TLea

Hey, don't take away my toys. I'll bring out the giant SPOT LIGHT instead. ::flashes it at the Invicta blinding her:: Haha! Take that!

((Vetka, Inner Isles)) :: Della had something of a stubborn streak. In part, it was inherited from her symbiote, as all of Vetri's hosts had been like that to some extent, but whatever the source, it was there. Unfortunately, no matter how stubborn the hold on a belief, it couldn't stand up to overwhelming evidence that the belief was wrong - evidence like the still form of the woman that Della really *had* just shot in the side of the head.:: :: The phaser in her hand dropped like a stone as she dived to the ground, wrapping her arms around T'Lea's motionless body with a choked cry. Any kind of rational thought was impossible as she fought to try and deny what she'd just done, and *why* she'd done it.:: Vetri: T'Lea! Please... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! :: Something tickled at her ear, and it took a moment for her to realise what it was. The way she'd gathered the Romu-vulc into her arms put T'Lea's head right beside hers, and that faint tickle of breath was intimately familiar... Just under much more happy circumstances. What it told her, however, was enough to kick her disbelief at what had happened aside, replacing it with a whole other kind.:: :: With a fearful glance, she looked at the phaser she'd dropped, and sure enough it's controls showed her that somehow, amongst the lightning-fast chaos of the last couple of minutes, she'd managed to do something that was probably going to save her life.:: :: Once she was recovered, T'Lea was probably going to kick her [...] for it, though. Nobody appreciated a heavy stun blast to the head, after all.:: :: Even so, it was a very shaky hand that touched the hybrid's throat, seeking out the telltale flutter of a pulse under the skin... and an even more terrifying wait until it was found. Weak, thready... but there. A breath she didn't even realise she was holding burst out from Della's lips in a gasping sigh of relief - then she threw herself flat, cradling T'Lea as best she could as a massive, sky-shattering roar tore through the air.:: :: Her wild look around to find the source of the noise didn't take long to come up with results, and the sight of the multi-headed rafe towering out of the mist was... Actually, compared to what she'd just done to both herself and T'Lea, it wasn't that huge a deal.:: :: Huge, scary, and thoroughly [...]ed off, sure. Just not enough of a problem to outweigh what she was feeling right then.:: :: The queen rafe, because that was the only [...]ed thing it *could* be, roared again, and the response from the only conscious person on the ground was probably not what it might have expected.:: Vetri: ::tiredly:: Oh, shut the hell up. :: Amazingly enough, that got a response. And not even a messy one, as it took the form of one head drooping down a bit to stare at her with a mildly quizzical look in it's eyes.:: :: Anything more didn't have a chance to happen, as the very next thing to take place was a blast of energy spearing down from the heavens, smashing into the ground near the queen rafe, and levelling what had to have been a pretty hefty chunk of jungle.:: :: This did not, apparently, go down well with the rafe, and there was little Della could do but hunker down even more, covering T'Lea as best she could, whilst grabbing her comm.:: :: Somehow, she and T'Lea - and the other two, though she gave less of a [...] about them - managed to get through the rafe queen's explosion of rage without being crushed, but there was no way she would have been able to explain how. Soon enough, however, the situation changed yet again, with another thunderous roar slitting the air. Risking a glance upward to see what was going wrong now, but it took some furious blinking to clear the tears that were flowing for her to be able to make out what had caused it.:: :: When she saw the Thunder, hanging in mid-air like a duranium brick, she knew she should have felt some sort of relief. What she *actually* felt, though, was nothing more than an echo of the rafe queen's reaction - and as a result was utterly unsurprised when the creature let loose a blast of... something... that slammed into the ship.:: :: A part of her also pointed out that the fact she was going into a kind of shocked-out emotional numbness probably helped her lack of excitement as well, but she was too mentally numb to care.:: :: As she waited for the inevitable backlash - it was *Parker* in command up there, after all - to level the entire island, with them on it, Della made herself give a frak about someone but T'Lea enough to look over at Toni and Waltas, only to see that they were gone. At some point, she figured, the two of them must have been beamed up by the Thunder, and that was good. She'd managed to get them into far more trouble than any of them had bargained for, and it was only proper that they get the best care possible for what her idiocy had brought down on them.:: :: It was also right and good that she be left behind to face the consequences. She was the one that had started this fight, after all. Just like she'd been the one who'd talked T'Lea into staying in Starfleet, and putting herself at risk of precisely what had happened. And then, of course, there was the fact that she hadn't done something permanent to Selta the first time they'd met...:: :: The added fun of having been the one that very nearly blew her own wife's head across the landscape was just the icing on the cake.:: :: With a tired sigh, she closed her eyes, tucking T'Lea's head under her own as she held her, and waited for what she knew had to be coming for her. At least the girls were safe. With her gone, there was nothing left to threaten Gina and T'Sara, and they'd be able to have the happiness in life she knew now she'd never, ever, be able to give them.:: :: There was no need to care about what was happening around her, so she ignored the sounds from above, including the one that heralded the arrival of something else in the skies over the island. Just like she ignored the way a ticklish tingling wrapped itself around her and T'Lea, a totally harmless little quirk of the Gypsy Ranger's transporter that would have told her that Rossh had gotten her call.:: :: The change from blasted jungle to the inside of the Ranger just didn't seem to matter.:: TBC -------------------- Ambassador Della Vetri Diplomatic Officer Embassy of Duronis

(( Prison Colony, Unknown Planet )) :: The descending piece of starship smashed to the ground with a definitive thundering collapse, crushing anything beneath it in moments. They'd ran for it. Staying behind to become hybrid jam at the bottom of the chasm wasn't an option. The jagged edge of the armoured piece had pierced the floor, ripping a chunk of metal from it and sending the two falling through the pit and the light, what light there was, immediately snuffed out as the metal shard scraped along the walls, sealing them inside whatever underground cavern it was.:: :: When Dade had managed to find his feet through sheer force of will, he braced himself against a flat surface in the dark. His breath heaving and chest burning from running faster than he had in years, muscles aching from trying to grab something to hold onto to keep them out.:: :: T'Lea. Where was she? He couldn't see a [...] thing.:: Adarnis: T'Lea! Where are you? :: The voice called out in the dark, but the Romu-vulc was too busy trying to shake off the hard landing to answer right away. Instead, she coughed a few times as the dusty air swirled around them.:: T'Lea: Here. :: That was all she could get out of her dry throat before another coughing fit took control of her lungs.:: Adarnis: Are you hurt? :: When she reached for the neck of her shirt to pull it up over her nose and mouth to use an air filter she felt the answer to Dade’s question bite into her wrist. She’d sprained it pretty bad, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken or torn. It just hurt like a [...] to move.:: T'Lea: Fine. I’m fine. You? :: It didn’t surprise her when he ignored her.:: :: He didn't know where they were. Underneath the colony? On the other side of it? They'd fallen a way into the middle of a planet on the verge of collapsing. He tapped his comm. badge.:: Adarnis: =/\= Adarnis to Parker. =/\= :: A crackle returned, unable to connect or make a signal. He tried again. Nothing. Empty space crackling in between. If Parker had transported back to the Thunder there was no chance of getting radio comms to them.:: :: Lifting her injured left hand to hit her comm. badge she hesitated and switched to her right hand instead.:: T'Lea: =/\= T’Lea to Thunder. Anyone receiving? =/\= :: Her answer sounded identical to Dade’s reply. Nothing.:: :: Perfect. Just frelling perfect, she mumbled under her breath. She was trapped with Dade. Of all people why Dade? Why not Parker? He would have been so much more tolerable than Dade!:: :: In the dark she scrounged around for the medkit that she’d dropped during their descent.:: Adarnis: We'll have to do something. ::he ran his hand over the wall:: I can't climb this. :: Neither could she with her wrist all twisted up.:: T'Lea: Do you have a light on you? :: She was patting the ground like a blind woman on her hands and knees searching for the medkit, but all she got in return was rubble and a thick layer of dirt under her fingernails.:: :: With a swear word spat from her lips she stood up and tried to find a wall, or some kind of surface to get her bearings. Once she’d finally found a place to orient herself, she finally realized why Dade couldn’t climb out. The surface was as smooth as glass – there was no grip anywhere, which left her mind to wonder where the heck they’d descended into.:: :: He couldn't see her, only hear her footsteps and feel her moving. Bracing his hands against the wall he tried to push it. It wouldn't budge. He tried again on the shard containing them inside, on the ceiling, pushing with every ounce of strength he had. Frustrated and angry he smashed his fists into the metal wall, hearing it vibrate as it ascended above them.:: :: She heard his anger expressed in his fists slamming into metal, and rolled her eyes at how utterly unproductive and damaging to his hands the impact would be.:: :: It was at that point that she’d removed her jacket and ripped off a sleeve from her shirt to use as a makeshift bandage for her wrist.:: :: The ground tremored as the sound of explosions could be heard reverberating through the hull plating that surrounded them. They had to find a way out.:: Adarnis: Your tricorder. It'd amplify your biosignature and they'd be able to beam you out. T'Lea: Brilliant idea. And how exactly in your infinite wisdom do *you* plan on getting out? :: His eyebrow raised. Did that question really need to be asked? He needed to get her out and back to the Thunder. If only one of them could get out, it wasn't going to be him.:: Adarnis: I'm going to die anyway, right? In this timeline or ours. :: She had a mouthful of fabric at this point, as she tied the bandage firmly around her wrist. The words in mind were, “You don’t know that,” but that’s not how it sounded.:: T'Lea: Yu’on nonat. :: He turned his head, trying to see where in the dark she was. It was pitch black. He exhaled deeply. They’d been in worse dren than this, and got out of that alive. He frowned, trying to decide if their universal translator had taken a hit as well and this was how she usually spoke.:: Adarnis: You hit your head as well? What did you say? :: Spitting a little dirt from her lips she flexed her fingers and tested her work. The wrist felt secure. The cloth wrap was tight, but not too tight. It was firm enough to keep the injury from moving too much and not cut off her circulation.:: T’Lea: I said you’re an [...]. You never change. :: Really? He didn’t realise he’d needed to. An [...] he could accept.:: Adarnis: Do you want to rephrase that? T’Lea: You have a death wish. You always have. Do you have a light or not? Adarnis: Why the frack would I have a light? T’Lea: You smoke. Where’s that stupid lighter you’re always fondling? :: That. What he would give to be able to smoke then and there. There was nothing like it, but he’d given up. Situations like that always made him wonder why. The rumbling in the hull plating echoed that of the earth around them.:: Adarnis: I quit, alright? I’m not proud of it, believe me. :: Huh, thought T’Lea. Guess he can change.:: T’Lea: You picked a great time to quit. Make your way over to me, and feel around for the medkit. We can try your combadge idea. Although I don’t know how you plan on getting anything accomplished without your eyes. :: He didn’t respond. He pushed himself off the wall and tried to see in the dark. Wherever her medkit had disappeared to, it would’ve scattered the contents.Wasn’t she supposed to have spares hidden about her person?:: :: The ground groaned again. There was a very good chance they were going to die. Keep it light.:: Adarnis: Aren’t you supposed to have bandages tucked down your boots? T’Lea: The only thing in there is my foot, which I’m saving to kick your…. ::she sighed:: …oh, forget it. :: She didn’t have the stamina right now to keep calling him an [...]. Once was enough anyway.:: ::His foot touched something and he kicked it. It moved. The sliding of a metallic object. He crouched down and picked it up. Emergency medkit, devoid of contents save for a bandage and an analgesic hypospray.:: :: From the sound of her voice and rustling, he pegged her location pretty quickly and had already taken his small toolkit from the inside of his pocket. He came upon her a bit quicker than expected, feeling her suddenly in his personal space and very warm. Stepping back he handed her what was left of the kit.:: Adarnis: Painkillers and a bandage. Unless you’ve got a hidden compartment. :: She felt around for it, and had the misfortune of having her hands touch his in the process of trying to locate him. No doubt he’d felt the fabric wrapped around part of her palm.:: T’Lea: Not for you. :: He felt that spike from her. Pain. Discomfort. If this were the last moments they had alive, he didn’t want them to be in pain.:: Adarnis: Give me your wrist. T’Lea: Uh. No. Get your own. Adarnis: Don’t argue with me, give it here. T’Lea: I said n-… ow! :: So now he had her arm against her will, but her will was slowly relinquishing to whatever it was he was doing to her.:: :: How times had changed. The last time they’d done this it’d been Dade with the busted something and T’Lea patching him up. It happened far too often.:: :: He gently took hold of her wrist with both of his hands, feeling her makeshift bandage underneath it. It started to feel warmer as he allowed the pain relieving aspect of his half Deltan physiology to flow. It didn’t heal injuries, but it was more effective than good old splinting.:: :: It was a bit of a give and take between their compositions, T’Lea’s Vulcan side always fighting for dominance over what the Deltan was trying to do. It’d been the closest the Marine had felt to anyone in years and it was a gentle reminder of what he’d left behind. He spoke, still holding her wrist, quite certain where her eyes were in the dark even if he couldn’t see them.:: Adarnis: How does it feel? T’Lea: Numb. Weird. Like your face. :: She wouldn’t thank him. She couldn’t thank him. He had spurned her, deeply.:: T’Lea: Let’s just hope I don’t have to use it in a life saving event. :: If they were ever going to have one of those again.:: Adarnis: Well, you fight like a tribble, so it won’t matter. T’Lea: You *are* a tribble. :: Weak. That was a weak retort. It sounded like T’Lea was losing some of her steam to persecute him.:: :: He stepped back a bit more as the floor shook, vibrating the plates of metal. It really was going to be now or never. They were going to die, or she was going to get married, and neither of those options left room for anything in between. The hybrid knew he couldn’t change the outcome, but if he didn’t tell her now it was never going to happen.:: Adarnis: Do you have any idea how ridiculous this is? T’Lea: Yes. You are. :: By now she remembered that her OTS (optical targeting system) was equipped with night vision, and she blinked to active it.:: Adarnis: All we do is fight! I don’t want to fight you anymore. I want to tell you I’m sorry but I can’t even do that right. T’Lea: Sorry? You’re sorry? Sorry for what? This? :: Not that he could see it, but she opened her arms and waved them around the hole they were entombed in.:: :: Wow, they really were screwed. No entry. No exit. Just a pit with a large piece of metal covering their grave.:: :: Ah-ha! Medical tricorder by Dade’s large foot. She moved over to him, scooped it up and dusted it off.:: :: He heard her move, turning to keep track of her in the dark, as fruitless as it was.: Adarnis: For everything. For this whole fracked up mess. :: She moved again and this time he caught her shoulder with his hand, stopping her.:: Adarnis: Will you just listen to me for once? :: She let the tricorder sag in her hand, and gave him a flat look like he was doing something wrong.:: T’Lea: Fine! I’m listening. :: Silence in the dark. The echoing of explosions.:: Adarnis: I’m sorry I left. :: For a long moment T’Lea just stared at him through the eerie green glow of her night vision lens, unsure what to make of his confession. Did he mean it? Was this a joke? Was he winding her up for another fight? And if he was serious did she even want to hear it now, after all these years?:: :: She looked at the expression on his rugged face, and even though it was tinted green, she could see how sincere he was. And it freaked her out.:: :: Who was she kidding, for the longest time it was exactly what she’d wanted to hear, to know, and feel – that he was sorry for the way he’d left her.:: :: And now she hated him for that too – for taking away the hate she had been carrying for him, and making her feel something else for him.:: T’Lea: What the hell, Dade? ::wagging her head:: I don’t want to hear this. :: The breath he’d held exhaled heavily.:: Adarnis: I don’t care – T’Lea: I do [...] it! It’s too late for- :: He cut her off. His usual flare of anger didn’t arrive, only a real set sense of calm. What he said was so matter of fact that he didn’t need to defend it.:: Adarnis: I don’t care if it’s too late. ::his jaw set:: I’ll never get the chance to tell you again. :: She rubbed her fingertips across her forehead, leaving a nice smudge of dirt behind. Her voice was softer, but still had a firmness to it that didn’t want to let him in. It was best for both of them if she let him off the hook.:: T’Lea: Let it go, Dade. I understand. You’re sorry. So am I. Apology accepted. What else is there to say? Adarnis: That I love you. :: Silence again. His heartbeat thudded.:: Adarnis: I loved you then, I love you now. :: The medical tricorder lit up, picking up his vitals, briefly showing them in the dark.:: Adarnis: I thought I could protect you, that they’d hunt me instead of you. I wanted you safe. ::he exhaled again:: And it was the worst decision I’ve ever made. :: Pain. That was the net result of Dade’s declaration. Pain that she wasn’t prepared to deal with.:: :: Time dragged on and T’Lea stared at his image highlighted in green. How was she supposed to respond to that? How did he expect her to respond to that? :: :: She blinked, and deactivated the night vision lens. The room fell to darkness, except for the faint glow of the medical tricorder, and with it Dade’s image faded from view.:: :: Turning in thought she moved a few steps away, and tapped at the tricorder. It’s dim lights cascading gently across the disturbed creases in her smooth Vulcan brow.:: :: He loved her. *Still* loved her.:: T’Lea: We have 19% oxygen left in the room. That gives us roughly two hours. When it drops below 15% we better not be here. Your heart rate is up. Try to lower it. We need to conserve air. :: Two hours would barely cover the destruction of the colony.:: :: She took a seat on the floor and tried to enter into some kind of meditation partly to slow her own breathing, and partly to sort out what she was feeling.:: :: Seven years on and the best she could do was tell him to stop breathing? Then he remembered it was dark. She was probably going to sucker punch him again.:: Adarnis: Of course it’s up. T’Lea: Save the air. We shouldn’t talk. Adarnis: Really? Just shutting me out? T’Lea: I have nothing to say… except… thank you for being honest with me. :: She should have known that kind of statement wasn’t going to get her silence, or peace.:: :: No, it [...] well wasn’t. :: Adarnis: And you can’t extend the same courtesy to me? T’Lea: I am being honest with you. Now, either shut up, or stop breathing. :: He threw his hands up in the air. She was unbelievable. All he’d wanted to tell her since the last time she’d told him she loved him in the Constitution sickbay had just come tumbling out of him and the most she could do was tell him to stop breathing.:: :: He wondered how much she actually meant that.:: Adarnis: Did it physically hurt to do it? :: And there went all chances of her finding a tranquil calm through meditation.:: :: She shot to her feet, and did her best to confront him in the dark.:: T’Lea: What do you want me to say? That I love you back? That I care about you? Well, I do you, idiot, and I never stopped, even when I hated you for leaving me I never stopped. :: She swore at him for making her say it, for making her confront it. Hating him was so much easier.:: :: This is what he wanted. This was T’Lea being honest with him. This was emotion, it was raw and it was real.:: :: Even if he didn’t like the outcome, he respected it.:: :: When he did speak, it was quieter and it was sincere.:: Adarnis: I never wanted to - :: She reached out for his chest, finding it, and then moved her hands up to feel the familiar outline of his face.:: T’Lea: Listen carefully to me now. I will always love you. I will always care about you. ::she stepped back and pulled her hands away:: But I am in love with Della. I love her, and nothing will ever change that. :: With a firm grip on her feelings now, she sat herself back down in the dirt, and picked up the tricorder.:: T’Lea: I should be thanking you. You did that for me. You made me open my heart enough to be hurt, but also to let someone in. I’m sorry. :: He made a half sad smile in the darkness. At least something good had come out of it all. He liked Della. He had for a long time. He wouldn’t have tried to come between them, not that he could have, and the air felt a little clearer for the first time in half a decade.:: :: If this was their fate, it wasn’t going to be for both of them.:: :: He sat in front of her, taking the tricorder out of her hands and using the light to flip open the back of his comm. badge casing. In that moment he couldn’t look at her.:: Adarnis: Della makes you happy? T’Lea: I wouldn’t be with her if she didn’t. :: He flipped out the krellide cell onto the tricorder and twirled the coiled wiring around his fingers. The ceiling shook, sending scattering sprays of dirt and shared of confetti’d metal down onto them.:: Adarnis: I mean deliriously happy. Can’t hold onto your eyeballs, Vulcan half is doing cartwheels in the Federation Embassy happy. T’Lea: Something irrational like that. Yes. Adarnis: Good. :: He snapped the casing off the back of the tricorder and sealed the wiring together with the combadge. Instant medium-wave subspace transceiver amplified by the power cell contained in the tricorder. It would be enough to get through the surrounding metal plates but it would only be enough for one.:: Adarnis: You’re the closest I have to a friend. You can’t be that if you’re dead. :: the metal shared above them slipped in it’s place, being battered by falling rocks above them. It offered marginal protection and it wouldn’t last long now.:: Adarnis: I’ll defend you until the day I’m gone, which may or may not come soon. I don’t know. I’m not in your head. T’Lea: Dade, what happened to you in this timeline isn’t necessarily- :: He spoke over the top of her rambling at him.:: Adarnis: I want you to promise me. When that day comes, you won’t do something ridiculous to save me. T’Lea: ::wagging her head:: Ridiculous or not, if it is in my power to save your sorry [...], then I will do whatever it takes. :: She wasn’t going to let this timeline dictate his fate, or hers. She wasn’t going to stand by and watch his sacrifice again.:: :: Taking her hand, he kissed the back of her fingers and looked at the blue eyes he’d missed all these years.:: Adarnis: Then you better find a way to come get me. T’Lea: What are you- :: He double pressed the combadge, activating the emergency transport back to the ship and slapped it to her cuff, scrambling to his feet as he watched her disappear in a shimmer of blue, leaving him behind as the metal hull that had protected them started to slip.:: Lieutenant Commander T’Lea Science Officer USS Thunder-A Embassy, Duronis II & Major Dade Adarnis Marine Officer USS Thunder-A

((USS Avandar, Holodeck 1)) Vetri: Whilst I'm only handing out one in person, that's because I don't want to hold up the party any more than I have to. Every member of this crew that participated in the Avandar's recent exploits is now entitled to add the Explorer's Ribbon to their collection of things to stick to your dress uniforms. You earned it folks, well done. :: She reached over and snagged her empty mug off of the branch again, then gave a little shooing wave to everyone, as well as a definite grin.:: Vetri *Now* I'm done. MacRae: Well, I think I'll have that Laphroaig you mentioned earlier, would you care to join me in a glass? tr'Khellian: reaching across the bar and handing MacRae the bottle:: my gift to you. Iwish you the best in your future endeavors. :: When she stepped down from the stump, Della laughed softly at the by-play between the two of them, then raised her voice to chip in herself.:: Vetri: Do we need to add "staff mixologist" to your job description? :: The sound of someone clearing their throat - loudly - caught her, and everyone else's, attention, and Della looked at t'Lea with a faintly puzzled frown.:: T’Lea: Before you all continue your endeavours of gratuitous self-inebriation and celebration I have a brief… :: Whatever it was, it had the Romu-vulc feeling jittery - and that had Della wondering just what was going through the woman's mind. Not that she could tell, as she was being blocked out *very* well...:: T’Lea: … presentation to make. :: Presentation? What presentation? Hadn't she already done those? :: T’Lea: ::at Vetri:: If I may? :: She gestured at the stump Della had been using as a platform. Increasingly puzzled, and perhaps a little concerned as well, given what she was feeling from her bond-mate, the Trill nodded.:: T’Lea: Thank you, Captain. :: Instead of getting onto the stump, T'Lea stood in front of it, hands behind her back as she surveyed the assembled - and curious - crowd with no trace at all of any visible emotion. A moment or two later, she gave a nod to someone, and when Della glanced that way she saw Tan skulking within the mob.:: oO What are you up to...? Oo :: Nearby, the scene of the Rolumus park changed, a flat image like a screen in mid-air coming into being with the same Starfleet emblem she always saw when waiting for a call to connect.:: Vetri: Is someone going to regret me asking just what you two are doing? :: Tan held up his hand in a placating gesture, but she was undecided as to whether she was going to pay any attention to it at all.:: Tan: Nothing to worry, Captain. :: Really. In that case, why did T'Lea feel like she was about to melt into a puddle of nervous goo? Since she was left with no real answers, and even less idea of what to expect, she was actually starting to get more than a little annoyed... Especially when T'Lea's aura suddenly sharpened into something a lot more determined.:: :: Opening her mouth to ask - *politely* - for someone to tell her what the frell was going on, she felt it drop open a little more in surprise as the projected screen suddenly shifted to show the inside of a room she knew very well indeed - and a pair of people she knew even *better*:: Tan: ::softly:: Brilliant. T’Lea: Thank you, Alleran. ::to the Maren family on screen:: And thank you for taking time for this. :: A little part of Della's brain registered the amusement pouring off of Tan and made a note to arrange for something suitable to happen to him in the near future.:: Tan: You’re very welcome. Lyssa Maren: Oh, I think it's worth a little rescheduling, T'Lea. And the look on our daughter's face, of course. :: And there was no mistaking the laughter in her mother's tone, or on her father's face, as she stared at them and tried to work out why she was seeing what she was.:: :: Managing to get some sort of control over her mouth again, Della looked at T'Lea, lips forming the stat of a demand for information, when the Romu-vulc raised a hand to stop her and began speaking.:: T’Lea: People say that I am cold, cruel, and unfeeling. They say that I do not have a heart. oO Because you *act* that way, given half a chance? Oo T’Lea: And they are correct, because I gave it to you. :: ... :: oO Did she just...? Oo :: ... :: oO That's kind of sweet, but... Oo :: ... :: :: Della felt T'Lea take her hand, her touch far more gentle than many might have thought possible. Their gazes locked on each other, Della wasn't sure if she was hearing what T'Lea said with her ears.. or by other means entirely.:: T’Lea: It hasn’t been an easy road, you and I. :: That was putting it mildly. The first real conversation they'd shared had scared Della so much she'd thrown up almost immediately afterwards.:: :: And then there had been the time she'd all but told the Romu-vulc how she was starting to feel about her.. and then had the fun of knowing *exactly* what T'Lea and Tash had gotten up to in his hammock in the jungle that night.:: :: And then there was the time-:: T’Lea: I know at times I have made things difficult for you, but amazingly you have always been there for me, through the best and worst of it all. :: Swallowing hard, Della tried *very* hard not to remember what it had been like to feel T'Lea die in her arms, to be totally sure that everything they'd done to try and save her had failed.:: :: Of course, that *had* led to one of the most intimate "getting-to-know-each-other" sessions in history, with T'Lea's katra residing in Della's mind and the two of them becoming closer than it was possible to imagine...:: :: But the biggest example of all was standing a short distance away, radiating a sense of puzzlement as to what her mothers were doing... and why a picture of her grandparents was in the air.:: T'Lea: I’m not sure if that is a testament of your devotion or if you are slightly crazy, but I’ve come to realize something… ::more serious:: That even when times were bad, things were still good because I had you. :: For some reason, it was hard to actually *see* T'Lea, despite the fact that she was standing right in front of her. It was only when she blinked that Della realised what the reason was, and she dropped the mug in her hand - the one that wasn't being held quite possessively by T'Lea - to swipe at the moisture that had started to fill her eyes.:: :: She could do little for the weird feeling in her stomach, though, and the fact that she was starting to feel a little light-headed...:: :: She *knew* how T'Lea felt about displaying her feelings, and it was the way she was doing just that so plainly in front of all these people that had Della wondering for a moment if she was, in fact, hallucinating this whole scene.:: T’Lea: Now, I know that this isn’t the proper way to do this according to Archipelago tradition, but this crew has been my family for a while now, and well… ::she took breath:: … Della Vetri I love you in a highly illogical and insanely emotional way. You’ve not only saved my life, but given me a reason to live it better. You’ve seen up-close exactly how ugly my katra can be, and yet you are still with me -- braving the best and worst of me. K’diwa, I do not ever wish to be without you, so…. :: She paused just enough to turn her attention to the images of Della’s parents, who were looking on with every sign of acceptance and satisfaction at over what was happening.:: T’Lea: If you and our families will permit it… :: For some mad reason, T'Lea released her hand, giving the watching crowd a nod.:: T’Lea: ::in the Trill language:: Will you join me in uniting our families as one through our betrothal? :: Della blinked, not sure she'd heard right. Not that the *language* was an issue - she'd grown up with it, after all - but the choice of words. That kind of phrasing was only used on one kind of occasion, and-:: :: Abruptly, her whole mind froze.:: :: Total.:: :: Mental.:: :: Lock up.:: :: Dimly, she was aware of Tan translating for everyone else, but it didn't really register. There *was* only one time a person would say something like that to another, and even then only if they were following a very traditional mode of...:: :: Asking someone to marry them.:: :: T'Lea. The stone-cold Romu-vulc psycho, had set all this up specifically so she could ask Della to marry her.:: :: Numbly, she looked down at the hand T'Lea was holding out to her, seeing but not really processing the seashell that sat in the extended palm. This wasn't just a traditional approach. This was the way it had been done in the islands Della had grown up in for nearly a full millennium, adapted only as much as was needed to accommodate the realities of where they were.:: :: That meant that T'Lea had looked. Studied. Leaned. And made far more effort to make this as right as she could than Della might have expected... and suddenly Della knew *exactly* why the Romu-vulc had been giving off such nervous vibes. This had to have been torture for her...:: Vetri: I should drop-kick you out the nearest airlock. :: Still scrambling to get a grip on what was happening, she wasn't *totally* aware of what had just come out of her mouth. She was, however, hard-wired by her upbringing to recognise the tone of what she heard next.:: Lyssa Maren: ::flatly:: Della. Vetri: ::absently:: Yes, Mother? Lyssa: Switch your brain on, dear. :: There were any number of reasons she should say no. There were even more reasons why she should handle this whole situation with the composure and dignity befitting not only a Starfleet officer but the commanding officer of a starship. With the eyes of her assembled crew on her and T'Lea, as well as those of her parents and daughters, there was a great deal weighing in on the side of a measured, carefully considered reply to the question that had just been asked of her.:: :: She didn't care.:: :: Since the night she and T'Lea had bonded, the desire for what was happening had grown. Drop by drop, her wish for T'Lea to ask her this, and *mean it*, had grown until it was something she wasn't really aware of any more. She was happy the way they'd been, she didn't *need* anything else...:: :: But there was no way to describe how much she'd wanted it.:: :: Captain Vetri was summarily ordered to shut the frak up, and the answer to the question came with blinding speed. Snatching the shell from T'Lea's hand, Della threw herself at the Romu-vulc hard enough that even the Vulcanoid strength of her target nearly failed to take the impact as her arms wrapped around her mate with no intention of letting go.:: Vetri: ::softly:: Yes. Roget Maren: 'Bout time. :: Her father's obviously fake gruffness brought a smile to her lips, and she looked over T'lea's shoulder at her parents' image, her gratitude for the way they'd understood and supported her choice of this woman plain in her eyes.:: :: Of course, she *did* know her fiancée very well, and that was why she let a particular thought slip along the telepathic bond they shared.:: Vetri: ~~ Too many witnesses, lilyali. You are *not* ducking out of it this time. ~~ T’Lea: ~~ I'm not going anywhere. I promise. ~~ :: The Romu-vulc sealed her promise with small smile and a kiss, and then with the Trill still in her arms she turned to the crowd seeking out one face in particular.:: T’Lea: I’ll take that bottle of Romulan Ale now, S’Lone. ::with a fake scowl aimed at the rest of the crew:: What are you all looking at? Stop staring at us, or I will make horderves out of your eyeballs and serve them back to you. :: Ahhhh, that felt better, thought T’Lea.:: Captain Della Vetri Commanding Officer USS Avandar

I love that commercial. I think the girl steals the scene when she says, "oh." at the end.

((USS Avandar, Daycare)) :: It had fallen over again.:: :: No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't get more than many bricks to stand on each other without the whole thing collapsing. Some, she could do. More... usually stayed up. It was when she got to many that it went badly.:: :: Thinking about it, she decided that giving Izzard to Gee had been were it went wrong. When Izzard was there, she could sometimes get many *many* bricks to stay up...:: :: She'd have to get him back when she next saw her.:: :: With a sigh, she grabbed a brick and started again, only to get distracted when Noisy started yelling. Given the tone, she realised it must be getting time for food, and she looked around for any sign she was right... and there it was.:: :: Whilst tall Not-Mummy went to settle Noisy down, blue Not-Mummy was fiddling with the magic hole in the wall, pulling nommy-bottles out and putting them on the tray in her hand.:: :: Okay, so it wasn't as nice as when Glowy-Mummy or Funny-Mummy fed her, but food was food, and she wasn't going to pass it up just because she was here in the toy place.:: :: Dumping the brick she was holding, she lifted her hands and giggled when tall Not-Mummy picked her up and carried her over to one of the little tables. She gave her a pat of thanks as she was settled into her chair, then grinned up at the blue Not-Mummy as a nommy-bottle was held out to her.:: :: Her smile dropped away, though, when her hand touched blue Not- Mummy's. Ever since she'd arrived today, the person hadn't had the happy sparkle she normally did, and the touch let her see that there was quite the opposite lurking under that blue surface.:: :: She thought about that, absently plugging the bottle into her mouth, and decided that this simply was not going to be acceptable. When her real mummys were sad, they usually made each other happy again - and the sure sign of that was when she went to stay with Gee for sleepy-time - but blue Not-Mummy didn't have the feel of someone who had that.:: :: The other smalls seemed content with their noms, even Pointy - who, whilst his ears looked like Funny-Mummy's, acted very different. A couple of smalls on the other table got into a fight over who got to hold the cuddly during food time, but that got sorted quickly enough - which was good, because she had thinking to do, and she didn't need the distraction.:: :: Unfortunately, no ideas came to her.:: :: By the time her bottle was empty, and she'd shoved a couple of crunchy orange things into her mouth from her plate, she was starting to get annoyed. People were meant to be happy in the toy room - the occasional tantrum from a small aside - and having one of the Not- Mummy's break that rule just was allowed.:: :: The sound of the moving wall reached her ears as she groped around for another tasty off of the plate, and she looked over to see if anyone she knew was coming in. It wasn't, and she went back to her noms... only to stop as she felt blue Not-Mummy get even less happy.:: :: Tall Not-Mummy said something to the newcomer, but he didn't seem interested in what she was saying. Instead, he tried to speak to blue, and that seemed to be making her even *less* happy.:: :: With a frown, she looked him over. He was dressed like most other people - though his suit had yellow on it, unlike hers, which had red - and he was blue and bald like the Not-Mummy who wasn't happy to see him. He felt unhappy too, which was good, but not unhappy enough... and as he moved closer, she decided that there was *one* thing she could do...:: :: Taking hold of her bottle again, she shuffled around in her chair and lobbed it straight at him. It didn't go all that fast, admittedly, and got nowhere near his head, but it *did* reach him and bounced off of his arm.:: :: For a moment, nothing at all happened, except that everyone was looking at her - which was nice - and it was obvious he wasn't taking the hint. Making a rude noise at him, she waved her hand at the moving wall, letting everyone around feel that she wanted him to go away. A few more words from both Not-Mummys, and leave he did... looking even less happy than when he'd come in. This was good, especially as blue Not-Mummy felt happier now. Not all the way, but better...:: :: With a satisfied little burble, she looked at her plate and picked up one of the green bits that was on it. She *liked* the green bits. And if she was lucky, she'd get to draw them later - the crayons were always fun to play with.:: :: She still needed to get Izzard back, though. Sending him off with Gee had definitely not been a good idea.:: END -------------------- (PNPC) T'Sara Maren First Toddler USS Avandar simmed by Captain Della Vetri

((10-Forward)) Valaine: From my fun...? :: His confusion remained for another moment, but realization hit him. The span of days where he’d been... physically incapacitated... around the time of Xena’s birth. He hadn’t mentioned that to anyone, though he figured his reputation had taken a hit from the gossip from his attempted failures. This... was something else altogether. :: :: It was a long moment he stared into his drink... before he began to lightly laugh. A hand came up to cover his eyes as it grew into a full laugh. :: Valaine: *She* did that? Talya dosed me with... an anti-Chase hypo? You wouldn’t say it if you weren’t serious... I know you are, but... frack me, that’s messed up... *we’re* messed up... :: Despite the words, he went on lightly laughing until he stifled it with a third large-scale intake of his liquor, which very nearly did the entire glass in for. Still chuckling, he tapped a fingernail on the glass to get the barkeeps attention for a second. :: Blake: I suppose so . . . Valaine: I assume you “heard” it from her. She wouldn’t *tell* you that. Blake: I had her confess to it in a turbolift a day or two later. Honestly, I heard it from *you*. *You* told me what was going on. Valaine: *I* told you...? Ahh... ::realizing::... I was confused... probably thinking waaaay too loudly for you to miss it. Blake: Oh yeah. Your thoughts were ridiculous when I went to talk to you. You were so *bruised*. Valaine: I do so like to torment you with my thoughts, but those I’d planned to keep to myself. So I could deny the rumors later. Blake: Oh, sure. That’s what they *all* say. :: Taking the last of his first glass down, Chase made a concentrated attempt *not* to quickly down the first drink of his second glass. Which failed, as he downed nearly a third of the glass, to the silent-but-clear displeasure of the bartender. :: Valaine: ::eyebrows crunching together with annoyance:: Your face’ll freeze that way. :: The bartender scoffed lightly at the remark, turning away to deal with other bar business. But it wasn’t smart to take on the barkeep, not in any establishment. :: Blake: So, Mr. Drunk- Valaine: ::correcting her:: I’m not drunk yet. I’m annoyed. Two more of these and you can call me drunk. I get that much for being drugged and put out of action. You have *no* idea who I disappointed in those three days. Very disappointed females all over the place. :: Granted, as he took another long drink of his second tall glass, he would admit he was already feeling warm. Quite warm, with a stomach full of liquor and a body trying to quickly process it all down to simpler sugars. Not an easy feat when dealing with straight up hard alcohol. It was already making him ramble and exaggerate, though it was honest to say he was not one that held to the monogamy required of his wedding vows. :: :: Reaching up to tap his neural node and activate his implanted computer system, his blue eyes flashed with light as the monitors in his cornea came to life. He keyed to his personal vital systems, bringing up the levels of intoxication. The number read from parts per million in his bloodstream was steadily ticking upwards. :: Valaine: Frack, I love this thing. ::meaning his neural node:: I may as well have a mechanical heart implanted. Would match my profession, having a metal heart. :: He didn’t mean for that to sound so introspective, but a cold heart made of metal was what he wanted. He’d never been able to achieve it, despite how nasty he got or what trouble he got into. But in his heart he was an engineer. :: Blake: Oh? Valaine: Engineering, it’s what I am. It’s all I’ve got, really. When a system comes up faulty, you disassemble, repair, redesign, and rebuild. My heart is faulty. I need a new one. One less likely to fail or fall apart... or give a frack about frack. A steady, mechanical organ that does it’s job efficiently and without regard for external stimuli. Blake: Only to be knocked out should someone release an EMP. :: The second glass came up empty as she spoke, and he tapped for a third. The barkeep gave him a look that translated roughly into “getting in a bit deep, aren’t we?” But the man made the third glass, delivering it to the annoyed engineer. :: :: As he took it in hand, he realized something... then reached up beneath his other ear, pulling off the monitoring device located beneath his other lobe. The CMO’s heart monitor, giving sickbay a live feed. It would probably rat him out for drinking, too. :: :: With a rather pointed motion, he held the device aloft above his drink for a moment, giving it a steady, angry glare... it was the device of the enemy... and he let it drop into the blue fizz. A drop splashed out onto the bar as it sank to the bottom of the tall glass. :: Blake: Things have gotten pretty hard, haven’t they. Valaine: Rock solid. And not in the good way. Blake: Yeah. ::There was silence for a few seconds.:: Valaine: I never said I was good at this... but I’ve *tried.* You can’t say I didn’t try... Everyone wants to be this perfect person, but it just doesn’t work that way. Life happens. Sometimes things suck. Sometimes people aren’t good at things some people would consider normal, or natural. Blake: You’re telling *me*. :: Chase sent another heavy drink into his system, then his blue eyes keyed on her. This woman was an oddball herself, he’d learned enough about her to know that full well. Not to mention her abilities. :: Valaine: I know you get it. You of all people should. Blake: I have to put up with at least half a ship of thoughts. People tell me that if I complain about it, why don’t I just *stop*. The problem with being me is that there’s no “off” switch to my telepathy - if I want to stop hearing everyone, I have to get an inhibitor. But because of the way I am, I’m expected to be absolutely fantastic at my job, as if I’m meant to be able to predict when something’s going to happen. When I slip up at something like that, it feels like all fingers are pointed at me. ::She sighed.:: Sorry to rain on your parade, but everyone has their own problems. Valaine: Yeah... ::eyes falling as deep into his drink as the medical monitor had::... so I’m whining at the choir, is what you’re saying. So then, why don’t you get your own drink. We can be miserable together. Blake: See, unlike yourself, my days of getting smashed are over. ::She frowned a little.:: Especially since I have a Vulcan partner who would find it ‘illogical’ and give me a lecture on the dangers of alcohol. ::That wasn’t necessarily the only reason. She didn’t mention that half of the reason was because of Faith. It was illegal for Brekkian mothers to be above a certain alcohol limit when their child was a young age. Now that Sky was a mother, she could see why that was the case.:: Valaine: ::a fraction of an iota of humor returning to him:: Maybe I can still do you a favor. Flood out other peoples thoughts if I concentrate hard enough... :: Setting his hands to his temples, he shut his eyes in concentration. He didn’t “yell” the thoughts, but he began to send rapid fire thoughts her way... not so innocent ones either. He was actually quite *good* at transmitting for a non-telepath. An organized brain could do that. However, the thoughts were as nearly-drunken as *he* was getting. :: Blake: You can try . . . ::She could merely shake her head at the Terran’s attempt. He tried, but unless Sky willingly jumped into his head, his attempt was more or less worthless and pointless. She didn’t dare mention that, though. Besides, there were a couple of Trills in one area that were unintentionally making a racket.:: Blake: But the loudest people around would be on the Bridge. :: Scoffing verbally, he finished yet another glass of the bright bubbly blue liquors, the bottom of the heavy mug clunking loudly as he set it down with less care than he had before. :: Valaine: Bridgelings... *pfft*... figures they’d monopolize your brain. ::he eyed the bartender, who was facing the other way:: But then, I’d figure you’d key into Sabor. You know I’ve never met him, right? There’s something wrong with that. ::pause:: Not that Vulcans tend to appreciate my company. :: Somewhat more powerfully than he should have, he lifted and clunked the heavy glass on the tabletop, causing the bartender to spin around with a touch of annoyance. Chase just gave him an equally annoyed look, pointing at the empty glass with a “What the heck is THIS about?” expression on his face. :: Blake: Trust me, some people would think that not meeting Sabor is a blessing. ::She paused.:: You sure you want to get- Valaine: Smashed. Smashed takes more. ::pausing:: What’s wrong with him anyway? He’s not ugly, is he? Blake: Quite the opposite, actually. No, people just don’t like his problems. Valaine: Problems... A Vulcan with “problems.” I think I like him already. Blake: You might, if you appreciate cleanliness. He has a case of germophobia from a . . . traumatic experience in childhood, and OCD that built onto it. You should have seen him when I first met him. He was probably the only Vulcan who was brave enough to be a smart-[...] to me. :: A new glass of blue bubbles was set before him, and he grasped it as he turned in his seat to look at Sky straight on. :: Valaine: A smart-[...] Vulcan? Ohhh, this I gotta see. Or... meet. :: The mischief in his expression was not subtle. Neither was the glaze in his eyes. The drink in hand, he was out of his seat and heading for the door without another word. :: Valaine: Computer, where is Sabor, Mr. Smart-[...] Vulcan? ::Sky shut her mouth to avoid protesting and causing an argument that Chase would probaby just laugh off anyway. After those drinks, it’d be a miracle that he could stand. Besides, Sabor wasn’t really aggressive . . .:: Computer: Lieutenant Sabor is currently in his quarters. Blake: Do you *really* want to do that? :: There was a slight stumble, and a small glob of blue liquid plopped to the floor of the corridor. To solve the problem of spillage, Chase brought the glass to his lips and drank healthily... or unhealthily, as it was... to bring the level in the glass down to a less spillable level. But he didn’t stop, making a steadily worsening pace to the doorway he’d been directed to. :: :: At the doorway, Chase didn’t bother hitting the cue. Instead, he wrapped his fist against the door in a solid, persistent knock. :: Valaine: ::lacking volume control:: OPEN UP! This is security!!! ::Sky rolled her eyes, pulling out the battery from her phaser as she usually did out of habit.:: Blake: You know you only have to let me to the keypad, right? Valaine: Do it, Chief of Security! :: Stepping back to let her do her job, he wondered why she wasn’t more interesting in pursuing this dangerous smart-[...] Vulcan. She just didn’t know how to play along! :: ::Keying her code into the keypad, the door popped open.:: Blake: You know, you really need to learn to not be an idiot whilst drunk . . . or is that just a Brekkian trick? Valaine: Why w’d I wanna? ::his obnoxious smile finally returning to him:: Now open up! I need to meet the man that’s wooing my Sky Blake! :: Overly dramatic much? :: Blake: oO This is not going to end well. Oo Right, well. Ladies first? ::She gestured for him to enter with a slight smile on her face.:: Valaine: Why thank you, you’re so kind. ::he bowed slightly, taking the lead into the door:: ::Sabor had walked out of the hallway into the lounge as soon as Sky dumped her holster, drying his hands on a tea-towel, his eyebrow raised at the sight of Chase Valaine - especially in their quarters. He nodded once in acknowledgement towards the two.:: Sabor: Faith is asleep. I think we would both appreciate it if a “racket” was avoided. Blake: It’s fine. Chase only came by to say hello. Valaine: *PFFFT* “Hello...” ::he grinned at Sky, then spoke to Sabor:: Sabor! My Vulcan man! I’ve been told the most polite, clean facts about you. Nice to make your acquaintance! :: He reached out, but remembered halfway into the motion that he was holding a mug of blue bubbly. So he held up a free finger with a suddenly serious expression. :: Valaine: Wait. No germs, right? I can fix this. :: And he proceeded to drink the entire remaining glass. :: :: And throw the mug into the corridor, where it *THUNKED* several times before coming to a rest on the carpet. :: Valaine: There. Germ free! Now, Sabor... ::he moved near the Vulcan and wrapped an arm possessively around his shoulders:: … we gotta talk. You and me. ::he jabbed a thumb toward Sky:: And her. ::Sky was suddenly glad that Sabor was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, otherwise he probably would have freaked out at Chase touching him. As it was, the Vulcan looked rather uncomfortable with the situation, especially after the display Chase had just made.:: Sabor: Perhaps I should- Blake: I’ve got it. ::Sky smiled again.:: I haven’t seen Faith all day. I’m sure you’ll be fine until I get back? Valaine: ::immune to Sabors discomfort:: Of course he’ll be fine! Sabor:::Pulling himself out of Chase’s grip.:: Only for you, Skyleena. ::Sky let out a breath for a short second before retreating to her room to check on Faith - and to pick up the glass on her way. Yeah, this was probably not going to end very well.:: Valaine: Now, Sabor... can I call you Sabor? Great. Now, Sky and I, we’ve been chatting and she mentioned you impressed her with your smart-assery. I figure it takes a special kinda Vulcan to be a smart-[...], right? So you and me, we’ve gotta... I dunno. Hang. Or mind meld. Or something. Do you drink? Probably water, the germs, right? Right... :: He made his way to the replicator after that rapid fire conversation. :: Sabor: I do not require a beverage at this time, Mr. Valaine, and I am beginning to think that you do not require one, either. Valaine: “Mr. Valaine?” Mr. Valaine was my *father,* Sabor. ::he paused suddenly:: Actually, he was Mr. Fairweather, and he was an abusive [...]. You wouldn’t have liked him. Anyway, “Chase.” Say it with me. “Chase.” ::to the replicator:: Where’d my glass go? Frack it... computer, an Adios. :: The blue bubbly liquid manifested on the replicator pad, and Chase was quickly taking a drink of it. :: Sabor: I do not believe that is a “good idea”. ::The Vulcan was starting to feel very isolated. This “conversation” was very one-sided. And what did the Terran want in the first place?:: Valaine: Who said it was suppose to be? ::giving the Vulcan a smile:: But enough about me. I want to hear about *you.* ::he plopped down onto the couch, set his feet up on the coffee table, and set an arm along the back, making himself at home:: Tell me about yourself, Sabor. Show me this smart-assery Sky bragged about! Sabor: I am unsure what you mean. Are you referring to my attitude when I first met Sky? In my defence, she asked a question. I merely answered it. ::Well, it wasn’t technically a question. Sky had stated clearly that Sabor shouldn’t enter her office (at the time) unless he had some sort of Brekkian chocolate. He told her that unless she wanted him to ask the Captain to change course to the Delos system (Brekka’s system), there was no *real* Brekkian chocolate onboard. But as the conversation moved on, there were a few times where he had told Sky that her Armory was ‘dusty’.:: :: A pleasantly entertained grin on his face, he held it for a moment as he thought the Vulcan over in all his inebriated glory. :: Valaine: Mmm hmm... ::the hard, glazed eyes stayed on the Vulcan, then eased up:: Isn’t that nice. Boring, but nice. We really need to get some alcohol into you. You’re more repressed than *other* Vulcans, and that’s saying something. :: Chase was deliberately attempting to make the man a bit uncomfortable now, taking some drunken pleasure in making the germophobe nervous. Not that he was being cruel, he was genuinely curious and fueled by alcohol in his fervor. :: Sabor: I only use alcohol for cleaning, *Chase*. ::He said curtly.:: I do not consume alcohol willingly. It is illogical. Valaine: Willingly. Unwillingly. There’s little difference. Except for the force. Minor distinction. ::he kept right on drinking despite the Vulcan’s protest:: Have you ever *tried* it? Maybe Sky would appreciate if you let loose a bit, am I right? :: The words were nothing much, but the tone was clearly suggestive in that entirely-lacking-in-subtlety manner that Chase had, and he wasn’t done yet. :: Valaine: She’s just about the *only* female onboard who hasn’t enjoyed my company. You found yourself a genuine article, other mens wives aren’t so... dedicated. You should return the favor. Sabor: Skyleena Blake is her own mind. Once it is made up, there is little to no chance of changing it. Her . . . “unwillingness” towards you may be because of her previous relationship with people like yourself. ::He turned around and washed his hands again.:: Besides, I am not required to be different around her. If I *was*, the relationship between us would not be as successful with all of the “problems” we have encountered. Valaine: Ahhh, yes. The problems. She mentioned those. ::nodding seriously, then smiled again:: But wow, that was a zinger! “Because of her previous relationship with people like yourself.” I’m *almost* offended... but we’re on such a roll, I choose not to be. ::waving it off:: Especially since that’s the smart-assery I came to see. :: Chase stood somewhat unsteadily, but caught his balance and moved toward the Vulcan again, but this time he didn’t envelope him in a close grip as he had before. :: Valaine: Where did she get off to anyway? Who knows what trouble we could cause if she isn’t here to supervise. ::pausing:: So let’s do that! What do you do for fun? Do you do holodecks? Or does the idea of what other people do in those rooms in private keep you holodeck-free? :: Yet again utterly lacking in subtlety. :: Sabor: In a way. I prefer to avoid the holodecks onboard unless absolutely necessary. Valaine: Then where do you spend your time? Sabor: Mr. Val- *Chase*, my Armory is more sterile than any of the holodecks onboard.It is one of the few places where I am not disturbed. My expertise is with weapons. Valaine: ::eyes lighting up:: The *Armory!* That’s perfect! We should totally do this. :: A grip of fabric in one hand and Chase was tugging the Vulcan toward the door, clearly on a mission to get into trouble and invite Sabor along for the ride. The fact he was more than a little drunk didn’t deter him from his next motivation. The randomness of his desires were a clear distraction from his earlier troubles. :: Valaine: You can shoot, right? Teach me everything you know. My aim *sucks!* Sabor: Sky is a better shot than myself, I would suggest taking up lessons with her. I am the Armory officer because of my knowledge of the weapons. The best description of my job is similar to weapons development. :: The grip on Sabors sleeve relaxed, and Chase almost seemed disappointed for a moment. :: Valaine: I might have to break the news to Sky. She’s got no idea she’s dating a totally normal Vulcan. I figured you *had* to be *some* fun to keep her around. :: It wasn’t an insult, but it did result in Chase doing his best to finish the drink in his hand before he jammed the glass back into the replicator pad nearby. :: Sabor: What are you suggesting? That I am causing Skyleena to become the Terran equivalent to “bored”? Valaine: Suggesting? Come on, Sabor. I am *totally* funned out here. ::the indication being the opposite, translated through his monotone reply and expression... which again morphed into something happier, the alcohol keeping his black mood at bay:: Coooome ooooon, you’ve *gotta* have something you’ve wanted to do, but you’re too chicken to do it without a drunken Terran to lead the way! And I’m your Terran! Sabor: I do not believe that this is a ‘sane’ idea. Valaine: Do it for Sky! I will do literally anything you want. Name it. No reservations, no restrictions, no boring Vulcan “sanity!” This is your opportunity! Sabor: I do not have anything I wish to do currently. The only pressing matter to attend to currently is Veusa. Valaine: Gesundheit. Sabor: Veusa is the name of my younger sister. She is close to graduating the Academy. I believe *you* would find her likable due to her unusual amount of time spent among Terrans. Valaine: ::instantly interested for another reason altogether:: Is she cute? I bet she has your cheekbones. Sabor: She is my sister. ::Sabor repeated.:: There are few differences between us. The most major difference is her attitude and personality . . . ::Sabor frowned a little. Veusa did not have a short range of emotions, in fact, she was ridiculously like a Terran.:: :: Chase was undeterred by the sibling banter. In fact, he kept that smile as he came nearer Sabor, until they were rather close, well into the Vulcan’s personal bubble of comfort. Close enough to smell the alcohol rampaging through the Terran’s system. :: Valaine: Forget your sister. What would you say if I was more interested in *you?* :: Those fingers came out again to grasp the fabric of Sabor’s sleeve, giving it a light tug. :: Valaine: Sky wouldn’t mind, would she? Maybe I could teach you a few things. Sabor: It depends on what you wish to “teach” me. Valaine: ::smiling slyly:: Oh... a few things... :: Chase gave a harder tug, pulling them closer together, his intentions anything but veiled. It was the alcohol at this point, enhancing his brutishly frank personality flaws. Normally he’d know full well a Vulcan was beyond his reach. Not in *this* moment... in this moment he was impressing himself on Sabor quite openly, pushing closer to the Vulcan. :: Valaine: There’s this one Andorian technique I happen to love, where you-- Blake: Am I interrupting something? :: Chase turned his head to look at Sky as she returned to the room, slightly annoyed and clearly unsteady, save for the tight grip he had on Sabor’s sleeves. :: Valaine: Only if you don’t plan to join in. Otherwise, yes. Blake: Chase, you’re not going anywhere, not after the reading the computer gave me of your alcohol level. Sabor: I agree. Actually, I would prefer it if you let go of me, now. :: Either intentionally or not so intentionally, he completely ignored their pleas for sanity. Instead he pushed a mite bit closer to Sabor, his smile in place. :: Valaine: Wha’cha gunna do? Nerve pinch me? Then use and abuse whilst your hostage is unconscious, eh? I *knew* you had a saucy side, Sabor! Sabor: Skyleena, I am uncertain of what he means, but I am very uncomfortable right now. It is bad enough that my senses are heightened, let alone him pushing it. Blake: Just take a deep breath. It’s not as if he’s going to do something to you. ::But Sabor did have a point. He was already over the edge as it was with Chase just touching him. If Chase pushed himself any closer to the Vulcan, he’d probably freak.:: Valaine: ::to Sabor:: Oh, I am *absolutely* going to do something to you. Blake: Chase, sit down before electrocute you. :: The glazed, altered blue eyes shot toward Sky, his expression suddenly gone pensive and a bit grim, as well as slightly annoyed, eyes half lidded and lips pursed for a moment. A hard moment later he dropped his tight hold of Sabor’s sleeves. :: Valaine: Geez, *you* guys’re a *ton* of fun. Really. ::sounding rather like a flat fib:: But I’ve really gotta go find someone in’trested in my talents. ::he stepped back from Sabor, smile returning as he bowed, arms out with a dramatic and unsteady flourish:: If you’ll excuse me. :: And he clearly meant not to be returning to his *wife* for those attentions, either. Not after the fight they’d just had. He turned for the door, hand landing on the nearby wall to keep himself on his feet as he made to leave. :: Blake: Come on, Chase, do you really think you can make it out the door let alone catch someone else? :: Chase only laughed at that, openly before he responded to Sky without turning away from his doorway-centric path. :: Valaine: ::through the slur:: You act like I hafta *chase* them! I’ll h’ve you no, they come to *me!* ::Sky sighed, and Sabor merely shook his head.:: Sabor: ~~ May I drop him *now*? ~~ Blake: ~~ I don’t see another option. ~~ ::And without any hesitation, the Vulcan stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the Terran, who was insanely drunk by anyone’s standards.:: Valaine: ::stopping at his approach:: I tho’t you weren’t in’trested? Sabor: I am merely making sure that you have a pleasant sleep. Valaine: ::not catching on, nose turning up:: Sleep...? Not f’... ::It was then that the Vulcan applied the aforementioned nerve pinch.:: :: The hand that had come up to swat away the annoying Vulcan fell with the rest of the Terran, gravity taking hold where his consciousness had left him. :: Blake: Right. He’s probably not going to be very happy tomorrow morning. Sabor: Skyleena, I do not care at this point. ::He hauled up the Terran onto the couch.:: So long that he is a lot lower than his current level. ::Calling Talya to come here and pick him up or dropping him off was out of the question - especially since Sky had ordered her to relax with Xena. Freaking out about Chase was certainly not under the category of relaxation. So Chase would have to involuntarily spend the night here.:: ::Getting a light blanket from the cupboard, Sky neatly threw it over the Terran and more or less tucked him in. She was suddenly glad that one of her mentors as a teenager was just as drunk as Chase was every Saturday night, so she had a good experience of dealing with situations like this - especially since Sabor tried to avoid any attempt to help her. Instead, he set down a glass of water and unwillingly removed the Terrans shoes. Fresh clothing was also there for the morning.:: ::So, with the Terran on their couch, Sabor and Sky retreated to their room, but not before Sabor put restrictions on the replicator.:: JP by~ LtCmdr Sky Blake Chief of Security/Second Officer USS Avandar & CWO Chase Valaine Engineer USS Avandar

(( USS Avandar )) IC: :: With the leave over and the crew settling on their tasks Marcus sat in his family quarters looking at the box in front of him. He thought that it was a good time as any other to call the Lieutenant and have that talk. :: Dickens: =/\= Dickens to tr'Khellian =/\= tr'Khellian: =/\=How may I be of assistance Lt Cmdr?=/\= Dickens: =/\=I’d like to have a talk with you when you have time for it. =/\= tr’Khellian: =/\= My shift ends in 2 hours.=/\= Dickens: =/\= Good for me, where do you want to meet? tr'Khellian: =/\=How about the Arbouretum by the roses near the gazebo.=/\= Dickens: =/\= Good, see you there. =/\= oOtr’Khellian: I wonder what shoe is about to drop?Oo :: Closing the link he allowed him to let out a breath easing some of the tension he’d been accumulating. The arboretum could be a good place to have this kind of talk as it tends to be unused by most of the crew during the alpha shift so he took the box and moved to the arboretum:: (Later) :: He was waiting for tr'Khellian on one of the benches they had installed there when he saw the Intel officer entering the place. His stance showed lot of confidence, but some of the hand moves told him that the man was somehow looking up to the conversation. Intel officers tend to have this behaviour, wishing to know things before the others, to be proud to know things in advance. Obviously, he didn’t know what awaits him :: oOtr’Khellian: 5 minutes early and he still beats me here.Oo tr’Khellian: Lt Cmdr.....welcome back! Dickens: tr'Khellian, glad to see you here. How’re you doing? You know, job and things like that? tr'Khellian: Honestly I am enjoying myself immensely. Aside from this memento, and 10 extra years of mileage on my brain from my jaunt to Eden.....all-in-all....good. Dickens: Let’s make a walk,... :: He stood and began walking with S’Lone to his side:: To speak honestly, I think this is the first time I step on the arboretum on this ship. tr'Khellian: I like to come here to unwind. The smell of the roses is relaxing and intoxicating all at once. Dickens: oO A sensitive comment... curious Oo Is this arm of yours giving you too much problem? tr'Khellian: I’m at 2% with my right...no feeling in the arm and shoulder...slight tingle in the hand..maybe the wrist. Problem...I won’t be at the range firing a sniper rifle anytime soon, if ever. Dickens: I know the feeling,... on your field of expertise you’re quite good and this situation must be a bit … bitter, to say the least. tr’Khellian: Bitter....maybe..No not maybe...yes absolutely...I was fraking retarded. Like some motard gunbunny. Dickens: :: He didn’t need his Betazoid sense to know he’s upset about what happened to him, however he could sense a bit of that even as S’Lone tried to mask it. :: I think I’m not familiar with that term... tr’Khellian: Motard...Marine slang for someone who is highly, yet stupidly motivated at all times. A Motard thinks themselves invulnerable. Dickens: I don’t see you as a person that thinks he’s invulnerable. However, as other Intel people I’ve found, you think you have control in most situations ‘cause you have a lot of data and knowledge about many things. But it seems that you’ve learned it before it’s too late. :: he looked around contemplating the different flowers and taking some good breath sensing the essence the flowers gave to that place. :: tr’Khellian: It was a lesson...::quietly:: that I am soft and... Dickens: Hah... :: he laughed lightly :: You and soft on the same phrase? Why that? tr’Khellian: I focused too hard to fight to incapacitate the Klingon Colonel...I almost died. Dickens: Yes, you’re so committed to do what you thought must be done, but you’re still young... :: he was interrupted by tr'Khellian. :: tr’Khellian: Young? I am 40 chrono, I have already had a 20 year career in the Marines before coming to Starfleet. It had nothing to do with age or experience.....I was just plain stupid. Dickens: Oh,... you think so? Well in some sense and from a non marine point of view, probably, you could also add, high handed, pushy and overconfident. tr'Khellian: Add arrogant and impulsive. ::with a slight smile:: Dickens: :: smiling back ::But I must confess you a thing... tr'Khellian: Pray tell... Dickens: I’ll be calm having you and T’Lea by my side in facing any enemy. You should have seen her... tr'Khellian: Oh I can imagine...we had a close quarters sparring match a while back... ((FLASHBACK)) ((Main Turbolift)) :: T'Lea glanced at his posture. He was tense. She noted the clenching of his fists and knew that she was getting to him. It gave her sick amount of pleasure, ruffling the Intel. Officer’s perfect feathers.:: T’Lea: You know, Rihannsu abhor half-breeds such as yourself. I’m surprised the Committee didn’t execute the Sector Commander sooner after bedding your mother. Tell me, was she his wife, or just another amton’wi-kha nvaihr? ::It took tr’Khellian less than a heartbeat to react. His body went completely still, then relaxed, followed by the almost flawless execution of a Krav Maga knifehand strike to T’Lea’s throat.:: :: T’Lea probably deserved that, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Barely able to even gasp her shock that he’d actually struck a superior officer, T’Lea staggered back against the turbolift wall, rear firmly planet against the surface as she bent forward, wheezing for air and clasping at her throat.:: T’Lea: Faelirh-… :: Applying a lot of Vulcan discipline to control the pain in her throat, which quite frankly felt like she’d swallowed a two-by-four horizontally, T’Lea lifted her steely blue eyes to the man standing across from her. She wondered for a moment, what would Della say, and then bull rushed him into the opposite side of the lift, with her hand flat against his face to ensure that she violently bashed his head into the control panel, shattering the glass plating with the back of his skull.:: ::S’Lone touched his torn scalp and came away with a wash of reddish-green blood which was quickly turning brown as the air oxidized it. Instinct kicks in and he begins a flurry of attacks… right hand spear strike to the solar plexis, followed by a right elbow to the chin, then blocking a return strike from T’Lea to the gut with a left arm block then executing a hammer strike to the side of her left kneecap.: :: What *was* different about this quaint little scuffle was the raw strength he possessed. Sure he was a half-breed, but apparently he’d inherited his father’s physiology. It was kind of nice having someone challenge her own physical superiority for change, she thought while feeling his nose break against her elbow. Nice, indeed.:: ::S’Lone was impressed by the cunning tactics and flawless delivery used by T’Lea:: :Bnot too shbabby for a steet uuhrchin. ::Smiling while blood poured from his broken nose over his split lips and into his mouth. T’Lea: ::smirking:: Brown blood? I knew you were full of dren. ::Using the blood as lubrication S’Lone tears out of T’Lea’s headlock and counters by grabbing her head with both of his hands, leaps up a few feet in the air while simultaneously pulling her head down sharply to meet his rising knee hitting her in the mouth.:: :Booya. Payback is a biatch! :: Lip split wide open, T’Lea felt the warm blood drip from her mouth and soak the front of her uniform a dark shade of green. For the next little while the two Romulan hybrids went at each other like a couple of targs locked in a pit fight. Eventually their standing brawl hit the deck, where both exerted a huge amount of energy wrestling each other on the floor of the turbolift for the dominant position -- a position that would ultimately make the other submit, or pass out. Unfortunately, neither could gain the upper-hand.:: :: Bloodied, bruised, and probably broken in certain areas, T’Lea forcefully interjected her knee into the tender nether region of the Intelligence officer, which allowed her an escape hatch from his mounted position above her. And while he withered in pain, she crawled over to her corner of the turbolift, unable to enjoy the look of discomfort on his face because the three cracked ribs in her side felt like shattered glass.:: S’Lone: You st-eye-k like a steet fight-ha. Impessive ::Words bubbling from swollen cracked bleeding lips:: :: Sat slumped and breathing heavily against the wall, T’Lea held her ribs, wincing with each breath, until finally she spoke around the puffy battered lip she’d won.:: ::Unconsciously brushing his black collar S’Lone tries to force air into his lungs while flexing his broken left arm. T’Lea: Your grandfather… ::wincing as she shifted against the wall:: … you would do anything to get your revenge? S'Lone quickly answering without hesitation: :YES...:::a few seconds pass then quietly:: :no, not anything. ((((Present))))) Dickens: And you left in one piece? That should have been a must see situation. tr’Khellian: It was...cathartic. Dickens: oO Cathartic... Oo That’s what I mean being still young. You feel that you’re 40 or that you still can kick some twentiesh asses if needed? tr'Khellian: I have the milage on my body of 40 years but due to my Romulan blood my physical body is similar to a 25 year old. Romulans live about twice as long as Terrans. My betazoid half..well you understand that as well. But back to your questions. The answer is yes to both. Dickens: That’s why I’ve recovered this... :: taking out the box with the Purple heart :: tr'Khellian: That? That is a Combat Inefficiency Badge. Dickens: Well, I have one my self... and I don’t see myself as a combat unfit. In fact, you don’t know the half of me, ::Kelrod smiled at the back of his mind :: but I think that in your best shape, I could make you sweat for good. Why did you exactly throwed it? tr’Khellian: The first one, when Blackwood died I was ok with....I did all i could... This one is just a reminder I am a [...]-poor ex-Marine. Now a [...]-poor gimp wannabe. Dickens: Oh, that’s it... :: Blackwood memories came to Marcus when she was working with him. The pass of years, crew mates, ships didn’t make it easier when you lose someone that worked close to you. :: I see... Well, for being a [...]-poor gimp wannabe, you’ve made some impression in this crew senior staff. For example in Eden, you’ve fought bravely, saved our lifes one time and another, even helped us in getting food ::trying to draw a smirk ::. Out of Eden, you’ve always get what we needed or at least part of it. Don’t you like the life you’ve had on the Avandar so far? tr’Khellian: Life was simpler as a Master Gunnery Sergeant. Dickens: Yes,... and mine was simpler as an ensign assigned to a lab. But if we’re to live a simpler life, we’ll still be some kind of amoeba or bacteria. If you resign to improve yourself, your life will be easier, of course, but will it be worth living it? tr'Khellian: Living?...I am committed..::long pause:: ..to living. I have been considering stepping down. Dickens: oO Was he that depressed ? Oo If you step down, then what will be of all those years working hard. Will they be a waste of time and resources? Think of all the people that you could help to be better or even to just live that will be wasted if you quit. tr'Khellian: I am too quick to embrace violence. Too quick...::long pause:: ok..ok...you make sense. Dickens: Yes, I do... It’s quite easy to go through that path... you feel the urge, the need to go this way. It’s kind of intoxicating and everytime you use it it’s easier to do. So why to worry about other ways when that ends the issue? tr’Khellian: Roger that. Dickens: :: Kelrod’s experiences gave him a clear view of what S’Lone was feeling with that, so after hesitating a moment he put his hand on the man’s good shoulder:: I’ve felt the same way, I’ve dealt with it with my fencing and focusing on the people under my command, both in Science as FO of the whole ship and now as Engineer. Maybe what you need is time to think of what you want to do with your life and if you want to control that violence in you instead of letting it control you in tense situations. tr’Khellian: I received a request to take a brief leave of absence, a month tops. A buddy of mine wants to get my help running some NCOs through a modified SERE program. on Mars...I was hoping to at least provide my experiences..so I.... ::long pause:: so I... ::quietly:: don’t feel like a failure. Dickens: Maybe I will help you better if you translate what SERE is? Remember, I’m a scientist, not an acronym translator... :: smiling :: tr’Khellian: Oh sorry..it stands for Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Dickens: Survival, Evasion, Resistance and... Escape. Sounds like fun... and how much time travelling there doing and returning? tr’Khellian: A month tops including transit time. But....I am torn...what do you think? Dickens: ::He stops and began thinking for a few seconds before giving the man an answer. Marcus felt it was one of those time when words can make the difference not just for this man, but for all the lifes that could be affected by him.:: Well, that depends. You could excuse yourself of that program,... I’m sure that buddy of yours will understand given your situation and will probably feel sorry for you. There could be other chances to help him... or maybe he’ll call the same person he calls due to your absence. Or you could still ask for that leave and if the captain accepts it, go there and teach them how to deal with adverse situations. You probably won’t be able to make rappel over a cliff, or mount a TR-116A rifle yourself, but you’re more than a mix of arms, legs and head to fight. Your own department regards on knowledge. You say you feel like a failure, but you just had a wound, a bad one, but hey :: raising his left hand he took the Purple heart with the right and CRUSHED the tiny box in his bionic hand :: You’re not the only one. Don’t you think that I hate every time I look at this :: Opening his hand and letting the remainings of the box drop to the ground :: When I have to take it off for maintenance? or when I have to do a delicate experiment or now repair and I fear that the hand fails somehow and I screw it up? Or to not feel right like I did when I caress my wife? tr'Khellian: You must hate it..the injury..the reminder..the folks responsible.... Dickens: No,... I don’t hate it, ‘cause I’ve chosen not to. For some time I’ve considered resigning and even Vojana accepted the idea. After all Starfleet has given us many problems, some of them making her resign from Starfleet. But I won’t,... ‘Cause that’s the way I’ve decided to live and if some day I resign and look for another way of life it’ll be ‘cause I decide it and not ‘cause I’m forced to it by some circumstances that are hard to endure. There’s an old saying... What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. :: He looked at the man as he processed the words he’d just told the man. Somehow he wasn’t sure if he’d said them for S’Lone or for himself after seeing in the Intel officer a reflection of himself when his hand was crushed in a mission as FO. :: Dickens: Anyway, don’t pay too much attention to what I say, … do what you feel you need to be good with you but don’t do things just because you think it’ll spare you of suffering or pain. Things you don’t deal with when needed, only gain strength over time. tr'Khellian: Heavy words...true words.... Dickens: :: Handing the man the Purple heart :: This is yours, wherever it ends, your quarters or the replicator, it’s up to you. tr'Khellian: I will keep it...in fact as a reminder of our talk..I’ll keep it visible in my quarters so every morning when I get my espresso I will see it hanging next to my NCO sword. Dickens: If it helps you to know what and where you want to be, It’ll be a good thing. tr’Khellian: Thanks.. ::looking Dickens square in the eyes:: It helped me get my head on straight. Dickens: I know we’re not the best friends of the ship, we’ve just worked together a few times and for personal reasons I don’t like Intel officers. However I see something different in you and that conversation proved to me that you’re worth the try. :: They arrived in their walk to the entrance of the Arboretum and Marcus stopped turning to S’Lone:: Dickens: When you tell the captain, I’ll be sure she considers it. tr’Khellian: Thank you. And Sir....May I get your help in conditioning for my trip to Mars? I could use a living opponent? And you need a break from hypo spanners and self sealing stem bolts Dickens: Self sealin stem bolts.... I don’t think I’ll miss them. Count me in. :: The duo split and Marcus felt somehow well with himself. Maybe he’d done something that really counts on that ship since he boarded it. :: TBC: JP by Lt(jg) tr’Khellian Intel Officer USS Avandar and Lt. Cmdr. Marcus Dickens Chief Engineering USS AVANDAR NCC-80203

Ensign Jack Mancuso Engineer USS Avandar (( Somewhere aboard the wreckage of the Avandar)) ::He sat in the darkness of the ruined bridge, alone and quiet, sitting very still in the Captains chair. His eyes didn't open, or move. His hands twitched slightly. The only sound the slow heaving of his breath. To any ho had observed the scene, they would probably believe he had sat down and fallen asleep.:: Jack: How long are you going to sit there and ignore me? Mancuso: As long as it takes. ::He opened his eyes and looked at...himself. The uniform still flawless. The bright shining Ensign.:: You aren't real. Jack: Ouch. That really hurts me Jack. I'm as real as you are. Mancuso: Oh? And what are you then? Am I going mad? Jack: ::Smiling:: Yes. Yes you are. But regardless....I am you. Conscience. Guilt. Whatever you wish to call it. Mancuso: ::Laughing:: I always envisioned this taking place with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Jack: Really? Well...I'd think that madness is unexpected. Mancuso: To hell with you. I'm not crazy. Jack: OH!? Are you so sure? Because you're prepared to do whatever it takes to get off this planet. Prepared to go against your friends, the Captain....all for a chance to escape. Where I come from that's called mutiny Jack. Mancuso: SHUT UP!! I'm just trying to save us. All of us. It's for their own good. Only Commander Umas sees it like I do. Jack::: Stepping around to look him in the face:: Are you really trying to justify yourself to me? I am you. I know what you know. Mancuso: Stop. Jack: You're just a scared little boy. Mancuso: Stop! Jack: You're scared and now you want to run away. Mancuso: STOP IT!! Jack: :: He threw his hands in the air.:: I give up. Your heart is becoming black. Hollow. Cold. There's no room in it for anyone but Jack Mancuso and his distorted sense of right and wrong. LOOK AT YOU! You're becoming a desperate, cold and remorseless man. YOU are the worst of what you truly are Jack. Mancuso: ::He sighed:: And what are you? Some mental defense that my mind has thrown u to save itself? Jack: That might be one way to say it. Another would be to say that you are on the edge, looking out over an abyss. I mean hell Jack, you're the one sitting in a dark ruined bridge talking to yourself. If that doesn't scream out for you to seek help and pull yourself together I don't know what does. Mancuso: ::He lept to his feet now:: I am not crazy. I'm not. I'm an engineer. I have ideas that can help us. That can save us. And I'm going to save us. All of us. Push comes to shove, whether they want it or not. And heaven help anyone that stands in my way. Jack: ::Nodding slowly:: And so fear, desperation, and bitterness push you over the edge. Dad would just love seeing you fold under the pressure like this. Mancuso: Oh....nice try. You're so smug and self righteous. Jack: You'd rather I show up all ethereal and transparent? Rattling chains and shouting 'Turn back now before it's too late'? Fine...we'll do it the hard way. Mancuso: ::He spun around:: What's that supposed to mean? ::He froze, realizing the other Jack was gone, if he had ever really been there. Regardless, he had made his choice. He had picked his side. And there was no turning back now. He was a great engineer. And now he would prove it. He felt something slide down his cheek and he reached up. He looked at it on his fingertips for a moment. Why had he been crying? Shaking his head, he turned to walk out of the bridge. He was just tired. He needed sleep. His imagination was just running away with him.:: Ensign Jack Mancuso Engineer USS Avandar

(( OOC2: For those of you who can't read sims in full colour (esp. T'Lea), or for those of you who can't read this sim due to heavy formatting or weird HTML errors, I've prepared an image version of the sim here: http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1707/teattheblueones.png )) (( Jungle )) :: Tan and Vaala worked together, moving from bush to bush, gathering large buckets of the yellow berries. The crew couldn't live off them alone, of course, but everyone was doing their part and the berries would be a welcome variation from their usual fare. :: :: They had been working for almost an hour when Alleran discovered the first of the blue berries. They appeared to be exactly like the yellow ones they saw earlier, but slightly smaller and a dark navy blue. Alleran called Vaala over and the large Klingon woman ambled towards them, staring curiously. :: Vaala: Do you think we can eat them? :: Tan casually reaching out and plucking one from the bush. He inspected it a moment -- it was round and looked juicy -- then shrugged, popping it in his mouth. :: Vaala: H-hey...! Don't do that! What if it's poisonous? :: Alleran chewed thoughtfully, giving a wide smile. :: Tan: Well, if they are going to kill me, at least they taste great! :: The Trill reached out for another, but Vaala swatted his hand. Coming from the tall Klingon woman this hurt more than a little. :: Tan: Ow! Vaala: Oops! Sorry...! ::a pause:: But, um, yeah. You really shouldn't eat them... look. We'll take a small sample back to the crash site and then we can see if they're safe, okay? :: Reluctantly, Tan nodded. :: Tan: That seems fair. Okay, let's head back that way, there were more yellow ones back there... :: The two began moving back to the east, towards the crash site, and resumed working. After a few minutes, Alleran blinked, staring down at his hand. The colour seemed... off, somehow. :: Tan: Do you see that? :: The Klingon craned her neck, stopping her picking. Tan held out his hand to her. :: Vaala: Mmm? Tan: The colour... it's off. Everything's a weird shade of blue... :: Vaala frowned, moving over to Alleran, pulling out her tricorder. :: Vaala: No, everything seems fine to me, but um-... your heart rate is up... *way* up. And your pupils are dilated... :: :: Looking back up to her, Alleran just smiled. He watched as the tall woman scanned him with a giant blinking pear, two little green eyes appearing on the fruit's surface.:: Tan: That's the most awesome fruit-corder I've ever seen! And I'm a Triterian caterpillar, so I understand fruit like nothing else! :: Vaala stared at him, her four insectoid eyes blinking in confusion. :: Vaala: Lieutenant...? You're not a Triterian caterpillar, you're a Trill and a Starfleet Officer. ::pause:: I'm... I'm not sure you should have eaten that berry... :: As a caterpillar, Tan didn't speak the same language as Vaala, but now felt an irresistible urge to shed his old, worn skin and start the metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly. He wiggled and he jiggled, and soon his constraining skin was tossed aside. :: Tan: I'll find us food, Vaala! I'm a tracking caterpillar, so I can smell wild, naturally occurring muffin and cake plants, pick their sugary fruit, then bring them back to everyone! :: Vaala's face was a wide smile. :: Vaala: I know you can! And here, some friends to help you on your quest! :: Wow! Vaala *could* speak caterpillar! Tan watched in amazement as, from over her left shoulder a little orange face appeared, smiling widely. Alleran recognized him instantly. :: Tan: Ensign Fluffy-Pants...! :: The tiny fluffy toy waved his little arm in excitement. :: Fluffy-Pants: Hello, Mister Alleran! Golly gee and crackers, we are going to have so much fun! :: Fluffy-Pants jumped down from Vaala's shoulders, tottering up to him with a huge smile on his face. Behind him, Vaala vanished in a soft cloud of pink flowers. :: Fluffy-Pants: Mister Alleran, I'm your best friend! Now let's go find some tasty tucker so we can feed the whole ship! Onwards and upwards! :: Scooping up the fuzzy little Starfleet officer, Tan laughed and ran off into the forest. :: Fluffy-Pants: Don't eat the blue ones, Mister Alleran! Only the yellow ones! :: Gasping, Alleran stopped. He held out the fluffy creature, who smiled at him. :: Tan: Whyever not, Mister Fluffy-Pants?! Those berries gave me the power to talk to stuffed cats! :: Suddenly, there was a dark flash behind him, and a scowl crossed over Fluffy-Pant's stuffed face. :: Fluffy-Pants: "Stuffed"... are you saying... I'm *not a real cat*?! Tan: Well, no... you're made of stuffing and love and- Fluffy-Pants: TRAITOR! :: With a furious roar Fluffy-Pant's mouth opened wide and thousands of tiny bees poured out, stinging Alleran's arms and face. With a pained squeal he dropped the poor Ensign, who exploded into a cloud of even more bees. :: :: This was no way for a caterpillar to live! :: :: Running further into the forest, Tan knew what he had to do. He couldn't live as a caterpillar anymore... he had to change! :: :: Wrapping his arms around himself, Tan began to shift. Almost immediately, bright red and lavandar wings began to sprout from his back. Laughing joyously, Alleran took wing, soaring up from the jungle aloft his colossal butterfly wings. :: :: The sky was a multicoloured kaleidoscopic rainbow of joyous light and patterns, and Alleran loved every moment of it, laughing and shouting gleefully. His wings beat a steady thump as he flew over the jungle. :: :: This was MUCH better. :: :: There was the ring of a musical tone overhead, and Tan glanced up. There, flying above him, was Ensign S'Acul, running like a cat would, his four legs motoring in the air, his whole body a giant baked pastry. From behind him, arainbow ribbon of bright colours followed where-ever he went. :: "S'Acul": Nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan! Tan: Oh, S'Acul, you're speaking Cat-lish! It's okay... my old pet Zlix, she taught me how to speak your language in preparation for Catnarok! Nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan... ____━━ ____━━ ___━━____┓━╭━━━━━╮ ____━━ ____━━ ____━━____┗┓|::::::^━━━^ ____━━ ____━━ ____━━____━┗|:::::|｡◕‿‿­­­­◕｡| ____━━ ____━━ ____━━____━━╰O--O-O--O ╯ (( Reality )) :: Vaala stumbled through the undergrowth, tripping over one of the many exposed roots and tangled vines that had slowed her path. The Trill officer was a lot shorter and smaller than her, which allowed him a great deal more manoeuvrability in the cramped jungle. And so, despite his injured leg, he had been getting away from her. :: :: She frantically waved the standard issue Starfleet uniform pants over her head, trying desperately to attract Tan's attention. :: Tan: ... nyan nyan nyan nyan... Vaala: Sir-! Sir...! Mister Tan, you *have* to put your pants back on...! Fluffy-Pants is back at camp, he's not here, and... oh gosh, mind the bees nest, mind the bees- ... ... it's okay! We can treat those stings, Mister Tan! Just please come back and put your clothes back on...! (( "Reality" )) Tan: I'm the CaterpiLLERAN, now a ButTANerfly! :: And then the sky began to rain little yellow berries, which floated down to meet him, immediately bursting into song. :: "We're wonder berries, Yellow and sweet, Burst in your mouth, Such a tasty treat!" :: The Caterpilleran did a loop, catching the floating berries in his mouth and then swallowing them. From the surface of the jungle below a giant tree grew up to meet him. Alleran recognized the tree's face, which -- with the sound of a combadge chirping -- grew out of its bark and began to speak to him. It was the Della Ve-tree! :: Ve-Tree: Oh wise and mystical Caterpilleran, we hope you're enjoying your spiritual quest to reach enlightenment! Tan: I am, oh heavens I am, I just wish I had more time to spend with Ensign Fluffy-Pants before I turn into a water elemental! It's such a shame he exploded into bees... it's okay, though, because I've transformed into my evolved self, the Buttanerfly! Now I can raise the dead with the power of song! :: From the various branches of the Ve-tree a thousand little tiny green T'Leaves sprouted, humming and chanting in chorus. Small little red fruit grew -- each of them having T'Sara's face -- growing fresh and ripe. Fruit of the Ve-Tree, indeed. :: Ve-Tree: That happens to the best of us, old chap! Don't worry, my bark's worse than my bite, just like frogs on a log! I'll "leaf" you to your quest! T'Leaves: Frogs on a log! Frogs on a log! Tan: Tee hee hee hee hee! You're not nearly as scary now you're a giant tree, Cappy Ve-Tree! Just tell your millions of T'Leaves that we'll be fine and not to worry, I know the ship had a little tiny fender-bender, but I'll fix it all with my mystical Catterpillarran powers! Behold the powers of the moon and the sky! ::singsong:: The Della Ve-Tree, You understand me, You see what I see, And friends we shall be, Answer me these questions three, And then I can see, What it means to be, Enlightened! :: The T'Leaves broke off from their tree and flew all around him repeating the last word, "Enlightened". Pleased with how things had gone, The Catapillarran flapped his colossal multicoloured wings, flying off towards the horizon, heading for the second star on the right and getting higher and higher... :: :: But something was chasing him! :: "Oh no! A Klingon!" _o_ _,-=(_)=-,_ ,_o_, .-=-. ' ' ======= _____----(_o_)----_____ //-n-\\ "A KLINGON WARBIRD!"/ '-------------' \ _____---=======---_____ [' '] ====____\ /.. ..\ /____==== // ---\__O__/--- \\ It was getting closer! \_\ /_/ _ And closer...! "Fly, "Fly!" _|_|_ CATERPILLERAN!" ^/ . ..\^ "Fly!" "Fly away!" ___[=========]___ ___-==++""" . /. . . \ . """++==-___ __-+"" __\ .. . . | .. . | . . . /__ ""+-__ /\__+-"" `-----=====\_ O _/=====-----' ""-+__/\ _/_/ ""="" \_\_ /_/ \_\ // "Save me, Ensign Fluffy-Pants!" \\ /") ("\ \o\ "The Klingon caught me!" /o/ \_) (_/ . . \`-"'"-'/ } 6 6 { I'm sorry Caterpilleran, =. Y ,= /^^^\ . You're headed for a fall, / \ ) jgs ( )-( )/ I can't save you, I lied... ... *I'm not a real cat after all!* (( Reality )) :: Having finally caught up to the babbling, half-naked Trill, who was rolling around in the mud crying for Mister Fluffy-Pants, Ensign Vaala realized she had absolutely no idea how to keep him still. Puffing and panting from running,the tall Klingon finally resorted to just bodily sitting on him. :: :: Then, when she felt he was suitably restrainted, she tried simultaneously to force the pants back on their original owner, while avoiding looking at any part of his nakedness. Eventually the black pants tore along the crotch and Vaala gave up. :: :: She spoke into her combadge. After Tan had called the camp she'd received a number of very... confused... calls. Apparently Tan had spoken to them through the combadge still attached to his jacket, which the Trill was right at this moment trying to remove. :: Vaala: =/\= No, sorry, I couldn't get him dressed...! In fact, he's taking off his jacket now... he just kept *singing* and *singing*, and he's covered in mud from running through the creek, so he's... *slippery*. =/\= :: There was a pause as Vaala struggled with the wiggling Trill, who continued to sing nonsense. His jacket went *splat* into the mud, and then the undershirt followed suit. Then he was completely naked. :: Vaala: =/\= ... in my professional opinion as a couselor, he's *totally wigged out*, ma'am! I'll try and bring him back to camp! =/\= Anyone: ? :: She coughed, shifting herself on top of the squirming naked Trill, who was now shouting for Mister Fluffy-Pants to come save him from the "Warbird". Warbird, huh... did Alleran think Vaala was fat enough to mistake for a *starship*...? Hmmph... :: Vaala: =/\= And, um, well... at least we know his spots actually *do* go all the way down... that's, uh, that's one-hundred percent confirmed... and we know *not* to eat the blue ones. =/\= (( OOC: > )) Tag! TBC... ----- Lt. Alleran Tan Operations USS Avandar

(( Sickbay)) ::It was quiet for the moment in the sickbay. Her patients were resting quietly. She tabbed through the collection of recent scans, mostly to keep her inquisitive mind occupied. She stopped a moment, and pulled up an image of her husband, and gave a soft smile as the thought back.:: ((flashback: Vulcan Science Academy, Vulcan)) ::The young romulan student stood before the deans council with her hands clasped behind her. She tried to put on her best stoic expression. Inside, she was trembling. The eldest of the council made a firm rasp with the gavel onto the top of the desk.:: Dean of the Academy: This inquisition is brought to order as of stardate 238004.05. ::There was a pause as Re'Maru panned the council members.:: Dean: We are here because of an incident that occurred five days ago on stardate 238004.01. This incident was initially believed to be an epidemic outbreak of Bolian Blood Fever, a condition in which the earliest symptoms are blue tinted urine. This was proven incorrect when detailed scans were taken. ::Re'Maru was trying her hardest not to burst out in laughter. The emotionless glares, and the deadpan tone of the Dean was making the event even funnier than it already was to her.:: Dean: These detailed scans did reveal traces of Urised, an old terran urinary analgesic that dates back to the 20th century Earth. An investigation revealed that the water supply for this academy was contaminated with this medicine, and a device was removed from the filtration system. ::The Dean held up the device. It taking more and more of her self discipline to keep her giggling retained.:: Dean: We examined this device and discovered the parts were requisitioned by you, Freshman Re'Maru. What is your explanation of this act of sabotage? Are you secretly working with the Romulan Empire to sabotage this prestigious academy? ::She couldn't help herself anymore and burst out in a fit of laughter. The Council Members looked at each other in dismay at this student's outburst. She tried to calm down, and looked at the councilmen only to burst out further in more laughter. The Dean gave the gavel a heavy hit to the desk and stood.:: Dean: Freshman Re'Maru!!! Would you restrain your emotions?? This is a serious situation. Re'Maru: NO! You are making it serious!! ::trying to contain herself:: Dean: Then explain yourself, Freshman, before we have you expelled. ::The threat of expulsion did help set her straight.:: Re'Maru: Members of the Council ... This was all a joke. A practical joke, harmless fun. ::The Dean eyed her sharply. She swallowed and continued.:: Re'Maru: Stardate 238004.01 falls upon an old terran holiday known as "April Fool's Day", a day celebrated by the practicing of Practical Jokes, and telling of Humorous anecdotes. Medical research has shown that certain levels of humor is beneficial for the emotional and psychological healthiness. This was a medical experiment, conducted by myself and my room mate, who is human medical student, to study first hand the effects of humor in a vulcan society. ::She tried to keep herself in check, putting on the stoic face once more, hoping her bluff worked.:: Dean: Did you consult with any of your instructors before carrying out this .. experiment? Re'Maru: We felt it was best to maintain a level of secrecy given the nature of this experiment. If we had told others, it would have lead to misleading results. ::The Dean looked at the other members of the council, and spoke silently amongst themselves. Re'Maru stood silently, hoping that they wouldn't expel her.:: Dean: With this new information, we are going to postpone your expulsion. However, you and your roommate will both be placed on academic probation for the duration of one year. After which, you both will once again face this council. If you show improvement, and follow proper protocols when conducting abnormal experiments, you will both be removed from Academic Probation. ::She swallowed and gave a sigh of relief.:: Re'Maru: Thank you, Dean. ::The Dean motioned to a tall handsome Vulcan gentleman.:: Dean: This is S'bien. He is working on his doctrinal thesis, and has agreed to oversee your activities during your probationary period. You will report to him each week. ::Re'Maru gave a nod, then looked to S'bien. She had to admit he was very handsome.:: Re'Maru: Yes, sir. ((end flashback)) ((Aurora Sickbay)) ::She wasn't sure how long she was day dreaming. The familiar woosh of the sickbay doors opening brought her back to the present. She tapped a key to switch the picture back from her husband to the scans she took earlier.:: anyone: response? -tag- Ensign Re'Maru Medical Officer USS Aurora

LOL! That was hilarious! You clever bunny, you. ALIM is a great piece, Tan. I really enjoyed it.

((Vetri's Office)) Vetri: You've mislaid your humanity? That will certainly be news to a lot of people. Tash: ::one eyebrow rose, honestly curious:: Do I *look* human to you? :: The nanites made that one harder for even him to clearly answer. :: Vetri: Tash, you look like a semi-evolved ape that's only just decided walking upright might be a good plan. ::smiling:: So yes, you look human to me. The metal just makes you more eye-catching. :: Again with the pathetic attempts to lighten the mood. Perhaps it was just a law of nature that if Tash was in a room, bad jokes had to happen... Perhaps luckily, he seemed more intent on his own thoughts at this moment than what was coming out of her mouth.:: Tash: ::he glanced back down at that nowhere spot, taking those fervent eyes off Della:: I do wonder if this is part of their progression. As they advance through my system, more of my involuntary and voluntary functions are dependent on them. I could wake up tomorrow and not be me. I'd sound the same, act the same. But it would be them. Considering they've little regard for human social structures, it wouldn't be too much to assume they just don't need that human part of me to become more complex. But then, it's just a theory... I've no evidence. Haven't mentioned the idea to Doctor Virgo. She'd have me in a containment field for good. But if she comes up with the thought on her own... ::he thought to her warning against his being near Cruise::... she has this annoying trend of being right. :: Silence again as Della just sat there and looked at him. To be more accurate, her eyes where pointed in his direction, but she wasn't really focused on what they were reporting to her brain. Thoughts running down conditioned paths, within a short time she'd cleared her mind of all the baggage that had been called up, and a few ideas for helping Tash had taken their place.::: Vetri: Then let her be right. She wants to help, give her the chance. That'll only really cover the physical side, though... Tash: Isn't that part of the... :: He stopped as she raised a finger, a pretty clear indication she wasn't done. :: Vetri: Ssshh. Thinking. ::after a moment:: I think you may find the following helpful. First up: Living with this junk until it's gone. It may have escaped your notice, but we have someone that's lived her whole life with artificial parts. She may be able to give you some insight into getting used to it for as long as it lasts. Tash: Virgo...? :: Yet again he stopped, suddenly aware she was on some mental track to somewhere. Natural curiosity peeked through the depressive tone he'd taken on. :: Vetri: Still thinking. Second, reasons to give a frak about keeping yourself together. You have relationships with others, so keep them going. Example, would you have come to me with this if you didn't know me? :: She didn't actually give him a chance to answer, but at least she was now looking *at* him, rather than focusing somewhere a few feet behind his skull. But she was right, wasn't she. It had been difficult for him to come, but he'd seen the hints of his own dishevelled mindset and come to her, regardless. Was he making things overly bad without sound reason? :: Vetri: There's one, however, that will be especially important to work on keeping. Tash: ::genuinely not following:: I'm not sure I know who you mean. Vetri: I have eyes, Tash. I know what I see when the two of you are together. :: A short hesitation... slightly widened green eyes, though just barely... she'd caught him off guard, but he instantly tried to compensate. :: Tash: I don't know what you think you've seen, but I'm not with anyone right now. :: Bad liar. :: Vetri: Really? Huh... I was under the impression that you and Sariel had something more than a purely platonic relationship. :: He nearly flinched. How the hell did she know? Was it... surfing at the beach? He knew that had been a bad idea. But this was a brick wall with him, one he wasn't prepared to run face-first into. It was too close... closer even than the nanites inside his flesh. His only response was unprepared and instinctually protective... deny, deny, deny. He wanted to leave, but that would be a dead giveaway. He forced himself to sit perfectly still. Reveal nothing. :: Tash: ::harder now... almost convincing... but his eyes betrayed the desperation he hid:: You're mistaken. Vetri: About a great many things, no doubt. ::giving him a tight smile:: But somehow I think this isn't one of them. :: Why couldn't he lie?! Everyone else could!! He smiled softly, shaking his head "no" more at his own inability than at Vetri knowing what she knew. She was sticking with it despite his protestation, testament to her strong will. :: Tash: Even if it's true... ::avoiding the admission entirely::... that would only make things more complicated. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're *Trill*. Your people don't have the hang-ups Terran's do about alternative relationships. You're raised with the idea you might bond with a symbiote, then become an entirely different gender in another life, so to speak. Then on other terms, there are those who find that sort of thing to be a...::he hated using the word, but he had no other to replace it::... perversion. Fire and brimstone, and all that Hellfire. :: Sure, she was a Trill, and joined with a symbiote, at that. That made some things much easier to accept - by necessity, if nothing else - but it wasn't all smooth sailing. "Alternative relationships." One way to describe it, certainly, and she wondered for a moment whether Tash had any idea that the woman he was talking to right now had been having her own concerns about that sort of thing just before he'd walked in.:: :: Sighing, she settled back in her seat as he carried on, apparently uncaring whether she had any input on the matter right now.:: Tash: But even if I'm smart enough to know that's all nonsense, it's hard to walk away from how you were raised. I'm about as spiritually inclined as that targ... ::he motioned to it half-heartedly::... but that doesn't stop something from being dangerous. Being inclined to hide it would only lead to more strain, not less. It wouldn't be smart. :: All this said without one iota of admission to the truth, even though he was explaining exactly how and why he felt about it. If "guilt" wasn't used, it was certainly implied, as if he were justifying why he shouldn't even have a relationship at all with Sariel. He spoke as if it were all theoretical, however absurd that might be, considering he knew she knew, and knew she knew that he knew she knew. All part of the game. :: :: Then he did something that might have been unexpected. He laughed. Short, softly, almost to himself and lightly enough not to hurt his back with the internal reverberations. :: Tash: Guess I'm a lemming too, now that I think of it. We're all playing those parts we're expected to play. How would *I* be exempt? Am I just full of myself? :: He leaned forward a bit more onto his elbows again, ignoring the pressure in his spine and biting a nail thoughtfully. It wasn't really a question at all. The contemplation was honest, if not useful, but the laugh had gone some way to reassuring Della about how good a grip he still had on himself.:: :: Resisting the urge to answer "always" to the second question he'd just asked, the counselor decided that, if nothing else, the old cliché's of her profession where still around for a reason.:: Vetri: Ignore what other people might think of the situation for a moment, how does it make *you* feel? :: A simple question. How did it make him *feel*? He couldn't answer right away, but he seemed to give up on the pretence of it not being true. His answer was quieter than his brutally realistic assessments earlier. :: Tash: Like... breathing with no air. I can't breathe when... :: He shook his head to clear it. Romantic [...], that wasn't him. But he'd said enough. He couldn't breathe when Sariel was near... his lungs literally burned at the idea of seeing him again. Was it really so serious? Wasn't it only such a short time back that he'd found himself suddenly awake in an unexpected fog of hangover in his quarters, and run for dear life at the short term memory? :: :: The conflict between what he wanted and what he thought was wrong was even. At least, when Sariel wasn't around. When he showed up, it swayed dangerously into the realm of "I don't care if it's wrong." Of course, that only complicated the guilty feelings when Sariel was no longer around, which led to a sense of needing him around *more* to not feel guilty. :: Tash: What we want is usually bad for us. :: Again, he'd expressed a thought that had run through her own head a time or two of late, and she had a feeling he was about as resolved about it as she was - not much.:: Vetri: But it *is* something you want? To have someone in your life like that? Tash: Can't always have what you want. ::almost correcting his own comment by amending it with another:: But then... if I thought I had *something* close by, everything else might seem... smaller, at least. Vetri: From the sounds of it, Tash, you've *got* something, some *one*. Tash: An infatuation. It'll go away, then I'll be left with the consequences. :: Another bad lie. Not that he didn't expect consequences, but the first part. Every justification he was smart enough to see through was getting the better of him. :: Vetri: That's called "life". Deal with it. If you want my advice - which is presumably why you came here - then take the chance. If it all goes horribly splat, then you'll face what happens next, but I'll guarantee you that whatever comes of it, one thing you won't feel is Borg-y. :: And it looked like she'd finally lost the last of what she'd felt for him. Not that long ago, she'd have been fighting an urge to drive herself in between Tash and *anyone* else, but now...:: :: They'd spent far too much time on the topic of romance for Della's liking right now, so she changed tack, deliberately not giving Tash a chance to dig out more lame objections to doing something he actually wanted to do.:: Vetri: How's Ella? Tash: ::a little stupidly at the sudden shift:: What? Vetri: I did get it right, didn't I? That *is* your daughter? Tash: Yeah, yeah... she's on Earth with the family. Vetri: Why? :: Okay, so she knew a whole bundle of reasons why he'd choose to have his daughter living safe on Earth, as opposed to floating through space in a tin can like this one, but she wanted to see what reason's *he'd* give.:: Tash: Our missions aren't exactly child-friendly. Not that any other ship would be better. More though... she stayed of her own asking. She wanted my sister to teach her how to ride. I've never known a little girl that could resist the horses. Vetri: ::lifting a finger:: I was one. Never could stand the smelly things. That can't be the whole story, though. Tash: Well, it was more than horse play. I wanted her to experience Earth the proper way. Couldn't imagine being raised solely on a starship, no feeling of a home to go back to. She's been there about a year now. Vetri: Makes sense, I guess. I know I've thought about the same kind of deal for Gina, though that's a very different situation. ::thinking for a few moments:: Wouldn't you like to have her here, though? :: It was true, they were good reasons in and of themselves. But he'd then experienced the nanites exploding from his body. His daughter had seen him over a vid-screen communication many times, but she hadn't *seen* him. He'd stopped thinking about taking her back from Earth entirely on the basis that... :: Tash: I'd scare the living daylights outta her, Della. I still get panicked looks from *adults* in my own crew. I made a woman cry just by walking into 10-Forward... don't think I'll forget that one. ::obviously a little disturbed by the reactions he'd experienced:: I can brush those off, but if Ella *really* saw me... in what little flesh is left... :: The insinuation didn't need saying, though perhaps it was a twofold issue. He didn't want to scare his own daughter. But equally potent was the idea of her reaction terrifying him. :: Vetri: So... what? You're just going to leave her there? Cut yourself off entirely? :: And if her tone didn't tell him what she thought of *that* idea, he really wasn't paying attention...:: Tash: I was going to wait until the nanites were taken care of to bring her back. Vetri: They may never be completely gone, Tash. Tash: That's true... Vetri: I repeat, so what? She's your child, Tash. She deserves to know her father, and if something major is happening in his life, doesn't she have the right to know that too? Tash: I suppose... ::not sounding nearly as sure as he liked, despite agreeing:: Vetri: Kids are tougher than you'd think, I've found. And I think that spending some time with her would help you. Combine that with the relationship you're not having, and I reckon you've got a couple of very good reasons why you'll stay the Tash we all know and occasionally want to slap silly. :: He glanced at her at the "not having" part, a little perturbed but moving past it, raising a slightly amused, singular eyebrow at the "slap silly" part. He *knew* it! He was sport to these villains! But he didn't have the energy to fight this particular villain off at the moment, and she was making too much sense. :: Tash: It won't be easy, getting her a flight to Risa in time to meet us there... :: He was almost fishing for an excuse to put it off. :: Vetri: Of course it won't. Nothing worth doing ever *is* easy. Does that mean we shouldn't try? Tash: ::he gave her a half smile:: Now you're just patronizing me. I get it, I get it. ::he stood slowly, almost painfully:: Ella, inbound. I got it already. :: Accepting the idea was less difficult now that he had said it out loud. :: Tash: I'm going to need new quarters... ::somewhat to himself, already planning ahead:: Vetri: ::ruefully:: Tell me about it... I'm still getting used to having had to upgrade myself. It's easily enough done, though. :: The idea seemed to be getting itself nicely settled into his head now, and the objections had been replaced by an expression that said he was thinking about how he could make it work.:: Tash: If this blows up in my face, I reserve the right to blame you exclusively. Risk of the profession. :: His words were hard, but his expression was more peaceable, tired but friendly green eyes catching hers as she chuckled in response. :: Vetri: I'd hate to think there was anyone else you *would* blame, Tash. ::standing to rest a hand on his shoulder:: I sincerely doubt it'll come to that, though. Tash: I imagine I should go now before I make more of an [...] of myself. After all, I have to discuss some major changes with the relationship I'm not having. :: A little embarrassment at the vague admission sent his feet moving toward the door, though she likely couldn't miss the small smile he had. However defeated he had felt before, he'd known Della would set him straight. :: Vetri: Don't try and push it too hard. Just make sure he knows how you feel, and let things evolve from there. :: As he headed for the door, she sat herself back down on the couch, waiting until he was just about to leave before speaking again.:: Vetri: Tash? :: As he looked over his shoulder at her, she gave him a reassuring look.:: Vetri: Good luck.

Personally, Alias and Lost are two of my favorite shows, so I will be VERY interested in seeing what JJ does with Trek.

Welcome to the Troi Club. We are slowly brainwashing the world. Soon we will have complete control! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!

T'Lea likes Ramirez, but she'll probably never admit it -- unless you get her drunk with Romulan Ale, and that would take a lot of ale buddy!

All right. I retook the test and answered as my character T'Lea would. I'd say a mix of the top four pretty much nail her. My results for T'Lea: You are Jean-Luc Picard A lover of Shakespeare and other fine literature. You have a decisive mind and a firm hand in dealing with others. Jean-Luc Picard 80% Spock 70% Will Riker 70% Worf 70%