Season 2, Mission 2: Ariadne and Her Thread

[Bridge]

Conor didn't have the slightest clue who the engineer that had come on board was, but apparently the captain knew him. Probably someone from her past. Captains tended to amass quite a collection of people in the dusty corners of their lives.

He couldn't help but feel a slight bit of tension as the Phoenix coasted through the sector. Conor knew about the various battles that had been fought here in the war, though most of them had been between Romulan and Dominion forces. It made him think of his father.

"Were you in Starfleet during the war?" Conor asked his security chief, Safefta Pardek, as he moved over to the tactical console.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Ready Room]

"I'll remind you of that comment when you find yourself having to take them to task for dismantling something just because they happened to have the tools to do so," Archangel replied with a smile.  "Aria's only just coming up on three and she's already learned how to take a tricorder apart."

She glanced up at the chronometre on the wall, stifling a sigh.  "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this reunion short.  I need to deal with some ship's business.  Why don't you head down to Engineering and say hello to Commander Arthur?"

At her mention of Aria’s achievement, Bradley’s eyebrows went up.

“Really? That’s quite impressive. Has she learned how to put it back together yet?” He said with a grin.

As the reunion came to a close, he downed the hot chocolate (slightly burning himself as he did so. He breathed a bit heavier and it was obvious what he’d done) and stood up.

“Certainly … captain. I’ll see you later then.”

He gave her a smile and walked back out onto the bridge to enter the turbolift.

His destination, Engineering.

Bradley Miller wrote:

At her mention of Aria’s achievement, Bradley’s eyebrows went up.

“Really? That’s quite impressive. Has she learned how to put it back together yet?” He said with a grin.

As the reunion came to a close, he downed the hot chocolate (slightly burning himself as he did so. He breathed a bit heavier and it was obvious what he’d done) and stood up.

“Certainly … captain. I’ll see you later then.”

He gave her a smile and walked back out onto the bridge to enter the turbolift.

His destination, Engineering.

[Ready Room]

"Unfortunately, no," Archangel replied to Miller's comment about Aria's ability to take apart a tricorder. She was starting to be almost afraid of going back to her quarters for fear of what she was likely to find next in pieces. Having Seika do it was bad enough, but the pair of them was a holy terror.

Once Miller had left, the young Captain let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't looking forward to this next meeting, not in the slightest. But it had to be done.

"Captain T'Koris to Ensign Kejal. Report to my ready room."

Conor Terell wrote:

[Bridge]

Conor didn't have the slightest clue who the engineer that had come on board was, but apparently the captain knew him.  Probably someone from her past.  Captains tended to amass quite a collection of people in the dusty corners of their lives.

He couldn't help but feel a slight bit of tension as the Phoenix coasted through the sector.  Conor knew about the various battles that had been fought here in the war, though most of them had been between Romulan and Dominion forces.  It made him think of his father.

"Were you in Starfleet during the war?" Conor asked his security chief, Safefta Pardek, as he moved over to the tactical console.

[Bridge]

Visiting this place felt a bit like opening a wound. Not so much for Safefta, who had not had many 'friends' die, per se, but there was a eerie sort of graveyard feel to this place, and she could remember the screams of many of her crewmates as they watched ships destroyed that had relatives, friends on them, if nothing else.

It didn't take a touch telepath to tell there was a good part of the ship that felt tense.

A voice at her side made her divert her attention from her scanners for a moment. There had been a blip of something on her sensors... Just on the edge. Allowing herself to listen and absorb the questio she had been asked took a second, and the blip was gone. Maybe later. She raised an eyebrow at the tactical crewman.

"Affirmative. I was quite an active participant," she said. "One of few front line soldiers that continued to serve in useful capacity." She served among many of the others. She seldom shared much about her life, but this was work related, so she cared less. "I assume you were not?" She remarked dryly.

[Engineering]

"I do see it," Gabriel Arthur answered, pulling up various charts and data on the systems display. "Almost like a murmur in the dampeners." The Phoenix had received the standard inspection and parts replacement when they'd been in port a few weeks ago, but this appeared to be an entirely new gremlin. "Get me as much data as you can on it, then we can look for something to track down."

He glanced at his alcove office, seeing the dark little head snuggled in her soft chair. Seika had come to work with him today, mainly because she wasn't 'feeling well' and didn't want to go to school. Of course, Gabriel didn't believe for a second that she was truly sick. Even if she was, a few seconds' touch from a hypo would fix it. But...she was a good student, aside from her irrepressible nature, and could be afforded a day off now and then. Her sister, Aria, was with the main life services staff. Seika wore a commbadge - one that he'd given her years ago as a toddler - and could be transported there in case of an emergency down here.

Gabe heard the main bay doors swish open. He smiled as he glanced up. Archangel had told him that their old friend, Bradley Miller, was going to hitch a ride for a brief tour, but he wasn't sure when the man had come on board. "Hey there," he called out. "Welcome to the madhouse."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Engineering]

"I do see it," Gabriel Arthur answered, pulling up various charts and data on the systems display.  "Almost like a murmur in the dampeners."  The Phoenix had received the standard inspection and parts replacement when they'd been in port a few weeks ago, but this appeared to be an entirely new gremlin.  "Get me as much data as you can on it, then we can look for something to track down."

He glanced at his alcove office, seeing the dark little head snuggled in her soft chair.  Seika had come to work with him today, mainly because she wasn't 'feeling well' and didn't want to go to school.  Of course, Gabriel didn't believe for a second that she was truly sick.  Even if she was, a few seconds' touch from a hypo would fix it.  But...she was a good student, aside from her irrepressible nature, and could be afforded a day off now and then.  Her sister, Aria, was with the main life services staff.  Seika wore a commbadge - one that he'd given her years ago as a toddler - and could be transported there in case of an emergency down here.

Gabe heard the main bay doors swish open.  He smiled as he glanced up.  Archangel had told him that their old friend, Bradley Miller, was going to hitch a ride for a brief tour, but he wasn't sure when the man had come on board.  "Hey there," he called out.  "Welcome to the madhouse."

"On it Gabe!" Leela swirled around and moved to a console from across the room and accessed the most recent diagnostic data on the dampener and began a download to a PADD. As the data downloaded she ran her finger along a bar graph. Their new gremlin wasn't making itself apparent. The computer beeped acknowledging the download. She picked it up and took it to Gabe. "Here you go, Gabe, nothing is pumping off the page. I need more time to analyze it." She said and then gave a slight nod to the unfamiliar face in the room.

Quote :

Once Miller had left, the young Captain let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't looking forward to this next meeting, not in the slightest. But it had to be done.

"Captain T'Koris to Ensign Kejal. Report to my ready room."

[Officer's Quarters]

Buris was off-duty for the moment, but he was sitting in his quarters fully dressed and holding a PADD, with the plan of going over the latest reports. As the senior Ops officer most often assigned to Bridge duty, he had to be aware of the way things were going - after all, he couldn't expect a Cadet to do it, even if Rayaen was doing an excellent job at the Bridge station. He heard the Captain's voice through his commbadge, and raised an eyebrow. This was going to be a tense meeting - and he wasn't sure what it meant. Frankly, he wouldn't be surprised if the woman was kicking him off the ship. Still, keeping her waiting was just going to be more problematic than it was worth. He tapped his commbadge.

"Kejal to Captain T'Koris. I'll be there in just a moment, ma'am."

He walked out of his quarters and headed up to the Bridge, glancing over to the Ops station before heading into the Captain's Ready Room. One of the Enlisted staff was working the station, and a brief glance told the Bajoran what he needed to know. He walked into the room and let the door close behind him before speaking.

He was still holding the PADD, but he set it aside. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Kejal to Captain T'Koris.  I'll be there in just a moment, ma'am."

He walked out of his quarters and headed up to the Bridge, glancing over to the Ops station before heading into the Captain's Ready Room.  One of the Enlisted staff was working the station, and a brief glance told the Bajoran what he needed to know.  He walked into the room and let the door close behind him before speaking.

He was still holding the PADD, but he set it aside.  "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

[Ready Room]

While waiting the few minutes it took Kejal to get to her ready room, Archangel had started a bit of paperwork that always accumulated on a captain's desk. When the door slid open, she looked up from a requisition order from the Engineering department, setting it aside to concentrate her attention on the Bajoran.

She stifled a quiet sigh. It was rather clear to her that the pair of them were never going to see eye to eye with each other. Part of her wondered how it started, but the larger part ignored it. It wasn't her job as captain to be make herself liked by everyone on her crew. That way lay madness.

"Kejal. I had hoped to call you here under better circumstances. Would you like to explain to me why you chose to cause a scene with three of your crewmates in front of the Athena's commanding officers?"

Safefta Pardek wrote:

Visiting this place felt a bit like opening a wound. Not so much for Safefta, who had not had many 'friends' die, per se, but there was a eerie sort of graveyard feel to this place, and she could remember the screams of many of her crewmates as they watched ships destroyed that had relatives, friends on them, if nothing else.

It didn't take a touch telepath to tell there was a good part of the ship that felt tense.

A voice at her side made her divert her attention from her scanners for a moment. There had been a blip of something on her sensors... Just on the edge. Allowing herself to listen and absorb the questio she had been asked took a second, and the blip was gone. Maybe later. She raised an eyebrow at the tactical crewman.

"Affirmative. I was quite an active participant," she said. "One of few front line soldiers that continued to serve in useful capacity." She served among many of the others. She seldom shared much about her life, but this was work related, so she cared less. "I assume you were not?" She remarked dryly.

[Bridge]

Conor quirked an eyebrow, unable to tell if Pardek was joking with him or not. "I wasn't," he replied, "considering that I was mid-way through secondary schooling at the time." Of course, he knew that some participants were barely older than children. But he hadn't been one of them. "I entered the EPC not long after the armistice was signed."

So much for conversation. Ah well. At least he'd tried...

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Engineering]
Gabe heard the main bay doors swish open.  He smiled as he glanced up.  Archangel had told him that their old friend, Bradley Miller, was going to hitch a ride for a brief tour, but he wasn't sure when the man had come on board.  "Hey there," he called out.  "Welcome to the madhouse."

No sooner had the doors to the turbolift opened and Bradley stepped through them than Gabriel noticed his entering and welcomed him in a way that only he could.

Immediately Bradley thought: Fantastic, he remembers me.

There was nothing that could have stopped the huge grin that shot onto Bradley’s face in response to Gabriel’s comment. Two or three chuckles joined it along with a gentle head shake. “Ooh, it’s good to be back. How have you been?”

Leela Kaz wrote:

[Engineering]
She picked it up and took it to Gabe. "Here you go, Gabe, nothing is pumping off the page. I need more time to analyze it." She said and then gave a slight nod to the unfamiliar face in the room.

Bradley gave a warm smile and a friendly nod to the Engineer, whom by discreetly glancing at her collar he noticed was an Ensign.

Conor Terell wrote:

[Bridge]

Conor quirked an eyebrow, unable to tell if Pardek was joking with him or not.  "I wasn't," he replied, "considering that I was mid-way through secondary schooling at the time."  Of course, he knew that some participants were barely older than children.  But he hadn't been one of them.  "I entered the EPC not long after the armistice was signed."

So much for conversation.  Ah well.  At least he'd tried...

[Bridge]

Safefta hadn't been joking. In fact, she seemed almost surprised... Or, whatever could be considered surprised on her stony face. An eyebrow was raised, but that could mean anything.

She paused. "You will have to forgive me, petty officer. My perception of human ages is not as acute as I would like it o be." She didn't sound so harsh, just.. Flat. Someone who looked like Conor could be any age of adulthood to her.

"I am pleased that you did not serve in wartime. It was not a time to be 'fresh out of the gate' as you humans put it.'

Leela Kaz wrote:

"On it Gabe!" Leela swirled around and moved to a console from across the room and accessed the most recent diagnostic data on the dampener and began a download to a PADD. As the data downloaded she ran her finger along a bar graph. Their new gremlin wasn't making itself apparent. The computer beeped acknowledging the download. She picked it up and took it to Gabe. "Here you go, Gabe, nothing is pumping off the page. I need more time to analyze it." She said and then gave a slight nod to the unfamiliar face in the room.

[Engineering]

Gabriel accepted the offered padd, nodding.  "Go ahead and run the analysis, then.  I want to know if we need to take the time to re-calibrate anything.  This ain't exactly the friendliest region of space to have a problem in."  Gabriel knew he could trust Kaz to track down whatever it was.  The Trill girl was his unofficial second-in-command down here...a title that he knew he needed to make official with a promotion soon.

Bradley Miller wrote:

There was nothing that could have stopped the huge grin that shot onto Bradley’s face in response to Gabriel’s comment. Two or three chuckles joined it along with a gentle head shake. “Ooh, it’s good to be back. How have you been?”

Turning back to Miller, Gabriel gave a slight smile.  "Been good.  Arch and I've been married for going on two years now...I don't suppose you've seen Seika lately, have you?"  Almost as if on cue, the little girl came wandering out of Gabriel's office, looking up curiously at the new arrival.  He knew that the last time Miller had been around, Seika had been in leg-braces from her injury aboard the Discovery.

"Hello, I'm Seika," she said in greeting.  "Do you think time-travel is real?  Could I come back in time to tell myself a secret?"

Safefta Pardek wrote:

Safefta hadn't been joking. In fact, she seemed almost surprised... Or, whatever could be considered surprised on her stony face. An eyebrow was raised, but that could mean anything.

She paused. "You will have to forgive me, petty officer. My perception of human ages is not as acute as I would like it o be." She didn't sound so harsh, just.. Flat. Someone who looked like Conor could be any age of adulthood to her.

"I am pleased that you did not serve in wartime. It was not a time to be 'fresh out of the gate' as you humans put it.'

[Bridge]

"Err...no offense," Conor replied, slightly bewildered. The thing about Pardek was...it wasn't just her Romulan nature. No...there was a coldness there, too. Something slightly mechanical, and Conor wasn't sure if it was affected or if she really felt that way. Something about her just felt...Vulcan. "I'm not sorry to say I missed it, either. I'd have done my part, though."

Shrugging, Conor turned his attention to the monitors, watching for any errant signals. "If you listen to my father, we're likely due for another flare-up any time soon. He talks about it every time he's interviewed on the Federation network...or any of the talking head shows broadcast from Paris."

Quote :

"Kejal. I had hoped to call you here under better circumstances. Would you like to explain to me why you chose to cause a scene with three of your crewmates in front of the Athena's commanding officers?"

Buris looked at her and thought about his response for a moment. As she hadn't offered him a seat, he didn't take one, standing before her. He decided to cut to the heart of it, at least as regarded Gul Epath.

"Captain, with all due respect... if you and Commander Arthur were to be murdered in cold blood while off-duty, would you consider one of your daughters confronting your killer, years later to be 'a scene'?"

He looked at her for a moment, gauging her reaction. He barely knew much about her family, just what the little shipboard talk he heard told him - and he'd decided that he'd rather keep it that way. Having rugrats running around on a vessel like this was incredibly dangerous, and the last influence they'd need to have a happy and successful life would be his. But at the same time... he was trying to make a point.

"That's exactly what happened on Athena. My parents were not killed in action - but just going to the market to buy vegetables... and still, they were shot dead like rabid dogs. As regards Telak... that's unfinished business; as you may have gathered, I don't like leaving missions incomplete. Her father being alive means that one of the greatest war criminals of our time still lives - and if I were in better with the people in charge of Bajor right now, I'm sure they wouldn't be sleeping so soundly if I informed them of what I just found out. The medical experimentation he performed on Bajorans, living and dead, is utterly deplorable. Unfortunately, we didn't have time or foresight to document these abuses of what the Federation likes to term 'human rights'. I'm not as certain of Epath, beyond the very few incidents where our mission objectives intersected; and the one time when his mission involved taking my parents' lives. Quite frankly, Captain, I feel that I showed great restraint, compared to what I would have liked."

He cleared his throat, and glanced away. He couldn't bring himself to look at her at the moment, because she would see the rage written on him clearly enough. What he'd seen and been through, and then to relive it with two beings on the same ship - two fellow Starfleet officers? It was a cruel joke of the Universe. "They're... Captain, those are not merely crewmates. They are monsters, or the spawn of monsters. If I thought there was any hope of having them prosecuted for their war crimes, I'd do it, immediately. But I have no decisive evidence, only my word against theirs. Everyone who'd have evidence against them is dead."

Now he looked at her, and she'd see his hands in tight fists, fingernails digging into his palms to try and hold back the rage and pain. To stop the tears before they hit. He was seeing his parents' corpses, and the victims of Gul Telak's experimentation. The pain that the Cardassians had caused during the Occupation. It was felt by every Bajoran, whether they followed the Prophets and the Kais or not. Everyone knew what happened.

Conor Terell wrote:

[Bridge]

"Err...no offense," Conor replied, slightly bewildered.  The thing about Pardek was...it wasn't just her Romulan nature.  No...there was a coldness there, too.  Something slightly mechanical, and Conor wasn't sure if it was affected or if she really felt that way.  Something about her just felt...Vulcan.  "I'm not sorry to say I missed it, either.  I'd have done my part, though."  

Shrugging, Conor turned his attention to the monitors, watching for any errant signals.  "If you listen to my father, we're likely due for another flare-up any time soon.  He talks about it every time he's interviewed on the Federation network...or any of the talking head shows broadcast from Paris."

[Bridge]

Safefta was fairly certain that the appropriate response to his statement was 'none taken', but whether or not she could articulate that with an inflection appropriate for the scenario was another matter entirely, so she didn't bother. Overall, she chalked up the brief attempt at socializing to be a failure.

"Your father sounds to be of importance," she commented passively, visually scanning her side of the tactical panels. As if it had been waiting for Donor's words, the wayward blip she'd seen earlier was back, and this time, it was definite. "You seem to be very perceptive." Safefta's way of compliments were to state the rather obvious, if she gave them at all. She hoped it wouldn't be construed as sarcasm.

"That is a distress call. It is from that debris field, though I cannot pinpoint much else at this distance."

[Response to Kejal Buris]

"I would expect both of my girls to behave as their position or rank demands it," Archangel replied smoothly, secure in that knowledge. In their line of work, death could be minutes away on a good day. It was something that she had come face to face with on at least two separate occasions, probably more if she cared to think back far enough. Each time, both she had Gabriel had thought about their girls, about whether or not it was a good idea to keep them shipboard or whether they should go back to Earth to stay with Gabriel's family. Each time, they had elected to keep the family together.

She sat back in her chair, pressing her fingertips together and surveying Kejal over the top of them. The Bajoran, other than being a gigantic pain in her neck, had the potential to go far as an officer if only he could move past that massive chip on his shoulder.

"Kejal, you don't like the Cardassians, that's fine, but I expect you to treat them civilly when required to interact with them and otherwise... avoid contact if you have to. Lieutenant Epath is already hunted by the Cardassian Union for defecting. Gul Telak and what's left of his family have already suffered enough trying to find somewhere to live, which the Federation has helped them with. Both Epath and Telak are hunted enough and I will not have them feeling hunted on this ship.

"You are now a Starfleet officer, which means that not only are your former missions over, they have been archived. I can't ask you to be on friendly terms with them, especially since I expect that won't happen, but you will keep your prejudices to yourself while you wear that uniform."

This line of talk wasn't likely to get them anywhere. It was only upsetting the ensign in front of her and irritating the captain. Perhaps it was time to move on to the reason she had wanted to call him up for. Her eyes flicked briefly to a small box hidden from the ensign by a stack of reports from the science department.

"Perhaps... perhaps you just need additional challenges to distract you. Admiral Deacon was not in favour of this change to the roster, but I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for the time being. You are, however, on probation. I expect you to prove to me that I have made the right decision and that you can live up to the expectations. Only then will Admiral Deacon this permanent." Picking up the box, she slid it across the desk toward him, knowing that it contained one black pip to bring his rank up to Lieutenant Junior Grade.

[Response to the Captain]

Buris nodded at her and sighed, looking away as she gave him the expected dressing-down... and just as he was expecting to get sent to the Brig or transferred off the ship, the Captain was sliding a box toward him. His resignation, he assumed, but he took the box and blinked as he opened it, seeing the black pip. His jaw just about dropped, as he had little to say.

He took it and fixed the pip to his collar. He cleared his throat, and looked T'Koris in the eye. "Um. Well, thank you, Captain. I don't expect to fail."

His expression changed slightly as he took a breath, looking at his hands, where there were crescent-shaped marks along his palm from where his nails had dug in. He rubbed them with his thumb. He glanced at the Captain. "I'm going to assume that since you're mentioning the duty roster, Chief Callan took the transfer she'd mentioned. Is there any time within the next few days for me to call together a section briefing?"

It wasn't unorthodox to ask that, by any means. And even though the Bajoran hadn't seen eye-to-eye with the Captain, he was obviously trying to give the two of them an opening to work together more effectively. If the Captain was present at the first briefing with a new section chief, they could make clear any particular goals they had, as well as making sure the new chief was with the overall plan for the ship.

Kejal Buris wrote:

[Response to the Captain]

Buris nodded at her and sighed, looking away as she gave him the expected dressing-down... and just as he was expecting to get sent to the Brig or transferred off the ship, the Captain was sliding a box toward him.  His resignation, he assumed, but he took the box and blinked as he opened it, seeing the black pip.  His jaw just about dropped, as he had little to say.

He took it and fixed the pip to his collar.  He cleared his throat, and looked T'Koris in the eye. "Um.  Well, thank you, Captain.  I don't expect to fail."

His expression changed slightly as he took a breath, looking at his hands, where there were crescent-shaped marks along his palm from where his nails had dug in.  He rubbed them with his thumb.  He glanced at the Captain. "I'm going to assume that since you're mentioning the duty roster, Chief Callan took the transfer she'd mentioned.  Is there any time within the next few days for me to call together a section briefing?"

[Ready Room]

Archangel maintained her poker face as she watched the emotions playing across Kejal's. It was an interesting sight. Ever since he had come aboard, there seemed to be a bit of hostility between them, constantly clashing on various viewpoints.

"I don't expect you to fail either, Mr Kejal," she responded. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered you the position. I do expect you to act appropriately though."

Nodding in acknowledgement of the dots the operations officer had joined, she went on to say: "Yes, Chief Callan has gone to join a different project. With this promotion, I'm putting you in charge of the department. If you wish to pull together a briefing, feel free."

[Tactical Pod, Deck C, Torpedo Room]

Arlan wasn't sure that he liked being in charge around here, but his experience on the Phoenix's sister ship made him one of the better candidates, at least for half-shifts. And now he was sitting in front of a rather boring panel which showed all-clear. Still and all, the entire torpedo room had been complaining about strange vibrations and minor gravity changes. He wasn't sure what it was, but decided to go ahead and ask Engineering anyway.

He tapped his commbadge. "Uh, Engineering, this is Ensign Opran in the Torpedo Room on Deck C. Can you send someone up to the pod to check the umbilical connectors? Some of us up here have been noticing some strange vibrations ever since we passed through that transwarp conduit. Hate to be a pest on this one, but it'd make all of us up here feel a lot safer."

He sat and waited for the response. Up here, it was really just a matter of maintenance and waiting - and then frenzied motion when the real fighting started. They'd rarely get a call to fire from up here just for a debris field; phasers were far more effective at that than torpedoes. As such, patience was expected, and vigilance necessary.

[Ready Room]

Quote :

"I don't expect you to fail either, Mr Kejal," she responded. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered you the position. I do expect you to act appropriately though."

Nodding in acknowledgement of the dots the operations officer had joined, she went on to say: "Yes, Chief Callan has gone to join a different project. With this promotion, I'm putting you in charge of the department. If you wish to pull together a briefing, feel free."

He nodded at her comments about his behavior - but letting murderers walk free wasn't exactly something he was keen on. Knowing that Gul Telak and Gul Epath were not only alive but within reach galled him. But as she said - that wasn't something for a Starfleet Officer to focus on. She'd told him that she didn't want the two Cardassians to feel hunted - but she'd said nothing against him working tacitly to find hard proof of their wartime actions - without confronting them about it. Still, he had better things to focus on right now.

"Aye, Captain."

A simple acknowledgement, but delivered with infinitely less rancor than most of his simple comments to her. Something had shifted as she showed her trust in him, even after asking him directly about something that other captains might have had him run off their ship for. He took a breath and grabbed his PADD again from where he'd set it.

"I'm assuming you'll be in touch with her sooner than I, so please do wish the Chief fair tides from the whole section. And unless you have a reason why not, I expect to have the briefing tomorrow at 1530... in my new office. If you or Commander Rellek can see that we have cross-coverage for the bridge station for the half-hour or so for the briefing, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'll be contacting Engineering later today about sending a representative as well - one who is not Gul Epath, and I'd like to request Ensign M'Rai from Flight Control as well - since she's been in the Shuttlebay for the last duty rotation, liaising with Ops staff on a regular basis. Is there anything we should be focusing on at the moment?"

He was obviously accustomed to running a department, his memory from the Bellerophon fresh in his mind. And this was just something that had been running in his mind for a while.

[Sickbay]

Having been reassigned to the Phoenix on a temporary basis alongside Raynor, Ilana was finding it a little difficult to settle into a new routine. Of course, when that happened, she simply threw herself into her work, often falling asleep on her console rather than going back to her quarters. With Raynor being so busy with his own duties, she could even get away with it.

Her eyes flickered open as the door opened to admit one of her research colleagues and found her head pillowed on her arms over her console, her glasses askew. Another night spent in the lab with too few hours of sleep. She nodded to Zero, then looked at the chronometre on her console, uttering a quiet groan as she realised that she had an appointment to keep in sickbay for another dose of the nanoprobes that kept her implant functioning.

Pushing herself up from the console, she quickly scrubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to wake herself up sufficiently before going through to the main sick bay, then ran her fingers through her short hair in an effort to tidy it up a little.

Finally feeling presentable enough to go through to sickbay itself, she stepped through the door, looking around for a doctor.

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Aye, Captain."

A simple acknowledgement, but delivered with infinitely less rancor than most of his simple comments to her.  Something had shifted as she showed her trust in him, even after asking him directly about something that other captains might have had him run off their ship for.  He took a breath and grabbed his PADD again from where he'd set it.

"I'm assuming you'll be in touch with her sooner than I, so please do wish the Chief fair tides from the whole section.  And unless you have a reason why not, I expect to have the briefing tomorrow at 1530... in my new office.  If you or Commander Rellek can see that we have cross-coverage for the bridge station for the half-hour or so for the briefing, I'd greatly appreciate it.  I'll be contacting Engineering later today about sending a representative as well - one who is not Gul Epath, and I'd like to request Ensign M'Rai from Flight Control as well - since she's been in the Shuttlebay for the last duty rotation, liaising with Ops staff on a regular basis.  Is there anything we should be focusing on at the moment?"

[Ready Room]

"Lieutenant Epath," Archangel corrected, raising one eyebrow pointedly. She could accept that some habits died hard, but this was one that she was determined to make sure was broken.

She was then quiet for a moment as she pondered the list of people he wanted to include in the briefing, tapping a finger on the surface of her desk. It shouldn't be too difficult to pull them all together. Their current mission was simply a look-see after a few reports from the Romulan empire about suspicious activity.

"Barring any unforseen circumstances, that should be fine. We're only due to scout this area, not engage," she replied. "I suspect that Commander Arthur will attend or send Ensign Kaz in his place if he needs to stay in the engine room. Judging by the feel of the ship, they have a little problem with the inertial dampeners. Bringing M'Rai up shouldn't be a problem either. I suggest you might want to bring in Lieutenant Hughes as well. Are you considering anyone from Medical?"

Ilana Telak wrote:

Pushing herself up from the console, she quickly scrubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to wake herself up sufficiently before going through to the main sick bay, then ran her fingers through her short hair in an effort to tidy it up a little.

Finally feeling presentable enough to go through to sickbay itself, she stepped through the door, looking around for a doctor.

[Sickbay]

Once Zero had gone, Kintiss uploaded the results of her physical to the medical database. As he began preparing for the arrival of other patients, he found his thoughts kept wandering back to her. Even by Human standards, there was something different about her; something not quite right. He'd mainly noticed it during her reconstructive surgeries, when he'd noted her quick physical recovery. He hadn't paid it much heed at the time, but it had lingered there, at the back of his head. There was a moment at the Christmas party when she said she was "functional". Who spoke like that, outside of holograms? There was something he was missing.

As he heard the doors opening, he saw Doctor Telak walking in. Ah, yes, she had the appearance of having slept at her work station; somewhere between disheveled and neat. He recognised the look almost immediately, having sported it many times during his career.

"Ah, Doctor Telak," he said gladly, coming into view. "Here for your nanoprobessss, I take it?" It was good to see her on board again. She was a friend to him, though he wasn't certain if the feeling was mutual.

Kintiss wrote:

As he heard the doors opening, he saw Doctor Telak walking in. Ah, yes, she had the appearance of having slept at her work station; somewhere between disheveled and neat. He recognised the look almost immediately, having sported it many times during his career.

"Ah, Doctor Telak," he said gladly, coming into view. "Here for your nanoprobessss, I take it?" It was good to see her on board again. She was a friend to him, though he wasn't certain if the feeling was mutual.

[Sickbay]

Ilana jumped slightly at the sound of a voice to her side. She hadn't heard Kintiss moving around in sickbay, although it made sense that he was already there. Some nights, she wondered if he hadn't also spent the night in the labs.

"Th-th-that's r-r-right," she replied, offering him a faint smile. "I m-m-meant t-t-to g-g-get a d-d-dose b-before I l-l-left th-th-the Athena, b-but I n-n-never g-g-got around t-t-to it. T-t-too m-m-many arrangements t-t-to m-m-make f-for th-th-the t-transfer." She chewed her lip for a moment, as if she was trying to steel herself to ask something else. "C-c-c-could y-y-you r-r-run a s-s-scan on th-th-the implant? M-m-my s-s-speech s-s-seems t-t-to b-b-be g-g-getting w-w-worse."

Ilana Telak wrote:

"Th-th-that's r-r-right," she replied, offering him a faint smile.  "I m-m-meant t-t-to g-g-get a d-d-dose b-before I l-l-left th-th-the Athena, b-but I n-n-never g-g-got around t-t-to it.  T-t-too m-m-many arrangements t-t-to m-m-make f-for th-th-the t-transfer."  She chewed her lip for a moment, as if she was trying to steel herself to ask something else.  "C-c-c-could y-y-you r-r-run a s-s-scan on th-th-the implant?  M-m-my s-s-speech s-s-seems t-t-to b-b-be g-g-getting w-w-worse."

[Sickbay]

"I'll do what I can," Kintiss replied. "Take a sssseat on a biobed. I'll be back in a moment." He headed for the replicator with his now-empty Raktajino mug and keyed the matter reclamator. The cup disappeared instantly in a bright swirl of energy, and he returned with a hypospray loaded with nanoprobes, dashing aside momentarily to grab a tricorder with which he could perform the scan she requested.

"When did you sssstart noticing your sssspeech wasss getting worsssse?" he asked as he prepped the hypospray and pressed it to her neck.