6.1 Avenger

[Magellan Lin]

Gouts of fire roared from the vast tear along a hundred metre stretch of the hull. Look closely and you could see the small flailing shapes of hapless crewman sucked into space and spiraling off into its vastness.

Another bright yellow bolt crackles past and thuds with sickening surety into the bridge section. For a moment all the lights on the vessel go out then reappear dimmer. Nacelles flash and flicker as plasma vents from a hundred tiny holes running along its length. Were the vessel able to create a warp field the smashed deflector at the fore meant that there was no chance.

Crippled the dark green ship a mere shadow of its former self was listed heavily whilst a trio of smaller ship span around it like atoms about a nucleus. Anyone watching new the end was near, anyone watching might have wished for a swift end, Ch'lork was not one. the the ships twisted away and then ran at the ship head on, disruptors blazing the remains of the ship was turned to molten slag before the warp core exploded and there was no longer any evidence that the ship had ever been present.

Ch'lork clenched his fist around the padd. The broken screen digging into his palm drawing ribbons of thick mauve blood. Ch'lork reveled in it, paired the physical pain with the emotional.

"There was no honour in that kill"

The grey haired klingon beside him nodded,
"Unfortunatly no. The pataghs didn't even have the courage to board our vessel and fight us in hand to hand."

Ch'Lork seemed not to be listening,
"Then it is too late. My sons, both my boys gone." He shook his head, "Never to reach Sto-vo-kor." He hung his head in his hands and added quietly to himself "The shame."

"There are the old ways" Lort noted his face solemn.

"Indeed there are Lort. But the old ways seem to be gone from the Empire. In the old days we would have crushed the Tholians by now and be facing more worthy foes, ones who fight with honour."

"General. We have received a communique from Ty Gokor. A ceasefire has been agreed we are asked to return to Assailant for R and R"

"No" rumbled Ch'lork getting to his feet.

"No?" the young officer replied "Our orders we have been told of a ceasefire we should break of our pursuit....argggh"

Ch'lorks hand shot out grabbing the Bekk by the neck, there was a sickening crunch as the hand closed slowly but vice like crushing the officers windpipe. He tossed the limp dead corpse to the floor and then turned to the rest of his bridge crew.

"There was a communications...'problem' we received no message." he stated calmly he eyes still on the dead Bekk.

No one challenged him.

"Continue pursuit." he growled "My two sons need my help to reach Sto-vo-kor."

***

Following the intrigue aboard the USS Vesuvius and Starbase 47 Magellan was pleased to be oncemore back on Assailant. The familiar sights and people were reassuring and despite its crucial position in the colonial war things were reasonable quiet.

Federation mediators had managed to gain a temporary 7 day ceasefire between the Tholians and Klingons. It was hoped that this could be built on and the war ended. At least thats what Magellan hoped. He had his own ideas of how to try and ferment peace although with a new Tholian Ambassador aboard he wasnt quite sure how his own ideas would go down.

He had yet to meet Lovine. He wanted to get his house in order before embarking on any more political games. He had organised a special diplomatic function that evening in which all the diplomats could meet the new arrival.

He had done his research. He had heard of Lovine from Kaskrene when they had both been on AenVolis. Lovine was someone to be respected and perhaps a little feared. he would find out tonight. Well he hoped he wasnt going anywhere until he finished the slowly mounting pile of crew evaluations. This is why he rarely left the base there was always too much paperwork to come back to.

TAG ALL

[mercy]

*Continued from 'Arrivals' thread*

Feb 1, 2009 20:37:44 GMT @tval said:

T'Val rocked back on her heels, blood draining from her face as she stared down at her husband. She felt Rayna's steadying hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged her off. She stared long and hard, unable to find her voice.

After several minutes of silence, the Vulcan took a deep breath, exhaled, then took another deep breath. "Stuart, please tell me you are playing a joke on me." Yet the vacant look in the young doctor's eyes was plain enough. Hurt, she sat back, though her hand never left Stuart's.

"I am T'Val Mercy," she said slowly, casting hopeful eyes on him, "I am your wife. You have returned to Starbase Assailant, which is our home. You are this station's chief medical officer."

For a moment, she wondered what else she should tell him, fearing that any further information might already be too overwhelming. "I am your wife," she repeated, "Admiral Lin performed our wedding ceremony, after we fell in love and I divorced my first husband." She sighed. "Do you remember Tedak? Your Romulan rival, my first husband? He is your friend, and also very worried about you."

There it was again, the feeling of comfort knowing that he was a doctor, but this woman in front of him claimed to be married...to him...to whom she was referring to as 'Stuart, Stuart Mercy'. It was that part that was unsettling.

He rose, recognizing the diagnostic parameters of the other's tricorder. "Judging from the sounds of that tricorder, you're not finding any abnormalities. Apparently I'm in good health, other than not knowing any of you...or myself even. So it seems that I'm having a case of amnesia."

Together, they all exited the shuttlecraft. Realizing that he was still holding onto the Vulcan's hand, or she his rather, he...Stuart...stopped abruptly and turned toward her. "I agree. A full medical scan of myself is in order. You said your name is T'Val." His eyes scanned her from head to toe. "A beautiful name for such a beautiful woman. I must be either really smart, really lucky, or maybe...just really good." He leered a smile as he gave her a wink, not sure if she actually appreciated either one. "Now you mentioned being my wife. Care to prove that?" He looked deeply into her eyes, looking for anything that might help his memory, as he awaited her response.

[Deleted]

He could swear that he could hear something, but he pushed it out of his mind. It was warm and comforting where he was, the air calm and stagnant, inducing an amazingly soporific effect, which only pushed his mind further away from his body. He was sure that whatever he was hearing was merely the mindless (no pun intended) cerebral chatter of all those on the station whose minds he carelessly nudged to and from as he drifted, serenely, as if immersed in a great pool of water. In fact, it was as if he was in a pool of water. Someone was calling his name, or merely thinking it, but which...

"Ensign Lok!"

The shout jolted him up from his laid back sitting position in the maintenance shaft. He'd fallen asleep, and he had indeed been floating in a pool of water, his upturned cup lay on the floor next to him, the tea spread over his trousers. He cursed and wiped pointlessly at his trouser legs before scrambling out of the hatch. It was one of his few nice relaxing areas where he came to sleep, meditate and be away from prying eyes and ears. His feet slid out first, then his body and head, finally landing on the deck. In front of him stood the Regulan Commander F'Rass. He did not look amused.

"Ensign, what division are you with?"

"Operations sir"

"And therefore what is your function aboard this station"

"To assist in running its operations sir"

"And therefore where should you be right now"

Asleep, Tyr thought to himself bitterly. This is why he hadn't missed his days as a junior fleet officer. Then he remembered, he was supposed to be doing his rotation in flight ops today, and they were supposed to be receiving extra members of the Klingon delegation for the upcoming peace talks. This was bad.

"I should be heading to Ops sir" Tyr answered back smartly, hinting at subtle suggestions with his mind.
"My shift starts in ten minutes" He was in fact, already ten minutes late.

F'Rass stared at him curiously fro a moment like he had something he wanted to say. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Sorry about that ensign, must have got my times mixed up. Well better to be safe than sorry, get along"

"Yes sir" Tyr came quickly to attention and then departed the maintenance juntion, smiling a little at his own quick thinking whilst concurrently cursing the need for him to maintain such an elaborate cover story. He'd already had to justify to Starfleet Intelligence why he'd had to pose as a Starfleet Security inspector on Starbase 47, and why he'd put an unauthorised data tap on the Vesuvius. He had enough real paperwork without filing fake paperwork as well. He arrived in Ops shortly, smiling at the other duty officers as he took his station. He'd got friendly with some of the crew in his department, and it was useful. People had no idea how much information the lower ranks were privy to, even if they weren't supposed to be. A transponder signal flashed on the outer reaches of his scanner.

"Sir" He called to Lieutenant Commander V'Rel, the ranking duty flight officer to come over to his station.
"I'm reading a Klingon transponder at 211 mark 037. It's the signature of the vessel carrying the diplomatic envoy. They're approximately one point five lightyears out"

"Arrangements have been made for them to dock at internal port alpha 11. Transmit entry vectors and the docking ports location, the dockmaster will handle them when they arrive. You'd better inform Admiral Lin"

"Sir" Tyr nodded and allowed a crewman to relieve him of his post whilst he strode over to the Admiral's office. He chimed and was admitted, seeing Lin sat behind a pile of charts, displays and padds. The door closed behind him and he advanced to the desk.

"We've received the appropriate Klingon transponder code on sensors sir, the remainder of their diplomatic detatchment will be here in less than thirty minutes at present speed" He thumbed through some of the padds on the desk with a casual eye. Nothing he probably hadn't seen in brief already.
"You really need an assisstant to do this sort of thing, or give it to Savali, it's more suited to a pen pusher"

He knew he'd hit a nerve talking about the Admiral's friend like that, but he didn't really care. Savali's betrayal only a few months past had for all intents and purposes destroyed any hope of him returning to his former life. The resentment, and anger still burned deep.

<TAG Admiral Lin>

"I also have a couple of questions. Firstly do you want Intelligence briefs on the Klingon and Tholian delegations, because I can have them by the banquet this evening? Secondly, what sort of monitoring do you want on them, both at and between the talks? I know you don't appreciate my stalking everyone on the station, but I think under present circumstances, it would be wise to make an exception. Thirdly, have you heard what has happened with Doctor Mercy?"

The last comment drew a sudden glare from Magellan. Tyr shrugged it off.

"Begging your pardon sir, but you've known me long enough now to know that it's my job to be aware of everything that happens on this station, and beyond. My advice would be to get down to sickbay"

<TAG Admiral Lin>

[Deleted]

After a brief hesitation, T'Val nodded. "Not here," she told him, carefully pulling him along. Now that he was home, she felt like not letting him go for a long while. She had so much she wanted to share, but now couldn't since he had no recollection of her. She wanted to tell him that Yade was killed, that she herself almost had been killed too. But she couldn't, not yet.

They reached sickbay, where T'Val subjected Stuart to a full physical, thereby confirming his own diagnosis. "Physically fit," she announced, offering a very small smile of encouragement, "mentally...." she hesitated. "Stable, but lacking," she concluded, taking his hand again.

"Words are not enough to help you remember," she said softly, raising her left hand up to him, "but I can show you if you will allow me. This would not be our first time, we have done this before. I know you can sense my presence in your mind, if you allow me to. We were married in both the Human and the Vulcan ways."

Bracing him with her right arm, she found the katra points on his face with her left, then send her memories of him forth. She showed him how they had first met, their awkward and morbid romance in the station's morge, her anguish over having to choose between Tedak and him, how Tedak had released her to be happy with him, their marriage, the death of D'Beren, everything.

She stiffled a sob as she dissolved the meld, looking away. She had avoided being reminded of her deceased son as much as possible, though she dutifully still visited his grave every week. She missed her son still, terribly, which made her yearning for a child of her own all the more painful. And here Stuart was, amnesiac because he'd gone off to find a cure for her. Guilt crossed her features and she wouldn't look at him.

"I am sorry," she finally whispered, walking away to update his medical records.

[lovine]

Lovine woke suddenly as a loud beeping started to annoy her to wake up, looking around her quarters she determined that it was the communications terminal she had brought from her ship so she could communicate with the assembly without having to use the station’s communication system, she knew the federation would not listen in to a diplomatic call out of principal but that did not stop others from doing the same and this ‘Section 31’ worried her. Moving to the beeping device she quickly ensured the room was still clear of bugs which it was and opened the channel. Lovine looked at the screen as it changed to the image of the head of Tholian security “’Ah Lovine, such a pleasure to see you once again, it has been quite dull on the base without you scaring every scientist and half the security force here. But sadly i have not got time to reminisce, i have three set of orders to give you, and please do not shot the messenger, i disagreed with all three decisions”’ Lovine almost thought to call Kek in to prepare her kill at first chance list for another name but she decided she would hear him out and then have him killed “’Proceed’” as Bevel began looking even more worried be began to give her orders '“First, we have received word that the Cardassian are very interested in the idea of a trade of technology for placing colonies on outlying planets suitable to our uses. You are to ensure that this deal is sealed as soon as possible, the Cardassians on your base have been authorised to seal this deal.”’ Lovine smiled, this order is not too bad but what technology had her government offered for such a trade, she suspected that was what he had opposed. ’“Second, we have signed yet another cease fire with the Klingons as you know, we wish this to become a lasting peace if we can, but as always we will not give up more than half the planets we have colonised. And finally, you will be having a records officer added to your attachment.”’ Lovine almost swiped at the consol screen ‘Do they think i am a traitor, how dare they place a record officer within a light year of me’ but Lovine kept herself calm “’May i ask why i am being investigated?”’ Lovine watched as Bevel moved as if her stare was lethal, “’Well actually i should not tell you this but he is there to ensure that the assembly knows exactly what happens on that base, but he will undoubtedly be looking for how the Klingons found out about the cloaked colonies.”’ Lovine like this reason even less than her thoughts. “’Well before you decide that you dislike it, i am going to cut this short, as in goodbye”’ Lovine was about to speak when the screen went black ‘i will kill him if he does that next time’.

Lovine called Kek in as she finished placing the last buckle down on her encounter suit, as he entered he noted the posture she had and instantly placed his hand near to his concealed weapon. “’Kek, that is unnecessary for now, we shall head to the embassy, and then i shall see.”’ Kek bowed slightly before moving into the corridor, as Lovine exited she was mildly surprised to find that there were two others with Kek, Lovine noted that both of the new comers suits were plain with no sign of rank or position which told her they were simply guards, the only distinguishing mark on the suits was a small symbol on the left breast plate, the emblem of the Assembly. Nodding to both Lovine turned to follow Kek as the two new comers followed, Lovine looked around and noted that many around her were watching her closely, as if expecting something to happen. Lovine was not sure why this was until she found herself crashing into the back of Kek, moving around her brother she was shocked by what she saw, ahead of them were three Klingons from the delegation on the base all preparing for hand to hand combat with another person near the centre of their circle, at first Lovine thought some human had decided to insult the Klingons and she thought she would see a nice show but then she noted the armour and symbol on the cloak that had swung into view as one of the Klingons moved around. ‘that fool, is he trying to break the cease fire, and i bet the base security will have a field day with this’ Lovine knew what she had to do, so without waiting she quickly moved forward and shouted in English “What is going on here?” she spoke first to the Klingons and then to the Tholian that was trying to start trouble, “I would have expected more from warriors, you have agreed to stay your weapons for a time, do you wish to start this war again now, or can we at least have five minutes at a discussion table before we start tearing each other limb from limb.” She was surprised by how her voice sounded so calm and she noted that the Klingons were just as shocked. Before the Tholian at the centre could speak she decided to fire first “And you, i will enjoy hearing your reasons for this outrage, maybe i should have you sent back to Tholia as a traitor what a story that would make in the capital.” Lovine could not help but have a giggle come into her words as she spoke the last bits, she did not care how well contacted this officer was, he still worked for her here. Without saying another word she moved around and continued to walk with Kek and the others with the newest addition to the group taking up the rear, As the rounded the corner into the diplomatic wing, she was pleased to see that most were getting ready for this party thing that the base commander had sprang on everyone at the last minute. Walking into the lobby area of the embassy she was curious to find a Vulcan sitting in the waiting area, ignoring him she made her way into the airlock and hit the button to begin the atmosphere change.

Finally entering the main reception for the embassy the three security officers all went to their guard station to monitor the Vulcan that would soon be entering the airlock to enter, while Lovine and the officer from the brawl walked into the main Ambassador office. Closing the door Lovine quickly turned to look at the Tholian before her, around her age, he looked quite normal now he was out of his suit but she knew exactly who he was from the symbol on his cloak, the symbol of the record achieve, which made him the records officer that had been sent to join her though why he felt he could do as he pleased and fight the Klingon diplomats was beyond her. Taking her seat she did not attempt to hide her anger “’What on Tholia do you think you were doing, are you trying to end the ceasefire in record time, i am sure that would make an exciting report to broadcast across the Tholian Assembly, ‘New records officer to federation star base starts war before we even talked’ i should have you arrested by the federation and refuse to shield you from them, i am sure they would enjoy that. Give me one good reason i should not throw you out the nearest airlock towards the planet?”’ Lovine knew that she should be at least a little less aggressive with him but she had no reason to like him if he was going to make her work difficult. He turned to her with a stature that should he had not expected the hostilities as he spoke she could hear the surprise in his clicking “’Well, i expected you to be all for this war continuing considering you last and most glorious assignment. But if you want a reason, because my time here is not to investigate you, but to investigate anything else, our people have become interested in this federation at the moment, probably a fad that will end in a month but until then i will be looking at this group and seeing what they do”’ Lovine looked at the man with a look of distrust, but for now she could do little and it could be useful to have a spy on the team even if he would report back most of what he sees to both the assembly and the general public. She believed the humans would put him as something of an intelligence officer and a journalist all in one, but unlike human ones Tholian records officers were second only to the assembly in rank. “’Be that as it may, i do not wish to see you brawling with any diplomats in public, if you have a problem with the Klingons kill them in private so i do not need to cover it up.”’ Lovine did not give the records officer a second look before she pointed to the door.

Lovine would have enjoyed having some peace after trying to have an argument with the records officer but the Vulcan turned out to be a trader wishing to purchase some Tholian silk, Lovine disliked the idea but it was a good deal and so she set up a meeting between one of her traders with the Vulcan in two weeks to complete the trade “it will be at the co-ordinates that are on this Padd, be there at 1200 hrs at the appointed star date” Lovine stood and showed the Vulcan out, though she hated to admit it Vulcan were very punctual and she had no doubt they would be there at the appointed time. After the Vulcan left Kek quickly moved into the office with her and reminded her of the time, well the federation admiral can wait a few minutes, she needed to send the report back to Tholia so that they would have the items ready ‘i hate being a sales woman’. Having to complete a long statement as to the quantities, the point of trade and the time she felt the urge to kill someone but she knew that soon enough she would have to be playing nice for all the diplomats on the base at this party, the moment the report was done she walk out of her office and straight into the airlock and began to change into her encounter suit so that she could at least be in a comfortable environment when she arrived. Leaving the embassy took little difficulty and she immediately spotted the Romulan ambassadors leaving their embassy. “Ah Ambassador Tedak, i do not believe i have had the pleasure, Ambassador S'Khellian it is as always a pleasure.”

<Tag Tedak/Vebn>

[Deleted]

The trip back to Assailant had been uneventful, even though most of it had gone right past the Romulan diplomat. He'd been sat at the back of the shuttle, dozing most of the trip, while on certain parts being downright irritable.

When the shuttle had docked, he had gone straight to his quarters to see if there was a message from Kerry-Anne, but sadly there had not been. Tedak assumed the Vesuvius must've received new orders and that she'd been too busy to compose one. Quickly, he sent her a message that he'd arrived back on Assailant and that he missed her, terribly. After spending a few hours in his quarters, mulling over the past few days, Tedak realised that he should report to his office.

There was no doubt in his mind that Vebn would be downright unpleasant, if he failed to report. And if anything, Tedak tried his hardest to keep Vebn appeased, at least for the majority of the time. Annoying him was extremely easy, especially for Tedak, who felt he could do little right in the old man's eyes.

Yet, when he was about to enter the office - at the same time Vebn seemed to exit, thus making it appear they had met up just outside - a Tholian female approached, introducing herself. Mustering the politest smile he could produce, Tedak offered a slight bow. "Ma'am," he greeted her, "my name is Tedak, Romulan representative to the Debrune. Have you been aboard long?"

[mercy]

Stuart…as he was getting used to this referred to name…was very intrigued by this mindmeld. Yes, he had recalled that it was indeed a mindmeld, a partial one at the very least. Again, Stuart noted that his memories of different species and anything to do with them medically seemed to be very much intact. So he very much was a doctor.

Turning his thoughts back to the mindmeld didn’t help trigger any responses. It was as if he had been watching someone else’s life, not his. Married to this beautiful woman, of which he didn’t object in the least…it seemed. They had had a child, D’Beren, an adopted child who passed away due to this shuttle explosion. T’Val was incapable of becoming pregnant and having a child of her own, and it seemed this was the very reason Stuart had left her behind in the first place. Now the question was, ‘Did he find any positive results? Where did he actually go? Why can he not remember anything?’

Stuart jumped up from the exam bed and walked over to stand next to T’Val. He accessed the terminal infront of him to take a closer look at the most recent scans of him, in particular the one’s from his cerebral cortex.

“We may need to run more intensive diagnostics of my brain, make comparisons to my baseline readings. We should be able to see any changes there. I’m assuming we do have normal baseline readings? I mean that’s something I would have required of all senior personnel if I was in charge.”

He looked over at her as she just gave a simple nod in the affirmative. She did not look back at him, he could see from the side that her eyes were welling up with tears.

He turned her, with both his hands on her shoulders, facing him. “I am sorry that I cannot appreciate your love for me, or the pain that you must be going through this very second. At least you have these memories to give you this emotional response. Look at me. I am the one who is lost here, for I have no memories of who I am, and where I belong in this universe. I don’t know what my emotions are supposed to be, I am an empty shell right now. I will need your help, and for that we need for you to be strong. I have a sense that you can be strong when it counts. At the very least, I know that I wouldn’t have picked a lesser woman to be my life-long companion.”

With that, he had evoked a slight smile from her face. He gave her an embrace, if only for her comfort, for he felt nothing. Stuart returned to his evaluation of his scans.

While thinking out loud, he directed his question at T’Val. “Since you can project your thoughts of your past to me, isn’t it true that with a mindmeld you should be able to look into my thoughts? I mean from the time I left here, to see if there are any memories of my absence.”

[Magellan Lin]

The last comment drew a sudden glare from Magellan. Tyr shrugged it off.

"Begging your pardon sir, but you've known me long enough now to know that it's my job to be aware of everything that happens on this station, and beyond. My advice would be to get down to sickbay"

"Thank you Mr Lok." Magellan replied icily using the agents new name, "I know where my priorities lie. As do you yours. I want you at the function this evening. Do what you can to find out what you can about this Lovine."

"Very good sir" Tyr replied with a knowing smile.

"Good I ll be in sickbay"

***

Magellan arrived in Sickbay in time to see T'Val begin to lay her fingers on the face of Doctor Mercy.

"Excuse me Healer. A word if I could"

T'Val looked round,

"Magellan? Sure"

She left Stuarts side and came over to join the Admiral at the doorway. He led her to one side.

"I m not comfortable with you being responsible for your husbands treatment. It would be more ethical to let another Doctor treat him."

TAG T Val

"I am perfectly sure you are competent, but treating kin can be very difficult. I m also unsure as to whether a mind meld would be in the Doctors best interests, at least until hes gone through a full set of neurological scans and hes been assessed by a counselor."
He held up a hand to forestall T val as she began to speak.

"That is an order. Mind melds affect people in different ways and until we know more about what happened to him I think its too much of a risk. I m not saying don't help, just see if it comes back to him naturally, be his emotional crutch."

TAG T Val.

"I have a team of engineers going over his shuttle. Perhaps you should start by looking at his personal logs, perhaps taking him back to your quarters. Slow and steady. Now if you'll excuse me I have a diplomatic function to prepare for."

TAG T Val

[Deleted]

Lovine would have enjoyed having some peace after trying to have an argument with the records officer but the Vulcan turned out to be a trader wishing to purchase some Tholian silk, Lovine disliked the idea but it was a good deal and so she set up a meeting between one of her traders with the Vulcan in two weeks to complete the trade “it will be at the co-ordinates that are on this Padd, be there at 1200 hrs at the appointed star date” Lovine stood and showed the Vulcan out, though she hated to admit it Vulcan were very punctual and she had no doubt they would be there at the appointed time. After the Vulcan left Kek quickly moved into the office with her and reminded her of the time, well the federation admiral can wait a few minutes, she needed to send the report back to Tholia so that they would have the items ready ‘i hate being a sales woman’. Having to complete a long statement as to the quantities, the point of trade and the time she felt the urge to kill someone but she knew that soon enough she would have to be playing nice for all the diplomats on the base at this party, the moment the report was done she walk out of her office and straight into the airlock and began to change into her encounter suit so that she could at least be in a comfortable environment when she arrived. Leaving the embassy took little difficulty and she immediately spotted the Romulan ambassadors leaving their embassy. “Ah Ambassador Tedak, i do not believe i have had the pleasure, Ambassador S'Khellian it is as always a pleasure.”

Vebn nodded curtly in acknowledgment to Lovines kind words. He was well aware it was all diplomacy he knew no one regarded seeing him as a pleasure.

"Shall we walk together" he suggested, "It will allow you to get to know my sub-ordinate."

"That is agreeable" Lovine chittered softly.

Vebn fell into step behind Tedak and Lovine listening intently to the twos discussion. He was intrigued to know what the peace loving Tedak would make of someone with Lovines background and reputation. He suspected that were there an equivalent of himself in Tholian Space Lovine was close to it. In fact it was probably fair to say Lovine was more ruthless. He turned as he noticed someone coming up beside him.

"Ambassador" Kaskrene greeted. The former Ambassador was less formally dressed and kept a respectful distance from Lovine.

"I shall miss our little discussions" Vebn noted dryly

Kaskrene clicked his fore claws,
"That I doubt very much."

Vebn cocked an eye at him,
"Your grammar has improved remarkably"

Kaskrene seemed to wink but Vebn refused to believe the Tholian would commit such a human expression.

"It served my purpose to appear less than I am and play upon the xenophobia that is inherent against our species." he replied coolly "It made people under estimate me."

Vebn smiled he had suspected there was more to Kaskrene than met the eye during their negotiations regarding cloaking technology but he was nevertheless astounded that Kaskrene was such an accomplished actor.

"You carried it off skillfully. So what now - Back to Tholia."

Kaskrene shook his polygonal head,
"Not I. I am to become Governor of Aenvolis"

"Your colony in the Betreka Nebula? That puts you squarely in the war zone."

"The perks outweigh the dangers."

"I should hope so" Vebn replied "Though I can't imagine what would get me in a war zone."

Kaskrene let out a crackle of laughter
"Not you no. But I am more fortunate. The hatchery on Aenvolis is nearly ready and somebody has to fertilise all the Broodmates eggs."

Vebn looked at Kaskrene askance,
"I daresay they do."

[Deleted]

T'Val looked thoughtful for a moment, while trying very hard to control her emotions. Showing him was one thing, but going into his memory to search for what he wanted to know was probably not the best course of action. She hesitated but, seeing the hope in his eyes, finally consented.

From the corner of her eyes she saw Magellan walk into sickbay, coming straight at them. She was just about to place her hand - gently - back on Stuart's face when Lin called her away.

"I m not comfortable with you being responsible for your husbands treatment. It would be more ethical to let another Doctor treat him."

"I am a qualified healer admiral, and trained in the art of mind melds. I am capable of doing what Stuart requested of me and I would not trust another doctor with my mate's recovery. I am responsible for him." She glanced up at him, almost defiant.

"I am perfectly sure you are competent, but treating kin can be very difficult. I m also unsure as to whether a mind meld would be in the Doctors best interests, at least until hes gone through a full set of neurological scans and hes been assessed by a counselor."
He held up a hand to forestall T val as she began to speak.

"That is an order. Mind melds affect people in different ways and until we know more about what happened to him I think its too much of a risk. I m not saying don't help, just see if it comes back to him naturally, be his emotional crutch."

"How would you know," T'Val suddenly snapped back, "you have never been on the receiving end of a mind meld." Not that she knew of anyway... This time, she positively glared, shrugging off Rayna's restraining hand. With her arm protectively around Stuart, she continued to glare. "Do not dare to think even for one second that I would not do everything in my power to help him. He is my husband, the very essence of my life. Part of his current condition is partly to blame on me, on my desire to conceive."

The Vulcan fell silent when she caught the Trill's eyes, knowing that saying more would probably result in dire consequences. She could tell he wasn't done speaking yet.

"I have a team of engineers going over his shuttle. Perhaps you should start by looking at his personal logs, perhaps taking him back to your quarters. Slow and steady. Now if you'll excuse me I have a diplomatic function to prepare for."

"As you wish. Give my regards to Ambassador Tedak." She glared after him, then sighed. "Come with me, my beloved," she whispered, leading Stuart out of sickbay, back to their quarters. They would be the most familiar to him, as the quarters held as much her personal touch as they did his. There just had to be something he could latch on to, on his way to recovery. "As the admiral said, we should take this slow."

[mercy]

An Admiral had walked in. At least that was something that hadn’t failed him either, recognizing ranks. It was as if…as if his mind had been selectively erased. Then again, Stuart realized as a physician, amnesia was still one of those unknown sciences of the brain.

~Boy…she sure is a hot one!~ Stuart thought as he watched his supposed wife interact with the Admiral. He wondered what he had gotten himself into if she indeed was his wife. A slight grin came across his face just before she turned towards him.

Leading him by the arm, T’Val proceeded to guide them through the labyrinth of this starbase. Stuart didn’t recognize any of it. Nothing was familiar to him at all. Finally they arrived at what seemed to be their quarters. T’Val looked at him expectantly, but there was nothing.

“I’m sorry! My mind is blank.”

Stuart looked and walked around. It was a spacious living arrangement with an open kitchen area attached. ~Kitchen?~ That thought correlated with cooking, but Stuart knew that was a rarity for anyone to actually cook themselves these days, with replicators and all.

“You must like to cook.” Her eyes lit up, but he had to stop her. “I just took a good guess. I mean I see the kitchen, but I didn’t think I fit the profile of being an avid cook.” She sighed as he continued viewing the quarters.

He entered the bedroom with her following close behind. It was simple enough. A large bed for two, with nightstands attached. A desk on one side, and a he could see a spacious bathroom from where he was standing. A pleasant, but wicked, thought came across his mind and he just couldn’t resist. “Tell me, do you look as good in yellow underwear as I think you would?”

[lovine]

"Shall we walk together" he suggested, "It will allow you to get to know my sub-ordinate."

"That is agreeable" Lovine chittered softly. Lovine looked at the other Romulan that was with Vebn the odd facial expression he had confused Lovine, it looked like a smile but it looked wrong somehow, but she could not tell if it was just a defect for this male or not. "Ma'am," he greeted her, "my name is Tedak, Romulan representative to the Debrune. Have you been aboard long?" Lovine considered the words, ‘why would anyone send a representative to a people that were nearby to another ambassador’s position, more easier to just add the title to the ambassador’s but maybe one or the other is here to watch the other, this could be of interest’ Lovine realised that she had not answered the question and began to click with her translator working perfectly “I apologise, my mind was elsewhere, with the one hundredth attempt at peace coming up with the Klingons i am mildly distracted. I have only been here a few short days, but as i can see it seems my predecessor has not yet found the time to leave yet” Lovine flashed a look at Kaskrene as he passed before he began speaking to Vebn. Lovine did not know why but she did not trust either of the two men, but then she did not trust most men so she let the thought go. “Tedak, what do you know of dealing between your government and mine through Kaskrene, it is well know that Kaskrene did not always report his goings on back to the assembly and i would not wish to annoy Vebn or the Romulan Empire by being misinformed.” Lovine was well aware of all Kaskrene’s dealings but she hoped Tedak might let slip a few things that could prove useful in future dealings with the Romulans.

<Tag Tedak>

Lovine listened to Tedak speak, it did not take long for her to work out he knew nothing of the cloak deal that Kaskrene had made with Vebn, or that he was very good at hiding the truth. Lovine decided that a change of topic was needed before Vebn overheard their conversation. “Thank you Tedak, at least i can be sure of what my predecessor has done here with your government. If you do not mind i would like to ask you a question that you can forget if you so wish, what stand does your government have on the peace summit tomorrow? And what is your personal opinion?” Lovine knew that it was always useful to have others to pull into talks that share her view and allow her opposition to see that their opinion was not shared.

<Tag Tedak>

[Deleted]

“Tedak, what do you know of dealing between your government and mine through Kaskrene, it is well know that Kaskrene did not always report his goings on back to the assembly and i would not wish to annoy Vebn or the Romulan Empire by being misinformed.”

"That's Ambassador Tedak," the Romulan corrected the Tholian diplomat, not appreciating to be called just by his name by a to him complete stranger. "As to answer your question ma'am, I know nothing about any dealings between the Romulan Empire and the Tholians. I believe Ambassador s'Khellian deals with those, I have, to my knowledge, not had the pleasure of ever meeting Ambassador Kaskrene. My primary liaisons are Admiral Lin and Ambassador Ji'Zhan of the Debrune."

“Thank you Tedak, at least i can be sure of what my predecessor has done here with your government. If you do not mind i would like to ask you a question that you can forget if you so wish, what stand does your government have on the peace summit tomorrow? And what is your personal opinion?”

"As I have been away from the station for a fair while, I was unaware that there was a peace summit tomorrow," the younger Romulan replied, frowning slightly. It was obvious Vebn had neglected to inform him of certain turn of events, and it annoyed him. "However, it is my belief that the empire should be able to work closely and peacefully with the Federation. We have done so in the past, and I for one endeavour to see further successful relations in the future."

As they were walking ahead of Vebn, Tedak couldn't see his expression. "I know, however, that Vebn will likely disagree with me. We rarely agree on anything these days." The Romulan shrugged. "He's older than I am, probably just stuck in the ancient days. He accuses me of being pro-Federation, I suppose I am, because I fight for a better future for Romulans and their descendants. They deserve to grow up in a safe environment, deserve education and most of all, deserve freedom of speech. May I ask what your view are, madam ambassador?"

[Deleted]

T'Val observed her husband from a slight distance, giving him room to move about their quarters and look at pictures. She informed him that while she was the cook, he too occasionally played chef. He never saw the pain in her eyes, which she quickly veiled every time he glanced her way.

Privately, she wondered what could have happened that he had lost a good part if not all of his memory. Their years of marriage seemed to have wiped away. As he walked around, she tapped her combadge. "Tedak, could you please come to my quarters? I need your help."

=^=I'll come by tonight=^= the Romulan replied =^=I don't really have the time right now.=^=

"Thank you Tedak," the Vulcan replied, before tapping her combadge again. Stuart had turned to stare at her, but she never expected the impact his next words would have on her. She blinked, several times, trying to find her voice. Then she smiled privately. "How would you like to find out?" she asked in earnest, though she of course already knew the answer.

She motioned for him to go sit on the couch, then picked an actual album from a shelf. "Our wedding," she explained, then gave a brief account of how they had met, and how he'd actually fought Tedak over her. "He challenged you," she said, smiling fondly at him, "and you were brave - or stupid - enough to accept. Of course he won...."

T'Val fell silent, giving him time to come to terms with the information. "Have a look at these," she tapped the album, "I am going to prepare dinner." Minutes later, she came back with the first dish she'd ever cooked for him, a dish that was also his favourite.

[Magellan Lin]

Magellan hastily changed into his dress uniform and made his way to the 'Fishtank' where the Ambassadorial Welcome was being held. The event was already in full swing when he arrived.

Saarok and Ezedriana were stood quitely talking to Major Korok who for once seemed remarkably sober. Since the assassination of the Cardassian delegation the Klingon Representative had begun to perform his duties in a much more sensible way.

Vebn was in conversation with Kaskrene. Despite the Tholians help in explaining the Colonial War and the threat of the Kasan-thar to their people Magellan was not sorry to see him go. The tholian had been too xenophobic and had been responsible for more than his fair share of trouble. In fact it had been him who had killed the parent of D'Beren the debrune Holy Child resulting in the adoption and untold problems in Debrune politics.

Tedak was stood with the new Ambassador. Tyr had yet to come up with any more information on Lovine but Magellan was surprised that a new diplomat of her stature was now being assigned. The deadlock meant that peace was a very real chance and yet Lovine record was anything but peaceful.

"Good evening Admiral" a pair of Debrune greeted as he passed

"Elders Lork and Cramel" he nodded "Is Elder Ji'zahn present."

"I m afraid his duties didnt allow him to leave the planet" Lork replied.

"That's a shame" Magellan replied, he hadn't spoken to Ji Zahn in ages mainly because the various internal problems of the Debrune had seemed to have ended.

"If you ll excuse me Gentleman I must see our new Ambassador" Magellan smiled and shook their hands before approaching Tedak and Lovine.

"Good evening." he opened,

"As Admiral" Tedak said turning round, "Allow me to introduce Ambassador Lovine. Ambassador this is Admiral Magellan Lin, Base Commander."

TAG Lovine

"Pleased to meet you Ambassador. I trust you tenure here will be fruitful and that the following days talks will enable peace to be achieved."

TAG Lovine

Magellan paused a moment,

"I m sure a fair deal can be struck. Yes we are allies of the Klingons, but it harms everyone whilst you are at war. I hope that our mediation will help secure peace in this sector."

TAG ALL

[mercy]

“Tell me, do you look as good in yellow underwear as I think you would?”

She blinked, several times, trying to find her voice. Then she smiled privately. "How would you like to find out?" she asked in earnest, though she of course already knew the answer.

Stuart actually wasn’t sure if he was delighted or shocked at her response. He really did not know what to expect from this woman as he, at present, didn’t know her. Of course her answer made sense to him if, in fact, he did know her and they were indeed happily married… ~VERY HAPPILY~ …he mused to himself. Stuart had to remind himself to take all of this at face value. Everyone he had run into so far indicated they knew him, or of him. This woman, T’Val, was very much his wife then. Which meant that he was married to her and he couldn’t approach her as if she was one of his soon to be conquests, because of the mere fact…she had already become his conquest.

She motioned for him to go sit on the couch, then picked an actual album from a shelf. "Our wedding," she explained, then gave a brief account of how they had met, and how he'd actually fought Tedak over her. "He challenged you," she said, smiling fondly at him, "and you were brave - or stupid - enough to accept. Of course he won...."

She had become his final conquest. It was all here, within these holographic pictures that had been enclosed within this antique looking album. “You mentioned earlier that he and I are now friends?” She responded in the affirmative as he heard dishes being moved about from the kitchen. “That’s just crazy, me being friends with your ex.”

He continued leafing through the paper-like pages, touching each one, activating a new image of the two of them together. A child appeared in one of them, then another, and another. “This must be our son that you’ve mentioned, D’Beren.” He heard something drop hard onto the floor, but it didn’t break. Looking up, Stuart saw T’Val reaching for the fallen cup. When she rose up again, he could see the tears streaking down her face. For the first time he felt compassion for the pain she appeared to be going through.

Stuart rose from the couch, walked across the living room, and embraced her as he reached the kitchen. “I’m sorry.” He felt her warmth as his arms held her tightly to his body. Her hands reached up onto his back, happy to be within his embrace. They separated slightly only to look into each other’s eyes. It seemed almost odd, but at this very moment she did not feel like a stranger to him, he could sense something within him…within his mind. He could swear that he almost felt the pain and anguish she was having.

Their lips finally touched, locking them in a passionate embrace. The pain and anguish he had felt was slowly being replaced with joy and happiness, and a longing that was slowly being satisfied with every second passing.

[Deleted]

"Anything to prevent an all-out war," Tedak murmured to himself, casting a wary glance at Vebn from the corner of his eyes. He knew his boss was hiding something from him and he also knew that not knowing might likely come back to bite him later. Yet, the younger Romulan knew better than to ask, and also realised that not knowing did provide him with a certain amount of deniability.

After all, he wasn't Vebn's babysitter, now was he? Tedak was even fairly certain that Nelon didn't know everything. What he did know, was that he was fairly glad that Govan no longer posed as his bodyguard, which allowed him more freedom to move about the station.

For a moment, he thought about T'Val's call, wondering if she shouldn't be here at this gathering. Looking around, he spotted a various amount of Starfleet officers, ranging in rank and position. The same was to be said of the diplomatic staff. "Admiral, should we not ask T'Val and Stuart to be here?" he enquired carefully, "being among his friends might help the good doctor remember who he is."

It hurt him, that his ex-wife was hurting, even though he'd not publicly admit that he still loved her. A sad frown crossed his features as he was reminded of the woman he had left behind on the Vesuvius, wondering whether he should contact her. "Please forgive me, I am getting sentimental," he apologised, more to Lovine than to Magellan. The latter, after all, knew him far better than anyone present did.

Wistfully, he glanced at the bar, eager to get away for a few minutes. "Admiral, madam ambassador, can I get you both anything to drink?" he then asked, to change the subject.

[Deleted]

Feeling as if she had just woken up from an eight long dream, Ezdreiana listened as her long time friend Saarok of Vulcan spoke to the Bajoran ambassador. This feeling was so overwhelming that Ezdreiana asked to be excused so that she may regain her footing. While this was not a lie, Ezdreiana also hated these types of festivities. It didn't help that her son had transferred away from Section 47 and had gone into intelligence. Even though she trusted her son, Intelligence was not the life that she had hoped for her only son. Having done that line of work before, she knew that it could easily eat away at the soul.

"You once again fail to hide your true feelings my friend," Saarok said apparently done with his conversation with the Bajoran ambassador.

"I have long ago stopped trying to hid my emotions from you my dear friend," Ezdrieana said," only you and my husband have bene able to read my emotions so easily."

"It has been most difficult, it has taken me many years to accomplish this feat," Saarok said before becoming silent. Ezdreiana could only smile as she looked upon the room full of diplomats who would be deciding the future of the quadrant in the upcoming days.

(Tag All)

[Deleted]

Her fears presently forgotten, T'Val succumbed to the passion, but after a while she pulled back. She didn't want him overwhelmed with her feelings, when he was still trying to rediscover his own. "We should not stay here," she murmured, tracing the line of his jaw with two fingers, "there is a diplomatic engagement, perhaps we should attend. Perhaps other faces will help you regain your memory. Tedak would certainly like to see you again."

She disentangled herself from his embrace and disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of water could be heard for several minutes, and when she re-appeared she was certain she saw Stuart's eyes widen in appeciation and surprise.

The Vulcan woman offered a small smile as she showed off the deep blue dress she was wearing. It was sleeveles and low-cut on the back, and dangerously low on the front. Her hair was pulled back by a blue sash, the ends of which trailed down her bare back. "Your turn," she suggested, "I recommend dress uniform, as it is a formal occasion."

By the time he was done, T'Val had put on a pair of comfortable slippers; she didn't really like the high-heeled pumps many women seemed to prefer. "Ready?" she asked, pulling her arm through his. "I am certain you will enjoy yourself."

Together, they walked out of their quarters, towards the Fishtank. "Do you remember the Fishtank?" she asked casually, explaining it's many functions. "After attending the party, I will show you where we first well....met..." She looked away, blushing slightly, but only briefly before she reasserted her emotional control. "Where we first kissed," she corrected herself. "It is somewhat morbid, but we were under the influence of some chemical. My memory on that particular detail is vague."

They stopped before the entrance and she took a deep breath, then pulled her husband along to mingle among the diplomats and other starfleet officers.

[Magellan Lin]

Leaving Lovine and Tedak Magellan drifted through the Fishtank nodding and smiling at the assorted guests and dignitary. He tipped a nod to Aiken who sat propped at the bar no doubt hunting for a story.He found himself gravitating towards Saarok and Ezedreiana.

"What do you think of our new Ambassador?" he asked,

Saarok replied without taking his eyes from the Tholian.

"Fairly typical of her species. She does however keep her xenophobia under better control than most."

"It will be a shame to lose Kaskrene" Magellan noted

"Really?" Saarok replied with a cocked eyebrow, "He was nigh on incompetent and caused more problems than he solved. No he is better off gone."

Magellan shrugged, "I thought it was the better the devil you know..."

"That Admiral, is a very human opinion." Saarok managed to imbue such a suggestion with an air of faint disgust.

"What about you Ambassador" Magellan turned to Ezedriena

TAG Ezedriana

"We shall see. We cannot change who the Tholians send to us. Tomorrow when the talks open we shall see if Lovine will give us any chance to bring about a lasting peace"

"The Major is much improved" Saarok noted gesturing to the Klingon diplomat.

"He does" Magellan noted "But he looks worried and he should be if Intell is right. The Klingon High Council has lost contact with General Ch'lork."

"Ch'lork their chief of staff in this region"

Magellan nodded, "the Council are concerned he has been killed. Of course their main concern is that he died well but even so the loss of such a ranking officer is a blow to their pride. It may be nothing he could just be out of comms range in the nebula. Ch'lork is an old warhorse and I doubt he would go down without a fight."

Magellan took a sip from his drink and noticed T'Val and the Doctor enter.

"Ambassador I wonder if you would join me in greeting T Val and her husband. Stuart has lost his memory and perhaps familiar faces will help. After you"

TAG Ezedreiana

[lovine]

"As I have been away from the station for a fair while, I was unaware that there was a peace summit tomorrow," the younger Romulan replied, frowning slightly. "However, it is my belief that the empire should be able to work closely and peacefully with the Federation. We have done so in the past, and I for one endeavour to see further successful relations in the future."

As they were walking ahead of Vebn, Tedak couldn't see his expression. "I know, however, that Vebn will likely disagree with me. We rarely agree on anything these days." The Romulan shrugged. "He's older than I am, probably just stuck in the ancient days. He accuses me of being pro-Federation, I suppose I am, because I fight for a better future for Romulans and their descendants. They deserve to grow up in a safe environment, deserve education and most of all, deserve freedom of speech. May I ask what your view are, madam ambassador?" Lovine looked at the Romulan, she could not see the difference that would have told her that he was younger than the other, but she had never before had dealing with Romulans so it was hard for her to puzzle it out, yet. “My Government would like to see an end to this war, it is a bother we could do without at this time, maybe in a few years ago we could have dealt with this easily but right now ...” Lovine drifted off for a moment before continuing “My personal opinion is that as long as we get enough from this war then i have no objections to ending it, but the Klingons are hard to give up areas that they have even when they have lost them to the enemy” Tedak turned into a large bar area, Lovine looked around noting a large sign above the door ‘Fishtank’ Lovine thought about the name before she decided it was a human name so it would never make sense to her. She continued to speak to the Romulan on over issues, and were in discussion over the Debrune when a male federation officer appeared next to her, looking at him she could tell he was of high rank simply by the way his dress uniform was warn on the edges, but anyone without a machine acting for eyes would not have noticed it. "Good evening." he opened,

"As Admiral" Tedak said turning round, "Allow me to introduce Ambassador Lovine. Ambassador this is Admiral Magellan Lin, Base Commander." Lovine looked again at the Human, Lovine noted the spots that told her that he was Trill but she felt a little disappointed “Admiral, it is good to meet you at last, i had expected someone with a little more ... height i believe is the word, from what i had been told of you” Lovine noted that the federation officer seemed not to have taken her comment to heart as he spoke again. "Pleased to meet you Ambassador. I trust you tenure here will be fruitful and that the following days talks will enable peace to be achieved." Lovine spoke quickly before she thought it though “There will only be peace if we get a good deal from it, war is not pleasant but we have our needs” the admiral seemed unfazed by the statement as he quickly responded "I m sure a fair deal can be struck. Yes we are allies of the Klingons, but it harms everyone whilst you are at war. I hope that our mediation will help secure peace in this sector." Lovine was about to respond when Tedak spoke up with his thoughts, and then without waiting long put another issue to the admiral. "Admiral, should we not ask T'Val and Stuart to be here?" he enquired carefully, "being among his friends might help the good doctor remember who he is." A sad frown crossed his features, "Please forgive me, I am getting sentimental," he apologised Lovine did not understand his meaning, being sentimental is a pain but she could not connect the two statements.

Lovine did not react assuming the last comment was aimed at the admiral and not her, finally Tedak spoke again this time with a new subject. "Admiral, madam ambassador, can I get you both anything to drink?" he then asked, to change the subject. the admiral quickly declined the offer before stating that he had to speak to a few others tonight and said his farewells, Lovine then spoke “I thank you for your offer, but i do not require sustenance for now, but i shall also allow you to mingle as i have to at least attempt to speak to this Klingon representative if i am to work with him or her in the near future” Tedak seemed to accept this and moved away, Lovine looked around the room but found it too busy to find the one individual so she moved to the entrance where she had spotted her brother standing, her brother at first looked like he was searching for her, which he was but as she got closer she noted the communication device in his hand. “’Kek what is it?”’ Kek just pushed the device into her and moved to one side, if anyone had been watching they would have thought Kek was angry at her, but she knew her brother, he did not know the contents of the message or he would have told her the highlights and let her listen to it when she pleased.

Lovine placed the device into her suit so that she could listen to it without anyone else hearing, the message was fairly simple “’All ships have returned to their stand by positions, the cease fire is now in full effect, the war with the great enemy continues but has quietened for now. Fleet Commander Klava”’ Lovine did not know the newest commander of the fleet, but the idea that the Kasan-Thar had actually stopped attacking was unusual though and she felt that something was off. Lovine forgot about the message and moved into the fishtank with Kek on her heels as she once again began to search for this Klingon not knowing exactly what a Klingon looked like.

[mercy]

They entered the Fishtank. Stuart looked about the establishment and noticed it was this station’s version of an officer’s club. From the bar Stuart recognized the Admiral that he had seen earlier in his infirmary. He was being accompanied by what Stuart viewed to be another beautiful woman. Stuart had to remind himself that he was married, and also to a very beautiful woman.

“Admiral Lin if I recall, and…”

“Ambassador Ezdreiana.” She offered her hand, which was quite soft to the touch. “I assure you, we have met.” Stuart had held onto her hand for maybe just a second too long. ~I’m married…I’m married. Have to remember that.~ Stuart gave an apologetic glance to T’Val.

“Yes, I’m sure we have. You’ll have to forgive me, but my memories of my personal life have gone ‘poof’. Everyone knows me, but nothing is coming back to me, except…”

T’Val tugged at his arm. “Yes, Stuart. What is it?”

“I do recall leaving Earth. All I can think of is clouds, or mist, or something. Sir, has anything been found in the shuttle yet, in its databanks? I think I may have been through some sort of nebula on my way back.”

<Magellan>

[Magellan Lin]

Magellan shook Stuarts hand and looked deep into his eyes for any sign of recognition. There seemed to be none. Stuarts amnesia was a complete mystery. The Doctor had no physical injuries and his shuttle was undamaged. The logs were up to date and the runabouts flight log reported nothing unusual. The only slight variation was a difference in chronometer. The Runabouts clock was 36 seconds out of sync with the Bases and that of official Starfleet time keeping.

“I do recall leaving Earth. All I can think of is clouds, or mist, or something. Sir, has anything been found in the shuttle yet, in its databanks? I think I may have been through some sort of nebula on my way back.”

"Your flight path took you directly through the Betreka Nebula. Its a region of space we still know very little about. Healer T'Val is a most competent doctor and you trained your staff well, I m sure they will be able to restore your memories soon."

"It seems I am in good hands then" Stuart smiled

"The best. I can even put through to Command for a Counsellor to be dispatched if you feel it necessary."

TAG Stuart and T Val

The evening continued at the normal slow space with polite banter and smiles. Magellans face felt like it was going to drop off by the time the function came to a close and people began to drift back to their quarters.

Magellan caught up with Ezedriana as she left,

"Has Saarok told you that you ll be leading the talks tomorrow"

Ezedraiana nodded,
"He wants to focus on the Ithos Trade Deal"

"Trust him to take the easy job" Magellan grinned, "Have you read my proposal for tomorrows summit"

"Not in detail yet. The night is still young."

"I don't have to tell you how important it is that the Colonial war be ended. I can only see the Tholians agreeing if we can help them with thier issues regarding safe Hatcherys."

"The Delta Quadrant is hardly safe." Ezedriana noted

"No put its big and mostly unexplored. The Borg seem to be gone for now and we know there is a Sub-space corridor in the nebula somewhere. A common cause between the Federation, Klingons and Tholians could have a lasting impact on the sector."

Ezedriana did not look convinced
"Don't get ahead of yourself Admiral, Lovine is going to be no push over. I m going to need a lot of time and luck to get both sides to talk to each other let alone agree to anything."

Magellan shrugged , "You ve got to be in it to win it. Good Night Madam Ambassador. See you at the summit".

***

Ch'lork sat in the command chair his fingers steepled under his chin. The bridge was silent. The only sound the faint drawing of breath and the rhythmic pulsating of energy through consoles.

"Aenvolis" he said at last, "We strike at Aenvolis. Order the fleet to cloak and set course. We shall strike a new blow against the chitinous vermin"

Latak scowled, "Sire. Aenvolis is in Federation space. It is under their protection."

Ch'lork waved away his old retainer,
"The Federation are weak, they do not understand the danger the Tholians possess. We will save them from themselves we will remove every last insectoid from their space and our own. We shall prevail. Qaplah. Engage engines."

The vast Negh var class Sovo'Lagh leaped to warp along with its escort of three Vorcha vessels and two squadrons of Bird of Prey.

[lovine]

Lovine was annoyed that she had been unsuccessful with finding the Klingon ambassador, she would have preferred they dealt with the whole threatening to kill each other before the summit but alas she had not found him. Lovine was almost back to her quarters when a third Tholian joined Lovine and Kek, Lovine knew who he was and wondered why he was here and not trying to undermine the peace talks. Lovine did not like the idea nor the presence of the records officer but she had to suffer him, allowing him into her quarters she did not take long to bring up his presence “’What do you want now, i thought after this morning you would not be bothering me so soon”’ Lovine watched as the officer began to speak “’I believe we got off to the wrong start, first of all my name is Lochna, my time here i hope will not be too much of an annoyance to you my Lady”’ Lovine was trapped between anger and fear ‘how much does he know?’ Lovine spoke before he could continue “’You will call me madam ambassador, there is no reason to make the humans think i am any higher ranked than that”’ Lovine knew she was not exactly high rank, but she did not fully understand the other aliens on this base well enough to risk anything. Lochna seemed un affected and continued with his little speech “’I will be attending the peace summit to take notes of what occurs so can you please ensure i am allowed entry”’ Lovine considered saying no but she nodded ‘no point getting myself arrested for it’ Lochna seemed happy with the result as he moved towards the door, “’Thank you my la... madam Ambassador, i wish you a quiet night”’ at this he walked through the door without waiting for a reply.

Lovine had not remained awake much longer after Lochna had left, when morning came she was quick to dress and ensure the current details of the colonies and ensured the cease fire was in full effect, she was surprised to find that the Kasan-Thar had not attacked once in the last 24 days which was unusual for them but she was not going to worry about that as she had more important things to do. Leaving her quarters she noted that she had only 30 minutes until the designated time for the delegates to gather so deciding it best not to go to the embassy she made her way to the conference room. Lovine followed Kek without any haste in her step, Kek was wearing his encounter suit like usual but she did notice that the hidden weapon was missing but she was sure he had more than one that she was unaware of. Behind her the two security officers were following Lovine were watching everything as if they expected a Klingon or Kasan-Thar to attack that very moment, they were carrying weapons but they would be waiting outside with the Klingons security. As Lovine arrived she was not surprised to find only Starfleet security present, the officers all turned to face the arrivals the highest ranked officer moved forward she smiled “Ambassador Lovine, the room has been secured, i ask that your security team remain outside during the talks” Lovine knew this already and simply gestured for them to move to one side and keep guard. Lovine entered the room after having been quickly scanned to ensure she had no weapons, she looked around the room. ‘well these federation people have done one thing right, the room has the prestige that our ranks deserve’ moving to the side that held a banner with the assembly’s symbol on it she waited for the arrival of the Klingon and federation diplomats, and she did not have long to wait.

<Tag those going to be at the talks>

[Deleted]

T'Val

T'Val nodded in approval; she couldn't in good conscience object to a counselor. Especially not when she now could see that a mind meld wouldn't solve anything at all. The memories would be her memories, and even though they were indeed close to fact, it would not be the same. They would still be her memories, and he needed to recall on his own.

Despite feeling utterly miserable and helpless, the Vulcan woman did not seperate herself from her husband's side, though she did manage to make herself inconspicuous. People talked to Stuart and only on occasion acknowledged her presence. "A counselor would be a wise precaution," she commented, "and he or she may aid in regaining your memory even faster."

She didn't quite understand the reference to the nebula, but she felt that all would be dealt with in due time. At least, she mused, he had remembered something, even though that was not what she desided him to recall. "Are we to be at the summit?" she asked, though she had the faint notion that the answer would be 'no'. After all, it was a diplomatic event, what would a civillian and a starfleet doctor do at such a gathering.

Tedak

Tedak knew better than to argue with the security officers, once he arrived at the location of the summit. He wasn't entirely sure whether the Romulans were invited, but he felt that if the Klingons and the Tholians were present, then the Romulans could not be excluded. He also had no idea what Vebn was planning, or how he even felt about this whole event. Lately, the two ambassadors avoided one another, whether willfully or by twist of fate, Tedak didn't know.

Sighing, he submitted to the search, enduring the padding of his clothing with a stoic look on his face. Naturally, they commented about his dagger, and by standard Tedak replied it was ceremonial. It was a stand-off which tended to result in Tedak being allowed to carry it, but being closely watched by security. "As you wish," the Romulan acquiesced, bowing his head in submissal.

"You may pass," the guard then said, "keep your pet in line. It will be stunned if it so much as makes an agressive move."

"I understand lieutenant, I have been a resident on this station for several years now. Unlike you, apparently, I am aware of procedure." He arched an eyebrow and gave a sardonic smile. "Probably more so, than you are, I'd wager. Good day lieutenant."

Walking onward, he stroked Nut over his neck ridges and the brown firelizard crooned in response. "Greetings madam ambassador," he called to Lovine, then smiled at Ezdreiana. "My dear friend, it's very pleasant to see you again. I have missed your company over the past months, we must catch up at some time."

The Romulan just barely acknowledged the Klingon diplomat, before turning to Saarok. His face impassive, he nodded once, acknowledging his friend in ways only the Vulcan was perceptive to. "We are waiting for the Kasan-Thar representative, I presume?" he asked, by way of making conversation.