[BACKPOST] - Takes place prior to 'Breaking News'

"Title."

By Ensign G'Bat'ea
Tactical Officer

& Lt. Dr. Klaus Fienberg
Chief Medical Officer

G'Bat'ea had come straight from the Tactical offices to get himself declared officially fit for duty. Having met his chief of department he was beginning to become more keen to get started - Lieutenant Taern had been around the same age as G'Bat'ea and seemed a very capable and knowledgeable man. It seemed they had quite a bit in common and that would more than likely lead to a good working relationship.

Now, entering sickbay, he hoped whomever was available would forego the full medical that was supposed to be carried out on these occasions in favour of a much quicker and simpler check-up. G'Bat'ea always felt some of the procedures were a bit uncomfortable and doctor's seemed to have a nasty habit of asking rather invasive questions - probably learned off their colleagues in counselling. Holistic medicine indeed.

Sickbay seemed rather quiet and there was no sign of any staff in the immediate area. G'Bat'ea walked in a little further. "Hello?"

Klaus peeped around a corner out of his office door, immediately startled by the sight. "Oh My!"

His last encounter with a Nausican didn't end well. The Uniform, a federation standard, defused it.

"May I help you?"

G'Bat'ea noticed the discomfort in the expression of the man before him so approached him slowly. "I am Ensign G'Bat'ea, I have just come aboard to start duty with the Tactical department. I need to be declared fit for duty, sir." He hoped the man was not too afraid of Nausicaans - they were after all a rather intimidating species to those of a smaller and weaker stature.

"You know. You're the first Nausican I've seen in 15 years." Klaus calmed down. It was more surprise than fear. "You'll have to excuse my ignorance of Nausican physiology. I think I'll be doing some homework tonight. Take a seat on one of the biobeds and I'll be right with you."

G'Bat'ea smiled, he often caused a bit of a rouse with doctor's who were unfamiliar with his species - they just weren't sure what characteristics were normal for a Nausicaan. He sat on the edge of the nearest biobed and let the doctor gather what he required.

Klaus had calmed down. This one was a friend. "So. G'Bat'Tea was it?" Klaus asked while digging out a padd with the right information. He mumbled something to himself about the normal life signs of a nausican.

"That is correct." G'Bat'ea nodded, with a light smirk, it seemed that perhaps this doctor hadn't had much experience with his kind.

"Well, I think it's a good thing to see so many varied races in Starfleet. Has a feeling of solidarity, and unity in the Galaxy. Call me a dove. I don't care."

He continued to scan, continually checking his findings with his recorded information. The doctor mumbled to himself something about making the lifesigns second nature.

"A dove, doctor? I thought that was some sort of flying creature native to earth?" He vaguely remembered the information but could not be one hundred percent certain.

"The word is being used as a political term these days. People who just want peace are being called doves, with the war mongering people are being called Hawks. Well. Your life signs appear to be correct. But I'm going to double check."

G'Bat'ea had never heard the words in those terms before, and he fell into neither category but into the infinite grayness in between. "Alright doctor, but be aware I have always had a slightly lower heart-rate than standard - nothing to worry about I am told." G'Bat'ea was not an expert in Nausicaan physiology but he probably knew more about it at current than his doctor...

"I will have your personal physiology memorised by the end of the week. I promise."

Finishing up...."So. What brings you to our humble little ship?"

"A change of scene." G'Bat'ea admitted openly. "I was seconded during the war but chose to stay in the ranks of Starfleet. I've been serving aboard the Sutherland for several years - mainly in Cardassian territory." He didn't want to admit that he had simply bored of his assignment there and had hoped for something a bit more exciting. He had expected it to take the form of more responsibility on a smaller vessel, but here he was.

"A Change of Scenery. I like the sound of that. At least this world we're going to should be interesting...I hope. Heh heh heh. I haven't done much good old fashioned exploring in a long time."

G'Bat'ea hadn't actually had a look at their current mission parameters, he had opted for reading over ship and crew information first. "Which planet are we bound for?" He asked, his interested piqued at the mention of exploration.

"I remember hearing something about a world on the Hydran border." G'Bat'ea had likely not heard about the Battle of Havras. Klaus had to be careful on the subject.

"The Hydrans," G'Bat'ea mused, thinking about the name he had heard before. "I hear they are a bit shady in their dealings, only contact has been borderline hostile? Supposed to be formidable opponents in battle." He had picked up a lot from his education with the Zakdorn.

"They are definitely dangerous in a fight...from what I hear." Klaus said half-serious, half-quizically. "But we're checking in on some archeaologists. Hopefully everything is ok, and there will be some interesting things to see."

"I am not very interested in archaeology." G'Bat'ea was rather let down by the revelation. "But perhaps it may give us further insight into the Hydrans..." One could but hope.

"Hmmm. You think so? We'll see."

"Indeed we shall, hopefully it will not be too adverse a mission." G'Bat'ea conceded, with the number of civilians on board a Galaxy vessel any confrontational situation was bound to end badly. It was not an angle that he had been required to look at tactics from until it had occurred to him moments ago. This could warrant a bit more studying.

Klaus seemed distant for a moment. He knew exactly what G'Bat'ea meant. "Agreed."

G'Bat'ea watched the doctor's eyes as they glazed momentarily, bad memories he had little doubt. "Anyhow, doctor, am I healthy?"

"In accordance to these readings, yes. Rest assured I'll have your physiology memorised and understood. That way there will be no mistakes."

G'Bat'ea nodded in satisfaction. "So, I am ready to start duty, then."

"Yes." Klaus Smiled. "Dismissed."

“Voices”

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

Primary characters: Dhanishta Eshe (APC)

Chandrakala Lakshmi Eshe (APC)

Tanson Eshe (APC)

Kerenza Eshe (APC)

And now her mother had turned against her. Kala shook her head. *She* was the one that had heard Dhanis call, not her mother or her father. *She* was the one that ran to her sisters bedside and stayed there. *She* was the one that had almost died trying to rescue her sister from her own mind. *She* was the one who had been here for six months, waiting and praying. Never giving up hope. And now they come and...

Her train of though was interrupted as she saw Kerenzas outstretched hand…

Kala looked at her mothers’ hand, guilt gnawed at her for thinking that her mother didn’t care. The corners of her mouth descended into a frown as her chin wobbled. Taking her mothers’ hand she let her pull her close.

Sliding on to her knees Kala wrapped her arms around her mother. Her tears spilling out, no longer able to hold them in.

Tanson smiled slightly as he embraced his wife and his daughter. Pulling them close he decided that nothing would ever break them up. He wasn’t going to let death take his family. Stroking the back of Kalas head he pulled Kerenza closer and looked over at Dhanishta.

His heart ached. He longed to hold her. Longed to see her smile. Looking down at Kala he realised he always would. Through Kala part of Dhani would live on forever. Looking down at the red head his chest tightened. Her words from before chilling him, “I’ll die without her.” he couldn’t lose her too.

Kerenza pulled away from Kala. Brushing the hair back from Kalas face she looked deep into her emerald green eyes,

“You know that I love you?” she questioned, her eyes searching Kalas face.

Kala frowned and half smiled all at the same time. Wiping her face with her sleeve she nodded and whispered, “I love you too.”

Kerenza smiled and pulled Kala back into another hug. Such relief at hearing those words from her daughter, a tear rolled down her cheek. Pulling away again Kerenza dried her eyes and sniffed. Standing up she smoothed down her dress and turned back to Dhanis bed side.

Kala stood up grabbing her fathers hand for support. As she rose to her feet Tanson wrapped his arm around her and together they stepped forward and joined Kerenza.

All three of them looked down at Dhanis body.

****

Dhanishta concentrated through the pain. Through the wind she could hear them, almost see them.

~MOM.~ she called out again.

****

Kerenza turned back to Kala. Her temper flared slightly, “Kala, stop that.” She said slightly clipped.

Kala frowned, “Stop what?” she asked confused.

Kerenza took a deep ‘cleansing’ breath, waving her hand she brushed off the comment. Sighing she turned to Tanson,

“We need to let her captain know what’s happened.” She said calmly picking up her mantle of soldiering on.

Tanson swallowed hard and nodded. He wasn’t ready to face people and tell them that his daughter had died. But then would he ever be? He didn’t understand how Kerenza could be so clinical. But he understood that it was her way of dealing with things. And sometimes that approach was needed. But was this the time for such an attitude? A frown crossed his face, was there a manual to this? Could he have it?

Kala stared at her sister in disbelief. She couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t be dead. She just couldn’t.

Kerenza took Tansons’ hand and squeezed it,

“I’ll go.” She told him quietly.

A look transpired between the two of them, conveying more than words ever could; his gratitude, her understanding and much more.

“Can you get the details of where your parents are staying and I will call them as soon as I get back?”

Again, all Tanson could do was nod.

Kerenza squeezed his hand again, “I will take care of everything honey.” she said.

“No.” Tanson replied staring down at Dhani, curling her hair round his finger, “I couldn’t let you… Let you…” he choked on his words, “I need to help.” He finished glancing up at Kerenza.

He let Dhanis hair fall sharply from his hands and folded his arms. Clearing his throat he asked, “Should we burry her, or….” He looked back at Kerenza hoping that she would finish his sentence without him having to say or hear those words.

“I’ll talk to her captain and see what he suggests.” Kerenza replied quietly. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at her daughter. This was the sort of thing she was good at; planning. Planning anything! Staring in the face of adversity, soldiering on. But to be honest, right now she didn’t know where to begin. A second ago it all seemed so simple. But then the simplicity left as she looked down at Dhani. She was really going to have to do this; plan her daughters’ funeral. She blinked back her tears. She had to be strong for Tanson, she couldn’t let this… this sudden rush of emotion throw her. Tanson wasn’t as strong, he needed her support. He needed her to make all the arrangements and plan everything and ….and be the cold harsh unfeeling woman she had always been. Kerenza stared down at the floor, life seemed to take all sorts of twists and turns, it really sucked arse.

“Her favourite flowers are orchids.” Tanson blurted out, “We must have orchids, blue and purple ones… she loved them so…..” his voice wobbled as she spoke breaking as he began to cry. Covering his face with his hands he shook.

Kerenza wrapped an arm around him and pulled him to her chest stroking his hair soothing him as best she could. She begged all the gods that she had never once in her life prayed to, or gave a second thought to, to help her through this time of crisis. She prayed that she wouldn’t buckle, prayed for strength.

****

Within the cloud Dhani called out again. Grasping hold of the only piece of reality she could find.

~MOM?~

She cried out desperately as the wind picked up, beating her with the sand of time…

~MOMMY!!!~

She wailed as reality slipped away and all that was left was the swirling mass of colour.

****

“Kala!” Kerenza snapped, “Stop it. I won’t tell you again.”

Kala turned slowly from Dhani to her mother. “What the hell have I done now?” she asked confused and annoyed by the sudden accusation.

“Don’t take that tone of voice with me young lady!” Kerenza threatened as if her twenty-nine year old daughter was five.

Kala really couldn’t be bothered to argue with her mother. She had *decided* that Kala was doing something wrong, so fine. She really didn’t have the energy. Looking down at Dhani, hearing her parents discuss their next move, listening to them talk about her sisters funeral made her stomach turn.

“I’ll be outside.” Kala said walking slowly towards the door. She needed to get some air.

Closing the door she stood for a moment and stared down the corridor. This was all becoming a little too much for her. She could still feel her sister, how could she be gone? It wasn’t possible.

Slowly she walked, each step was a chore; heavy yet at the same time she felt as if she were walking on air, light as a feather. From the corner of her eye she saw Mia walking towards her. Her lips were moving but there was no sound. Around her patients conversed with visitors but she couldn’t hear them. It was like she had gone deaf.

Staring down at the floor Kala continued to the lift. The world still turned around her. In fact the entire galaxy did. People’s lives continued, yet hers had come to a crashing halt. Maybe there were others in the world that were experiencing exactly what she was… but that was little comfort.

She leaned heavily against the wall of the lift. It hummed as it descended the sound penetrated Kalas hearing. She was so sure that Dhani was going to wake up. She was so sure that she could feel her sisters’ life force, feel her will to survive. Or maybe she wanted so much for Dhani to wake up that she was making herself feel these things.

As she stepped out of the lift her tear shot eyes roamed the foyer. Bernzie nodded to her but she didn’t respond. She just had to get out. Get away from all the faces that knew her, all the people that wanted to say kind words. All the people that thought ‘sorry’ could help her and take her pain away.

No one understood the bond she had with Dhani. They weren’t ‘just’ sisters. They weren’t ‘just’ twins. There was so much more, that she herself couldn’t begin to explain.

Her feet dragged as she walked out into the brilliant sunshine and her head began to throb. This wasn’t happening was it?

The rest of the world fell away as Kala’s vision tunnelled and then darkened.

“Not Daddies Little Girl”

Location: Leran Manev View Hospital.

Primary characters: Chandrakala Lakshmi Eshe (APC)

Tria (NPC)

And Tanson Eshe (APC)

****

As she stepped out of the lift her tear shot eyes roamed the foyer. Bernzie nodded to her but she didn’t respond. She just had to get out. Get away from all the faces that knew her, all the people that wanted to say kind words. All the people that thought ‘sorry’ could help her and take her pain away.

No one understood the bond she had with Dhani. They weren’t ‘just’ sisters. They weren’t ‘just’ twins. There was so much more, that she herself couldn’t begin to explain.

Her feet dragged as she walked out into the brilliant sunshine and her head began to throb. This wasn’t happening was it?

The rest of the world fell away as Kala’s vision tunnelled and then darkened.

*****

Kala blinked, the sunlight blinding her. A shadow crossed her vision and she opened an eye cautiously. She recognised the face above her. His lips were moving but there was still no sound. Shaking her head Kala rolled over. But Tria stopped her, pinning her to the floor.

“You aren’t getting up that quickly missy!” he told her pushing her gently to the ground. Taking out a tricorder he began to scan her. His faint smile waned as Kala mumbled her rejection at being pinned to the floor.

Leaning closely he brushed the hair from her face and blocked the sun with his torso, “Kala, can you hear me?” he asked her again.

Kala moaned her acknowledgment as she again tried to get up.

This time Tria helped her to stand. With her arm around his shoulder he half carried her, half walked her to a bench. Sitting her down he kneeled in front of her, his hand supporting her shoulder, so that she wouldn’t fall off the bench.

Kala leaned heavily on his hand and stared at the floor between his knees. She felt extremely tired and slightly light headed. Like her head had been stuffed with cotton wool, groaning she rubbed her head.

Tria watched her with observant eyes. Glancing back at the tricorder he frowned at the results before snapping it closed.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked.

“Yes.” Kala replied rubbing her temple.

“Do you know where you are?”

“Yes.” She said again sighing.

“Do you ..”

“Yes!” she cut him off her tone aggravated, “I know where I am. I know who I am. I know who you are and I know who the president is, okay? I’m fine alright.” she spat out. Sitting back on the bench she looked up at the sky, tears welling in her eyes.

Tria stood up and crossed his arms. “Well then seeing as you know everything. Mind telling me why you fainted?” he said staring at her with raised eyebrows.

Kala lifted her head and looked at him. His blond hair fell in curls across his forehead his deep blue eyes penetrated her with a look of concern and slight aggravation. For a moment she tried to read him, but her emotions were all over the place. She was a little shocked by his remark, he was a doctor, or something like that at the moment he could have been a targ and she wouldn’t have cared. “I don’t know.” She replied slightly peeved.

Tria changed his footing and continued to stare at her, “When was the last time you ate Kala?” he asked in a serious no nonsense tone.

Kala frowned, “I ate….” she started in the same tone as his but stopped. Frowning her eyes searched the ground, “I don’t remember.” she said looking back up at him.

Tria nodded slowly. He understood all too well but still, she was a Starfleet officer and she should know better. He sighed and pulled out a hypo spray. Filling it up he took a step forward, “Tilt your head to one side.” he told her.

Kala pushed her hair off her shoulder exposing her neck and watched as he moved in to administer the hypo.

Tria brushed a few remaining strands of hair off Kala’s neck with the back of his hand, her skin was warm and smooth. His eyes flittered over her collar bone; pronounced and defined, he noted the curve as her neck joined with her shoulder and kicked himself mentally as his eyes descended down her chest. He tried not to examine her body as he lent over. ~Critical eye~ he told himself, ~skinny, far to skinny, mal nourished… well toned arms, strong upper body, resistance of pain,~ he noticed the brand on her right shoulder, ~striking features, gorgeous hair… bet I could hold on to that! Boyfriend is a Klingon, could beat the crap out of me with his little finger…… bet she’s dynamite in bed!~ Clearing his throat Tria stood up,

“That should make you feel better for a while.”

“Thanks.” Kala mumbled as it hissed in her ear.

Tria took a step back and looked down at her, his features softened as he put the hypo away, “I know that you are going through a hard time. But you have to take care of yourself too. I don’t want to have you lying on a gurney as well, okay?” he said gently. ~Lying on a gurney hey! Tria, shut up!~ he told himself.

Kala shook her head. She knew better but right now… “I don’t care.” she said staring at the ground. “I don’t care if I live or die anymore. I just cared about Dhani. And now… and now.” she stopped, a lump sticking in her throat. “I don’t know how to go on without her.” she said her voice wavering as a tear slid down her cheek.

Tria bit his lip and sat down next to her. He wasn’t too sure of his approach… should he tell her off or console her? This wasn’t in the medical students’ handbook! He had lived several lives and he understood what she was going through but still he himself had never gone through this. A million different approaches played out in his head,

“Kala, I care.” he finally said.

Kala turned to face him. Again she reached out with her mind, trying to sense his feelings. They had talked so many times; in fact they had been inseparable for months, but lately he had distanced himself from her and she wasn’t sure why.

His eyes locked on to hers for a moment but he turned sharply and sat upright on the bench, “Your family care too.” he added.

Kala shook her head as he turned from her. Sighing inwardly she stared out across the open field before them. “They don’t care.” she replied.

“Oh?” Tria replied questioning with raised eyebrows.

Kala took a deep breath and looked at him, “Honestly?” she asked.

He nodded.

“My parents love my sister. Well my dad does. And I know what you’re gonna say, they love me too right?”

Again Tria nodded.

Kala frowned, “I know they love me, but… and I love Dhani too.” Kala added.

“But?” Tria asked leaning forwards and resting his arms on his legs, letting his hands dangle at the wrists.

“But.” Kala sighed not really knowing how to explain. “Dhani was their favourite. She was the one that was going to do great things. She was going to be joined and uphold the family name.”

Trias’ head tilted to one side as he turned to look at her, “But you don’t want to be joined. You hate Symboints and all they stand for.” he said slowly. As he finished his sentence he could have kicked himself. Looking down at the ground between his feet he smiled at his own revelation, chuckling he shook his head his blond curls bobbing slightly.

“It’s not that I hate them.” Kala corrected him, “It’s just that…” she paused not really knowing how to explain herself.

Tria smiled, “You don’t need to explain Kala. It’s simple.” He bent down and picked up a stone that shimmered in the sunlight.

Frowning at the back of his head, Kala took hold of the bench seat beneath her thighs, just feeling the wood beneath her fingertips, digging her nails into it, “Huh?” she retorted her face scrunching up.

“This is a clear case of sibling rivalry.” he said simply.

“No it’s not.” Kala insisted.

“Why are you getting uptight about this?” he asked turning his torso to face her fully, “It happens within every family. It’s nothing to feel bad about.”

“It’s not like that.” Kala protested.

Tria just looked at her. His expression said all.

Kala shook her head and remained silent. She huffed to herself. He didn’t understand. No one did!

Tria watched Kala from the corner of his eye as he rolled the stone between his fingers. “You lost your place didn’t you?” he said finally, breaking the silence.

Kala barley turned to him, just stared forward.

“Your father is a Trill, isn’t he?” Tria continued despite her silence.

Kala nodded.

“You get on well with your mother?” he asked already knowing the answer.

Again Kala nodded.

“What about your sister?”

Kala flinched slightly, “They got on okay I guess.” she replied.

“But not as well as you and your mother did?”

Kala shook her head.

“So I was right.” Tria stated flicking the stone across the grass.

Kala turned and frowned at him.

“You get on well with your mother, but not your father. That much is clear.” He said turning to face her. “Dhani got on well with your father but not your mother. Things like that often happen with in a family. It’s normal.” He reflected a moment on his past lives; the memories of raising families. It was so simple for him to unravel her feelings. This was one of the positives of being joined; the vast experiences of lifetimes.

Behind them Tanson walked out of the hospital and surveyed the grounds. His eyes rested on the pair talking on the bench. He rubbed his eyes and began to cross the grass.

Kalas eyes fell from Trias face and hovered over the bench. “Yeah.” she mumbled, “That’s it.” she said sullenly.

Tria smiled again, “No its not.” he stated, there was more to it. There always was.

“Dhani never tried to bridge the gap between her and mom, she never cared about it.” Kala explained as best she could.

As Tanson approached he stopped, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. He lingered behind them for a moment wondering if maybe he should keep walking and come back later. Maybe he should just wait in the foyer for her or something. Nodding to himself he turned and began to leave, but Trias voice carried and the conversation made him stop and turn back.

“But you do. You have been trying your whole life to be noticed by him, haven’t you?” Tria asked his voice full of understanding and compassion.

Kala nodded. Finally it seemed as if someone understood. She loved her sister and she never had a bad thought about her. But now it seemed as if the delicate balance had been tipped.

“You have tried to be as different from your sister as possible, to keep your individuality. And in doing that you have said that you hate everything she liked so that you could be different. And everything she did your father approved of. And so now you feel as if you have alienated him by stating that you dislike everything that she liked.” Tria said trying to be concise and put Kalas feelings into a nutshell,

“And now you have lost your place. Because deep down what you long for is his favour. As long as there was a discord between your sister and your mother it was okay, because Dhani wasn’t perfect. Now she has gone you don’t know how to fill the gap.”

Kala pouted, she tried to stem the tears that welled in her eyes. Sometimes she hated the way Tria took her life and mashed it on the table before her. He could see through her like glass and she hated him for that. She respected him too, but sometimes she couldn’t take the bleakness of the truth, sometimes ‘the water off a ducks back’ technique just didn’t work. She knew all this, deep down she already knew everything he was saying, because she felt it. But to hear it, to have it laid out before her was just too much to take, his words hurt her.

“You feel that because he had more in common with your sister that he loved her more?” Trias voice was soft. There was no indication of accusation in his tone.

Kala nodded. The dam finally broke, “He loved her more than me!” she blurted out, tears cascading down her face.

Tanson felt his heart lunge into his throat as he heard Kalas out burst. For a moment he stood rooted to the spot. Part of him knew that he shouldn’t have been listening. He should have walked away but….. it wasn’t like he was eaves dropping.

Tria took her hand, “Kala I’m sure that’s not true…”

“No it’s not!” Tansons voice interrupted him, he had meant to say that under his breath, ~Bugger!~

Tria turned sharply and stared in disbelief at Tanson. ~Oh crap!~

Kala turned and looked at her father. She stood up quickly, her hand slipping from Trias. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t intended for him to hear this. In fact she hadn’t intended to say any of this, to anyone.

Tria too stood up and bowed his head. For a moment he felt like a child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But then he also had memories of these conversations with his children. He frowned to himself. The man standing before him who, for a minute, had seemed the intimidating adult was now almost child like. Tria mused at the conflicting emotions and memories he had. Being joined was interesting. He wondered when it would feel normal.

“Daddy, I’m sorry.” Kala whispered; her vocal chords had seemed to go on strike.

“Moon Beams”

Location: Leran Manev View Hospital.

Primary characters: Chandrakala Lakshmi Eshe (APC)

Tanson Eshe (APC)

And Tria (NPC)

****

Kala nodded. The dam finally broke, “He loved her more than me!” she blurted out, tears cascading down her face.

Tanson felt his heart lunge into his throat as he heard Kalas out burst. For a moment he stood rooted to the spot. Part of him knew that he shouldn’t have been listening. He should have walked away but….. it wasn’t like he was eaves dropping.

Tria took her hand, “Kala I’m sure that’s not true…”

“No it’s not!” Tansons voice interrupted him, he had meant to say that under his breath, ~Bugger!~

Tria turned sharply and stared in disbelief at Tanson. ~Oh crap!~

Kala turned and looked at her father. She stood up quickly, her hand slipping from Trias. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t intended for him to hear this. In fact she hadn’t intended to say any of this, to anyone.

****

“Daddy, I’m sorry.” Kala whispered; her vocal chords had seemed to go on strike.

Tanson raised his hand to silence her. His face took on a stern expression. He was angry. But not with Kala, he was angry at himself for how he had made her feel. He shook his head slightly as he digested what he had heard.

Taking a tender step forward Tanson mulled over his reaction. He glanced up at Kala, unable at this moment to look her fully in the eye for any length of time. Turning from her, he sat down on the bench and rested his head in his hands. Frowning he tried to choke back the tears that were forming in his eyes and the lump that stuck in his throat.

Kala stood and watched her father as his expression changed from anger to hurt. She wasn’t sure what to do. She hadn’t intended for him to hear this, and here he was! She should be angry at him for eaves dropping, but right now she was more concerned for having hurt him.

Tria took a couple of steps backwards. Part of him wanted to advise Tanson, as a mentor would. He had the experience in dealing with things like this, many times, from both the perspective of a man and a woman. But he knew that in this body he still looked like a child. And he wasn’t sure of Tanson’s opinion on joined Trills, would he welcome the advice of the 100 year old slug? Or only see a 23 year old male before him?

Tria nodded to himself; sometimes a man should be left to make his own way. Looking back at Kala, who’s feet had become one with the ground, he smiled slightly, one of reassurance. He gently took hold of her upper arm, and in parting let his fingertips run down to her hand as he walked away. His presence wasn’t needed here anymore.

Kala stood rooted to the spot, her mouth had dried out and her body stiffened. She stared at her father till her eyes burned, looking for any sign that he was okay.

“Dad, I’m sorry.” she said again, not really knowing anything else to say. What else was there? She wasn’t sorry that she had said those things, she had needed to. But she was devastated that he had heard her. She never wanted to hurt him, ever. The tears stung her dried eyes.

Tanson patted the bench space next to him indicating for her to sit. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. Part of him wanted to hug her and tell her that he loved her but he knew that wouldn’t be enough. He had to give her more than that; he owed her more than that. He needed to explain things.

But where to begin?

A parents love for a child is equal. He loved Kala just as much as he loved Dhani, but in very different ways. Dhanishta was his first born. And Kala was the second. Even though there was only a miniscule time difference between the girls. There still was a difference.

“When your mother fell pregnant there were complications and she was very sick. The doctors said that the pregnancy should be terminated to save your mothers life.” Tanson started his eyes never leaving the toe of his boot.

Kalas eyes widened hearing this. Her parents had never told her this before. She fidgeted slightly on the wooden bench, wondering why her father was telling her this, and why now. Where was it leading?

“Kerenza refused to have the pregnancy aborted. And that was just before our assignment on Vulcan. The doctors tried to persuade your mother to stay in a Starfleet medical facility but she wouldn’t have anything to do with them. We packed our bags and headed to Vulcan, completely against Starfleet medicals advice.”

“What happened?” Kala broke her silence. She was intrigued, “Mom never told me this. She never let on that there were any problems when we were born.”

Tanson cast a glance towards the hospital where Kerenza sat with Dhanishta. It suddenly dawned on him just how much he and Kerenza kept from Kala and Dhani. He shook his head, “The ins and outs aren’t important.” he said quietly, “But several times Kerenza was hospitalised.”

As usual Tanson skipped the reasons for this, which he knew, and also the type of hospital Kerenza was admitted to. “Even up to the night of your birth we never truly understood the possible damage that had been caused, to you two, or your mother.”

“Why did mom insist on having us if there were problems?” Kala asked turning to face her father.

Tanson smiled slightly still looking at the hospital, almost as if he could see Kerenza through the walls, “She knew.” He turned to Kala his smile growing, “She just knew.” he said simply.

Kala frowned, she didn’t totally understand what he was saying, but decided not to peruse it. She would just let him talk. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to understand. She shrugged to herself.

Tanson took a deep breath, “As it turned out there were no complications during the birth itself. I remember watching it like it was yesterday.” his eyes glazed over slightly as he let the memory consume him. As he spoke his voice carried an air of nostalgia and awe, “It changes you.” he said simply as if Kala would understand.

He chuckled at the face she made, “Watching your child being born.” he elaborated, “It’s truly amazing. As I held you sister I remember looking down at her. So tiny and delicate, yet strong in her own childlike way. She was beautiful. I remember how I felt. I never wanted anyone to hurt her or you. I always wanted to be sure that you had everything you could ever possibly need. Even if it meant that I went without. As long as you had clothes on your back, food in your bellies and felt loved… I would go through anything, do anything.” he looked up at Kala wondering if she could ever understand. And knowing that she would, one day, just like he had these talks with his parents…. He had never understood them, until he had children.

Kala squinted as she looked at him, as if she was trying to see the explanation written in the air before her.

Tansons face fell slightly as he realised that maybe he had failed. But he perused anyway, “After Dhani was born the midwife handed her to your mother, and then me. She was wrapped up in a lace blanket that your mother had been given from one of her relatives. I walked out on to the balcony and looked up at the sky. It was littered with thousands of stars. As I held her she began to squirm… I remember looking down as she opened her eyes, and there, above us a shooting star fell from the sky. I watched it mirrored through her eyes. And I knew at that moment what we should call our first born daughter.” he looked up at Kala, “Star.” He said simply.

Kala frowned and shook her head, her forehead wrinkled and she leaned forward, “Dad I don’t un…” she stopped herself and leaned back, snorting air through her nose. It was obvious really; she had been right, dad did love Dhani more than her. And he took any opportunity to tell her about his wonderful daughter! She gritted her teeth and began to pick her fingernails.

Tanson noted her indifference at his story telling, but he wasn’t even close to half way through yet! He sighed as her posture shifted to one of reluctance and indifference. Maybe he should have gone with the first idea and tell her that he loved her and just simply hugged her. It was a bit late now though. He had started so he may as well finish.

“We had no idea that we were expecting twins, least of all identical twins. I know, I know, with all the technology around these days that sounds a little ridiculous doesn’t it?” Tanson nudged Kala, hoping to at least get a slight smile.

Kala looked up and rolled her eyes.

Nodding to her unspoken words of ‘get on with it’ Tanson continued, “After the Starfleet doctors had seen us and told us to abort the pregnancy Kerenza had a slight aversion to doctors. On Vulcan, although she was hospitalised several times, that was for other reasons. They weren’t fully equipped to deal with maternity issues.” He explained, “So by the time you were born, we weren’t sure what to expect. We had prepared for a still birth and when Dhani came out healthy and alive we were ecstatic.”

“And me?” Kala wanted to hold her tongue but the words just fell out of her mouth.

Tanson smiled widely, “When you were born,” he took a pause to find the right words. Tears welled in his eyes at the memory and slipped down his cheek, “Kala we were overjoyed.” his chin wobbled as he spoke, “To have two healthy babies after the hellish pregnancy was amazing.” he concluded.

As if caught by the memory Tanson continued, “I laid you down in the bassinet next to your sister and watched you both, for what must have been hours. We had no idea what to call you.” He chuckled slightly, “Kerenza came over and sat on my lap and together we stared at our little creations. Both just as scared and excited as the other. As the curtains fluttered in the breeze the moonlight streamed in through the window. And as it flowed over the crib, you opened your eyes and stared back at us. Even then I swear that you smiled. They say that new borns don’t smile, not until they are at least three months old. But I swear you did. And that’s when it came to us to call you; Chandrakala, it means moon-beams.” he looked over at her and smiled.

Kala smiled slightly at the anecdote, but it still didn’t change how she felt. She still felt like she was second best, compared to her sister, in her fathers’ eyes. Kala couldn’t pretend any more. They had come this far, it was time for the worms,

“I can’t believe that I’m jealous of her.” she said honestly. “She is my sister and we have a bond that is thicker than blood. We have a connection and I can’t even describe to you, or anyone. And I’m jealous of her…..and you!” There she had said it, finally after years of feeling this way she was confronting her father. And her sister lay in a coma, they had just turned off the ventilator this morning and here she was, her sister not even dead yet, and she was already bitching about her. What a bitch she was. She couldn’t believe what she was doing. She never thought that anything came between her and her sister, and now all this. She felt truly wretched. And it didn’t matter what he said anymore. She was going to feel this hole and it was only going to get bigger the more they talked about this.

Tanson looked up, “Jealous, of me?” he questioned. “Why?”

Kala was furious with herself, “Because you loved her more than me.” she almost shouted. “She was the one that was going to become joined. She was the one that you were proud of. She was the one that you ran to hug. She was the one that you lit up for. She was the one that, that…” Kala lost her train of thought in her anger.

Standing up she realised that she was shaking, tears of frustration anger and pain flowing down her face like a water fall, “She was the one… the one that you tucked up at night, the one you told stories to… the one that….” her face scrunched up as she almost screamed. She couldn’t talk as the fit of tears took hold of her. She stood in front of him trying to keep any sort of composure, failing miserably.

Tanson chewed on the insides of his cheeks, not really knowing what to do now. Slowly he stood up and stretched his legs. Looking at Kala, her bottom lip so far over her top that it almost reached her nose, he almost laughed. Shaking his head he began to pace. Taking a deep breath he looked up at the sky, Kala stood watching him, he could hear her fuming as she trembled and jerked with the tears.

“Kala,” he began softly, “you probably won’t understand this. Not until you have your own children at least. But you have no idea what it’s like when one of your children falls sick. Little things don’t bother you much, cuts and scrapes heal. It still hurts when you see your child in pain, but you know that a cut will heal.”

Kala frowned, her body remained stiff as a board, but her eyes locked on to his form, watching him like a hawk as he paced.

“Do you remember when you were little, how sick your sister was?”

Kala nodded, “Dhanishta is my *twin* dad. Of course I remember.” her nostrils flared.

Tanson stared at the ground for a moment. Not even he and Kerenza had spoken about this, not since it happened anyway, “December, twenty-three fifty-six.” he said the date burned in his memory, “I took Dhani to a hospital on Vulcan for tests. Your mother couldn’t bear to go with me so I took Dhani by myself. I had to strap her to a bed. She was so tiny and so scared. Only three years old. She was so normal though, so normal during the day; bright, intelligent and happy. But the night; every night, she would fit. I couldn’t control her. I couldn’t help her.” he shook his head as he remembered, “And I was her father. I should have been able to. She was only three and she broke the restraints.” He glanced up at her, tears welling in his eyes; they dropped to the floor and into the dirt.

“I don’t remember the tests that they did on her. Hell, I don’t think I even understood them when they were performing them. But I remember her screams. I remember the day she stopped screaming. Stopped calling out for me…” a huge lump stuck in his throat, but he continued. His voice became hoarse and strained, “I also remember the look in her eyes after the first visit. And then there was the second and the third and …. The trust left her eyes, Kala. I took her every day to that place. I even left her there for weeks, for months. I knew that she hated it. I knew that she was hurt physically and mentally, and I let it continue. I told myself that I was making her better. Kala it took them six years and still they didn’t figure out what was wrong with her. She ended up in a coma. Do you remember that?”

Kala’s face fell. She remembered. She nodded slowly. They had not once spoken of this. Sometimes she thought that she had imagined it all. She remembered how Dhanis screams tore through the night. She remembered how her father bundled her into her mothers’ arms. And how her mother tried desperately to keep her focus away from the sounds as Tanson tried to soothe Dhani. Kerenza would read her stories, her tired eyes half closing as she did, jerking awake with every scream. She remembered how she had gone into her sisters’ mind, and was thrown across the room. She remembered it so well, like it was yesterday. For a moment she wondered why they had never spoken of it before.

Tanson swallowed hard, “I always wondered if she was sick because of me. Was I a bad father, did I do something wrong, was there a defective gene that I passed on? I beat myself up over that for years, and the guilt for taking her there. I thought I had lost back then. And we did lose a part of her. It started on that first day. She never came back whole. I tried so hard to rebuild the trust between me and her, and to this day I don’t think I ever have, not fully. And I don’t think that I can ever make it up to her.” he turned from Kala and tried not to let the pain and the guilt eat him, “I never intended to push you away Kala. And I’m so sorry if that’s the way I made you feel. I love you just as much as Dhani. I would die for either one of you. I just wanted to make up for all I took from her. She lost her childhood because of me and I …. I …” he stopped and sat heavily on the bench, “I’m the one that should be sorry Kala, not you.”

His voice was muffled by the hands that covered his face. Kala was speechless; she stood in shock watching her father, at a total loss of what to do.

Her face cracked. She finally had some understanding of why, but this small revelation couldn’t undo all the pain she felt, it couldn’t undo the past.

“But… Dhani was your star!” she said her chin wobbling.

Tanson choked, his own words used against him. His shoulders jerked as he began to cry.

Kala felt so much worse than when she had started this conversation. She didn’t want to cause her father any more pain. He was already loosing a daughter. She reached out to touch him but drew back. Stepping forward she reached out again, her had hovering above his shoulder, “Daddy… I’m sorry.” She could feel her nose dripping as the tears rolled down her cheek, “Daddy, I love you!”

Tanson looked up. Grabbing Kalas hand he pulled her on to his lap

“I love you too, silly girl!” he said through his tears.

Wrapping his arms around her he hugged her tightly rocking back and forth.

Kala buried her head into his shoulder, “I’m so sorry.” she said again holding on to him as if she was never going to let go.

“There are thousands of stars Kala,” Tanson whispered in her ear, “but there is only one moon.”

"The Doctor's Desk."

Lt. Dr. Klaus Fienberg, Chief Medical Officer

Lt. JG Dr. Jack Slen Pathologist and General Practitioner

Ens Deacon Starke Head EMT and Hazard Team Medic

Location: Klaus' Office

"I should have been aboard...Why wasn't I aboard...Why didn't I figure it out..."

Jack shook his head. "Klaus, Don't beat yourself up over this crap. Your help with the minefield got us out of there alive. Without that, chances are we'd all be dead, and millions more in some pointless war."

"Yea Boss, we did need the help, but it wasn't there. We made due, and we saved alot of lives."

Klaus seemed consoled...but it still hurt. It seemed like everyone wanted to pick a fight either with the Federation, or the Galaxy herself. He longed for a simpler Era, but simple times were something the weary doctor never had. Strife and pain throughout his career. One war, in the past, and one loomed in the future. The Burden could also be felt on his friends. Most of the crew he'd come to know since it happened.

"They all know what happened." Klaus said solemnly.

"Very Astute. But yea...that's a problem. The Cat's outta the bag. Whats our plan."

Deacon spoke up again. "How do you mean Doc?"

"What are we going to say when people ask!" Jack shot back, as if what he meant was obvious.

They looked at Klaus as he tapped on the desk. "The Truth. If people ask what happened, we tell them."

Jack nodded. "Yea, thats what I thought. Deac?"

"Yea, yea. I'll tellem I was running around dragging bodies and the injured to sickbay."

"Well, you Were Deacon." Klaus added, with a mostly neutral expression.

"Yea, but is that really the image I want to give the newer members of the crew?"

"They just said that over 16 THOUSAND starfleeters died. What do you think they'll think? They Died of old age?!"

"Yea...Whatever Doc." Deacon rolled his eyes like a kid.

Klaus added with a caring father-like tone. "You don't need to spare all the Details Deacon. Just don't hide anything."

"Ok, Boss. I get it."

"Then it's settled. No secrets, even if the admirality tell us otherwise."

Jack nodded, and Deacon merely said "O.K."

"Implications"

By Legate Kylar Curran
Chief Liaison Officer
USS Galaxy

Appearances by:
Captain Daren M'Kantu
Commanding Officer
USS Galaxy

Storl
Chief Aide to Ambassador-General Natasha Mol
Federation Liaison Corps

OOC: Bits of "Breaking News by Pat W. used.

*****

Kylar Curran's Quarters
Liaison Offices
Deck 42

Curran rubbed his temples.

Proctor was deliberately trying to provoke him.

First it was the morning mints, then the fresh orchid petals on her bed. The personal access to a holodeck for the duration of the trip wasn't enough; she had to have her own holo-emitter in her quarters for viewing of the latest in fashion or some such. He had fended off her inane desire to have a social gathering in 'honor' of sharing the ship with Jasmine Heloi, the 'best-damned singer-actress in the Federation!'

Now, it was the middle-of-the-night calls. There was no point to the calls. He could swear he even heard giggling at one point. A Starfleet Admiral giggling?

He'd just terminated one of said calls. She wanted new sheets for her bed. Satin this time. Just like last night. Now he'd have to requisition supplies to add the task to her maid's duties. As if the operations officer who had drawn that assignment didn't have better things to do. Like, make sure the shuttlecraft didn't stall in-flight. Or the EVA suits didn't have leaks.

There was no sense in going back to sleep now. Reaching over to the endtable, he flipped the switch that would activate the lighting manually. Using the computer every chance you could get was simple laziness. If you can do it yourself, do it.

Rolling back the sheets, he swung his legs over the side and took three deep breaths, gathering his thoughts and using the meditative techniques he'd relearned while on Kelva II last year during his sabbatical.

Blinking away the residue in his eyes that had accumulated over the last three hours of downtime (which was about the last time he'd received a call from Proctor) he pushed himself off the bunk and strode to his terminal to go over the feeds from the night before.

"Computer, activate feeds on audio." His throat was dry and chalky, resulting in a cracking of his voice. Human bodies were so frail, needing sleep. He could do so much more if he were free of this punishment. His reconstitution into the natural form of a Kelvan on Havras the year before was self-satisfying. If it weren't for the unintelligent transporter officer who had beamed him back to the ship using his human DNA in the patter buffer to reconstruct his molecules, he may have retained the form he cherished. And perhaps his keepers on Kelva II last year would have been more receptive to his requests.

The computer cycled through various Border Patrol reports - an outpost had been lost near the Hydran and Romulan borders. The Merrimack had been dispatched to investigate. The Gryphon Asteroid Belt was seeing increased traffic from outside the Federation. A Hydran Battlecruiser had been spotted in the region. A Miradorn carrier as well.

Diplomatic relations with the Ontailians were on the outs again. Starfleet had requested a return to Rashanar for various reasons he barely paid attention to, but were being denied access by said Ontailians.

Federation Day was announced to be taking place on Earth by President Bacco. The USS Miranda was on her way back to Earth to partake in the celebrations.

Trill was still listed as a disaster zone. More convoys were dispatched with medical aid. Between Trill and Tezwa, the Federation relief convoys were stretched thin. World rebuilding was a heavily plodding task. It was at least one thing the Federation does that gained his approval.

The next one caught his attention though, as he was splashing his face with cold water.

It started out fairly average. Curran kept tabs on the Federation News network, as its journalistic integrity was superior to all others. They managed to have an unparalleled grasp of Federation politics through its many notable contacts. Several Federation councilors and former presidential advisors have appeared on one of their programs - "Illuminating the City of Light" - in the past and been quite forthcoming in displaying the nuances of the activities at the center of the Federation government in Paris on Earth.

"Good afternoon, sentients of the Federation." the rather tackily-dressed reporter said as the holocams started running. "This is Breaking News. Your usual host, Emmett Bregman won't be joining us today. I'm Vera Donahue, and I'm filling in."

Emmett Bregman was a reporter station on board the Galaxy. Curran hadn't had the chance to interview him as yet, but he did keep a very close tab on his transmissions and wanderings amongst the crew. His name was the keyword that engaged the recording of the news article.

"We have today, one of the most shocking stories to ever be uncovered by the Federation News Service. According to information we've received from a source inside Starfleet, the government of the United Federation of Planets has been lying to us all. We have some logs from the Starship USS Arizona that we would like to show."

The Kelvan dabbed his face with a towel, casually strolling over to the terminal, tugging on casual-wear of loose-fitting clothes. He was just buttoning his top when the images came on the screen.

Before the first scene showing the mass destruction the two ships had endured completed, Curran was nailing a communication to Earth over scrambled frequencies to his supervisor, Ambassador-General Natasha Mol.

It took but a minute to connect with her offices. A haggard-looking Vulcan male answered the telecommunique.

[Legate Curran, the Ambassador-General is currently in a meeting. Is there something I may be able to assist you on?]

"I doubt very much you can assist...."

[Storl]. Behind the Vulcan, Curran could see personnel in a heat of activity moving about back and forth. Papers were being passed to the Vulcan. Must be an aide or personal secretary.

"I need to speak with the Ambassador-General immediately, Storl." Curran had tossed off his casuals and began donning his uniform.

[As do the majority of field personnel and Starfleet, Legate. She is currently in a meeting with President Bacco, Chief of Staff Pinero, Press Liaison Kant Jorel, Intelligence Liaison Holly Hostetler and Admirals Ross, Abrik and Akaar. She has left instructions that she will update all Diplomats in the field with the pertinent details when they are de-classified and made available. Now, I must tend to other matters. You will be contacted as soon as we are able.]

Before Curran could respond, Storl terminated the call, leaving the Federation logo on the screen as the telecast rolled on in the background.

"Bregman. He must be the security leak." Hurriedly, the Kelvan rushed out of his offices and straight to wherever the Captain was.

****

Captain's Quarters
Deck 5
USS Galaxy

Captain M'Kantu answered the persistent chime with mild annoyance. Being a Starship commander gave him very little downtime, and with the Rear Admiral on board just waiting to pounce at any given moment, Daren was left with even less opportunity to take time to himself.

So when he engaged the opening mechanism for the bulkhead and saw Kylar Curran leaning in the shadow of the doorway, he knew it was serious.

The Kelvan didn't wait for an invitation; he instantly entered the Captain's quarters and accessed his log records on the closest terminal. Any other person who did just that, and they'd find themselves at the end of a beratement worthy of a Tellarite.

M'Kantu instead, getting the feeling this was not something he wanted to argue the finer points of etiquette about, ordered a cup of the Tanzanian tea he lived by from his replicator. He thought of ordering something for the Kelvan, but he'd never seen the Kelvan drink. He instead had a second cup of tea replicated. If the Kelvan chose not to drink it... well, that's his choice.

He set the cup down on the table as the Kelvan inputted the last of his access commands on the terminal. He double-taked on the cup being set for him and raised an eyebrow.

"We have a situation that needs to be addressed, Captain."

As the images and sounds panned over the screen, the cup that had been risen to M'Kantu's lips froze in place as his eyes grew as wide as saucers.

When the scenes finished and the terminal faded to black, he set his cup down gently. He wrapped his robe around tighter.

"This is serious indeed." He tapped a few commands into the terminal. No messages waiting from Starfleet Command, which was a surprise considering his was one of the ships at Havras. Not even an order to return to Earth or Starbase for inquiry. Plenty of messages from the crew, all saying the same thing he was thinking. There was a security leak on the Galaxy.

"I've already been in touch with the Liaison Headquarters on Earth." Curran relayed the conversation he had with Storl.

"Emmett Bregman."

Daren was in contemplation, rubbing his chin between thumb and forefinger.

"There were a lot of ships at Havras, Legate. Anyone could have released the information."

"But it takes a certain level of access to get it off the ship, Captain. Bregman had a close relationship with Min Zife. Wouldn't take much to obtain the access codes to send a scrambled data packet to Earth with all the detail. A Starfleet officer of that level access could only be a Department Chief or Lt. Commander level or higher."

"There are elements of Starfleet that don't follow the same ideals as we do, Legate. I know you realize that." Curran felt a wave of nausea at being told he had anything in common with a human. "We need to get in touch with Captain Elaithin. His closer proximity to Earth may be yielding him more information."

"And what about Bregman?"

"Security will keep an eye on him. We'll bring him in for questioning if the need arises." M'Kantu raised a hand in response to Curran's rebuttal.

"Operations. Patch me a secure line to Captain Elaithin of the USS Miranda."

[Aye, sir]

"We shall get some answers, Legate. Hopefully soon."

[Proctor to Legate Curran. Where is my hot chocolate?] Curran clenched his fists while M'Kantu chuckled inwardly. At least there was something light-hearted amidst the severity of the day.

NRPG: Just in case people are wondering, this is NOT a plot-related post, but refers to the item of the events of Havras breaking to the public where it otherwise had been kept under wraps. Anyone is free to write their own perceptions of the news. It will have a bearing on future episodes and shape the universe we write in as will your reactions if you choose to write about it. Intel is free to pursue their avenues, and I actually encourage it. Contact Pat for details.

There are lots of things to write about if you can't get into the plot or are waiting on something. Just take your pick and run with it. No need to wait for us.

"Well, duh"

Lt. Ella Grey

***

"We have today, one of the most shocking stories to ever be uncovered by the Federation News Service. According to information we've received from a source inside Starfleet, the government of the United Federation of Planets has been lying to us all..."

Ella snorted as she cut off the annoying reporter with a command to the computer. What an idiotic thing to say, she thought as she curled up on her couch under a pink blanket.

Of *course* the United Federation of Planets had been lying to them.

Everyone lied about anything. Didn't need some stupid reporter to tell her that. The day this Donahue chick came on the air proclaiming that the Federation was the sqweaky-clean messiah of the universe, then Ella would take an interest.

Besides, she didn't need any more drama in her life. She was trying to keep things relatively simple: Going to work. Avoiding Romulan ale. Chipping through the wall that was Victor Krieghoff's brain, Ignoring her past. She really didn't want to have the dasterdly deeds of the Almighty Federation to have to think about too.

She told the computer to play some classical music and then got out her computer PADD to work on a design for a new model shuttlecraft.

OOC: Borrowing quite a bit of Pat's "Breaking News" post.

"Innocence Lost"

Ensign Eytan, Medical Officer

Eytan stumbled into his quarters, stifling a yawn as he pulled off his uniform jacket and tossed it on top of a nearby chair. He looked at the time and shook his head. Normally he worked Delta Shift, but tonight he'd covered Gamma Shift for Tizarin instead, and it had screwed up his internal clock. He yawned again and had the computer start up his customary music as he made his way into the shower. It had been a long, slow, and very boring shift; at least two-dozen panicky crewmen who couldn't sleep had come to Sickbay claiming that something was wrong with them. Fortunately, none of them were suffering from anything that a good sleeping aid couldn't fix.

He finished up his shower and walked back out into the living area of his quarters, pulling on a pair of pants before sitting down and turning on the vid screen, deciding to check in on the news before getting some sleep.

"Good afternoon, sentients of the Federation." the rather tackily-dressed reporter said. Obviously this report had been recorded earlier. "This is Breaking News. Your usual host, Emmett Bregman won't be joining us today. I'm Vera Donahue, and I'm filling in."

Eytan started to wonder why he should care who was hosting or not, but then he realized that it was the news that actually mattered, not the glitzy faux-celebrities reporting it.

"We have today, one of the most shocking stories to ever be uncovered by the Federation News Service. According to information we've received from a source inside Starfleet, the government of the United Federation of Planets has been lying to us all..."

That made Eytan sit up. "What?!" he exclaimed, not believing what he just heard.

He watched as the horrible-looking newswoman was replaced by an external camera view of a starship. Donahue mentioned what Eytan was supposed to be looking at, but he was focused more on the images in front of him than the babbling coming from the woman. He watched as more ships appeared, followed by a huge, devastating battle that ended with a Galaxy-class starship colliding with a...he wanted to say T'Kith'Kin...ship. Over the imagery, Donahue talked about how the Federation ships were supposed to be on a diplomatic mission, and that the main party was captured during the battle.

When the camera left the horrible battle and focused on Donahue again, Eytan was actually relieved. He couldn't stand watching anymore of it; even the reporter was preferable to it. "This turns out to have been a hoax perpetrated by the former Breen General, Thot Gor, who assumed power during this incident. Now a dictator, "Aval" Gor is actually in alliance with the powers of the T'Kith'Kin and Hydrans.

"The footage you saw previously was taken in the Havras at the time of this incident. It is of the 12th Fleet forcibly extricating the starships Miranda and Galaxy from where they were massively outnumbered.

"The Federation Council chose to hide this incident from he public at large, even though no less than twenty-nine Federation starships were destroyed, claiming a death toll of more than sixteen thousand. To put some more perspective on this, that is five thousand more people than were killed at the disastrous Battle of Wolf 359 by the Borg." Eytan frowned. He'd heard all about Wolf 359, and he knew firsthand that it wasn't even close to the kind of damage that the Borg could do if they were *really* upset about something. But then he had the benefit of growing near the Borg's main stomping grounds in the Delta Quadrant, while the Federation was far away from it all...

"This Reporter was astonished to discover that not only are there no less than three significant galactic powers pursuing hostilities against the Federation - we have been able to confirm reports of a significant number of border engagements with both the Breen and the T'Kith'Kin - but that the Federation Council has chosen to hide this information from the public for nearly a year, while Starfleet has been explicitly ordered not to increase it's defensive posture!"

Vera Donahue was certainly not the only person astonished to discover this. Eytan supposed that she could have just been acting, playing along to garner audience sympathy, but he didn't care. This wasn't at all like what he had been taught to believe. According to what he'd been told back on Voyager, the Federation was about as perfect a society as you could find in the galaxy. He'd thought that meant that there were no secrets, that there were no skeletons in the closet, that the citizens of the Federation weren't being lied to by the government they placed their lives and their trust in. ~So much for that,~ he thought bitterly.

"We will be running a--"

Eytan switched off the video feed, a look of disgust on his face. "What gives them the right to do this?" he demanded. He pushed himself back up to his feet and paced back and forth, frowning as he thought. "I thought the Federation Council was supposed to be working for the best interests of the people, not lying to them, not giving them a false sense of security while another damned war is starting!"

The Brenari stopped pacing and looked over at his discarded Starfleet uniform. Just looking at it now made him feel sick, and the thought that he had just been wearing it proudly no less than an hour ago made him feel even worse.

"Computer, end music. Lights off," he ordered angrily as he stalked into his bedroom. He stubbed his toe in the darkness, but he was too upset to acknowledge the pain right now. Eytan fell into his bed and looked up at the darkened ceiling. Finally he understood why so many people had been having trouble sleeping tonight.

"Plots and Pregnancy: Part 2"

By Commander James Lionel Corgan
Chief of Security, USS Galaxy

Captain Atole Tekri, Tal'Shiar Agent

And Mika sh'Sonora, Hapless Schoolteacher

Location: Ten Forward, USS Galaxy

To say that the meeting was tense was an understatement.

James Lionel Corgan was facing one of the greatest decisions in his thirty some years of living. For the most part, the pivotal moments of his life were ones that he was swept into... the Borg Invasion, the Dominion War, the various peacekeeping duties on the Galaxy and the Battle of Havras... all beyond his control.

But then again, this was no ordinary moment.

James Corgan was pondering whether or not he had to take care of a small, unborn life still incubating in Atole Tekri's womb. A child that, though defying all logic but one, was supposed to be his. And if, somehow his sperm had the durability of Khan's supermen and the survivabilty of a Klingon deep scout, and even then if Romulan women came with a freezer in every uterus, then there wouldn't be any doubt whether or not the child was a result of genetic implantation (or, in another horrifying twist, another man, but for some reason James male pride couldn't see it happening).

On reflection, he couldn't see how the means would change anything. If it was still his child, whatever the method of conception, he had some serious decisions to make, and he wasn't sure that he had the knowledge (translated: maturity) to handle the the problem.

~"Damn her for forcing this issue!"~ James inwardly cursed, quaffing powerfully some alien beverage that was alot more powerful than coffee or synthale.

On another point of the triad, the group's lone outside observer was sipping a fruity alien drink from her home planet, giving a watchful eye to the other two at the table. She was pulled in by a connection to James; the current girlfriend.

Mika sh'Sonora was a practised diplomat, but every instinct was to walk over the table and throttle the both of them for such a stupid mistake. She knew, however, that she did not have all the facts. Nothing much added up, be it human/romulan conception, or the time it happened, or anything! She needed more facts before she could dole out punishment. Therefore, she sat coolly, sipping her drink, casting baleful eyes at the other two while staying in a serene, almost aloof aura of impending judgement.

Underneath, she was truely hurt. Atole Tekri partook from James something that she herself had yet to try, and doubted she could ever do.

~"Damn her!"~ Mika cursed to herself, while still staying calm on the outside.

Tekri was trying to stay calm as well - calm, that is, relative to her hysteria in the corridor earlier. The test results would no doubt come back soon from sickbay, and she would not be surprised if the result was artificial as she feared. James was right - the idea of natural conception seemed rather far-fetched, but Tekri could still hope (she wondered if he was as impotent as he claimed. As far as she knew, Terran sperm supplies were inexhaustible like most species, but - with the amount of woman James seemed to get through - one could never be sure.)

"So... still not going to tell us?" Mika broke the silence with her question, still very sure that Tekri was hiding something else.

"I've already told you, I don't remember," Tekri said, annoyed at Mika's scepticism of her story. "I hurt James, and he - unintentionally, I guess - traumatised me for months."

"Oh right." The former Andorian diplomat rolled her eyes most unprofessionally, "A blur as usual, between rolling in alien gutters and swilling ale as blue as my skin. From what I was led to believe, you were supposed to be slightly more intelligent than that."

"And as for you James..." Mika angrily growled at her boyfriend, "It does not speak well of your tastes in women, and makes me question why you are attracted to me in the first place."

"Dammit Mika, lay off." James sighed, wearying of Mika's constant assaults on his manhood, "I'm not trying to dry hump her on this table. I thought I was pretty clear that I didn't want her back. Why are you still on my case about it?"

"Because you didn't do a good enough job. If you made it clearer, would she be here?"

"Yesssss, she would still be here because clearly she has some serious issues if she has to use a pregnancy scare to win me back..."

"It's not a scare!"

"I know! And that's what makes it more f**ked up! I'm still not taking her back... i'm not taking you back by the way." James momentarily turned to Tekri, before going back on the defensive with Mika, "I'm not taking her back... so why are we arguing about this?"

"Because..." Mika's antennae started to sag and wilt disparagingly, "...as long as she's around, she's will always come between us."

Tekri barely heard the last statement, so irritated by the way this conversation was going.

On impulse, she turned towards James and slapped him. Hard. She then glared venomously at Mika before speaking.

"Let's make two things clear - one, just because I may have artificially impregnated myself, it does not automatically make me a fully-fledged stalker-psycho. Two - I believe the purpose of this meeting was to discuss the future of my impending child, not to have an adolescent quarrel about your relationship."

"I can't stand this," she muttered, still glaring at them both before calling to the nearest waiter. "At this point, I'm so stressed I'm past caring for the welfare of the baby. Waiter - get me the largest Terran whiskey you've got."

She turned back to them both in askance. "So, can we start this conversation again please?"

"Yes." Corgan testily grumbled, "Waiter, hold the damn whiskey. I'll be damned if my kid gets FAS. And about that slap... don't do that again. Ever. Clear? And try not to comment on OUR relationship when you clearly have no place in it anymore. What Mika and I argue about is our business. Ok?"

Tekri reluctantly nodded, calmed down by her sudden outburst.

"Now you wanted to talk about the child's future?" Corgan rose up like an oncoming thunderstorm, "Then here is what I see. The means of your pregnancy matters not when faced with the fact that this child will not have a stable family to stay with. By that I mean his or her mother and father in the same home. Clearly that is not happening, so we have a serious problem. What are we to do about it again?"

"The child will be brought up at my family estate back on Romulus-" Tekri started to say.

"That's the problem I see." James interjected, "The child won't have a proper father, since I'm still going to be galavanting across the stars on this ship. You don't plan on raising the kid, but instead plan on staying with the Tal'Shiar while your parents have to raise the kid. Right?"

"Yes it will have a father figure. The child's grandparents will be able to serve excellently in a mother-father role."

"Then tell me this Atole... how do your parents feel about it? From what you told me of them, I doubt they will like the idea of raising a half romulan, half human bastard while the mother and father go about their separate careers. And since your relationship with your parents is... cordial with an undercurrent of rebellious tension, I doubt they will raise the kid in a warm and loving family environment. That is my concern."

"Not quite, James," Tekri said. "The baby should have enough Romulan features to just about pass for a Rihannusu, saving my family any embarrassment. My wealthy parents can give the child everything he or she needs-"

"While still having to hide the fact that the child is half human? That is no way for a child to live, so I have an alternative. I'm willing to take responsibility." Corgan blurted out, "Even if the kid is artificial. I'm willing to raise the child... on the ship if need be."

The choice, though at the time seeming to be out of the blue and impulsive, was in fact more deliberately thought out than even James could give himself credit for. In his face he showed more maturity, finally grasping the seriousness of the crisis and coming up with what was to his code of honour the only ethical answer he could give.

He could actually raise the child.

Fast in deciding, but James knew himself that he would have come to the same conclusion given months of preparation.

"One of these years, though I didn't anticipate it would be this soon, I thought of raising children." He gave a glance at Mika, who was not looking at her boyfriend with a look of advent shock, transfixed on his words as if they were a sermon, "And I always thought that if I wanted to raise children, I would raise them on a starship. Sure, it is dangerous... my job is dangerous enough. But I was raised on a starship, and I can attest to this when I say that being on a starship was the most wonderful, memorable, greatest part of my childhood. Playing hide and seek in the halls of the ship, my first time in zero gravity, all those interplanetary stops, the starfields and spacial phenomena outside the portholes... it was something special."

Corgan turned his attention to Tekri, and spoke whistfully, "If you want, I can raise the child here. He... she... whomever... would have a good life here. None of the prejudices she would face on either Earth or Romulus... she'd be a spacer like the rest of us. And I can promise you that the child will never want for necessities or attention, for I am not poor and I will be close by. The child will... have a good life with me, I promise you."

Tekri looked at Corgan in surprise - she wouldn't of thought he had the courage or maturity to say something like that, and it just made him an even more attractive mate than before.

However, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind, and focused on what he had just said.

"Look, James," she said, smiling at him genuinely and warmly. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm not sure I can accept. I'm sure you will make a great father one day, but if you raise the child here - how will I ever see it? Having my parents raise the child on Romulus is far from ideal, but at least I could see it from time to time. I expect this will be the last and final time I am ever allowed on the Galaxy, so agreeing to this would mean never seeing my child - and I'm afraid I can't do that."

Mika cut in, "We have visitation laws in the Federation. Use them to your advantage."

James looked at his girlfriend, surprised to see her helping her nemesis, "Mika?"

Nonchallantly, Mika shrugged her shoulders, "I have a post doctorate in Political Sciences. The curriculum also involved Federation Law."

James came back to Tekri, "No matter where the child goes, we would have to work that out. If the child is mine, I would like to see it too."

"Of course," she said, hesitating for a second before continuing. "Look, James, I'm rather surprised you're even interested in this child at all. I mean, you were running away from me at transwarp speeds, so it's just odd..."

~"Not entirely true..."~ James thought, the disappointment hanging in the air like a thick fog, ~"We had to stop... I had to stay away so that you would too."~

"And," Tekri gestured at Mika. "James, you've obviously moved on, forgotten me, and are enjoying your life. I guess I always assumed my parents would care for the baby, since I doubted you'd be interested."

"Anyway," she said. "Like Mika said, I suppose I could visit the child here. But shouldn't a mother have more immediate access to the child than the father? It seems appropriate, since the child in question is inside my womb now."

James nodded his approval, "Yes. You have a good point. But the option is open to you, Tekri. I wish we could do better... the child deserves better than two separated parents, but we can work something out. We owe the child that much."

~"We owe the child more than we can give..."~ Corgan thought, ~"And what that child deserves is a mother and a father together, and that is something it will never have. I do wonder, how many childhoods have been turned upside down due to the selfish decisions of an adult? How many divorces or breakups kept a child's parents away from each other when that kid needed them both to be together? How many couples have forgotten to love each other, lost their love, changed or just mistaken love for more selfish urges, only to find that they could not be together when it was too late, when there was a child involved? How unfair it must be, to be a child born from these relationships, from adults who didn't think carefully enough to see that they could do harm to one of their own all for an unfulfilled desire or impulsive, short term gain of affection?"~

~"To this child, I would have to say sorry. For Tekri's desparate attempt to win me back, and for myself for giving into lust when discretion would have been more appropriate... all those months ago... i'm sorry. These selfish actions mean that you will not have the normal childhood you deserve."~

=/\="Commander Corgan, Captain Tekri, please report to sickbay."=/\= The computer ordered, breaking James out of his thoughts.

Tekri sighed nervously. "Let's go," she said with a tense nod, and the trio left Ten-Forward. Tekri remembered the last time she had left Ten-Forward with James to try his absinthe in his quarters - it had been under very different circumstances. Sadly, those days had past - and she would have to face up to reality now.

"Fanatics"

Lieutenant J.G. Saul Bental
Intelligence Officer

Ensign T'Ashaya
Operations Officer

It was the beginning of another, normal work day. Saul woke up early, for the first time since he clashed with Cora.

Even though the corridors' artificial illumination kept the same intensity and brightness levels throughout the day, there was a special feeling about early morning. If Saul closed his eyes, he would almost feel like the early sunrises on the boot camp on Utrecht III. It was almost good enough to convince him to start coming to the CIC early, but just almost.

He smiled at the people who passed by him, waved at one or two he knew by name. Their faces were just swift brushes of color to him, as he moved forward quickly. He almost missed her because of this lack of attention.

The scratch of his heels echoed through the corridor. He stumbled, then turned around and gazed at the back of the other officer. From here, he could notice that both her collar and her hair were golden.

"Excuse me Ensign, I have a rather dumb question."

The tall Vulcan woman raised an eyebrow as she looked at the man clad in the black uniform of Starfleet Intelligence. He out-ranked her, but that was hardly unusual. Nearly everyone aboard the Galaxy outranked her. She chose her words most diplomatically "I would think that, in your profession Lieutenant, you would live your life by the philosophy that the only 'dumb' question was the one that remained unasked. How may I assist you?"

Inwardly, she hoped he wanted to ask for a requisition for extra power for some hobby of his, or perhaps wanted to ask if her hair were naturally blonde. She hoped he wasn't another fan-boy. She'd had the experience of one during her training at Starfleet Academy. It had been, she stumbled mentally as she tried to find the right word before settling on unpleasant. Of all the things in the world T'Ashaya needed, she didn't need a superior officer, intelligence officer, fan-boy stalking her aboard the ship.

It would make things. . . difficult.

Saul brushed the back of his head with his fingers, inwardly praying he wasn't making a fool of himself. "Is there any chance that you competed in the Federation Olympics?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach. Not again. Please, not another illogically obsessed human fanatic. Perhaps, she thought, if she played it cool. . . he would go away. "I have competed in a wide variety of events," she stated in the most neutral of tones, tones she knew very well that most humans considered icy at best. Vulcan, a planet of deserts, known best for men of logic and women made of the coldest ice. That was the image and T'Ashaya now found it advantageous to maintain it.

"Is that so?", Said the Intelligence lieutenant, making a statement more than asking a question..

She suppressed the urge to add even a hint of a smile to the statement. Nothing friendly, she reminded herself. Pure, ice cold statements. Nothing more. The gentleman in the academy had been hard enough to dissuade because she had given him the barest hint of a smile. It had taken asking Sef for a favor, the favor of paying her a visit and playing the, if one could use the word of a Vulcan male, jealous fiancée.

T'Ashaya wasn't taking any chances this time. She didn't care to have to impose on Sef in such a way ever again. Such things also made things difficult, though in different ways.

"If you will excuse me, Lieutenant, I will be late for an appointment," she lied, hoping to excuse herself from the situation.

"I'm not going to slow you down... but if you don't mind the company I would love to escort you to the meeting place. Plus, you didn't answer my question, and you know the joke about the curious Intelligence officer."

"As I understand jokes, Lieutenant, a curious intelligence officer hardly seems to fit the definition," she replied plainly, "though, as I understand it, Vulcans, as a race, do not possess a sense of humor and thus my understanding of jokes is severely limited." She took a turn toward the holosuites and away from her actual destination, the cetacean labs.

Saul rolled his eyes, but didn't give up following T'Ashaya. The truth was, there was no joke about a curious Intelligence officer - none that he knew of, at least. But he didn't expect a Vulcan to know anything about jokes, as the golden-haired Vulcan sagely indicated.

This particular pathway through the ship would take her particularly close to several of the conduits Lt. Commander Hwii' used regularly. T'Ashaya hoped she would be able to locate Commander Hwii' in one of his corridors. Her own command of the dolphin language was still remedial, but she knew the word for shark attack and it fell easily within the range of the Commander's language that she, as a Vulcan, could easily reproduce. She hoped signal to the commander that she needed his assistance with this particular shark. Luck, however, seemed to be something she lacked this particular day.

She turned the next corner sharply and came across an intersection she didn't know. It varied from the as built plans and the original plans. T'Ashaya paused and got her bearings before choosing a direction and continuing to walk. She didn't like the way the morning traffic thinned out of the corridors, so she took another turn at the next corridor hoping to find her way back to more populated parts of the ship. The strategy did not seem to be working. T'Ashaya felt certain that if she were out surfing today, the surf would be all buggery and hardly worth the effort.

"I must be taking you out of your way," T'Ashaya finally stated. "Perhaps it would be more logical for us to part ways at this time. I must be keeping you from some important intelligence duties." She did not add her thoughts on the matter, that she found him just vaguely creepy, however illogical it might be to do so.

Saul, of course, knew to take a hint, but her behavior also affirmed his suspects. It was HER, alright.

"I just wanted to say, T'Ashaya, that you broke my heart on the 2376 Olympics - I wanted Emma Von Kloeten to win so much, and if not for that amazing stunt you pulled on that final leg, she would've brought the golden medal back to Amsterdam... other than that, have a good day."

Saul flashed her one of the infamous Bental grins and turned to leave.

It's not every day that a sports fan gets to give his opinion to the Olympic superstars. He resolved to check how comes the Olympic champion - which he only saw on Holovids up until now - ended up on the Galaxy, but figured it would be easier for him to check out the files instead of asking her directly.

"I do not normally feel it necessary to discuss my past accomplishments, but you are mistaken in your analysis, Lieutenant," she corrected quietly. "I am not alone in the assessment that, while Emma is a good surfer, she does not ultimately have the mental focus necessary to win the gold medal, given that particular field of surfers. Before it was resided by the Federation Olympic Council that I could not compete as a representative for Earth in 2372 games, Emma were on the same team. The fact that my lackluster performance in 2376 raised the bar enough that the best Emma could do was bronze should attest to that fact. I see no shame in Lyriana Ullett of Delta taking the gold that year, save my own lack of concentration and preparation."

Saul spun sharply to face her. "I don't agree that technique or mental focus had anything to do with that specific result. Sure, the three of you were better than the rest by far, but Emma was in da groove... I'm a novice when compared to you girls, but I've surfed enough to know that even the best surfer can't control the winds and the waves, and Emma just didn't get... lucky. She was gold material alright."

T'Ashaya raised an eyebrow at the Lieutenant's sudden, to her way of thinking, outburst. She thought it hardly worth the effort to correct him further, given the amount of emotion with which he responded. It seemed as if he were defending a family member and not speaking of a perfect stranger. T'Ashaya considered asking him about it, but decided it was impolite.

"I'll be certain to convey your vote of confidence to Emma the next time we correspond," she replied politely. The Vulcan Tsunami made a mental note to include a retelling of this particular incident in the next message she sent back to earth. Emma would likely get quite the kick out of the story, but Emma always did enjoy the limelight more than the sport itself.

Saul looked somewhat surprised, then beamed at her. "That would be... nice... well, we must be closed to your meeting place, so I'll leave you to it. And - It's an honor to have such an excellent sportswoman aboard.", He added, bringing his left index finger to his forehead in a loose salute.

At that, T'Ashaya almost frowned. "I would have hoped you would have preferred having an excellent officer aboard," she stated, sounding almost disappointed. At that, she caught sight of a more certain source of excuse to bow out of the situation. She returned his salute crisply.

"Excuse me, please, Lieutenant," she stated. The Vulcan woman took off at a graceful, and yet somehow undignified seeming, dash down the corridor.

"Jazz!" She shouted, trying to catch the chief science officer's attention. Her voice seemed much less formal, much less strained. "I'm sorry, I'm late." The chief science officer smiled at the young operations officer and waved. The two walked off together.

Saul watched the pair of celebrity Starfleet officer leave, the smile still smeared on his face. He was serving on the same ship with T'Ashaya, the Vulcan tsunami, two times gold medalist of the Federation Olympics! That alone was worth four years of Starfleet academy.

"Dead in the water"

By Lieutenant Michael Jamson, Operations Officer

Ensign T'Ashaya of Vulcan, Operations Officer
USS Galaxy - A

**** Deck 11 , Swimming Pool Area ****

"Damn it...." Jamson murmured while slowly pacing in the water. Children of various races were swimming around him, splashing and enjoying themselves, unknowingly interrupting his peace and denying the quiet and tranquility he was so longing for. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but found it impossible to concentrate while the infants made such a commotion around him. And it wasn't just the kids, but the water as well. Michael, although Terran, was never attracted to water and anything related. He preferred solid earth and soil to liquid and fluids. There was nothing better than the feeling of solid land and dirt under one's foot. The laugher and joy coming from the infant's direction caused the brave champion to mutter once more as he slowly made his way from one side of the youngling's pond to the other. As gallant as Jamson was, swimming was a difficult and challenging endeavor for him. The mere concept of swimming through deep water made him think twice and shake as a frightened Targ'. Still recovering from his latest injury at the holodeck, as a result of several fierce battles against Reman troops, Jamson did as he was ordered by Ensign Lias - and performed physical therapy exercises. He was lucky enough to avoid a reprimand for disengaging the holodeck safety protocols, but suffered a serious injury to his left leg, which was caused by a Reman blade. T'Ashaya finally managed to pry herself away from a small group of school aged children who she had been indulging with stories of surfing and raucous games in the pool. She could not see any logic in turning away curiosity in youth, as much as she disliked the attention and the distraction from what she had hoped would be a quiet swim. Besides, given her own situation, the children of others were likely the only children she would be able to encourage in curiosity.

More importantly, she'd been encouraging the children to pursue a level of horseplay their parents didn't really seem to like or approve. What had started as a neatly organized game of water polo had turned into little more than a free for all with children diving, splashing and dunking each other. They were, after all, children, and children in water. Organizing them into strictly governed little teams was, quite frankly, completely contrary to nature and thus, to T'Ashaya's way of thinking, completely contrary to logic.

To that end, she'd thrown out the rules and created new ones, more suited to the nature of the situation. Treat everyone like you want to be treated, so if you don't want to be splashed or dunked, don't splash or dunk anyone. If someone says no, then don't because you'd want them to leave you alone if you asked for it. If the lifeguard tells you to do something, do it. There hardly seemed a need for more rules than that.

The ball became a toy once more and someone's mother had produced weighted rings, as well, for the children to dive after. The children invented their own game after that, one involving throwing the around ball, diving for rings, an swimming through people's legs. The rules of the game, if one could use such a structured word for such loose guidelines, followed the child-logic of continuing the game rather than competing to win.

In short, the Vulcan Tsunami left chaos in her wake.

She'd only had to eject one bully for everyone to 'get it.' The boy, large for his age and a bit plump on top of it, had returned contrite after a short stay out of the water, which he'd spent standing at the edge, begging to get back in on the fun. After that, there were no more problems.

Still, there was the matter of the gentleman struggling in the deeper part of the shallow end, where the water came up to his chest. T'Ashaya considered saying nothing to the gentleman struggling in the pool, not wanting to embarrass him. The fact was she'd been watching the gentleman for some time in case he ran into real difficulty. He seemed less at home in the water than the average Vulcan. In other words, he looked to have all the buoyancy of a stone.

Finally, she couldn't bear watching him struggle any longer and she approached him. As she got closer, she could tell he was human. The scent was unmistakable.

"You seem uncomfortable," T'Ashaya stated, coming up to him. "You should relax. You have nothing to fear. Human beings are naturally buoyant in water." "I've never been a creature of the ocean..." Jamson tried to ignore the pretty blond officer. He didn't know if she was mocking him, or simply teasing him. It didn't matter so much, since he didn't recognize her as a member of the crew. But after all, he didn't recognize 70% of the crew members since his return, so she could have been on the Galaxy for quite some time. "That does not mean that you cannot learn to be comfortable in the environment," T'Ashaya chastened gently. "I hate water! I'd prefer zero-g gravity training to swimming..." he stumbled and almost fell. She was distracting him, whether it was with her looks or stunning blond hair, or just for the sake of helping him.

T'Ashaya reached out and steadied the man, more from an instinct to protect than from reason. Had her choice been one of reason, she would have been prepared for the raw emotion upon contact. Despite her childhood on Earth, of late she'd become quite accustomed to everyone, even the children, treating her with kid gloves and maintaining their distance. In short, she'd become accustomed to being treated like a Vulcan.

The force of emotions shocked her. Fear. Anger. Frustration. She stumbled backward from him like she'd touched something hot. Unable to keep her footing the Vulcan Tsunami fell gracelessly into the water, making a splash much like the wave that gave T'Ashaya her nickname in the sporting world.

She struggled to her feet and attempted to push her disheveled hair into some sort of order. That proved useless, so she arched backward to dunk her hair once more. This time her hair fell neatly behind her as she straightened up. She pushed a few stray red-gold locks behind her ears and returned her attention to the gentleman.

"Are you alright? Are you in need of further assistance?" T'Ashaya asked, almost sounding concerned. The expression on his face indicated to T'Ashaya that something might yet be wrong with him, or he might just be dumbfounded. Sometimes it was hard to tell with the male of the human species. "You're...Vulcan?!" Michael noticed her pointy ears. He was astounded, she didn't behave like the regular pointy eared freak, she actually had a sense of humor! That was weird yet quite peculiar. You don't usually run into comical Vulcans, and at the swimming pool, none the less! Vulcans live on planet with great deserts, vast dunes, huge rocky mountains and marvelous fire plains. How could she even think of swimming? "I see you, like most of your race, are a master of the obvious," T'Ashaya replied dryly. At least he wasn't asking for her autograph. For an instant her mouth quirked into a wry half-smile. It might have been a trick of the light. "I just find it odd....that Vulcans have a sense of humor, and can swim..." He stuttered. He thought he caught a grin, but wasn't sure. He never had much love and compassion towards Vulcans, although he did admire their emotionless behavior and basically their strict discipline regarding sensations and feelings. It was something to strive for, but on the other hand, imitating Klingons since childhood never gave him the luxury of hiding emotions, it was a big part of his life. This, along with his human side taking over his personality as years passed by, only contributed to the conclusion he had to display his feelings, now more than ever.

"Vulcans can learn to swim like members of any race, though there is not much need for the skill on T'Khasi. The wetsuit helps with buoyancy issues," she explained. "As for a sense of humor, I do not know what you are talking about. Vulcans, as a race, do not have any sense of humor. You can find that fact documented in the Encyclopedia Galactica and as we all know; if it is in the Encyclopedia Galactica, it is undisputedly true."

"I tend to question facts before embracing them, not like orders. Maybe you don't have a sense of humor...but a hard case of sarcasm, or even satire?" he replied and continued. "And as for Galactica...there's a human expression, that I'm not sure you've heard before, being Vulcan, 'Don't believe everything you read'" he returned the favor.

She looked at the gentleman closely, as if inspecting him and changed the subject. "If you do not like water, what you doing in the pool? Would it not be more logical to refrain from placing yourself in this situation?" "It is not my idea of fun...or logic," he explained and sighed. "So then, why are you in the pool?" T'Ashaya asked. "Even a human like yourself must understand that it is generally illogical to go someplace one doesn't want to be."

Was that a hint of teasing in her voice? Could Vulcans actually tease? "I was injured at the holosuite..." He said proudly and presented his newly added scar by pulling his left leg gently out of the water. Although his injury was quite severe, the scar wasn't such a bad sight thanks to the 24th century dermal regenerators. "How?" she asked. "There are safety protocols to prevent injuries in the holosuite." "I fought Reman warriors at the Volcano of Kri'stak!" he stared at the water "They fell one by one, unworthy of me even mentioning them". He relived the battle in his mind, and could feel the burning sensation of the volcanic ash, the thin hot air which made it extremely hard to breath, the clashing of swords and the crying of battle. "At the heat of the glorious battle, my comrades were gone...I let my guard down and was overwhelmed by too many of them" He snapped out and added "I should have lowered the difficulty level". "You shouldn't have tampered with the safety protocols," T'Ashaya stated. This time she made no effort to hide the inflection in her voice. It said she thought he was lacking in intellectual capabilities, or perhaps just a child. Michael was stunned once more. She was patronizing him, just like a typical Vulcan. He was commanding starships and saving the universe before she even thought of joining the Academy. This again, was one of these terrible moments he dreaded from. He used to wear 4 pips, which meant honor, discipline, duty. Now again, he felt dishonored, pathetic, insignificant, a puny lieutenant. His normal reactions would demand retaliation, but his latest sessions with Karyn, the Chief Counselor and long time friend started to bear fruit. He would not turn to anger and loss of control, but instead, to something that a Vulcan could actually appreciate - Logic.

"True..." he confessed in agony. "But what would be the point?" he asked. "What would be the point of hunting and killing, without the real sense of danger? the rush? the blood pumping so strongly through your entire body? the excitement? it would all be gone..." he tried to explain. "What is the point in the first place?" T'Ashaya replied. "It is all just a simulation. None of it is real. Your 'glorious enemy' is just the computer, a partial artificial intelligence, nothing more. No matter how many protocols you turn off and how much programming you do, you're still just setting up half-armed tin soldiers and knocking them down. I fail to see how that gets the blood pumping. I would have been impressed if you had gotten your scar doing something real, even if were just road rash from some half thought out childhood attempt to do a 520 in the local gully with your bike because you were trying to teach yourself the trick."

He would refrain and restrain himself from dunking her in the deep water. Retaining his urge to strangle the green blooded Vulcan, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and repeated the same words in his mind over and over again 'serenity now...serenity now'. "There is no logic in fighting toy soldiers, even virtual, when the safeties are on! For every action, there's a reaction! The protocols do not provide reactions...they deny penalties and sanctions."

"True, but removing the protocols does not change the fact that you're still just fighting toy soldiers, as you called them, in the first place. You're an adult and what you've done there is not a war scar," she pointed to the scar he seemed so proud to show off. "You've done nothing but cut yourself with playing with a dangerous toy. As an adult, you should be ashamed of that, not proud."

"I guess you'd have to be a Klingon to understand...I'm sure even a Romulan would agree," he threw he last remark. Obviously, she failed to understand that there was no real logic behind such actions, but pure passion caused by strong emotions. The majority of Klingons do not think first, they act, then look back, and even if they were wrong, they wouldn't accept it and try to prove otherwise. It was all about ego, 'showing off' as she stated, not logic and common sense.

"Obviously you have a lower opinion of both Klingons and Romulans than normal for a man of your," T'Ashaya paused, seeking for the correct word. Her voice was cold, devoid of anything when she finally finished her sentence with the word "ambitions."

She wondered just how much the man knew about Vulcans, or Romulans for that matter. Did he know there were some who believed the Romulan's name for themselves traced to an ancient Vulcan word meaning "outcast?" Did he understand that there were some that believed her to be no better than a Romulan in the first place? The rejection by her childhood bondmate was simply the icing on the cake, as the expression went.

At least for now, Sef was willing to maintain the charade that they would officially formalize their union at some point in the undetermined future. It was, after all, only logical because it was mutually beneficial. What would happen to her when the time came, as she knew it would inevitably would, when they could no longer maintain such appearances? What would life be like when everyone knew she had failed not only as a Vulcan, for her path of logic did not precisely match the path of logic followed by Surak, but ultimately as a woman because her childhood bondmate did not find her desirable? She would be, as the phrase went, dead in the water.

T'Ashaya did not care to contemplate it. Not until it actually happened, at any rate.

She walked to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out of the water. "I would rather be in a real place doing real things than playing warrior in a box that can do nothing but give you simulated experiences." As she pulled herself out of the water the shorty wet suit she wore shifted, revealing a ragged patch of paler skin on the back of her thigh, it was tanned, but still greenish, obviously reasonably fresh scar tissue. She adjusted the suit unconsciously, pulling it down for comfort, bringing it out of the unknown it seemed to be bunching into.

'She's doing it again' Jamson thought as he watched her walking away. He was furious but tried to hide it. She left him there stranded, with his mouth 'open', tongue rolling out. She didn't stay to finish the so called 'fight' which was nothing more than a regular friendly disagreement. "Vulcans...." he whispered quietly and returned to his business. He wanted to prove her wrong, and even though this seemed to be the end of the fight, Jamson sensed there would plenty others. This one was...a strong adversary.

Without further comment, T'Ashaya padded over to a nearby lounge chair. She deftly stripped out of her wet suit there, revealing a two tone green one piece racer's bathing suit underneath. She had several similar patches of skin on her body, the back of the one thigh, clear up to the high cut leg of her suit, along the elbow to the shoulder on the same side of her body, a similarly fresh pucker under her collar bone, three inches from the hollow of her throat. She toweled off efficiently, as if none of these scars existed, then picked up an honest to goodness book which had been sitting under the towel, out of harm's way, and began to read.

The well battered soft cover's title read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Someone had added the words "Don't Panic" in large, friendly, red letters. Perhaps, she thought, she should not have been quite so hard on him. Perhaps it had only been the shock of being exposed to such strong emotions speaking, and not her more rational mind.

Perhaps, she thought, the guy's just a butt head and deserves the reprimand on his record that will surely follow once command gets wind of his tampering.

After all, those altered protocols were going to show up on some operations officer's report sometime. T'Ashaya figured it might as well be hers. She made a mental note to go digging for them on her next duty shift. The found the thought pleasantly distracting as she settled into the lounge chair and began, as always, to pretend to read.

"Dealing with the Family"

by Lt. Jasmine Heloi
Chief Science Officer & Vanguard XO

& Dr. Reanna Heloi
Jasmine's Mother & Aduras' Town Healer

--- Jasmine's Quarters

Jasmine glanced at the ceiling of her quarters and prayed for the strength to continue to deal with the torrent of words pouring from her mother's mouth. Ever since the Vera Donahue "incident," as she was now referencing it, she had been contacted by almost all of her family members – close and estranged – as well as a slew of reporters, her 'fan club' and, surprisingly, her old talent agent. All, save for members of her close family, had fallen out of contact with her over the past several years. Admittedly, being an officer in Starfleet tended to remove one from such contacts as she had 'enjoyed' in her days on 'Starfire.' However, that did not mean that everyone had to 'crawl out of the woodwork' to either a) make sure she was well (as if they wouldn't know by now) or b) get a quote about Donahue's report. It was enough to make even the most patient of Betazoids (or even Vulcans) want to scream.

"I'm *fine,* Mother," Jasmine repeated in a tone of voice that she hoped would deflect her mother's rant into something more useful. 'Like her signing off,' a traitorous portion of her mind snidely commented. "Nothing happened to me. See? I'm in one piece. You don't have to worry." She gestured towards her obviously uninjured torso and smiled.

Reanna Heloi's image on the terminal screen frowned, "I'm your mother, Jasmine, and it's my job to worry. You didn't even tell us that you were in any danger." Her mother managed that tone of hurt disappointment quite well. Perhaps it was from her mother that she had caught her flair of drama. Reanna was certainly over-dramatic enough for it.

"Mother, I'm a Starfleet officer. Of course there's going to be danger! For crying out loud," Jasmine caught her mother's wince at the human term of phrase, "I can't be kept wrapped in feather lilies whenever my ship goes onto a new mission. It just wouldn't be right." Why was it that whenever she was contacted by her mother they tended to fight more often than not? Vaguely she wondered if every woman had to go through this particular phase in parental relationships or if it was just her that was so 'blessed.'

"You could always go back to acting. You were wonderful at it, my dear. I know a number of networks that would jump at the chance to get you as their new lead actress. Perhaps you could base yourself off of Betazed. You could even see Heran again, you know he so misses you," Reanna offered, already planning for her daughter's triumphant return as a heroic Starfleet officer who decided to hang up her badge for acting once more.

Heran Dalek. There was another token nudge from her mother to go down the path that she had planned out for her when she was a child. "Heran's an idiot," Jasmine scoffed, enjoying her mother's wince, "His brain's good only for keeping his skull apart and even that's too much for it sometimes. You should just give it up, mother. I am not going to marry Heran. Period. Case closed. End of discussion."

"You always were a willful one," Reanna sighed, "Why can't you understand that I'm only trying to do what's best for you, Jasmine?"

"Mother, I'm an adult. I won't talk about Heran, nor will I talk about Havras. Tell father that I love him," Jasmine started reaching for the disconnect key.

"Jasmine, stop," Reanna said in a tone of voice that Jasmine had never heard before, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really am. I just worry about your being in Starfleet. With this cover up, I can't help but wonder if you're doing the right thing. Just promise me that you'll consider what I said about coming home?"

The Science Chief sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Alright, Mother, I'll think about it."

"Excellent. Oh! I have a patient, so I need to go. Take care of yourself darling, and don't forget to stop by on your next leave," Reanna blew her a kiss and a moment later the Starfleet emblem replaced the view of Reanna's office.

"I hate parents," Jasmine sighed, hanging her head in her hands. She knew that her mother was motivated by genuine concern for her, but sometimes it got rather trying. That was especially true in regards to her mother's tendencies to try and meddle in her love life. At least her father knew when to leave well enough alone.

Sighing once again, the Betazoid stood from her personal terminal and headed for the door. She had an experiment to work on, and hopefully by burying herself in her work for a few hours she would be safe from personal messages for the time being. Hopefully.

“Bars, Bathrobes and Commitment”

With Rihannusu Attache Vrih Himne

And Ensign 8-Ball Hunter

Throughout the next day, Vrih Himne had been looking for 8-Ball - with little success.

He thought he could just use the ship's computer to track her down, but apparently 8-Ball wore her comm. badge less often than Starfleet regulations required. He had checked the science labs where she worked, but people there had just given him blank stares where he asked where she was.

Of course, blank stares were better than the amused glances he got from a number of people - he just hoped he wasn't going to be labelled "Bathrobe man" or some other equally immature nickname by the crew of the Galaxy. It had taken only ten minutes to reach his quarters from the holodeck last night, but it seemed like a year when wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

When he couldn't find her, he decided to go and formulate an apology - in the form of food. Since he didn't know much about the subject, he talked at length with one of the more helpful lieutenants in the messhall. The lieutenant at least refrained from mentioning Himne's embarrassing incident last night (although it was obvious he knew from his perpetually amused expression) although he did make some other rather annoying comments.

"Man, you should consider yourself lucky. From what I've heard of Ensign Hunter, she usually gets violent with those she doesn't like. You're lucky you don't have a broken nose, my friend."

"We're not..." Himne had been about to say "friends," but realised he still needed the help of this lieutenant, who he barely knew. "... Getting anywhere," he finished.

Now, several hours later, it was the late afternoon aboard the Galaxy and day shifts were usually finishing. Himne therefore decided to wait outside 8-Ball's quarters, hoping to see her.

Just as he was rounding the corner, he saw her walking into her quarters. His opportunity had arrived.

"8-Ball," he began, walking towards her. "I'm sorry about last night."

She turned towards him, and he could see - from her angry face - that he was going to have to do better than that, or else likely end up how that lieutenant had predicted.

"Can we go inside your quarters and talk about it?" Himne pleaded. "If not for me, for the food."

He lifted two cartons of what the lieutenant had called "fast-food."

"Hamburgers and chips," he explained. "I got some help in the messhall. You said yesterday that you found my food... disagreeable. So I figured it was my turn to try yours."

He looked at her, hoping this gesture would calm her down at least slightly.

8-ball stared at him for a couple of minutes. A few things went through her mind. Approximately, in this order:

1. Himne had called her pretty much Vulcan. That was never to be forgiven.

2. Himne was kind of an ass anyway. He cared way too much about money and status and it was going to drive 8-ball bonkers. Besides, they didn't have anything in common, and why were they trying to form a relationship-thing anyway when good sex was really all that linked them together.

3. The sex WAS pretty good, though, and 8-ball liked Himne.

4. During the fight, 8-ball had been kind of mean herself and possibly let herself blow up just a little more than absolutely necessary. She probably called him about six different variant's of stupid and that wasn't very nice. The fact that he wasn't yelling about that was a point in his favor.

5. She had also stolen his clothes. That was also considered mean.

6. All in all, Himne probably had some things to bitch about too.

7. BUT. . .he had called her PRETTY MUCH VULCAN.

8. Also, he had food (good food, not raw targ hell food) and she was hungry.

8-ball sighed. "Come on in," she said and led him inside. "Let's eat and talk."

"Thanks," Himne said, looking pleased and relieved. He entered 8-Ball's quarters, realising that he had never been here before.

"You're quarters are..." he thought of something complimentary to say, but found they were a bit (okay, excessively) bare for his taste. "... very nice. Humans do have a knack for interior design." He hoped his comment, as pathetic as it was, would not go unnoticed.

8-ball raised an eyebrow at him. "That was lame. I haven't done crap with these quarters and you hate them. I can tell. Never mind; it was a nice effort to be polite, I guess. Put the food over there and lets eat."

He opened the cartons and laid the food down on the nearest table, letting the delicious smells (delicious for Terran palettes, anyway) waft out into the room.

"Look," he said. "I want to apologise for yesterday, I didn't mean to rant and cause offence. For that I am truly sorry. Also, you should have said if you didn't like my food. I wouldn't have taken offence."

"Oh, and..." he was about to ask for his formal clothes from yesterday back (they had been hideously expensive) but decided better of it, instead trailing off.