Mission 94.0414- Tragic Mistakes

[Deleted]

"If that is the case Commander T'Ress I would like for you to work with Doctor Thompson and create a phsycological profile on the planet's population. It could better help us understand them."

The feline nodded to the request. "Murr, I thank you for approving my idea then. I also would not hesitate to produce an anthropological overview of the people; a task that is not necessarily very difficult considering the aforementioned similarities between our cultures." Twisting his tail slightly once again, he nodded and proceeded to listen to the final statements of the meeting.

Taking his PADD in paws, he started to make a few notes regarding the oncoming condition in which he would have to come clean on the offer and actually manufacture the promised reports.

As it ajurned, he politely nodded to Doctor Thompson, considering her assistance in the manner. Smiling, he politely bowed his head to her before he started to head towards the other medical professional. Smiling in his wry, cat-like way, he stepped towards the civilian whom was on the other side of him for the time being. Standing in front of him for a moment, he produced an object out of seemingly nowhere - as a Caitian, J'Varr T'Ress knew very well how to hide things.

Standing before the civilian, he slipped what was soon discovered to be a full ball of green yarn into the human's hand. With a raise of the brow, the feline gently stepped back with an exhalation. "I thought that, murr, considering your amount of stress as of late, you could use something that could calm you down. After all, you of all people here should understand the dangers of high blood pressure."

[Deleted]

Somewhat dumbfounded, Nathan stared at the ball of bright green yarn in his hands. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up at the man-sized cat, then sideways at the equally surprised Van Horn. "Uh, thank you," he managed, once he found his voice again, "what exactly would I do with this?"

Usually, he was the one giving the Caitian a ball of yarn, often in different colours at the time, if the feline was stressed out or indeed just in need of something to toy with. But Humans had no immediate need for yarn, none that he could think of.

"Does my bloodpressure need lowering then?" he queried, feigning innocence. T'Ress was right though, he did need to calm down, though his talk with the security chief had helped to do just that. He had felt the warnings his own body sent him by means of slight chest pain and had acted accordingly.

Still eyeing the feline, he pulled a piece of thread from the ball, watching as the cat's eyes followed the thread. As if by accident, he let the ball fall from his hands, yanking at the string he'd unwound from it. Reaching back, he retrieved two straight rods, which were generally used for probing then started to set up stitches. "Not that I can actually knit," he said innocently, then turned back to Van Horn.

"So about the issues I raised, any comments?" he asked, continuing his handiwork without looking at it. It was starting to get a messy job, but he didn't quite care. "Commander T'Ress, what are your views on our current mission? Is it madness?"

[tamara]

Van Horn had grown disinterested in Tamara as quickly as he had become interested in her. No doubt, due to the fact that she had passively revealed her age by mentioning that Van Horn had reminded her of her son. Before Tamara could re-engage the young man back in conversation, Commander Reynolds began the briefing.

Throughout the briefing, Tamara's first formal one, one couldn't help but notice that Tamara wore her emotions on her face. Each time something horrific was mentioned... accident on the planet ... torpedoes detonated in four populated cities ... a surprised and horrified look would come over her face. She covered it politely with her hand, but it was clear that Thompson was emotionally effected by such dramatics.

Her orders were to give counseling to those needing it on the planet. Her specialty, children, would come in handy with all of the orphans that undoubtedly created due to the blast. However, looking around at the crew, and what was happening between Nathan --- *sighs* again --- and Commander Reynolds, it seemed that her work was going to end up being more than what was assigned. She was determined to keep this crew working together.

When Nathan insisted that they get started immediately, Tamara was on the side of everyone else. Maybe we should secure ourselves first, Van Horn was right. Quickly, though, Nathan's passion won her over - in that, he was right. Every minute wasted was a minute that someone wouldn't be saved. Again - what good would trying to save everyone be if we were taken out as well? Her objectivity quickly crept into the realm of subjectivity, and she thanked the high heavens that she was not in a command role. "I don't know how these people do this every day."

And then Tamara was assigned to an immediate task. It involved a complete sociological profile of the population on the planet. True, the Commander said psychological profile - but he meant sociological. He wanted to know how they would react to us, and how we should react to them - not if some individuals had mental disorders. Common mistake among non-professionals of psychology, and one that Tamara always noted, but could overlook.

"Well, I suppose so... but that's not my," but Commander Reynolds was already talking to someone else, and J'Varr was already cozying up to Tamara, after talking with Nathan, getting ready to unleash his knowledge upon her. Sociology, while she could do it, was not her strong point. Orders were orders, and she sat down with the feline, in the back of the room, and began.

"Can I see those notes that you have started with?" Tamara really didn't know where to begin. She had never socio-analyzed a population before. This was best left to anthropologists, not an Engineer and Counselor.

[Deleted]

Megan remained mostly quiet throughout the briefing, observing the reactions of the rest of the senior staff. While the doctor was understandably and predictably passionate about ensuring the immediate medical care of the injured, his outburst had been rather...unexpected. In the science officer’s eyes, it was quite clear that he would need more time off to fully regain his emotional composure, but of course now was not the time for that. People’s lives were at stake and potentially dozens if not hundreds of people dying every hour. No, now was certainly not the time for the Chief Medical Officer to remain off duty unless he posed an actual threat.

Even more unexpected had been Commander Reynold’s response to Nathan. While the doctor was well out of line with his outburst and Matt had every right to snap him back into his place, Megan glanced at Admiral Drew and Commander Carpenter and wondered what they must be thinking of this display and what kind of faith that inspired in the Jefferson, her crew, and their abilities. Everyone seemed to have their jobs defined, and the meeting was coming to an end rather quickly. “Commander Garrett, please work with Commander Carpenter on maximizing our resources. Dismissed" Matt ordered, bringing the meeting to an end.

“Aye, Sir,” Megan replied, quickly glanced at Admiral Drew and adding, “Admiral, if I may, while I’m sure your engineers are very capable, as well as those aboard the Lion, I would recommend bringing Commander T’Ress along when it comes to identifying what exactly caused the weapons to malfunction, after he’s finished assisting the counselor of course. He has a…unique perspective when it comes to technology that you might find helpful in determining the source of the problem.”

Politely nodding to the two senior officers and indicating for Commander Carpenter to follow, Megan left the briefing room to give the commanding officers a chance to speak. There would clearly be a lot to discuss, as this type of diplomatic situation was generally very tense and extraordinarily touchy. Glancing sideways at her counterpart from the Fang, Commander Garrett led the way towards her office so they could discuss the necessary resource allocation between the two ships. It was a rather unnecessary but at the same time generally expected step when a mission involved more than one ship. As long as each ship was independently ready and communication was good between them, things tended to go smoothly.

~

It hadn’t taken too long to coordinate with Carpenter, and soon the Fang’s XO was heading back to her own ship. Luckily, Megan had taken a good deal of time during shoreleave to familiarize herself with her new role as acting first officer, and as such had been fully prepared to work with Commander Carpenter as an equal, at least in readiness if not in experience. Both ships were as organized as they could be for this mission, and the lines of communication had been firmly established to help facilitate adjustments that would need to be made in response to complications that were sure to develop. As it was now, Commander Garrett felt confident that the two FOs would be able to work together well and would be comfortable doing so. It was something to check off the pre-mission list at least.

Now that Commander Carpenter had departed, Megan moved onto another ‘first officer’ task she had awaiting her: welcoming the new Senior Marine Officer. With the current state of damage resulting in the evacuation of Assailant, the shuttle carrying their newest crewmember was due to arrive in the Jefferson’s shuttle bay instead of on the station. As such, Commander Garrett actually had a solid arrival time for when to greet him, and since the small ship was due to arrive very shortly, the acting first officer began to make her way down to the bay to meet it.

It felt strange in a way, being the welcoming committee for the new senior officer. Megan hadn’t been aboard the Jefferson for very long at all by any stretch of the imagination, and yet now she was already the acting executive officer and going to welcome a new crewmember, when she herself had been a new officer only recently. It felt foreign and ironic to have the roles reversed so quickly. The fast turnaround of her positions aside, welcoming this First Lieutenant G’Rowk, a Klingon Marine, shouldn’t be too difficult an assignment. Having already casually familiarized herself with his record, Commander Garrett felt this should be easy.

Arriving in the shuttlebay a few minutes before the scheduled time, Megan nodded politely at the officers and crewmembers, who had been running around making preparations but had stopped at her arrival, indicating that they should continue with their duties. It was a weird feeling, people stopping out of respect when she entered a room, yet another thing to get used to with the new position.

A few minutes later, the external doors opened and the small Federation craft smoothly crossed the forcefield barrier and landed cleanly on the deck. As the engines were disengaged, numerous service and repair teams descended upon the small vessel. Since the Jefferson was departing momentarily, the goal was for the passenger to depart and the shuttle to go on its way within a minute or two. As the crew hurried to ensure the ship was functioning properly, the door opened and the newest member of the Jefferson crew emerged.

The tall Klingon had to stoop a bit to make it through the low door before finally straightening to his full height on the other side. Even though Megan tended to be tall enough to not really notice height very often, the First Lieutenant was a noticeable exception, but fortunately, even with his stature, he wasn’t so outlandishly tall to make her feel short. Pushing her shoulders back and standing comfortably at her own full height, Megan smiled slightly as she approached the Marine, the padd containing all necessary information for him in her left hand.

“Welcome aboard the Jefferson, Lieutenant G’Rowk. I’m Commander Garrett, currently the acting first officer,” Megan greeted him, extending her right hand to shake his own. His hand nearly dwarfed hers, and his fingers were so long…

<Tag G’Rowk>

After meeting his firm grip with her own, the science officer released his hand and held out the padd. “This contains your assigned quarters and security clearance codes, as well as a complete roster of the Marines under your command and the details of our fighter squadron. We are about to depart for the Dorvan system to begin our next mission, but before I brief you on the current situation, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask me.”

[Deleted]

"Uh, thank you," he managed, once he found his voice again, "what exactly would I do with this?"

T’Ress murred softly, and he was shrugging at the query. He certainly did not know just what to do with the device either. However, the gift was generally more symbolic. Considering that the doctor had offered him gifts of such yarn before, he felt it a fine offer to do as such in return.

Shaking his head to the physician, he simply flicked his tail about in a response; considering that he did not honestly know what to make of the awkward situation that he was placed into.

"Does my blood pressure need lowering then?"

“Your sirrrrr, are the physician. That having been said, though, I do believe that you require a great deal of calming. After all, you have been very much on edge. Specifically, you acted out in there. Now I am not trying to sound holier than thou in any way – I did very much the same thing when I was operating within the confines of that…ahem..trial that just went all wrong. That having been said, I think it would do you good to…have a seat at least. Murrr.”

"So about the issues I raised, any comments?"

“The issues of the mission, you mean, sirrr?” He smirked, “Or should I say Doctor. I never know how to address you, considering you are a civilian….no offense of course. Murr.”

"Commander T'Ress, what are your views on our current mission? Is it madness?"

The feline’s eyes grew quite wide, “No, I am not going to say that. Not madness at all. What is mad is that we are being driven in unprepared, yes, but there is nothing mad about wishing to save the lives of others. There is no madness in altruism.”

[growk]

There was something nearly liberating about being in a shuttle, an ironic contrast to the otherwise cramped space most of them provided. Perhaps it was the sensation that a shuttle, being so minuscule and solitary, seemed not to travel through space, as a starship did, but drift, guided only by the thin thread of contact between it and its intended destination.

Of course, auto-pilot made the experience more pleasurable and relaxing, especially since it gave G'Rowk some much-needed recreational time with his personal padd. He'd fashioned the instrument into a makeshift arcade of sorts, capable of playing numerous games from even as far back as the late 20th century. Humans had a richer grasp of technological history than Klingons did and G'Rowk had difficulty initially understanding why until he came to the realization that humankind placed great pride and honor in their technological advancement... notions he could innately empathize with, especially now that he was all but addicted to the past of human civilization.

=/\= Auto-pilot disengaging. Destination: USS Jefferson, directly ahead. =/\=

G'Rowk set the padd aside and, as he rested his hands upon the ship's controls, finally took in the sight of his new ship. It was a Sovereign-class starship, the Klingon's favorite model of the entire fleet. The ship was beautiful and wielded some of the most powerful weaponry and advanced combat-response capabilities in the galaxy. As his shuttle grew nearer to it, he became more and more aware of its actual size, having never been able to see one outside of photographs or visual feeds... and here he was, boarding one as he still reeled in awe.

"Fascinating..." G'Rowk allowed the word to slip out between his breaths as the hangar he guided the shuttle toward quickly expanded into view, the doorway far larger than the shuttle... and yet equally dwarfed by the size of the starship.

As he steered the small ship into the bay and set it down neatly upon the deck, he noticed a female human approaching the shuttle, standing apart, in more ways than one, from the repair crews that readily swarmed the vessel. There were only two female senior officers aboard the Jefferson... and this one didn't look like a counselor.

G'Rowk gathered his things and ensured that his uniform was neatly straightened before exiting the ship. As he stepped down onto the deck, he worried that he cut a much more frightening figure than he wished. Being unable to properly store his weapons in the satchel that was packed to brimming with literally all of his belongings, he was forced to wear the blades, sheathed of course, so that he was bristling with steel varying from kunai to the hilts of oriental broadswords jutting up from behind his shoulders.

He took the officer's extended hand in warm greeting, working to both situate his posture to be as least threatening as possible and listening intently to the brief and still necessarily thorough welcome the commander gave him. He took the padd from her in his free hand as soon as their handshake was completed. She was rather tall for a human, especially for a woman, but he still won out by a good head, a distance made clear due to his need to remain at attention in the presence of a superior officer, a need that currently conflicted with his discomfort at potentially lording his height over her. Even so, he couldn't help but be... impressed... at seeing a woman he didn't positively tower over.

At her offer of answering questions for him, he gave a slow, thoughtful nod, his eyes boring directly into hers. He yearned to inspect the padd, to commit to memory every detail of the ship, each facet of the fighters' specifications, the name of every marine working under him... but he would have more than enough time for that during their travel to the Dorvan system. These things were bare trifles in the face of his primary concern, a question he had been itching to ask since the first notice of his assignment. His eyes twinkled with curiosity, his voice hinting of hope and excitement.

"I only have one question, actually... can I see the bridge?"

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Admiral I would like to apologize for my emotional outburst at Doctor van Breughel," Matt said cursing himself for letting his emotions getting the better of him," this is not how things our done on the Jefferson. I hope my mistake doesn't affect your faith in this crew?"

(Drew)

Matt had always been passionate about his job, but his actions didn't reflect his training. He was acting like a cadet again and this was the worse possible time for it. He was responsible for the lives of hundreds and in a few hours that number would climb by tens of thousands. Matt was able to take comfort in the knowledge that his crew would do their job to the best of there ability.

"Admiral is there anything that you want me to do before we reach the planet?" Matt asked knowing that his future as a command officer rested completely in the man in front of him.

(Drew)

Kristin's POV

It had always been her custom to stay out of Matt's personal problems, but his outburst during the debriefing worried Kristin. Being passionate at the job was not a problem, but as a commanding officer Matt would need to control his emotions.

"Lieutenant, we have completed our assignment," the petty officer reported.

"Alright, go help the engineering and medical teams," Kristin said knowing that her job was about to begin. It was her task to set up another five transporter sites. Medical teams were already establishing triage centers in cargo bays three and two. She had already informed the quartermaster that she would need cargo bays four and five to do this.

[Deleted]

"The more I think about it, sir, the more I am concerned. Murr, you are rather up tight. I do not mean that as an insult. Rather, I simply mean it for you to be a bit on the side of high blood pressure. Again, I did not ever pretend to be a physician. However, why I am concerned with is you having some condition from all of this. Now, I am very capable of organizing the medical compliment, even if I am an engineer. Murr...sir, I want you to lay down. Is that too much to ask? I actually happen to care about you." With that statement he smiled, before helping himself into the inner sanctum of sickbay.

He found that it was quite easy to replicate those black plastic crates that he had once used on engineering. They were made of a black, slick panel for each side that slid together in an air tight seal. He was rather modest, of course having the necessary medical skills that were taught as part of the training to any Starfleet officer. The physician could trust for him to be able to assemble supplies into the aforementioned crates that he was so adapt at manufacturing with the sickbay's replicator.

These, too, found themselves very capable of being stacked together. He looked towards a near by antigrav lift, and was immediately reminded of the adventure regarding that artificial intelligence that he had surreptitiously constructed. Laughing slightly, he shook his head and began to stack the crates upon it, hoping that their ship's surgeon would lay down.

[Deleted]

~This is really starting to get on my nerves~ the human doctor thought as he listened to the chief engineer. Yet, the offer to help was appreciated. "Mr Van Horn, how about you return here later? I am quite certain you have your own duties to attend to, and I have a chief medical officer to get hold of soon..."

He watched as the security chief left, quite conscious of the fact that the young man had overheard every word the chief engineer had spoken. Stiffling a yawn, he seriously considered taking the cat up on his suggestion; he knew he wasn't ready to return to duty. "I know my limitations J'Varr," he offered, for the first time speaking the feline's name, while he watched him stack simple black crates together. "Don't think I'm not aware of them. I just have too much to do in too little time."

He sighed as he picked up his work again, trying to focus on it. He felt the odd pain in his chest again, but again he tried to ignore it. He started when he felt a tug at his sleeve, then smiled as his son stood before him. "And what can I do for my little man?"

Freddy smiled shyly, then held out an oddly large instrument, resembling a guitar. "Dad, would you teach me to play?"

Nathan just stared at his son, remaining utterly silent for several long seconds. "Umm...Freddy, I can't play."

"Oh not now," the boy replied, clinging to the instrument, "I mean later, when you get home."

The doctor stared down at his son, somewhat guiltily as he knew that could be a while. "No, I mean I don't know how," he explained, "but I hear Hannah's a marvel. Perhaps she's willing when she gets off duty?"

As if the devil was stepped on his tail, Hannah stuck her head out from the CMO's office. "Nate, I got a Doctor Elizabeth Cook on the line, saying you've been looking for her? Oh..hi Freddy!" She waved at the boy, who waved back.

"Why don't you go home, and I'll try to get home as soon as I can, ok?" The boy nodded and left, leaving his father behind feeling fairly awful. He acknowledged Hannah and walked into his office, stiffling another yawn, then wheeled his arms around, trying to relax his shoulders. He was sore from his swimming, and now he was paying for it. "Doctor Cook, thank you for getting back to me..."

~a little later~
Nathan walked onto the bridge, feeling weak and exhausted. His left arm was starting to feel numb and his complexion was ashen. "I've just spoken to Dr Cook on the Fang," he reported, holding out a PADD to Matt. "Here's the report." He waited patiently for the acting captain to acknowledge him and take the report. He was in no mood to argue; he just wanted to get home and sleep.

When Matt didn't respond, Nathan started to walk away at a reasonably slow pace, then turned back on his heels to face the commander. His expression was grim as he glanced down on the younger man. "And I...apologise for my earlier behaviour," he added.

As he turned back, he gripped the rail that separated the upper and the center deck of the bridge tightly, the skin of his hand turning white with the strain as he sought to keep himself on his feet. Nathan took a couple of deep breaths, feeling the stabbing pain in his chest, lancing out to his arm. He pressed his hand to his chest, breathing hard for a few seconds until the pain passed. Straightening himself, he took another few deep breaths and started to walk away yet again, hoping nobody had noticed.

[Deleted]

"I only have one question actually... can I see the bridge?"

Pausing in surprise, Megan frowned slightly. That had been one of the last questions she had expected, though it made perfect sense. Almost every single officer when boarding a new vessel, especially a class they had not yet served on before, had a desire to see the bridge. Even Commander Garrett was not immune to the rush of stepping onto the bridge of a vessel for the first time. However, the science officer never would have dreamed of voicing such a desire, viewing such a request as far more sentimental and nostalgic than professionally necessary, and her mind had been so focused on the mission she hadn’t really been prepared for anything else.

As such, actually hearing a generally unvoiced desire spoken aloud threw her off for a moment, especially when it came from a very tall, very well armed Klingon Marine, the last place she would have expected it to come from normally. And the look on his face...it was so open, so human, and that only confused her further. After a few moments had passed, Megan came to the realization that she’d been standing there with her confusion showing for far too long and quickly composed her expression once more. Though unusual, it’s not like the request was unfounded or entirely unprofessional just because she never would have voiced it out loud.

“Of course, Lieutenant,” Commander Garrett replied, indicating towards the door before calmly heading in that direction allowing him to follow. This new officer had surprised her, so now he was classified as an unknown, someone from whom she had no idea what to expect, as it was far too soon to simply assume that he was highly sentimental and often voiced his thoughts and desires without any sort of filter. No, there wasn’t enough information to make a decision, especially in light of the fact that this was so far off from the standard norm for both a Marine and a Klingon in her experience. That unfamiliarity instantly put her slightly on alert.

As they entered the turbolift and she requested the bridge, Megan felt a brief flash of awkwardness, which she quickly moved to correct. “Commander Reynolds may still be in a meeting with Admiral Drew; however, you should probably report to him shortly after we arrive on the bridge. After that, I would recommend you see Doctor van Breughel in sickbay, who is probably awaiting your arrival as well. After that, the trip to Dorvan should give you plenty of time to familiarize yourself with your new assignment,” Commander Garrett supplied, rather unnecessarily, but it was enough to place her back into familiar territory with a comfortable topic: work.

[growk]

Confusion was both a reaction G'Rowk had expected and yet not planned for, certainly not from a woman so sure of herself save for the brief seconds of open shock she wore and suddenly removed from her features, as easily as one could remove a mask. He could admit that he was impressed to see a human so intimately in control of her emotions, a power limited numbers of them seemed to possess in such a commanding strength. He was quick to follow her paces, observing her more intently not as a man gawking at a woman, but as one foe sizing up another.

The chance of her turning against him was slim, but the human intrigued him, nonetheless. G'Rowk knew an enigma when he saw one... and he doubted she was the only one on this ship.

G'Rowk stepped into the turbolift alongside the commander, gazing up at the denotation of the floor that was projected just above the doorway. He was perfectly at ease, passively noting the decks that they passed so he could begin memorizing the layout of the ship from a more personal perspective than blueprints, when he nearly started at Commander Garrett abruptly breaking the silence with a brief synopsis of the situation.

“Commander Reynolds may still be in a meeting with Admiral Drew; however, you should probably report to him shortly after we arrive on the bridge. After that, I would recommend you see Doctor van Breughel in sickbay, who is probably awaiting your arrival as well. After that, the trip to Dorvan should give you plenty of time to familiarize yourself with your new assignment."

"Aye-aye, ma'am," G'Rowk quipped as he tumbled about her words in his mind before he glanced down at the currently blank screen of the padd she had given him. "Commander... from what I know, Dorvan was victim to a 'malfunction' of the USS Lion that resulted in one hundred thousand casualties and counting..." The subtle inflection on "malfunction" hung in the air as G'Rowk lowered his voice to a nearly conspiratorial murmur.

"... What I want to know is how in Gre'thor does a ship's weapon system fire nearly an entire payload of torpedoes specifically targeted at areas of dense population because of an error?" The Klingon's face was the darkest degree of serious, making it more than clear he wanted an answer and would have it even if she couldn't give it.

G'Rowk knew the dangers of digging too deep, but by probability alone starships orbiting a planet don't accidentally vaporize cities of people. By the positioning of normal orbit, the likelihood of a single torpedo fired randomly in any direction hitting the planet being orbited was approximately than fifteen percent.. the chance of over twenty doing so? Did the Federation truly expect for the citizens of Dorvan to be that naive, much less officers of Starfleet? Before he could have his answer, the turbolift doors swished open and the Klingon gave his commanding officer a glance that issued a deeper understanding of the situation than one would naturally assume of a new recruit before stepping out onto the deck.

Perhaps this one time he could thank his upbringing for giving him such cynicism on matters like these.

And yet all of these dark thoughts and ideas cleared from his mind as fog before a morning sun when he took in the bridge. G'Rowk did not smile or laugh or jump about with glee. By all appearances he was absolutely calm and simply looking about the bridge as though it was his thousandth day stepping onto the deck. Beneath his mask, however, G'Rowk had the revelation that no amount of physical discipline and improvement could prevent his heart from feeling like it would simply burst from excitement.

[tamara]

J'Varr handed Tamara the notes and ran off in hopes to catch Nathan before he left. There must have been a very good reason for the cat to abandoned his obligation with the Counselor, perhaps he could better serve the logistics of treating the patients on the surface more than he could help outline the social nature of the unfortunate civilization.

"I guess I'll do it myself," Tamara said. She was cheerful, however, in her words, even though she knew her work wouldn't be used. It was common in situations of mass destruction for Counselors to be called in, but it was mostly so that those in charge could pat themselves on the back for showing that they care, and not because psychoanalysis of the situations would actually be helpful. Indeed, this was already teaming to be one of these times, since nobody seemed to need Tamara's work - most have already gone their own way.

In her office, she poured over J'Varr's notes. They were well written, well organized. It didn't take her long to finish outlining what she felt was a suitable report.

Leaving her office, she heard calls for transports. She had missed a few already, and she hadn't been contacted yet to go planet-side. Did they leave her? Was she even supposed to be on an away team? The lack of orders, aside from the original orders which seemed to have been overridden by all of the crew already, caused confusion with the Counselor --- it was confusion that she would have to straighten out before she continued.

=/\= Commander Reynolds? =/\= She asked on her combadge. =/\= May I have a word with you at your earliest convenience about my expected duties? =/\=

She wasn't sure if the Commander was still on the ship or not- if she didn't get a response, she would take the time to head to the computer to ask.

[Deleted]

J'Varr finally left the sickbay, fearing that his helping may have hurt the pride of the physician. Having finished his work there, he started to make his way for Tamara, hoping that he was not as of yet too late. He had hoped, as well, that he would receive a far more warm welcome unto her than he had with the Doctor.

Meeting with her as she left her office, he tilted his head gently before speaking. As his tail retracted, he murmmered in his usual fashion before thinking about what he might say to her. Murring as he so often did before he spoke, he lowered his head.

"I apologize, purrr. I did not mean to rush off on you in the way that I did. Rather, I wanted to make sure that the physical needs of this crew were attended to. If there is any more that I might assist you in, please allow me to. I hope my notes were of some help to you. I tried to make them as detailed as possible."

Looking down with a second PADD in his paw, he reflected thoughtfully for a moment. "I am not a Betazoid or a Vulcan; I am not telepathic. However, you are probably thinking that this work shall not be used. That the consoler position is simply added to the mission for reasons of relations. I am here to assure you that if no one else takes it seriously, I shall use it to whatever extent that I am able to do."

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Commander Reynolds the actions of your medical officer are his own," Admiral Drew said," even though you are in command, you cannot control your crew's emotions and beliefs. Your emotional outburst while completely understandable was uncalled for. As captain you need to deal with personal issues privately and not in front of your entire senior staff."

"You are right Admiral, I'll have to work harder to keep my emotions in check," Matt replied glad that he was getting personal advice from a man he admired and respected," if there isn't anything else. I'll escort you to the transporter room."

"I'll expect a full report before we reach Dorvan, I want the rescue effort to begin as soon as possible," Admiral Drew said as he rose from the chair.

"Understood, Admiral," Matt said as he waited for Drew to exit the conference room," I'll contact you when my report is finished." Both men walked in almost complete silence, speaking only when a crewman passed by and saluted.

"Transport the Admiral back to the Fang," Matt said to the transporter operator on duty.

"Yes sir," the operator replied clearly intimidated by the Admiral's presence.

"I'll see you in a few hours sir," Matt said right before the transport was initiated.

=/\= Commander Reynolds? =/\= She asked on her combadge. =/\= May I have a word with you at your earliest convenience about my expected duties? =/\=

=^= Doctor Thompson, please meet me in my office in twenty minutes. I have to meet with our newest crewmen first=^=

(Tamara)

Knowing that G'Rowk was still on the bridge, Matt quickly headed back. Having served with a Klingon in the past, he knew that they were passionate about their duties and would always perform to the best of there abilities. He would expect nothing less of the new marine officer. Before he was able to speak with the newest member of the Jefferson, Nathan approached him with what appeared to be his report.

"I've just spoken to Dr Cook on the Fang," he reported, holding out a PADD to Matt. "Here's the report."

Not being in a mood to deal with the doctor; Matt decided that he would let him wait a little bit.

"And I...apologise for my earlier behaviour," he added.

"I understand why you did it, Nathan but it isn't your call to make," Matt said as he took the report from his doctor's hands," I need you to be at your best . You will have to set your personal feelings to the side and do your job."

(Nathan)

"Lieutenant G'Rowk, welcome aboard the USS Jefferson, I hope Commander Garrett has adequately informed you of what is expected of our marines," Matt said making sure to get eye contact.

(G'Rowk)

[Deleted]

"Aye-aye, ma'am," the new Marine shot back in a tone that didn’t sound entirely respectful to Megan but wasn’t so disrespectful as to warrant an actual comment. It was generally accepted that one ‘aye’ was enough to acknowledge a superior officer, but the science officer couldn’t read him very well, something that was bothering her immensely at the moment. Her perceptions were further thrown by the sudden change of subject, but at least it was to a professional topic.

"Commander...from what I know, Dorvan was victim to a 'malfunction' of the USS Lion that resulted in one hundred thousand casualties and counting...What I want to know is how in Gre'thor does a ship's weapon system fire nearly an entire payload of torpedoes specifically targeted at areas of dense population because of an error?" the Klingon asked, though it was clear he didn’t expect an answer.

It took a few seconds for Megan to process the shift in topic as well as everything he was saying, and unfortunately in that time, the turbolift arrived on the bridge and ended any further discussion. The acting first officer was actually a bit disappointed, as not only was the mission a subject she wanted to discuss but G’Rowk had clearly done his homework and had enough knowledge to be thinking along the same lines she was debating herself. Having someone to bounce ideas off of and discuss the potential scenarios and implications was very appealing.

All such thoughts were rather abruptly cut off when the doors opened and the two officers stepped onto the bridge. The brief look of wonder on the Marine’s face threw her yet again, but Megan was quickly distracted when she caught sight of Doctor van Breughel. Commander Garrett may have very little actual medical expertise, but even she could see that his complexion wasn’t right and the edge of pain on his face. When he paused at the railing, the science officer instantly recognized the look on his face as someone not feeling well but trying to hide it, as this was something she had done far more times than she could ever count.

Nathan was moving towards her, so Megan simply waited for him to join her at the back of the bridge before motioning him aside. “Doctor, I know we have a medical crisis on our hands, but you are clearly not doing so well yourself. I was perfectly willing to acknowledge that your time off needed to be cut short in lieu of the disaster on Dorvan, but not at the expense of your health.” It seemed like the doctor was about to protest, but the science officer stopped him with a look.

“You have two choices. The first involves you going to sickbay, getting checked out by one of your colleagues, and then returning to your quarters for 24 hours of rest, after which if you are cleared by another examination, you may resume your duties. The second involves you being escorted to sickbay by our new Senior Marine Officer and being officially relieved of duty until further notice. Either way, you won’t be working today, but the choice is yours as to how that happens.”

[Deleted]

It took a fair amount of effort but Nathan managed a half turn to acknowledge Matt's response. "I'm trying," he answered gently, before approaching the acting first officer.

As she spoke to him, Nathan listened in silence, nodding where appropriate though that too took concentration. It annoyed him that he was like an open book to her, as apparently the acting captain hadn't noticed anything. He frowned upon hearing her next words, eying the tall Klingon standing beside her. He was nearly a full foot taller than he was, but for some odd reason it was more reassuring than frightening. To Nathan anyway.

“You have two choices. The first involves you going to sickbay, getting checked out by one of your colleagues, and then returning to your quarters for 24 hours of rest, after which if you are cleared by another examination, you may resume your duties. The second involves you being escorted to sickbay by our new Senior Marine Officer and being officially relieved of duty until further notice. Either way, you won’t be working today, but the choice is yours as to how that happens.”

"I was on my way back to sickbay ma'am," he answered truthfully, "and then home. I am...fatigued and feeling unwell. Hannah will perform a full examination and you will have her report as soon as possible, you have my word." He paused briefly. "However, the escort would be appreciated." His hand shook as he released the railing. "I feel...weak." Not quite the word he had wanted to use before a Klingon, but it was the first he could think of.

When he got back to sickbay, he beckoned his chief nurse. "I need a full examination," he ordered as he eased himself on the nearest biobed. "Yes, me," he answered her unasked question.

Raising her eyebrows at the Klingon, she complied, weaving the Klingon over to the other biobed. "I'll get to you in a minute, just wait there," Hannah informed him, before turning back to Nathan. The medical arch closed over him and began the full medical scan. "Oh no," Hannah exclaimed, her eyes wide. "That wasn't supposed to have happened."

Reaching for a hypospray, she pulled a vial from the tray. "I'm giving you 60cc's of Inaprovaline," she announced, it should help." She pressed the hypo into his hand after injecting the dose. "Take another dose if you experience chest pains again." The human nurse glanced down at her boss in earnest. "I mean it Nathan. Gods, doctors are so bloody stubborn!"

The arch went down and Nathan sat up, looking at the hypospray in his hand. It was yet another to add to his collection. "How will it react with the histamins I'm taking?" he asked, presently not remembering.

"It'll be fine, now go home. I'll be checking in with you later." Once Nathan was gone, looking a little more like himself, she turned to the Klingon. "New arrival," she concluded, "medical record?" She held out her hand. "Thank you for getting him here safely, he's so stubborn. Good doctor, but bad patient, like all doctors."

After examining and dismissing the Klingon, Hannah tapped her combadge. "Lowell to Thompson. Doctor do you have a minute?" Quietly, she explained what had happened. "I don't know what was the onset, but I think he needs to be told he has to slow down."

Once her report to Thompson was done, she tapped her combadge again. "Commander Garrett, please switch to private communication." She waited a few seconds. "He suffered another heart-attack. It was a mild one but still. He's off duty now, and I'll bar him access for the next 24 hours but he needs to be on that away mission. Can you make sure he takes it easier?"

[Zhukarak Hrisvalar]

“HEALER!” Zhukarak shouted out loud. Theel’zhiin had been in his own dream world when he was startled by his masters’ tone. Zhukarak noted the Vulcan healer approaching as he looked past his private room doorway into the hall. As Vulcans normally didn’t show much emotion, this seemed quite unhappy to be called for in such a manner. Her quick gait gave hint that she was ready to have a verbal confrontation with him.

“Brigadier, I can only presume that you wish to know when you will be discharged as you have on so many countless occasions already for the past three days.”

“Yesterday you did say that my wound has healed up nicely. I was hoping I could get back on duty today.”

“Trust me; I am hoping that as well!”

Zhukarak had been surprised by her response, her cold response. At least it was a proper Vulcan response. Healer T’Val proceeded to check his vitals and reflect them on his medical chart. “I am indeed pleased to inform you that I will be discharging you within the hour. Not a moment too soon either it seems. Admiral Lin has forwarded a message for you.” After handing over a PADD for Zhukarak to read, T’Val finished up her routine and left the room.

Zhuk looked at the PADD and entered his pass code. Admiral Lin had left a synopsis of the situation on Dorvan V, and the mission of the USS Fang and the USS Jefferson. ~Not a moment too soon…indeed.~

Zhukarak had quickly gotten dressed, impatiently awaiting his discharge orders. During the wait he had decided to call on Admiral Drew, even though Admiral Lin probably already informed him that Zhuk would be returning to duty. Nonetheless, Admiral Drew was happy of the formality. A quick discussion was had about what was to be expected after which Healer T’Val showed up and gave him the good news. Unexpectedly Zhukarak gave her a huge hug of joy and relieve, and a quick peck on her cheek for good measure before strolling out…happy to be back on duty again.

The shuttle ride from Qualinost seemed to take forever, but it gave Zhukarak time to think. He had sensed relief from Admiral Drew that he would be returning to command the Jefferson. Zhuk had been wondering if there was a reason behind it. The thought was quickly dismissed after the shuttle landed in bay. No one would be there to welcome Zhuk as he had given specific orders to not announce his arrival. He made the shuttle pilot pretend he was delivering supplies.

Zhukarak stepped off the platform of the rear hatch and began his walk towards the bridge, with Theel’zhiin perched comfortably on his shoulder. As the crewmembers walked up, the recognition could be seen on their faces. All of them welcomed their Captain back on board. Zhukarak felt the warmth within him. Soon he was in the turbolift that took him straight to the bridge. Just before the doors opened up to his favorite place in all the galaxies, Zhuk looked over at his firelizard, “It feels good to be back, doesn’t it?” The doors opened and Brigadier Hrisvalar stepped off and took a long moment to just take in the scene.

[Matthew Reynolds]

Sitting in the command chair wasn't anything new for the Jefferson's first officer, but he secretly hoped that there was someone to take over for a little while. All his decisions seemed to be wrong and he was sure that Admiral Drew was double checking every report that came from the Jefferson. Matt was so preoccupied with himself that he couldn't tell that Nathan was ill and if it wasn't for Megan things could have gotten a lot worse. According to sickbay, Nathan would be just fine, but Matt was still worried. Hoping to clear his head, Matt walked towards the ready room but stopped when he heard the excited conversation near the turbo lift.

To his surprise and glee, Zhukarak Hrisvalar stood in front of the bridge crew. Matt immediately felt the burden of command lift from his shoulders. Walking towards the Andorian marine, Matt couldn't help but greet his captain with a genuine smile.

"Welcome back sir," Matt said as he saluted his commanding officer," it hasn't been the same without you."

(Zhuk)

"Sir, I'm sure you were already debriefed on the situation, but I can have a detailed report on our preparations within the hour," Matt said once the pleasantries had ended.

(Zhuk)

[Zhukarak Hrisvalar]

Zhuk continued staring at the main viewer, looking at the damaged starbase as the Jefferson was orbiting it. ~The lives that must have been lost...~ He thought to himself.

He could hear the bridge crew whispering among themselves as their CO was taking in the scene. His senior staff was not present with the exception of his First Officer, a normal scene when a starship was not out on a mission.

The hushed conversations finally alerted Matt causing him to turn in his chair to see what was going on. He did not conceal the happiness that covered his face as he sprang out of the command chair.

"Welcome back sir," Matt said as he saluted his commanding officer, "It hasn't been the same without you."

"I know the feeling, Commander. It has not been pleasant being away from the Jefferson."

"Sir, I'm sure you were already debriefed on the situation, but I can have a detailed report on our preparations within the hour." Matt said once the pleasantries had ended.

"That would be fine. I have already spoken with Admirals Lin and Drew about this mission, your report may bring up something they may have missed."

Zhukarak proceeded to take over the command chair and began looking over the reports on its terminal display. "Do we have a time of departure yet?"

<Matt>

"Let's see if we can hurry up those resupply shuttles then. I'm sure the good doctor would want help those poor souls as quickly as possible. Speaking of the doctor, how is he doing?" Just as Zhuk finished his question, his Chief Science Officer stepped off the turbolift.

<Matt/Megan>

[Deleted]

"I was on my way back to sickbay ma'am, and then home. I am...fatigued and feeling unwell. Hannah will perform a full examination and you will have her report as soon as possible, you have my word,” Nathan replied, causing Megan to feel greatly relieved. The last thing she wanted was some sort of fight, even if she would clearly have been the winner of that particularly battle. As the doctor spoke, Lieutenant G’Rowk, who had been speaking briefly with Commander Reynolds, moved towards them, catching the medical officer’s attention. "However, the escort would be appreciated. I feel...weak,” the doctor added quietly.

Nodding slightly, her attention momentarily caught by his shaking hand, Megan glanced up at their newest senior staff member. “The doctor is not doing well. I believe an escort is a good idea. While you’re down there, see Nurse Lowell and get your shipboard physical taken care of. Then you can see your quarters and stow your gear,” Commander Garrett informed him keeping her voice low so as not to draw any unnecessary attention to Nathan, and smiling a slight thank you in the Klingon’s direction. They may have been orders given she outranked him, but his discrete assistance to the sick doctor was still greatly appreciated.

<Tag G'Rowk>

As G’Rowk and Nathan moved to the turbolift, Megan surveyed the bridge. Matt was in the command chair, and the science station was occupied. Though she was still acting both as chief science officer, since assuming the duties of first officer, Commander Garrett had scheduled someone other than herself to be at the science station at all times, though she took the station for at least as long as a rotation as well, just not as the result of any duty shift. For now, preparations needed to be made for departure, so she moved to her office to take care of a few things before remaining on the bridge. She didn’t think it would take an hour.

After working twenty minutes or so at her desk in the chief science officer’s office, Megan received a hail. "Commander Garrett, please switch to private communication." Even though she was alone in her office, the request produced the almost automatic response of securing the channel with a few quick commands to her computer console. "He suffered another heart-attack. It was a mild one but still. He's off duty now, and I'll bar him access for the next 24 hours but he needs to be on that away mission. Can you make sure he takes it easier?"

With a slight smile, Megan replied, “If he doesn’t take it easy he’ll find himself back in his quarters, immediately, so that should hopefully be enough incentive to at least encourage him to be more careful. I’ll try to make sure someone’s keeping an eye on him at all times while he’s down on the surface, and I want him to check in with you again before he goes. If he’s in any danger, he doesn’t go, whether that would sit well with him or not. Understood?”

After getting an affirmative response, the channel closed and Megan sighed. It felt strange, enforcing rest and medical advice when she herself had spent so long fighting similar actions, but such was command it would seem. What was worse, the lingering question in her mind was…had she been the cause of this second heart attack as well? What if there was remaining damage that she had inflicted? True, the doctor had been under quite a bit of stress, both before and after that incident, but the science officer was still concerned this was still her fault somehow.

Dismissing her concern, by placing it more in the back of mind where it belonged, Megan continued with her work, hoping to finish up as quickly as possible to go back to the bridge. Fortunately, it only took about fifteen minutes more to complete a few remaining arrangements, and once they were completed, the science officer headed for the bridge to take over her station. She had set it up so that the second science officer would remain at the secondary station ready to take over should any other more pressing duties arise. It was a nice arrangement, but Commander Garrett often found herself missing the bridge, even though they were currently safely in orbit of Qualinost. Still, the science station was rarely boring. There was always something to scan, even if it generally turned out to be nothing important.

Stepping off the turbolift, the Commander had only taken half a step when a voice she hadn’t heard in awhile asked, “Speaking of the doctor, how is he doing?" Their commanding officer was back. A flood of varying emotions hit Megan, relief that he was alright and in command once more, disappointment at losing her new position even if she’d know it was temporary, and a brief flash of remaining awkwardness from the incident in the ready room. Still, as the Andorian turned towards her, Commander Garrett attempted to reign in all those errant emotions.

“Welcome back, Sir. It’s good to see you back on the Jefferson,” Megan greeted, smiling as warmly as she could manage before approaching the once more Captain and First Officer. “Doctor van Breughel had another heart attack. It was mild, but he’s been relieved of duty for 24 hours. Given the situation, it would be prudent for his presence on the away teams; however, I have requested that he be examined prior to the mission to ensure that he’s not in danger of further injury,” Commander Garrett reported, keeping her voice low, aimed only for her two superiors to respect Nathan’s privacy. She would want the same in his place.

Suddenly feeling somewhat strange reporting to Zhuk with a situation she’d taken care of herself with more authority than she now had, Megan realized that dealing with Nathan’s heart attack and ordering him to sickbay and off duty had probably been her final act as a command level officer. Glancing between Matt and Zhuk, feeling incredibly awkward, the science officer quietly added, “If there’s nothing else, Brigadier, Commander, I should probably take the science station.”

<Tag Zhuk/Matt>

[tamara]

"I appreciate that, J'Varr," Tamara said, stroking the fur behind the feline's head. Whether or not he was indeed in need of her work was immaterial. He was sympathetic to her position as a Counselor, and more importantly, he was considered a friend. He was one of the few on the ship that she actually felt she could turn to if she ever needed someone.

=/\= Doctor Thompson, please meet me in my office in twenty minutes. I have to meet with our newest crewmen first =/\=

=/\= Aye, Commander. =/\= At least now she'll know where she was supposed to be. She felt like a ship out of water on each of the missions so far. Even on the shore leave, she was left on the docking platform my Mr. Tagert. Her warm welcome slowly retreated in her mind as he newness diminished each day.

"I think I have all I need, Mr. T'ress," She patted him on the back. "Thanks."


It was about fifteen minutes later that Tamara heard news of the Brigadier returning, and with that, realized that all of the meetings to bring him up to date would usurp any of her meetings. Still, she needed direction, so she made her way to the Brigadier's ready room.

Stepping to the bridge, she found Zhukarak sitting in the Captain's chair. She froze, wondering if she should approach him, or if she should just make her way to Commander Reynolds, who had originally summoned her.

[Zhukarak Hrisvalar]

As Zhukarak listened to Commander Garrett's report he had realized how much she had grown in her command position since his absence. He smiled inwardly and sensed how her conflict of feelings was at the foremost of her thoughts. He knew that she would grow from this as well.

This further solidified a decision Zhukarak had been pondering before his injury, that of Second Officer. Commander Garrett had the rank of course, but Zhuk knew better than anyone else that rank alone meant little. No, she was perfect. She would make a fine captain some day, and it was his job to guide her in that direction. Until then, Zhuk hoped that day was still a long time to come.

"Good. Commanders, please follow me."

Zhukarak rose from his chair when he noticed Lieutenant Thompson's presence. "Counselor, this won't take long. Please come to my ready room once you see the Commanders exit."

With an affirmative from the ship's counselor, the other three proceeded to the captain's ready room.

Zhukarak offered for the two to sit and took his own seat behind his desk. "I want to keep this short as we have much to do and prepare for. Commander Garrett, as of now you are officially the ship's Second Officer. That means you have the authority to make command decisions in our absence, even some while we are present if you think them to be prudent, and hopefully we won't override them." Matt gave off a small chuckle at the little joke, but it was obvious that Megan didn't know what to make off all of this. "I have full faith and confidence that you will discharge your duties as such. Of course you're still head of science and that is still your primary role. Any questions, comments?"

<Megan/Matt>

With that discussion now over Zhukarak dismissed his two commanders and soon welcomed his ship's counselor, who was still as much as a new person to him as an academy graduate.

"Ah, counselor, please have a seat. Water?" Zhukarak went over to his replicator and retrieved two glasses of cool water.

"During my recovery I have had time to think back and I feel that you and I have..." Zhukarak was searching for the human verbiage that they so much liked to use, "...something with a wrong foot."

"Started off on the wrong foot, sir."

"Yes, that's it. I am sure that you have by now realized that deep down I am a hard corps marine and a proud one at that. I have seen many things, and I have been in command for many years now and not just as a starship captain. I'm sure you know all of this from my record. With that said, I think that our personalities are similar based on our extensive experiences and expertise in our respective fields." Zhuk watched her sit quietly and take another sip from her glass.

"You've probably realized that I don't take open criticism well and truthfully as the CO I can't afford to. Privately I shall listen to any advice you may have, especially when it concerns the crew. I want us to be able to work together with you being my conscience when I am out there dealing with conflict. What do you say?"

Another sip from her glass gave his counselor the time she needed to formulate her thoughts into words. Zhukarak in the meantime enjoyed his own glass of water while hoping this would be the start of a harmonious relationship between the two of them.

<Tamara>

He listened to her every word with deep interest. He knew that a ship could not be commanded by a CO alone. A good CO always had a good command staff behind him as long as he used them properly.

"Good. I am glad that we are coming together on this. Now, do you have any reports of the command crew for me, officially or unofficially?" Zhuk did some more intent listening as Tamara gave her thoughts on how everyone was doing.

<Tamara>

[Deleted]

"Understood," Nathan, who had been listening in on the conversation, answered the commander, "I'll be going to my quarters once Hannah tells me I'm clear to go. In 24 hours, I'll report back here for evaluation as ordered." After signing off, he turned to his senior nurse. "Am I clear to go?"

Hannah looked at her boss with a frown on her face, then looked past him at the tall Klingon. "Do I need him to escort you?" she shot back, "you will go home right? Or do I need to extract a promise from you."

Nathan sighed miserably. "It's bad enough that this happened," he answered her, "I wasn't feeling well after the briefing, but I was feeling fine before. I believe somewhere, something went wrong, something only rest and further tests will show." He patted her on the shoulder in appreciation. "I'll be back in the moring," he promised, "only for that check up, not work."

Hannah nodded, taking his word for a promise. "I want you to take this, and use it," she told him, shoving a cardiac monitor in his hands. "I'll not accept no for an answer. Consider it a condition of being allowed back on duty. You'll use it and you'll inject yourself with this before going to bed too. I want you to sleep at least 8 hours straight, got that?"

Taken aback, Nathan stared at his nurse, then nodded. "Understood ma'am," he answered formally, taking the instrument from her. He then turned on his heels and walked away from her, towards the Klingon. "Before I forget, welcome aboard lieutenant, and thank you for escorting me to sickbay. Hannah has cleared you for duty"

Hannah Lowell walked up to them, positively glaring as she shoved the older man towards the door. "Out!" she snapped, before turning to G'Rowk. "You too, I'm sure someone on the bridge is waiting for you to report in?"

Laughing to himself, Nathan left sickbay and headed to his quarters. To his surprise, Jayden was waiting for him when he walked in. "Your boy let me in," the marine explained, "before going to play with one of his friends. Now, I believe you've orders to rest? I'm here to make sure that happens."

Jayden Mitchell pulled the stunned doctor further into his quarters, then bodily shoved him towards his bedroom. "First, you'll change into something less...constricting, and then we'll have dinner. Freddy's not coming home tonight, I made sure he could stay over with his friend. After dinner, you'll be going to bed and I'll be watching over you, right here." He pointed to the couch.

Guessing that the marine too wouldn't take no for an answer, Nathan complied without putting up a protest. Two hours later, he was fast asleep, albeit through medication.

"Mitchell to Lowell. He's asleep and won't bother anyone for the next ten hours at least. I upped the dosage without him noticing."

=^=Acknowledged. Just make sure he can wake instantly if we do have a medical emergency.=^=

"Always miss Lowell," the marine assured her, "and I can wake him if the commander wants to speak to him too. And I'll ensure he'll sleep again after that, you have my word."

[growk]

His welcome by Commander Reynolds was rather swiftly concluded both by the brevity of the officer's greeting and by Commander Garrett's request to accompany the pained-looking man next to her. G'Rowk recognized the doctor from the dossier of the Jefferson's crew and knew the human had recently suffered a heart attack... along with several other unexplained complications. He quickly crossed the bridge and set a firm hand on the doctor's shoulder, turning Nathan away and leading him to sickbay. The Klingon walked just a step behind as the pair traveled in silence, both in preparation to catch him and in the subtle means of letting the doctor lead, as G'Rowk was still learning his way about the ship.

Upon their arrival, a rather forceful nurse descended upon the two like a tempest. G'Rowk was still unsure what had occurred when he found himself back in the hallway, alone, vague visions of conversation and nigh-commands from the woman flashing about in his head; but he believed he was given a clean bill of health sometime during the encounter.

The marine brought out the two padds he carried and began sorting through the information, transferring much of it from the padd Commander Garrett had given him to his own. He took particular interest in the briefings of the mission, though he would appreciate deeper explanation which he would likely receive soon enough. As he studied the padd, his stride took him steadily toward his quarters, though his direction was not as certain as he liked. There were certainly a few wrong turns along the journey, but he finally arrived at his own cabin just in time to finish, lowering the padd as his gaze met the entrance to his rooms.

The door whispered opened before him, allowing the Klingon to enter and take in the size of his quarters. It was hard to comprehend that he had this much room all to his own, yet he couldn't help but feel relieved at finally being allowed privacy that had been denied him at the Academy. He began to unpack in an attempt to make the room more familiar and comfortable, first bringing out his most cherished possession from his satchel and setting it on the table.

G'Rowk was certainly no engineer, but he had spent his years on Earth modifying a small robotic creature he had found in a store during his first trip to Tokyo... his first trip to a major Earth city, at that. It was a miniaturized talking dragon, a serpent the length of a human's arm, with four taloned feet and covered in palladium scales painted a glossy green with etches of gold and silver along it, spreading into wings constructed of solar cloth tough enough to take the slice of a blade. Obviously the "toy" coming from a rather advanced sector of human technology meant G'Rowk did little work to make it essentially capable of intelligent thought, but he had strived to modify its behavior, make it more durable, and even grant it the ability to fly, track life-signs, communicate, and defend itself. In typical Klingon fashion, he had been unable to leave the contraption as just a toy. The creature was a highly-modified war machine... and G'Rowk's only friend.

The Klingon continued to unpack his things as the metal creature unwound itself to full size from its tightly-coiled position and gave an exaggerated stretch before it began a patrol about the room, observing G'Rowk carefully and inspecting the room for itself. The new marine found plenty of places to stow his things... perhaps too many places. The room was fantastic and more than he could ask for... but it seemed almost empty with his sparse belongings scattered about it.

"Only you could bear a look of sorrow whilst you stand in your own room, on your own ship, which just happens to be a Sovereign-class starship that you are the Senior Marine Officer of," the dragon's voice was almost too human, the synthetic quality of it drowned out by a deep English accent... the only fully-functioning speech system G'Rowk had been able to find that truly improved the barbaric vocabulary it possessed when he first purchased it.

"And only you could point it out so bluntly, Kyou," the Klingon retorted in good nature, watching the creature wisp about through the air. As blunt and brazen as his companion could be, the dragon was unerringly trustworthy, seemingly beyond the "morality" his programming allowed. "I'll leave things to you while I see to our mission... I'm afraid you won't be able to travel planet-side this time, my friend. We can't risk giving away our identity as members of Starfleet and you would stick out like a Bolian in a silent library."

"I'm not your housekeeper, G'Rowk... but I can manage things here, especially without you about to make a mess or assault my senses with your idea of sharp wit," the creature gave a hearty chuckle as it motioned to the door. "Off with you, then. I could use a few power cycles offline after being cramped in that bag for over a day, thank you." G'Rowk took one last look about the room before complying and stepping out into the hallway. As the door shushed closed behind him, he began his return to the bridge. There was so much to do... but he first needed to get a better briefing on the situation at hand.

[Deleted]

"Good. Commanders, please follow me,” Zhukarak requested.

Pausing in surprise for a moment, Megan glanced quickly at Matt before following the two into the ready room, her mind spinning with what this could possibly be regarding. It was one thing for a commanding officer to talk to the XO on a regular basis, but there was no reason for her to be there, at least that Commander Garrett could think of in the time it took for Zhuk to talk to the counselor and the three of them to move to the ready room and sit down. Trying to appear as relaxed as possible, and be as physically relaxed as possible, she braced herself for the unknown. The science officer did not like surprises at all, and she had no idea what was coming.

"I want to keep this short as we have much to do and prepare for. Commander Garrett, as of now you are officially the ship's Second Officer. That means you have the authority to make command decisions in our absence, even some while we are present if you think them to be prudent, and hopefully we won't override them. I have full faith and confidence that you will discharge your duties as such. Of course you're still head of science and that is still your primary role. Any questions, comments?" the Brigadier asked, glancing between Matt and Megan.

Stunned couldn’t begin to describe what she was feeling. Megan was absolutely speechless, as she had not seen that coming. The shock wore off very fast, and a smile, a real one, pulled its way across her lips lighting up her face. It didn’t even occur to her that her guard was completely down; Commander Garrett was far too happy and proud in that moment to really care. “Thank you, Sir. I will endeavor to continue to serve the Jefferson to the best of my abilities.” Turning briefly to Matt, still looking entirely happy, the science officer added sincerely, “And thank you, Sir, for the initial opportunity to act as First Officer under your command. I appreciate the faith you showed in me. I won’t let you down, Commander, Brigadier.”

It was only then that Megan realized just how far she’d let her guard down and tried to calm her emotions, though she was far too happy to completely erase the smile off her face, unaware that she was pretty much glowing. “If there’s nothing else, I should probably get back to my station,” the Commander repeated, a far different tone from the last time she’d said it a few minute earlier, and with another beaming smile, Megan Garrett left the ready room and moved towards the console. Counselor Thompson was waiting outside and moved to join the Brigadier once the two Commanders left the ready room.

Relieving the duty science officer, deciding that the new rotation was still a good idea, Megan happily pulled up scans of the region in preparation for departure to the Dorvan system. She’d gone from content, to concerned, to absolutely thrilled in the space of a few minutes, but now it felt like nothing could wipe the smile off her face. Whether she would ever admit this out loud or not, Commander Garrett cared a great deal about what people thought of her, even more so as it related to job performance, so encouragement such as this, especially when it was accompanied by greater responsibility, was extremely rewarding. Besides, the science officer had enjoyed having greater authority quite a bit, thought she’d never admit it.

When the turbolift doors opened depositing the new Marine back onto the bridge, Megan was still in far too good of a mood to care about her initial…not suspicion, but unease. Smiling warmly in greeting, her happiness still easy to pick up on, the newly appointed Second Officer motioned the Klingon over a few steps to her station. “Lieutenant G’Rowk, our commanding officer, Brigadier Hrisvalar returned from leave and resumed command of the Jefferson. He’s currently in a meeting with the counselor, but once she exits the ready room, I’m sure he would appreciate meeting with you,” Commander Garrett informed him, still smiling. “Oh and thank you for your help with the doctor; I felt better knowing someone was with him.”

<Tag G’Rowk>