AlexV

((Science Lab - Duronis II Embassy)) ::S'Kahh looked at the cube suspended in the air over the tech labs console. He knew there was a containment field around it, but its presence was only notable though the nearly imperceptible whine it gave off as air passed though the field. He felt it more than heard it, whiskers twitching as the sound travelled though them.:: Rossh: Computer, begin a level three scan of the object. ::Lights flickered across the console for a moment before the computer replied, listing off the materials the device was constructed of. Some of the materials were quite exotic, but nothing truely alien in terms of basic materials.:: Rossh: Not getting me any further. ::He paused, glancing over at his tricorder for a moment as an idea tickled at the back of his thoughts. There was definitely something bubbling away back there, but...:: Rossh: Computer, link up to my tricorder and download the specifications on the receptacle the device was retrieved from. Computer: Working. Download complete. Rossh: Good, now. Computer, try and to a breakdown of the console the device was plugged into - best estimate as to the purpose of the various components. Computer: Task will require an hour to complete. Rossh: Go ahead. ::He yawned, leaning back in his seat as the computer chugged away - trying to reverse engineer the console it had been plugged into. He sat up after a few moments and tapped on his control panel, switching from the default layout to a thread monitor - providing a direct readout of every process the computer was handling for the task he had set it.:: ::Numbers and words flashed past too fast to read, but he found the flickering flow of information interesting as he waited for the machine to complete his task.:: ::At the same time he found himself falling back into introspection, remembering his time at the hospital. He hadn't realised his ribs had been broken till the Laudean doctor who was treating him had pointed it out. He'd been shocked to hear it, and shocked again when he discovered the Laudean's treatment would normally involve minor surgery to re-set the bones properly.:: ::Thankfully in his case Caitian bones had a lot more natural flexibility than most species - giving them less strength perhaps, but making them a lot less prone to fractures. And when they did fracture they tended to reset quite naturally given enough rest.:: ::So the doctor had opted to splint his chest to hold it in place - informing him to keep the bandage in place for a few days to let the healing process get started before doing anything too energetic.:: Computer: Task complete. ::He blinked, disturbed from his reverie and looked down at the readings before him. The computer seemed to have managed to get a fairly detailed breakdown of the likely way the console was designed to interact with the cube.:: Rossh: Simulate interactions between cube and console. ::The screen changed to an annotated diagram, highlighting the various electrical contact points and wireless signals exchanged between the two pieces of Yeltan technology. He frowned as he watched, then looked up at the cube again.:: Rossh: Now we just need one of those consoles... ::He frowned, then glanced over to the door.:: Rossh: Computer, drop containment feild around the cube. Authorisation Rossh Delta six, beta two one one. ::The field shimmered for a moment as it dropped, and he reached in to grasp the cube. He hefted it in his hand, resisting the sudden perverse urge to attempt to rotate its various sections like some ancient child's puzzle, and examined it closely as he spoke again.:: Rossh: Computer, are there any available holosuites? Computer: Holosuites two, five and seven are currently unoccupied. ::He nodded to that, then stepped towards the door, taking the cube with him.:: ((Timeskip, late at night.)) ((Holosuite two, Duronis II Embassy)) ::Shanri paused at the door to the holosuite, wondering just what exactly S'Kahh thought he was doing. She'd hoped to welcome him back from the mission, and indeed had come all the way out to the embassy to see him - but he'd been buried away in his work. And for the last few hours he'd been buried instead in a holosuite.:: ::She wasn't the suspicious type, well, she didn't think of herself that way at least. But it was odd that he was so busy - it felt like he was ignoring her. She gathered herself, and opened the door, stepping inside.:: ::The room was dark, the yellow grids invisible on the walls not due to being obscured by a simulation, but just from a lack of light. In the middle of the room a strange, yet oddly familiar, console sat - glowing faintly blue. A cube of similar appearance was plugged smoothly into the top of it. Sat on the floor between her and the console was S'Kahh, cross legged and leaning his head down onto his hands as he stared intently at it.:: Rossh: Yes? ::His voice startled her, and she took a second to compose her thoughts after the odd - yet familiar - sight of the console.:: Shanri: I, I just wanted to check up on you. ::The caitian turned to look towards her, his expression blank for a moment. He looked tired above anything else, and it took a second or two for his face to spread into a smile.:: Rossh: Ah, I'm afraid I've been letting my stubbornness get in the way of things. ::He pointed to the device, waving his hand rather than pointing in truth.:: Rossh: I've replicated every possible thing I can, every reading is the same and every link up is correct. ::He paused to scowl at it.:: But will it do a thing? Nope. Shanri: What exactly is it? ::He looked back to her, then sighed, stood up and walked to meet her. She noted the bandage to his side beneath his uniform tunic - still dusty and dirty from the adventures beneath her planets surface.:: Rossh: Its supposed to be important. Its supposed to be a memory archive, I think. Its also, supposed, to work. Shanri: But it doesn't? Rossh: Not for me, no. I don't think it likes me. And I tried sweet talking it, threatening it and even offering it a vacation to Risa. Still nothing. ::She found herself smirking at his tone, then shook her head.:: Shanri: Have you tried turning it off then on again? ::There was a pause, and the caitian then turned to give her one of the most old fashioned looks she had ever encountered.:: Rossh: I won't dignify that with a response. But yes, actually I have. ::She met his gaze and chuckled to herself, the tired Caitian joining in after a moment before she walked up close and rested a hand on his shoulder.:: Shanri: Come to bed, your tired. You'll think more clearly in the morning. Rossh: I can't walk away till I've at least figured out why it won't work. Shanri: Well, when did it last work? ::He glanced over his shoulder to her, then nodded to himself. It was a fair line of reasoning to explore - he had tried it earlier, but worth a second shot. He walked over to the console, leading Shanri with him.:: Rossh: Madame Day... ..er... ..oh [...] my memory. The Prime Minister's wife, she was the one who interacted with it. ::He gestured with his hands and Shanri frowned.:: Shanri: What was she doing on a mission? Rossh: She is a patron of Laudean historical studies. I think. Regardless, she was the only one who could interact with the thing. ::Something twigged in the back of his mind, but he was unable to lay his finger down on it thanks to the tiredness of his mind.:: Shanri: Well, maybe its coded to only work for women? ::He genuinely hadn't considered that, a society in which something might had been set up for only one gender to use being a completely alien concept to him. Oh, as a sociologist he was aware of such societies on an intellectual level, but not an emotional one.:: Rossh: I hadn't thought of that. ::Shanri moved closer, holding out her hands.:: Shanri: Well, show me what to do. ::He smiled, and moved to stand behind her, sliding his hands down her arms to direct them towards the cube. To both of their shock, it glowed more brightly, and the holographic recreation of the console flared into life.:: Computer: Holodeck Program: Rossh Alien Console One is attempting to write a non standard file into computer memory. Allow this operation? ::He blinked, then got his brain in gear.:: Rossh: Sandbox the file and store it separately from any sensitive materials. Isolate it in the science department computers. Computer: Working. ::There was a moment of silence as the console and cube continued to glow and shimmer.:: Shanri: I guess it just needed a woman's touch. Rossh: Or a Laudeans... ::She frowned and looked back to him.:: Shanri: It's coded to only work for my people? ::He shrugged to that, and the computer replied before he could.:: Computer: Download complete. Rossh: Computer, analyse the datafile. Attempt to decern its nature. Computer: Full analysis will take twe... Rossh: Analyse the file structure data, top and tail it. Computer: Working. Shanri: Top and tail? ::He chuckled.:: Rossh: It just means look at the beginning and end - those parts contain the file structure information in most species formats. Unless they write from the inside out - which some species do. Or their Ferengi - in which case the copyright information goes at the beginning and end... Computer: File is a data archive with compression based on a... Rossh: Can you decompress it? Computer: Require suitable decoder. ::He paused, thinking for a moment.:: Rossh: Computer, attempt to use Laudean DNA as the basis of the decoding. Shanri: Huh? Rossh: Well if its designed to be used by Laudeans, it makes sense for them to lock it so only they could open it. Or at least, somebody with access to the basic DNA structure of your people. Computer: Working. ::The process took some considerable amount of time, during which the couple chatted - catching up with one another. When the computer finished they paused their conversation to see what it had come up with.:: Computer: Decompressed files are of twenty five unknown formats. Rossh: Analyse formats and look for any signs of simple text, encoded images, or data streams that could be video. Computer: Working. Shanri: Your computers are very advanced. ::He shook his head to that.:: Rossh: There's only so many ways you can encode data, a person would actually be better at recognising the information in the various file types than the computer. But the computer can do a bad job of it a hell of lot faster - and handle hundreds of attempts at the same time. Shanri: So its dumb, but covers a lot of ground. Rossh: Yep, think... ..what are those archaic weapons that fire lots of little projectiles rather than a single big one? Shanri: Canister guns? Rossh: Hum, humans have a shorter phrase for them. Shanri: And your people? Rossh: We just call them Nif-tusak. Birdhunters. ::He translated.:: Computer: Filetypes have been found for video, audio, images and formatted text. Additional file formats detected include three dimensional models and an olfactory index pallete. Shanri: A what? Rossh: Thing we use to digitise smells, and tastes oddly enough. Shanri: Sounds horrible. Rossh: Well it is what our replicators use to do flavours and smells, so... ..can be at times. ::He grinned toothily, and she replied with a nudge with her elbow in the ribs - unfortunately on the wrong side. After several moments of groaning in pain and profuse apologies the two settled down again.:: Rossh: Ok. Computer, display a video file. ::The pair of them watched as something began to play in the air behind the console. The colours were heavily shifted towards the purple end of the spectrum, and the aspect ratio was a strange tall but narrow one that marked it out as something unusual.:: ::On it was displayed a diagram of a Laudean, with labels coming off of it to text S'Kahh couldn't even guess as to the meaning of.:: Shanri: Its a medical text. Rossh: Oh? You can read that? Shanri: Er, you can't? Rossh: No, not a word. Shanri: Well, ok. How come I can? Rossh: Genetic memory? Seems unlikely, but that's the only explanation I can think of. ::Together they worked their way though the first video - which proved to be a very detailed medical analysis of Laudean physiology. S'Kahh was no expert, but he suspected that the detail was actually slightly ahead of the Federation's own records on the Laudean species.:: ::But the real revelation came moments later.:: Shanri: Oh... ..oh my word. Rossh: What? ::He paused the video, showing a detailed diagram of the Laudean's coloured band.:: Shanri: This.. ...this is a record of how our fielding works. Rossh: I beg your pardon? ::She pointed to the screen:: Shanri: They figured out how.. ...no, I think they. I think they may have manipulated us, made our ability stronger. They talk here about it being a vestigial ability from our ancestors that lived in water. ::S'Kahh blinked, then his eyes widened.:: Rossh: How dose it work? ::The woman shrugged, not a natural scientist herself, she was mostly repeating what she could read off rather than trying to understand it all.:: Shanri: I don't really know. It's talking about things I just don't understand. Rossh: Then lets sit down and work though it, you read it out, and I'll write it down. Then I'll sit down and try and make sense of it all. Shanri: Ok. ::The two continued, writing down everything they could from the video and compiling it together into a single document. The language was alien, not that it was written in an alien language, but that its structure and terminology were alien to either of them. Gradually S'Kahh started making lists of words the would need to find the real meaning of from other recordings, and starting building up an index for translation by running though the other materials in the download:: ::By the time the sun was well up into the morning sky, the two of them had complied the first ever detailed report on how fielding actually worked. It was rough around the edges, and neither of them fully grasped some of the subtleties, but the basic methodology of its operation was right there on the PADD.:: Rossh: So, light goes in though the light permeable layer of skin here. ::He gently stroked a fingertip over Shanri's coloured forehead.:: Rossh: And impacts the coloured cells that underlay it. Those cells are filled with.. ...something, probably the pigment itself, which responds by becoming a radical with charged electrons in a paired state. Now, the pairing between the electrons is affected by the presence of a magnetic field. Shanri: So they are either parallel, or anti-parallel. Right? Rossh: I think so. And the heavy neuron weave beneath the pigmented cells can detect the tiny difference in the length of time the two electrons remain paired between those two states. Shanri: And that explains part of our ability - it lets us see the actual fields, or rather their shape, but not their charge? Rossh: I think so, though not sure how it shows you the whole field from such a small area of information.. ...maybe that second set of organs in the brain itself plays more of a role in expanding that? ::He shrugged.:: Rossh: Regardless, the light that isn't absorbed bounces right back off of the pigmented cells and is reflected out of the transparent skin cells - giving you your coloured headband. ::He chuckled.:: Rossh: So Laudean's have transparent heads, huh, there's a whole realm of new jokes opening up. Shanri: And a whole absence of my bedroom at the same time. Rossh: Moving on. ::She chuckled at that reaction and poked the Caitian's nose.:: Rossh: The fluid filled ampules in the brain tissue appear to sense the strength of the field - they do work like ampullae of Lorenzini as people have previously thought. But it turns out they work in co-operation with the cells in the band. Shanri: So the Ampules detect the strength of the reaction between the fluid inside of themselves, and the magnetic field. Thus showing how much energy is in there? Rossh: Yes, and if I'm right about this translation, then it isn't just magnetic fields this works with. It looks like there's a blend of different pigments that react to different factors. Magnetic fields are the big ones, but it looks like subspace fields can be detected as well. Shanri: I think we already knew that. Rossh: Yes, but now we know how. Shanri: We think we do - you'll need to get this checked out right? ::he nodded, then yawned as he spoke.:: Rossh: I'll need to talk with a doctor or two yes. Shanri: Bed first. Rossh: Mmm, ok, fine. you win. ::He surrendered, allowing himself to be lead out of the holosuite - after retrieving and securing the cube - and back to his quarters for sleep.:: Lt Commander S'Kahh Rossh Chief Science Officer & Historical and Anthropological Officer Duronis II Embassy - USS Thunder NCC-70605-A

((USS Avandar, Holodeck One)) :: The afternoon had come quickly. A little too quickly for T’Lea’s liking. She could have used an entire twenty-four hours more to do what she needed to get done, which was basically procrastinate. But the time had come, and ready or not the gathering in the holodeck had begun.:: :: With Gina and T’Sara in tow, T’Lea entered the staging area of what was to be… what the hell….?:: :: She stopped cold as the doors opened to reveal the surface of Romulus.:: :: The silken dark blue dress smoothed against her body as the tepid Romulan wind swept across the deck. T’Lea looked around at the scenery, more than at the people, just to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. She wasn’t. The architecture was distinctly Romulan, so was the foliage.:: :: She was clearly disturbed.:: :: She’d only been to Romulus once and as much as she had tried *not* to like it, and *not* to let it affect her emotionally, it had.:: :: [...] it. Of all the times!:: :: As if this gathering wasn’t going to be difficult enough for T’Lea to get through already. Now… now it was going to be… The word “impossible” disappeared from her mind when she caught Della’s smile. For T’Lea the Trill’s warm smile could heal a fatal wound.:: :: From across the way, the hybrid reassured the Trill that this was okay with a soft smile of her own. In truth, she had bigger things on her mind than what it meant to stand on Romulus again. Then again, she thought, maybe this was just the perfect setting.:: T’Sara: Wat dis? :: When T’Lea glanced down at the little girl who had reached for her hand, she raised a sober Vulcan brow, trying to keep her emotions out of her response.:: T’Lea: This would be Romulus. It’s part of who you are. T’Sara: Wom-u-us. :: The little girl considered the landscape for a moment, and then considered the pointy-eared male in the group, and then finally her pointy-eared mother again.:: T’Sara: Wom-u-us has sad? :: T’Lea glanced down at her little girl and gave her a forlorn smile and squeeze of her tiny hand. It was clear that the empathic child was picking up some unhappy vibes.:: T’Lea: Yes. It is sad. Come on, let’s go say our greetings. :: T’Sara held up her free hand in a Vulcan greeting as she toddled alongside her mother.:: T’Sara: Libs long an’ posburb. T’Lea: That is correct, little nug. Live long… :: T’Sara’s little feet hurried to keep up with her mother as they cross the grass. The hand she was holding kept her from taking a tumble, but her legs were getting quite a workout. Luckily, they’d stopped soon enough where the other grown-ups were gathered.:: :: The child stuck her hand up in Vulcan greeting to the grown-ups, and was about to say something, but decided she was bored already and wandered over to a tree.:: TBC -------------------- Lt. Cmdr. T’Lea H&A Specialist USS Avandar

I really should not have been drinking coffee when I saw that... Many funnys!

((Sickbay - Still morning)) :: Tash had slept more, had a light meal, and been IV'ed fluids throughout. Head fuzzy, body slow, deeper injuries healing themselves and past emergency care, he was able to move at the very least. :: :: Now without the attached IV's, feeling far less dazed and being medicated quite thoroughly for the pain, he dared slip off the bio-bed and pad barefoot and alone to the showers nearby. Doubtful he moved without being noticed, but nobody harassed him, thankfully. Slipping in, moving gingerly but capably, he managed to not kill himself. :: :: Rubbing lightly over the closed gash on his forehead, he couldn't help wondering about his spine, but it wasn't an easy place to see and he wasn't going to ask for help. He ran a hand back, then down the metallic protrusions, reaching his lower spine and finding... flat flesh, newly healed, and lots of it. And he could feel something there just beneath the flesh... the nanites, regenerating, creating new spinal plates? :: :: Oh, it would be marvelous when those shot out... :: :: Carefully, he dressed. Simple garb, replicated black pants and soft military green t-shirt. Returning to his bio-bed, he found himself exhausted. Healing must still be taking it out of him. Virgo wasn't about to release him anyway, so he slowly slipped back up onto the bio-bed, lay carefully on his side, and easily slipped into sleep again. :: ((Sickbay -- Afternoon)) :: He'd slept going on a strong 6 more hours, hardly moving even in his sleep there in the private room. At some point someone... likely a nurse... had slipped a thermal blanket over him, though he'd slept right through it. :: :: Waking slowly, he let himself ease into consciousness again, no rush to it. He'd slept well, and almost let himself stay there... but it became apparent there was something actually waking him. A hand on his shoulder. Eyes barely opening, he looked up from his comfortable curled position to find a familiar face, and a small smile came to him at the welcome company. :: :: He looked peaceful. Peaceful was good. He needed rest, thought T'Lea staring down at his quiet form. He looked better than the last time she saw him, all blood and guts. Although, he still looked a bit pale, but then he always did. At least he was breathing easier now. He was breathing right? If so, it was so soft she could hardly see his chest move.:: ::Poking his arm she tried to get a reaction. It didn't work. Taking him by the shoulder she gave him a gentle shake. Ah, there he was, emerald eyes focusing up at her.:: T'Lea: Hi. Tash: ::the sleep apparent in his voice:: Hey... T'Lea: The nurse said you were awake. Tash: Jus' bein' lazy. :: He cleared his throat, closing his eyes tight before trying to push his brain into full "awake" mode. Opening them again, he pushed up on his arms, sitting up, crossing his legs beneath him on the bio-bed. :: T'Lea: Oh. I didn't mean to disturb you. I thought perhaps you were dead. :: Probably shouldn't have said that last bit, she thought, kicking herself afterwards. :: Tash: Didn't you know? I'm immortal. :: This was said with a not-so energetic but somewhat playful tone. At least, what he could muster. All said and done, he honestly didn't feel that bad. There was little pain now, just a cloudy sense of slowness, mentally and physically. :: T'Lea: I was being serious. You almost died in my arms, remember. :: It wasn't a question it was a cold, hard fact, and the fact that he was joking about it put her off a little – or a lot – she didn't know actually, *that* would depend on his next response.:: Tash: When isn't it serious? ::thinking on it:: I actually don't remember all that much. Just a whack on the head. I did ask for it, though. [...]ed that Romulan off like mad, did you see the look on his face when I hit the comm.? Last I recall we were dumped in the cell. T'Lea: ::pulling up a chair:: I'll spare you the gory details then. Obviously we escaped, but I think you'll be surprise who orchestrated that small favor… :: Upon hearing the short version of events unfolded, he perked up just a little. :: Tash: Didn't do anything else stupid, did I? ::he paused, not noticing what might be her conflicted expression:: Wait, I don't wanna know. It's usually the same answer anyhow. :: T'Lea had left out the details of their time together while floating in the escape pod. She still wasn't sure if Tash had been in his right mind when he made some rather interesting comments, hell, she wasn't even sure if *she* was in her right mind when she heard them, or how she was supposed to react to them, which was probably another reason why she didn't bring it up.:: T'Lea: Usually? Hmm… I thought you were more consistent than that. Tash: Let's get outta here. Virgo'll let me out if I have a babysitter. :: He slid, albeit a little sluggishly, off the bio-bed, careful to gauge his movements to the ache in his spine. He'd push a lot of things, but the spine was sort of essential, so he had no intention of pushing things. Just needed out of sickbay for a while, as any person would. :: ((Corridor)) :: They'd managed to slip out of Sickbay without too much of a fuss and were now cruising the corridors at a steady pace. Slow. A nurse had given them the evil eye as they'd left Sickbay, but T'Lea had managed to out "evil-eye" her and that was the end of that. Tash was free, albeit under the Romu-vulc's supervision. Honestly, she wasn't entirely convinced he should be up and walking around, but he seemed more alive and maybe even stronger since they'd left. Perhaps his little nanites needed exercise too.:: T'Lea: Are you sure about this? You still look weak. Tash: ::looking to her, knowing he looked how he felt:: Tired, but I'm good. It feels good to move a little. T'Lea: If you fall I'm leaving your sorry [...] on the floor for Virgo. I already carried you once through a ship, I'm not going to do it again. :: She wasn't smiling, but there was a subtle tease behind her voice.:: Tash: Carried me...? ::he glanced at her again, an eyebrow going up:: ...You can carry me? :: A little secret he''d kept to himself concerning the metallic growths, which perhaps only Sariel knew of... with the nanites he topped 300 pounds. He couldn't imagine even a Vulcan hybrid being able to lug around a whole 136 kilos very easily. :: T'Lea: ::a half glance his way:: I'm glad you're alive. Tash: ::laughing lightly, but suffering for it a little:: Yeah, me too. T'Lea: And what I meant by that was I'm glad you're awake. Your snoring kept me up last night. :: After most life-forms on the ship had gone to sleep last night, T'Lea ended up in Sickbay, sitting in Tash's room, worried for his health mostly, but also feeling pathetically lonely. He was there, out cold, and he couldn't leave her. *That* is what she'd resorted too. Seeking companionship from comatose men. Definitely pathetic, and nothing she'd ever admit to herself.:: :: The eyebrows both went up at that. She'd stayed with him? She'd watched him sleep? That was... strangely satisfying, yet simultaneously creepy. :: Tash: You were there... the whole night? :: She ignored him, and perhaps wisely so, instead choosing to remind them of their location. :: T'Lea: Where are we headed, because Vetri's office is right around the corner. I can dump you there, you know. :: That was an odd little joke mixed with a threat simply to change the subject. His response though was quite shocking.:: Tash: Aha... probably a good idea. Della will probably drag me in eventually after all the excitement anyway. ::he glanced at the doorway to the counselors office, realizing he'd run out of energy anyway. A stop might be smart.:: Don't want you leaving me in the corridor, right? :: He gave her one of those smiles, tired but managing it naturally. :: Tash: I'll make it back. You've probably got other things to do. Ensigns to scare. T'Lea: Are you certain? Tash: I'll make it back, no worries. We'll see how much a Trill can carry. T'Lea: ::smartly:: Good. Give Spots hell for me. :: They parted ways, and Tash took a moment to lean into the wall and breathe, resetting his tired mind for Della. There were a few things he thought would be good to bring up with her anyway. :: TBC Lt. Cmdr. Tash Zubowskivich Chief of Security USS Constitution-B Lt. Commander T'Lea Historian & Archaeological Specialist USS Constitution-B

Not a short one, but I thought it worth putting up As you may notice, there are some blanks left in it, but that's mostly 'cause we just haven't had the responses yet... ) -------------------- ((Pride O'Rigel Freighter – Engineering – Access Crawlway)) :: Through the thick hatch T'Lea couldn't hear a [...] thing on the other side. She had no clue if anybody was out there or what was taking so frakking long for them to get her out this hell hole. All she could hear was her own yelling, and the multitude of squeaking and squealing voles that she was trying to fend off with her butterfly knife. For the quantity of those little buggers that she was now facing they were clearly a very fertile critter. The young ones were the worst. They were relentless little [...]s, nipping, biting and scratching to the last breath.:: :: As one vicious vole launched itself at T'Lea's face she snagged it in mid air with the tip of her blade and then skewered another right into the metal grate floor. But whenever two were eliminated two more took their place, one latching onto her pant leg like a playful, but not as cute, puppy tugging every which way it could before ripping the fabric loose and swallowing it. Honestly would this ever end!:: :: An answer to that question came quickly and loudly, scaring both T'Lea and the voles into a short-lived peace agreement. With the controls on the outside of the hatch blown away, the filthy, tattered hybrid turned to face the hatch with a pile of little dead bodies all around her. Hope glistened in her eyes. Was she about to be rescued?:: :: Getting T'Lea's back was a sign of weakness to the voles and they moved in all at once for the kill. At that same moment something with a lot of force yanked the Romu-vulc through the now open hatch, and for a split second T'Lea, the voles, and someone underneath her were all free falling together, and then…:: :: THUD!:: :: They hit the ground in a pile of bodies with T'Lea landing smack on top of what she would soon discover to be her favorite Trill.:: :: Meanwhile, the nasty little critters washed out of the tube and scattered like roaches across engineering, darting between Grace's and Turner's feet, and leaving behind the dead voles that had spilled out of the hatch with T'Lea. Later the varmints would come back and feast on their own dead, but for now they ran to safety and hid.:: T'Lea: Ow. Frak you guys… what took you so long! Aleia: ? Turner: T'Lea you're out now. Save the theatrics until after we find Ben'thal. :: Skittish of *everything* especially if it was touching her unexpectedly, T'Lea almost heard what Toni had said before Della's hand made her flinch in an involuntary reaction when she'd brushed it against her ear. By the time T'Lea had realized it was Della touching her and not a nasty vole, her hand was removed.:: Vetri: Hey. :: Curious to see the beautiful Trill squished beneath her, T'Lea tilted her head ever-so-slightly, and then more when her Trill suddenly winced in pain. As Della looked down to the source of her injury, so did T'Lea only to realize that her hand was mysteriously warm, wet, and still firmly gripping the balisong. The wet stuff was Della's blood, and the blade of the knife was buried deep in the Trill's side. Immediately, T'Lea's heart sunk.:: Vetri: ::softly:: If you didn't want a date, all you had to do was say... :: Afraid to move an inch for fear of hurting the woman any more than she already had, all T'Lea could do was lock eyes with her Trill exposing an expression that absolutely *no one* had ever seen before, mostly because she'd never felt the emotion before – at least not like this. Repentance:: T'Lea: ::softly: …no… ::wagging her head:: … Della… no… I'm so sorry… :: She was about slide her hand onto the Trill's face when, for the second time in the past few minutes, something abruptly removed her from her current location.:: Turner: Aleia, look after the wounds on T'Lea's legs and arms. Aleia: ? :: Discarded off the Trill, T'Lea sat there on the floor in a daze of disbelief, watching as Toni applied first aide to Della's injury. From one horrible nightmare to the next, the voles were nothing compared to this, she thought. Nothing was a scary as the possibility of losing Della. That thought alone brought about a whole new level of fear that the Romu-vulc wasn't prepared for -- and the fact that *she* was responsible for Della's life threatening wound made it that much worse.:: Aleia: ? :: Bent knees with elbows resting on them, T'Lea ducked her head into her hands and half-way covered her face to hide the swell of emotion breaking across her strict Vulcan features. She was oblivious to whether or not Corporal Grace was tending to her bites and scratches, oblivious to everything except how she was feeling and how her Trill was doing. Among all that turmoil, somehow in T'Lea's mind the incident had gone from an accident, to the plain and simple fact that she had stabbed the woman. She'd stabbed Della. Impaled her. Stuck a knife clean through. Gutted her with her own hand.:: :: They weren't even a couple yet and she'd killed her.:: :: Dropping her hands away from her face, T'Lea looked at the sticky blood on her fingers -- Della's blood. It painted her flesh and a side of her face where her hand had been resting.:: Turner: ::looking around at the nasty room:: We need to get her to the Pontiac it's too filthy here for surgery and the infirmary is as bad. :: Swallowing hard at the mention of surgery, T'Lea's gaze fell, racked with guilt.:: Aleia/ Vetri: ? :: Not hardly finished tending to T'Lea's wounds, the hybrid shoved Corporal Grace away when she saw Toni begin to lift Vetri to her feet.:: T'Lea: Frell off, Corporal. Aleia: ? if any? :: In the back of T'Lea's mind she didn't want medical attention until she knew Vetri was okay. Springing into action to help get Della up, T'Lea once more reiterated to the Trill how sorry she was for this. Like it mattered. Sorry wasn't going to make the Trill better.:: :: But before T'Lea had the chance to tell Vetri what was *really* on her mind, Toni had whisked her away. As they moved out, the Romu-vulc had enough presence of mind to grab a phaser on the floor, not realizing that it was Ben'thal's modified weapon, which he had been forced to drop, and she certainly did not realize that it was any different than the standard issue weapon, simply because her mind was totally on Vetri.:: :: Leaving engineering behind, the four women made haste to the turbolift and were greeted by O'Flagherty bleeding a bit from the head. Weapons remained poised until they realized that he wasn't the enemy.:: O'Flagherty: ::mumbling:: They've killed my crew! Turner: Where are they? O'Flagherty: From what I heard, they're leaving the ship, but nothing is on the Pride O'Rigel except your Runabout. We've got to stop them. :: Bristling at that, knowing that the Pontiac was Vetri's only hope of recovery, T'Lea spat a rather graphic curse, indicating that she was not about to let them take the runabout.:: Turner: ::Shoving him back into the turbolift:: Don't worry, we're get them, just help me carry Commander Vetri. T'Lea are you okay enough to use a phaser? :: A phaser? Looking down she noticed that she was choking the handle of one, or a modified one. It had been designed larger in the front in order to accommodate three tips in a triangle configuration, but it had a standard grip, only with two triggers, one black and one red. It was already pre-set to stun, and not knowing how to change the frequency to "obliterate", she didn't try.:: :: The hybrid then looked to Vetri, noticing the colour slowly draining from the Trill's face. In answer to Toni's question....:: T'Lea: I'll manage. :: T'Lea couldn't take her eyes off Vetri the entire ride. All she could think about was what she'd done to her Trill, and that she might not get the chance to tell her how she felt, I mean *really* felt about her.:: Turner: Aleia, call Tash and Cruise and let them know where we're going. Have them meet us there. Aleia: Response :: The tubrolift parked on the correct deck and the doors opened to flush the group out. T'Lea and Grace exited first. Eyes and weapons rapidly scanning the dark corridor as the two checked every corner before waving the all-clear for Toni and company to proceed up the hall. This routine played out three more times before spotting a Ferengi and a Romulan trying to override the port lock to the shuttle craft.:: :: T'Lea levelled a shot into the wall near the Ferengi's head. Her aim looked like a warning shot, but in fact she'd simply missed. She'd actually been aiming for the Romulan.:: T'Lea: Back the frak away from the docking port, drenheads, or the next shot will permanently drop you both. Fetbar/Velvich: ? Turner/Aleia/Vetri/Anyone: ? TAGS Lt. Commander T'Lea Historian & Archaeological Specialist USS Constitution-B

(( Turbolift, Deck Four )) :: Dade boarded the lift, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning dejected against the back railings... He was looking up into the vivid lights; his eyes closed thinking about the "Icarus" thing that kept coming up. What the hell did it mean? Was someone trying to tell him something? Was the Counsellor in on it? He didn't have a clue but he didn't like it.:: :: mini flashback :: Coltraine: Okay, here goes. What's the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? :: T'Lea.:: Adarnis: If I could find the right way to the toilet half blinded. :: end of mini flashback :: :: He let his head lift slightly off the wall and then back down with a dull thud. She wouldn't go away. He went to sleep and she was there. He did drills and she was there, watching. He ran for miles, sweating until it poured from his fingertips and she was there, running beside him. He was walking around half dazed and she was there, every corner, every step and turn she was there..:: :: The turbolift doors opened and she was there.:: :: The Romu-vulc was really quite literally there, all jingly with carabiners, ropes, and a harness. Climbing gear. She hesitated at the entrance, noticing who was inside. Dade. Her first thought was, don't do it. Don't get on that lift. Her second thought was, get on the lift and he'll get off. He didn't have the balls to ride with her.:: :: Ego fully inflated T'Lea entered smartly, securely and confidently, expecting him to immediately jump ship.:: T'Lea: Aren't you getting off? :: He [...]ed an eyebrow in response. That was a response that never grew old. It established that he wasn't rising to her bait and no, he wasn't going to leave the turbolift. He was in it first; if she wanted to leave, she could [...] well do so. His heart strings gave an involuntary jerk as she turned around, showing him the back of her head, her back and other assets he'd admired over the past few years. So, she was going climbing.:: T'Lea: Deck 10. :: The lift whirled into action. T'Lea stayed her ground. The right side of the lift with all the controls was her side; she'd made up her mind. There was an invisible barrier in the middle of the compartment and he couldn't cross it. Childish, but it was working.:: :: The last time she rode a lift with Dade she had been a Lt. Cmdr. and he had been below her. Now, it was the other way around. But that wasn't what made things so very, very awkward...:: :: Her eyes wandered in front of her, careful not to look his way. The lights to each deck were brightly flashing by. She reached over and scratched her arm, feeling the chill of the cool recycled air over her skin. The clothing she wore was climbing oriented. She no longer had a job, apparently, and didn't feel like a visit to sickbay right now. The best thing for her to do was to work off her aggression before she killed somebody. Strenuous exercise and mental focus on the cliffs of Helios Alto would burn off the excess negative energy she was carrying around. Maybe after a exhausting climb she'd be able to lay still long enough in sickbay for the bioscans to do their thing.:: :: The turbolift was moving slow, she frowned, noticing the deck lights weren't passing nearly as fast. Reaching out she hit the deck-ten button just to make sure the computer processed her request. The instant she made contact the entire lift jolted and abruptly slammed to a stop, throwing T'Lea and all her gear over the invisible line she'd drawn in her head, the one that separated her side from Dade's.:: :: In that instant, Dade nearly side stepped her fall but instead pushed forward, back onto her feet. Contact made. Line crossed.. He moved on his feet, separating them again to the width of his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. Rigid. Military. Regulation and regime. Normalcy. He couldn't let her get to him but he was well aware that again, by touching her, even to help, he'd crossed that border that she didn't want crossing.:: Adarnis: My apologies, Lieutenant. :: She gave him a squinty eyed response, and a crinkled sneer. Two could play this game, she thought as she shouldered her gear. The look she'd given Dade was redirected at the control panel of the lift. All she did was touch a button and the [...] thing jumped its tracks. What the frak?:: :: A slight [...] of the head indicated that she'd heard Dade's com. badge make contact. Speaking of contact, [...] lucky it wasn't skin-to-skin when he broke her fall, or something else might have broken.:: :: The Marine pressed his comm. Badge and moved forward, effectively moving her out of the way without the uncomfortable method of physical contact. He pressed the button again, Deck 10, but it wasn't moving. He looked up into the ceiling.:: Adarnis: =/\= Adarnis to Main Engineering. Turbolift 3 is malfunctioning; there's two of us stuck in the brainless thing.. =/\= MacDermott: =/\= Aye, Sair. ::there was a short pause:: I'm sorry, Sair, we're having a problem at this end. Hold tight. =/\= :: The Romu-vulc sharply looked at Dade's chest as if she was going to grab him and flog the voice on the other end of the comm. badge, but again… touching bad. She wagged her head and pretended like she didn't notice the improved definition of his pecs under that shirt.:: T'Lea: ::mumbling:: Frellin' morons… :: She sighed and moved back over to the controls, taking off the panel to do some poking around while Dade decided to stargaze up at the plane white ceiling. Her last comment included Dade in the bunch.:: :: Again, another pause. Dade was doing his best to ignore her presence in there as best he could but it was difficult. Very difficult. It was infuriating, considering the last time they'd been in a lift together it was virtually unbearable to not jump one another. Small spaces, two hybrids didn't really merge. There was a crackle as the communication was re-established.:: MacDermott: =/\= Main Engineering to Turbolift 3. We're attempting to a send a repair team to your position but they may be some time. You have stopped in an awkward place. The overrides have shorted out. Can you hold on in there? =/\= :: Dammit!:: Adarnis: =/\= How long for? =/\= MacDermott: =/\= I'm sorry, Sair, but it could take up to two hours. We have a limited staff do to shore leave requirements. Again, hold tight. We will be with you shortly. =/\= :: Dammit! T'Lea pushed on a few connectors inside the control panel, hard. Overrides were shorted out, he'd said. She didn't know what she was looking at inside the control box, but it was keeping her mind off Dade and his... everything.:: :: The communication cut dead again and Dade sighed aloud. He looked up, not looking at T'Lea purposefully. Grabbing hold of the railings on either side of the turbolift, he hoisted himself up, bracing his boots on them and pushed the hatchway lock door upwards. It hinged open and slid off easily, coming to an end with a clang on the exterior shell of the lift. T'Lea: What the hell? :: Again, he [...]ed an eyebrow but added the next with a slight grin. Maybe it was at their plight of being stuck for the next two hours in a small space, maybe he just wanted a bit more excitement in his everyday life before watching the match in the holodeck...:: Adarnis: What? You think I want to be stuck in here with you? :: Grabbing hold of either side of the open hatch, he pulled himself up and through the opening, standing up on the top part of the lift, looking up into the void of space that was the past four decks they'd descended.:: T'Lea: I can imagine who you'd want to be stuck in… here with. :: Jase. She plopped herself down on the floor of the turbolift, crossed her ankles and folded her arms in a relaxed position leaning against the wall. All she needed was a Stetson hat and she was ready to take a nap and wait this one out.:: T'Lea: You won't get far. The little red light is on. :: Dade crouched down and looked back through the small hatchway to the half-asleep hybrid sitting on the floor.:: Adarnis: Come again? :: Eyes closed she pointed at the control panel, like she was sleepy.:: T'Lea: The red light. Doesn't that mean something, Major? Like, oh, I don't know the rails are still hot? I'd wait for them to cool down before trying anything. :: A sliver of an eye breached open to see if he was coming back in… not that she was worried or anything.. If he wanted fry himself on the rails, who was she to stop him?:: :: He sat down, crossing his legs and leant back on his hands, looking up into the space above. The alcoves cut out for the purpose of the engineers would be bleeping on and off with power. It wouldn't be much worth them climbing up the ladder, none of the access points would be open and if they would, they'd be fluctuating like crazy. He looked back down at her semi-open eye..:: T'Lea: ::closing her eye:: You just going to sit up there? Adarnis: Would you rather I come down there? We'll have a picnic! Or, better idea, I'll just sit here. T'Lea: Knock yourself out. ::pause:: Really. :: She snuggled into her spot and tried to sink into meditation. Rhythmic breathing, thought control, inner-peace. A weird ticking noise. Control, clarity, thought and harmony. And a weird ticking noise. Concentration, self-control, and logic. And more weird ticking.:: :: Dade was knocking the base of his lighter on the roof of the turbolift, trying to decide whether smoking was the right thing to do in the situation.. They could be there for a multitude of hours, it seemed only right to be able to relax for it and just enjoy doing nothing but he was going to miss his match; that one was pretty clear. All he needed was to see a human and a Brikar slogging ten tonnes of hez out of each other... Lighting up a cigarette, he continued to bang the lighter on the shell.:: T'Lea: ::mumbling:: [...]. :: Whatever he was doing, he was doing it on purpose. Opening her eyes, she pulled around her small pack and plucked out a data padd to check her mail. There was a new message, from Toni Turner. It stated that her custom made balisong was waiting for her at DS9 in deposit box 25487-G. She smiled. Finally, she'd have a personal blade again. She missed the one she'd lost with Dade on… Quickly, she realized that she was smiling up at the Marine and looked back down with a soured expression, as if he repulsed her.:: :: As soon as she whipped her gaze away, the Marine exhaled with a small grin at the corner of his mouth. Why she was smiling at him, or why she had smiled at him he didn't know; safe to say she'd done it and it'd annoyed her. Wonderful.:: Adarnis: Light? T'Lea: Red. :: Folding back the flap of her pack, she started shifting around her gear. When she noticed the data padd didn't fit as easily back in the bag as it had before she took it out and was intent on using her time to arrange her belongings for better efficiency. Her eyes accidentally glanced up at Dade, and then back down..:: T'Lea: Guess who's pregnant. :: His eyes went slightly wider and he stuck his head out over the hatchway.:: Adarnis: You're pregnant? ::he blew out the smoke:: Well that's a nice way to tell me... T'Lea: That's right; I'm having your baby. Are you frellin' mad? Toni. Toni is pregnant. :: Dade leant back again, this time knocked for six. He didn't know they were trying for one; he knew they had Vee and Heath had Aliana... She'd grown up on the Thunder with them; he could still see her running about, trying to nick his cigarettes and flush them down the toilet. It was pistols at dawn whenever they were in the room together but she was the best kid he'd ever known and the worst brat he'd ever come across.:: Adarnis: I didn't know they were trying.. T'Lea: *They* weren't. It's not Heath's. :: Again, astonishment registered.:: Adarnis: Woah.... T'Lea: From what I understand they're not even together anymore, relationship-wise and otherwise. :: She was still messing with the contents of her pack. All was in order, but she really needed to keep her mind off the Marine hovering above her.:: Adarnis: Then where the hell is he? T'Lea: Steadfast, Ronin, Eagle, I don't know. He got transferred somewhere. :: He took another drag and blew the smoke out in a more or less circular ring..:: Adarnis: Bloody eegit. T'Lea: ::shrugging:: Dren happens. :: With a quick slap and lock, the flap to her pack was latched securely closed.. She leaned forward a bit using the soft bag to cushion her back as she rested against the wall again.:: :: He picked at his fingernails, dislodging some of the gunk that had trapped itself underneath the nail bed.:: Adarnis: I think it's ironic, actually, but in the long run you won. T'Lea: I win at a great many things you'll have to be more specific. :: Standing up, he flicked the cigarette butt into the abyss below the turbolift and examined the walls. He slid himself through the hatchway again and landed on the floor of the turbolift with a thud, boots on metal.:: Adarnis: That bet. Before you threw the bottle; you bet they'd get married, I said they wouldn't. You won. :: Another memory that made it increasingly difficult to filter through her emotions. She swallowed hard, before clenching her jaw muscles tight enough to counteract *him*.:: T'Lea: I don't recall you wagering anything. What exactly did I win? Adarnis: Depends. ::he leant against the side of the lift, defining the line between them again:: What do you want? :: From the floor she looked at him. *Really* looked at him, taking all of him in, the cut of his body, the texture of his skin, the way he stood there leaning against the wall. She held his image in her eyes until the name Jase popped into her head.:: :: Frak!!:: T'Lea: ::calmly:: Nothing. :: She looked at her hands for a moment and then, clasped them together in her lap.:: T'Lea: On second thought. I'll settle for an honest answer. :: The Marine smiled and nodded slightly.:: Adarnis: Alright. Ask away. :: There was a pause as T'Lea formed the question in her mind the best way possible.:: T'Lea: When you thought I was dead… what did you do all those months, where were you? :: He played with the lighter in his pocket, just moving it around his fingers. Why did she want that answering? By all accounts, she didn't care, so why did she want to know? But, she'd won and he had to answer honestly.:: Adarnis: I volunteered for the front missions. :: With a slight tilt of her head she looked at him. Her expression on the cusp of a frown.:: T'Lea: Volunteer… you mean suicide missions? :: Putting it like that seemed a little harsh but in essence they were. The front line missions were the type that the Hazard Teams got sent on; the Marines were deployed into unknown areas of space where the danger could be anything from a specific fungus to the Borg. The areas weren't always black and white but he'd done it for a reason.:: Adarnis: ::he laughed slightly, as though he was telling a joke:: It was the only thing I could do to stop myself going crazy. They load up the Marines from each quarter, those that volunteer and take us to the front Colonies, worlds under imminent attack or patrolling the hazardous borders.. We came across the Borg a few times, nearly got my head ripped off once or twice. T'Lea: Why? Why would you… :: Shaking her head, she held up her hand before he could answer. She didn't want to know. It wouldn't change anything. The silence was accompanied by the recycled air circulating through the vents. It was suddenly clear that she'd done the right thing by pushing him away. She didn't need him killing himself over her. Besides, he had Jase now.:: :: He'd noticeably said something she didn't like. He gave it a couple of seconds, for the air circulator to recycle some more of their shared carbon dioxide and asked his question.:: Adarnis: So, you weren't dead... where were you? T'Lea: Told you already. Prison. Hit a superior. :: He'd been honest; why couldn't she?:: Adarnis: [...]s. That's [...]s. :: Getting to her feet, she gathered her climbing gear as if she was mounting up for an expedition.:: :: It didn't make sense. If she was imprisoned, why had they told him she was dead? So he'd up? So they could prance him round the quadrant like their golden boy with a gatling gun? He wiped the palm of his hand over his mouth before he launched into an even larger string of expletives.:: Adarnis: It's too small in here. T'Lea: That's it. I'm leaving. Frell engineering. :: One foot on the handrail, she launched herself up to the height of the open hatch and hauled her body effortlessly to the outside roof of the turbolift. Standing there she looked around, taking in the long dark tunnel, the glowing red rails, the alcoves and the [...] ladder just out of reach. In the blink of an eye a glimpse of another turbolift flew by in a horizontal tube.:: T'Lea: Frell the red light. :: Dade took a quick look at it then did the same, following her out of their holding cell and up on to the roof of the turbolift in time to see another one on the opposite side come hurtling past, going upwards towards the bridge.:: :: T'Lea busied herself, stepping into the harness and buckling it up. Suddenly there was an extra pair of hands there, Dade was far too close, tugging on one of her straps. More incentive to get the hell out of there, fast.:: :: They were close enough so that Dade could smell her pheromone count, not conscious of it but the smell was there registering with the back of his brain. He tugged on one of her buckles and pulled the carabiner free, attaching it to another part of the climbing gear. The temptation was killing him but what she'd said only a few days before was still fresh, the hurt was still painful. Only this time, instead of a paces, she was inches away.:: Adarnis: Where were you? T'Lea: On Risa, enjoying the Festival of the Moon. I told you already. Listen much? :: He tugged on another strap that wouldn't come loose, quite sharply until is dislodged itself.:: Adarnis: Don't lie to me. Cura knows something she won't tell me; everyone else seems to be in on this. T'Lea: Then ask everyone else! What do you care, you've moved on. :: She pulled at the her harness on her hips, double checking and being very cautious of where Dade's hands were in relation to hers. One brush of flesh-on-flesh under these conditions and something very bad was going to happen.:: Adarnis: I do care. ::the carabiner clipped into place:: I care a lot more than you think. T'Lea: ::grumbling sarcastically to herself:: Obviously. :: He cared so much that he jumped Jase's bones the same night she dumped him.:: T'Lea: And we're having this conversation because…? :: She was looking up, looking for a way out that wouldn't leave her a green smear on the walls. Mother freller it was hot in these tubes, and she was Vulcan!:: Adarnis: You've already said it. You don't give a [...]e about me; so why should it matter whether I know where you were or not? ::he chewed his cheek:: Besides, my transfer should come through soon, so you won't have to worry about me being around to cramp your hybrid style. :: There was a very discernable hesitation that came with that declaration. Her hand had twitched toward his, but instantaneously recoiled into adjusting her harness again, as if it wasn't perfect. So he was leaving. And it hurt. She'd only lied to Dade about her feelings for him, not herself. She didn't want him to go. She hadn't wanted to do a lot of things she'd been forced to do lately, but she didn't have a choice. And logically this was the best answer. He wouldn't be around for what was to come.:: T'Lea: Fantastic. Maybe you can share a shuttle with your girlfriend. :: That was [...]y, but not the kind of [...]y she normally dished out. She purposely clipped his shoulder as she moved to the other side to survey the climbing terrain. There really wasn't anything to secure herself too. The shaft was slick and smooth. There was an alcove not too high above, but the ladder to it was a hearty jump away. If she missed, she'd fall and slip the gap between the turbolift car and the safety magnets holding it in place. Maybe with Dade's help she could get up there… :: ::He frowned at the comment, it wasn't like her to superimpose him with another woman, whether he'd done so or not. Who was she referring to? Maybe it was no one and she was just trying to find a way out of everything. He'd left her alone, he'd done as she asked, so why did he now have to be put under suspicion? He couldn't remember the last time he'd referred to someone as his "girlfriend" – and that was saying something for him.:: Adarnis: Girlfriend? :: She snatched the rope out of his hand like a viper and nodded up at the dark hole in the wall several feet above them.:: T'Lea: It doesn't matter.. If you can get me up to that alcove maybe we can get out of here. :: glancing back at the lack of response:: What? :: He crossed his arms.:: Adarnis: And what happens when you get up there? T'Lea: I'll frellin' toss you the rope. Adarnis: Yeah, okay. ::he exhaled stiffly:: So, when you chuck this rope back down, I'll have a rope and still be stuck. T'Lea: That's great. Now you don't trust me? Like I'd leave you here to cannibalize yourself. Adarnis: I didn't say I didn't trust you, butt erring on the safe side of caution I'll go first and toss it you. I'm taller, I can get up there. T'Lea: ::sarcastic:: Right. Adarnis: ::laughs:: What, now you don't trust me? T'Lea: Maybe I don't! Haven't I given you enough reasons to kill me yet? :: He scoffed and turned around.:: Adarnis: Do what you bloody like. T'Lea: Fine! I will! :: By this time the little red light had turned to a little green light and by all accounts could be very well splitting its LED sides.:: ((Fast Forward -- Two hours later)) :: T'Lea munched on a granola bar. She was sitting on the floor of the turbolift again, ankles crossed, still wearing her harness, and still enduring a stalemate with Dade. She looked up at him. He was parked in the hatchway above, as if to block her from trying to escape and leave him there.:: :: This had to be a cruel joke. Somebody was pranking them. Things like this didn't happen on Starfleet Starships. Although, the ship did need resupplies.:: T'Lea: ::mumbling:: … could have been out of here by now. :: Rolling his eyes, he blew out another steady stream of smoke and watched it curl up into the shaft above. Another roaring turbolift soared past them on the opposite side.:: Adarnis: Yeah, if you'd have trusted me. T'Lea: If you'd have trusted *me*! Adarnis: Shut up! For heck's sake... :: Grumbling words, and crackles of granola bar wrappings emanated from T'Lea's position below. She was calling Dade every name in the book, and chucking the half eaten snack in her bag.:: :: He looked down the hatchway at her parked on the floor.. It was the top of her head, coupled with her knees. Turning his vision back to the multiple bits from his cargo pants spread out on the shell of the turbolift. He held a perfectly good memory of her in his head, inch by inch of flawless Vulcan/Romulan skin.:: Adarnis: Who's the girlfriend supposed to be then? :: Pfftt… like he didn't know. He was playing dumb. She rubbed at her forehead. She shouldn't have said anything.:: T'Lea: Whomever you like. You're a free man. Adarnis: Well if I'm dating her, I think it's only right I know who she is. T'Lea: Frak if I know, okay? Adarnis: I don't believe you.. T'Lea: You've already made that clear. :: She sighed, and huffed. She couldn't take much more of this torture. That's what this was, torture, you know. Caught and confined with something she could not have. Tempted and tormented.:: :: There was another silence. Another six beat silence in which a lot was felt but not much was said, or a lot was said but all of it soundless. Again, he picked at his fingernails.:: Adarnis: We'd been apart for two hundred and ninety four days, give or take six hours. :: The animosity in her voice was noticeably less. She didn't look up at him – she just kind of sat there, still, staring at the floor in front of her.:: T'Lea: ::small:: what? Adarnis: You asked me. T'Lea: ::soft:: Days ago. Adarnis: Alright, call it a bleedin' delayed response then. :: It had been exactly that many days. She'd kept count, and now she kept silent.:: :: Communicator crackled and Dade pushed the button.:: MacDermott: =/\= Main Engineering to Turbolift 3. =/\= :: The Romu-vulc picked up her bag like this was finally over.:: Adarnis: =/\= Yeah? =/\= MacDermott: =/\= We've tried beaming you out but we can't get past the jamming signals from the lift; there's too much interference. You're looking at another few hours before we can get someone down to you. =/\= :: Dade shook his head and sighed, scratching the side of his face with his now clean fingernails.:: Adarnis: =/\= Do you take Last Will and Testament requests over the conn? =/\= MacDermott: =/\= Err.. =/\= Adarnis: =/\= Nevermind. =/\= Idiot. T'Lea: ::sighing:: Agreed. :: The Vulcan hybrid, placed her pack back on the floor and laid down, using it as a pillow. They were in it for the long haul.:: :: Dade fell backwards, his back landing on the exterior floor.:: Adarnis: Couple of hours. (( Fast Forward – Three Hours Later )) :: Dade was now inside the turbolift, although he couldn't see it as a lift anymore. Lifts moved. This one stayed in the same [...] position for hours on end. He was definitely avoiding this one in the future. No doubt about that. He flicked the ash from the cigarette onto the floor and scuffed it with the sole of his boot. The whole predicament was hilarious; at least it was to him. The one person he'd done his best to avoid and he'd got stuck with her, high up in the middle of the ship where it seemed they were hours from rescue.:: :: Thinking about it, he stated laughing.:: :: T'Lea was still on the floor, but in a different position, her arms underneath her head and her feet propped up on the handrail. For a second as Dade scuffed out his cigarette she thought he was going to throw it at her and stomp on her. Then he started laughing. Her brow arched. This place, the situation -- it was getting to him. It had already gotten to her..:: T'Lea: ::actually concerned:: You okay? Adarnis: I just find it bloody funny. :: Her head tilted back to see him. [...] it. He even looked handsome upside down.:: Adarnis: Main Engineering has something against us. T'Lea: Two loveable, cuddly personalities like us? Adarnis: Maybe it was Cura's idea of a sick joke. T'Lea: That's a distinct possibility. She acts sweet and innocent, but she's got a wicked devious side. We once -- never mind. :: She couldn't tell that story. Cura would lose her Captaincy and T'Lea would end up in a real prison this time.:: ((Fast Forward - Thirty Minutes Later)) :: Seated at opposite corners of the tubolift the two were tossing a little wadded up paper ball back and forth. She indulged in his primitive games. It kept her hands busy and her mind occupied.:: ((Fast Forward - Even Later Still!)) :: T'Lea had taken her finger and raked it over all the deck buttons on the turbolift panel, lighting them up like a Christmas Tree. Now she was sitting again, spelling out the word "Help" with rope.:: T'Lea: Where were you going before we got stuck? :: An innocent enough question as she curled the rope to make the "e".:: :: He looked up from the lighter that he was flicking back and forth, opening and closing, flame then no flame. Man make fire, man make no fire...:: Adarnis: There's a fight going on in the Holodeck. The Briker, Tyke "Left-Lobe" Pi'Caro versus Dorian "The Clip" Morris.. Always good to see an adequately sized human male get slammed in the face. T'Lea: I didn't know there was a fight tonight. ::pausing:: Spock vs. Odo. Now that would be entertaining. ::evil grin:: Better yet, you and Tash. I'd pay money to see that. :: He [...]ed an eyebrow. That wouldn't be a tough situation.:: Adarnis: Me and Security Boy? Never happen; lad would have a cat if I punched him the once. T'Lea: Trust me. He's got moves. I wouldn't underestimate him. You'd need counseling after going a round with him. Adarnis: Would I bloody hell – the man's got hair like a hedgehog for brik's sake. He can go head to head with a hedgetrimmer and it'd win. ::he flicked the lighter again:: Besides, Jase has put me in with a Counsellor. Says I need some therapy to "sort my [...] out". :: She looked up at him and stopped bending the rope right in the middle of shaping the L into the P. The mention of Jase made her skin crawl. Why had Jase ordered him to therapy… did she really care about him that much? T'Lea shook it off, she couldn't stomach thinking about it. Instead, she pretended the name meant nothing to her.:: T'Lea: Awww... ::making a pouty face:: Are you getting your wittle head shwunk? :: He didn't think that T'Lea knew how alluring that face was.:: Adarnis: Unfortunately. Either I do it, or I'm in hide away for a month. :: The Romulan hybrid tugged apart the word she was spelling and coiled it back up. Jase had her claws in him, went the thought again.:: T'Lea: Everybody needs somebody to talk to at some point in their lives, a friend, a counselor -- :: Climbing to her feet she smoothed out her clothes.:: T'Lea: -- a ma--entor. :: She was going to say mate, but quickly tried to reformed the word into mentor. Her eyes looked up to see if he'd detected the cover up.:: :: Maentor wasn't a word he'd heard before. He slipped the lighter back into his pocket and moved off the wall, looking at T'Lea. There was something there; behind the blue eyes as if she was tearing the mental blocks down and trying to let him inside. There was something else. He didn't know what, but they were getting closer.:: :: The turbolift jumpstarted, and for all of two seconds the car was on the move again before stopping and opening to the very next deck, which T'Lea had previously punched in, out of boredom. Hinging on those deep violet eyes, she had moved to him as if she was going to step right into him and confess what was keeping them apart. There was a strange moment where the Vulcan hybrid continued to look at the Marine. The turbolift doors to their freedom were finally open, but she didn't move. He didn't move. T'Lea almost spoke, but instead she reached down to his left foot, picked up her pack and exited the lift.:: :: He looked up to the ceiling and hit the flat of his fist against the turbolift controls. He kept hold of the release button and turned to the door opening, watching her walk down the corridor. Swallowing hard, he said the only thing that came to mind.:: Adarnis: Do you want me to stay? :: With half a glance back, the Hybrid kept her pace down the hall. She heard him. The question was about his transfer. Yes, she wanted him to stay. No, she couldn't tell him that. Because he would. And he couldn't.:: :: Her focus returned in front of her and she disappeared around the corner. She would go to her quarters and for the next few hours she would prepare herself for someone who was attainable, someone that was raidly becoming very important in her life.:: :: He released the button and the door closed, putting a physical barrier between them. Dade let his forehead rest of the inside of the door.:: ---------- Lt. T'Lea Historian & Archaeological Specialist USS Constitution-B & Major Dade Adarnis Platoon Leader Winter Company USS Constitution-B

((ICU - Sickbay - USS Constitution-) ::The doors swished open and Ensign Sariel Locke entered the ICU of Sick Bay on the USS Constitution-B. Captain Cura Assanti had undergone extensive surgury to her abdomen after receiving a stab wound by a sword. As Ensign Locke entered, Cura's head turned as she lay on the bio bed.:: Assanti: ::smiling:: Sariel? Are you ok? Locke: ::Sariel walked over to Cura smiling:: Nothing but a few bumps. How are you? Assanti: I'm fine. Just a stab wound that did some nasy things inside is all. Otherwise I'd be up and about. Locke: Good... ::Sariel glanced up at the readouts on the wall, he was no doctor but nothing appeared to be outside of the normal ranges.:: Well looks like we survived shore leave. Assanti: Sar,:: glances downward and sighs as she wondered if she should say anything.:: We will have to be a bit more careful. Locke: ::Sariel shrugged:: Well next time you pick a planet where no one is trying to kill us. ::He smiled at Cura.:: Assanti: No I do mean you and I and I do mean what we've started. ::brow furrowing a bit.:: The Admiral wasn't too pleased with- :: Cura stopped talking then. She knew where this would go and didn't want to go there. She really did not want to say what needed to be said. Perhaps now wasn't the time. Cura looked into Sariels eyes and all that she had to say seemed to leave her. She didn't want to stop what they had started.:: Locke: Oh... ::Sariel took a step back, he looked down. He felt foolish joking around while Cura was trying to be serious.:: I don't care what the Admiral thinks, what do you think? Assanti: I don't know. :;sighs:: I've never been here before and I don't see my way. Rear Admiral Rocar's been here before and he knows what's best. Can I totally ignore what he's said and do the exact opposite of his advice? I don't see how that will get me anywhere. Locke: Ah, the Career aspect. ::Sariel looked at the console above Cura's bed, then down again. His voice remained steady.:: So the Admiral says jump and you jump then. Assanti: I know I should not let others dictate our lives, Sariel but Locke: ::Sariel's eyes met Cura's for a moment, they simmered with anger and frustration. Despite his anger, Sariel's voice showed none of his frustrations.:: ...but a flag officer told you to end it and so that's it. Assanti: See I knew this would happen. ::Cura turned away from his gaze.:: Sariel, I'm a Captain now. I must follow orders of my superiors...my life is dedicated to this ship, its crew and you are an officer within that crew. If I had to make a decision to send you out into a situation that could cause you ultimate death, I ...I don't think I'd be able to do that and still have a relationship with you! Locke: I would expect you to send me anyway. ::Sariel blinked in surprise and annoyance.:: What else could you do? Assanti: I'd send someone else and that could very well put our ship and crew in danger. Rear Admrial Rocar was right. I have too much responsibility to go fooling around with it! Locke: So what Cura? You're done? ::Sariel choked on the words. He took a moment to pull himself together... it had hardly began, what was he loosing really?:: Assanti:i I didn't say that, Sar. I know this is not what you want and I don't want it either but can we really complicate things and not worry about the consequences? Locke: I think I have a firm grasp on the consequenses, Cura. So up and down in a few hours... at least it has an interesting symetry to it. Assanti: In just a few hours..no, I'll give ourselves more credit. It took a few months, right? The first mission on the Indria when you joined us. I didn't know right away but I sensed you looking at me....touching me...and then when we went swiming. I wanted to run away cause I thought it was wrong. I sort of knew this would be a problem I was afraid. But when I'm with you, I know it's not wrong. ::Cura grabbed Sar's hand.:: I don't want to say what I asked Paul to have you come in to say. So I won't say it. But if we are to continue seeing one another it will have to be behind closed doors Locke: ::Sariel took a long moment, his mind buzzed with so many options.:: Is that even an option Cura? Assanti; No one will accept this...A Captain...and a Junior Officer? An Ensign no less. Althought I had plans on upranking you, the difference in ranks is substantial ::shaking her head.:; It's ground no one has dared to travel upon, Sar. And there are sound reasons for that. Whether we do things in the open or in secret it will force us to live a lie. I don't know if you want to do that. Locke: I don't... ::Sariel looked away leaning against Cura's bed with his eyes in the corner of the room:: I won't hide whatever this was, just so I can have it in the future. It's not fair to either of us, and it doesn't solve that you feel you couldn't send me into danger. Assanti: If you were to walk in my shoes you'd find it very difficult. I did it before with Tash and he was actually gone for a whole week..dead, Sar. You don't know how torn apart I was to have given the order that sent him there. Don't ask me to do that again! Locke: Cura... I was willing to give this a try. I don't want to play cloak and shadow to see you. If we are going to do this we are going to do it in the open. ::Sariel turned to look at Cura:: I'm okay with the risks of that. I signed up for this job knowing that sometimes I would be risking my life, can you be okay with that? Assanti: Easy for you to say! You have nothing to loose inthis but me...your pride::sighs.:: I...I don't know. ::turning and looking away as tears welled up in her eyes.:: I was actually finding it difficultl down there just now to even consider splitting us up. The thought of any separation gave me a [...] panick attack!! :: Cura slapped her hand again the bio bed.:: You want me to be okay with it? Right. Oh it's just Ensign Locke, my lover and I should just sent him out there into harms way and not CARE that he could get killed? Right! Oh yeah, that's easy! :: Her words were dripping with sarcasmn now.:: :: Cura had asked this to herself mostly.Could she be okay with possibly sending Sariel into dangerous situations? It was then that Cura realized that she would probably have to adopt another way of dealing with her life, one that included being two, totally different people. She had battled nearly her whole career to try and change John Stone's ways of being no nonsense while on duty and more emotional and engaging off duty, but now she really understood WHY John had adopted that pattern. But this didn't make sense either, because it was wrong to try to be two totally different personalities. Not only that but it would drive her insane! Shaking her head, Cura sighed with frustration. With these thoughts running through her mind, she tilted her head slightly:: Locke: I'm not afraid of what people think. So it's up to you. ::Sariel pushed off from his leaning position on the bed and headed towards the door.:: Assanti: Sar...Wait! :;turning away and sighing.:: Okay. I'm new at this. Alright? I need some time to think this through. You don't understand. ::crying:: I feel like a [...]ed tug of war rope! You pulling me this way, Tash pulling me another and Rocar might as well of tied knots in the [...] rope! ::covering her face and crying.:: Locke: I'm going to go clean up and get a drink. ::Sariel looked back at Cura, his face for the first time breaking the mask and showing real concern and sadness.:: Feel better Cura, if you need me I'll be around. We can talk more when your feeling better. Assanti: ::slamming her fist into the bio bed again, Cura cursed.:: Dammit! =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= Captain Cura Assanti Commanding Officer USS Constitution- NCC 9012-B and Ensign Sariel Locke Chief Science Officer USS Constitution NCC-9012-B