Mission 9: Tears of Procopius

Zero Alpha wrote:

Although she was trying to immerse herself in the mindless busy work, Zero was finding it hard to lose herself in it. As soon as she heard the doors into sickbay swishing open, she would look up in fear, or if someone walked past her, she would flinch and hunch over as if expecting pain.

After fifteen minutes of trying and realising that she was getting nowhere, the PADD was slammed down onto the biobed next to her and she leaned forward, putting her head in her hands, making a valiant effort not to let herself cry in the middle of sickbay.

[Sickbay]

Hearing the slam of PADD on biobed, Kintiss looked over to Alpha'. It seemed as thoug she'd given up. Understandable. Doing dull, monotonous work like that could fry anyone's brain. This seemed different, though.

She had said she felt worse in some ways. While he was able to heal her physical scars, her time with Tal Shiar had given her some psychological issues. That was more of a case for the Counselor than a medic such as himself. Still, he would do his best until the Counselor was able to get down to sickbay.

“Are you alright?” he asked tentatively.

Kintiss wrote:

Hearing the slam of PADD on biobed, Kintiss looked over to Alpha'. It seemed as thoug she'd given up. Understandable. Doing dull, monotonous work like that could fry anyone's brain. This seemed different, though.

She had said she felt worse in some ways. While he was able to heal her physical scars, her time with Tal Shiar had given her some psychological issues. That was more of a case for the Counselor than a medic such as himself. Still, he would do his best until the Counselor was able to get down to sickbay.

“Are you alright?” he asked tentatively.

[Sickbay]

Hearing Kintiss' distinctive voice close by made Zero jump, breaking her out of the spiral she had started to slip down. She slowly wrung her hands together, trying to think of how to respond to what should have been such a simple question. It came down to the war inside her own head, between her need to appear stronger and better than everyone around her and the new traumas that had come in and shredded much of her mind.

"No," came the eventual answer, in a voice soft enough that it would have been lost if the noise level in sickbay had been even a notch higher.

Zero Alpha wrote:

Hearing Kintiss' distinctive voice close by made Zero jump, breaking her out of the spiral she had started to slip down.  She slowly wrung her hands together, trying to think of how to respond to what should have been such a simple question.  It came down to the war inside her own head, between her need to appear stronger and better than everyone around her and the new traumas that had come in and shredded much of her mind.

"No," came the eventual answer, in a voice soft enough that it would have been lost if the noise level in sickbay had been even a notch higher.

It was as he thought. Time, he thought, to call in more specialised help.

"Sssickbay to Counssselor Warden," he said, tapping his combadge lightly. "I need your assssissstance." He wasn't exactly qualified to be a Counselor, but it didn't feel right leaving his patient alone when she was in such a fragile state. He'd have to stay with her until one more qualified than him arrived.

"Don't worry yourssself," he attempted a smile. "I'm here if you need anything." Hopefully, she wouldn't feel the compulsion to scream at him.

Kintiss wrote:

It was as he thought. Time, he thought, to call in more specialised help.

"Sssickbay to Counssselor Warden," he said, tapping his combadge lightly. "I need your assssissstance." He wasn't exactly qualified to be a Counselor, but it didn't feel right leaving his patient alone when she was in such a fragile state. He'd have to stay with her until one more qualified than him arrived.

"Don't worry yourssself," he attempted a smile. "I'm here if you need anything." Hopefully, she wouldn't feel the compulsion to scream at him.

[Sickbay]

A smile from a Selay was quite an experience, but Zero had seen far worse on the faces of the Romulans. Faces that she couldn't get out of her head. They were there, mocking her every time she closed her eyes. Despite everything Medical had put her through already because of her nature, it was nothing compared to the Tal Shiar.

"How do you make it stop?" she asked plaintively. "How does one make the memories go away?"

Zero Alpha wrote:

A smile from a Selay was quite an experience, but Zero had seen far worse on the faces of the Romulans.  Faces that she couldn't get out of her head.  They were there, mocking her every time she closed her eyes.  Despite everything Medical had put her through already because of her nature, it was nothing compared to the Tal Shiar.

"How do you make it stop?" she asked plaintively.  "How does one make the memories go away?"

[Sickbay]

"Honesssstly? You don't." Kintiss shrugged as he spoke. It was the most straightforward advice he could give her. "You learn to live with them, and, in time, they won't hurt asss much." At least, that was how he learned to cope. There was no hypospray that could take away that kind of pain.

Kintiss wrote:

"Honesssstly? You don't." Kintiss shrugged as he spoke. It was the most straightforward advice he could give her. "You learn to live with them, and, in time, they won't hurt asss much." At least, that was how he learned to cope. There was no hypospray that could take away that kind of pain.

[Sickbay]

It may not have been the answer that Zero had wanted to hear, she had somehow known that it was the one that she was going to get. He had probably made a good call by summoning the counsellor back to sickbay, even if she wasn't sure what he could do for her.

With a quiet whimper, she ran her hands through her white hair, wishing that her hands would stop shaking. "I cannot cease thinking about it. Every time I attempt to, there is something that will remind me of it."

[Personal Quarters]

T'Lara opened her eyes and breathed in deeply. She wasn't normally this emotional, and she was finding it difficult to contain her emotions without spending hours meditating. That's what she was doing now. The complications in getting to Vulcan had added anxiety to the fear she already felt for her mother. Luckily she had gotten home in time. But the feelings still remained bottled up inside her. There was no one for her to talk to, either. The only people she had really met on the Phoenix so far were Archangel and Gavin, and she knew they would be busy with mission details. She didn't need counselor services either, since she could control her emotions at all times. No, she would need to sort this out herself. Then she would meet the rest of the crew- at least, the people she hadn't met the first time she came on board the Phoenix.

Kaitlin Dexter wrote:

"Kaitlin Dexter!" Kaitlin said, positive energy quickly building up inside her. she was having a good day today and was slowly getting used to ship life. She had her left hand attached to the coffee next to her and she took a sip from the cup.

"Look I need to clear things up now... i'm sorry about the 'incident' in the briefing room, I don't know what it was but it hasn't happened since which is a good sign i'm sure! Anyway... Tell me about yourself!" She said, smiling at Jiseth and taking a sip of the coffee.

[Mess Hall]

There was a stoicism that mirrored that of a marble statue in the Romulan. Staring at Dexter made her feel like a Vulcan though her gaze was far from blank. Focused, precise, like scalpels ready to flay her down to the truth or at least a clue as to the woman's behavior.

"You know exactly what it was and if I recall it was not the first encounter with such... disturbances."

She wanted to take a sip, desperately so, but more important was to display what power she still had. Her hand tightened around the cup while the other lay bundled up on her thigh.

"...I served for the Romulan fleet before entering an exchange program with the Federation. I ran flight operations here and aboard several other vessels. Most of the personnel in Wolf squadron are veterans of my command and the Dominion War. You and the Catian are shinies compared to the rest."

Corman Stark wrote:

[Ready Room]

"Come," Stark said, nodding as the counselor entered the ready room.  He mentally gave the young man a few extra points for promptness.  Knowing this ship, Stark was surprised that the counselor hadn't been knee-deep in the brains of someone.  Thinking about the ship's problems made him think of Jiseth, and by extension the weird little medical officer the Romulan was seeing.  And had kidnapped.  It was utterly mind-blowing.  There was also more to Zero Alpha's story...and it was past time for him to start rattling some cages to get to the bottom of it.

But that was here, and this was there.  "Mr. Warden, have a seat," Stark said, motioning to the chair beside the desk.  Corman liked to have two chairs - one beside the desk, for casual talks, and one across the desk, for when someone had stepped in shit.  Fortunately, this conversation was the former.  "If you'd like anything, there's a replicator."

He steepled his fingers, giving Warden a considering look.  "Miss Dexter," he said, getting to the point at hand, "give me your opinion on her.  Is she mentally prepared to serve as an effective member of this crew, counselor?"

Even with a profession built on dropping rank for a decent conversation, it was still hard not to stiffen up a bit when you walked into a room occupied by an admiral. Granted, the admiral was technically acting as a captain... But, well, that didn't help much.

George kept his mouth shut and sat down. This didn't seem like he'd done anything wrong, he still couldn't shake the instinct that being in a closed room alone with an admiral usually spelled " you differ up". So, when the conversation began with a query about one of his patients, he internally sighed in relief.

"Oh, Miss Dexter," he said, a slight lilt at the end of the end o his sentence the only outward mark of that. Kaitlen was a bit of a mess case, if he had to be honest. He couilnt tract down her files, handn't been able to make a solid diagnosis or determine whether medication needed to be prescribed.

"Well... I reckon she'd be just fine if we were about six months in the future, Admiral. For right now, I can't say I find her to be fit as a crew member, not in her field, anyway. I've had some difficulties getting her files in order. Her medical and psychiatric history is apparently Extensive, but I haven't seen a single scrap of paperwork."

George quickly became aware that he was rambling.

"Uh. In short, no, admiral. She's not."

Jiseth wrote:

[Mess Hall]

There was a stoicism that mirrored that of a marble statue in the Romulan. Staring at Dexter made her feel like a Vulcan though her gaze was far from blank. Focused, precise, like scalpels ready to flay her down to the truth or at least a clue as to the woman's behavior.

"You know exactly what it was and if I recall it was not the first encounter with such... disturbances."

She wanted to take a sip, desperately so, but more important was to display what power she still had. Her hand tightened around the cup while the other lay bundled up on her thigh.

"...I served for the Romulan fleet before entering an exchange program with the Federation. I ran flight operations here and aboard several other vessels. Most of the personnel in Wolf squadron are veterans of my command and the Dominion War. You and the Catian are shinies compared to the rest."

"I can see that, your all highly decorated. I admire you. I read some of your mission files back at the Starbase and they were amazing!" Kira said taking a sip of the coffee. "What was it like in the Romulan fleet? Is it much different to starfleet?" Kira asked. Jiseth mentioned the Catian, she hadn't met him yet, she was left on Athena for the last mission.

George Warden wrote:

Even with a profession built on dropping rank for a decent conversation, it was still hard not to stiffen up a bit when you walked into a room occupied by an admiral. Granted, the admiral was technically acting as a captain... But, well, that didn't help much.

George kept his mouth shut and sat down. This didn't seem like he'd done anything wrong, he still couldn't shake the instinct that being in a closed room alone with an admiral usually spelled " you differ up". So, when the conversation began with a query about one of his patients, he internally sighed in relief.

"Oh, Miss Dexter," he said,  a slight lilt at the end of the end o his sentence the only outward mark of that. Kaitlen was a bit of a mess case, if he had to be honest. He couilnt tract down her files, handn't been able to make a solid diagnosis or determine whether medication needed to be prescribed.

"Well... I reckon she'd be just fine if we were about six months in the future, Admiral. For right now, I can't say I find her to be fit as a crew member, not in her field, anyway. I've had some difficulties getting her files in order. Her medical and psychiatric history is apparently Extensive, but I haven't seen a single scrap of paperwork."

George quickly became aware that he was rambling.

"Uh. In short, no, admiral. She's not."

[Ready Room]

"Well." The word was left open-ended and somewhat ambiguous. Stark tended to like to let people draw their own conclusions as to what he meant. That wasn't always a luxury that was to be had, but when it was....it was a valuable psychological bargaining chip. However, there wasn't much need for such things today. "That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but it is what it is, isn't it?"

Sighing, Corman pinched the bridge of his nose. "But. If you say that's how it is, I trust your judgment." It wouldn't do to put this kid in a cockpit, only to have her break down again. And maybe get his people killed, this time. "Keep her under observation, then. And go ahead and answer Sickbay's call. They probably need you more than I do. Dismissed."

[Crew Quarters]

Julia sat at the table in her quarters. She had just finished getting ready for her shift. Her Lieutenant pips still on her uniform. She stared at the new pip, contemplating the implications. Julia was once a scientist, and a good one at that, she wondered if those days were behind her. She had been noted several times for her work in cosmology. Starfleet had pulled the plug on her research and sent her to this vessel. Working on a starship had been such a change of pace. Diplomacy and tactical operations were foreign to the young officer. However as time had passed she grew to think of this place as home. She wasn't certain what this new pip meant, what challenges it would hold. She wasn't certain if she was ready for life as a Lieutenant Commander, but obviously someone believed that she was.

She place the pip on the collar of her uniform and stood up. As she went to exit her quarters she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized the woman staring back at her. She started this assignment naïve and unprepared for the challenges she was facing. With the help of a few colleagues, she has grown exponentially. She wasn't certain what this new Pip held but she knew the world would be different.

She exited her quarters and made her way to the bridge.

[Bridge]

Julia stepped off the turbo lift and scanned the bridge. She saw officers scattered through the bridge. She locked eyes with T'Koris and then made her way to the Science 1 station. She began to scan the region. Their mission was a scientific one, which thrilled Julia. It was nice to be back in her element.

"Sir, I'm detecting the anomalies. We should be able to get a cleaner picture of what's going on out there, as we get closer." The possibilities swam through her mind.

There was no way of knowing the wonders that awaited them.

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia stepped off the turbo lift and scanned the bridge. She saw officers scattered through the bridge. She locked eyes with T'Koris and then made her way to the Science 1 station. She began to scan the region. Their mission was a scientific one, which thrilled Julia. It was nice to be back in her element.

"Sir, I'm detecting the anomalies. We should be able to get a cleaner picture of what's going on out there, as we get closer." The possibilities swam through her mind.

There was no way of knowing the wonders that awaited them.

[Bridge]

Even though Stark had handed over command of the bridge to her while he held a meeting in the ready room with the ship's counsellor, Archangel hadn't moved from the XO's chair to take the centre one. Perhaps it was just a psychological block, but she didn't want to take the place that Stark had taken from her.

Seeing the Chief Science officer arriving on the bridge, she inclined her head in acknowledgement of her reporting for bridge duty before turning her attention back to the viewscreen, watching as the ship slowly made its way toward their destination.

She looked up again as Julia reported that the reported anomalies had turned up on the sensors and nodded. "Good. Gather all the information you can on them. I'd rather we weren't surprised when we got there."

T'Lara wrote:

[Personal Quarters]

T'Lara opened her eyes and breathed in deeply. She wasn't normally this emotional, and she was finding it difficult to contain her emotions without spending hours meditating. That's what she was doing now. The complications in getting to Vulcan had added anxiety to the fear she already felt for her mother. Luckily she had gotten home in time. But the feelings still remained bottled up inside her. There was no one for her to talk to, either. The only people she had really met on the Phoenix so far were Archangel and Gavin, and she knew they would be busy with mission details. She didn't need counselor services either, since she could control her emotions at all times. No, she would need to sort this out herself. Then she would meet the rest of the crew- at least, the people she hadn't met the first time she came on board the Phoenix.

[Corridors]

Absently nodding to a few passing crewmembers, Gavin scrolled through his padd. Data about the Horatius cluster moved quickly by. Quickly...mainly because there wasn't all that to be read. He supposed that was one of the prime reasons they were out here, anyway.

Gavin glanced at the nameplate outside a door in his peripheral vision, pulling up short and taking a half-step back. He tucked the padd under his arm, keying the chime. He wanted to go over some of the readings with T'Lara, but honestly...the Vulcan had kept mainly to herself since coming back from her emergency leave. They were crewmates, of course, and co-workers. He was no counselor, but sometimes it was good to know that someone cared about your problems.

Of course, she was Vulcan. It could very well be that T'Lara didn't care who cared about her.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Bridge]

Even though Stark had handed over command of the bridge to her while he held a meeting in the ready room with the ship's counsellor, Archangel hadn't moved from the XO's chair to take the centre one.  Perhaps it was just a psychological block, but she didn't want to take the place that Stark had taken from her.

Seeing the Chief Science officer arriving on the bridge, she inclined her head in acknowledgement of her reporting for bridge duty before turning her attention back to the viewscreen, watching as the ship slowly made its way toward their destination.

She looked up again as Julia reported that the reported anomalies had turned up on the sensors and nodded.  "Good.  Gather all the information you can on them.  I'd rather we weren't surprised when we got there."

[Bridge]

Julia smiled at T'Koris as she oredered her to get a head start on scanning. "Acknowledged sir, i'll gather the science team."

She scanned though the sensors and formulated a game plan.

=/\=Rellek to crewman T'Lara, please report to the bridge.=/\=

She tapped her badge again. =/\=Rellek to Lieutenant Van Gelder, we are beginning to chart this region. Please report to stellar cartography and take the lead down there. We need to start charting.=/\=

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

[Corridors]

Absently nodding to a few passing crewmembers, Gavin scrolled through his padd.  Data about the Horatius cluster moved quickly by.  Quickly...mainly because there wasn't all that to be read.  He supposed that was one of the prime reasons they were out here, anyway.

Gavin glanced at the nameplate outside a door in his peripheral vision, pulling up short and taking a half-step back.  He tucked the padd under his arm, keying the chime.  He wanted to go over some of the readings with T'Lara, but honestly...the Vulcan had kept mainly to herself since coming back from her emergency leave.  They were crewmates, of course, and co-workers.  He was no counselor, but sometimes it was good to know that someone cared about your problems.

Of course, she was Vulcan.  It could very well be that T'Lara didn't care who cared about her.

[Personal Quarters]

T'Lara was startled out of her meditation by the sound of the chime. Standing up, she composed herself and walked over to the door, opening it with the touch of her hand.

"Mr. Van Gelder," she said calmly when she saw who it was. "Can I help you?"

She realized then that maybe she should have gone to the lab to organize some things, or to do inventory or, anything else. It wasn't like her to be negligent of her duties. Maybe that's what Gavin was going to talk to her about.

T'Lara wrote:

T'Lara was startled out of her meditation by the sound of the chime. Standing up, she composed herself and walked over to the door, opening it with the touch of her hand.

"Mr. Van Gelder," she said calmly when she saw who it was. "Can I help you?"

She realized then that maybe she should have gone to the lab to organize some things, or to do inventory or, anything else. It wasn't like her to be negligent of her duties. Maybe that's what Gavin was going to talk to her about.

[Quarters]

"Hey, T'Lara," Gavin smiled, as the Vulcan opened her door. "Sorry to bother you. I just...well, you haven't really been the most social of butterflies since coming back. I just wanted to check in. See how you're doing, and all." He knew it sounded awkward, because it was awkward. Seeking to fill the silence, he held up the padd from under his arm. "I was just looking over the prelim reports from this star cluster, and..."

Julia Rellek wrote:

=/\=Rellek to Lieutenant Van Gelder, we are beginning to chart this region. Please report to stellar cartography and take the lead down there. We need to start charting.=/\=

"...oh. I guess we need to get going, after all. If you're ready?" He held out his hand in an 'after you' gesture. "It's exciting, isn't it? To help better catalogue a region of space like this."

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

[Quarters]

"Hey, T'Lara," Gavin smiled, as the Vulcan opened her door.  "Sorry to bother you.  I just...well, you haven't really been the most social of butterflies since coming back.  I just wanted to check in.  See how you're doing, and all."  He knew it sounded awkward, because it was awkward.  Seeking to fill the silence, he held up the padd from under his arm.  "I was just looking over the prelim reports from this star cluster, and..."



"...oh.  I guess we need to get going, after all.  If you're ready?"  He held out his hand in an 'after you' gesture.  "It's exciting, isn't it?  To help better catalogue a region of space like this."

[Quarters]

T'Lara listened to Gavin and immediately began to appreciate his concern for her. It really wasn't easy being part of two worlds. The human side of her would have gone to talk to him a long time ago, but the Vulcan side kept her secluded. Not knowing what to say, she looked at him blankly until he held up the PADD. Then she got a message from Julia.

Quote :

=/\=Rellek to crewman T'Lara, please report to the bridge.=/\=

She nodded to Gavin and walked slightly in front of him as she left the room, then she responded to his question.

"It is exciting. It is nice to be doing something exploratory for a change." She was referring to the war times they were currently in.

T'Lara wrote:

"It is exciting. It is nice to be doing something exploratory for a change." She was referring to the war times they were currently in.

[Corridors]

Smiling, Gavin nodded. It was a little strange to hear a Vulcan talk about being excited, but he remembered hearing a while back that she was half-Vulcan. She had a point, though. Even with the Dominion War over three years gone and over, it seemed like Starfleet was still trying to find its footing again. Trying to find a way out of the bleak repetition of war.

=^="Van Gelder to Rellek. Can I steal T'Lara from you for Stellar Cartography? I could use her help going through these files."=^=

He grinned, winking. "You didn't want to go to the bridge, anyway...did you?"

[Bridge]

Stark stepped back onto the bridge, having dismissed Warden to deal with...whatever the hell he had to deal with. It had to do with sickbay, and included the need for a counselor. If it became a problem, he'd hear about it. Until then, Stark was content to let the professionals deal with the incidents they were here to deal with. It was their job, after all.

A quick glance at the center chair showed that Archangel hadn't decided to slip into it. Perhaps she felt it would make her seem...undignified. The Romulan girl was outwardly cool to him, but to her credit, she'd not allowed her resentment of this situation to hinder her execution of duty. With everything this ship had been through, Stark was thankful for that. He knew how people talked about the Phoenix, shaking their heads, calling it a Flying Dutchman. Musical chairs XO spot, officer insurrections, kidnapping and assault... He was halfway inclined to believe it.

"Thoughts, T'Koris?" he quietly said, moving closer to the secondary chair. "If you keep staring ahead like that, you're going to bore holes into the viewer."

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

[Corridors]

Smiling, Gavin nodded.  It was a little strange to hear a Vulcan talk about being excited, but he remembered hearing a while back that she was half-Vulcan.  She had a point, though.  Even with the Dominion War over three years gone and over, it seemed like Starfleet was still trying to find its footing again.  Trying to find a way out of the bleak repetition of war.

=^="Van Gelder to Rellek.  Can I steal T'Lara from you for Stellar Cartography?  I could use her help going through these files."=^=

He grinned, winking.  "You didn't want to go to the bridge, anyway...did you?"

[Corridor]

"I am not opposed to either one," she answered him truthfully. If Julia needed her on the bridge, she would go. She would do whatever was needed.

Corman Stark wrote:

A quick glance at the center chair showed that Archangel hadn't decided to slip into it.  Perhaps she felt it would make her seem...undignified.  The Romulan girl was outwardly cool to him, but to her credit, she'd not allowed her resentment of this situation to hinder her execution of duty.  With everything this ship had been through, Stark was thankful for that.  He knew how people talked about the Phoenix, shaking their heads, calling it a Flying Dutchman.  Musical chairs XO spot, officer insurrections, kidnapping and assault...  He was halfway inclined to believe it.

"Thoughts, T'Koris?" he quietly said, moving closer to the secondary chair.  "If you keep staring ahead like that, you're going to bore holes into the viewer."

[Bridge]

Looking up at the sound of the ready room door opening again, Archangel glanced toward it to see Ensign Warden and then Admiral Stark walking out of it.  She nodded in acknowledgement as he took the centre seat again.

"Nothing yet, sir.  The science department is working on the strange readings and will hopefully be coming up with a conclusion soon.  Engineering has the ship primed for a quick withdrawal should it come to that.  Security have filed another report summarising Jiseth's movements, and sickbay's given me the latest update on Alpha."

[Engineering]

"Alright," Gabriel muttered, crossing his arms and staring at the MSD, almost as if to dare it to tell him what was going on. His department had been putting effort into the shielding ever since the call from Admiral Stark. They'd responded with the usual efficiency, of course...except for that damned...blip. There wasn't any better way to describe it. A tiny, nearly-imperceptible variation in the engine output that didn't seem to be effecting ship operations. But he didn't like it.

He glanced into his office, noting that Aria was still napping in her little pod-bed. She and Seika had been spatting all morning, and Gabriel decided to give the sitter a break. The little girl always seemed as if she'd rather spend her days napping and playing in her father's office instead of being babysat, anyway. "Leela, Nelkar...what do you all make of this?" he asked, gesturing toward the pool table readout, leaning forward against the rim of the display. "Do you see that energy blip?"

[Personal Quarters]

Ezac sat up slightly at his desk as he slid his PADD several centimeters away. With a short sigh, he considered the words that he had written to his daughter. He hadn't heard from her in some time, and he was worried. He did his best to push aside his typical pessimistic thoughts, but he was struggling.

After checking the time, he decided to get out and stretch his legs a bit. He knew they were getting under way for a new assignment, but he didn't know much about it.

Maybe I should see if I am needed in the Security Office, he thought to himself silently as he strode down the hall and away from his quarters.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

Looking up at the sound of the ready room door opening again, Archangel glanced toward it to see Ensign Warden and then Admiral Stark walking out of it.  She nodded in acknowledgement as he took the centre seat again.

"Nothing yet, sir.  The science department is working on the strange readings and will hopefully be coming up with a conclusion soon.  Engineering has the ship primed for a quick withdrawal should it come to that.  Security have filed another report summarising Jiseth's movements, and sickbay's given me the latest update on Alpha."

[Bridge]

Stark had to give T'Koris credit. Whatever resentment she harbored, she was hiding it with Vulcan-like reserve. Of course there was resentment - how could there not be? He imagined what he'd have been like, had Starfleet Command foisted an admiral on him during his own days in the chair. It probably wouldn't have been pretty.

He did his best not to think about Jiseth right now. Stark's doctors were always going on about stress and tension, and the Romulan pilot was a wellspring of both. Stark did wonder, however, if they'd sent Ezac to be her guardian. A Breen keeping watch over a Romulan. God help us all. "Thank you," he simply said, nodding to T'Koris and turning his attention to the Operations forward console. It was currently manned by a new member of the crew that had been picked up from Athena.

"Mr. Kejal," Stark said, referring to the Bajoran by name rather than function. He always preferred to know the crew that way. "When we come out of warp in a few minutes, I want a class-1 probe with a full sensor set launched and put in orbit of the planet."