Ensign Ambrosia Hayley

I know what you mean Brek I don't speak another language fluently ond, rydw i'n siarad yn ddigon cymraeg for it to happen occasionally Particularly when I'm surrounded by people do do speak it fluently... I went for Klingon as it's a language you can actually learn! I still think that's kinda awesome.

I think this kinda sums up Borg diplomatic policy

Original Enterprise for me Sure, I'd probably be a Redshirt and sure even if I got my actual prefered position (Ship Historian) Kirk still dosn't have a great track record with them either (Although I do think I'd be able to avoid running off with Khan)... I'd be on the Enterprise. I'd be boldly splitting infinitives and all that, with the crew Plus I'd be guaranteed an interesting Death

Hmm... I'll admit I'm kinda torn too. On one hand, it would be nice to see something dedicated to one of the bigger quandaries of the universe how do people actually handle exchanges!! I can't quite tell from the introduction that's available though how effectively it can answer the question, or even if it can be at all. Do we consider Roddenberry's vision cannon? One of the other writers? I'm also slightly dubious of the idea of evaluating it from the ideas of economics today, too much has changed by the time of Picard's announcement that “People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We've eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We've grown out of our infancy.” the energy problem facing us now is more-or-less solved (after all, fusionable materials are the most abundant in the universe and produce unfathomable amounts of energy) allowing, at least on a micro scale, near-infinite access. I mean, even our current basic attempt, DEMO is predicted to produce nearly enough energy to power Great Britain. And that is a pretty inefficient design, imagine what the situation is in the 24th century... And we have at least one of these on every Starship; Starbase 118 has 4. It would be like trying to predict the Greek Debt crisis from the state of farming in Early Medieval Europe. Personally, I've always been a fan of the idea of the credit being a convenient unit of energy which can be exchanged both in direct terms (i.e. Replicating a sandwich takes 10 credits of energy) and for barter (i.e. it costs 10 + X credits to buy this wonderfully made and locally sourced sandwich from some guy). But I suspect this isn't the place to discuss my ill thought out ponderings that I have when I should be thinking about more important things

((Deck 5, Sickbay, USS Doyle-A)) ::The Andorian First Officer grumbled and folded his arms across his chest, looking over at the attractive, albeit angry, medical officer.:: Sundassa: Commander, you are the First Officer of this ship, how would it look if one of your officers died from blood loss... Someone from your own species. It's more likely that someone will find out about your lack of involvement than your involvement. ::His antennae angled forward and pointed at the woman standing opposite of him. He was standing along one side and Tel-ar and Sundassa on the other. It was though they were battling over him.:: Udas: Oh yeah? And how? Sundassa: Medical records can be sealed, but even so, most people don't know the donors of blood or organs unless it is authorized by the donating party. Not only that, but how would anyone besides those in medical know that Commander Tel-ar needed a blood transfusion. Bishop: It's even possible that medical records go missing, or just aren't filed when someone doesn't do their job right. ::Udas turned and looked over at Bishop. For months, he had thought little of the Constitution and now Doyle's Chief Medical Officer, but recently he had seen the man in a different light. He considered the missing medical records clause as Sundassa continued speaking.:: Sundassa: You've seen his medical file, this is common for him, he is a frequent visitor of sickbay. What's to say there isn't a stock of blood for when it does? Bishop: Which we can certainly take care of for future concerns. ::Udas pinched the brow of his nose, considering what they were saying. Every inch of his frame, every cell in his body, hated what Tel-ar stood for and what it would mean, if world ever reached Andorian authorities, that he had helped The Outcast. The man wasn't an Andorian in the slightest, renouncing all things from his culture and history. The First Officer knew he was a prideful man, but his species were a proud people. They had fought off numerous invasions, conquers, and internal struggles to emerge, alongside the Vulcans, Humans, and Tellarites as one of the Founding Members of the Federation. And Tel-ar shrugged millennia of history off as though it was a dirty old coat.:: ::But Sundassa had a point. As much he didn't like it, he had a duty to save the lives of his crew. He was the First Officer of the ship, the right hand man, and if someone died, it would be a black mark on his record. He had to be pragmatic and professional about this, as difficult as it may be.:: Udas: So what then? Sundassa: Once blood is donated, it goes to who needs it most, the donors don't know who it is generally, and the recipient doesn't know who gave it. The blood goes through screenings before it is stored anyway, and there's no way to tell whose blood is whose unless you DNA match it to its donor. Udas: And the records would be sealed? It would be locked away? I'd prefer if you just destroyed the [...] thing. Sundassa: Besides, while you wouldn't have to disclose that you were the one who saved him, and we wouldn't do so as part of patient/doctor confidentiality, you'd have the bonus of knowing you were responsible for him still being alive, in a way that Starfleet officers should be proud of their actions... The unfortunate thing is that while good news spreads, bad news spreads faster, which is why if you don't do this, it is more likely to get around that he needed blood, and you refused. First Officers are supposed to care about their crew, and take care of them, and the ship. You are responsible for him, the same way you are responsible for Bishop, Danara, and even my brother. Don't let us down... ::He sighed loudly and grumbled. He didn't respond well to being guilted into things, especially things that were as paramount as pride and family history.:: Bishop: Besides, if you really want to look at it critically, you've already assisted him. You saved our lives, including his, back on DS285 when you worked your way out of the handcuffs that were placed on us with the explosives. If you hadn't freed him then, we'd be dead and you would have lived up to your laws. ::Udas was being worked over by the medical staff and he knew it. He wasn't entirely sure if Bishop's arrival had been an accident, but they had their jobs to do - in this case saving a life- just as he a job to do of keeping the ship operating.:: Udas: ::speaking a bit slowly:: You do, of course, realize he has been blacklisted on Andor. No Andorian is to assist him or offer him any quarter. He is persona non grata as you Pink Skins say. ::sighing:: I'd be ruined if it came out. Bishop: Do you really think your government is going to try to look up absolutely everything you have done and try to tie you in with his lot. :: Alex motioned towards Tal. :: It's a stretch to think they would go that far unless you had aspirations of a great political office back home. But I would think, having risen to the rank of First Officer, you've found a home in Starfleet. If you are constantly holding on to how everyone else thinks of you, then we can make something up that absolves you of any involvement whatsoever. I promise. But, you don't need to let him die just to prove a point. :: He looked down at Tel-ar, who was oblivious to the conversation taking place around him. Udas knew the man to be an Outcast, a [...]ed fool, and a man who took unnecessary risks. He hoped Shel would toss his blue [...] in the Brig or ship him to some research station where the only security risk he ever had to deal with was a vole infestation. But if Udas wanted Tel-ar to be punished, and he did, he would need to keep him alive.:: ::Udas rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, shoving the dark uniform up to just above his elbow. As he was doing this, the Andorian made his way over towards a small table in the room, a stool resting next to it.:: Udas: Do it. Make it quick. Sundassa: Thank you ::He rested his arm on the table, the cool metallic surface feeling pleasant on his skin. Udas looked over at Bishop, moving his antennae in his direction.:: Udas: So about those missing records, doc... Bishop: What records? :: Alex said innocently. :: As for what I'll tell people, if anyone asks... You were asked down here so I could apologize for what I said to you in the transporter room. :: Alex paused a moment. :: I'm sorry. ::He sighed loudly, not in anger at what Bishop had just said, but in resignation of the fact that he was violating about everyone one of his moral codes. He would had just as soon let The Outcast die if he wasn't First Officer.:: Udas: And Tel-ar can never know about this either, understood? Sundassa: As far as he is concerned, we were well prepared, and had a supply of blood for the inevitable, of which we saved his life with. ::He grumbled, thoroughly unhappy, as he watched the two medical professional do what they had to do.:: Udas: Do it. Make it quick. Sundassa: Thank you ::He rested his arm on the table, the cool metallic surface feeling pleasant on his skin. Udas looked over at Bishop, moving his antennae in his direction.:: ::The Andorian huffed a bit to himself as he watched Sundassa grab a special hypospray and loaded some sort of bag to the device. Once she had that, she moved to the table and tied a tourniquet onto his arm. Looking away from the pretty doctor, he eyed Bishop.:: Udas: So about those missing records, doc... Bishop: What records? As for what I'll tell people, if anyone asks... You were asked down here so I could apologize for what I said to you in the transporter room. ::he paused:: I'm sorry. ::Udas smirked, realizing that perhaps he liked this Bishop character more than he previously realized.:: Udas: And Tel-ar can never know about this either, understood? Sundassa: As far as he is concerned, we were well prepared, and had a supply of blood for the inevitable, of which we saved his life with. ::It wasn't much of a stretch. The selfish man had displayed a knack for getting himself injured, Udas had learned over their nearly a year of serving together. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked over at the two medical professionals.:: Udas: I can't believe I let you two talk me into this.

(( Hallway to the Airlock of USS Apollo-A )) :: Jalana walked right towards the airlock that would bring her onto DS285, where the Apollo had just docked after a considerably short flight for the distance they had crossed. The joys of the Slipstream drive. She was not sure why she had been told to meet with Captain Shelther Faranster, but as the brother of her best friend, he did not have to have a reason. She was curious though. Nobody had attempted to clear her confusion, she only had gotten the order. It was a surprise to her that they were even here, but since she worked in Sick Bay, she knew, that she’d miss some vital things from the bridge work flow. Sometimes she wishes she had not told Jaxx, that she did not want to be out of Sick Bay.:: :: She loved her job, but now there was more history, more experience in her belly, literally. It had changed things, it had changed her wishes and ambitions. And it made her miss being in the loop as she had been once. Not only on the Apollo, but way back a long long time on the Farel, when she had been Commanding Officer of the Trill Private Service. She shook away the memory of the day the union with the UFP had been announced, the day she had lost her position, and headed out of the airlock, with a small nod and a smile towards the security officers that let her through. :: (( Outside Airlock, Deck 50, DS285 )) :: Shel had just gotten back from his hurried mission to track down the fugitives from the Marquis reborn, and was glad to be at his home station, where it all started for him. On their way back, he had received the Commander exam results of his sister's best friend, as well as orders to promote her to Commander, an honor he would be doing for the first time. Also in his orders, were instructions to deliver the USS Constitution-B to the woman, for her first command. The ship had been in the hands of a crew of Starfleet Engineers since he had left for his mission. :: :: Since orders from above had the Apollo at his home station, he sent the request for the woman to meet with him, and when he knew they were docked, and she would be coming through, he made sure he was waiting on the other side of the docking tube. :: :: Jalana stepped out and a big smile crossed her face. There he stood. The purple hair was not easy to miss. She found it fascinating, that colours that were unnatural for some species, were the most normal thing for others. Like his sister with her bright lilac hair, that so many thought was dyed. She headed right to him and held out her hand to greet him. :: Rajel: Shelther, nice to see you again so soon. :: Taking her hand, he shook it, since it was official business, and he had never met with her outside his sister's company, he figured that was safest. :: Faranster: Space is small when you have a slipstream, isn't it? :: He grinned at the woman. :: How was the flight? Rajel: It was good, just a little surprising. We had not docked for a long time on DS 5 before we apparently were called here. How is the Doyle? :: Shel almost laughed at the question, Starfleet gave him a brand spanking new ship, and within hours, he is fired upon. At least this time, his shields worked. :: Faranster: Getting acquainted with her crew, you know, got to break it to see how it works... Or so my Engineers tell me. Rajel: ::Smirking:: Yes, I think I heard that before. And how is she doing under the pressure to do well? Faranster: Not too bad, got back here on QSD, so we were able to maintain structural integrity. :: He paused. :: But, I didn't call you to the station to exchange status reports. Rajel: I figured. How is Sun doing? :: Jalana had left the Doyle to return to the Apollo without Sun. Her best friend had chosen to remain a little longer with her brother. Jalana was not sure, but maybe also to have a little distance from the Apollo. While they had met Andrus on the Doyle as well, something had seemed off between them. Truth to be told, Jalana missed her friend and could not wait to see her again. :: Faranster: She's fine, and anxious to join you, actually. She's gathering up her belongings. :: He glanced at the security officers for a moment. :: Walk with me. :: They started moving away from the air lock. He knew she had to be curious, but he would have been clobbered by Sundassa if rumors spread to her before she was able to find out herself about the promotion he was bestowing on her best friend. :: Faranster: I don't think you ever got a tour of my old ship. Rajel: I did not have the opportunity. You were rather eager to move to the Doyle, when we arrived. But then I did not have a tour of that either. ::She looked up to him with a smirk on her lips.:: :: He laughed a little, the woman was right, before he could give her a tour of the new ship, he was called out for an important mission. It seemed every time they were up for shore leave, something interrupted it. :: Faranster: Well, while I can easily correct the tour issue with the Doyle any time you'd like, I would like to give you a tour of the Constitution now. :: The red brows of the Trill wandered upwards, pushing the spots on her forehead against the hairline. :: Rajel: She is here? When I left she was still at DS 10, that’s quite a distance to make sure we can have a tour. :: The ship did make it a great distance, and he wasn't quite certain how they did it, probably something above his pay grade. But it was certain that they wanted the Trill to have the ship. :: Faranster: Yes, she's docked on the other side. I am surprised you didn't see her on the way in, but on DS 10 we did have a couple Garuda crew members mistaken the Constitution for theirs, so I suppose all Galaxy class look alike. Rajel: ::laughing:: Well if you went through that trouble, sure why not. There is something about walking through an empty ship. :: They started walking, his gentle direction towards the docking port the Galaxy class starship was ported at. He was still keeping it secret, because news spread like wildfire. Of course, without facts, rumors also got spread. :: Faranster: You sound like you've done this more than once, how many times have you toured empty ships? Rajel: Twice. Once about 160 years ago and a bit more than a year ago, before the crew moved into the Apollo-A. :: He laughed, the Apollo-A was a huge ship, one worth walking through while almost empty. He did however hear, through the rumor mill, stories of a lilac haired woman running squealing through the halls. But, he had gone to lengths of trying to discredit those rumors, as they didn't sound very flattering to their then FO. :: Faranster: I knew about the Apollo, I am curious about your encounters with her empty halls. :: Jalana smiled, he knew that Antosians were curious - possibly none more than Sun, but she could imagine her brother have the same inclination. :: Rajel: Well, it was in the lifetime of Apria, the third host... (( Flashback - about 160 years go plus minus a year or so )) :: The Trill Private Service, finally she had made it. Apria Navile had finished her training and now was Listra, the first rank in the officer's system. She was excited and wanted to get to work right away, though she would have to wait. The TSS Farel was a brand new ship, and the crew was not on board yet, but would join from all over Trillus Prime and its colonies tomorrow. Because Apria was already close to the docks, she had decided to not return home to her parents, but head there right away. :: :: So there she was, walking through an empty hallway of the TSS Farel, the floor swallowing the sounds of her steps, which gave it all an eerie silence. She knew that she was not alone on board, there were people who put the finishing touches on the ship, be it calibrating sensors, connecting power to all systems or last check ups. But they were all busy, hidden in the guts of the ship. But as eerie it was, as peaceful it felt. :: :: She could not put her finger on it, but it was calming, as if the ship made a special connection with her, as she stepped to one of the walls and placed her small hand on it. She was sure she felt some vibrations, but was not sure if it came from the ship itself, or from the dock it was attached to. :: :: This would be her home for as long as she could possibly could. This was where she would do her magic as resources manager and operations officer. She would make sure everyone had what they needed, well not only her but the team she was joining. It was an important position and she was proud of it. A smile brushed over her lips as her palm slid gently over the smooth material of the wall. :: Apria Navile: We'll be good friends you and I. I can feel it. ((/Flashback)) :: As they stepped through the airlock and onto the Constitution, he recalled how he felt being on this ship when it was his command. Now he was thinking about all the things he needed to give Jalana heads up about. His tactical officer always had a problem with the shields on the ship, of course it was possible it was just his tactical officer, and if that was the case, then she wouldn't have to worry. :: (( Hall by Airlock, Deck 25, USS Constitution )) :: Turning around, he held out his hand to help Jalana through the airlock. :: Faranster: It is an interesting thing, having the ship being so quiet, let's head to the bridge first. Rajel: Why the bridge? ::She was curious, since last time he had asked her about what she wanted to see, he had suggested Sick Bay first. :: Faranster: Well, this was my first Command, so it does hold a special place. Rajel: I can see that. Well then, Captain. lead the way. ::She smirked up to him:: :: They moved towards the turbolift. When they stepped inside, he called out their destination and the lift started its ascent. He figured promoting her on the bridge of the ship, was appropriate since she was going to be the one commanding it. :: Rajel: How was it to command a Galaxy Class? From what I learned in the Academy it has some history. Faranster: There is some history to the class, but more importantly there is history to the Constitution herself. Do you know much about the class? Rajel: Only heard of it and well, the short visit. The first Apollo was an Achilles Class ship and well the Odyssey Class you know. :: He smiled, he had briefly been on both of those ships with her, and now there would be a third ship in common. :: Faranster: Each ship's class has its own beauty. I liked commanding this ship... :: Although he did find that he loved commanding the Doyle, it was probably the fact that the ship was his, not a ship that had numerous commanding officers before him. Although, for his first ship, there was nothing like the Galaxy class ship that they were inside. :: (( Bridge - USS Constitution ) :: When the lift stopped and opened, they entered onto the bridge. It was much smaller than the one of the Apollo-A, but it was actually quite nice. She liked the round shapes, not only of the back of the bridge, but also at the tactical and security station behind the three middle seats. It made everything look rather organic and pleasant. :: Rajel: Lovely. At this size at least nobody has to scream to make sure everyone on the bridge hears it. ::She grinned at Shelther.:: Is the Doyle's bridge of that size too? Faranster: The Doyle's bridge is about the same size, but nothing is as big as that banquet bridge that you currently have. I only hope it doesn't spoil you too much. ::Looking around she compared it to the Apollo bridge, apart from the size the order and arrangement of the consoles was different too, and they were not holographic. It was a little old fashioned, which was pretty nice, she thought. :: Rajel: It think that this... banquet bridge, is actually a little too big. Why do you hope that? Faranster: Well, while I would have loved for this to be a purely personal visit, I actually have some official business. I have the results of your Commander's exam, Jalana. Rajel: ::The surprise was written in big letters into her face.:: You do? Why have they sent them to you? ::After she asked, she actually had another question that was way more pressing to her.:: Will you tell me the results? :: He reached into his pocket, for a promotion ceremony, he would have a box for it with him, but he wanted to keep things as quiet as possible. He wrapped his fingers around the solid pip and removed his hand from the pocket. :: Faranster: Congratulations, Commander. :: holding his hand out, showing the solid pip. :: You passed, and are hereby being promoted from Lieutenant Commander to full Commander, complete with the rights and responsibilities of the rank. :: He smiled broadly at her. :: Would you like me to do the honors? :: Pointing with his empty hand to her collar. :: :: Her heart beat faster. She had done it. She had really done it! Her cheeks turned reddish as she remembered how worried she had been, that while she was a good doctor, she possibly was not cut out to rise up further in the ranks. It was an unbelievable feeling, she could jump of joy and only because this seemed to be a hint official, she held back. But she could not avoid grinning widely. :: Rajel: Please do, Captain. :: He was happy for her, it was a big achievement to be promoted to Commander, of course it was a big achievement to get your own command when being promoted to Commander. Something about the smile on her face made him excited for her, in a way he hadn't been excited about his own. His promotion had been a relief, a new challenge that didn't have the burden of his family. But the excitement in her eyes gave a different story, and he wanted to know what it was. :: Faranster: You earned this. :: As he stepped closer to remove the half-pin and fasten the solid one she raised her head, partly to give him better access to the collar, and also to look at him, since he was quite a bit taller than her. The top of his hand accidentally brushed along the line of her jaw, causing a gentle shiver run down Jalana's back at the warmth of his skin met her cooler one. :: Rajel: Thank you. It’s an honor to receive the new pip from you, Shelther. :: After Shel quickly finished changing the gold encrusted black, half pip, for the solid gold pip that showed the achievement that the woman had accomplished, he exhaled sharply. He tried to be careful when he had put the pin in place, and hoped he hadn't hurt her, looking at her, he didn't see any sign that he had, and smiled. :: Faranster: I am glad that I was able to bestow this honor on you, you are a good officer and it was a pleasure to serve beside you on the Apollo. Rajel: ::Smiling:: Why thank you. Faranster: I think, you'll make a great Commanding Officer. :: He grabbed her hand and directed her to the center seat of the bridge. :: I know you've sat in the Captain's seat before, but sit there, and imagine it's your ship, and you're in charge, the crew all reports to you, and you are their Commanding Officer. :: He was getting excited describing it to her, being in command of his own ship, which was now to be hers. Imagining how it felt, all over again, being there for the first time, newly in charge of the crew. :: :: She laughed as she sat down on the chair, leaning back and brushing her hands over the armrests ending on the small screens at their ends. At her size it felt like the chair was a little big, but she didn't mind, it still was cozy. :: Rajel: Wouldn't that be something. Me in charge. ::She chuckled:: It does remind me of the time when I was First Officer under your sister, while Jaxx had been gone on some other duty. Wasn't too bad. It would be an exciting adventure, and surely different than in the Trill Private Service. It's a different time. Faranster: Well, you should be excited... :: Shel grabbed his PADD from his back pocket, with the orders for Jalana, as well as ship specs for the Constitution. Jalana would need them. Holding the PADD out, he spoke again. :: Starfleet Command wants the next Commanding Officer of the Constitution to be, you. :: As she heard the words she still laughed, but in the corner of her eyes she saw him hold out the PADD and her green eyes shifted to them, then up to his face in disbelief. :: Rajel: Are you serious? Faranster: About the ship being yours? Very serious, I am glad to be able to pass my first command off to you as your first command. :: Since the Constitution was his first command, he was very pleased that she was going to a good friend, someone who would take care of her. Being able to hand the ship over, ordered or otherwise, was a great honor. :: ((Flashback, ca 150 years ago)) :: The office was quiet, safe for the beep here and there coming from the screen on the desk. The man behind it did not pay any attention to it, but tapped a datapadd on his fingertips. Apria stood attention ever since she had come inside, waiting for the Vedran behind the desk to speak, while her eyes went straight, out of the window to the stars. :: Parx: Do you know why I have called you here, Kezra Rajel? Apria Rajel: No, Sir. Parx: You might be aware that Terza Grent has been relieved of duty and therefore of command of the TSS Farel. A. Rajel: It made its rounds, Sir. Parx: Good, then it won't be a surprise for you. After careful consideration of the candidates and their files, the choice of the future Commanding Officer falls on you. :: Her eyes fell down on the older Trill's face for just a split second, in surprise and disbelief, but quickly returned to her official stance. Was he joking? Of course he was not, Vedrans did not joke about that kind of thing. She was going to be the Commanding Officer of the Farel, the only ship she had ever served on. :: A. Rajel: It is an honour, Sir. :: Though the words could not describe how she felt. The pride and joy that hummed in her, made it to her lips, as the corners lifted to a smile. This was like a dream come true. She had been here from the first day of its 'life' and now it was hers. :: ((/Flashback)) :: Jalana smiled, remembering like yesterday how she had gotten command of the TSS Farel. Apria would decline just because the Constitution was a Federation ship. But Jalana had been a Federation member ever since her birth, just like Trill had been for over a hundred years now. She had served in Starfleet and she could not imagine not continuing so. :: Rajel: I.. I don't know what to say. ::She took the PADD without looking at it.:: That is.. wow. ::She laughed.:: You could not have told me that before I left to return to the Apollo, right? ::She had just left to return, just to come back to the Conny, oh the irony.:: :: He took a seat in the seat reserved for the First Officer, looking out at the view screen. Shel was glad she was happy, or least she seemed happy. His first commission to the ship, was a good and a stressful thing at once, but never the less, he had been happy when it happened. The crew, knew him and trusted him now, even if they were weary at first. :: Faranster: I'll take that as a good thing, Jalana. Rajel: I do have a question though. Who will be my crew? :: That was a good question, one he might have asked himself. As it stood right now, a good number of the crew from the Apollo would be joining her. He didn't know what was happening with the Admiral, or where he was, Sun hadn't spoken to him the entirety of their trip, but he knew that Sun was looking forward to getting Puck back. :: Faranster: Your crew will be comprised of a number of officers from the Apollo. Rajel: ::Her eyes widened:: Really? That is fantastic! ::She realized that it meant that Jaxx would not return. She had a guess where he was gone, since he had never found out if his children were still alive. But.. :: What about D'Sena? :: D'Sena was an officer he barely met in passing as he was leaving the ship, Sun had some experience with her, but not very much that she passed on to him. It was obvious to him that she was curious why they didn't offer this opportunity to the other woman. :: Faranster: I suspect they aren't as impressed with her performance. Rajel: I understand. I had not expected that Starfleet would jump on the chance to bring me into the center chair. I had stated my interest in Command after all, thanks to Apria. But... wow. Apparently they do manage to make me speechless. ::She laughed:: Did you feel like that when you got command? Faranster: :: He sighed, this day was for reflecting on his first command. :: I am not sure I found myself speechless. I didn't like saying goodbye, that part was hard, but you won't have to do that. :: He smiled at Jalana. :: Rajel: ::She returned the smile.:: I am glad about that. It does sounds like the whole process wasn't easy for you. Faranster: I had passed up the opportunity several times to move towards command with our fleet on Antosia, due to my family needing me. But, after things changed, I jumped when I could take this. :: Part of him wondered if it was a good choice, his sister had just broke off her engagement. Hopefully she would be able to find whatever it is that she needed to find, but he knew one thing, she didn't want to hold him back any more, and now he had more people relying on him than just his family. :: Rajel: And your crew is surely grateful for that. From what I saw you are a good Captain. Faranster: Since these people are people you've served with, you probably already feel the same way I do about my crew, they are your family. :: He paused and reached over, putting his hand on her arm. :: Let Sun take care of you, and please take care of her. :: She fidgeted a little on the seat to turn herself towards him, before she placed her hand on his. :: Rajel: Sun is one of the most important people in my life, I will always take care of her. And I think she would say the same about me. :: Shel nodded, during the time on the Doyle with his sister, he had initially told her that she couldn't hide on his ship from her heartbreak, but after having a chance to talk to her, she didn't want to. By what he could tell, while she didn't want to be reminded of what she lost, she didn't want to leave her best friend, and he knew that it would be worse for her to be away from Jalana than to be somewhere near Jaxx. Fortunately, she was going to be free of reminders and be with her best friend. :: Faranster: I think you are right, Jalana. Rajel: ::smirking:: Hey if you are anywhere close the same goes for you. Being her brother means you are family. Faranster: :: squeezing her arm gently he smiled again. :: Thank you, I feel the same. :: He thought back to how protective he was of her when she was going through her breakdown from finding out about Commander Lanius. And then protecting her from scandal cost him his counselor, a price he gladly paid. The man seemed more concerned about how things appeared for him, than protecting Jalana's reputation, and given her situation, Shel felt the man was taking advantage of it. :: Faranster: I haven't heard much about your family, but I am sure they will be proud of you. How about you? :: She looked around the bridge and listened to her inner voice. Her hand remained on his for another moment. :: Rajel: I feel pride. I don't know if you know that, but my father intended for me to follow his footsteps, to become a diplomat, even an Ambassador. Faranster: I take it that you didn't like the career path that he wanted you to take. Rajel: ::She laughed:: Well, it wasn't too bad, but it was not for me. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. The night I told him, he told me he did not want see me any more, so I left. I finished Medical School on Trill and then went to Earth to join Starfleet. He said I would never make it. :: That must have been hard on her to have a parent not believe in her. The Faranster children never experienced that, lack of faith from their parents. They were encouraged, but they also knew the pressure of expectations, from their mother. He thought there was a certain level of cruelty in discouraging a dream. :: Faranster: Well, look at you now, an accomplished doctor, a Starfleet Commander, and commanding your own starship! Rajel: Well the pride I feel not only because I have made it as a doctor and as an officer.. but also because I made it before I was joined. Nobody can say that I achieved any of this because of knowledge from past lives and while I value my symbiont and what I gained from it, it is nice to know that I made it without. Faranster: Did you know, that you are following your father's career path of choice, even if not the desired route, at this point? :: Her green eyes looked at the purple haired man a little taken aback. :: Rajel: What do you mean? Faranster: Diplomacy, ambassador... They are roles that we have to fill on a daily basis as Captain. It's something I am sure you've noticed with Admiral Jaxx, and when Sun stood in as Commanding Officer on the Aegis. :: Jalana blinked slightly, she had never looked at it like that. But it was true, while every officer learned from the start that their actions reflected on the fleet and with that they were ambassadors of Starfleet, it was way more literal for Commanding Officers. Not only in their way of general conduct, but also in the way they were the first to react to new situations, First Contacts, Crises and such. Jalana shook her head and laughed.:: Rajel: Will you look at that. After years of going my own path, I am returning to where it began. :: Shel couldn't help but laugh in response as she realized the truth in what he said. :: Faranster: Amazing, isn't it? Rajel: The way I look at it, it is the best of both worlds. I am myself, I do what I love and I am where I want to be, and still weave my father’s wishes for me into my life. Faranster: Yes, you are you. Your father would be a fool not to be proud of the woman you became. Do you have plans to tell him? :: Shel was only a friend, and he was proud of what Jalana had achieved. Parents should be proud of their kids when they do something they enjoy, and he believed Jalana was exactly where she wanted to be. :: Rajel: I guess I should. Maybe hearing about that will make him at least talk with me again. ::She smirked as she looked at him:: Thank you for showing me that side. I have not thought of it. :: Shel stood, and stepped in front of her, extending his hand to help her from the seat. It was sounding like their time on the bridge was coming to an end, and they should move on to the rest of the tour. :: :: Jalana smiled as placed her hand into his and stood up. She continued the fluid motion to step closer and wrap her arms around him for a hug to show her appreciation. It was the first ever between them, though it felt appropriate. He was her best friend's brother and she had just told him that he was family. :: Faranster: You're always welcome. Let me know how it works out. :: She stepped back again and nodded, her lips still curved upwards. :: Rajel: Of course. ::Pause:: Has Starfleet mentioned when we are to leave and where our operational area is? Faranster: I wish I knew, but I imagine you'll receive your orders from Starfleet Command shortly. :: He thought about it for a moment, when he received the Constitution, he didn't get his orders from Jaxx as to where they were going, but a message directly to him from Command. There were certain things that needed to be done in person, he supposed, and others that could be done from far away. :: Rajel: Well, even you cannot know everything. :: She grinned and walked slowly towards the lift.:: Then let’s stay with what you do know. How about you show me the rest of me my ship? Faranster: I think I can do that. :: He followed her to the turbolift, and thought about all the locations on the ship that he found interesting. There was a curiosity looming as to who she would have in charge of the lounge. The aquatics lab didn't need to be on the tour, as she would have seen that, and medical too. There was just so much to show on the ship, as it had a good number of decks. :: :: As they moved through the ship, they talked, and he explained the missions and difficulties they had with their shields and computers. Advised against bringing on scientists from space stations that specialize in viruses, or going into temporal anomalies. :: :: Jalana thoroughly enjoyed taking the tour with Shelther. She was in awe of the library, which looked like they stepped into an old world, that many had long forgotten or not even known it had existed. She saw Sick Bay which was smaller than on the Apollo but had its own charm. She was excited to say the least, knowing that this was her ship. Her own command. She could still hardly believe it. And she could not wait to tell Sundassa the news. This would be one wild adventure. ::

I do agree that a show showing some other aspect of life in the Star Trek universe would be fun. Perhaps we could even have a show showing off one of the many other species around? ... Oh brain, why do you keep coming back to 'Keeping up with the Cardassians'?

Hello Rhys! My name is James and I'm also from Wales Great to have another Welshman around!

Well... Usually, James just kinda passes out on his desk so... Full Uniform.

((USS Excalibur-A, Bridge - Mindscape- )) :: Lieutenant Commander Luna Walker looked on in shock at the downed Captain. Everything around her seemed frozen, locked in the moment. It had happened again... which was impossible. She'd followed the rules.. to the letter. She'd ignored her instincts and did everything right... so why was the Captain hurt because of her? :: Pink Walker: Nice job. I mean this is totally better than doing things my way. :: Luna looked up to see herself... well the "old" her.. perched on the console. Her uniform was stained and spotted, and was obviously ripped. Mockingly, the pink haired version of herself saluted. :: Pink Walker: Yep... rules are great. I mean let's count things down shall we? You've lost the respect of your team. I mean who is going to listen to a Chief who says "don't fix that"? And it's been brought to the FO... who was once an Engineer.. so you've burned that bridge well enough. You drove a HUGE wedge between you and Danni James.. much less Mobius...who has the drive to do great things if you'd let him. And what was that other thing... hrmmm... :: She pointed to the downed Captain:: Right.. and you got another Captain killed. Really.. way to go! :: Her anger and frustration boiled over at the sarcastic, biting comments. Without pausing she lashed out.. catching her "self" and sending her crashing into the center of the bridge. She stalked towards her... not nearly done yet. :: Walker: And what did you do little girl? You abused the rules and system.. and snuck off to find who killed your father. Which left you so far out of contact that the only way Ben even FOUND you was that the Tal'Shiar thought you'd die after the torture. :: She picked up the still stunned half-romulan and punched her again, driving all of the pain, anger, and self-loathing and sending her once again flying. :: :: The pink haired officer caught herself so when the crazed chief engineer came to her, she struck first, staggering the blonde. :: Pink Walker: You let your ship down.. your crew down.. and now your Captain is downed. Don't lie to me... we could have been ready to go... :: She gestured to the still frozen Captain:: THIS wouldn't have happened! :: She turned back to her opponent only to feel the back of her hand crack against her cheek:: Walker: And what about Captain Nicholotti? You know.. where you worked on repairs to the point you were confined to quarters for several days? And what happened then? That's right.. when she needed a solution.. you weren't around. So to make up for your rule breaking.. she sacrificed herself! And you want to keep doing that? Keep being the "fun" person who no one can rely on?!? :: The pink haired woman was screaming back now, her voice quickly becoming hoarse from the effort. :: Pink Walker: Don't you DARE! People ALWAYS relied on me and I always came through! I may have broken rules.. but always for the right reasons! And you know the situation with Dad... I had a lead.. :: A booming voice interrupted the argument.. looking around both noticed a shimmer to the air.. The pink haired woman frowned and held up her hands in surrender.. however temporary. :: Pink Walker: They need us. Now. This isn't over.. and you'd better get that stick out of your behind. You know what's needed... :: The other woman rolled her eyes:: Walker: Of course.. miracle solutions delivered just in time. Engineering motto... :: She shook her head:: I can't be like you anymore Loony... Pink Walker: And I won't let you become Lluneh either... we couldn't survive that... :: She chuckled:: So break the rules again.. make it work anyway.. :: ((USS Excalibur-A, Bridge)) :: She leaned down for a moment, covering her face and wiping the tears out of her eyes before responding:: Walker: I'm sorry, what did you say? And is she.... Lt. Cmdr Luna Walker Chief Engineer USS Excalibur-A

((Sickbay - Corbin’s office - USS Darwin)) ::Corbin sighed heavily as he swung his large feet onto his desk and leaned back into his chair. He took his PADD and had it start playing the latest football game he got downloaded from earth recently and then pulled up Dr. Manius’s file. He was still tired from this last mission and ran his free hand through his hair as he looked down at the PADD. :: ::Dr. Manius’s file was full of contradictions. Half was full of praise at his work ethics and his doctor knowledge and skills. The other half was full of complaints both from patients and staff about his course attitude and short insulting remarks. Corbin knew that Dr. Manius was a doctor of extraordinary abilities, better than he was in many ways, however being a doctor was more than just diagnostic and surgical skills, it was also how the patient perceived you, how you dealt with others and how you convied a sense of….healing/wellbeing. He felt this was probably the reason why he had not been promoted already. :: ::Corbin felt a bit weird recommending someone for promotion. He had never done that before especially when the promotion was going to make the officer the same rank as him. However he felt based off the outstanding job that Dr. Manius had done in the sickbay in the past few missions he at least needed recognition and sending that up the chain of command could only be the right thing to do. :: :: However before doing that he felt he should talk to Dr. Manius tell him his intentions and perhaps get a better feel for the doctor. Putting the PADD down he reached over to his desk communication button and pressed it.:: Corbin: =/\= Dr. Manius, could you meet me in my office at your earliest convenience, thanks. =/\= ::Dr Manius was in the same place as always and to be honest it was starting to feel just a bit cramped. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were tidy. That was the thing that made him feel so uncomfortable with the place. He was used to tidy roommates and having more of a run of the place. When he heard Dr Corbin call him to the office he wondered what the agenda would be. Maybe he was looking for a change in shift patterns now that they had Margariti and she was settling in. :: Manius: =/\= Of course sir. I’m free now if that is convenient for you? =/\= ::Just because the senior doctor had said for him to come up, it didn’t mean he was necessarily free right that second. :: Corbin: =/\= That is great Doc, see you soon. =/\= ::Corbin was a bit surprised that Dr. Manius was free right that moment but they might as well get it over with. Corbin flipped his legs off the desk and turned off the football game. He started to sit rather rigid and tall but quickly slumped into his more relaxed posture within moments. He slid the PADD with Dr. Manius’s file right before him and bowed his head in thought as he waited for the doctor:: ::Todd arrived outside the office a few minutes later and had made a cursory effort to ensure that he was presentable. He chimed the door and waited to be called in. :: Corbin: Come on in. Manius: Sir. ::Giving Corbin a respectful nod. :: ::It wasn’t much of a greeting and there were no pleasantries. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be here or that he wasn’t interested in Dr Corbin. In fact his tone was as pretty neutral, which was as close as it ever got to being friendly... with a few notable exceptions. He simply didn’t want to waste Dr Corbin’s valuable time and figured that he would want to get down to whatever business it was that had called him up here. :: Corbin: ::Smiled brightly at Dr. Manius and pointed to one of the two chairs opposite his desk.:: Please sit Doc. Manius: ::Taking a seat at the desk:: Thank you sir. Corbin: Now Doc, you don’t have to call me sir, Jack is fine. ::The idea of calling Dr Corbin by his first name actually felt really strange to him, after all they hardly knew anything about each other and were not exactly friends. The only person he referred to by their first name was Kaitlyn and that was more a result of his Ravensville experience than anything else although it seemed slowly he was making a friend. :: Manius: Okay, if that is your wish. :: Corbin took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his hair and figured he might as well get straight to the point. Dr. Manius probably would prefer it that way anyways:: Corbin: I called you down here because I have been looking at your file. I want to recommend you for promotion. Honestly Doc, you are outstanding when it comes to the medical side of things, I could not ask for a more skilled medical practitioner to call my peer. ::Todd was delighted to be getting a little recognition for his hard work and to hear he was going to be recommended for promotion certainly made him smile. He’d been trying so hard for so long now and despite having treated so many high profile patients he’d been getting nowhere. :: Manius: Thank you sir! ::Proudly:: Corbin: ::Smirks and sighs trying to come up with the right wording:: I think you know however that your, hmmm, bedside manner, could be improved upon. ::It felt like a bit of a backhander hearing that and it made his mood and expression sour a little. He felt that he gave patients an excellent service even if he wasn’t touchy-feely by nature. No one had ever made a complaint to him or said they were unhappy, so where was the problem? It was probably because of his insistence on sending people like Phos on upskilling programs when they foolishly injured themselves. :: Manius: What do you mean? ::Corbin had dreaded this. He had hoped that Todd had known that he rubbed people the wrong way. Heck Corbin knew he made people uncomfortable sometimes with his touchy-feely nature and his down home attitude. He even turned it on worse when he was dealing with people that were uncomfortable with it especially if he really did not care much for the person. :: :: Dr. Manius however he sorta liked, he had gotten used to his blunt attitude and could see the great doctor under it. Standing Corbin moved around his desk and leaned against it standing in front of Dr. Manius he crossed his arms and looked down at them not really wanting to look at him:: Corbin: oO Perhaps the direct approach is not the way to go Oo Doc, I know, you know, how to heal peoples bodies. Heck Doc, like I said you are one of the best physicians I have had the pleasure of working with, but we don’t just treat a patient's body. We also have to treat them emotionally, mentally and even spiritually at times. That means sometimes we have to think about what we are going to say to someone, whether a patient or anyone. We have to think about how our words will impact that person and if there is a way we can say the words we want to say that would be easier on them. ::Corbin stopped talking, he looked at Dr. Manius, he wondered if he was making a bit of sense to him.:: Manius: oO Easier on them… ? Oo ::He didn’t think his words were generally so hard to swallow. He just told people things as he saw it. Dr Corbin was suggesting something here and whatever way he looked at it, he didn’t really like it. Furthermore the senior Dr had now come around to stand in front of him, effectively towering over him with arms crossed, making him tip his head up to see the man. He didn’t particularly like that either and after a pause went so far as to stand up, so he could speak to the man as an equal. :: Manius: Dr Corbin. If a patient needs emotional, mental or spiritual help I can think of a number of people qualified to give it, ranging from the counsellor to a religious representative depending on the patient’s needs. I’ve never had a problem referring patients to what you might call ‘sister services’. I hope you are not suggesting that I do not think about what I say to someone carefully enough because I would have to disagree with that. I have an honest and direct approach that gives people the information they need to have. ::Corbin sighed and scratched the short beard he had grown since starting to serve on the Darwin. He reached out and patted Dr. Manius on the arm. He stood and walked around the small office the action helping him get his thoughts in order:: Corbin: How about this Doc, lets say you have a patient who has a diagnosis that does not have a very good prognosis. Lets say only 10% of patients survive with their condition. What would you tell that patient? ::In the situation presented it sounded like the patient was going to need to start coming to terms with the fact they weren’t likely to be around much longer. Jack hadn’t given a timescale and said whether the condition killed someone slowly or quickly. That sort of detail would make a difference, but only up to a point. :: Manius: I would tell them that the survival rate for people in this condition has not been very good in the past but that we will do everything in our power to try and beat it. I would ask them if they have any friends or family that they would like to have around them for support. I would also offer the services of a counsellor. ::Corbin heard the textbook approach to dealing with the a patient with terminal illness. He had seen many doctors take the unemotional, distant approach with patients. However, he had seen first hand how doctors that connected with their patients on an emotional level actually had higher levels of survival.:: Corbin: Doc, what I would call that is the safe approach. You are keeping yourself distant, you are keeping yourself safe. You are not helping the patient cope with the situation you are just spitting out the facts to the patient and letting them deal with it. If you don’t mind, let me tell you a story that happened to me while back on earth. ::Corbin went and sat down in the chair next to the one that Dr. Manius had recently vacated and leaned back looking up at him:: Corbin: I was a very young doctor at the time. Just out of medical school. I was following the head of the department and he was discussing with the wife of his patient about the course of treatment that the staff was going to do with the patient. The patient had been given a terminal illness and was sitting there slumped over, dejected and looking down at his hands. After the other doctor was done I went up to the patient and said. “You look like a man without hope”. He looked up at me angry and shouted, “Of course I am without hope, I have been given less than a month to live.” I took this in stride and looked straight at the man and said “That is a typical patient, however, 5% of people who have your illness survive. You might be one of them. That is why we still do the care.” I then left him and went about the rest of my rounds. 5 years later a man came up to me and shook my hand. He told me that I saved his life that day 5 years ago. Everyone else had told him that he was going to die, while I told him that he still had a chance to live. He ended up being in that 5%. Do you understand the point I am trying to make? We need to treat the whole person not just the body. ::Todd listened to the story with care and by the end of it he felt he was no better off. He didn’t see what was missing, what Corbin was looking for. He couldn’t see how his approach failed to live up to expectations and he still felt he was doing a good job. :: Manius: I don’t see how my approach fails to meet that end. What’s missing? ::Corbin looked up at Todd and tried hard not to sigh. He was just unsure how to get his message across to him without recording him actually seeing a patient which would break a dozen rules:: Corbin: Doc, it’s just how you present the information. I told you, you are a great doctor. You have fantastic skills, the problem is people come away from your care feeling, uncared for, instead of feeling as they should and feeling amazingly cared for and that is just about how you present yourself and your care. Honestly Doc, I am just trying to help you be a even better doctor. Just think on it will ya Doc? Manius: Yeah. ::Todd would think on it because he was committed to his work and cared a whole lot about giving patients the best care possible. It was a bit of a shock actually, to hear that he wasn’t doing as well as he’d thought he was. He felt pretty displeased about it actually, but he had to admit that Jack had guts. He was the first boss he’d had that had ever given some kind of guidance. He didn’t think he could pull a white rabbit out of a hat though. If Corbin wanted him to present information in a different way, then someone was going to have to show him what they wanted. How could he make someone feel more cared for? That seemed to be the question he needed to answer and right now he was drawing blanks. :: ::Corbin looked up at Dr. Manius. He could see the flicker of different emotions cross the man’s face. He could tell he was not exactly convincing or perhaps getting his message across as well as he could. Corbin stand up and puts a hand on Dr. Manius’s shoulder.:: Corbin: Look Doc, I don’t want you to worry too much about it. I just think you are a great doctor and I want you to go far is all. When you have a chance perhaps you can watch Dr. Margariti or I with a few patients. See how we interact and compare it to your own style is all. ::Chuckling:: Just look at the patient interaction and don’t criticize our doctoring okay Doc? ::Todd couldn’t remember ever having criticized his peers doctoring style, so maybe he was taking that comment a little too personally but it rubbed him wrong completely. Surely it had to be a reflection of his own fears because otherwise he feared people had developed some very strange ideas about him. He wasn’t against observing the other doctors a bit more and on reflection, maybe it would be interesting. The truth was he’d never really taken an interest in the other doctors style. He let them do their job while he did his. He’d really been more focused on his own job. His jaw tightened and he took a deep breath but despite his best efforts he couldn’t hold back from asking in a slightly sour way. :: Manius: And just what makes you think I would criticize your work? ::Corbin could not help look surprised at the question. His dark eyes widening. He then clearly sighed and placed his face in his palm.:: Corbin: Todd! I was teasing! Joking. I know you would not criticize us. Maybe it was a poor joke, but I never claimed to be good at comedy. I meant it as a compliment if anything. Look I meant nothing personal far from it. ::Corbin stops at that point and starts scratching his chin and tilting his head looking at Dr. Manius with renewed thoughts. .:: Corbin: oO Perhaps that is the problem, perhaps Todd takes things too literally. I am just not sure how to help that. Oo Corbin: Anyways, I did not mean to cause any ruckus. ::Todd hadn’t liked everything he’d heard but the fact it seemed to come alongside a recommendation softened the blow. He appreciated the honesty and respected Corbin more because he had the guts to speak up, where previously no one else had. It had been a similar case with the counsellor a while back too. He hadn’t agreed with her either. What had she said to him again? He was going to have to think it over and see if there was something he could do to improve his performance and have a smoother journey to the next recommendation. :: Manius: It’s okay sir. I do appreciate the honesty and i’ll think it over. Is there anything else? Corbin: ::Again Corbin had to fight the urge to sigh. He did however run his hand through his hair and shook his head:: No Doc, I will be getting that recommendation to the Captain today. I hope that soon I will be able to call you Lieutenant. And thanks for thinking it over. Manius: Thanks for your time. ::As Corbin watch Dr. Manius go, he sat back down at his desk with a heavy thump. He looked at the recommendation he had wrote for Todd and pressed the send button:: ::Todd headed off. In some ways it had been a strange meeting but overall he was quite happy. He was finally getting a recommendation and even if nothing came of it he felt proud to know that Dr Corbin valued his work enough to put him forward. He couldn’t help but get his hopes up a little with the prospect of getting a promotion at long last. :: A JP BY: Lieutenant (jg) Jack Corbin MD MO USS Darwin - A "Never give up! Never Surrender!" And PNPC Ensign Todd Manius Medical Officer USS Darwin-A Simmed by Reinard

((Manius’s Shared Quarters)) ::Todd had been in a place of peace and hadn’t wanted to be disturbed. For some time now he’d been vaguely aware of a piercing sound droning on in the background. As time went on and it didn’t stop the sound seemed to grow more insistent. A throbbing sensation in his temples started to accompany it, dragging him from his half-asleep state. He rolled onto his back, scrunching up his face as the pain in his head intensified. :: Manius: Alarm Off! ::There was sweet silence in the room once again, broken for a moment by a relieved sigh. Waking up more fully and blinking his eyes open, Todd realised he had bad photosensitivity too and a slight nauseous feeling. He rolled out of bed with the worst hangover he’d ever experienced in his life. He wasn’t much of a drinker normally, so just what was going on with him lately? :: ::He glanced at his pale face in the mirror, scratching his rough skin as he shrugged off his night wear and began to get dressed. He had pulled on his trousers and was zipping up his teal undershirt when a message arrived for him. He immediately downloaded it to his PADD for convenience, thinking it was a note from the boss. With Phos nowhere to be seen he took the liberty of perching on the edge of her bed as he opened the message. :: ::Right away he saw there was a video attached at the top. Figuring he was meant to watch that first he pressed play but the first sound and sight that greeted him had him so shocked he nearly broke his fingernail when he slammed it down on the screen in an effort to pause it quickly! :: ::This was not something he wanted Phos walking in on and he scurried to the rest room, with his heart pounding hard in his chest. He looked at the still frame, gathering his nerves. :: Manius: oO What the hell is this? Oo ::The video clearly featured him doing something he could not remember a single thing about! He searched his mind frantically to remember where he’d been last night and who he’d been with but all he was drawing was blanks. It looked like the answers to those questions, were right here in his hands. :: ::He pressed play and watched. The more he saw the less he wanted to see but he had to watch it. He had to know what he’d done since he couldn’t remember it. Seeing and hearing himself like that filled him with disgust. He felt the strength drain from him and he sank to the floor, watching with a growing horror the unfolding scene. :: Manius: oO This is completely depraved! Just what the hell is wrong with me? Oo ::He could not believe what he was seeing. Had someone told him he was responsible for this he’d have called them a liar. Even though he could see it with his own eyes he really struggled to believe himself capable of such terrible, shocking actions. What he saw was appalling and rocked him to his core, he didn’t know what to do! :: ::Fear, self-hatred and loathing mixed with disgust. His feeling of nausea amplified as the room started to swim like his jumbled, confused thoughts. :: Manius: oO I can’t believe this. I would never do that… but I just did. There must be some mistake… but how can there be? Who took the video? Have they handed it in to security? Oo ::Todd worried greatly about what would happen next. He was terrified and utterly certain that security would burst in here at any second and haul him off to the brig. He didn’t want that to happen. He was a good doctor! He cared for people and saved them! How could he be that man in the video. That man would likely get court martialed, dishonourably discharged and sent to the toughest penal colony in the Federation. He would be beaten and maybe even eaten by the other prisoners because even they viewed people like him as the lowest of the low. He didn’t want that fate but from what he saw it looked like he deserved it. :: ::When the video finally finished he could barely look at it. Those sounds were going to stay with him forever. His right hand covered his face partially as it all sank in. This changed things for him forever. He almost missed the fact there was a short message at the end. It was from N’Rila and she needed to see him immediately. :: ::Obviously she knew what he’d done but he knew nothing else. Who had captured this video, when, how and why? Had they handed it in to security? All these questions and more buzzed around his head. This was all just far far too much for him to handle. Not knowing what else to do he clambered back to his feet and staggered back through to the bedroom to pull on some socks and shoes. :: ::He was supposed to be starting his shift soon but all thoughts of work had gone from his head. He needed to sort this first and headed through the ship towards the docking port so he could meet N’Rila on Deep Space 6. His heart was still racing and he was barely able to keep it together as he crashed through the crowd. :: ((Deep Space 6, Promenade)) ::N’rila sat quite comfortably on one of the seats outside the Nebula Bar, legs crossed and a Saurian brandy in one hand. She could afford it, or she would be able to afford it, thanks to a get rich quick scheme that she’d just dreamed up. She was pretty pleased with herself, in all honesty. The Takaran had tried to land herself a fortune in latinum on a number of occasions before, but with very little success. This one was going to keep her in the lap of luxury for the rest of her life.:: ::She’d asked to meet up with Todd. Something told her that he would be a little more likely to answer her request now that they’d met up a couple of times. She knew he’d come back to her in the end. She didn’t believe in destiny, but this was as close as it came. They were supposed to be a team and she didn’t like that he’d left her in the lurch for so long. Not one bit. It looked like that was going to be put right from now on.:: ::Sure enough, he eventually pushed his way through the crowd and took a seat opposite her.:: N’rila: Todd. About time. ::He sat in front of her, looking dishevelled and harassed saying nothing for a while. What had happened was bad enough on its own. It was an extremely serious matter and he could not be more deeply ashamed and disgusted by what had happened. Even now he could not remember it and found it hard to accept. Yet here he was because someone else knew his dirty secret and in typical fashion it was the last person in this universe he wanted to have anything to do with. :: ::He didn’t even know what to say to her, or what she would say to him. He had so many questions and yet he was afraid to ask any of them. He wasn’t sure he wanted the answers. He certainly didn’t want to discuss any of this but it was inevitable. He looked around, not wanting to be overheard by anyone and started with a greeting of a sort. :: Manius: N’Rila. ::The Takaran’s tone was sympathetic as she brought up the topic that was obviously on Todd’s mind.:: N’rila: Quite the night you had. You want to talk about it? ::Todd felt pretty close to freaking out and could already feel his face colour and his temperature rise. This was deeply embarrassing and he absolutely did not want to talk about it. One hand went to cover his mouth again and the other raked through his uncombed hair. :: Manius: ::Shaking his head:: Not a good night, so no I don’t want to talk about it. How did you get that? N’Rila: Musia runs the internal sensors in her quarters to visual record constantly. Paranoid about having her quarters broken into. In this case, it looks like her paranoia paid off… ::She couldn’t finish the sentence. The fact that Todd had done what he had done had her surprised. Or did it? Perhaps that was the most difficult thing to wrap her mind around.:: ::Todd could barely believe it but had little other choice. He could speak of all the rotten luck he wanted but ultimately he couldn’t get away from the only fact that mattered. What he’d done wasn’t just immoral, degrading and wrong it was a serious crime. It was clear that there were a few people with the power to turn him in right now, himself included. He was so deeply angry and disgusted with himself that he was tempted to walk right into the nearest security office and confess all his sins. Surely that was the only right thing to do. Yet he was a coward and deeply deeply afraid of where that path would lead. :: Manius: Who else knows? N’rila: Just her and me. She was pretty cut up this morning. ::The Takaran had met with the Orion just a few hours ago and she had passed her the video then. N’rila hadn’t wasted any time in getting in touch with Todd after that.:: ::Todd nodded and kept his eyes lowered, choosing to focus on something on the table. He couldn’t blame Musia for being cut up about it. It was a pretty horrific thing for anyone to experience and he sincerely wished that none of it had happened at all. He would give absolutely anything to take it back but it was impossible. :: :: He may have seemed very callous or at least cold in his responses, at least verbally. He seemed to retreat into himself at moments like this even though the pain and stress of it was unbearable. A wave of nausea hit him and for a moment he thought he might break down completely. He pinched the bridge of his nose and hardened his expression, trying to control his breathing and bottle the emotion that was trying to pour out of him. :: Manius: Ok. What do you intend to do? N’Rila: Well, it’s more what you intend to do, isn’t it? I assume you don’t want anyone else to know? ::She would have thought that was a given, what with his Starfleet career and reputation resting on the fact that he had to be squeaky clean.:: ::He didn’t know what he was going to do actually. He was torn about turning himself in and facing the consequences of those actions. If anyone else had done what he had, he’d want them to face the consequences. He hated the kind of person that did that sort of thing and now he was one of them. If he didn’t turn himself in he would live the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. :: ::Yet another part of him was afraid. He knew he should face up to it but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to face the humiliation. His friends, family and colleagues would never look at him the same again. He would be a hated man and once he was stripped of everything he cared about he would end up in a tough penal colony. There he would be broken and beaten. That was the part that scared him most. :: Manius: I don’t know what to do. ::A desperate new plan formed in his mind:: I guess I could top myself. ::With slumping shoulders:: ::The Takaran narrowed her eyes, weighing him immediately in judgement. She had never heard anything quite so pathetic.:: N’rila: What, so Maviv really has nothing to live for? I imagine that will probably push her over the edge and she’ll no doubt be joining you. Is that what you want? ::Todd felt shocked and alarmed at that, his face flinched and twisted in horror. That was the very last thing he wanted! :: Manius: No! Wait no, that’s not what I want but what else can I do? N’rila: You can never speak of this to anyone and you can make it up to her. That’s what you want, surely? ::N’rila smiled the same smile her friend had seen for years. It came as easily to her as it always had.:: ::Make it up to her? How could be ever make it up to her? He would never ever expect forgiveness for something so grave. Even so there was nothing he wanted more than to make this right somehow. It just sounded too good to be true. :: Manius: There’s nothing I want more N’rila but come on, how can I ever make up for that? ::The Takaran answered in as nonchalant a way as she possibly could. It was all so simple, really, when they looked hard enough at the problem. Sure, this was pretty serious but, when it came down to it, there was enough power still in Todd’s hands to make sure it went away. Maybe that wouldn’t happen straight away but eventually… who knew?:: N’rila: Well, as you know she’s very keen indeed on her racing. Perhaps the thrill and rush of that would be enough to help her forget? At least for a little while? ::Todd didn’t dare laugh even if the very idea that racing could somehow make up for this in any way was completely laughable. He ended up looking up at her with a slack jaw but not quite making eye contact. :: Manius: Seriously? Racing? You think racing can make this better? ::If so he was wondering how exactly he was to fit into this. :: N’rila: Well, it’s been a while, so I don’t expect you to remember how focused your mind gets on doing your job during the race. And maybe winning will help to restore her self worth. I don’t know. I’m not a counsellor. All I know is that if we do win then maybe she could afford to see a counsellor. Unless there’s some other way of us getting hold of some money… ::She looked at him, face carefully neutral, waiting to see how he would respond to that particular statement.:: ::This was incredulous. Did she really believe this was the answer, or was she just using this to recruit him into her team? That would be pretty tacky or her and in all honesty he really didn’t think she would stoop that low. They’d all done questionable things in the past but this went far beyond their combined sins. N’Rila was pushy and determined and Todd didn’t know Maviv enough to know how much she cared about the win. He did know how hard she’d been working for the team though so she had to be pretty committed. :: ::He hadn’t raced in a long time and it took much more focus and skill than plain shuttle flying alone. His reactions would have to be at their very best, he would have to remember team tactics and be familiar with their machine. Even if he agreed to race, the probability of him winning it was very low indeed. Maybe there was another way, preferably one that didn’t involve him transferring the entirety of his earnings to them forever more. :: Manius: How much money are we talking about? N’rila: Probably more than you’re earning, but not something that say… *she dropped her voice* a hundred litres of biomimetic gel couldn’t fix… ::The gel was banned outside of the Federation, thanks to the Khitomer accords. If he was caught with it in his possession then there would be more than just a couple of questions asked, that was for sure.:: ::Todd recoiled because that was no small request. The saying that two wrongs didn’t make a right seemed particularly appropriate right now. That was a lot of gel. As a doctor in Starfleet he stood a much better chance than anyone else of obtaining it He would have to be pretty smart though because if he took all of that from the one location it was going to be missed pretty quickly. :: Manius: You do know what you’re asking right? That’s a lot of gel. I can’t get that all from one place and certainly not all at once. That and there’s nothing I can do for you when out on a tour of duty. ::It was going to be very hard to try and put things right with anyone from the cold confines of a prison colony. :: N’rila: But you can get it in twenties, can’t you? I mean this stuff will definitely shift, so we know we can start making upgrades to the ship as soon as we have a buyer. ::Actually, she already had one, but there was no way she was going to tell him that.:: ::Yeah he could, and he could probably get 20 to 40 if not a bit more today if he put his mind to it. The question was whether he was going to cross the line and do it and even in his current mental and emotional state he wasn’t quite ready to fall that far. Perhaps he would be better off torpedoing that line of thinking and sucking it up with the racing. He could get in a shuttle and fly it one last time to settle a score, they would have to accept the result, even if it saw him finish in last place. :: ::He needed space and time to think about it. The fact she was offering him an out seemed to indicate that he didn’t have to worry about being immediately turned in. He also needed to get to work before his boss flipped because technically his shift should have started by now. In the rush to make the meeting with N’rila he hadn’t even pinned his commbadge on. It was still on his jacket back in his quarters. :: Manius: ::Rising to his feet slowly:: I need to think about it. N’rila: Well, don’t think about it too hard. The decision’s pretty easy, Todd. ::Her tone was less friendly now. He would do what she wanted. People always did what she wanted.:: ::Todd didn’t like her tone there and the conversation had just taken on a more menacing feel. It was easy for her to say that, she had done nothing wrong. It was him who had everything to lose here. It was scary how the whole night was a blank and he didn’t quite feel like this was reality. He had no close friends and absolutely no one he knew and trusted well enough to turn to for help. The closest thing he had right now was N’rila and that was more than a little depressing. :: Manius: See you. ::Stepping away from the table and hoping to make a quick escape. :: ::There was no way he was getting away from her that easily. The Takaran woman didn’t turn in his direction so much as lean a little further in her seat as she called after him.:: N’rila: ::Louder:: I mean, I would hate for Captain Reinard to get a copy of this video. That is your captain’s name, right? The first Laudean captain in Starfleet? He seems pretty important… ::The thought of it turned him weak and he had to steady himself on the back of the closest chair for a second. His face went completely scarlet and he thought he might spontaneously combust. Captain Reinard could not get a copy of the video, no one could. It was increasingly clear that the terms had been set and he had but two choices. Race or steal. The choice between a legal option where failure seemed inevitable and an extremely high risk illegal one was simple. :: ::He turned back to the table and leaned over N’rila, hoping to settle this. He thought back to what she’d said and hoped he’d understood it right. :: Manius: If I agree to race. That will be enough? ::N’rila’s friendly smile returned.:: N’rila: Oh, Todd. You already agreed to race and get the gel. I’ll be at this same spot on the promenade in three days, at the same time. I expect you to meet me with an access code for the cargo bay you have the gel stored in by then, or Captain Reinard is going to be most disappointed… ::All she had to do was just transmit one itty bitty file, after all. The Starfleet medic had made a grave mistake, and she would see to it that he paid for his sins.:: ::There didn’t seem to be any come back from that. The illusion that he had any choice in the matter had been thoroughly stripped away. Three days was no time at all and he could feel the start of a panic attack coming on. The throbbing of his eyes and head seemed to intensify. He was scum and now he was going to be under N’rila’s thumb for as long as she deemed fit. :: Manius: Three days! ::spluttering:: That’s crazy… I need more time than that. ::She didn’t buy it for a second. She knew what Starfleet officers were like, so high in integrity that they would lie to buy themselves enough time in situations like these that they could get the authorities involved.:: N’rila: Well then you may as well head off to the security office and hand yourself on in. Three days is your limit. I’ll be waiting. Manius: Wait a minute. Maybe I should speak to Maviv first… ::If she was prepared to talk to him of course.:: ::N’rila’s lip quivered as she tried to hold her mouth shut, but it was no good. She flat out burst out laughing, drawing the attention of a couple of the passersby.:: N’rila: Are you a total idiot? What makes you think she’d want to see you after what you did? Are you trying to scare her witless? ::Todd sneered, she made him sound like a monster and it was hard to look at himself that way too. He didn’t expect she would want to see him but since it was her that he was trying to make amends with it seemed appropriate. Besides if he was effectively joining their team then she could end up seeing more of him than she wanted. :: Manius: She’ll have to see me sooner or later if I’m doing all this for you. For all I know joining the team could be the very last thing she wants. ::N’rila folded her arms, all hints of a smile vanishing off her face. Todd seemed all too ready to forgive himself and the Takaran wondered whether or not his commanding officer would see things in the same light quite so readily.:: N’rila: I would say that for all you know, you’d better do as I say. Get me the gel, be here in three days, or bye bye career and the whole galaxy will know exactly what kind of a man you are, Todd Manius. Now hurry along. The clock is ticking. ::That was it, Todd was truly beat. He was out of options and it couldn’t be more clear who was calling the shots. There was nothing more to talk about. He had to meet her demands. He had never loathed anyone as much as he loathed himself right now. His original crime was unforgivable and he hated himself well and truly for that and now things were set to get worse. With a tight jaw and thoroughly dejected look Todd nodded. :: Manius: I get it. See you in three days. N’rila: oO There’s a good little minion. Oo ::With that he set back off to his quarters. He should be in sickbay working right now and his presence was probably missed. The trouble was he really felt like he just couldn’t face anyone right now. He just wanted to lock himself away from people and cry and kick and scream until all the emotion was drained from him. The funny thing about his job was that he couldn’t even call in sick without having to see at least one of his colleagues. :: A JP By: PNPC Ensign Todd Manius Medical Officer USS Darwin-A Simmed by Reinard and PNPC N'rila Deep Space 6 SIMmed by: Lieutenant Chen

Maybe all of us with no one left should do one That said, my trainers are still around, its only the Cadets that are gone!

I did actually want to do this as a JP when I graduated training. Unfortunately, the stopping point with me was that after a year I was the only Cadet left from my class! But yea, doing it asa inter-ship JP or as a thread in the StarBase 118 Lounge would probably be your best bet.

I managed, somehow, to select the wrong round (I'm sure I clicked on 6) as I made this. Could some kind person correct it for me, I can't work out how to from my side

((USS Darwin, Deck 6: VIP Quarters)) Hheinia: The sun beams like a warm oven, but we love it. We're a simple people Lieutenant and Talvath is a simple planet. We engage in our own business and the concerns of the empire or those around us are of no interest. Eickleberger: It seems like a lovely place that... ::Nessa continued to pace the VIP quarters, noting her plush and comfortable surroundings for the first time. It just added fuel to her animosity pyre, which was in no danger of extinguishing as it was. She couldn't be less interested in the weather on Talvath at this current moment. To his credit, she sensed, neither could the governor. She could very well die today - again. At the hands of a group of Romulan pseudo-terrorists - again. Today was not a good day to die. It was a very different story when she was a teenager, but over the last three or four years Nessa had resolved not to die. She hadn't worked out what to live for yet, so dying already was not an option. It was an ironic twist that one of the key people in her not having died already was also Romulan. She had to remember that. It was difficult at times.:: Nessa: ::Butting in abruptly with a question of her own.:: Ever met a Senator Vreeya, guv'nor? Hheinia: ::Continuing to look out the window.:: No I haven't. oO Didn't think so... Oo Nessa: Frankly, she's the reason we're both standin' here and neither of us is bleedin'. Never spoke to her, like, but she taught me that Romulans can be good people, jus' like anyone else. Hheinia: What a profound suggestion. ::In a distant corner of her mind, a small part of Nessa realised how petty and vaguely racist that was. But that corner of her mind was well out of communication range at the moment; between it and her seemed to stand the entire Romulan Star Empire.:: Nessa: Are you a good person, guv'nor? ::It was a simple question. An honest one, such as your six year-old child might ask after being taught about morality for the first time and not really grasping it properly. But Nessa did believe in good and evil. In between there was a whole lot of grey, she understood that. Sometimes, good people do bad things; Nessa herself was a shining example of that, and doing her best to prove it right now. But at the core of it, some people were good. Others were not. It was a valid question, in her eyes, though not one she expected an honest answer to. Under the circumstances, the governor was hardly likely to turn around and say "No, I'm pure evil!", but it *was* better than punching him in the face...:: Hheinia: I think you'll find my people would certainly consider it so. Nessa: ::Noddingly, slowly.:: Well, if you ain't, and I live to regret you not bein' in an 'olding cell right now... ::Softly:: Just want ya to know that I never got to see the face of the last Romulan that tried to kill me. As you can see, 'e failed. Me poor addled mind could easily be persuaded he looked a lot like you though. Play nice an' that honour could be Sindari's instead, sure as sure. Eickleberg: Ensign! I think it's enough from you. Hheinia:: It's fine Lieutenant. Nessa: ::Smiling sweetly:: Don't mind me, sir. Just conductin' a bit o' diplomacy o' me own. ::The sudden change of countenance of the Romulan governor was, Nessa had to admit, briefly concerning. It was almost as if he had resolved to hate her almost as much as she instinctively hated him.:: Hheinia: The Lieutenant might be able to help me with this, but is it standard diplomatic policy to threaten people? oO Seems to be, in the Star Empire... Or is that just in your Intelligence service? Oo Eickleberger: I'm very sure she didn't mean it as a personal threat sir. Hheinia: Oh I assure you Lieutenant, It was meant as exactly that. ::With a slight smirk on her face, Nessa nodded faintly.:: oO Yep. Sure as sure. Oo Hheinia: ::Looking at the young Ensign.:: I've seen it so many times. You grow up hearing all about Romulans and how bad they are and all the nasty things they've done. Yet you know nothing truly about us or what our values truly are. oO Hearing about them? Sure, yeah... hearing... Oo ((Flashback - 15 Years Ago, London Hotel Room)) ::From under the blanket, wet, terrified eyes looked out from behind a tangle of dirty brown curls. The horrible man was still there, chuckling to himself. The beads of sweat on his pallid flesh glinted in the lamplight, and even though he'd removed himself from her, the stink of Kali-fal hadn't diminished at all from the near-noxious odour she'd just been subjected to.:: S'Lhaerrh: You know, you weren't bad. ::He said, in a tone which disgusted her. The more she thought it might be genuine praise, the more disgusted she became.:: A little... inexperienced, but... I suppose that's to be expected. ::He chuckled to himself. Another thing Nessa hated about the vile man; it sounded like a metal rod stuck in a wood chipper.:: S'Lhaerrh: Perhaps I'll make use of you again, the next time my employer sends me to this... place. Nessa: ::Mumbling under her breath, through the folds of blanket.:: You... you ain't never seein' me again, sir. Not never. I ever see you come back 'ere, I'll be gone. One way or t'other. S'Lhaerrh: Little girl, you do not seem to understand. If I want your company, my employers will see to it. ::He smiled, a disgusting smile which revealed stained, yellowing teeth Nessa would rather never see again.:: The wheat rarely gets a say when it is time to make bread. ::With that he left, as quietly as he had entered. As soon as the door clicked closed, she sprang to her feet and ran, naked, to the window. It was locked, of course. Part of her knew it was going to be. And she had nothing to hand capable of breaking through reinforced glass that thick. To keep out the noise of the street, they claimed. Right now, it felt like it was designed specifically to trap her here until the woman, Osfrid, returned. Turning back to the bed, Nessa saw the smear of blood on the sheets, and her knees betrayed her. She collapsed to the floor, and started to cry. When she was in tact - before she'd bled - that was the most valuable to anyone she was ever going to be, Osfrid had said. So now what was she? Just a sheaf of wheat. Wheat had no say when it was time to make bread.:: ((End Flashback)) Nessa: ::Enraged:: Values? You wanna t- ::The governor began speaking again, which further incensed the pink-haired Ops officer. She decided to let him continue, closing her eyes and breathing in through her nose slowly, just like Brey had taught her. Secretly she was quite glad. He was beginning to have a point, and she didn't like that one bit. But "grow up hearing all about Romulans and how bad they are" had lost him that momentum, and the follow-up left jab, "you know nothing truly about us" had removed all sense of doubt. Nessa glared at the man now, with dead eyes and a stoney heart. She hoped Eickleberger was medically trained.:: Hheinia: I'm not finished Ensign! You got a free hit before but I'm not about to let you slander me OR my people without challenge. ::Pausing to direct this conversation.:: Don't presume to Judge me Ensign. I made a call about Sindari and his character for MY purposes. Nothing about his background said he might hijack a Starfleet Vessel nor could I have cared less if he did. Our current set of circumstances obviously changes things. Your vapid comments do nothing for our situation. oO Vapid? Vapid?! Oo ::As soon as she found out what "vapid" meant, she was probably going to be *so* cross about that comment.:: Eickleberger: Neither does having to engage such comments. Some things should be ignored. Even if they do need punishment later. ::Glaring at Eickleberger:: oO Punish me all you want. It can't be no worse than what he's doin'. Oo Hheinia: When all this is cleared up, and I assure you it WILL be, I"m sure you'd like my assessment of my treatment to be one of thanks. As it stands Ensign you are the physical manifestation of why the quadrant cringes at Starfleet, and when my report gets handed in as to whether I choose to enter Starfleet or not enter it. I'm sure your Career might develop a hiccup when I tell them that you singlehandedly jeopardised any hope of that. ((Flashback - Two Years Ago, USS Victory)) ::Nessa stared at the conn with abject despair. There was literally nothing she could do right now. Her life, and that of the crew, the Starbase, the Thracian Alliance, even the sector, was now in the hands of Colt Daniels, Harold Foster and his team of scientists. And Foster was in sickbay with radiation burns from the test-firing of the weapon, which hardly filled her with confidence. Nessa glanced towards tactical, where Daniels was currently working. Briefly he looked up, and their eyes met. That was when the faintly-glowing candlelight of hope was finally extinguished. Colt's eyes weren't smiling today. His eyes always smiled at her, even when his face didn't want to. But not today. Today his eyes said 'I think this is it for us, Nessa'. His eyes, much like the rest of Colt Daniels, could get away with calling her Nessa. Not many officers could say that. But it looked like this would soon be irrelevant. They were stricken, on emergency power. A metal husk, floating in space, with innumerable Romulan warheads heading their way, destined to wipe out the Starbase and most of the organised military presence in the sector. And Nessa James could do nothing. They were going to die, she was pretty sure of that now.:: ::The wheat doesn't get a say when it's time to make bread.:: ((End Flashback)) Nessa: ::Shaking her head ever so slightly.:: You're massively over estimatin' how much I care about your "assessment" of your treatment, or me career for that- Hheinia: You swarm into MY colony and members of my colony attempt to stage a takeover of your ship, and you stand here and preach and JUDGE my people. As if you can assess the entire race from the actions of a few. ::Pointing directly at the Ensign.::You are lucky that unlike you, I can see past short sighted assessments, like mine of you. Starfleet has much to offer me and my Colony, unlike your worthless racist assessments. ::Hheinia probably thought he'd got her on the ropes. Or maybe in his mind that was a knockout blow, or at least a knockdown. What Hheinia didn't realise was that he wasn't even in a boxing match. This was a verbal streetfight, lawless and unregulated, and Nessa *preferred* to be backed into a corner. That's where she was most dangerous. The ensign saw Eickleberger out of the corner of her eye, desperate to interject himself and retain some sense of decorum, to maybe salvage some kind of relationship with the governor. Nessa deliberately stepped forward, physically blocking him out. If Starfleet wanted decorum, they shouldn't have sent in Necessity James.:: Nessa: You wanna stand there and bang on at me about how I judge you, and your race? Tell you what, guv, I'll cut you a deal; The day I meet a Romulan, and no other Romulans try to kill me, mug me, violate me body, me mind or me ship or 'urt me friends, *then* I'll stop judgin' you. You say I'm prejudiced? I am, sure as sure! And I'll remain prejudiced until such a time as your people stop confirmin' every bloody prejudice I 'ave! ::She was vaguely aware of a burning sensation in her eyes, and a dampness on her cheeks, but ignored it.:: *My* people were *asked* to *your* colony by *you*! To *help* your people when your OWN FETHIN' EMPIRE wouldn't! ::She was dimly aware she was yelling at him, but by this point her mind was careening down a single track with no hope of return. She was far, far past caring about decorum.:: Eickleberger: ::Raising his voice and adding finality to his tone:: That is enough Ensign. Now. ::Turning his head to the Governor.:: Sir, you'll have to forgive the actions of some of the crew. They know not what they do. ::In one of the many moments from today that Nessa would come to later regret, she forcibly shoved the diplomatic officer out of her way.:: Nessa: NO, sir! It is NOT enough apparently because THEN, the very people YOU brought onto OUR ship try to *STEAL IT FROM UNDER OUR NOSES*! They're up there *right now*, possibly killin' *my* friends, *my* family! And *I'M* IN THE WRONG?! ::Nessa took a much-needed breath, but it didn't do much to calm her. She noticed her tears for the first time, and wiped them away with the back of her hand.:: Nessa: ::Slightly calmer, to begin with:: Listen, I ain't got no problem with the hundreds of thousands of Romulans down there ::she pointed, vaguely, at the window:: doin' nothin' wrong. What I *DO* 'ave a problem with is the ones stealin' me ship, SHOOTIN' AT ME FRIENDS AND FAMILY! ::At this point she was reduced to vitrolic screaming, as tears streamed down her face.:: THE ONES WHO VIOLATED ME, *KEEP* TRYIN' TO KILL ME, FIRED *WARHEADS* AT ME! IT'S ALWAYS ROMULANS! IT'S *ALWAYS* FETHIN' *ROMULANS*! And now you wanna join STARFLEET?! You wanna be part of *MY* family?! After all you've DONE?! After all you're doing *RIGHT NOW*? How many *MORE* Tal Shiar agents are down on that planet right now that you have ::she made finger-quotes in the air,:: "NO IDEA ABOUT"?! To hell with that! And to hell with *YOU*! ::As the rage incited by Hheinia's words began to ebb away, only then did Nessa began to realise what the last few moments must have looked like to poor Lieutenant Eickleberger, who had been marginalised and shouted over throughout. Who had watched his diplomatic escort completely implode in front of him and almost beyond doubt take any hope of reconciliation with the Romulan governor with it... What she had just committed was suicide. Career suicide, this time. But still suicide. An officer with her record, with her past... there was no coming back from this, surely?:: oO But it wasn't *fair!* How *dare* he stand there and say those things! Oo ::But perhaps the millions of Romulans who had not yet committed grievous acts in violation of her body, health or spaceship didn't deserve to be tarred with the same brush as 95% of the Romulans she had actually physically met. All chickens laid bad eggs sometimes, right?:: oO Am *I* a bad egg? Is that *why* all this keeps 'appening? Oo ::Suddenly, the realisation hit her that Eickleberger and the governor were both still standing in stunned silence, looking at her. She was still sobbing near-uncontrollably, her eyes red-raw. Breathing in ragged, tattered breaths with sweat glistening on her brow, she'd been standing there, staring into space, for at least five seconds... She looked a complete state, and even the security guards had re-entered to see what all the fuss was about. With a large sniff, Nessa drew herself up to her full five feet seven, and looked the governor in the eye.:: Nessa: ::Pathetically, with polite nod that was far too little too late.:: Good day, sir. ::Nessa turned on her heel and tried to calmly leave the room, but after three steps of near-serenity she quickly degenerated into a blubbering, sobbing half-sprint, and barged past the security officers. The younger one tried - too late - to block her path, but Oakley signaled that there was no point.:: ::Behind her, she faintly heard Eickleberger's plea.:: Eickleberger: I understand unfortunately sir that it can be hard to separate someone's views can color our outlook on an entire group. Just as you said. Hopefully you yourself are above such base judgements of the crew... ((Time Warp)) ::Several minutes later the adrenaline had worn off, and Nessa found herself in some Jefferies tube or other. She wasn't sure where, or overly sure that she cared. She had her knees hugged tightly to her chest and her face buried in between them, sobbing uncontrollably. As the incandescent rage disspitated in her little cucoon of calm, her mind drifted towards the apologies she was going to have to make... Lieutenant Eickelberger, Captain Reinard, Lieutenant Falcon... Hheinia, obviously. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became.:: ::Once again, she was wheat. And it was time to make more bread.::

As do I. The best way to learn is through what other people have done!

Haha yes, please don't! Thanks very much! Ydycg chi'n siarad Cymraeg? Glad to be here! I'm sure i'll love it Rydw i'n siarad ychydig o Gymraeg, but its not my strongest language. Woo!

Welcome! Nice to see another Welshman!

Tonk'peh. Nam-tor ahm t’nash-veh Lt. James. Welcome to the group Shawn, I also play STO occasionally (I've been a bit busy of late but I'm hoping to start again) as do a few of us! ​I second Commander Reinard's recommendation to check out the Guild of Vulcans if your interested in them, I've had a fair few great discussions there! ​I look forward to seeing you in sims!