Mission 3 - Distractions

[Starbase Athena - Bridge]

Commanding Officer's Log,

After the incident with the Tholians, the majority of the operations and engineering crews have been working to repair the blown power network on the station.  In the mean time, the science department has been processing the information we received about the Ujaan culture.  I will be glad to find a normal operating level soon.

It was a very quiet day for once on Athena station, but simply thinking it was sure to have jinxed that particular fact.  A quiet day on any space faring vessel could soon become a rather stressful one.  Even though she didn't know it yet, Rachel was about to find out just how stressful a day could become.

Stepping out of her office into the command centre of the station, she had to stop herself from putting her foot down as she heard a purring coming from the deck plates.  Looking down, she found herself raising an eyebrow before crouching down to pick up a little ball of cooing fur.

It would seem that someone's pet has gotten loose, she thought to herself, placing it on one of the consoles before addressing the personnel working in the operations centre.

"Progress reports, please."

[Ops Station]

Stepping out of the turbolift, Raynor clasped his hands behind his back, walking with a strident purpose that often sent people the hell out of his way. He wasn't in a bad mood today, though...Ilana had come further with her recovery, and that was enough to make him less of a thunderhead than he'd been. Still, the Klingon would much rather be with his plants than having to deal with the reality of his job. Sometimes, though, it couldn't be helped.

"The Qu'Vat is away," he reported to Admiral Deacon, referring to the Vor'cha cruiser of delegates that had recently departed the station. Raynor had been forced to play the good exchange officer during the Klingons' visit, acting as go-between. Some of the warriors had been excessively polite to Raynor during the entire stay, a level of mockery which was like unto a slap to his face. He was ready to chew nails, and...

And...

And someone had brought a thrice-damned tribble to the command center. Raynor's hazel glare was as baleful as if someone had knocked the gable end out of hell. "I believe that you went a long way in convincing the KDF to, at least for the time being, call off attacks on Romulan outlier worlds," he said, purposefully avoiding looking anywhere near the disgusting ball of fur.

[Rama's Bar]

The Previous Night

The Ferengi wiped down his bar just moments before close. He had been exchanging small talk with a half drunk Berellian. As Rama was about to ask him to leave an odd yet soothing sound emitted from the mans jacket."Whats that?" Rama asked. The man pulled a small round furry animal from his coat. It's called a Tribble." the man said.

Rama gestured that he wanted to hold it and the man placed it in his hand. He found the sound oddly soothing. The sounds it made were comforting. He then noticed a couple of women in the corner pointing at the small creature and his eyes saw latinum. "How much?" he queried. The man contemplated for a moment and said. "My bar tab?" The Ferengi contmeplated for a moment and then nodded and agreed. The man stood up and stumbled out of the bar leaving Rama with a small Tribble purring in his hand.

He set the creature in a small container on the bar and turned the lighs off and left for the night.

Present

Rama walked into his bar to begin his operation for the day. He was starled when he saw that overnight the one tribble on the counter had erupted into dozens of creatures. "What the hell?" He had no idea that one tribble could reproduce so successfully. Immediatly a picture of an angry Rachel popped into his head. He quickly attempted to clear the creatures form the bar. He threw them into a bag and headed out of the bar onto the promanade. He shoved them into an access panel for the jeffries tubes. He was hoping security hadn't noticed. He was hoping that the admiral would never notice where they came from.

[Personal Quarters]

Henriks sat half asleep in a rocking chair by the bed, babe in arm, gently rocking to and fro. It was a soothing motion, partly why it was so hard to keep his eyes open. And it felt automatic, relaxing, freeing his mind to think about about about the two little bundles of joy that had just entered his life. "So handsome," he murmured happily to his little boy.

"Mew," came an unexpected reply.

Henriks looked down to see a big black furball of a cat sitting at his feet, staring up at him as if expecting something. "No, I was not talking to you," he told the cat. He watched for a moment as the cat's tail flicked back and forth, and then he saw the unmistakeable twitch, followed by the wiggle. "No, you are not jumping up here--" But did the cat listen? Of course not. He was a cat and did what he wanted. "Teo..."

Teo took little notice and promptly curled up into a ball and purred. Henriks shifted slightly in the increasingly crowded chair and sighed, content.


[Ops]

Ensign Mya Stone fidgeted nervously at her station up in Opps. She had never liked being up there. It just felt so much more... restrictive than down in Sickbay -- not that they didn't have their fair share of rules and regulations down there -- but things tended to be more ship shape when in view of the higher ups in red.

And to be honest, Mya didn't want to be there, but Chief Ābols insisted that everyone get a little bit of experience. Bah. It wasn't real experience. It was nothing like pumping a patient full of stimulants just to see how wired they would get. Now that was what she called experience. Not sitting in front of a cold piece of machinery, wondering when things would finally get interesting.

But that wasn't why she was nervous. Dreading the long shift that awaited her up in Ops, Mya had brought along a little something to cheer up her workspace, something small, soft, that purred like a cat. She had seen it around the station somewhere, and now it was gone.

Mya glanced around in a discreet, but frenzied, sort of way. She looked up as the Klingon walked through the doors and made his report. But there was something that almost seemed to stop him in his tracks, and when Mya saw why, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Her bubbly personality, which she had tried so hard to restrain, came out full force, and she laughed.

Raynor Hughes wrote:

"The Qu'Vat is away," he reported to Admiral Deacon, referring to the Vor'cha cruiser of delegates that had recently departed the station.  Raynor had been forced to play the good exchange officer during the Klingons' visit, acting as go-between.  Some of the warriors had been excessively polite to Raynor during the entire stay, a level of mockery which was like unto a slap to his face.  He was ready to chew nails, and...

And...

And someone had brought a thrice-damned tribble to the command center.  Raynor's hazel glare was as baleful as if someone had knocked the gable end out of hell.  "I believe that you went a long way in convincing the KDF to, at least for the time being, call off attacks on Romulan outlier worlds," he said, purposefully avoiding looking anywhere near the disgusting ball of fur.

[Operations Centre]

Deacon made a mental note to track down a bottle of bloodwine, or discuss what a discreet token of appreciation for a Klingon would be with Stark. Having the Klingon exchange officer on the station after the incident with the Gannius and the Phoenix had certainly helped to smooth things over with the other Klingons which, in turn, had meant that she could spend longer working to find the Phoenix's two missing officers. Seeing where her thought processes had lead her, she calmly put that particular path to one side and focused on the present.

"Your assistance was greatly appreciated, Lieutenant," she replied, nodding to him before looking to the science stations. "The previous shift reported a brief surge unusual tachyon readings, subspace distortions and triquantum waves about 200 000 kilometres off the station, but it ceased before they could get a clear reading on what it was. Keep an eye on the sensors just in case."

Mya Stone wrote:

Mya glanced around in a discreet, but frenzied, sort of way. She looked up as the Klingon walked through the doors and made his report. But there was something that almost seemed to stop him in his tracks, and when Mya saw why, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Her bubbly personality, which she had tried so hard to restrain, came out full force, and she laughed.

Rachel Deacon wrote:

Deacon made a mental note to track down a bottle of bloodwine, or discuss what a discreet token of appreciation for a Klingon would be with Stark.  Having the Klingon exchange officer on the station after the incident with the Gannius and the Phoenix had certainly helped to smooth things over with the other Klingons which, in turn, had meant that she could spend longer working to find the Phoenix's two missing officers.  Seeing where her thought processes had lead her, she calmly put that particular path to one side and focused on the present.

"Your assistance was greatly appreciated, Lieutenant," she replied, nodding to him before looking to the science stations.  "The previous shift reported a brief surge unusual tachyon readings, subspace distortions and triquantum waves about 200 000 kilometres off the station, but it ceased before they could get a clear reading on what it was.  Keep an eye on the sensors just in case."

[Ops]

Frowning, Raynor looked from Stone, to Deacon, to the tribble, and rolled his eyes. It was a very human-like gesture, he knew, but it was called for at a time like this. "Of course, I will look over it," the Klingon answered, still glaring d'k tahgs at the tribble. "Admiral. Does...that...belong to anyone in particular?"

Raynor Hughes wrote:

Frowning, Raynor looked from Stone, to Deacon, to the tribble, and rolled his eyes.  It was a very human-like gesture, he knew, but it was called for at a time like this.  "Of course, I will look over it," the Klingon answered, still glaring d'k tahgs at the tribble.  "Admiral.  Does...that...belong to anyone in particular?"

[Operations Centre]

Nodding in acknowledgement of Raynor's agreement to look into the strange readings, Rachel then turned her attention back to the Tribble sitting quite happily on the console next to her. She had to admit that it was strange to see such a creature in the operations centre of a starbase.

"Not that I am aware of," she replied. "I came close to standing on it as I came out of my office. I expect someone will report it missing soon enough. Next time that a security officer passes by, they can take it to their office for its owner to collect." Her expression, as much of it that could could be seen in any case, hardened slightly as if to dare him to give the wrong answer to her next question. "Will it bother you?"

Henriks Ābols wrote:

[Personal Quarters]

Henriks sat half asleep in a rocking chair by the bed, babe in arm, gently rocking to and fro. It was a soothing motion, partly why it was so hard to keep his eyes open. And it felt automatic, relaxing, freeing his mind to think about about about the two little bundles of joy that had just entered his life. "So handsome," he murmured happily to his little boy.

"Mew," came an unexpected reply.

Henriks looked down to see a big black furball of a cat sitting at his feet, staring up at him as if expecting something. "No, I was not talking to you," he told the cat. He watched for a moment as the cat's tail flicked back and forth, and then he saw the unmistakeable twitch, followed by the wiggle. "No, you are not jumping up here--" But did the cat listen? Of course not. He was a cat and did what he wanted. "Teo..."

Teo took little notice and promptly curled up into a ball and purred. Henriks shifted slightly in the increasingly crowded chair and sighed, content.

[Quarters]

"Did someone leave a Ferengi tooth-sharpener around for you to get into?" Chira asked her daughter as the little baby nursed away. Both Kristina and Thomas had been blessedly quiet for the better part of the day. That had likely been because they were up all night, but that was here nor there. "Oh, don't give me that look," she grinned. "I know you don't have any teeth to sharpen, yet." The aspect of nursing was something that Chira literally did, now, and it was taking some getting used to. She had never been...er, endowed, in that regard, but...nature had provided.

She smiled as she entered the living room, beaming happily at the sight of Henriks, Tommy, and Teo. Her apple had taken right to fatherhood, as she had known that he would. Chira supposed that motherhood became her, too, even though she'd recovered from cramps and back pain just in time to start losing sleep to an infant's conception of what a proper day/night cycle should be.

Chira sat down on the couch beside Henriks' rocking chair, her daughter still held close. The maternity shirt had a removable panel for ease of access, and Kristina was still content to lunch away. "If Teo thinks its bad now," she quietly grinned, "just wait until they start pulling on his tail."

Chira Abols wrote:

[Quarters]

She smiled as she entered the living room, beaming happily at the sight of Henriks, Tommy, and Teo.  Her apple had taken right to fatherhood, as she had known that he would.  Chira supposed that motherhood became her, too, even though she'd recovered from cramps and back pain just in time to start losing sleep to an infant's conception of what a proper day/night cycle should be.  

Chira sat down on the couch beside Henriks' rocking chair, her daughter still held close.  The maternity shirt had a removable panel for ease of access, and Kristina was still content to lunch away.  "If Teo thinks its bad now," she quietly grinned, "just wait until they start pulling on his tail."

[Quarters]

Henriks returned the smile as his lovely lady came walking into the living room, resisting the urge to let off a huge yawn immediately afterwards. "Two beautiful ladies have graced us with their presence," he whispered to Thomas. Somehow motherhood seemed to have made Chira even more beautiful in his eyes. Or perhaps it was the euphoric half-awake state he was in? But to see the love that sparkled ever brighter in her eyes as she sat on the couch beside him was more than enough to shove aside any doubts -- not that he would ever have any.  

He glanced down briefly to the vibrating cat sleeping contentedly on his lap. Teo was the only one who didn't seem to have any trouble sleeping at the moment. "Oh, I think he feels fine for now," Henriks laughed, "but once they start walking around, Amos might find he has a furry visitor more often." Henriks sighed happily at the thought of these two little ones growing up, and he closed his eyes, but only for a moment before turning to Chira to ask, "How are you feeling, m'lady?"

Raynor Hughes wrote:

[Ops]

Frowning, Raynor looked from Stone, to Deacon, to the tribble, and rolled his eyes. It was a very human-like gesture, he knew, but it was called for at a time like this. "Of course, I will look over it," the Klingon answered, still glaring d'k tahgs at the tribble. "Admiral. Does...that...belong to anyone in particular?"

Rachel Deacon wrote:

[Operations Centre]

Nodding in acknowledgement of Raynor's agreement to look into the strange readings, Rachel then turned her attention back to the Tribble sitting quite happily on the console next to her. She had to admit that it was strange to see such a creature in the operations centre of a starbase.

"Not that I am aware of," she replied. "I came close to standing on it as I came out of my office. I expect someone will report it missing soon enough. Next time that a security officer passes by, they can take it to their office for its owner to collect." Her expression, as much of it that could could be seen in any case, hardened slightly as if to dare him to give the wrong answer to her next question. "Will it bother you?"

[Ops]

Mya's laugh came to an abrupt halt as she felt the surly gaze of the science officer fall on her. She looked away apologetically, and also to see if anything interesting had showed up on her screens. Nope. Nada. So her mind began to wander, mostly wondering why tribbles frightened Klingons so. And besides, wasn't this guy half human? Perhaps that why he seemed as calm as he did. In any event though...

She looked up when the Klingon asked, "Does...that...belong to anyone in particular?" to see what he was referring to. By the look in his eyes, she understood immediately that it was of course the tribble. Wondering if she should speak up before it got passed off to some security office, she managed, "Er... it's kinda sorta mine? I thought it might make this place a tad more relaxing..."

Henriks Ābols wrote:

She looked up when the Klingon asked, "Does...that...belong to anyone in particular?" to see what he was referring to. By the look in his eyes, she understood immediately that it was of course the tribble. Wondering if she should speak up before it got passed off to some security office, she managed, "Er... it's kinda sorta mine? I thought it might make this place a tad more relaxing..."

[Operations Centre]

Hearing the ensign at the science station pipe up about the ownership of the Tribble, Rachel slowly turned her head to look at her with an obviously unamused expression.

"Ensign, I am not aware of how things were run at your last assignment, but on this station, pets are not allowed in Operations. Take it out of here," she replied coolly, one eyebrow slightly raised above the edge of her VISOR. Almost as an after thought, she added: "I hope that it has been neutered, Ensign."

[Infirmary]

"Okay...okay," Myree said, leaning over a computer console to talk to Kristen. "I think we're ready to see if this one works." All around them, other technicians were updating or re-installing panels and screens. It had been like that for the past week. It'd probably be like that for the foreseeable future. The measures taken to defeat the Tholian web had played brutal hell with Athena's systems. Myree was a science officer foremost, but she also had a solid background in computers and a natural tinkerer. "Go ahead and re-connect this console to the power and let's see what happens."

Of course, all the critical systems had been seen to first. Now, they were just doing mop-up work. Thankfully, Dr. Telak didn't seem to mind the intrusion.

Myree Grell wrote:

[Infirmary]

"Okay...okay," Myree said, leaning over a computer console to talk to Kristen.  "I think we're ready to see if this one works."  All around them, other technicians were updating or re-installing panels and screens.  It had been like that for the past week.  It'd probably be like that for the foreseeable future.  The measures taken to defeat the Tholian web had played brutal hell with Athena's systems.  Myree was a science officer foremost, but she also had a solid background in computers and a natural tinkerer.  "Go ahead and re-connect this console to the power and let's see what happens."

Of course, all the critical systems had been seen to first.  Now, they were just doing mop-up work.  Thankfully, Dr. Telak didn't seem to mind the intrusion.  

[Infirmary]

Kristen laid on the floor entrenched under a computer console. Ever since the incident with the Tholians Kristen had been working doubles and she was beginning to feel that she was taking up permanent residence laying on the stations deck plates repairing it's systems.

With Myree ready to re-introduce power to the destroyed console Kristen connected the necessary relays. She heard a beep emitting from the console, it sounded encouraging. "Please tell me that worked?" She asked Myree.

Kristen Young wrote:

Kristen laid on the floor entrenched under a computer console. Ever since the incident with the Tholians Kristen had been working doubles and she was beginning to feel that she was taking up permanent residence laying on the stations deck plates repairing it's systems.

With Myree ready to re-introduce power to the destroyed console Kristen connected the necessary relays. She heard a beep emitting from the console, it sounded encouraging. "Please tell me that worked?" She asked Myree.

[Infirmary]

It was difficult to run a sickbay on half power, especially if you had a handful of critical patients who were relying on that power to keep their vital signs steady. Even things like charging up the dermal regenerators were a problem. Thankfully, Engineering had provided them with some spare power packs in order to run the most essential machines.

For Ilana, it meant a lot of running around to ensure that the patients were still stable until main power could come back online. Since she was still recovering and found it uncomfortable to sit or stand still for any significant length of time, she wasn't all that bothered, even though she knew that a certain Klingon wouldn't approve.

Seeing Kristen and Myree busy working on one of the consoles that had exploded during the incident, the young Cardassian tentatively made her way over to them.

"Is th-th-there anything I c-c-can h-help y-y-you w-w-with?"

Kristen Young wrote:

Kristen laid on the floor entrenched under a computer console. Ever since the incident with the Tholians Kristen had been working doubles and she was beginning to feel that she was taking up permanent residence laying on the stations deck plates repairing it's systems.

With Myree ready to re-introduce power to the destroyed console Kristen connected the necessary relays. She heard a beep emitting from the console, it sounded encouraging. "Please tell me that worked?" She asked Myree.

[Infirmary]

"Woo!" Myree exclaimed, throwing her hands up in a 'victory' pose as the screen panel lit up and began a self-diagnosis. Which pretty much meant that their tinkering had been a success. "One more down...and...uh, I don't want to know how many more to go." She stood up from the screen, leaning over the console. "I think we're about done down here." A wickedly-playful grin spread across her green lips. "You wanna go work on something else? Like...I dunno, a holo-emitter or something?"

Ilana Telak wrote:

"Is th-th-there anything I c-c-can h-help y-y-you w-w-with?"

Still grinning, Myree leaned back from the edge of the console, reaching up to re-adjust her hair. "Hello, Ilana," she greeted. The mousy Cardassian could move as quiet as...well, as a mouse. Myree wondered if they should start inviting her to their regular 'girl's night out' events. "I think we're wrapping up here. Is there anything you need?"

Rachel Deacon wrote:

Nodding in acknowledgement of Raynor's agreement to look into the strange readings, Rachel then turned her attention back to the Tribble sitting quite happily on the console next to her.  She had to admit that it was strange to see such a creature in the operations centre of a starbase.

"Not that I am aware of," she replied.  "I came close to standing on it as I came out of my office.  I expect someone will report it missing soon enough.  Next time that a security officer passes by, they can take it to their office for its owner to collect."  Her expression, as much of it that could could be seen in any case, hardened slightly as if to dare him to give the wrong answer to her next question.  "Will it bother you?"

[Ops]

Will it bother him? How could it not? Tribbles were the alien trash of the galaxy, a scourge to be wiped out. Various reports had stated that tribbles had been destroyed...but they were like furred cockroaches. "Bother," Raynor repeated. "It will not hinder my execution of duties, Admiral Deacon," the Klingon said, with a wry twist to his mouth. "I believe that your primary concern should be unaccounted tribbles. I doubt I need to extrapolate the rate of reproduction."

Henriks Abols wrote:

Henriks returned the smile as his lovely lady came walking into the living room, resisting the urge to let off a huge yawn immediately afterwards. "Two beautiful ladies have graced us with their presence," he whispered to Thomas. Somehow motherhood seemed to have made Chira even more beautiful in his eyes. Or perhaps it was the euphoric half-awake state he was in? But to see the love that sparkled ever brighter in her eyes as she sat on the couch beside him was more than enough to shove aside any doubts -- not that he would ever have any.

He glanced down briefly to the vibrating cat sleeping contentedly on his lap. Teo was the only one who didn't seem to have any trouble sleeping at the moment. "Oh, I think he feels fine for now," Henriks laughed, "but once they start walking around, Amos might find he has a furry visitor more often." Henriks sighed happily at the thought of these two little ones growing up, and he closed his eyes, but only for a moment before turning to Chira to ask, "How are you feeling, m'lady?"

[Quarters]

Kristina finished up her meal, deciding on going for a nap after giving a little yawn. Smiling, Chira re-adjusted the sleeping baby, closing her shirt back up. "Sorry, Apple," she smirked. "No more peep show for you until...uh, well...I would say 'when the kids are asleep tonight', but who am I kidding - these people don't sleep normally!" Now that Kristina was snoring (probably saving up energy for being awake all night), Chira settled back into the couch and looked contentedly exhausted.

"I'm doing alright. It's strange..." she said, glancing at Tommy as he stirred. "I worried a lot about the changes...going from being the 'fun aunt' to a mother. But I think...I think I was made for this. I think we were." She lay back into the cushion a little more, closing her eyes a moment. "I wonder if he'll wanna be called Tommy or Thomas..."

Myree Grell wrote:

[Infirmary]

"Woo!" Myree exclaimed, throwing her hands up in a 'victory' pose as the screen panel lit up and began a self-diagnosis.  Which pretty much meant that their tinkering had been a success.  "One more down...and...uh, I don't want to know how many more to go."  She stood up from the screen, leaning over the console.  "I think we're about done down here."  A wickedly-playful grin spread across her green lips.  "You wanna go work on something else?  Like...I dunno, a holo-emitter or something?"



Still grinning, Myree leaned back from the edge of the console, reaching up to re-adjust her hair.  "Hello, Ilana," she greeted.  The mousy Cardassian could move as quiet as...well, as a mouse.  Myree wondered if they should start inviting her to their regular 'girl's night out' events.  "I think we're wrapping up here.  Is there anything you need?"

Kristen smiled and pulled herself out from under the console and shot Myree a smile. "I don't know, maybe another hundred or so." She laughed as the doctor approached. irsten had had very little interaction with the stations medical staff. She gave the Doctor a slight nod. "Doctor."

Rachel Deacon wrote:

[Operations Centre]

"Ensign, I am not aware of how things were run at your last assignment, but on this station, pets are not allowed in Operations.  Take it out of here," she replied coolly, one eyebrow slightly raised above the edge of her VISOR.  Almost as an after thought, she added:  "I hope that it has been neutered, Ensign."

"Yes, Admiral," Mya replied, her cheeks red and flushed like those of a reprimanded school child. As for whether the tribble was neutered, she made no reply, because she found the thing and had absolutely no idea. And, also because she didn't want to be berated again. Man, was she right. Things were way more ship shape up here in Ops. Mya turned back to her screen, hoping Chief Ābols wouldn't catch wind of this and give her another lecture.

Chira Ābols wrote:

[Quarters]

Kristina finished up her meal, deciding on going for a nap after giving a little yawn. Smiling, Chira re-adjusted the sleeping baby, closing her shirt back up. "Sorry, Apple," she smirked. "No more peep show for you until...uh, well...I would say 'when the kids are asleep tonight', but who am I kidding - these people don't sleep normally!" Now that Kristina was snoring (probably saving up energy for being awake all night), Chira settled back into the couch and looked contentedly exhausted.

"I'm doing alright. It's strange..." she said, glancing at Tommy as he stirred. "I worried a lot about the changes...going from being the 'fun aunt' to a mother. But I think...I think I was made for this. I think we were." She lay back into the cushion a little more, closing her eyes a moment. "I wonder if he'll wanna be called Tommy or Thomas..."

[Quarters]

"Mm," Henriks mused groggily, a grin slowly spreading across his face. How beautiful his wife was. He could never stop looking at her. And the idea of 'sleep normally' struck him as a little funny. Was there a 'normal' sleep pattern on a starbase, with all the different species and shifts? Not to mention the artificial day and night... He pushed the thought aside, watching as Chira plopped back down onto the couch.

Resisting the urge to yawn, Henriks replied, "Well, I'm glad you're doing alright. I don't think you ever had to worry about it. You've always been so wonderful, so loving... so perfect." He grinned. "And we could always start calling him Tom Tom," he added with a laugh.

Myree Grell wrote:

Still grinning, Myree leaned back from the edge of the console, reaching up to re-adjust her hair.  "Hello, Ilana," she greeted.  The mousy Cardassian could move as quiet as...well, as a mouse.  Myree wondered if they should start inviting her to their regular 'girl's night out' events.  "I think we're wrapping up here.  Is there anything you need?"

Kristen Young wrote:

Kristen smiled and pulled herself out from under the console and shot Myree a smile. "I don't know, maybe another hundred or so." She laughed as the doctor approached. irsten had had very little interaction with the stations medical staff. She gave the Doctor a slight nod. "Doctor."

[Infirmary]

The Cardassian looked faintly amused at the officer's celebrations at having fixed one of the consoles.  Despite her relationship with Raynor, Ilana remained quite shy and reserved, so seeing other officers behaving in such a... childish manner was quite strange.

When asked if there was anything else they could do for her, she immediately looked away.  As much as she wanted to say 'no' and not have to ask them for anything, she didn't really have that option.

"Is th-th-there any update on wh-wh-when th-th-the s-s-systems w-w-will b-be b-b-back online?" she asked timidly. "W-w-we're h-having p-p-problems m-m-m-monitoring th-th-the c-c-critical p-patients w-w-without f-f-fu p-power."

Raynor Hughes wrote:

Will it bother him? How could it not? Tribbles were the alien trash of the galaxy, a scourge to be wiped out. Various reports had stated that tribbles had been destroyed...but they were like furred cockroaches. "Bother," Raynor repeated. "It will not hinder my execution of duties, Admiral Deacon," the Klingon said, with a wry twist to his mouth. "I believe that your primary concern should be unaccounted tribbles. I doubt I need to extrapolate the rate of reproduction."

[Ops]

"I am aware of their reproductive rate, Lieutenant, as well as what my concerns should be," Rachel replied flatly. After a moment's thought, her unamused expression turned to one with a slight, sly smile. "In fact, since you seem to be so concerned by it, you can take Ensign Stone and a security officer to go and check the station for any more as well as round up any we may have in excess before they breed beyond our containment abilities. After all, I'm sure you will make an adequate Tribble detector."

Henriks Ābols wrote:

"Mm," Henriks mused groggily, a grin slowly spreading across his face. How beautiful his wife was. He could never stop looking at her. And the idea of 'sleep normally' struck him as a little funny. Was there a 'normal' sleep pattern on a starbase, with all the different species and shifts? Not to mention the artificial day and night... He pushed the thought aside, watching as Chira plopped back down onto the couch.

Resisting the urge to yawn, Henriks replied, "Well, I'm glad you're doing alright. I don't think you ever had to worry about it. You've always been so wonderful, so loving... so perfect." He grinned. "And we could always start calling him Tom Tom," he added with a laugh.

[Quarters]

"Tom Tom...riiiight," Chira grinned.  "That'll give him a complex for sure.  And don't argue with me about it," she said, poking her tongue.  "I'm a psychologist."  She leaned, over careful not to wake Kristina as she quickly kissed Henriks.  "I think I'll see if this one'll go for a real nap."

She settled Kristina into one of the little beds in their main bedroom, noting with satisfaction how content the girl looked.  Like she actually wanted to just nap and not be awake.  Chira kissed the little baby, taking advantage of the quietude by slipping into the 'fresher for a quick shower.  It wasn't a lot, but the time alone was relaxing.  She shrugged out of her clothes, stepping into the cubicle and keying on the warm hydro.

And nothing came out.

Frowning, Chira tapped the keys, getting only a grouchy brrrzzz.  She sighed, thumping the panel.  The brrrzzzzz sound suddenly gave way to a muted purring.  "Uh...Henriks?" she called out.  "I think something's wrong with the shower."

Rachel Deacon wrote:

"I am aware of their reproductive rate, Lieutenant, as well as what my concerns should be," Rachel replied flatly.  After a moment's thought, her unamused expression turned to one with a slight, sly smile.  "In fact, since you seem to be so concerned by it, you can take Ensign Stone and a security officer to go and check the station for any more as well as round up any we may have in excess before they breed beyond our containment abilities.  After all, I'm sure you will make an adequate Tribble detector."

[Ops]

Being an exchange officer, Raynor had a lot more leeway than the usual workaday Starfleet type. So, if he had decided to tell Rachel Deacon what to go do with herself, he likely could have gotten away with it. Well, probably not, since exchange officers were expected to follow the protocol and SOP of their respective programs. And...well, interstellar amity wouldn't be furthered by it.

Still. Being told to chase tribbles...it'd almost be worth violating the Khitomer Accords.

"If you truly have no better usage of my time," he muttered, turning on his heel. "Stone! Let's go. We have clean-up duty."

Ilana Telak wrote:

[Infirmary]

The Cardassian looked faintly amused at the officer's celebrations at having fixed one of the consoles.  Despite her relationship with Raynor, Ilana remained quite shy and reserved, so seeing other officers behaving in such a... childish manner was quite strange.

When asked if there was anything else they could do for her, she immediately looked away.  As much as she wanted to say 'no' and not have to ask them for anything, she didn't really have that option.

"Is th-th-there any update on wh-wh-when th-th-the s-s-systems w-w-will b-be b-b-back online?" she asked timidly.  "W-w-we're h-having p-p-problems m-m-m-monitoring th-th-the c-c-critical p-patients w-w-without f-f-fu p-power."

Kristen understood her concern. Taking care of so many patients without adequate systems had to be difficult. "According to the last progress report I saw, it will be another day. I can do my best to have sickbay bumped to the head of the priority list?"

Kristen Young wrote:

Kristen understood her concern. Taking care of so many patients without adequate systems had to be difficult. "According to the last progress report I saw, it will be another day. I can do my best to have sickbay bumped to the head of the priority list?"

[Sickbay]

Frowning, Myree blinked in confusion. "Ilana, power should have been restored here first. I mean, Sickbay's pretty much the definition of a 'critical system'." Reaching up, she scratched her head, knocking her bun loose. A long strand of hair fell down alongside her face, but the Orion girl didn't notice it. She took out a padd from her side pocket, scrolling through the info. "Yeah...you should have everything down here. I have no idea why you don't."

She turned toward the back bulkhead, walking toward it. "Maybe there's a problem in the relays?" she said, more of a question than a statement. While Myree was a natural tinkerer, she knew she didn't know half as much as Kristen probably did.

Chira Abols wrote:

[Quarters]

"Tom Tom...riiiight," Chira grinned.  "That'll give him a complex for sure.  And don't argue with me about it," she said, poking her tongue.  "I'm a psychologist."  She leaned, over careful not to wake Kristina as she quickly kissed Henriks.  "I think I'll see if this one'll go for a real nap."

She settled Kristina into one of the little beds in their main bedroom, noting with satisfaction how content the girl looked.  Like she actually wanted to just nap and not be awake.  Chira kissed the little baby, taking advantage of the quietude by slipping into the 'fresher for a quick shower.  It wasn't a lot, but the time alone was relaxing.  She shrugged out of her clothes, stepping into the cubicle and keying on the warm hydro.

And nothing came out.

Frowning, Chira tapped the keys, getting only a grouchy brrrzzz.  She sighed, thumping the panel.  The brrrzzzzz sound suddenly gave way to a muted purring.  "Uh...Henriks?" she called out.  "I think something's wrong with the shower."

Henriks grinned lazily, feeling the warmth of Chira's lips against his skin. "As you say, my lady," he replied. He was too sleepy to argue anyway. His eyes followed her as she made her way to one of the cribs to lay the sleeping babe down before stepping over to the shower and slipping out of her clothes. His eyes were just beginning to close when she called out, something about the shower not working?

"Coming," he answered. The only problem was that there was still a hulk of a cat resting on his lap. "Nost, Teo," he mumbled. Teo didn't move, purring harder than before as if that would save him. "Nost," Henriks repeated. Off. But still, the cat wouldn't move, so Henriks stood, sending the cat sprawling to the floor. He made his way over to the other crib and lay Thomas down a moment, freeing his hands to help his lovely lady.

"Was this the peep you said I'd get later?" he asked, grinning as he gave her a quick kiss. Now, to see to the shower. Henriks stared at it for a moment. Nothing was coming to mind. Technology, aside from what was used to run sickbay, had never been his strong suit. So, Henriks began to start pushing random buttons, messing with different settings as he went, to see if he could get the darned thing to start working again.