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What I really like about this is the way it forms a superlative coda; Ypartin attempted an unsuccessful coup against the Da'al people, and Zeneth (with a little help from Starfleet) thwarted it. Or perhaps he thwarted it himself... But most importantly, they used to be friends... Well done guys! E (( Detention Facility No. 1 – Vman, Da’al Capital City )) Ypartin had lost track of time. Without windows, clocks, visitors, he had become disconnected from the passage of time. Even the arrival of his meals was irregular, unpredictable. All he could do was wait. But for what he was waiting, that was less clear. The Da’al political system was characterised by ever shifting alliances, and prime ministers had often been brought down by loss of confidence. But this had always been a procedural matter; it had never been the result of a popular uprising. This was uncharted territory for Ypartin himself, as well as those who would prosecute him for his actions. The exterior door to his cell unexpectedly slid open and in walked Zeneth, being escorted by a uniformed detention officer. Ypartin stood and took a step forward, toward the force field which separated them. Ypartin: This is a surprise. Zeneth: I realize you thought our positions would be reversed. She moved a bit closer to the force field, disappointment in her eyes. This was the man who had taken her from a university internship and hand picked her to go into her role as military advisor. He had been there when she’d insisted that before she could advise, she had to first go through the same intense training that all military recruits endured. He had been there when her beloved father had died. And now - he was there still, behind a field of energy that separated them. She sighed, realizing that in truth, they had been separated for a long time. This was awkward, and Ypartin didn’t enjoy it one bit. Undignified in his prison jumpsuit and days’ worth of facial hair growth, he felt haggard and unkempt, the polar opposite to Zeneth. She projected an air of confidence and competence in her uniform, which boasted an additional medal or two that Ypartin didn’t recognize. Ypartin: What are you doing here, Zeneth? Zeneth: I wanted to see you. There are still things that need to be said between us. Ypartin: Seems to me like you already have everything you want. The Federation trusts you. The Klingons respect you. Our people support you. You have managed to achieve in a matter of days something no leader has accomplished in centuries. What could you possibly want from me? Zeneth: An explanation. An apology - an argument. I don’t know - give me something, Ypartin. Let me understand how this happened to a man I have admired for so long. Explain how you thought your plan was for the good of anyone but yourself. ::she almost started to cry, but took a deep breath and leveled her gaze at him:: Give me one valid reason you did this. Zeneth would not look away from him. It was like she was seeing him for the first time and wondering if there had been signs of his discontent from the beginning. Ypartin: I don’t see the point. I think everyone knows what is going to happen to me. Despite what my appointed legal team says, I am certain that my trial will be brief, and merely a formality. What purpose would there possibly be in my saying anything now Zeneth: It would bring closure for a chapter that should never have been written. You can still salvage your dignity, and leave a better legacy than betrayal. You can prove to your people that you did, in fact, care for their welfare. ::she blinked back tears:: You can prove to me that our friendship was not a lie. Zeneth saw something flash in his eyes so quickly, she wasn’t sure it had been real. She looked down at her feet, not knowing what more she could say to get the answers she needed. She was beginning to think this was a waste of time, when he spoke. Ypartin: It wasn’t. Ypartin too struggled to look Zeneth in the eye. Nothing he could ever do or say would undo what had been done to the people, the planet, and the government. But he could at least try to mend things with his friend. Ypartin: Zeneth, I– I am sorry. For everything. I regret what I have done to you. Zeneth: To me? That I could almost forgive, but your actions put our people at risk. They need to believe in their government. ::she paced, frustration in her every word:: They need to move forward knowing they are still safe. Ypartin: You are right. Our people need to move beyond this moment of madness. To regain their faith in their leadership. ::beat:: In us. Zeneth: ::incredulous:: In us? There is no us, Ypartin. Your actions have shown you to be a spineless coward. You will be lucky if you ever feel the sun on your face again. No, here you remain, awaiting trial. ::biting back a sob:: a monster that in my naivety, I helped create. Ypartin bristled at how plainly Zeneth spoke; how quickly she laid down the law. Ypartin knew it would be futile to argue this point. Ypartin: I understand. My political career is over, and rightly so. I know I am not deserving of mercy, but I am sincere in my desire to make things right. If only to you, and to our friendship. Zeneth folded her arm across her chest, trying to keep calm. She motioned to the nearby guard to raise his weapon and lower the force field. She threw the holographic base at him, then had the guard raise the shields again. For a moment she saw him as he’d been five years ago when he’d been chosen as Prime Minister. His eyes finally met hers and she stood up straight as she spoke. Zeneth: This is the only thing left of our friendship. I have no need for it, but I think that it could prove beneficial to you when the time is right. We will most likely never see each other again, Ypartin. I will pray to the Goddess for your safe journey, no matter how you access that path. With that, she turned away and started to leave the room. At the door, she paused, without looking behind her and whispered a final farewell. Zeneth: Goodbye, my friend. Zeneth left, taking the guard along with her, and once again Ypartin was alone. He sat down on the cot in the corner of his cell, feeling the sting of yet another shame. On the floor in the opposite corner lay the item that Zeneth had given him–well, thrown at him. He stood and picked it up, accidentally activating the holographic projector in the process. The image it displayed made his throat tighten and his face flush with emotion. The smiling faces, the friendly embrace. It felt like forever ago, and in a sense, it was. Ypartin set the base on his bedside table and laid down, keeping his eyes fixed on the image frozen in time, as if he could make a psychic connection across the years to his former self. He pressed the button to deactivate the project, but instead of switching off, it changed to a different image, one Ypartin didn’t recognize. He looked closer at it, and his eyes widened when he realized what Zeneth had given him. Contained within the holographic image were a series of security override codes, written directions, guard shift rotation schedules, everything he would need to make an escape. Ypartin grabbed the device and read them again and again, committing them to memory. According to this information, he would have to act quickly, and there was no opportunity to attempt it again if he failed. ((Da’al Homeworld, Vman - Private apartments of Zeneth)) The dawn came slowly over the mountains in the distance, the colors of a new day blended with the remnants of the previous night. She watched her falcon flying in the distance, welcoming the day. The reinstated Council had wanted her to consider becoming the next Prime Minister, but she had no stomach for such things. She recommended her most trusted officer, General Ulner, for the post, and he had been chosen as acting Prime Minister until the next election. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into the river of time, her mind going back to the moment she’d given Ypartin the access codes. She saw him realize what he had, and what he’d lost. She felt his remorse through the echoes of time, and bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. A final vision of him safely getting to the small craft she’d left unattended filled her mind. She opened her eyes to see Perra soaring high above her, free yet still bound to their planet, and thought of Ypartin’s words the day they’d met. “One day, when our people are ready, there will be nothing stopping us from truly being free to explore all that we can be. There’s an entire universe waiting, Zeneth. We just need to take that first step.” A frantic call from the officers monitoring the skies told her that an unauthorized vessel was leaving Da’al but she quietly told them it was a funeral shuttle for a fallen comrade. It was on a course into deep space. She watched the bright speck rip through the sky until it disappeared, then silently, decidedly, walked back inside, closing the door to her home and her heart. (( vessel Zhupan – the next day )) Ypartin looked at himself in the mirror, freshly showered and clean shaven for the first time in too long. By looking at him, one would never have been able to guess the ordeal he’d been through in the past week. Escape from prison itself was simple enough, but getting offworld was another story altogether. A series of near-misses and almost-failures hadn’t deterred him, and he’d managed to leave Da’al exactly as given in his instructions. Now, having made it safely out of Da’al space, and onto a he had the opportunity to think for the first time about what he should do next. He was young, barely 46 years old, and despite the indignity of being a deposed leader, it didn’t feel right to just go quietly into insignificance. Maybe not soon, but someday, he would return.

I'm not sure why this is all in bold, but i wanted to send this out and thank @Sheila Bailey for writing this JP with me! I appreciate you and how much work you put in this with me. ((Flashback, Time Index: 239707.12)) ((Outside Galven’s Quarters, Habitat Area)) Galven: Have you tried using my codes? Munger: ::pained expression:: Of course, I did. It’s not working. German arched his eyebrow and pursed his lips, turning to face the door and punched in his codes and just like what Andrea said, it didn’t work. He cleared his throat and raised an authoritative voice and used a tone he rarely spoke. Galven: Mom. Open this door. Please acknowledge me or I’ll have security come. Munger: ::leans in and whispers:: Can’t you just use your own command level authorization codes? He raised his hand to shush her and then used his index finger to wiggle a hinted “not right now” as he glanced quickly over at her with a wink. Galven: Computer. Are there any lifesigns present in my quarters? Computer: Confirmed. There are two… one lifesign present. Munger: Does it not know how many people? Galven: ::scratches his ridged chin:: We’ll have to get engineering to look at it. Computer. What’s the percentage of the lifesign’s readings? Computer: Ninety-four… sixteen percent. Now, he didn’t really even know if the computer knew what it was talking about and was thinking that the percentage was probably in between those numbers. He took out his tricorder, then placed the end of it on the panel next to the door, then typed in his authorization codes. GALVEN-GAMMA-ONE-SEVEN-DELTA The door slid open and he rushed inside to find his mother in the rec room sitting in a chair, facing towards the window. Although, once he walked around it almost didn’t look like her. She appeared to be much older and worse for wear. It didn’t take him long to figure what was going on. His facial expression must’ve made Andrea wonder what was going on as she [...]ed her head, walking more into the room. Galven: Stay outside, Andrea. Munger: German, she requires medical attention. I’ll need to take he-- Galven: That’s an order, Lieutenant. ::glances back with a stern expression:: With a huff and holding both her hands up, then bringing them right back down, she shook her head and headed out. He could see her frustrations and confusion as she turned facepalming out of the apartment. German returned his attention to the much older Denobulan sitting in the chair. Galven: What… When are you from? Old Aza: ::wearily smirks:: You’re smarter than I remember. ::slowly turns her head, glancing up at him:: Of course, you were. I raised you. Galven: You didn’t answer my question. ::walks in front of her, obstructing the view outside the window:: When are you from? Old Aza: ::shakes her head:: I don’t need to tell you that. ::glances at the tricorder in his hands:: You’re more than capable of figuring that out yourself. ::smiles, then glances back up at him:: Just like when you first met Taelon. Now, he didn’t really like being trolled and egged on by his mother, but it was worse when a future version of herself did it. He raised his tricorder and ran some initial temporal signature scans and at first, he thought it was a malfunction when the results illuminated on the screen. So he restarted it and redid the work again. Old Aza: It’s going to read the same thing every time, German. 237 years old, 264704.17 Galven: Why did you come back to this time period? Aza: To stop you from what you’re about to do. ((End Flashback)) ((German D. Galven Sr. Remembrance Garden, Denobula)) While there was some downtime between his multiple medical procedures, German was told by a distant relative that his great great grandfather was buried next to the area where he had been killed by a wayward Klingon. As he read the plaque telling of his family's history in front of a large round garden, he recalled when his mother had traveled to his present. Especially the words spoken by both current and future Denobulan women. Older Aza spoke of him in the past tense. Old Aza: ::wearily smirks:: You’re smarter than I remember. ::slowly turns her head, glancing up at him:: Of course, you were. I raised you. From the sound of it, German had a pretty good idea on what that meant for him. He wouldn't be alive at the time when his mother traveled to his present. Also the fact of the matter when his current mother tried to stop him from what he was going to do during the Borg mission and yet he still did it. A little less than a month had gone by since he left the StarBase. Which meant that he was now at least thirty years older. He and a few other scientists were working around the clock, no pun intended, to get the temporal anomaly in his body back under control. He would be lying to himself if he ever thought he wasn't worried about his situation. Fortunately for him, Denobulans had an average life span of 350 years and since he was around 63 years old, that meant he had a little less than two hundred, eighty days to go to find a cure. The optimist in him was hopeful. German sat down at a nearby bench and ran his hands through his hair, realizing he wanted to talk to a friend to get away from the strain of the stress he was under. It had been a few days since he spoke with Alora and reminded himself to get in touch with another. As he took out his personal PADD, he tapped the command to start a video call. Sheila had been in her quarters on the Starbase. The crew’s traditional end of mission awards ceremony had been a few days ago. Since then her brain was still processing everything that had happened. Yet she hadn’t stopped to let her brain do the actual processing. Piles of paperwork needed doing now that she was CMO. Plus she had a new office to move into; a completely new space to get used to. However on this particular day the new CMO had been about ready to give up. Alistair had barked his head off all day any time she so much as moved. She had been about to crawl into bed when her computer went off. Sheila would have been irritated at such a disturbance if the call had been from work, after such a long day, yet seeing it was an old friend she smiled. German could never make her mad. So she grabbed her laptop and answered the call from bed. Bailey: =/\= Hey. =/\= Galven: =/\= Long time no see, stranger. ::smiles:: =/\= Bailey: =/\= How are you doing? =/\= Galven: =/\= Oh, you know, living the life on my home planet. It's actually quite serene. =/\= Bailey: =/\= I hope it’s a nice place. =/\= Sheila remembered when German and her went to the holodeck. He had shown her his home back on earth. She only hoped wherever German was, was just as nice. However playing on her mind was the fact he had left. Yet Sheila, in her heart of hearts, knew that whatever his reasons were they had been right for him. An act that Sheila herself knew all too well. It might have seemed strange to others around him despite the need for it all. Galven: ::nods:: =/\= I'm enjoying it so far, but I'd rather be there with the crew. Bailey: =/\= You didn’t say goodbye. =/\= That was true. The only people he saw before he left were a select few which included Sal, Alora, Andrea, and Wyn. He couldn't bring himself to face the others because of his selfish actions during the mission. Galven: ::runs his hand through his hair, sighing:: =/\= I know and I'm sorry. I haven't been in the right state of mind and was too ashamed. =/\= Bailey: =/\= I know you're likely going through a lot. I respect your choices. You did what was best. ::Sheila had to do what was best, leaving herself too, once upon a time:: =/\= Galven: =/\= I'm not sure if it was the best option for momentary leave. I don't know what would've been the best option. =/\= Bailey: =/\= Tell me, what’s Denobula like? =/\= One of many things that he liked about Sheila was that she would sway the conversation elsewhere. Even though the main topic was still relevant, it was nice of his friend to talk about something else with him. Galven: =/\= Incredible. Mostly due to the fact that the weather is at a constant temperature. A bit cold for some species I'd imagine. Also one would think the population would be rampant, but it's under control. =/\= Bailey herself actually didn’t mind a bit of cold weather despite having grown up in a humid environment. Actually, as strange as it was, the weather being a common, boring conversation starter, it was nice to hear about. Made her long for a bit of that crisp fresh air German described. Bailey: =/\= The population? =/\= Galven: =/\= Due to the multiple Denobulan marriages per household, the required amount of children is two per couple. It's not a law though so it's not necessarily strictly enforced. =/\= Bailey: =/\= Oh. That’s much different than on Elaysia. =/\= Galven: =/\= By the way, I heard that you made chief medical officer. Congrats! Have you been working more? =/\= Bailey: =/\= ::A slight blush formed at her friend's complement:: Thank you. A few long days as of late. =/\= A short stinging pain caused him to lurch forward. German hadn't felt that before and it was coming from the right side of his temple. If he was able to describe the sensation, it would be as if he was having a migraine. As he regained composure, he had an idea and came back into the video frame. Sheila leaned forward when German cried out. Now she was scared. Her sister’s had been in pain the last time she saw them; Sheila didn’t want the same for German. Plus it made her heart ache even more knowing her best friend was miles away. She couldn’t be there to make sure he pulled through any medical emergencies that came up. Bailey: =/\= German! Are you okay? =/\= Galven: =/\= I tripped on something. ::grimaces:: No need to worry. ::forces a smile:: I have sort of a medical question for you. =/\= oO Please don’t tell me bad news. Oo Bailey: =/\= I’ll answer as best I can. =/\= Galven: =/\= What is the pituitary adrenal system? =/\= The answer had a much more complicated answer than Sheila could likely give. The pituitary adrenal system was a connection of more than one system; the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands. These three systems connected to the brain acting on many important hormones in the body. Overall the pituitary adrenal system affected one’s reactions to stress as well as affecting digestion, the immune system, mood and emotions, sexuality, and energy storage and expenditure. It was not her major field of study yet it connected to so many systems in a person's body that it was best she knew the facts. Bailey: =/\= In the short of it the pituitary adrenal system is made up of multiple systems. All of which affect the body’s hormones. Stress is a major factor. =/\= Galven: =/\= Stress? That might be useful. Would you do me a big favor, Sheila? =/\= Bailey: =/\= Anything within reason of course. =/\= Galven: =/\= Well, could you ask Taelon about the effects nanotechnology has on it? I wonder if my… the nervous system modulates the cortisol levels faster as some sort of rapid regeneration process within the pituitary cells. =/\= German had a feeling that what he said was going to make Sheila wonder why he was talking about this. He also knew that she was going to give a plethora of information so he pulled up another page on the PADD and started to document their conversation through a voice to text feature. Bailey: =/\= Cortisol, which is often known as the stress hormone regulates many bodily functions as you likely know. Sugar levels, the metabolism, reducing inflammation, and assisting with memory formulation. I’m not sure what you’re getting at. =/\= Galven: =/\= Just humor me for the moment, please. It's important. =/\= Bailey: =/\= ::At that Sheila went on giving information hoping at least some of it would be useful:: If one hormone in either system is off a lot functions can be affected. =/\= Galven: =/\= And where does cortisol come into play? =/\= Bailey: =/\= Cortisol is made in the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys. A high level of cortisol can become a health condition called Cushing syndrome; which can cause weight gain in specific areas, slow healing and stretch marks. =/\= That didn't sound too good. Weight gain would be okay being that he was fairly thin for his size, but the slow healing process wasn't exactly ideal. Now that he knew that, German made a mental note to be ready for anything. The pain he had just a few minutes ago was something else. He nodded at her to keep going. Galven: =/\= How fast would the weight gain be? I imagine that the person affected would grow as well, right? =/\= Bailey: =/\= The relation to growth? It’s not clear the effects but extreme stress can, during fundamental periods of growth, can stunt it. =/\= He noticed that a couple people, one being his son, were walking up the path towards him. The other was his primary physician. German nodded at them and lifted his index finger, signaling that he was almost done with his video call. They waited on the other side of the garden. He glanced back at Sheila, noticing she was in deep thought. Sheila didn’t want to leave anything out. It was overall bad practice to leave facts out. Until you knew exactly what was going on every little thought, direction, would need to be shared, listed out to give a full picture of what was likely to happen. Now Sheila wasn’t going to lie, she was nervous. Nervous as to why her friend was asking her all about these medical topics. What possible trouble could he be in that he needed to know all this for? An experiment perhaps? Yeah, she went with that as it at least settled her nerves somewhat. Bailey: =/\= I suppose that growth hormone, which is made in the pituitary gland, could affect the rate of cell division and growth. Since growth hormone comes from a protein formation and assists in stimulating growth, cell reproduction and cell regeneration. =/\= Galven: =/\= Sounds like a lot of fun things to go through. ::sighs and then tries to force a smile:: You've been a wealth of knowledge, Sheila. =/\= Bailey: =/\= I wouldn’t exactly call it fun. I’ll always be here to assist but is there anyway you’d tell me what’s going on? =/\= Galven: =/\= I don't want to say much, but what you told me, I hope that it can be reversed. ::glances over at Naylin and Vlottis, his physician, then back to Sheila:: I'm going to have to cut this short, but I'll definitely get a hold of you again. =/\= Bailey: =/\= You better, I don’t want you to disappear on me. Ever! =/\= Galven: =/\= You'll see me again once I'm all better, Sheila. By the way, I accidentally left my ferret in my quarters. Take good care of him and don't you worry about a thing. Oh, and one more thing. =/\= German really hoped that he wasn't lying to her about seeing him again. All of the valuable information she gave him was giving the Denobulan more encouragement, yet still scared about the outcome if he wasn't going to make it. Fortunately, he was on a planet where science ruled over anything else. Sheila felt it was a very Geram personality trait to forget things. It was likely too that he had left in a rush; sometimes doing what was most important was like that. Maybe it was a blessing that the little creature had been left behind; something that she could hold on to. Yet it made her heart ache. All their medical talk had indirectly let her know that when German came back he wasn’t going to be the same. Of course people changed, it was a fact of life, yet in this situation it did feel like she was going to lose a part of her best friend. In the meantime, with so much distance between them, they could only keep staying strong; let the circumstances be turned into something positive. Bailey: =/\= Yes? =/\= Galven: =/\= Take good care of yourself and don't take anything for granted. What you have there with the crew is something we have special. It's going to be our one year anniversary on that glorious StarBase in just a few days. Keep making memories. =/\= Bailey: =/\= Happy anniversary. I’ll have something in your honor to celebrate. German, ::sad smile:: you stay strong yourself, whatever you’re going through, make sure you don’t forget what you’re fighting for. You come back to us now you hear. I’m going to have a lot to update you on. =/\= When the call ended Sheila wanted to cry. The situation was extremely similar to what she experienced with her sisters. Granted back then she had been in German’s position. Having to leave, heal, not sure when to return. She hadn’t seen her sisters in years, not even a video call. Yet she knew too that German was strong enough to pull through. Long distance was hard and now that he was back home on Denobula Sheila trusted him to find a support system there for him. For Sheila too she would spend the time until his return building up her own strong support. When German does come back she would be ready to support him too as not only his doctor, if that’s what he chooses, but more importantly his friend. With a smile and a wave and the video link faded away, he turned to Naylin and Vlottis after he saved the notes taken into a file. German now knew somewhat of his situation and needed to get his stress levels down, but how would be the best question. Before he could get to his son, he stumbled a little which caused some kind of problem as he started to collapse. Naylin ran over, trying to catch his father who was trying his best to shield the PADD by pressing it into his chest. The pain started again and it was just too much for German, causing him to pass out right in the middle of his family's remembrance garden. ----- Lieutenant German Galven Science Officer StarBase 118 - USS Narendra V239507GG0 & Lieutenant Sheila Bailey Chief Medical Officer Starbase 118 Ops M239512BG0 No woman should ever suffer at the hands of men - Sara Lance; Legends Of Tomorrow