Mission 2: "The Banquet"

Bridge, USS Portland
Bajor System
Evening, Mission Day 1

There was a bit of a delay while DS9 ground control argued with the captain of a Pakled trading vessel moored in the berth destined for the Portland. It seemed the ship had been cleared to leave hours earlier, but the captain had an ongoing dispute with a Ferengi who he felt had cheated him. DS9 administrators finally got the captain to move his ship, but only after promising to continue to look into the matter. The captain then moved his vessel to a parking orbit above the station.

Once the Pakleds were clear, Mallory piloted the Portland into its assigned docking berth, and signalled for the ground crew to attach moorings. He then ran through the docking checklist, powered down the main engines, and finally signalled all clear, indicating that personnel could debark.

He was more than relieved to be back from their shake-down cruise, and not just because they narrowly escaped with their lives. He was looking forward to a break from all of the administrivia he had endured over the last few days. During the battle with the Orion pirates, Mallory had been busy with an assignment from the captain to rebaseline all of the dilithium ratios so that the ship would operate at peak efficiency at a variety of speeds. After hours of checking and cross-checking, meetings with engineering, and arguments with the computer, Mallory's would report that the new baseline would increase efficiency by an average of .04%.

Other than the power fluctuations playing havoc with the lights in his quarters, he hadn't even realized that the were in danger until hours after the daring maneuver by the Quebec City, when Ensign Steel related the entire harrowing ordeal.  But dilithium ratios were exciting too.

Yes, a few days of fun would do him good.  Once the ship was locked down, Mallory headed for the station.

Follow up check-up
U.S.S. Portland - Sickbay
Authors: Cmdr Alenis Meru, and Lt. JG Brad Silverton


Brad Silverton looked over the medical exam results that the Emergency Medical Hologram had conducted on Captain Alenis Meru. He wasn't thrilled with the fact that he didn't handle the exam any less than the results of an unknown growth discovered. Brad looked at the time and figured the Captain would be in her ready room alone. Good. He didn't want to make a big deal of this in front of the crew or other senior officers. Captains could be... finicky about their appearance to the crew.
"Doctor Silverton to the Captain."

Alenis took a few sentences to finish typing her thought.  She had been hammering out reports for at least a couple hours now, and it wasn't getting any easier.  Even with Ko-ko perched on top of her monitor and a pot of one of her favourite teas, she was starting to get stressed out.  "What is it, doctor?"

"Captain, I've gone over the previous medical exam you had with the EMH and I'd like to redo it myself when its convenient. No rush but sooner rather then later."

"I'll be down within the hour," replied Alenis, desperate for any escape from the drudgery of after action reports.  Her relief turned to dread as she began to wonder what sort of irregularity might prompt the doctor to redo the physical.  Perhaps he found the heavy tranquilizers still in her system.  Even with Ko-ko's help, Alenis had barely slept since Arvel took them away.  She was irritable and having difficulty concentrating, as evidenced by the fact that she had been hammering away at these reports for what seemed like an eternity.  Or maybe it was the fact that she was prescribed a bird.  Or perhaps something else altogether...

An hour passed and Alenis walked into Sickbay. Brad poked his head out of his office and approached the Captain.
"Hello Captain. Thanks for stopping by. I'd like to redo your regular exam that the EMH the other day. I'm not convinced of its abilities beyond trauma care. It should only take half an hour or so tops like before. If now is a good time then go ahead and lay down on the biobed and we can get started."

"All right," said Alenis as she climbed up onto the biobed.  "Brrrrrrr, it's cold in here," she said as she rubbed her arms.  How are you doing, doctor?" she asked, inquiring about his recovery from radiation poisoning

"Surprisingly well actually." Brad responded while adjusting some settings on the biobed. "I'm a little sore from the radiation still but that should be gone in a day or two."

"And Jena?"

"She is recovering well. She had longer exposure then I did though I had a more intense amount. I had to put my back right up against the leak to get leverage to get her out. She still has a few red patches on her neck but I expect them to be gone shortly. She should be 100% in a matter of days."

"That sounds great, doctor."  Lying down on the biobed, Alenis let out a deep breath. Her muscles ached all over. With all the happenings in the past few days, she was tense, slightly moreso than normal.

Brad was looking at the results while talking, "Your cortisol levels are a bit high which is due to a lot of stress. Given our encounter with the Orions that isn't abnormal." Brad continues,"Other than that everything else looks normal so far at least."
"Are you talking any medications I should be aware of?"

"No," replied Alenis in a firm tone. "Well, not anymore. It's complicated." She knew there was no sense in trying to hide anything from the doctor. He had all her medical records and all kinds of test results anyways. "I was taking some medication until recently, but Arv-- I mean, Dr. Darze took them away." She silently cursed herself for the little verbal slip-up; the last thing she needed to do at this time was to arouse suspicion.

Brad didn't miss a beat and kept on scanning her, "And he should have taken them away. They're strong enough to tranq a Gorn who's having a bad hair day! As I am not seeing any physical signs of needing to take these over a long period of time like you have been, I'll presume you were discussing matters with Dr Darze of a more psychological nature?"

"Yes, it's... it's..."; Alenis could barely talk about it; only Arvel and a few others knew the depth of her psychological trauma. "If you look at my service record, you will see that I was at New Algiers three years ago. Since then..." She yawned, losing track of her thought. "Doctor, I haven't had more than three hours of sleep in the past three nights." Not only that, but every time she dozed off, her dream returned. "Please, can you just give me the meds?"

"Look captain... there are lots of sleeping aids I can prescribe that won't cause long term damage to your kidneys. What alternatives have you tried?"

"Nothing else has worked, not for the past three years. The only thing that kind of helps is..." Alenis sat up; lying down had made her nauseous and agitated the stomach pains that she had been suffering through the past few days. "I know it sounds silly, but Dr. Darze gave me Ko-ko."

"Well it does sound silly but I'll trust the professional opinion of the counselor. I have some training in that but I'm not nearly qualified to help you with New Algiers. However what I am qualified for is being your physician. No I am sorry captain I can't in good conscience give you the meds. They're for emergency battlefield trauma care not long term usage. All you are doing with these meds is covering up one problem temporarily and causing you another." Brad grabs a sighs and grabs a hand tricorder to continue the exam as his captain seems figidity but the discussion to tell her to remain still seems to be the least of battles right now. He turns it off and sets it roughly down on a table.

"Captain, your internal organs are frankly, a mess. These meds for this long has caused problems with your liver, kidneys, and stomach so if you are nauseous or having abdominal pains don't be surprised. Its all reversible but only once you stop taking it and there is nothing I can do if you were to continue. As for your sleeping needs once we get the advanced equipment in I can get you a very powerful sleep aid. It'll get you some sleep but it will be low quality. You won't be able to dream and its also NOT long term but hopefully it can help till you and Dr Darze can figure something else out."

"No more dreams..." Alenis pondered that thought for a second. It would mean that she wouldn't have to relive the battle night after night. "Thank you, doctor," she said with utmost sincerity. "Is there anything else?"

"One other slight thing. I did see a growth on your right ovary. Honestly haven't seen this type before but there is nothing to worry about. Its completely unrelated to the tranqs and won't cause any reproductive problems.  I'd like to remove it sometime soon but there is no rush. It can wait for after the reception and after we leave DS9 with only a few days of discomfort which should be over before our next mission begins."

Alenis pondered her busy schedule.  The last thing she needed was yet another appointment.  "Schedule it for the morning after the dinner," she replied.  "Now, unless there's anything else, am I free to go?  As you can imagine, I've got a lot of paperwork to deal with."

The morning after...
Captain's quarters, USS Portland
The morning after docking at DS9
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Rouse, Lt. (JG) Arvel Darze


Tim hurried to Alenis' quarters, putting on his jacket as he walked. He was late. Ringing the chime he straightened his jacket.

Awakened by the chime, Alenis turned over in her bed. Her partner was still sleeping like a baby. Rolling over again, she caught a glimpse of her desk chronometer. The moment the time registered, she bounded out of bed and frantically searched the floor of her bedroom for her housecoat. "One minute!" she shouted, in response to the door chime being rung again.

"Whoa! Who is calling at this hour!?" He said watching her wonderful form rise from the bed to get something on, "I mean you look wonderful, why answer the door?"

"The meeting... we're going to be late for the meeting with the Admiral." Alenis gave him a quick peck on the forehead and got out of bed.

With a blue fleece bathrobe draped over her shoulders and tied tightly around her waist, Alenis answered the door. "I'm so sorry, Tim." She apologized profusely. "Here, take a seat in my couch while I get changed. I'm really sorry, I slept in. This never happens to me, it must be my change in medication." As she stood in the doorway trying to explain her situation to Tim, behind her, out from her room wandered Arvel, his shirt inside-out.

Tim grinned at the flushed face of the Captain. "Yes, the new medication must be the reason." He chuckled. "At least I'm not the only one having trouble with his alarm clock."

Alenis glanced back at Arvel and then to Tim. She cleared her throat. "Tim, I'm sure you've met Ar- I mean, Dr. Darze. He was just..." there was no point in denying it. "Erm, allow me to get changed," she said, turning towards the sonic shower.

"Umm hey sir," Arvel said as he wore some but not all of his uniform, "I'm in a state of undress and I apologize for that... should I go?" He asked.

"Why ask me?" Tim said. "What you two do in your own time is none of my business. Just like the other way around." Tim couldn't stop grinning.

"Yes, about that..." Arvel stroked his beard for a moment, trying to think of the most tactful way to broach the subject. Fortunately, with the sonic shower running, there was no way Alenis could hear his words. "Sir, I'd appreciate it if you could keep this under your hat. Meru is a very special woman. She is strong, but she has faced many difficulties over the past few years, and she tends to try to carry the weight of her problems all by herself. I know about Starfleet regulations on fraternization, but the last thing she needs right now is for word to spread and for this to get back to Starfleet command."

"Offcoure not. Just because she is the Captain, doesn't mean she can't have a personal life. Even if it's with a subordinate. Just treat her good, Meru is also a friend of mine."

At that moment, Alenis bounded out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. Being on starship duty, she had learned how to enjoy a warm sonic shower in two minutes flat.

Thirty seconds later, she stepped back out, wearing the red and black uniform of a Starfleet captain. It wasn't quite perfect -- the shoes had a scuff or two, and there was a bit of lint on the tunic and a wrinkle here and there, but she made the calculated decision that showing up on time without a perfect uniform was better than showing up late. She was about to head for the door when she was interrupted by a bird call. In her cage, Ko-ko was getting restless. She paused for a brief moment before heading to the cage and reaching her arm in. "Relax, Ko-ko; we're just going to go for a little walk, and meet up with a very important man." As Ko-ko perched herself on Alenis' wrist, she withdrew her arm, pulling her out of the cage. "Tim, lets go," she said as she shut the cage door. "Arvel... feel free to let yourself out at your leisure."

"You got it ma'am!" He said a little too enthusiastically.  Arvel sent a quick unseen playful love tap to Alenis's bum when she passed, "You look great and I will do what I can before I leave."

Alenis chuckled as she walked out the door.  Arvel was apparently back to his old playful self, and Alenis was relieved that at least someone would take care of the dishes for her.

Old friends...
Deep Space Nine
The day after docking
Authors:  Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Rostrenen T'Sering

Ko-ko on her shoulder, Alenis strolled through the Promenade, taking in the sights.  The Promenade had been remodeled several times since the occupation, and the harsh Cardassian architecture was softened by the Bajoran decor trying to cover up any reminder of the occupation.  They had done a good job; while the shapes were distinctly Cardassian in origin, they were largely disguised by the warm colours and soft curves built by Bajoran plasterers, carpenters and painters to conceal the dark history and bad memories of the Promenade when the station was called Terok Nor.

Alenis felt at home; between the shopkeepers, customers, and people passing through the station in or out of Bajor, she hadn't seen this many Bajorans since she was a child.  Of course, there were others; as a Federation outpost, DS9 was home to all kinds of species.  But by far the majority of shopkeepers and shoppers were Bajoran.  In one of those shops, Alenis was embroiled in difficult negotiations with a tea merchant.  One of the challenges for buyers on DS9 was that some of the Bajoran shopkeepers had learned business practices from their Ferengi counterparts, so it was easy to overpay or get rooked exchanging Federation credits, gold-pressed latium, and Bajoran Litas.  Fortunately, Alenis knew the product she was buying nearly as well as the seller.  Also, it helped if you were Bajoran, and it helped even more if you had a bird on your shoulder, squawking at the shopkeeper and putting him off balance.

As she concluded negotiations and paid the merchant a handsome but not exorbiant sum for a large bundle of authentic Bajoran teas, Alenis felt a hand on her shoulder.  "Captain?" asked the smooth, oddly familiar voice.

"You are a captain now?" repeated an elfine woman, peering curiously at Alenis. Though in reality she was quite short and petite, the way this person held herself up produced a sort of corona around her, which doubled her stature. She pulled her hand back and it hovered under her chin, tracing the line of her jaw idly with one slender finger. She stood evenly on both feet, but still seemed as though she couldn't be quite grounded. Her muscles all seemed relaxed, but subdued like a coiled spring, waiting for an invitation to leap out again. Rostrenen was half Vulcan, and her pointed ears were stuck with metal piecings. Her cheeks were pierced, the bridge of her nose, her lips, septim, and there were red lines like scratches symetrical on both sides of her long pale neck. All of her piercings were small stones of Talarian jade, umblemished placeholders for other less sparse design choices. A sleeveless navy green halter dress was tied around her neck, forming a bow behind her above the symetrical, rythmic patterns painted into the skin of her bare back.  There were stone cuffs around both wrists, but she had no trouble supporting them on lean, muscular arms. Her legs were tucked into brown patterened, patchwork tights leaning into simple black slippers. Her head was mostly shaved as a monk, except for a tuft of blue hair above her.

"It is great to see you Meru. Tell me about what you are feeling?" Rostrenen's eyes were bright and earnest, but the merest hints of emotion barely glimmered on her face.

"Ros?" asked Alenis.  Rostrenen looked very different from the last time they saw each other, back in the academy.  Back then, Ros' hair was shaved and the two of them met when they were both being chewed out by an overbearing instructor for wearing non-uniform earrings.  Starfleet Academy demanded a very conservative dress code, and with so few Bajorans in the service in those days, even a traditional Bajoran earring was considered a violation of uniform protocol.  Now, before her stood Rostrenen, with piercings, tattoos, and hair brighter than Ko-ko's plumage.  Even behind her various body modifications, Rostrenen's round face with sharp, delicate features was one that was difficult to forget.  And though Ros was 30 years Alenis' senior, her slow Vulcan aging process meant that she had barely aged since the academy.  "It's so great to see you," said Alenis, beaming with joy.  With a shopping bag in one hand and Ko-ko on her shoulder, Alenis gave her old friend and comrade from the academy a tight hug.

"Yes, I'm a captain, as of about a week ago," said Alenis.  "Well, my rank is Commander but I captain a starship... I know, Starfleet ranks, so confusing."  Alenis smiled and stared into Ros' eyes.  "I'm feeling..." Alenis paused.  There isn't really a polite way to say that she was nearly killed in action two days ago along with the rest of her ship, that she hadn't had a good night's sleep in three years because of what happened at New Algiers, that she was suffering from opioid withdrawal since Brad and Arvel took her medication away, and that the only thing keeping her somewhat sane was a pet bird.  "Well.  I'm feeling well."  Of course, Alenis knew that Ros would totally see through her little white lie with her empathic powers, but the rules of conversation dictate that one doesn't immediately dump all her problems on an old friend you're being reunited with after 15 years.  "And how about you?  I've seen your articles in the papers, I presume that you're no longer with Starfleet?"

Blinking, Ross finally put her hand around Alenis and gently stroked her shoulders until the Commander pulled away. She still wasn't smiling, but something about her seemed to glow generously. "No," she responded quite matter-of-factly. Rostrenen felt as if she might be staring, and looking away for a moment to examine the room. She'd been told by one of the publishers for the Andorian Media Council that her pupilless grey eyes were off-setting. Spooky was his choice of words, but he hadn't meant it badly. She was trying to be careful not to haunt people with them. In dealing with other species, most Vulcan children had guidance from their parents, either to be emotionally repressed, logical councilors to be saught for clear-headed wisdom, or to be friends and mentors, sympathetic ears for people's who had never developed a logical centre. With the Yv'Wrech monks, she spent months learning to be angry, years learning to be joyful, but never one lesson trying to have a polite conversation. Social protocol, she found out later, was probably the more important. She graduated the Academy with distinction, but very poor academic achievement, because her professors eventually agreed that she'd never demonstate her ability to them in the standard way. Besides, not understanding the rules at play meant she couldn't feel disappointed in her results anyway. It since the beginning had been about the experience itself and not the resultant profile.

She looked at Ko-ko and lifted her hand, but the bird became shy and back away from her, so Ros let it be. She looked back at Alenis, who despite herself, wasn't hiding her stress very well. "Will you come with me? We will find something for your bird to enjoy. I want her to like me."

"Where are we going?" asked Alenis. But before she could even finish the question, Rostrenen had taken her by the hand and started half-leading, half-dragging her across the promenade. Zipping by the shops in a blur, all Alenis could do was try to keep from losing her bundle of tea, and try to keep Ko-ko calm. Out of breath, Alenis arrived at what was evidently their destination. "Where are we?" she asked.

Ros gave a check-in glance to Alenis before releasing her hand. They were in a non-assuming, rather dank old part of the habitation ring. Rostren lowered herself onto her knees, and then tried to budge one of the panels into what appeared to be an energy conduit of some kind. It was locked and gave a gutteral negative sound. Undeterred, Rostrenen opened up an access port, but it was security sealed. She considered asking Alenis for a clearance code, but this was a gift to the other woman, and it stuck her as poor form to ask for a favour to perform a favour. So instead, she carefully removed one of the metal bars from one of her elongated ears, tore a bit of the leg of her tights to wrap her hand in and jammed that thing as hard as she could into the access port. There were sparks and a mechanical wheeze, but the panel opened when she tried it next.

Ros looked up at Alenis and held out her arms. "You should go first. It is not too far. But please let me take care of your bird. Okay?"

"She's very friendly," said Alenis, as she tranferred Ko-ko from her shoulder to her wrist. As she held her arm out, Ko-ko just looked back at her. "Come on, Ko-ko, Ros is a friend. She won't hurt you." With a gentle push on her back, Ko-ko jumpted into Ros' hands.

The corridor was sprinkled with moist air and condensation, but it wasn't unpleasant or humid, and it was only a short way like Rostrenen had promised. On the other side, treetops. The corridor led out onto a shelf, a maintenance catwalk running the length of a huge open room, enough space to sit and dangle your feet. It was dark, and Ros followed with one hand held gently over ko-ko's eyes. Artificial light from below a canopy of dense, lively trees spilled up between the dewy leaves. Voices and chatter from below also faded and rose above the tops of the jungle flora, but it was muted and distant. Instead, the only lights were very dimly glowing tubes along the far wall, mimicing natural moonlight, and there were huge ports open in the ceiling above them. The Portland was moored in the pylon in view far ahead, the sloped ceiling facing out toward the outer ring of Deep Space Nine, and stars beyond. They were in the high climate section of the arbouretum, several decks above the public entrances, which were open and lit from below. But up here, the conditions were produced to mimic a tropical night. Vapour clouds formed and deformed above the canopy of trees, swirled by jets of air throughout the large, open section. The leaves glistened slightly with moisture. Rostrenen moved her hand off Ko-ko's eyes, and the bird looked around sleepily, then took flight from Ros' bracelet, circling above the trees as far as the room extended.

The half Vulcan watched, and sat beside Alenis on the ledge as security entered on the ground floor, dozens of metres below. Someone had triggered an alarm in this section...

Alenis looked back at Ros, a horrified look on her face. "We're not supposed to be here; we should leave," she said. But as she looked back out into the armoretum, Ko-ko was nowhere to be seen. "Ko-ko... where are you? Ko-ko..." Panicked, Alenis' breathing rate increased drastically. "Ros, I've lost Ko-ko, you have to help me--"

Rostrenen tilted her head a little, trying to puzzle what the fuss was about. "Take a deep breath," she began calmly. She estimated that they had at least another five minutes before Station Security checked the climate ducts of the upper arbouretum. Ros could tell Alenis needed a break, so even a little one should be helpful! As generous as ever, it was something Ros knew she'd have liked, so she thought showing Alenis up here was uncommonly inuitive. She smiled and looked out over the treetops to demonstrate, opening her arms wide and taking a long, relaxed breath. "It smells like the tropics on Bajor. This arbouretum has not been on the station long, but the gravity is adjusted for the trees which grow in higher altitudes." She looked over, still composed without a smile, but Ros looked at Alenis with concern. She wondered how she wasn't helping the commander to relax.

"Halt!" shouted a security guard approaching them from the corridor.  "You are trespassing in a secure area."

Half-blinded by the flashlight, Alenis raised her hands in surrender.  "Trespassing?  I'm sorry, we were trying to get to the arboretum and must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."

"You'll have to come with me, ma'am.  You too," he said, shining up at Ros, a slightly confused expression on his face.  The two of them made an unlikely pair -- a straight-laced starfleet captain and a young looking elfish woman with a punky style and many visible body modifications. "We're not saboteurs," chimed in Rostrenen at the best time, blinking.

"Look, ensign, I'm sorry for trespassing.  As I was saying, we got a little lost and it was an accident.  But right now I need to find Ko-ko," pleaded Alenis.

"We can find this Ko-ko later, whatever it is," replied the guard in a strict tone.  "But right now you have to come with me." The security man crawled in after them, and Ros put her hands on Alenis' shoulders to help her back up along the ledge, totally accomodating to the guard who was trying to arrest them. In an effort to drag her along, he grabbed Alenis' wrist.

"Get your hands off me, ensign," snarled Alenis as she quickly snapped her arm back, freeing it from his grip.

"Commander, please come peacefully, or I will have to use force," he said as he reached for a stun gun.

"Excuse me," said Rostrenen from behind Alenis on the narrow ledge. "Would it be helpful if I came with you? Could we then leave Alenis to find Ko-Ko, and relax which you are making very difficult?"

"Ma'am, you'll both have to come with me," said the security guard as he pulled out a pair handcuffs, holding them up in front of the two women before him who were slowly backing away.  "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.  I'd much rather do it the easy way, but--"  Unfortunately for him, the climate settings in the arboretum had been adjusted to simulate a dewy morning.  He barely made it two steps before slipping on the moist walkway, sending him sliding into the handrail.  Worse, the improperly installed handrail gave way when it was met with the force of a falling security officer weighing over 100 kg.  As the stun gun and handcuffs clattered to the floor, the security guard clung desperately to a piece of the handrail, held on only by two bolt straining against the weight of the swaying guard.

Alenis froze in horror as he stared up into her eyes. She was the closer of the two. Ros put her hands on Alenis' shoulders to snap her out of shock. Following the commander closer, Ros leaned over the railing and caught the man's hand when he swung it up. He was almost hyperventilating, but with Alenis taking one arm and Ros pulling him up with the other, he managed to roll back onto the ledge. "You are safe," she reassured, peering at him as his chest heaved up and down.

"Oh- Prophets, thank you! I- I- I- wow..." he stammered, pulling himself up to sit against the wall, away from the edge.

Ros took advantage of the direction he was facing, out toward the canopy. "I do not know if you noticed just then, but this is a beautiful spot. Do you not think so?" The shaking officer snorted a chuckle and shook his head. Ros was confused as he was.

The guard took a deep breath as he looked over the canopy.  It was a beautiful sight, and though he didn't know what it was, he felt a calming feeling come over him.  "Yes, in fact, it is beautiful," he said, his voice relaxed.  He shook his head and took one last look out at the trees before turning back to the two women.  He couldn't very well arrest them after they just possibly saved his life.  "I'll let you off with a warning this time.  Lock the access hatch on your way out."  He turned to walk away, talking into his communicator with the rest of the security team.  As he was about to step back into the corridor, he turned back to the two women.  "And be careful, this ledge is slippery," he added with a smile.

"You didn't..." said Alenis to Ros.  They had been friends a long time, and Alenis knew exactly what she was capable of.

Rostren opened her mouth, but reconsidered what Alenis had meant by that. "...Not intentionally," she answered honestly. It took a little bit of patience for someone not to let her idiosyncracies rub them the wrong way, but not too much. Whether conscious of it or not, most people will seek out effects that relax them. With decades of training to benefit from, most of Ros' projections were nothing if not benign. "Sometimes I only mimic what I sense people are already feeling," she added softly. Everyone does that, in fact.

As Alenis scanned the treetops for Ko-ko, her breathing slowed and deepened.  Her nostrils filled with the smell of distinctive Bajoran trees -- Dakhur junipers, Moba trees, even some blackwood trees whose precise species she couldn't identify.  It reminded her of her home, of the few precious moments of joy that a child would be afforded growing up under the... No.  She didn't want to think about that.  Ros, Arvel, Timothy, Brad... they were all right.  She needed to relax more.  "You know, Ko-ko can take care of herself," she said, still staring out at the little piece of home that was brought up to the station.  "I'm sure if we wait here long enough, she'll come back."

Vedek, Orb and Tome part 1

Deep Space 9, Sunset Promanade Club,
the night before the Banquet.

Tyrlai Zade


“Kivoli!!” The crowd chanted raising their hands, the thumping of the music, a mix of ritual Bajoran themes accented with modern stylings filled the dimly lit room. A series of low key lights flashed in a ribbon like flows across walls, floor, support struts and ceiling alike, in a variety of mixing colors. It combined in a cascade effect that flowed from the ceiling, along the walls and supports to mix on the dance floor. Synthahol made the lights a little mesmerizing.

Tyrlai moved through the crowd, her own arms raised, weaving from group to group and finding the lights very distracting thanks to a series of blue and green concoctions. As old as she was she couldn’t quite remember a time or place where there wasn’t dancing. In this club the current style was an informal group arrangement. Five to eight people moving as a loose collection around the floor picking up members and losing others, as couples eventually formed they spun out to the edges. Individual songs flowed into each other, the music never quite stopping. The deckplates vibrated beneath her strappy heels, orange ribbons fluttering from them as well as the hem of her dress flowing and rippling occasionally as she spun her way through the crowd.

She had four or so followers, a Korbian, two Bajorans and a Human female. Each in turn had crossed her path through the dance a bit too often to have been chance. She had narrowed her preference to the green eyed Bajoran and the raven haired girl and had been considering pairing her way to the outside with one of them when she noticed something else at the edge of the room.

Those few not here to dance and some of the pairs that had drifted aside to get to know each other sat in tables and booths scattered around the edge of the club on both levels. There were two people sitting alone, one was a Murak, vibration and noise reminded them of home. The other was a Bajoran with an oddly styled earring. Tyrlai knew little about the earrings that the Bajorans preferred but was sure she hadn’t quite seen his style before. Tyrlai slipped from one group to a second with a better vantage point, her slender form swaying to the music and occasionally keeping her eye on the odd man in the corner.

It was living on the Orion ship that had taught her to mark unusual behavior in a room, and keep an eye on people whose intentions weren’t obvious. So when a man walked in, keeping his head concealed in a hood and dropped a parcel at the strange mans table, Tyrlai caught it out of the corner of her eye as she spun around pretending to be interested in a pair of inebriated Bolians. She spun twice catching a glance of parchment each time. She then swayed, in a flutter of hip swaying crossing to the closest of tonight’s suitors. She paired off with the green eyed Bajoran and led him to the edge near the strange Bajoran man just as the latter headed for an exit.

“I need a second,” she said glancing back to the green eyed Bajoran, already moving towards a secondary alcove. She reached for an almost unnoticeable dispenser she had clipped to a strap of her dress and popped a bluish pill into her mouth, biting down and swallowing as she darted around the corner into a dark corridor. Her vision clarified somewhat as the antidote to synthahol started flowing through her. She turned two corners and stopped suddenly, teetering a bit on her heels as she ran almost headlong into the strange man standing face to face with a bulky Bajoran with a similar earring and a tall, robed figure holding a spherical sensor in three long clawed reptilian fingers.

“Deal with her.” The reptilian thing hissed. The guard turned, his hands already out to apply a restraining hold on her. She braced herself, turned and leaned back and spun into a two legged kick, her arms holding on end of a Cardassian styled archway and planting his temple into the other. She dropped deftly to the deck landing cleanly despite the unnatural heels she had chosen for the evening. He landed less smoothly in a bulky pile.

“Must be an important book if you are willing to ‘deal with people’ over it.” Tyrlai stepped forward a caught a glance of the script on the cover ‘The Prophet’s Rest’. It was weathered and old and though she had no idea what it was she was pretty certain it probably wasn’t meant to be switching hands in an orbital dance club.

The strange Bajoran stared at her, just looking. His earring was a mix of coppery bronze and cobalt blue. It was the blue that was the odd part, she had never seen blue in the structure of a Bajoran earring before. She felt it odd also that he wasn’t engaging in her pithy banter. Her just started at her or rather just to the left of her,…

She felt the hypo against her neck just moments before she had been about to aim another kick at the figure she had just realized had been sneaking up behind her. She did manage to turn on increasingly unsteady legs and get a look at the pretty green eyed Bajoran man she had led to the edge of the dance floor.

“Yeah, okay, that makes sense.” She said as she fell back , the man stepping forward to catch her and sling her gracefully over his shoulder. He had been stronger than he looked on the dance floor she thought as her mind grew fuzzy.

The lizard turned his sphere in his clawed hand and scanned her with it. “She is the one who found the shard. This is most curious, the Vedek will wish to put her to question, bring her along. Leave the fool guard, we need to be away before she is discovered missing,…”

Tyrlai faded into a blissful sleep as they started moving down the station corridor.

The gift...
Science Lab
USS Portland
MD2, 23:45 hours


This late at night, the science lab was empty. There were a few experiments running overnight, and the occasional whirr or chirp from the computers, but the lights were off and no one was home.

“Computer, open science lab, override Alenis Epsion Four.”

Though it was her ship, the science lab was one place that Alenis wasn’t supposed to be without the permission of Lt. Beauvoir. Starfleet regulations were pretty clear on that; she figured they didn’t want some meathead ex-Tactical CO from bumbling in and ruining delicate experiments. Being a former tactical officer herself, she could respect that. But despite a lack of formal training in the sciences, she felt herself to be no meathead.

Still, she just didn’t understand the orb visions, and the temple was no help. Ishan simply told her that the prophets work in mysterious ways, and gave her a heavy book. As for the prophecies, his theory was that it was not worth worrying about, as they would come true no matter what choices Alenis made.

Somehow, she didn’t find that reassuring. So, here she was, trespassing for the second time today, wandering into a dark science lab lit only by a few active console screens and the faint glow of the shard.

She slowly walked towards the center of the dark room, stepping over what appeared to be some popped balloons – she made a mental note to ask Jason if he’d thrown Shras a farewell party – and stared at the shard, held aloft by the containment field. As she stepped closer, the shard began to give off a warm glow.

“Computer, deactivate containment field.”

Alenis took the shard in her hands and closed her eyes. When she reopened them, the warm glow had filled the room and she was surrounded by colleagues – Jason, Tim, Arvel, even Shras and Admiral Washington were there.

“Oh, prophets, I look to you for answers,” said Alenis, as she kneeled down before what appeared to be the Admiral.

“But my child, you have all the answers you need.”

“But not all I seek,” interjected Alenis. “You saved the ship, a few days ago. Why?”

“The prophecy must be fulfilled,” replied the prophet appearing in the form of Tim.

“What is this prophecy?” she demanded, frustration evident in her voice.

“You will understand when it comes to pass,”

“That’s not good enough!” Alenis stood up from her knees. “I want to know what is going on here.”

“You know all that you need to,” replied Shras. He was annoying even as a prophet. “Except one thing.”

“What is that?” Alenis’ eyes widened, hoping to finally get some answers.

“You must accept our gift,” said Tim. “You mustn’t turn it away.”

“Gift? I’m not sure what--” Alenis doubled over in pain, clutching the area of her right groin muscle. As she lie down in pain, she pulled up her shirt to see a faint glow through her skin.

Brad appeared over her. “You mustn’t turn away the gift.”

“Fine!” she replied, curled up on the floor, her eyes closed in pain.  When she opened them, the lab was dark again and the pain was gone.  Alenis knew what she had to do.  She had to cancel an appointment with the doctor.