Alora DeVeau

((Bridge, USS Yamaguchi, Twenty-Five Years Ago: 2367)) ::The ominous black cube slowly filled the viewscreen until the stars behind it were blocked out. The screen flickered as a voice filled the room, and a figure--half man, half machine--walked forward.:: Locutus: Resistance is futile. You will disarm your weapons and escort us to sector 001. If you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you. ::As his bridge crew watched the assimilated captain of the Federation flagship on the viewscreen, Captain Marcelo Libório finally broke the silence.:: Libório: That'll be the day. ::A seasoned Starfleet officer in his early forties, Marcelo was no stranger to combat, having served throughout the Cardassian border wars that had left him only sorrow. Still, the fleet of forty ships Admiral Hanson had hastily gathered for this stand against the Borg incursion couldn't hide the desperation behind it. They hadn't even had time to evacuate the civilians when the orders came through.:: ::Tactical officer Gra called out behind him.:: Gra: The Melbourne and Saratoga are beginning their attack run. ::Marcelo nodded and looked to his helmsman, Ensign Carmen Vasser.:: Libório: Carmen, keep us in tight with the Bellerophon. We'll circle 'round their stern. ::Vasser returned an aye, not bothering to question where exactly the stern was on a cube as the bulky Ambassador class vessel began its turn.:: ::The Bellerophon and Yamaguchi made a coordinated attack on the Borg vessel, scoring a few direct hits, but the cube remained unscathed. Within minutes, the battle had turned into a slaughter, as the Melbourne and then the Saratoga were destroyed.:: Gra: Sir, Admiral Hanson is ordering the fleet to fall back to bravo point. ::The captain looked back at the Tellarite, annoyed as another blast of weapons fire shook the bridge.:: Libório: Tell the Admiral we'll get right on that when we can. Until then, keep firing until you empty out our entire torpedo payload. ::Marcelo turned to Lieutenant Commander H'lill, the ship's Caitian science officer and Marcelo's XO.:: Libório: H'lill, tell me we're doing *something* to that [...] ship! ::The normally friendly Caitain wore a grim expression as he checked the readouts at his station. He shook his head.:: H'lill: The enemy shieldss arre holding. No sign of any significant damage. ::As always when presented with a problem, he found himself fixating on how to get around it. Some kind of phaser modifications might be able to get through those shields, but they'd already programmed a sequence into the ship's computer. Further modifications would require hours. They had minutes - perhaps seconds - to come up with something else.:: H'lill: I'm tryinng another set of phaser frequenciess. ::It was the best he could do without more time. As he braced himself, H'lil's thoughts drifted to his wife and young son. How glad he was that they were safe. Far away from this ship, and Earth. These Borg were something out of nightmare.:: ::Gra's voice interjected again.:: Gra: Sir, the admiral- Libório: I told you, lieutenant, that- Gra: Sir, the admiral and his ship are gone! ::Marcelo cursed under his breath.:: Gra: Captain Amasov is ordering all remaining ships to follow the Endeavour. Libório: ::to Vasser: Helm, new course heading, 240 mark- ::The horrific whine of a cutting beam drowned out the captain's voice, and on the viewscreen, the green scalpel of light reached out and then tore through the screen itself, cleaving the saucer and the bridge in half.:: ::Vasser didn't have a chance as the beam sliced right through her. The rest of the crew had no time to react as consoles, chairs, and bodies began flying out into the vacuum of space.:: ::As Marcelo tumbled over and out of the center seat, he felt the air escaping his lungs. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the burning hulk of his ship falling below him.:: ((Bedroom)) Mariana: Good morning. ::Marcelo groaned for a moment, blocking out the sunlight with his arm.:: Mariana: Come on now. It's already almost ten. ::Marcelo slowly opened his eyes. He could hear the sound of the Atlantic Ocean coming through the open windows. He sat up, trying to get his bearings.:: Marcelo: Mariana? ::The woman standing near the bed simply smiled as she crossed her arms.:: Mariana: Yes, love? ::He just looked back at her, stunned.:: Marcelo: But… how? ::How was he back in Fortaleza?:: Mariana: Always the comedian. ::She leaned in and gave him a kiss before heading out.:: Mariana: Don't keep us waiting too long. ::Before he could ask, though, a child darted into the room, jumping onto the bed.:: Andressa: Papai! ::Marcelo turned his gaze from the window to his five-year old daughter, whose wisps of brown hair now matched her mother's. Scooping her up, he sat her down on his lap.:: Marcelo: What are you doing here, you little troublemaker? ::She laughed as her father hugged her tight. But while he was happy to see her and his wife, he couldn't hold back the tears now forming as everything came together.:: Andressa: What's wrong, papai? ::Marcelo wiped his eyes and forced a smile.:: Marcelo: Nothing… just a little salt in my eyes. ::The girl shook her head, giggling.:: Andressa: You're silly! Aren't you glad mamãe's back? Marcelo: Yes, of course. Run along, now. Go help your mother. You remember how she gets when we're late for breakfast. ::Marcelo's eyes followed his daughter as she left, and they lingered at the open door.:: ::Out of sight from Andressa and Mariana, the tears came back.:: ::He could still remember those last few seconds on the bridge. It wasn't a dream. He *knew* it wasn't a dream.:: ::He remembered the battle. He remembered hearing the screams of his crew in his final moments of life. And he remembered saying good night to Andressa, tucking her in one last time before heading up to the bridge.:: --- Captain Marcelo Libório Commanding Officer, USS Yamaguchi as simmed by Roshanara Rahman (with Lt. Commander H'lill, as simmed by Cameron/Evan Delano)

Congratulations!

“I’ve been afraid of changing ‘Cause I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder Children get older I’m getting older too.” ~ Dixie Chicks, Landslide ((Saveron’s Quarters - USS Invicta)) ::Saavok was in his room, ostensibly sleeping though Saveron suspected that he was up reading again. His son knew that if he was too tired the following morning both his father and his teacher would have something to say about it, and Saveron would not discourage the acquisition of knowledge. He permitted Saavok to manage his own sleep and meditation requirements providing that he did so acceptably.:: ::The lighting was dimmed to grey tinged with purple, like a Vulcan dusk, and he carefully set out candles laced with Vulcan spices in the central space of the lounge room. In their centre was a sitting mat and, in front of it, a carved piece of crystal.:: ::Lowering himself gracefully onto the mat he picked up the crystal and held it for several minutes, attuning himself to it and reinforcing its programming. It was prepared to act as a katric ark, large enough to hold just one katra. Should he face imminent death without another Vulcan to entrust his katra’s return to Vulcan to, this provided an alternative to his katra being lost. Saavok had one as well.:: ::He set the crystal down and let his eyes drift closed, emptying his mind first of all thoughts and allowing his body to fall into the light, comfortable trance of meditation. He held that calm emptiness for as long as he felt necessary, before allowing the first thought that was in his mind to surface.:: ::Saavok. His younger son, who had endured four uprootings in the last two years, yet seemed to thrive on the constant change and unfamiliarity of the myriad alien cultures they were exposed to. If anything, possessed as he was of the mental plasticity of youth, he adapted even better than his father did. Yet he was his father’s child, even more so than Teron or S’Rel. All three of them had inherited his restlessness and desire to see more than the planet of their birth, but none so strongly as Saavok. He was thriving out here on the edge of the Federation, in spite of the dangers inherent in living on a ship in unknown, politically complex space. Or, Saveron sometimes suspected, because of them. He still worried about his son, behind that wall of emotional control. Like any parent he wanted what was best for him, and feared that what he had now was not it. But it was not a logical fear. Saavok’s academic and emotional growth indicated that he was faring far better now than he had on Vulcan, much to his mother’s lack of preference.:: ::T’Rel. Saavok’s mother. Teron and S’Rel’s mother. His previous bondmate. He had received notification that she had achieved Kohlinahr and then been initiated as a Priestess of the Temple of Gol. Achieving her goals as she had set out to do with a ruthless direction that brooked no distraction. He could only hope that it would bring her peace and contentment. He knew that it would not bring her happiness, she would never experience that again, or any true emotional response. As much as he agreed with the control of emotion, Kohlinahr was a future he could not even begin to contemplate. She was more lost to him now - more inscrutable, more alien - than she had ever been when she chose Serok over him.:: ::He considered that thought for a moment. Yes, perhaps he had held onto that hope, subconsciously, despite it’s lack of logic. Maybe one day… No. Not now, not then, not ever. T’Rel was lost to him, and always had been. It felt odd to make that final acknowledgement.:: ::Perhaps that was why he felt a need to assist Counsellor Moonsong. Raissa. She too had lost something that she could not truly regain, something that had left ‘a hole in the soul where the wind blows through’, to quote a pre-Surak poet. He was familiar with the stages of grief, for a moment it seemed that she had moved to acceptance, whilst in some strange way he had still been in denial. :: ::”‘Vulcans do not lie’. That is perhaps the greatest lie that Vulcans tell, and most of all they lie to themselves.” ::His old mentor Professor Bakewell in a sour mood, more insightful than many at their deepest and most philosophical. Had he lied to himself?:: ::Perhaps. Perhaps that was why he could not bring himself to Bond with Sirenya two years ago, the difference in their preferred life paths merely an excuse. Others made long-distance relationships work; perhaps the distance that had grown between himself and T’Rel in their last years had been all he ever wanted to experience of that.:: ::’Would you Bond again?’ Raissa had asked him. Raissa, who had her own traumatic difficulties to manage, still thought of her friends and their happiness. He wasn’t now certain that he’d truly thought he would. Perhaps the truer question was ‘would you Bond with another?’ Abstractly, the answer was simple. However, when he looked beyond the logical response to his own inner, instinctive reaction, It was oddly difficult to answer.:: ::A restlessness gripped him and he broke his meditative pose and rose fluidly to his feet, stepping around the candles and across the lounge room to the pictures on the wall; holographs of his family. Reaching out, he took down the one taken some twenty years ago; himself, a very pregnant T’Rel and a young Teron and S’Rel before them. A picture of simpler times, of perhaps the most satisfactory period of his life.:: ::Next to it were more recent pictures of his children - including one of Teron, his mate T’Rayel and their daughter T’Nai - and beyond those, one of Saavok. His youngest son, unecpected but no less dear. The one who lay just metres away, facing the dangers of life in space with nothing short of enthusiasm. So much his father’s son, more so than his older siblings, and unlike them he had never known a time when his parents were together.:: ::And they would not be together again. Nine years had passed, T’Rel had most definitely moved on. As for himself, perhaps even Vulcans needed time to grieve. As Raissa grieved for her loss, as many others grieved. Yet his own words came back to him; if one mourned too long, one could lose other things. Like friends, like other opportunities in life. How much of his most recent conversation with Raissa could have a mirror held up to it, and still be equally valid?:: ::Perhaps that subtly implied turnaround had been intentional, or perhaps it was simply that their lives at this point had so many things in common. And even as he had counselled her about Carter, she had asked him about others. Non-Vulcans. Humans. Confusing aliens that they were, she had spoken of a need to be near and a fear of rejection that overrode the pain of not knowing. The idea was bizarre, and fascinating. She had spoken with implied specifics. A Human. He couldn’t help but wonder.:: ::Not herself; she was grieving the loss of Carter, and regardless knew the Vulcan mindset well enough that she would have just told him. Not Aron, good friend though he was, he was just now becoming involved with Niccolo del Vedova. Not Quinn, fellow member of the Single Parents Club. He could tell by her pained looks that she yet waited and hoped for Commander Ross’s return. As did he. Not Chythar, colleague who was never more than professional.:: ::He studied the holograph in his hands, so recently ‘hung out’ on his wall, and knew that he held the answer. Someone who found repeated excuses - or no real excuse at all - to be in his presence, yet worried excessively that she was there overmuch from the number of times that she asked him if such was acceptable. Fear perhaps that one day he would say ‘no’?:: ::Alora.:: ::Carefully he hung the holograph back on the wall before turning and settling once more into his meditative pose.:: ::The question was, how did he feel about her? It was one subject on which he knew he could not rely upon logic alone.:: END LtCmdr Saveron Second Officer USS Invicta

((Deck 7: Arboretum)) ::Raissa sat quietly on a bench. She slowly inhaled, allowing the scent of growing things to surround her. The mix of smells enveloped her, but they did not soothe her as usual. She had sent a message to Carter to meet her here. After talking to CD and Saveron, she knew she had no choice.:: :: Carter had managed to break away from his duties in engineering, the promotion to his new rank causing him to be neck-deep in work. He had been meeting with the engineers and learning about his new domain. He seemed a little distant at first, until he caught sight of Ris and sat down alongside her. :: Greyson: Hey, love. What’s up? ::Her eyes caressed his face for a long moment and then she shifted away, putting distance between them.:: Moonsong: We have to talk… :: The distance she put between the two of them made his brows raise. That was never a good sign when those were the first words he heard. :: Greyson: Uh-oh. ::She couldn’t look at him. She stared down at her hands.:: Moonsong: Carter… this… this change in me… it’s permanent. ::pause:: I know you don’t understand this… :: He did understand it was permanent. They’d been over that a couple times. And his brow furrowed again. :: Greyson: I know the word “permanent.” And my guess is that we aren’t a permanent item anymore. Moonsong: I’m… I’m sorry… I love you… but we may never be able to touch safely. :: He felt like she reached into his chest and ripped out his heart with those words. He couldn’t meet her gaze, because he was now fighting back the tears that he’d been dreading. Thier last conversation didn’t go well, and this one seemed to be worse off. :: Greyson: I understand. :: He blinked away a tear to prevent it from streaking his face as he lowered his head to his hands. This time she was the one walking away, and there seemed nothing he could do about it. Only accept it. :: ::Her instinct was to reach out to him, but she snatched her hand back before she actually touched him.:: Moonsong: ::whisper:: I’m sorry… :: Carter ran a hand through his hair and blinked again, not sure what to say for a few moments. He bit his lip, then spoke again. :: Greyson: So...What you’re telling me is because of these changes, you’re the one walking away. When I promised not to do that. Right? ::She flinched inwardly:: Moonsong: It’s not that simple… I don’t want to do this… :: In Carter’s experience, nothing was ever simple. Engineering puzzles, relationships, textbook equations, and the human equation -- all complex marvels of the universe. This one just happened to be his own “marvel”, which was equally as complex as his homework all of a sudden. :: Greyson: Enlighten me. :: His voice nearly cracked as he added as an afterthought. :: Please. Moonsong: Wh-what? Greyson: Why are you doing it, if you don’t want to? ::Her hands clenched together tightly in her lap.:: Moonsong: I want you to be safe… I need you safe…. You saw what happened when we touched…. :: Her words struck him like a punch to the face, and he broke his gaze. Tears rose unbidden through his visage of calm and streaked his face. The anger he felt at himself for letting his feelings dictate all those months ago that their relationship was a good idea. It seemed like one at the time, and it was good while it lasted. Oddly, his anger at her was minimal; only for her walking away because of the changes she’d undergone when he promised not to. :: Greyson: :: weakly. :: Guess I’ll just...get back to work then… ::She fought to control her emotion, to hold back the tears. If she cried, he might react by touching her. Her control was still fragile. CD and Saveron both supported this course of action, but that knowledge didn’t make the heartbreak any easier.:: Moonsong: ::softly:: Carter…. :: He turned to look at her, but was blinking to keep the tears from his vision. :: Greyson: Hm? Moonsong: I… I…. nothing…. :: Her attempt at speech made his gaze more intense for only a few more seconds before he got up slowly. He wanted to retreat back to the confines of engineering, to get some work done. Before he did something he’d regret. It wasn’t how he envisioned spending his day. :: Greyson: I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Moonsong: Where… where are you going? :: What he needed was probably either a stiff drink or cold shower.. And as it’s new chief (albeit temporarily) he still had some homework to do in engineering as well. The latter two options would at least keep him out of trouble. :: Greyson: Engineering. I have some reading to do on the warp capabilities of the ship. ::She looked up at him, her eyelashes spiky with unshed tears.:: Moonsong: You’ll make a fine engineer. I know you will…. :: Out of this conversation, that was probably the kindest thing she had said. He nodded faintly and made a soft reply. :: Greyson: Thanks. I’ll see you around, Counselor. :: And with that, he started to head out of the room before his frustration changed targets from himself to her. There was enough tension in the room already, and the last thing he wanted was to make the situation worse. :: ::Raissa sat in silence. The fact that he used her title instead of her name was a blow. She watched him walk away, quickly masked by the winding path in the Arboretum. Once he was out of sight, she allowed the tears to fall. Her shaking hand reached for her commbadge and she tapped it.:: TBC ------- Provisional Lieutenant JG Carter Greyson Acting Chief Engineer USS Invicta Simmed by: Lt. Commander Skyfire & Lieutenant Raissa Moonsong Chief of Counseling USS Invicta

What? What?

Alas, I didn't have a chance to participate thanks to moving and what not, but hopefully I can try in the next one.

Cool. Thanks

Are videos allowed? What about animated gifs?

Just not the guy she wants to see half naked. *G*

Man, he needs to put on some clothes. >_<

That whole section just made me laugh and laugh and laugh!

Wow, I didn't think it was that good, but thanks. ^_^ I have some ideas on the station if you guys are interested in hearing it. :-D Nice job on yours Traenor. I really want to hear how it's going to be incorporated!

How do we vote? Is there a link we click that I'm some how missing?

Here's my lame attempt!

You guys are awful. *G*

Are you calling me a dog? *G* Am I Chester?

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." —Hera[...]us (( Captain's Ready Room, USS Garuda, 2392 )) :: As a former chief engineer, Roshanara could count on one hand the number of times she'd been to the captain's ready room. Her domain was deep below decks. A chief engineer away from engineering usually meant one of two things: the ship was docked for shore leave or things were going pretty badly. :: :: But while the Garuda was safely docked at DSX, she wasn’t a chief engineer anymore. She wasn’t even on active duty. So why was she here? :: RAHMAN: You wished to see me, captain? :: Oh, wow. He was going to have to get used to hearing that again. Well, granted, some people, Rahman among them, had always referred to him that way. With the reactivation of his commission earlier in the year, it was also technically correct to refer to him by his rank. But now, with the news of his new position spread far and wide by duty rosters and, more importantly, ship- and station-wide gossip, he was going to have to get used to hearing it a lot. Again. :: KELLS: Doctor, as you saw at the ceremony -- I’ve agreed to take command of the Garuda. :: A slight smirk escaped her lips. :: RAHMAN: Agreed, sir, or ordered to? :: She normally wouldn’t have been so playful around Captain Kells, but you didn’t have to be an empath to sense the unease the captain had expressed at the transfer of command ceremony. :: KELLS: ::deadpan:: Egan Manno threatened to have me stripped naked and tossed into space if I declined. :: She nodded thoughtfully. :: RAHMAN: Captain Egan Manno always struck me as a tough love kind of officer. KELLS: Not to mention an economical one. She could’ve reused the uniform. RAHMAN: Of course, she was an engineer like me. :: It was his turn to smirk, but as soon as he had, the look slid off of his face. They could banter about it all day, but that wouldn’t bring him any closer to asking her what he’d brought her there to ask. He had to admit, though, that he was a little nervous about doing it. What if she said no? Well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. Besides, it wasn’t as though he’d had a lot of choice, either. :: KELLS: “Was” being the operative word in her case -- and in yours. ::beat:: I’ve spoken with her about this, as well as with Doctor del Vedova. I understand you’ve been working with Commander Core since your reassignment regarding your ::beat:: condition. Yes? :: The casual atmosphere evaporated, and Roshanara did her best to not squirm as she stood there. :: :: First it had just been Del. Then Del and Dr. Ven. Then Del, Dr. Ven, and Captain Kells--well, the older Kells that had returned from the Ring. And now it seemed half the ship knew about her condition. Fortunately, though her arrest had reached the public, the results of Lieutenant Naughton’s investigation had been quietly buried into the archives. :: :: But still, the damage had been done. She’d been declared unfit for duty. She’d lost her access privileges. She was barred from her second home of engineering. :: :: In the two years since that Captain Kells had warned her about what was to happen, what fate awaited her, it seemed she’d been unable to do very little to change things. :: :: And then there was her greater fear--that perhaps she’d made things worse. That Captain Kells hadn’t mentioned that she’d have been arrested on charges of terrorism after all. :: RAHMAN: Yes, we have. He’s been… helping me hone some techniques regarding controlling the… :: She paused, not sure how exactly to describe it. Metamorphic abilities? Empathic abilities? Her vulnerability? :: RAHMAN: ...well, anyway. Yes. KELLS: Well, good. I’ll be honest, I was very happy to see that you were out here again. I’ve seen Commander Core’s work and I know he’s a fine engineer -- but you were my first chief. Loyalty and all that. :: She nodded at the kind words. :: KELLS: Speaking of, I’d like to reinstate you for active starship duty. :: His voice, which had verged a little on the gruff when he recalled without specifics their first meeting, was nevertheless chipper when he suggested her reinstatement. :: :: Her response was a little more guarded. :: RAHMAN: ...thank you, captain, but I don’t understand the need. :: Unless he was planning to replace Tristam. :: RAHMAN: Wait. Captain. While I appreciate the gesture, Commander Core shouldn’t be bumped from his position out of a sense of… loyalty. :: It wasn’t fair. Whatever Tristam might think about his abilities, he’d shown since he’d taken the position last year that he had what it takes to lead an engineering department, most notably in his dedication to their safety during the Kindred incident. :: KELLS: Oh, I’m not thinking of replacing Core. No, I’m thinking much closer to home. ::beat:: You know Egan Manno took Bakari with her. :: Of the bridge officers that remained, Mei’konda was the natural choice to succeed him, though he would have been rather young to be given the responsibility of XO. Still, Roshanara had gotten the privilege to witness how much the Caitian had developed from his first days as an ensign straight from the Academy. :: :: But wait. Surely if he already had picked Mei’konda or even Delano, then why had he called to see her-- Oh no. :: KELLS: I’m assigning you as my first officer. :: She just looked back at him for what seemed like the longest moment, blinking once. :: KELLS: Well, say something! :: She hesitated, not exactly sure what there was to say! Maybe she’d heard him incorrectly. :: :: So many thoughts and possible reactions were rushing through her mind to what he’d just said. Shock. Confusion. Fear. Anger. :: :: Oh, to hell with it! If he wanted to know what she thought, then she’d let him know, [...] him! :: RAHMAN: Um, permission to speak freely, sir? KELLS: I think I just gave it. :: She nodded, taking a deep breath before furrowing her brow. :: RAHMAN: Are you out of your #@%$-ing mind?! KELLS: ...Not that freely. RAHMAN: This is a Galaxy class starship with a crew of a thousand, not some personal pleasure craft you just hand over to any pretty face wandering by. ::beat:: Or dole out in a sense of pity. :: He raised an eyebrow so high that he suspected that even Saveron would’ve been impressed. :: KELLS: Or loyalty? RAHMAN: Surely there are more qualified candidates! If not Mei’konda, then a transfer from elsewhere in the fleet. KELLS: That is an option, of course. Astrofori One has its own dedicated task force -- Peaceforce Five -- and I’m sure its ships are full of officers looking for advancement opportunities. RAHMAN: Excellent. Choose one of them. :: To this, he only gave her a wide smile. It was almost goading, and he tried to tone it down a little. :: KELLS: But I don’t want them. I want you. :: She could feel herself wanting to ball up her firsts. She wanted to pound them on the desk that separated them. :: RAHMAN: Captain… I don’t think I would be the best first officer for you. KELLS: Oh? Go on, Doctor, talk me out of it. I’m listening. RAHMAN: Your first officer should be someone you can count on, as surely as you would count your life--and those of your crew--on any one of the myriad of systems aboard this ship that keep us alive. ::beat:: I can’t guarantee that. KELLS: Perhaps. But then again, maybe Doctor del Vedova thinks otherwise. Maybe Fleet Captain Egan Manno agrees with my choice. Maybe-- :: But he cut himself off and smiled again. She got the point, no doubt. In fact, he had spoken to both Del -- who seemed remarkably more receptive to conversation with him now -- and Egan Manno, both of whom had agreed with his choice. It was only his choice that was disagreeing now. :: RAHMAN: Captain, with all due respect to Captain Egan Manno and Doctor del Vedova, it’s going to be you who needs that security of mind. A crew is like any other system on this ship. You don’t knowingly install a faulty component in it. :: His sigh was slight, but it was there nonetheless and took the place of his smile. He was reminded, thanks to her metaphor, of another conversation they’d had -- though he hadn’t exactly been himself just then. :: KELLS: And who do I replace you with? You’re not a component, faulty or otherwise, to be stuck in and taken back out when the mood suits me. I have thought about this. I’m not asking you on a whim. I want one very specific individual to serve as my first officer: you. :: She looked back at him, and all she could think was of the much older man who had been standing over her two years ago in sickbay. The Aron Kells who had finally revealed the truth to her about what lay in store. And yet even that Aron Kells was gone now. The man who stood before her today didn’t know the future anymore. How could he be so willing to trust her, even more so than she herself? :: RAHMAN: Captain, why? KELLS: I have some memories, though they’re not mine, per se-- :: And he grimaced. He was still sorting out what did and didn’t belong to him, but he thought that everything would eventually be there. Eventually. :: KELLS: --of you. Standing firm against a particularly horrendous version of me, if the memories can be trusted. He wasn’t very nice, was he? But you disagreed with him. And you were right. If you can disagree with him, then you can disagree with anyone. Particularly me. And I’m going to need it. :: She returned her own exacerbated sigh. He really had committed to this. Well, fine. If he genuinely wanted a spirited XO who would challenge him, at least in the ready room, and not just rubber stamp his conscience, then that’s what he was going to get. :: RAHMAN: If you’re really serious about this... KELLS: I am. :: She placed her hands on her hips. :: RAHMAN: Then fine: I have two conditions. :: Again with his eyebrow. That hadn’t taken long. He told her he wanted disagreement, and by god she was going to be contrary from the beginning. He grinned. :: KELLS: Go on, then. RAHMAN: If and when you come across a better candidate for the job, you do not hesitate in replacing me. KELLS: Mmm. Maybe. ::beat:: But you’re just stating the obvious, aren’t you? If I came across a highly qualified candidate for any position, I’d offer it to that person. :: She nearly rolled her eyes at him. He was enjoying this far too much now clearly. :: :: She crossed her arms. :: RAHMAN: And I get to keep the gold shirt. I’ll continue my work with the Corps of Engineers as my free time allows. KELLS: I’m not going to steal your clothing. I’m not Egan Manno. :: She bowed her head slightly. :: RAHMAN: Well then. I suppose I better go find my uniform and brush up on the duty roster. KELLS: Yes, I expect that would be a good idea. :: She wasn't entirely convinced yet this wasn't a terrible idea, but perhaps it was that sense of loyalty again that made her willing to go along with it. She'd trusted him before, and it seemed he trusted her just as much. If he truly held such faith in her, then perhaps she could attempt to have such faith herself. Before she turned to leave though, she looked back at the man. :: RAHMAN: I trust you are familiar with the phrase, “Be careful what you wish for,” captain? :: He was grinning so hard his face was nearly split. Who said that? Who? :: KELLS: Indeed I am, Commander. And I have another phrase for you, once spoken to me very recently by the person who ::beat:: offered me this position. About the inevitability of facing an officer who knows what she or he wants out of an -- accomplice. :: She simply returned a raised eyebrow. :: KELLS: Deal with it. --- Captain Aron Kells CO, USS Garuda & Lt. Cmdr. Roshanara Rahman First Officer, USS Garuda

I can just SEE it!

I came here to post that exact same quote!

Does it have to be digital, or may I scan in a drawing?

o_O I'm not sure how to take that. *G*

Uh oh. We are in SO much trouble...

Bakari as Valen tells him she's cleared for duty - ::Ah, trying to pull a Gupta, eh?:: Is that what we're calling it now? :-D

That genius did it that way so you still get _some_ exercise so you can keep your girlish figure, buddy boy! ;-)

So is he coming or not? :-D