up. She was a tinkerer, which in itself was not a bad occupation, but she fixed things. They blew them up.

"You still don't get it, didn't get it then, don't expect you'll get it now." Anna said, turning she picked up her towel and walked over to the replicator to recycle it and get something else to drink. "So hard sometimes that I forget how you are... should remember of all things your not the one to come to when you need someone." She said, then looked over at him. Anna didn't mean it in a insultive way, if anything, she knew Baile would understand that.

He landed a couple of hard blows on the bag, pushed it back as it swung towards him. "You're comparing people to me, Colonel Caileb, Saar and Beauchamps?" he asked and gave the back a few more heavy punches. "Don't.. Everyone in the unit was messed up in the head and still is. I can slit throats all day and not give it a second thought, but fuck if I can be in a relationship that lasts longer than one night."

"I'm not comparing anyone to you!" Anna snapped, she then closed her eyes. "Just forget it." She said, picked up her water bottle. "Enjoy your work out." Brianna said, as she headed for the door.

"Then quit fucking about and get to the point." Baile replied while punching the bag. That was the Marine way. No politics, no beating around the bush. He didn't mean any harm by it. It was just the way he was. Direct and to the point.

Anna looked at him and then sighed. "Wouldn't want you to care..." She said, looking at him and then walked out of the gym just as Donut came in. Anna headed down the corridor, figuring she'd have to sort this all out on her own for now.

"For the love of... " Baile mumbled and slammed the bag as hard as he could before going after the hotheaded woman. "Why do I even bother... "

Anna had made it to the turbolift, she stood there with her arms folded over her body. Her mind replaying the events of everything that was just exchanged and wondered if she was the one at fault or was it him.

onut ran as quickly as he could, totally convinced the old bugger would kill him for being late. The doors opened and he nearly ran smack into a really goodlooking redhead. He was about to shoot her one of his patented smiles when he saw Baile come out from the gym with a dark face and taped fists.

Anna only looked at the man briefly, as she walked across the hall to wait on the arrival of the turbolift. Folding her arms over her body she looked at the lift doors, then reached out and pressed the call button again.

Donut didn't know how to salute first, but his commanding officer solved the dilemma for him. "Donut, Gladys.. I know the Lord didn't provide you with a full deck of cards, but know this.. if you are not inside of the gym in ten seconds I'll shove your head up your ass so you gain a little insight of yourself.. "

Donut decided quickly he was fairly educated about himself and who he was and moved on.

When Donut turned the corner Baile looked at Anna. "You want to talk, then I'll listen.. you go all Rita Heyworth drama queen on me - then I won't.. and I won't feel bad for not doing it."

Looking over at him. "I want you to listen because you care, I always fool myself in that aspect, Jeb. " She said, looking at him. "I want you to listen cause you care and want to understand me, but don't think you want that, or your just not capable of that kind of thing anymore." She said. "Your my best friend, around you I don't have to be strong, cause you don't expect it..." She said, then pressed the call button again.

The Marine stood silent for a second then shrugged. He didn't line, no - he despised people who thought they were victims, who didn't stand up and took their fates into their own hands. But Anna. Well. With Anna it was a bit different. She had been forced to witness things she had not been prepared for, been confronted with truths that she was never meant to be given.

Baile rolled his neck, pushing back a slight irritation. "Then just say what it is. I'm too tired and got too much shit in my head to have to sort through what is being said between the lines." That had always been his call sign. Direct and to the point. He never meant anything by it, it was just his way of learning what people really wanted, but to people that didn't know him he could sound very aggressive.

Turning to him she stepped closer, "I need you." She said. "I need your strength.. you lack luster voice of reason." Anna said. "I'm engaged, Jeb. To a person who works under me in MY department. I don't know what to do about that, surely you can even see the conflix of interests involved?" She said, resisting the urge to hug him just to feel his strength.

He leaned against the wall with his bare arms crossed. Absentminded he scratched one of the tattoos on his arm. "Shit.. " was all he said. She knew his point of view on it. Relationships within a Marine unit was strictly forbidden. The risks were just too great. Loyalties could no longer be trusted.

But at the same time that didn't matter. She was a fleeter and things were different there, whether they thought so or not.

"That's.. not good.."

Shaking her head. "No... I have to figure out a solution, or Henderson will and could mean one of us transferred off the ship." Anna said, as she looked at him. "I don't know what to do." She said softly.

"I wish I could tell you. I really do." Baile replied, keeping his face as neutral as he could. "But I'm not the right person to give advice about it.. My solution to a problem usually involves bruises and sickbay." He smiled weakly, not really sure of what to do. Seeing Anna like this wasn't something he liked, but he could just be there. It was her life and she would have to live in it.

Anna nodded, "You know.... " She said, as the turbolift doors opened. "You really are my best friend." She said, looking at him.

"Then you need to get better friends." he replied, both his face and voice as serious as they could get. "I'm honored that you see me as that, but you need friends with a less.. dark.. frame of mind and past."

Stepping inside the lift, she rested her hand on the frame so the doors wouldn't close. "No.. need you, Jeb. Your the one that guides me when I'm in the dark... and I just need a friend, doesn't matter what you are inside, or what you think you are, just matters what I see in there." She said, then looked at him a moment and then hugged him tightly, before turning and stepping into the lift with the doors closing behind her.

He watched the doors close and stood there for a few seconds. "Women.. who the hell can understand them?" he asked himself and pushed away from the bulkhead. He liked Anna, more as the sister he never had and certainly hoped his two-bit losers to parents never gave birth to, but he hoped that one day she would reach the same conclusion as he had. It was just life and it really wasn't that complicated.

Walking back to the gym he punched a few times in thin air. Donut might have cleared the Marine Academy, but he wouldn't have made it past the doorstep with Special Ops. By the time Baile would be done with him, however long that would take, he would at least be able to make it to the receptionist.

"Trying"

Lt. Commander Brianna "Anna" O'Shea, Chief Engineer
Lt. Ella Grey, Assistant Chief Engineer
Lt. (jg) Naranda Sol Roswell, Engineer
Ensign Marcus Slayton, Engineer

:: Chief Engineers Office, Main Engineering, USS Galaxy:::

Anna sat in her office, waiting on the others to arrive. She had called a meeting to go over them some changes that would be happen in engineering, some would take some time to getting used to while others might be better then the current status quo. Sipping her coffee, then looked at her engagement ring and smiled as she then looked over the data padd with her notes in it.

Nara glanced over at the door to the Chief's office as she stood at the console. Normally, she would go ahead and enter, not caring about being first. Now, with the tension already between her and her boss, she really didn't want to be alone with O'Shea waiting in silence. She would go in after at least one more person came in. So she worked at her console and kept glancing over every few moments.

After awhile, she wondered what if the first person was late. Nara frowned heavily. She had a paranoia that by coming early, O'Shea would think she was brown nosing. That was something Nara never did. Were this the Klingon ship, Nara would had killed her by now. She winced at her own gruesome thought.

It was cold and evil and Nara regretted it. This is one reason she couldn't live among full fledged Klingons who didn't know how to behave among other species. She couldn't kill or even hurt anyone until she was angry or in the "zone." That zone a warrior gets in. The zone is when no one dare attack. The zone that often leaves dark scars on one's soul and blood on one's hands.

Nara walked into the office and realized no one else was there yet. She went to attention and hoped someone else would come soon. There was too much tension between her and O'Shea. Waiting alone was just a big fat awkward moment.

Ella walked in and waved a small hello to Nara before sitting down. Mostly, she just wanted to get this meeting over so she could go back in and take a nap. She hadn't been sleeping well again since the thing with Victor and she couldn't bring herself to go back over there at night. It was time for her to stop sleeping over anyway; she was becoming too dependant on him.

She wondered if there was any special reason for this meeting, other than just a check up on where everyone was. Ella hoped not, she didn't feel like taking on extra duties at the moment.

Nara gave a smile to Ella. She relaxed a bit more having someone else in the room. Even if that person refused to speak much at all.

"Ella," Anna said smiling briefly as she looked at her trusted assistant. She then looked over at Nara, "Ensign." She said. "Feel free to get you some something to drink from the replicator while we wait on the others to arrive... should be on their way." She said, as she picked up the raktijeno and took a drink.

Nara pondered that a moment. Did she want something to drink? She wasn't sure. She might later, so she simply said, "Thank you." The word, Ensign, just hung in her ear. She tried to tell herself it may had just been a slip of tongue. That didn't help. Nara tried to fight the image of herself and O'Shea on a Klingon ship and Nara promoting herself. It would be saved for later, when she was safe to think about it without the temptation to actually do it.

Marcus was running a little late as he had to make a stop by his quarters in order to make sure that he had to have the right reports and files on hand and by the time that he arrived in Anna's office, Anna and two other members of the main staff of engineering including Ella Grey, the assistant Chief of Engineering and another fellow engineer in the form of a short brunette woman with a slightly furrowed look on her brow.

Marcus quickly set his assorted PADDS on the table in front of the spot where he was going to sit and quickly got a root beer from the replicator and then sat down, slightly out of breath.

Nara noticed the currently only male enter and settle in. He obviously rushed here and Nara was almost amused at his hurried state. She felt it would be ok to get something from the replicator, but she wasn't sure what she wanted. She figured she needed something just in case she got a tickle in her throat. Last thing she needed to happed was a coughing fit. She timidly got some water and sat at another spot at the table, a few places from the man.

Anna sat there at the table the entire time, her eyes shifted from person to person. "This is a casual meeting, nothing really major going to be happening over the next day or so. I want to start having weekly meetings like this where we can sit down and talk casually about work or anything else we want to talk about. Nothing is off topic," Anna said, as she stood up and walked over to the replicator and ordered up some doughnuts on a plate and walked back over and sat down. Taking one she slid the plate out if anyone would want some. "I'll start.." Anna said, taking a bite of her doughnut and then pausing for a minute to swallow the bite.

"I need you all to know why I push you like I do. At times I probably seem more bitchy then others and some of you seem to take perminate residence on my bitch list. I push you because I care, and I want you to never doubt yourself in what you do. I don't want you waking up one day and thinking, should have done this and should have done that. See think of you all like this... I'm your guide, you voice of reason, your teacher, your friend, your caregiver and your commanding officer. I want you to rely on me as I want to rely on you. This ship's engineering department will always be special to me, mainly cause it's my ship, the first ship I because sole chief of. Man once said never let them promote you above Captain, because once you read Admiral all you've got is memories." Anna said, leaning back and crossing her legs. "My memories will be of you all, each laugh, each broken heart over a lost love, or each dream you tell me will become my memories. I still remember the first time Ella and I met, right down to what perform she wore. I don't want you to fear me, but I hope you do understand why I ride you all like I do." Anna said, then took a sip of her raktijeno to get the sweet taste out of her mouth.

"Just so you all know... I'm engaged... yes, finally have met my match and someone has decided they can put up with me. I know, big surprise. I've waited a while for him to come around, he finally did." She said, then smiled and took another bite of her doughnut.

Ella raised her eyebrow. It was more than she was used to from a commanding officer, definitely a different approach, but not totally unwelcome. But she wasn't going to offload her problems, however friendly they all were. "Congratulations." Ella said. "Who's the lucky fellow?"

Nara glanced at Ella. It was no surprise she now had voice of some sort, but Nara was still getting used to it.

"Thank you." Anna replied, "Who it is something I'm keeping quiet right now." She replied then grinned and then handed out some padds. "As for the other reasons why I wanted this meeting..." She said, pausing to let them get their padds so they could follow along. "I've noticed that it's been some time since we've went over the support craft... so beginning today we are going to run level one diagnostics and manual inspections of ever runabout, shuttle craft and even the captains yacht, right down to the work bees."

Nara took her PADD. This was an easy enough thing. It would take awhile and she felt kind of ashamed she hadn't realized this. She looked up about to say something, but looked back down at her PADD before O'Shea saw her. George Kastanza was SUPPOSED to be over all the shuttles and such, but it was no surprise he wasn't doing the job well. He was too busy hooking up. She looked over the list and nodded. Yes, easily done.

"Ella, gonna make your task to make sure all craft are checked out. I'm going to be devoting my time the port nacelle. There's been some spikes in couple of the diagnostics. I'm going to work there in port nacelle control room. We need to figure out what it is, if anything." Anna said, then sipped her coffee. "Take Marc, Nara, and anyone else you want to help you." Anna said, as she looked at Ella and then looked around. "Is there anything else to ask or be said?" She asked, getting ready to end the meeting, which was a total flop.

Nara glanced up, "No, M'am."

Marcus held up a hand with a PADD. "Actually, I think that I may have an idea to fix the engineering sub-systems so that no one but certain ship's personnel can ever do what was done to us over Trill can be done again." he said. "Also, I think that we might want to think about doing kind of a resetting of all passwords for command personnel when it comes to certain aspects of the ship. I read the file on the ship's former commanding officer in Admiral Brhode and we still have his password settings in the main engineering computer database logged as one of the ship's primary and not on an admiral's level either." Marcus said as he offered the PADD towards Anna.

Nara looked at Marcus and thought to herself, ~Butt-kisser.~ In fact, she was just jealous she hadn't thought of that. One point for Marcus, negative 100 points for Nara. So far, her job was getting annoying. The work she liked, it was the frelling people. Except for Mei, she was the only person there she liked. Everyone else was barely tolerable or she didn't know well enough to be annoyed by.

"We'll start implementing this as soon as possible." Anna said, looking over the data padd. "Do you have -something- to add, Lieutenant?" Anna asked, glancing now at Nara. "You look like your thinking something, want to share?" Anna asked.

Nara looked at O'Shea in the eyes, "Nothing to add, M'am. Just thinking it's a good idea."

"Good." Anna said, then looked around. "Won't keep you all then, tomorrow morning we'll began on all this," Anna said holding the data padd up. "Rest up, that's all I can say, next couple days is going to be tough." She said then stood. "Dimissed.." She said, walked from the table over to her desk to make some notes.

“Storm Clouds”

Location: Leran Manev View Hospital, Room 8 Intensive care ward

Primary character: Dhanishta Eshe (APC)

Also featuring Ethan Suder (NPC)

And Kerenza Eshe (NPC)

Dhanishta crouched on all fours, looking up wide eyed at the cloud forming on the horizon. She knew it was coming for her. She could feel it, sense it. She watched in terror as it gathered speed. Her fingers dug into the earth beneath her. Her chest tightened and heat coursed through her body. The fear gripped her and shook her to her very core.

The thunder rumbled through the ground, vibrating the earth beneath her. Dhanishta stared on, dumbfounded, paralysed with fear. Her eyes searched the desert. It was barren and empty. Totally devoid of life. Like her, she mused. At this point in time she would expect her heart to be thumping against her ribcage like a horse in canter. But there was no beat, just a sensation; like someone was pushing her ribs into her lungs, crushing her from within.

Another crack of light spewed from above, bathing her and the sand in its eerie shards of white light.

The energy hovered in the air. Like a snake it danced before her in the darkened sky. As another crack of thunder roared, the lightening struck, splitting the sky. The blue snake wriggled in the air and as the lightening passed through it, it split; tearing through the fibbers of reality.

And there, in the sky hung, like a ragged piece of cloth torn from a patchwork quilt, a vision of another world.

The real world.