Mission Two: Gimmie Shelter

Rachel Deacon wrote:

"Have it ready to go.  Grell, how are you getting on with contacting the Tholian homeworld?  I'd rather not disrupt the power network if we can avoid it."

[Ops]

How was she getting along? It'd be just as fast to use freakin' *smoke signals*, Myree thought, tapping away in a very flustered manner at her console. With the Ops crew busy doing the thing...whatever the hells they were doing...the task of handling communication fell to her. And she felt as if she were making a targ's dinner of it.

Her call to the Tholian homeworld had been denied, of course. The call would require a neutral arbiter to handle...the likes of which would not be available for two days. Well, one-point-seven-five days, as voice that sounded like an echo strained through a broken window had told her.

However, her next call...

"Admiral! The Tholian ambassador to the Federation is on Earth! I can get a call through to the Palais a lot easier than Tholia. In fact, I can have Paris standing by in minutes." If they had minutes, that was.

Myree Grell wrote:

"Admiral!  The Tholian ambassador to the Federation is on Earth!  I can get a call through to the Palais a lot easier than Tholia.  In fact, I can have Paris standing by in minutes."  If they had minutes, that was.

[Operations]

"Send them a message, Ensign," Deacon replied curtly. "And do it fast, I believe we're rapidly running out of time at the moment." Sure, they had the emitter beam as a back up, but she really wanted to try to find a way to defeat the Tholian's web without blowing out half of the station's power network. That would take weeks to repair.

Rachel Deacon wrote:

"Send them a message, Ensign," Deacon replied curtly.  "And do it fast, I believe we're rapidly running out of time at the moment."  Sure, they had the emitter beam as a back up, but she really wanted to try to find a way to defeat the Tholian's web without blowing out half of the station's power network.  That would take weeks to repair.

[Ops]

Still the woman wished to talk to these Tholians? Shora gritted her teeth, wondering idly if she'd have anything left of her molars by the time this was done. If they survived it, that was. She sidled a little closer to the admiral, her voice low and soft. "Ma'am, with all due respect, we are running out of time. This is a game we cannot wager on the toss of a die. Tholians do not bluff."

While she appreciated the efforts of diplomacy, such things had a time and a place...and Shora did not feel this was either one. "If their web does not destroy us out of hand, they may attempt to board. If they have their enviro-suits, that is. Have you ever seen a Tholian monofiliment blade? It can rend a humanoid limb as clean as shearing through paper." Her security teams could handle the station, she was sure...but there were likely to be casualties, no matter what, if it came down to hand-to-hand fighting.

Rachel Deacon wrote:

"Send them a message, Ensign," Deacon replied curtly.  "And do it fast, I believe we're rapidly running out of time at the moment."  Sure, they had the emitter beam as a back up, but she really wanted to try to find a way to defeat the Tholian's web without blowing out half of the station's power network.  That would take weeks to repair.

[Ops]

'Fast' was a relative term in space, as so many things were. Although Earth had a strong network of relay transponders scattered throughout the quadrant, the fact remained that they were relatively on the frontier. Clear, instantaneous communication wasn't always available. Myree was glad for the station's vastly-more-powerful subspace array. She wasn't sure a starship could have gotten through without a powerful latency.

Her emergency hails to the Palais de la Concorde finally bore fruit, though, as a scowling Tholian face appeared on the secondary viewscreen. Well, the face was as impassive as other Tholian visages, but she was pretty sure she could imagine it scowling. Actually, Myree couldn't see much more than a pair of glowing eyes from deep within a heavy enviro-suit.

*Federation border-fort, what is the meaning of this? I speak with carbon-based nuisances for a living. I do not enjoy having to speak to *more* during my shutdown cycle. Speak plainly and truthfully. You have thirty seconds to explain yourself.*

Myree sure as hell was getting sick of hearing a countdown for damned everything. Speaking of which...by her calculations, they had about nine minutes left.

Myree Grell wrote:

Her emergency hails to the Palais de la Concorde finally bore fruit, though, as a scowling Tholian face appeared on the secondary viewscreen.  Well, the face was as impassive as other Tholian visages, but she was pretty sure she could imagine it scowling.  Actually, Myree couldn't see much more than a pair of glowing eyes from deep within a heavy enviro-suit.

[color=#ffff99]*Federation border-fort, what is the meaning of this?  I speak with carbon-based nuisances for a living.  I do not enjoy having to speak to *more* during my shutdown cycle.  Speak plainly and truthfully.  You have thirty seconds to explain yourself.*[/color

[Operations]

Tholians were never really known for their manners when it came to communicating with other species but, like accepting that Vulcans were never going to laugh at any jokes made, the diplomats of the Federation just ignored the hostility from the Tholians.

"Ambassador, Athena station is currently caught in a web spun by a Commander Erskine over a mistake in a first contact situation. We're forwarding the information to you now. Our attempts to explain have failed. Your assistance would be appreciated."

Rachel Deacon wrote:

Tholians were never really known for their manners when it came to communicating with other species but, like accepting that Vulcans were never going to laugh at any jokes made, the diplomats of the Federation just ignored the hostility from the Tholians.

"Ambassador, Athena station is currently caught in a web spun by a Commander Erskine over a mistake in a first contact situation.  We're forwarding the information to you now.  Our attempts to explain have failed.  Your assistance would be appreciated."

[Ops]

Myree was sure she wasn't the only one holding her breath as she awaited the Tholian ambassador's response. It was almost as if she could hear the seconds tick away, like an old-style wind-up clock. Another two minutes lost... Finally, the translator rendered the ambassador's reply through the vocorder.

*Commander Erskine was incorrect in his actions*, the ambassador said. Myree felt herself relax a little. Perhaps these people could be reasonable, after all. Her heart sank further, though, when the Tholian continued. *Tholian law clearly states that these violators should have been brought to Tholia Prime for trial by magistrate. Turn said fugitive over to the Mab'v Thol without del-----*

The image suddenly wavered, breaking down into a cascading, pixellated collapse. Myree began typing furiously, trying to regain the feed. "Blast!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist on the console. "The energy from the web has scrambled the commlink. We're probably lucky to have gotten as much clean link as we had..."

[Sickbay]

Ensign Mya Stone let out a sharp huff. This was the part she hated about red alerts. The waiting. Waiting for something interesting to finally happen. Waiting for someone to come and shatter the strained peace of Sickbay because the cracked under the mounting suspension. Waiting to be useful. Mya was good at what she did, at least good enough to be allowed to graduate in good standing, but there was nothing for her to do at the moment to show that. She glanced around. Everyone was shuffling around nervously, ready to bolt into action the moment a patient appeared at their feet. The patient would be overwhelmed before they could even take another step.

In one portion of the department, a different sort of energy and excitement bristled in the air. A party of three stood apart from the rest --well, one was laying down...-- and the CMO seemed to be oblivious to anything but the patient laying on the biobed. Ohhhhhh, Mya's brows arched up in understanding. The patient on the biobed was the chief's wife, and just about to give birth. Mya took a deep breath, resolving to keep the sickbay in order so that these three, and soon to be more, would not be disturbed.

Chira Abols wrote:

[Sickbay]

"H-hear that, Apple?  Dilated cervix.  She...she's starting to talk dirty.  And in front of the children..."  Chira gritted her teeth against the pain, never stopping to reason that most of it was in her head, since the pain relievers had taken hold.  Then again, this was childbirth.  

Feeling more pain and pressure, she listened to the instinct inside her head that told her it was time to start pushing.  And so pushing, she did...keeping her death-grip on Henriks' hand.

Henriks' smile broadened. "Indeed, my lady," he replied, stroking her hand with his thumb. "More like 'over the children' though," he laughed. He bent down for a moment to kiss her hand. They were not quite out yet, but soon... The grip on his hand tightened, and he frowned. Knowing the pain that his wife was going through made his heart ache. Henriks forced himself to smile by thinking of the children that were soon going to be here. "Just think, Chira, we're going to be parents." And that thought truly made him beam, but he wasn't sure if she had heard him, because she had already started to push.

[quote="Chira Abols]"H-hear that, Apple? Dilated cervix. She...she's starting to talk dirty. And in front of the children..." Chira gritted her teeth against the pain, never stopping to reason that most of it was in her head, since the pain relievers had taken hold. Then again, this was childbirth.

Feeling more pain and pressure, she listened to the instinct inside her head that told her it was time to start pushing. And so pushing, she did...keeping her death-grip on Henriks' hand.[/quote]

Henriks Ābols wrote:

Henriks' smile broadened. "Indeed, my lady," he replied, stroking her hand with his thumb. "More like 'over the children' though," he laughed. He bent down for a moment to kiss her hand. They were not quite out yet, but soon... The grip on his hand tightened, and he frowned. Knowing the pain that his wife was going through made his heart ache. Henriks forced himself to smile by thinking of the children that were soon going to be here. "Just think, Chira, we're going to be parents." And that thought truly made him beam, but he wasn't sure if she had heard him, because she had already started to push.

[Sickbay]

Things were definitely starting to happen in the little corner of sickbay. Ilana shifted slightly on her stool, setting up the tricorder to a continuous scan. She kept half an eye on it even though most of her attention was on Chira. The last thing she needed was any surprises just because she hadn't paid enough attention to what might be happening further up inside.

"Th-th-the f-f-first ch-ch-child is in p-p-position, Ch-Chira," she assured the soon-to-be mother. "K-k-keep p-p-pushing wh-with each c-c-contraction and t-t-try t-to r-r-relax b-b-between th-them." She glanced at Henriks, glad to see that he appeared to be quite relaxed about the situation. Sometimes, the father could be in a worse shape than the mother during the birth.

Myree Grell wrote:

[Ops]

Myree was sure she wasn't the only one holding her breath as she awaited the Tholian ambassador's response.  It was almost as if she could hear the seconds tick away, like an old-style wind-up clock.  Another two minutes lost...  Finally, the translator rendered the ambassador's reply through the vocorder.

*Commander Erskine was incorrect in his actions*, the ambassador said.  Myree felt herself relax a little.  Perhaps these people could be reasonable, after all.  Her heart sank further, though, when the Tholian continued.  *Tholian law clearly states that these violators should have been brought to Tholia Prime for trial by magistrate.  Turn said fugitive over to the Mab'v Thol without del-----*

The image suddenly wavered, breaking down into a cascading, pixellated collapse.  Myree began typing furiously, trying to regain the feed.  "Blast!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist on the console.  "The energy from the web has scrambled the commlink.  We're probably lucky to have gotten as much clean link as we had..."

Kristen looked up to the Chief Engineer who was still at a console near her. And then looked down to the Admiral. "Do you guys think its time to release the little surprise that we've worked up for our new friends?"

Kristen Young wrote:

Kristen looked up to the Chief Engineer who was still at a console near her. And then looked down to the Admiral. "Do you guys think its time to release the little surprise that we've worked up for our new friends?"

[Operations]

Some command officers might have kicked a console, or sworn a blue streak at the response they had just received from the Tholian ambassador on Earth, but Rachel simply folded her arms behind her back as if nothing more than a docking request had been made.

"It would appear that there will be no help coming on that front," she remarked before turning to the tactical and engineering stations. "Engage the modified tractor beam. Let's shock the spiders."

Rachel Deacon wrote:

Some command officers might have kicked a console, or sworn a blue streak at the response they had just received from the Tholian ambassador on Earth, but Rachel simply folded her arms behind her back as if nothing more than a docking request had been made.

"It would appear that there will be no help coming on that front," she remarked before turning to the tactical and engineering stations.  "Engage the modified tractor beam.  Let's shock the spiders."

"Shocking, indeed," Maila grinned. In spite of the situation, she shared that wonderment that all engineers did. It was time to find out just what, exactly, this station was capable of. Plus, the Federation and the Tholians hadn't had much contact outside the halls of diplomacy in the past century. "Young, stand by with the activation. I am re-routing all non-essential power to the emitter grids."

The lights of the Ops Center dimmed, as they would have all over the station, as the Orion placed the station under Blue Alert. Auxiliary power restored a bit of light, but still things were thrown into a azure-tinged chiaroscuro. "Power routed. Engage!"

Henriks Ābols wrote:

Henriks' smile broadened. "Indeed, my lady," he replied, stroking her hand with his thumb. "More like 'over the children' though," he laughed. He bent down for a moment to kiss her hand. They were not quite out yet, but soon... The grip on his hand tightened, and he frowned. Knowing the pain that his wife was going through made his heart ache. Henriks forced himself to smile by thinking of the children that were soon going to be here. "Just think, Chira, we're going to be parents." And that thought truly made him beam, but he wasn't sure if she had heard him, because she had already started to push.

Ilana Telak wrote:

Things were definitely starting to happen in the little corner of sickbay.  Ilana shifted slightly on her stool, setting up the tricorder to a continuous scan.  She kept half an eye on it even though most of her attention was on Chira.  The last thing she needed was any surprises just because she hadn't paid enough attention to what might be happening further up inside.

"Th-th-the f-f-first ch-ch-child is in p-p-position, Ch-Chira," she assured the soon-to-be mother.  "K-k-keep p-p-pushing wh-with each c-c-contraction and t-t-try t-to r-r-relax b-b-between th-them."  She glanced at Henriks, glad to see that he appeared to be quite relaxed about the situation.  Sometimes, the father could be in a worse shape than the mother during the birth.

[Sickbay]

It was, indeed, wonderful that they were going to be parents. If she could get through the damned pain, however. Chira followed Ilana's instructions, though, since the Cardassian girl obviously knew what she was on about. She took a breath, waiting for a contraction and pushing. Again. And again.

The lights of sickbay dimmed momentarily as the aux power kicked in. Somewhere in Chira's mind, she wondered what was going on in the wide world outside their little group of Maya, Henriks, Ilana and herself. And the babies. A long trickle of sweat trailed down her forehead as the first of the twins entered the world.

Chira Abols wrote:

It was, indeed, wonderful that they were going to be parents.  If she could get through the damned pain, however.  Chira followed Ilana's instructions, though, since the Cardassian girl obviously knew what she was on about.  She took a breath, waiting for a contraction and pushing.  Again.  And again.

The lights of sickbay dimmed momentarily as the aux power kicked in.  Somewhere in Chira's mind, she wondered what was going on in the wide world outside their little group of Maya, Henriks, Ilana and herself.  And the babies.  A long trickle of sweat trailed down her forehead as the first of the twins entered the world.

[Sickbay]

She wasn't sure just how much time had passed between the onset of labour anymore, but her main focus was now on the baby currently being pushed out into the world. Apart from the odd encouragement to breath or to push, she stayed quiet, leaving the majority of the reassurance to come from Henriks.

The tricorder signalled that the baby had successfully entered the birth canal head first, so Ilana sat back slightly, letting nature take its course. Soon enough, the baby was crowning. Ilana moved back a little closer, ready to take the head as it passed out, supporting it as the shoulders, then the ribcage, then the hips came. Moving quickly, the Cardassian cut and sterilised the umbilical cord before grabbing a towel to clean up the newborn and then a second to wrap it up for warmth.

Knowing that there was only going to be a brief respite for Chira before the second lot of contractions started, Ilana quickly passed the baby off to a nurse, moving up to give the mother's hand a squeeze.

"Th-th-the f-f-first b-b-baby's out, a l-l-l-little g-g-girl," she told her. "D-d-do y-y-you n-n-need m-m-m-m-more p-pain r-r-relief?"

NPC wrote:

The lights of the Ops Center dimmed, as they would have all over the station, as the Orion placed the station under Blue Alert.  Auxiliary power restored a bit of light, but still things were thrown into a azure-tinged chiaroscuro.  "Power routed.  Engage!"

[Ops]

Myree jumped a little as the station's power dimmed, but she quickly recovered, turning her attention back to her console. Fortunately, the aux power had kicked in and was keeping a steady supply of energy to the vital systems. The indicators began to read from green to yellow, touching into the red. "Here we go!" she rather rhetorically said, feeling a bead of sweat starting to form on her forehead.

Power output steadily increased to the shielding emitters as Myree watched the display, the elliptical shield-bubble pushing inexorably against the Tholian web. The Orion girl involuntarily found herself holding her breath as the meters all spiked into the red, the lights dimming again. Several consoles began to sputter, with sparks of ozone-tinged plasma spitting.

NPC wrote:

The lights of the Ops Center dimmed, as they would have all over the station, as the Orion placed the station under Blue Alert. Auxiliary power restored a bit of light, but still things were thrown into a azure-tinged chiaroscuro. "Power routed. Engage!"

Myree Grell wrote:

Power output steadily increased to the shielding emitters as Myree watched the display, the elliptical shield-bubble pushing inexorably against the Tholian web. The Orion girl involuntarily found herself holding her breath as the meters all spiked into the red, the lights dimming again. Several consoles began to sputter, with sparks of ozone-tinged plasma spitting.

[Operations]

The dimming of the lights didn't phase Rachel in the slightest. Instead, she turned slightly to look out of a viewport, Watching the pulses race out to touch the web was a strange, yet beautiful sight, the kaleidoscope of colours in an iridescent shield so rapidly expanding.

Until it hit the web. Consoles began shorting out around the bridge as the shield emitters strained to continue to push it outward. For a few, agonising moments, it looked as if the web was going to hold, to resist against their efforts to break it.

The webbing shattered, the shield dissipating into space, and Rachel let out a barely perceptible breath of relief.

Chira Abols wrote:

[Sickbay]

It was, indeed, wonderful that they were going to be parents.  If she could get through the damned pain, however.  Chira followed Ilana's instructions, though, since the Cardassian girl obviously knew what she was on about.  She took a breath, waiting for a contraction and pushing.  Again.  And again.

The lights of sickbay dimmed momentarily as the aux power kicked in.  Somewhere in Chira's mind, she wondered what was going on in the wide world outside their little group of Maya, Henriks, Ilana and herself.  And the babies.  A long trickle of sweat trailed down her forehead as the first of the twins entered the world.

Ilana Telak wrote:

Knowing that there was only going to be a brief respite for Chira before the second lot of contractions started, Ilana quickly passed the baby off to a nurse, moving up to give the mother's hand a squeeze.

"Th-th-the f-f-first b-b-baby's out, a l-l-l-little g-g-girl," she told her. "D-d-do y-y-you n-n-need m-m-m-m-more p-pain r-r-relief?"

[Sickbay]

Henriks straightened as their first child began to make its way into their busy little world. He hadn't the faintest idea what the Tholians were up to, though they had failed to do anything to flood sickbay..yet... but he did know, that whatever happened, this was the best day of his life. The lights dimmed momentarily, which only served to enhance the glow of his beautiful wife in his mind.

In a smooth motion, he wiped the glittering sweat from above her brow and sighed. How had he been so blessed? Just under a year ago he had asked Chira if she would be his wife, and she had made him the luckiest man in the galaxy when she said yes, and now, he was overwhelmed with joy and his eyes began to water, making it difficult to see anything but blurry outlines.

Ilana spoke, and in that moment, her usual stutter sounded like words straight from an angel's mouth. "A girl," he whispered with a smile. With his free hand, he wiped his eyes so he could get a clear look at the little darling, who was squalling healthfully in the arms of a nearby nurse. Henriks yearned to hold his little girl, but he knew that time would come soon enough. Chira needed him now. The second child was coming.

[Space - Mab'v Thol]

Silence settled upon the communication lattice of the Mab'v Thol. It seemed to Erskine like all the other crewbeings were soaking in the silence, knowing that the Federation station had defeated their web. Prepare the ship for hyperwarp, the commander thought, waiting for the multiple wedges to return to the mothership.

*Admiral Rachel Deacon and Federation installation. This lattice feels that the Ujaan fugitives have learned their error. They, and the Federation, are to be warned - further violation of Tholian space will be punished with as swiftly-meted action as possible. This transmission ends.*

Take us out of this space. It was easy to see today as a defeat. However, Erskine was smarter than that. They had strained Federation technology to what the commander assumed were the limits, gaining valuable intelligence in the process. Contact between the Assembly and the Federation had been sparse since the Rift incident with the lying Vulcan. When next the powers met, the Assembly would be more ready.

For whatever the outcome.

Henriks Ābols wrote:

Henriks straightened as their first child began to make its way into their busy little world. He hadn't the faintest idea what the Tholians were up to, though they had failed to do anything to flood sickbay..yet... but he did know, that whatever happened, this was the best day of his life. The lights dimmed momentarily, which only served to enhance the glow of his beautiful wife in his mind.

In a smooth motion, he wiped the glittering sweat from above her brow and sighed. How had he been so blessed? Just under a year ago he had asked Chira if she would be his wife, and she had made him the luckiest man in the galaxy when she said yes, and now, he was overwhelmed with joy and his eyes began to water, making it difficult to see anything but blurry outlines.

Ilana spoke, and in that moment, her usual stutter sounded like words straight from an angel's mouth. "A girl," he whispered with a smile. With his free hand, he wiped his eyes so he could get a clear look at the little darling, who was squalling healthfully in the arms of a nearby nurse. Henriks yearned to hold his little girl, but he knew that time would come soon enough. Chira needed him now. The second child was coming.

[Sickbay]

[Later]

Whatever the hell was going on in the outside world, Chira was glad it was over.  Not that she'd been all that concerned with it, anyway.  There had been more important things happening!

She lay back on the raised biobed, her hair matted with sweat and hanging loose, her cheeks and forehead flushed.  The medical staff had taken the twins and cleaned them up, wrapping the little lives in swaddling.  "Wow," she muttered, smiling softly and lovingly at the two, and to her husband.  Kristina and Thomas Abols.  Their children.  "I can't believe we did it.  Though," she teased, holding Tommy close to her, "I swear, Apple, if you put me through this again...I might just have to put a foot in your rear end."  Somehow, it didn't seem right to say 'ass' in front of the babies.  "Teo'd better get ready for company."

Chira Abols wrote:

[Later]

Whatever the hell was going on in the outside world, Chira was glad it was over.  Not that she'd been all that concerned with it, anyway.  There had been more important things happening!

She lay back on the raised biobed, her hair matted with sweat and hanging loose, her cheeks and forehead flushed.  The medical staff had taken the twins and cleaned them up, wrapping the little lives in swaddling.  "Wow," she muttered, smiling softly and lovingly at the two, and to her husband.  Kristina and Thomas Abols.  Their children.  "I can't believe we did it.  Though," she teased, holding Tommy close to her, "I swear, Apple, if you put me throuhgh this again...I might just have to put a foot in your rear end."  Somehow, it didn't seem right to say 'ass' in front of the babies.  "Teo'd better get ready for company."

[Sickbay]

Quietly, Ilana peeked into the small, private room that Chira and Henriks had been moved to for the night. The birthing process had gone without a hitch, but it was still standard protocol to keep the new mother and the babies in sickbay, under observation, for a night or two, just to make sure that there weren't going to be any complications with the bonding or possible infections.

Seeing that everything appeared fine, she left without speaking to the couple. To do so would have been intruding on what was obviously a very personal moment in the new family's life. It felt strange, in a way, that while the station had been facing destruction at the hands of the Tholians, the miracle of reproduction had been taking place. New lives coming into the world rather than many lives leaving it. Maybe, one day, she would do the same. Until then, she was happy to see others basking in the glow of their offspring.

Chira Abols wrote:

[Sickbay]

[Later]

Whatever the hell was going on in the outside world, Chira was glad it was over.  Not that she'd been all that concerned with it, anyway.  There had been more important things happening!

She lay back on the raised biobed, her hair matted with sweat and hanging loose, her cheeks and forehead flushed.  The medical staff had taken the twins and cleaned them up, wrapping the little lives in swaddling.  "Wow," she muttered, smiling softly and lovingly at the two, and to her husband.  Kristina and Thomas Abols.  Their children.  "I can't believe we did it.  Though," she teased, holding Tommy close to her, "I swear, Apple, if you put me through this again...I might just have to put a foot in your rear end."  Somehow, it didn't seem right to say 'ass' in front of the babies.  "Teo'd better get ready for company."

[Sickbay]

"Mmhmm," Henriks murmured happily in agreement from a chair set right up against Chira's biobed. He gazed fondly down at the precious child in his arms, beautiful, little Kristina. Oh what a precious sight to behold. The little one yawned, prompting her father to do the same. Sleepily, but quite lovingly, he glanced over at his wife, who held their precious little boy. "As you wish, my lady," he replied with a partial grin. "I would gladly do anything for you... and them."

[Ops]

The crisis seemingly passed, Myree breathed her first real sigh of relief as Blue Alert ended, and the lighting came back to normal. Yellow was still in effect, though, since they might not be out of the woods, yet. However, the Tholian craft gathered up its drone ships, and then quickly was underway at high warp. Back to Tholian space. She was sure that place was a barrel of fun.

"Whew," the Orion girl said, leaning back in her chair and tossing Kristen a wicked grin. "Looks like we're gonna have our work cut out for us, putting this place back together. I think this calls for many after-hours beers." Both very true statements. The assessment of the damage would take probably all night...and then the real work would start.

But, for now...they were alive!