Book 1, Ch. 4- More Trouble with Rest & Relaxation

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Lieutenant Tavik, now that this mission is coming to a close I want you to take it easy until we reach Assailant," Matt said turning his attention to his upstart operations chief," I know that you want to continue to work but you need a break. Since I know you'll try to find a way out of these orders, I'm putting Monica on your tail."

"What!" Monica said surprised at her new orders," Captain are you sure that I'm the best person to do this? We can easily get a security officer to do this."

Valad quickly turned around in his chair and responded, "Captain, I assure you I am fine . . . "

"I'm sure you think you are blessed with super human ability but I assure you that you are not," Matt said," I was once as young as you and I wish someone had ordered me to take it slow. I also know that you won't take these orders lightly so that why I have ordered Monica to be your proverbial shadow.

"Superhuman? I was ok sticking with medical miracle," he muttered under his breath. Valad got up from the station and walked to the turbolift. He stopped at the door and said to Monica, "after you Lieutenant. Do I get my leash here or downstairs?" He smiled sarcastically before entering the turbolift.


"Do you prefer it to be on tight or lose?" Monica said trying to ease the situation between them," I didn't ask for this Lieutenant, but since we are going to be around each other for the better part of the next six days please just call me Monica."

"Depends, how much lag are you going to give me?" They stood in the turbo lift for a moment, neither of them ordering a destination. "Well, I'm famished. Shall we go to mess hall and get some grub?"

“Well that will depend on if you behave or not,” Monica said with an overly girly laugh. Monica wished she could take it back, but she couldn’t help it,” sure I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. Lieutenant have you even given any thought as to what you are going to be doing for the next few days?”
"And since we are going to be together for a while, I would also appreciate you calling me Valad. I'm not much for ranks at any time, but especially now." Valad chuckled a bit. "So what is your definition of good and bad behavior, Monica. I need to know how far your reach goes."

“As an operations officer you’ll find out that our reach extends everywhere on this ship,” Monica replied sheepishly,” as long as you don’t kill someone or make fun of Commander Hayes hair during Beta shift you should be fine.”

"Hmm. Well then I suppose we should find some mutual interests then. No sense in doing something one of us won't enjoy. How do like racing?"

“Depends on which kind of racing you are talking about?” Monica asked,” I enjoy many kinds of sports, but if you are referring to automobile racing I have never tried it because of the dangers.”

"Well they aren't exactly automobiles, but they are definitely mobile. It’s something that I picked up from an old 20th century Earth science fiction series." The turbo lift stopped and the pair walked out of the lift. "If you like history, then this might be interesting for you."

“I love history, but I have always been more of book kind of girl,” Monica admitted,” my parents were surprised when I told them I was going into Starfleet since I had always been afraid of that much speed. 20th century Earth science fiction was way out there. During one of history courses at the Academy I couldn’t help but think that it was all an inside joke.”

"Well then maybe we can have a little lesson in literature in our little six day resting period. I of course would love to show you some of the things they came up with using twentieth century technology," Valad said. "At the time, it was pretty advanced stuff for the Age."

"It was especially on that telly something, I always forget what they called it," Monica said laughing as she remembered fondly on her day at the Academy," I'm not sure you would like some of the books I like to read. They can be pretty dry stuff."

As both of them made their way into the lounge area, Monica was happy to see that it was practically empty. She was still not sure how she was acting around Valad, but she didn't want anyone to see her acting like a teenager around a cute boy.

"So what would you like eat?" Monica asked as she ordered herself an order of Texas BBQ ribs with all the fixings.

"Texas barbecue ribs. Is it spicy?"

“I’m a spicy kind of girl,” Monica replied almost blushing.
"Then let's see what it’s got." Valad ordered the same thing. They went to sit at a table. "So tell me about these dry books? I'm rather interested."

“I doubt that, Vulcan poetry is even hard for me to enjoy,” Monica said before she devoured a rib,” though I think you would enjoy a Klingon love story.”

Valad brightened up. "A love story. Now we're talking." He took a bite of his rib. "This isn't half bad." He continued eating. He wondered what would happen next.

“Yes, the ribs are much better when the cow has been recently killed,” Monica said surprised that Valad would be interested in a love story,” Klingon’s are really romantic in my opinion. They would defend their mates honor and present them with all the riches of their bounty. Any girls dream.”

"Honor is a code a try to live by, though you might not agree with me given some of the things I've had to do." The words escaped his mouth like melted butter. 'I don't need to deal with this...' he thought to himself.

Monica couldn't help but feel like Valad was speaking from experience. From what she knew the Jefferson had been his first assignment. It seemed that he had done things that still trouble him today. Not wanting to impose she decided that she would not bring it up.

"Honor is sometimes overrated," Monica said with a very toothy smile," anyways I'm sure you would like Risan literature, but it really isn't suitable for younger readers."

"Anything can be overrated I think. It’s only a matter of time for it. But I also think that anything from Risa isn't suitable for younger people." He particularly emphasized the word 'anything'. He had a few trips to Risa himself, but only for business.

"Risa can be thought as Las Vegas," Monica said once again pleased that both of them knew their Earth history," though I have only heard stories about what goes on there. How are you enjoying your ribs? I think I could go for round two."

'She's an eater... I like that.' Valad thought to himself. "I am indeed. Why not. Let's have another round." At that point, the doors to the lounge swished open to reveal a now very perturbed half Klingon engineer. She quickly and deliberately started to walk up to the table, quite obviously angry

"Can I help you with anything?" Monica asked ticked off that she was interrupting their impromptu lunch.

"Who is she?" the aggressively annoyed engineer asked Valad. Valad became slightly annoyed that D'Etora was acting this way. "D'Etora, this is Monica Quindara and my second in Operations. She is also a superior officer, so show some respect."

"I don't care who she is. You were supposed to meet me when you got off duty."

"Petty Officer D'Etora, the captains supersede yours and you will not show me any disrespect," Monica said clearly angry now before turning to Valad,"Go ahead, I will leave you two for a few minutes."

Before the two moved off, Monica once again turned to the Petty Officer," you clearly do not like me, but the next time you disrespect this uniform, I put your [word deleted] on the ground."

End of Part 1

OOC: JP between one of my alter egos Monica Quindara and Valad Tavik

[Valad Tavik]

As Valad left the table with D'Etora and went to a quiet corner, he started. "What the hell is the issue? She is my second in the department and also has been ordered to keep an eye on me."

She began to breathe heavy, almost as if she were huffing and puffing. "Why do you need a tail? Were you reprimanded or something?"

"No," Valad replied. "I was ordered to take it easy and since he knows that I won't do as he says, he has her following behind me. Its not that big of a deal."

"You can take it easy in your quarters. You don't need to be around her."

He stopped her. "Are you jealous? All this because you think I am interested in her? This is ridiculous!"

D'Etora tried to speak, but at first could not. This is did not look like just any order from a higher ranked officer. She knew what the Lieutenant was doing and she wasn't going to stand for it. "You can't be around her," she finally said.

"No no. You aren't going to start with that. Do you realize how ridiculous this is? I can't believe you actually are doing this."

D'Etora simply stared at him. "I thought you were someone special. I guess I need to rethink that." She got up and walked away.

"Really, that's how you are going to be. Oh come on." He rubbed his face in one hand, trying to make any sense of what just happened. She was acting as if they were together, when in actuality it was D'Etora herself who had kept them separated since they met. So Valad had begun to look elsewhere. That is the last time I let Captain Reynolds order me to do something. He thought to himself shaking his head.

[Matthew Reynolds]

OOC: Continuation of Part One


Whatever had just happened between the Petty Officer and Valad Tavik, Monica Quindara was more than happy that it was now apparently over. The fact that she was part Klingon was a bit intimidating, but Monica would not back down from a challenge.

Valad walked back to the table Monica was at. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was about." He was almost ashamed, and would have been completely had it have been him who displayed that act of immaturity.

“You don’t have to worry about it, I kind of understand where she is coming from,” Monica said with a ting of bitterness in her voice,” though if you remember, two certain officers were acting like fools on the bridge recently.”

Valad winced. "Yeah about that. Sorry if I was over bearing and just plain rude. I wasn't intending it to be like that."

“Look if you hadn’t responded like you did I would have thought much less of you,” Monica said surprising herself with that statement,” I will always want your honest opinion and sometimes conversations can get really heated. If anything I should be apologizing since I was the one who started the argument.”

"Well then how about we call it a truce. We both want each other's honest opinion, so can we agree to be honest with each other?" Valad was surprised at himself. It was often he found someone he actually wanted to be honest with. Other than D'Etora ....

“Deal, though I will refrain from doing so when a laugh is assured,” Monica said with a smile,” for example normally I would have told you that you have some barbeque sauce all over your right cheek. I’m surprised that D’Etora didn’t say anything to you about it.”

"Aww damn..." He took the napkin he was holding and wiped his face. "She obviously was not concentrating on me." He looked down at the napkin, seeing the sauce. "And I said I wanted seconds."

Monica couldn’t help but erupt in laughter. It seemed that this had been Valad’s first encounter with ribs and he hadn’t been prepared for them. Monica quickly got up from the table and got them two more rounds of ribs.

“The mess is half of the fun,” Monica said as she took another bite of the ribs making sure that her face was now covered in sauce,” see not a big deal. Plus I love barbeque sauce on a man.”

She couldn’t have stopped it if she had wanted to and Monica was immediately embarrassed and stayed quiet hoping that her last sentence had gone unnoticed.

As much as the new plate of ribs enticed the officer, he couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at his assistant. "So, what else do you like on a man?" Valad asked curiously.

Monica began to furiously blush at Valad’s last statement. She could feel her cheeks burning and for the first time in years she began to stutter her words.

“I like lots of things,” Monica began rather weakly,” though for some reason I cannot think of any right now.”

Valad chuckled as he said, "Nice defense. Though you might want to be prepared next time. How are your ribs?"

Glad that she had been a way out, Monica once again devoured her ribs. It wasn’t until she began to feel snug that she stopped eating and turned her replied to Valad’s questions. “They were delicious, but even I couldn’t eat anymore ribs,” Monica replied still embarrassed that she couldn’t respond to Valad’s last question. Though she couldn’t help but think what he looked like out of the uniform.

“So what do you want for dessert?” Monica asked hoping to think of something else rather than her boss and hopefully future friend.

As Valad finished his ribs and made sure to wipe his mouth and face, he noticed that the blushing sensation was all over Monica's face. As she asked for the dessert order, he noticed her thinking about something. He decided not to press on it . . . yet. "I think I'll stick with ice cream. A chocolate and strawberry mix." It was a simple dessert, yet entirely satisfying.

Monica quickly got up from the table again and this time took her time getting the desserts, the chocolate and strawberry ice cream and two slices of turtle cheesecake for her. She knew that she would pay for her indulgences later in the gym, but right now she did not care.

“Here you go,” Monica said as she passed Valad’s dessert to him. Monica was thankful that her little excursion to the replicator had allowed her enough time to compose herself once again. She methodically ate her dessert glad that both were content in enjoying their desserts.

"Thanks," Valad said. They quietly ate their desserts, though Valad noticed the elegance of the way Monica ate hers. It was graceful, yet organized. He paid closer attention to his own eating. Sloppy, as usual. Once again he would have to wipe his face.

“I think someone is trying to be funny again,” Monica blurted out as she saw some chocolate ice cream dripping down Valad’s chin. It seemed that Valad was indeed a messy eater, but surprisingly Monica saw it as an endearing quality,” pretty soon we’ll have to get you a bib.”

"Am I that obvious? I always just used a shirt sleeve growing up. It was so much easier." Valad wiped his mouth once again. "I always tried to eat politely, but I never could get the hang of it. Once I was eating with a bunch of my uncle's friends. You know the business types, always prim and proper, yet seem to have a sinister appearance. I was allowed to eat around them." He chuckled a little, but realized what he had actually said. He was referring to several meetings his uncle had with some of the other smuggling lords. Something Valad did not need out in the open.

Monica was a bit confused by Valad’s remarks about his past. While she could relate to awkward dinners with her family friends, she could never describe one as having a sinister appearance and since when were people prohibited from eating at the dinner table with family friends.

“Your uncle must have had some dangerous friends then,” Monica said without giving it much afterthought,” because the worse thing I could say about a dinner guest was that they talked to much.”

Valad decided to continue a bit, though he chose his words very carefully. "How about not at all. These guys were crazy. But they were all private sector, and all the private sector cares about is gold pressed Latinum." He figured that wouldn't cause too much trouble, but Monica seemed to be a resourceful and insightful woman.

“Most peculiar I would say because most Federation citizen shy away from those type of enterprises. Mostly Ferengi, pirates, and smugglers deal with gold pressed Latinum nowadays,” Monica said once again not giving much thought to what was clearly in front of her.

"I suppose you're right. They weren't Ferengi, so they must have been pirates and smugglers," he said jokingly, though he knew all too well have much that joke was true.

“You are right, you are to handsome to be a Ferengi,” Monica said with a laugh knowing full well that this was possibly the only way she could tell Valad that she thought he was an attractive man,” anyways I think we are done with lunch. How about we do something fun?”

Valad once again noticeably arched his eyebrow at the handsome comment. Interesting... he thought to himself. "Well what do you have in mind?" He decided to leave it up to her to start out with.

"You did mention something about a 20th century science fiction show?" Monica quipped," since we already know that you like to do this, I think we should give it a try."

"You sure? It’s not exactly for the faint of heart?" He said.

"I'm sure, plus you cannot be faint of heart and serve on this ship," Monica said with a laugh," I can take anything you throw my way."

"You are right about that." He rubbed his stomach where he had been shot only a short while ago. "If that's so, then follow me." He led her to the holodeck. "I'll set us up on a two seater so you can feel the rush, without having to worry about being in control. It can get pretty intense."
tag

"You should try atmosphere diving, that is insane," Monica said feeling a little perilous about what they were about to do," plus the safety protocols are active, so there is nothing to worry about."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." He said as he input the program he wanted to use, the one that indeed had safety protocols off. He made sure the opponents setting was on easy, so as to not cause too much damage. The doors opened and he said, "Let the race begin!"

[Valad Tavik]

OOC: Part 2 of the Monica/Valad adventure

The holodeck door opened to a bright setting. There was sand everywhere around them except for a large arena-like building that loomed ahead. Valad led Monica forward to a small group of robots that literally appeared to be metal stick figures. "Those are robotic pit mechanics. I usually don't use them but you never know."

Monica couldn’t help but notice the intense heat that was emanating from the binary suns and was surprised that so many people would live in such a hostile environment. As they approached the arena, Monica couldn’t help but take a second and third look at the robots that were leading them.

“They look like they were built by a five year old,” Monica said as she inspected the robots from afar,” I wouldn’t want them working on anything I was driving.”

Valad chuckled and said, "That they do, but they are surprisingly efficient, or at least they were in the series."


He felt the binary suns of the desert planet beat down on his neck. The robots escorted them into the arena. Their path opened up into what Valad knew to be the starting line. He pointed to the sixteen vehicles that were lined up in rows of four. "Those are the pods. Each pod is powered by the two engines in front of it, of course except for Neva Key." He pointed to a pod in the center row. "The Xamster has his pod fused to the front of his engines. He says it gives him more mobility and better handling, but I still can't see it."

Monica wasn’t an engineer, but she highly doubted that the pods were safe vehicles. She was starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing, but she was not about to chicken out now. For some reason she knew that this sport was really dangerous, but Valad was not going to let anything happen to her. "I think I now understand why it would be easier to have multiple arms when operating one of these things."

Valad nodded and continued walking down the rows until finally reaching the last row. The audience cheered as he approached his pod. "I think they are cheering for you," he said to Monica smiling.

"Why would they be cheering for me?" Monica said," I don't even know how to use one of these things."

"Obviously you're a natural. Ok now strap into the back seat." He motioned at the back of the pod, which he had modified to hold two people. "The pit droids will help you get settled in. I need to go make a few adjustments and make sure Sebulba hasn't screwed around with my pod while I walked up here." He walked forward to the engines.

Monica was expecting it to be a rather easy process, but for the life of her she was not able to get into the back seat. The fact that she was not able to do such a simple task frustrated her but worse than that she was embarrassed.

"Valad, could you help me? I can't seem to do it right," Monica said hoping that none of the other holograms would hear her.

The other racers began their pre-ignition sequences as Valad checked his engines. He made certain the engines of his RQ 550C Dart were in peak condition, and he made a few modifications to the replsorgrip modulator and the injector coil. He wanted to make sure Monica got the rush he promised. Finding everything in order, Valad made his way back to the pod and helped Monica into the backseat. He handed her headgear, that had a speaker system installed into it, and a pair of goggles. He put his head piece on and asked, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm surprised though," Monica said barely able to hear her own thoughts. The audience was gradually getting louder as the start of the race approached.

"Good. We'll be underway shortly." He jumped into the pod into his seat and began to startup his engines. "Obviously, the point is to win the race, but how you win is entirely up to you. Anything goes in these races so watch out." As he ignited the engines, he saw the energy coupling charge and connect the engines. The blue stream of electricity shimmered even in the sunlight. He looked around the stadium at the audience and then at the other racers. He noticed many familiar faces, and even saw some unfamiliar ones. This is new... he thought to himself. He heard the crash of the gong that initiated the countdown.

Three.....Two.....One.......

Valad felt air pounding against his face as he push the accelerator forward and the engines gunned ahead, pulling the pod almost lifelessly behind them.

The rush of speed had actually scared Monica at first, but that was soon replaced with the complete exhilaration. She noticed that there were pods in front of them, but she didn't really care.

As it usually happened, he began in last place so as to create an amazing come from behind victory. It usually did end with a win by him, but not always...

In sixteenth place, Valad closely followed behind the pack, who were all vying for position. "Don't be surprised if we have a little bump from another racer. Its a typical in-race attack, especially at speeds equivalent to seven or eight hundred kilometers per hour."

"As long as you hit them back I won't mind," Monica replied with a devilish grin. The fact that they were going so fast seemed to excite Monica in a way that only a few things had ever done.

Valad gunned the twin engines a little more, accelerating forward. He his back press harder up against the back of his seat as he accelerated. He came in line behind the racer in front of him. Valad matched the pod's movements to the tee in order to create a draft to zip by him. The racer in front of him dodged to the right and to the left, trying to stay out of the draft zone, but Valad was too quick. He caught the draft he need and sped past the racer and into fifteenth.

"We need to do that again!" Monica said as the pod accelerated past the racer in front of them.

The rest of the first circuit was much the same. Valad had passed three other racers, placing him in twelve. One of the three, just so happening to be Neva Kee, was standing by a pile of wreckage, cursing as the racers zoomed by. "Hehehe. I told him flying in front of his engines was going to crash him one day." But he couldn't help but notice that some of the debris was more singed than the rest. That only meant one thing.... Sebulba....

As the back-pack rounded the arena heading for the second circuit, Valad said, "I suppose I should say that there are three laps. We just finished lap one."

"I'm guessing that it will only get more difficult as the race progress?" Monica asked as she noticed that there were two packs forming and Monica wanted to be part of the ones in front.

"It always does," Valad said as the Dart zoomed around the arena and headed towards the first straightway. Valad, who had backed off a little when he saw the the first wreck, re-accelerated and sped away toward the front-pack. "It seems these races are always dominated by one racer. The reason why that happens is because the racer has hired race partners to take out the opponents, for a cut. I know its cheating, but its how the races go."

"I never liked cheaters," Monica said as she tried to figure out who were the hired guns," if you know who is cheating, I think we should take them out of the race."

The fact that she was advocating violence against someone else surprised Monica but she realized that it was part of the sport and she was not about to lose to a cheater.

There was a lot of heavy action coming from the front-pack. Valad had to veer out of the way a few times, avoiding wrecks. In the most recent of which, that placed him in third, he narrowly avoided the wrecking pod of Teemto Pagalies, one of the favorites of this audience. As Valad rounded the arena for the second time on the final lap. As he approached the front two, he noticed the leader pulling away from the the second place racer. Valad knew almost instantly what was happening as the racer in front of him back in veer to and fro, blocking Valad from passing. "That's Dud Bolt in front of us. He is a well known hit man hired by the leader up in front."

"I'm guessing he will try to take us out of the race," Monica said feeling her stomach clench in anticipation.

"It's only a matter of time." They approached the lone canyon that was located near the arena and entered. Valad tried his level best to pass around Bolt, but the second place racer was too quick for him, or rather two slow. Bolt hit the air brake to slow down tremendously, causing Valad to have to do the same. They were now traveling about two hundred kilometers per hour. The back-pack was quickly gaining on them. Valad looked back to see how close they were. He turned back around to be hit on the side of the face by a metal object. His goggles broke and he felt blood seep down the left side of his face. He turned back to look at Monica. The metal object appeared to have missed her.

"What the ...!" Monica screamed and the horrified as she saw blood on Valad's face," I though the safety protocols were on?"

He turned back around, not hearing Monica's comment, His mind was focused on one thing as he screamed, "You son of a .... " the rest of the statement was drowned out by the roar of his twin engines as they sped forward. He gained on Bolt quickly. Valad feinted a rightward pass, which Bolt attempted to block, but instead veered left, so far left that he veered towards the concavely rounded canyon wall. As his racer sped towards it, Valad opened a side compartment and pulled out a blaster pistol. He gunned the engines one more time and began to drift up the wall. The Dart whirled up over above Bolt's pod and Valad took aim at the connector assembly. A few well placed shots later, Bolt's pod was sent careening into the canyon floor, exploding on impact. Bolt's pod cockpit was slowly careening to a halt at the edge of the canyon. Valad readjusted the speed and trajectory and continued on.

"That is what you get you stupid bad boy!" Monica said glad that they would no longer have to deal with Bolt.

Valad slowly caught up to the leader, Sebulba. The Dug racer was an expert pilot. Literally one of the best in the sport. Valad had never beat him before, usually due to the Dug's side emplaced flamethrower. Valad had already seen it used once in this race, ised on Neva Key. "I should have you know that I have yet to beat this opponent. Did you see the first wreck we passed by? That was caused by Sebulba's flamethrower."

"We'll just have to extinguish it then won't we," Monica said wishing she had a weapon to use against Sebulba.

Good luck with that.... he thought to himself. Valad felt the blood seep down onto his jumpsuit. He gunned the engines again slowly catching up to the Dug racer. As usual, Sebulba allowed his prey to move up right next to him. Selbulba veered into Valad's pod, causing the pod to shake tremendously.

"Can this pod take this amount of damage?" Monica asked before it violently shook again.

Two more hits .... three more.... four hits later, they were still neck and neck. The finish line was in sight but it would only be a matter of time before Sebulba would unleash his infamous and ferocious flamethrower on Valad. Sebulba for a final time veered towards Valad, who intuitively rotated his engines until they were vertical. He watched as Sebulba's right, split X engine veered into the blue electric current of the Dart's connector coupling. The electricity burned off part of the Dug's engine and due to the decreased weight, the Dug's pod veered away and crashed into a rock. Valad re centered the Dart and sped off for the finish line, finally beating Sebulba. He had won races before, but this.... this was the biggest. As he crossed the finish line among a myriad of cheers, Valad slowed the pod into the pit. He unstrapped and jumped out, a big grin on his face. He turned back round to Monica, and helped her out of the back. "Well what do you think?"

"You have to teach me how to drive one of these things because that was a total blast!" Monica said before hugging Valad congratulating him for the exciting win.

"Computer, end program." They walked out of the holodeck.

[Matthew Reynolds]

OOC: Part Three of the Valad/Monica Adventure

"You know that you haven't replied to my last request?" Monica said as she lightly nudged him in the ribs," I have to admit that I was afraid at first, but that was a hell of a ride."

"I thought you might like it." He smiled, but was a little confused. "The rush must have gotten to me. Remind me what you requested, please."

"It seems that injury is a bit more severe than we thought," Monica said as she stopped Valad and quickly inspected the wound," I don't know why you were hurt in there. Those saftey protocols should have prevented this. We should get that taken care of but I think we should stay clear of sickbay. Commander Garrett and the Captain would be in the area."

"Ummm .... about those safety protocols." Valad stopped there, sure Monica understood. "It's not bad. I can take care of it with a medkit. But more to the point, you want to learn how to race?"

"Don't be foolish, I'll take care of that right now," Monica said shaking her head in disapproval," but if you do that again, I will have to hurt you."

"Well that all depends on if you participate or not. I wouldn't think of doing anything for the next few days without you." He winked through the bloody mess that was now his face.

"Well you don't have much choice in that matter," Monica said angry that Valad was acting like there wasn't any blood on his face," come on my quarters are closer and you can clean up. I also have a personal medical kit where we can take care of your cut."

He did know full well that he wouldn't have any choice in the matter. "Lead on, then. In the meantime, its your turn next. What is next on our list?"

"I was thinking of taking a few hours to just relax and do nothing," Monica replied," even though I had a blast, podracing is extremely tiring. I usually meditate or read a book to relax, but I doubt you would want to do any of that."

Valad winced a little bit. The gash was beginning to hurt. "I'm not much for being sedentary, but since I was ordered to take it easy, why not? What does it take to meditate?"

"We'll worry about that later," Monica said as she noticed Valad's wincing. They quickly made it to her quarters and Monica quickly went into her bedroom," take off your jacket and clean off your face. The bathroom is to your left."

Monica quickly found her kit and waited for Valad to dry off and make his way back to the living room. Even though they were there to treat his gash, Monica realized that this was the first time a guy was in her quarters.

"Alright, let me see that gash," Monca said as she picked up her dermal regenerator.

"Yes maam." Valad did as he was told and cleaned himself up. The gash was rather large, bigger than he expected it to be, but it was nothing a dermal regenerator couldn't handle. He walked back out to Monica

"I cannot believe you lowered the saftey protocols," Monica said as she applied the regenerator to his skin," what if you had been hurt more severely? Even when you are taking it easy, you are doing things that are dangerous. I normally love that in a man, but you were just seriously injured a few days ago."

Valad was surprised at Monica's statement's and obvious feelings. Though she was right, he was being reckless. "I hate just sitting around and I don't like doing anything fake. Its just not the same." He felt her gentle touch as she held him steady to get the skin healed. His skin tingled at her touch. "Plus, there's plenty of time to rest when you are dead."

"While I agree with you, it is irresponsible of us to put our lives in unnecessary danger," Monica said pleased that Valad had not dissaproved of her touch," even though we don't think about it people depend on us."

It took only a few minutes to clear up the wound and once she had finished with her work, Monica carefully carressed the area that had been injured. Her hand stayed in that position a bit longer than necessary and when Monica realized it, her hand recoiled and all she could was apologize. "I'm sorry, Valad."

As Valad felt the gash disappear, the warmth of Monica's hand lingered on his forehead for a moment. "Don't worry about it. If I wanted to stop you, I would have." He stood up and walked to the viewport. He gazed at the stars. Every time he did, it was a new story waiting to be told. "The stars are unusually beautiful. I haven't gazed upon them in a long time." He turned his head and looked at Monica.

"They give light to the darkness that is the void of space," Monica said startled at Valad's words. She had so badly wanted to tell him that she might have feelings for him, but she was to much of a coward to act on those feelings. Her previous actions had been an unconscious act and she didn't know what to do.

"Valad you should stop looking at me that way. It makes me nervous" and excited Monica said and then thought.

It was interesting. Something Valad had not expected. It was obvious Monica was interested in Valad, but his eyes darkened and he couldn't help but think of his past. No one knew about it and he wasn't sure if he was willing to drag Monica into the story. He looked away, though he did so reluctantly.

Monica knew that what she was about to do was going to change things and make the next six days almost unbearable but she no longer cared. She quickly walked up to Valad and waited until he realized that she was behind him. Once he noticed her and turned to face her, Monica got on her tip toes and kissed Valad before he could act. She held the kiss for a few seconds and then stopped and left her quarters. ~He kissed back~
Monica thought not daring to stop and turn back to ask him.

He continued to gaze at the stars, but soon realized that Monica was standing next to him. As he turned she reached up and kissed him, a kiss he had not expected from this woman in a thousand years. He not only recieved the kiss, but gave it back. She stopped, almost abruptly, and walked out of her quarters. Valad was not surprised often, if surprised was even the way he could describe how he felt. He turned back out towards the stars, unsure of what to do next. Ok, Valad, let's be rational about this .... As he thought to himself, he couldn't help but realize that rationality was out the window. There was something there, inside his own heart and soul. Something he couldn't describe.But after a little soul searching, and simply choosing to make a decision, he walked out of the quarters after her.

"I kind of forgot that these are my quarters," Monica said embarrassed when Valad saw her standing there outside the door.

Valad smiled. "Well are you going to come back in, or keep standing out here?" He held out his hand.

Monica couldn't help but smile at his remark, but she knew that accepting the outstreched hand would change thier entire relationship. Monica quickly ordered her thoughts and realized that she would be stupid to say no. "Why did you have to be so hot?"

"You know, I've thought about that and I have decided that when a boy is born with a smile on his face, he becomes quite the catch."

While she knew that Valad was only baiting her, Monica decided to play his game. "So you were born with a smile on your face?" Monica asked as she carefully brushed her hand across Valad's scar," though I think the blue eyes help a lot."

Valad thought for a moment. "No. I've been told that I cried a river when I was born." His skin once again tingled as she brushed her hand across his scar. "But I will say this. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, anyone who doesn't find you attractive just doesn't like...."Monica said before biting her lips in embarressment," though I really do think we should have this conversation inside and not in the cooridor."

Valad backed into the quarters with Monica in tow. "Now you have to finish what you said."He said smiling.

"I have to do no such thing," Monica said before she once again, but more passionately kissed Valad. She was adamant that this time she would not break the kiss.

Valad once again accepted the kiss, returning it with more fire than he did the first time. This kiss lingered, but Valad broke it. He pulled her a very short distance away from him. "Now that's just not fair. I took you on a podrace."

Relishing the passion in the kiss, Monica didn't immidately reply. She savored it and looked into Valad's eyes. She knew that there was much more to his boyish charm, but she knew that it wouldn't change anything. "I wouldn't use that against me. I missed that debris by a few centimeters. What if I had been hit?"

Valad was stunned. She had him on that one. "I can't reply but to say I'm sorry. Next time I turn the safety protocols off, I'll be sure to at least tell you." He lightened his grip on her for just a second, only to regain it again.

"Ah you don't have to apologize because nothing happened to me and thankfully you only got a little scratch," Monica replied mad at herself for bringing that up. She also noticed that Valad had been holding on to her tightly and wished that he would tighten his grip on her even more," the next time we race we'll do it alone."

Valad leaned down slightly to kiss Monica again. This time, the kiss would be on his terms and of his accord. He was very deliberate in his action. As he kissed her, he remembered something that was once told to him long ago. The way to a woman's heart is through dance. He released Monica from the kiss and asked, "Do you like to dance?"

~Thank you Dad~ Monica thought as she replied in the affirmative. Her father had forced her and her siblings to learn how to dance. She had hated it, but at that moment she took back everything she had ever said about dancing.

"Though I would prefer to do what we were just doing a few seconds ago," Monica said blushing

"All in good time, Monica. All in good time," he said as he called up the music to which they started dancing. He felt an amazing sense of grace to style. One he found very appealing.

Monica quickly remembered why she hated dancing because unlike Valad who was graceful on his feet, Monica was already tripping over her own feet and at that moment she felt utterly ugly.

Valad and Monica danced for a while. As they danced, he felt an urge to ... leave. Not because he wanted to leave her, but because he felt a sensation that wanted him to prolong something. Something special. The night needed to end, because a new day was already springing to arise. He felt it in the pit of stomach. Something special. Something he could not and didn't want to explain. Valad released her once again, leaving for the viewport, but this time he held on until he outstretched his arm.

"What is wrong?" Monica said as he took Valad's hand into her own," I know my dancing is terrible, but I will get better."

Valad smiled. "Nothing is wrong. I am just savoring something. Something I have not felt in a very long time." He gently squeezed her hand. "You are rare woman, Monica. I can't describe it, but its in you." He sighed. "If I were to leave now and come back tomorrow and the next day, and the days following, would you be okay with that?" He asked with a heartfelt gesture."

"Let me just say, why would you have to leave at all?" Monica said knowing full well that niether of them was ready for that, but like he had said, Valad Tavik was a special man.

Valad again sighed. "Its not becuase I want to leave you, but I want something to be right for once." He shook his head. "I'm not making any sense."

"I understand what you are saying," Monica said as she wrapped her arms around his neck," this thing is brand new but it just feels right."

Valad wrapped his arms around her waist. He gave her a short kiss, hoping it would suffice how he felt. He caressed her cheek and walked out of her quarters.

Monica was on clouds, but her sense of duty kicked back in and she ran towards the door."Lieutenant, please go to your quarters and contact me when you go back on duty," Monica said with a contented smile.

Valad smiled. "Lieutenant, I believe the Captain said that I was to take it easy until we reached the Starbase. And if I remember correctly, he assigned you to make sure that happened. So as far as anyone is concerned, I beleive we just earned ourselves some vacation time." He added, "However, Lieutenant, should you find it in your schedule to join me for a sunrise breakfast on the beaches of Fiji n the morning, I would be honored by your presence."

"Water, sand, sun, and eye candy," Monica said," I would be crazy not to show up."

Valad simply leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before walking off to his quarters

[Deleted]

OOC: I am posting this here as a continuation of a tag from Govan Echal in the mission thread. I'm sure us S'Harien fellows will be out of here soon, don't worry!

The image was a bit grainy, a bit dark, too. And it was in black and white. Of course, there were the shades of grey, like in everything... but there were few smooth gradients of that neutrality, instead there were sharp contrasts of dark and light. Perfect really; just exactly right. It would surely have the desired effect, without being too stark in its appearance where it would otherwise strain credibility.

The main contrast, that dominated the foreground of the moving image, was the over-exposed, near-white face of the interrogator, cast against his own dark shadow that dominated the floor behind him, like the evil spirit of his metaphorical cloak hovering overhead and cast as projection on the neutral floor.

With satisfaction, Tevio watched as the image of the man lashed out at something in front of him. The thing he'd struck fell sideways to the floor, losing its purchase on the small ledge that its odd pudgy protrusions had been clinging to. Only when this thing struck the ground, passing into the obviously cold, hard light provided by the gently swinging ceiling-lamp, did it become clear that he/she was a person. There was another of these persons kneeling on the ground, just beside the first one, sliding back slowly into the corner of the room. He or she was visibly terrified. The first person's chest heaved, something darker and liquid appearing in their facial region and quickly pooling itself on to the floor.

This twenty-minute long video footage of prisoner interrogation was what Tevio was about to send the Jefferson - the two ships having finally ended their extensive mission to uncover a pair of terrorists. There was onerecipient in particular that this surveillance footage was intended for. That was Nathan van Breughel. The victims of the brutal Romulan torturer were, of course, the human civilian-doctor's family. It didn't matter if the image was a fake, a tailoring, a doctored file containing scenes of rather nasty and immoral interrogation. The effect it was to have would not be lessened in any way. Particularly true, Tevio thought, when van Breughel found that the file was one hundred percent authentic. If there was any organisation that could successfully fake such a thing, it was the Tal Diann: Romulan Naval Intelligence. Tevio felt a brief flicker of pride. Quickly he swept it away.

“Echal to Lieutenant Ch’varak, I have an assignment for you. I want you to discover the significance of ‘Jombis’ as it relates to Tedak and the Jefferson. Dig up whatever information you can find, and then report back to me as soon as you have something, Echal out.”

Tevio intentionally paused, for what he knew to be the appropriate length of time. "Yes, Commander," he replied eventually. Another task to complete for Govan Echal, whom did not himself have adequate access in the appropriate places. Bizarre, when the Legate thought about it, as he knew that, once, Echal's clearance-level had far outstripped his own. That was back when Echal was an agent of the Tal Shiar, an interrogator, a torturer...

Tevio hit transmit. Of course, the Romulan in those stark, grainy images, was Echal himself.

[Deleted]

"Nathan, wake up. You need to wake up and get dressed now.." Jayden shook his husband gently, trying to wake him but he had been fast asleep. Too fast asleep.

The doctor murmured in his sleep and rolled over, pulling the blanket back over him as he moved.

Jayden rolled his eyes, yanked the blanket back again and shook him a little harder. "I know you can hear me love, you need to get up now." He paused, smiling wickedly. "Get up now, or I'll let your son wake you..."

"Leave me alone,' Nathan muttered, wrapping his arm tight around his pillow, shivering as cool air touched his skin.

"Freddy!" Jayden called, "Freddy come help me wake dad." He heard the child cry out in delight, knowing the boy would come bouncing onto the bed any second. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance Nate...because I did." Indeed, after a few seconds, the 6-year old boy bounced onto the bed, skipping to his father's side, shaking him wildly.

"Dad wake up!" he cried out, "we got a party to go to remember? You gotta wake up and get dressed. Me'n Angel are already done! Ja- father helped us, see?" He wildly bounced up and down, causing the older man to bounce with him.

"All right all right," Nathan grumbled as he sat up. "It's never right with you all is it. If you want me to sleep, I'm not and yet when I want to sleep you won't allow me to." He sat up further, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, then got up fully and disappeared into the bathroom.

Minutes later, he returned, fully dressed and groomed and just looking dandy. Jayden smiled at him, while Freddy just rolled his eyes. "I'll get Angel," Nathan announced, and returned a few seconds later with the drowsy baby girl in his arms. "Ready?" he asked.

"I wanna go see Caleb," Freddy announced enthusiastically. "Dad, are Alex and Kyle still on board? Can I play with them too? Please?"

The doctor's expression clouded, remembering what happened the last time he went out to play with the Reynolds boys. "I don't think they are son," he replied, taking his son by the hand while Jayden took the boy's other hand, "but perhaps they'll be on starbase when we get there. Why don't you ask the captain when we get to his quarters?"

== a few minutes later ==

The doors opened and Freddy rushed in. "Captain captain!" he called out, releasing his parents' hands. "Captain, are Alex and Kyle still here? Can I play with them and Caleb?"

Nathan sighed as he felt Jayden's arm slip around his waist, even as he resettled the baby's increasing weight on his arm. At five months old, the girl was growing steadily and was looking healthy. "Don't mind him captain," he apologised, even as he stiffled a yawn, "he's been carrying on about coming to play ever since you extended the invitation."


== meanwhile in sickbay ==

Hannah and Donovan were dressed in full surgical garbs when their mutilated patient was brought in. Transporting him was too dangerous, given the nature of his condition. "Oh my," Hannah gasped in horror. "There's nothing much we can do here...Don, prepare full life support."

As her marine nurse set up the equipment, Hannah ran a full body scan. "Organs seem to be in the right place..." she mused, "it's just that he'll need a respirator and an IV for the rest of his life." She started working on connecting an IV unit for fluid sustenance right to his stomach, while Donovan made sure he would be able to breathe.

"I'm keeping him sedated," Donovan announced, "at least for now until we're sure he's not in any pain. He won't ever see again, perhaps we should blindfold him, makes it less grotesque on the nurses attending to him. His hearing can be restored to him, but it won't be the superior hearing he had before. I'm sorry Hannah, but Romulans are well beyond my expertise."

"The captain has called in the Romulan doctor," Hannah informed him, "he should be here soon. Get this, a diplomat will be attending him, isn't that just hilarious? An ambassador, escorting a doctor. And you know what's even funnier? The captain knows the ambassador..come to think of it, so do I. Ambassador Tedak...fallen from grace in the empire because he got too friendly with the Federation. Even married a Vulcan but she left him for a Human. Sad, isn't it?"

Donovan chuckled. "I bet there's more to that story than you're letting on. I've heard of the ambassador, and from what I've heard he's respected by Assaillant's staff, and enjoys Magellan Lin's trust....to a degree. Oh I've heard my share of stories. I think we ought to judge for ourselves whether he's to be trusted or not."

Hannah nodded as she finished her ministrations. "This'll hurt for a while," she spoke to her unconscious patient, patting his shoulder in an attempt to be of comfort. "But it'll pass when you get used to it." She ignored the attempts from Commander Paragon to get her attention. She just couldn't be bothered with the criminal right now.

"Captain, we've got Raltorr stabilised, and I think Commander Paragon wants a word...I know you've got an engagement, but can you come down afterwards?"

[Deleted]

OFF:
I'm skipping a little, with agreement of Commanders Govan and Garrett, to keep things moving. This post affects S'harien only, and doesn't affect the dinner engagement of Captain Reynolds as my post takes place 24 hours after Tedak gained permission to come aboard Jefferson to retrieve Raltorr.

ON:

It seemed like an easy task, just beam over to the Federation Starship, retrieve the criminal and go back. Seemed being the keyword here. When Tedak entered sickbay, he hadn't been prepared to face what he was now facing. He found himself holding his breath as he looked down on the Romulan's mutilated face, wondering if the man could even hear him, or whether he was conscious.

Tedak knew his own medical knowledge wasn't near sufficient to tell whether he could survive for long. "Doctor Sural will take care of him now," he told the attending nurses, trying to remember their names.

Hannah nodded as she prepared the patient for transport. "He'll need constant monitoring. I've done all I can for him, it's too bad the doctor was unavailable...oh that reminds me..." She beckoned a young male, who came forward with two fluffy bundles in his arms. "The doctor asked me to give these to you. He apologises for not meeting you himself but he's been relieved of duty because he was injured recently."

Tedak stared at the two bundles that were thrust into his arms. "What's this?" he asked as one of the creatures looked up at him with dark blue eyes. They had four legs, pointed ears and a very short tail.

"They're cats," Hannah chuckled. "The doctor's cat had a litter of five, and he figured you'd know who to give them to if you didn't want them yourself. He told me to give you the two females of the litter, they get less territorial. The white one already has a little personality, the grey one is quite docile. They're five weeks old so they do need some looking after for a bit."

"Ah...Tell the doctor I said thank you. I'll make sure they'll get a good home, I know just the person to give them to. Thank you for your care ma'am...we'll be going now."

He allowed himself to be escorted back to the transporterroom, from where he and Raltorr were transported back to the S'harien. The Romulan prisoner/patient was immediately carted off towards sickbay. "Tedak to Echal, our mission was successful. Raltorr is now moved to sickbay. And commander? I doubt he'll be telling us much, not now, or even ever."

The Romulan diplomat followed down to sickbay at a more sedate pace, trying to keep the two now very awake felines under control. "Tamir!" he called as he walked in, frantically trying to keep the kittens from jumping out of his arms, suffering their sharp claws and teeth in the process. "Tamir, please help me with these.." He shoved them into her arms, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. "Please give them a good home Tamir. I was told to give them to someone who would care for them. I think you would do a very good job at that. I'd keep them myself but with Sev and Nut...no I can't. They'd shred them apart, and I'd feel terrible if that happened. Please Tamir, take care of them?"

[Deleted]

At first, Megan was grateful to see the face of the Romulan Ambassador instead of Govan, but that gratitude quickly faded when it became apparent that the diplomat had a much firmer grasp on how to get what he wanted than Govan ever could. At the mention of Jombis, the Commander practically felt her heart stop, and Captain Reynolds quickly glanced her way. They had both known this would come back to haunt them, and unfortunately, it seemed the time had come to pay for it. She felt sick remembering what had happened, let alone that it came back now with Echal, but that was the worst thing about the mistakes of the past and debts you owed: you rarely had the chance to choose when they returned or how you repaid them.

Once the conversation was over, Matt turned to her. "Commander Garrett, please coordinate with the senior staff about their duties in the upcoming days. The moment that Ambassador Tedak takes Raltorr with him, I want us headed back to Starbase Assailant,” Captain Reynolds ordered before adding, “The crew deserves some R&R."

“Aye, Sir,” Megan replied, agreeing completely. Even she, who never really tended to take shoreleave, unless it was related to an injury, felt like she could use some sort of break after everything this mission had entailed. Whether or not it would be an actual vacation or just a change of pace or focus, she hadn’t decided just yet. “I’ll go to sickbay and see what’s going on with Raltorr,” Commander Garrett reported, knowing that Matt would probably want to go to the transporter room to meet Tedak.

<Tag Matt>

As she stepped into the turbolift, her mind raced with everything she needed to try and accomplish before the Ambassador arrived. An attempt needed to be made to speak with Raltorr and learn something, anything, before having to turn him over to the S’Harien. Putting Raltorr and Paragon together and seeing what happened would probably reveal more than just speaking with him and more quickly. At least that was Megan’s hope. She also needed to spend some time with Marina while in sickbay. It was terribly how badly she had neglected her sister during all of this...

Entering sickbay, Commander Garrett took a few steps towards the primary bay before drifting to a stunned halt. Whatever was on the biobed hardly looked like a person anymore... A quick glance around sickbay revealed a somber yet productive atmosphere with the medical staff focused on doing what they could, but clearly it had been out of their hands before the patient had arrived. Megan couldn’t see her sister anywhere and was glad for that at least. The only person who seemed to be unaffected by Raltorr’s appearance was Commander Paragon, on a nearby bed.

Since everyone seemed busy stabilizing Raltorr, Megan decided now was a good time to speak with Wintrow, though his calloused lack of consideration for Raltorr, no matter what the man had done, was irksome to say the least. “I’m Commander Garrett, the Jefferson’s First Officer,” she introduced herself briefly. “It would seem that your...friend...will be unable to either confirm or deny your story. There will be an investigation and most likely a trial, so your fate will rest entirely on evidence.”

<Tag Paragon>

“Once the medical staff releases you from sickbay, you’ll be transferred to our brig. I’m sure you’ve noticed the security officers stationed here and outside. I wouldn’t recommend attempting to leave without proper authorization. After we’ve arrive at Starbase Assailant, you’ll be turned over to the authorities there for holding until a decision regarding your involvement is made.” Glancing once more in the direction of Raltorr, Megan added, “You may have gotten off easier than he did, but trust me, if you were involved in this more willingly than you claim, you won’t get away with it.”

<Tag Paragon>

Turning smoothly on her heel and walking away, regardless of whatever Paragon had to say, Megan went in search of her sister, as the medical staff still looked too busy to discuss Raltorr’s condition. What had just happened with the former Starfleet Commander had not really been a conversation. She had simply informed him of what was going to happen next, since he would have very little input on that now.

In an adjacent room, she found her sister curled up on a biobed but wide awake. She looked pale and tired, and Megan felt even guiltier from not showing up until just now. “Hey, I finally got free. How are you feeling?” Commander Garrett asked.

Feeling a little bit better at the sight of her sister, Marina sat up slowly. “Much better and completely ready to get out of here,” she replied quickly. “I’m bored out of my mind, fed up with Wintrow’s badgering, and convinced that I never want to see the inside of sickbay ever again. Please tell me you’re here to spring me, and I’ll forget that it took you so long to get here,” Ensign Garrett finished with a pleading look.

With a grin at the familiar look, Megan replied, “I’ll see what I can do,” before taking a seat on the biobed next to Marina. “And about not getting down here until now, I’m really sorry... I know you understand how crazy things can get and that I have a lot of responsibility as First Officer, but there’s really no excuse for it. I did come down here immediately when you came in to make sure you were alright, but I still should have come back before now. I knew you’d be ok, but that doesn’t matter...”

“It’s ok, really,” Marina responded, brushing off her sister’s apologies. “As I said, if you get me out of here, it’s all good. I don’t know how they, with access to a fully functional replicator, can still manage to serve bad food, but somehow they pull it off. I would kill for burger or a pizza or I know, sushi! Anything but sickbay food...”

“Shouldn’t you be eating something lighter like soup?” Megan asked, still grinning at how no matter what the situation around her was, Marina was still just Marina.

Horrified, Marina glared at Megan. “That is what they keep giving me! And it’s not even good soup. It’s like...Dad’s soup... I mean, not that bad, but you know what I mean. I don’t think that I want to see another bowl of soup again for...three months.”

“Well, when I get you out of here, you’ll have access to your own replicator, so you won’t have to see anything you don’t want as long as you stay out of trouble...not that what happened was your fault,” Megan quickly added, seeing her sister about to launch into a famous tirade. “And by the way, you did really well, not just in how you handled the intruder but your initiative speaking to Paragon. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Meg,” Marina replied, beaming happily. Her sister always tended to be very approving of when she did well, at anything, but it meant a little bit more since she was no longer just her sister but also her First Officer and technically, boss’ boss, not that she thought about that too much. “So...you getting me out of here or what?”

With a heavy sigh, Megan pretended to drag herself to her feet. “I’ll go see what I can do...just stay here and I’ll come back and let you know. Maybe even make sure you make it to your quarters. Wouldn’t want you getting lost or into more trouble.”

Sticking out her tongue, Marina lay back down. “You free me, I might let that go.”

Shaking her head, Megan headed back into main sickbay. There didn’t seem to be much of a chance, but at least he appeared…stable, if you could call it that. After making sure she wouldn’t be interfering, Commander Garrett stepped forward to speak with Hannah. “Lieutenant Lowell, is he going to survive?” she asked carefully.

Hannah nodded sadly. "He'll survive, but don't ask me what kind of life he'll have," she answered quietly.

Nodding, Commander Garrett dared a glance at Raltorr. It sent a shiver down her spine, but in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think this was somehow a poetic kind of justice for a man who had caused such horrible suffering and death to so many. “Once Doctor Sural arrives and you both feel he is stable for transfer to the Romulan vessel, go ahead and release him. He clearly won’t be talking…”

"He's stable enough to be moved. The Romulans are far better equipped to care for one of our own than we are commander. Not even Nathan could've done more than Donovan and I have done for him. This is beyond our level of expertise."

“Oh, and one more thing, do you think that Ensign Garrett is stable enough to be released to her quarters? I think she would probably get more rest there than here.”

"She can return to her quarters and report for light duty in the morning," Hannah replied, making a note on her PADD. "Commander, don't you think the captain was a little too harsh on Nathan, banning him completely from sickbay? I understood that he refused to report, throwing the captain's own ban right back at him. That just isn't like him at all, Nathan'd never refuse to help, under any circumstance. It worries me, commander, it worries me deeply."

[Valad Tavik]

Valad was definitely stunned. He had no idea that any of this would happen. It was beyond belief, but it had nevertheless happened. He could not explain the emotions he was having now. Valad tried to take his mind off of her, but it was to no avail, all he could think about was Monica Quindara, and how absolutely mystifying and attractive she was to him. Though he was proud of himself for holding back, not going along with the actions of his life before Starfleet, Valad couldn't help but think of the possibilities, the potential. This could be such a fruitful relationship, yet Valad was also wary. He also thought of the consequences that would come of this relationship. It was all so much to handle in one sitting.

As he walked back to the direction of his quarters, Valad was finally able to get his mind sidetracked, if even so slightly. He considered what had happened in just the passed weeks. In such a short time, the Jefferson had been infiltrated by an enemy officer. Even more pressing was that a crewmember, a civilian doctor no less, managed to leave the Jefferson undetected. While Valad applauded Dr. van Breughel's efforts and resourcefulness, he knew that such weaknesses could prove dangerous to the Jefferson and its crew. Valad was determined to fix that and it would start during his R&R.

Valad made a slight detour and went to the operations office. There were a couple of crewmembers there, but they did not notice his entrance, which he figured didn't hurt anything. He grabbed a couple of data padds and began downloading the schematics for the computer interface system and any points that may prove to be weak spots in it. His entrance was perfect timing, since the crewmen were working on those very areas, and thus his download would be masked from any unneeded superiors from seeing it.With this information, he planned to create a portable device that could interface with the ship computer that would only be accessible to him. He eventually planned on perfecting it and develop his system for full ship integration, but some of the highest measures would be known only to him. That was how he wanted it and that is how it would be.

Getting the information he needed, Valad quietly left the office and headed for his quarters, this time, not missing a beat and going directly there. After all, he wanted to get some rest. He had a date in the morning, one he planned on making special. He entered his quarters a short walk later and got to bed nearly immediately.

---

Six hundred hours came very quickly, but Valad felt fairly well as he got up out of bed and took a shower. He put on some khaki shorts from the twentieth century Earth with a plain colored and light weight Risan tunic. They felt good as he made his way to the holodeck to create the perfect program. Once he was finished with the parameters he walked into the holodeck.

Before him was a magnificent display. He looked upon a sandy beach. The sands were light colored, almost white. The waves from the ocean slowly washed up to shore. It made Valad feel as if the warmth of the entire ocean was filling up the beach. He saw the sun rise up in the distant horizon. It was absolutely beautiful. It was perfect and he hoped Monica would feel the same.

Valad walked down the beach a short ways to a lone table that had food already laid out. Monica would be here any minute. He looked once again at the sunrise. He smiled.

----
Monica had never been afraid of her emotions. While she had not been with many men in her life she was used to taking charge of the situation, but with Valad she knew it could be very different.

"Stop being such a stupid girl," Monica said to herself as she checked the time and was horrified to know that it was only 0500 hours. She knew that Valad would not care how she looked, but she did. It didn't matter that they were in the 24th century, but a girl never stops trying to impress a guy.

It had only taken her two hours and forty three minutes, but Monica Quindara was now ready for her breakfast date with Valad Tavik. She quickly made her way to the holodeck and for the twenthieth time that morning she realized how lucky she was to find a guy like Valad. ~The fact that he is smoking hot helps too~ Monica thought as she took a deep breath and walked inside.

The scenery was indeed beautiful, but nothing looked better than the man that was infront of her. She was having a hard time stopping herself from running towards him and tackleing him to the sand. She quietly walked up to him and just said,"Good morning."

[Deleted]

=/\=Tedak to Echal, our mission was successful. Raltorr is now moved to sickbay. And Commander, I doubt he'll be telling us much, not now, or even ever.=/\= the Ambassador added, and from the tone of his voice, Govan tended to believe him.

“Understood, Echal out,” Govan replied quickly before turning to the helm. “Set a course back to Romulan space, maximum warp,” he ordered, finally feeling a rush of relief just knowing they were heading away from the Jefferson and the Federation. “Centurion, you have the bridge,” the Commander added, heading for his ready room.

Moving to the window which showed the stars streaking by seeming to herald their departure, Govan sighed heavily. He for one would be perfectly happy to never enter Federation space or to see Captain Reynolds, Commander Garrett, or indeed another Human ever again in his life. This entire mission had been one nightmare after another from start to finish, and Echal couldn’t be happier to see its end come.

With another heavy sigh, Govan felt his shoulder slump and the muscles relax for probably the first time since the S’Harien entered the Neutral Zone. His neck was killing him from all the tension and stress. Raising his left hand to try and loosen the knot at the base of his spine, a glint of light from his desk caught his attention reflected in the window’s smooth glass. Any relaxation was undone as he tensed and spun, expecting to find some sort of enemy or explosive device. Instead, it was the package delivered from the Jefferson sitting innocently enough on the surface.

Now feeling rather silly, Echal glared at the object and moved forward, suddenly curious as to its contents. Clearly it wasn’t harmful. Otherwise, Dor’vel would have removed and destroyed it. Whatever the actual item was, it was encased in some sort of fabric enclosure, so Govan instead reached for the attached note. The text was written neatly in Federation script, which he had learned in Tal Shiar training.

"Commander,

I send you this token of appreciation and gratitude. I realize that my presence on your vessel was a breach of protocol as well as a blatant intrusion. As I also realize you could have me executed as a trespasser, you treated me as a guest. Your treatment of me, made me realize that you have given me a second chance. A chance to rethink a few things in my life, as well as what is important, for me.

This bottle contains an ancient Earth drink called Whiskey. It has a high alcohol percentage but is very much unlike Romulan Ale. I have no desire to poison you; therefore, I urge you to run a few tests to make certain it is safe for you to consume. I do not know the effect of alcohol on a Romulan, at least not this form. I have had this bottle for a few years, acquired it on Earth, but have never touched it. As you see the cap is still sealed, but once again, I urge you to test it for safety. I do not wish to learn that I poisoned my host, that would be dishonorable and not to mention go right against the oath I took as a doctor. I wish you all the best and shall endeavor not to tread onto your vessel again, not without proper invitation at least.

Regards,
Doctor Nathan van Breughel”

After reading the note several times very, very carefully, Govan placed it back on the desk with a frown. What an odd man... This was very unusual and unexpected, if not unheard of, and Echal had absolutely no idea what to make of this or Doctor van Breughel. Now he eyed the package. He already knew it to be safe and even knew what was in it, but this was still so strange, he couldn’t help but be somewhat suspicious. Sliding the bottle out of the bag, the Commander examined it closely. It didn’t appear to have been tampered with, as Nathan had stated, and the liquid inside was a rich, warm amber in color, and the label on the front stated the name of the beverage, as also provided by Nathan, as well as its year and manufacturer.

In spite of his ‘brutish’ exterior, as most recently commented on by Captain Reynolds, Govan had made it a point to become as cultured as possible as soon as he had risen to a position to support it. Echal was a connoisseur of fine Romulan cuisine, beverages, and spirits, but he had never ventured into alien delicacies before now. Tilting his head to one side, he retrieved his scanner. It was probably a pointless move since Dor’vel and most likely a member of the medical staff had already done so and he was far from an expert at determining these kinds of things, but it was a habit. The scanner revealed nothing threatening and deemed it safe for consumption.

Shrugging, Govan carefully broke the seal and removed the cap before cautiously sniffing at the contents. It was obviously alcoholic, but beyond that, Echal couldn’t tell much else. Normally, he would never drink while on duty or in his ready room, but by now, he was far too curious not to at least try it. Although eager enough to sample it now, he wasn’t so uncouth as to drink it straight from the bottle, so after replicating an appropriately small glass vessel, the Romulan Commander poured an equally small portion into it and after swirling the liquid around in the glass and taking another cautious sniff, he took a careful sip. The burn of alcohol was familiar and pleasant, and the taste, though far from familiar, was not entirely unpleasant.

After two less and less cautious sips, Govan decided he rather liked it, so pouring another small amount, Echal threw caution to the wind, downing the entire thing. It was definitely good in spite of being very different, and the Commander nodded in satisfaction before firmly placing the cap back on the bottle. That was more than enough alcohol for while on duty. Taking a seat at the console, he quietly had the bottle beamed to his quarters for later. If ever he needed a drink after a mission, it would be this one, and so he would definitely be revisiting that bottle once off duty.

It had been a long mission, but at least it was finally over. Unsure of whether this could be considered a success or failure, Commander Echal wondered whether or these results would be deemed positive or not. The ship and crew, and himself, badly needed some sort of success on their records, but this didn’t really feel like it. They had stopped the attacks, discovered who was responsible, and had taken custody of half of the responsible party, the Romulan half, but somehow, Govan doubted they would be receiving glowing reviews on this one. Hopefully though, it was just successful enough to allow him to retain command and for the S’Harien to get a better assignment next time, preferably one in Romulan space, no Humans.

OOC: And with that, I believe the joint part of this mission will officially come to an end. I want to thank all of you on the Jefferson crew for making this such a fantastic mission. I enjoyed it immensely, even if my character did not. I'd say we should do this again, but coming from Govan, that might sound like some sort of threat. I wish the Jefferson and her crew the best in your future endeavors.

[Matthew Reynolds]

Even though both had not spoken about Jombis since the incident occurred, Matthew Reynolds knew very well that his first officer was thinking the very same thing as him. He doubted that they would speak about it anytime soon, but the fact that Tedak had brought it up in front of Govan had come as a surprise. Hoping to forget about their current situation, Matt left the bridge and headed to the transporter room where Kristin and his friend would soon be.

"Captain, Ambassador will not be ready to transport over for another five minutes. I'm afraid that you are early," Kristin said the moment she realized that the captain had been watching her work.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear me come in," Matt said as he stole a quick kiss," though I have to be honest and say that I love watching you work."

"Matt, we are both on duty and you know how I feel about that," Kristin said shooing Matt away," and like I was saying Tedak will not be here for a couple of minutes."

"We both know that Tedak always like to be a little early," Matt said before they heard the S'Harien's signal telling them that they were now ready," oh don't forget to join me and Caleb for dinner tonight. I invited Nathan and his family."

"As your girlfriend, I'm telling you that you might have been a bit to harsh on him," Kristin said quickly before getting back to work. It took Kristen only a few moments to ready their transporters and the next second Matt saw his friend appear in front of him. Matt immediately walked towards his friend and extended his hand in welcome."It's great to see you my friend."

"I wish it were under better circumstances Matthew, we keep meeting under dire circumstances." The Romulan diplomat bowed in greeting, acknowledging Kristin in the gesture.

"I don't know about you, but I would watch my back when it comes to Govan Echal," Matt said as he led the Romulans towards their prospective quarters," just so you know I'm really happy to have you back on board the Jefferson."

"I'm aware of Govan's attitude towards me, but thank you for the warning. I am also happy to be back aboard the Jefferson; it brings back memories, both good and bad."

"I'm sorry to say that I have some things to attend to, but before you leave tomorrow we must catch up," Matt said once they had arrived at the guest quarters.

"I'm afraid that will be impossible. The S'Harien departs as soon as we are back on board. We may not meet again for a very long time."

An Hour Later

While Matt believed that technology was a guy's best friend, there was nothing like cooking up some home made food. He knew that it was not going to be the best food they ever tasted, Matt was going to make sure that they all enjoyed this meal.

"Dad, why are you cooking?" Caleb asked surprised to see his father using kitchen utensils," Uncle Jason says you are a terrible cook."

"Nathan and his family are coming over for dinner and I need to have a word with your Uncle when he gets off duty, I don't appreciate him spreading vicious lies about me," Matt said with a cocky grin/smirk.

Both of them heard the door chime and Matt expected to see Kristin walking in, but he was surprised to see a young boy running towards him.

"Captain captain!" he called out, releasing his parents' hands. "Captain, are Alex and Kyle still here? Can I play with them and Caleb?"

"Freddy calm down, we will play with you," Caleb said trying his hardest to act like an adult.

"Caleb, act your age! Freddy its great to see you," Matt said as he got to eye level with the young boy," pretty soon I won't be able to do this anymore."

"Don't mind him captain," he apologized, even as he stifled a yawn, "he's been carrying on about coming to play ever since you extended the invitation."

"I'm glad he is excited and I hope you are hungry as well," Matt said as he led them to the kitchen table," though I'm sorry to say that dinner will not be ready for another thirty minutes or so."

(Nathan)

"Captain, we've got Raltorr stabilised, and I think Commander Paragon wants a word...I know you've got an engagement, but can you come down afterwards?"

"Tell the Commander that I will speak to him once Raltorr is escorted back to the S'Harien with the Ambassador," Matt said," for now keep him comfortable and good job Hannah."

Matt was glad that the main course would not need much more attention, it would give him the opportunity to be a good host for a change. After offering both adults some drinks and some appetizers that he had replicated, Matt sat down with the couple and just talked to them.

(Nathan.... lets talk about anything )

[Deleted]

"She can return to her quarters and report for light duty in the morning," the nurse replied, and Megan was just about to say thanks and go get her sister when Hannah continued. "Commander, don't you think the captain was a little too harsh on Nathan, banning him completely from sickbay? I understood that he refused to report, throwing the captain's own ban right back at him. That just isn't like him at all. Nathan would never refuse to help, under any circumstance. It worries me, Commander, deeply."

Smiling tightly, Commander Garrett simply replied, “I’m sure Captain Reynolds had his reasons,” before quickly changing subject back to Marina. “I’ll make sure my sister gets back to her quarters safely and gets some rest. And since we’re between missions currently, she may just get a few more days off. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Moving off to get her sister, Megan tried to brush off the nurse’s concerns. She too was concerned, but she would never publicly voice them. Nathan’s actions as well as the series of incidents that followed as a result had placed the doctor in a very precarious situation. He acted without thinking everything through and rarely seemed prepared for the consequences of his actions. Whether Captain Reynolds had overreacted in this particular instance or not was somewhat beside the point. Nathan was continuing to pay for his previous mistakes, as were those around him.

In truth, Megan did not agree with Matt’s decision either, but she understood his frustration. It was difficult to know what was necessary to get through to the doctor without going too far. The Captain had tried and went too far, but as much as the Commander believed she would have made a different decision in his place, and probably would have, she hadn’t been at that place and time, so it was impossible to know for sure. Plus, they had each had different experience and interaction with Nathan, which did effect and impact decisions made, both positively and negatively. But one thing was certain: a First Officer should never question Captain’s orders, at the very least not with or in front of the crew, unless it was absolutely necessary.

Dismissing those thoughts, Megan entered the adjacent room, grinning at her sister, who appeared to be pretending to have died, presumably from boredom. “Okay, okay...you can go back to your quarters now,” the Commander teased, poking her arm. “You’re going to get a few more days off, but you’re no longer confined here.”

Dropping the act, Marina sighed exaggeratedly. “Oh, finally! Let’s get out of here!” Quickly sitting up and hopping down from the biobed, Ensign Garrett was more than ready to go home, quickly opening a nearby compartment and retrieving a small bag. “Belongings I came in with. Sadly, the uniform’s not in any condition to wear, but I replicated something as soon as I could. You have to be prepared, you know.”

“I know,” Megan replied, surprised that the nursing staff had managed to keep her usually fashionable and individual sister in the standardized sickbay attire this long. As Marina stuck her tongue out and went to go change, into something comfortable and pink by the looks of it, Commander Garrett glanced at the still open bag on the bed. Right on top was her sister’s uniform, badly burned and bloodstained. It sent a chill down her spine to think of how close she had come to losing her little sister.

“All done!” Marina announced, having been gone for less than a minute. She had been exceedingly patient about staying in the ‘requisite garments’ but she hadn’t wasted any time getting out of them. “Now this is so much better, don’t you think?”

Taking in the pale pink t-shirt with the bright blue words proclaiming ‘Logic Has Failed’ in Vulcan, the blue and pink polka-dot pajama pants, and the blue flip-flops, all of which matched perfectly, Megan raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to walk to your quarters like that? Didn’t you replicate something more...well something…?”

Laughing, Marina grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “You always were so put together. I just got shot and released from sickbay! I am wearing my pajamas. If they’d let me, I would have worn them in here. So much more cheery this way.”

Shaking her head, Megan followed, remembering a time when her sister had gone to the mall in a similar outfit and somehow managed to get hit on by a group of boys anyway. Unsuccessfully however, as Marina had shot back “in your dreams guys,” before heading for her intended destinations and then getting an ice cream cone.

“I have made a decision,” Marina announced as they headed for the turbolift. “I’ve realized in all of this that I’ve spent too much time chasing men on this ship. What I need is a group of friends that I can rely on no matter what. I mean, after all, how much fun can you have chasing guys if you don’t have friends to brag to when you bag a hottie or complain to when he turns out to be a jerk? That’s what friends are for.”

“And showing up in sickbay when you get shot...especially when you happen to be in between conquests?” Megan questioned, knowing where this was coming from.

“Exactly!” Marina agreed. Sometimes, her sister could be somewhat clueless, but this time at least, she got it. “I mean, what were the odds? Of course, I’d get shot just after what’s his name got transferred, and I hadn’t gone on another date yet.”

“I can’t imagine...” Megan replied, trying desperately to keep a straight face. She was of course referring to the odds. Sometimes, it was really hard to believe the two of them could be related... “But I am glad you’re planning on making friends.”

“You should try it some time,” Marina shot back, not missing the veiled insult about the odds of getting shot between relationships. “Honestly, Meg, you’ve been here for three years, and it doesn’t seem like you’ve made any friends. You know, that’s really kind of pathetic... Being First Officer doesn’t mean you can’t have some kind of social life. Or go on a date! I mean seriously...it wouldn’t kill you to try it once.”

This was a familiar conversation, so Megan easily replied, “Yeah, but it might kill him,” which of course caused her sister to collapse in laughter as the turbolift arrived.

“No kidding,” Marina managed to retort amidst fits of laughter, which turned to fits of coughing inside the lift, causing a few surges of pain to radiate across her chest.

“Hey, you ok?” Megan asked, gently patting her sister on the back and wondering whether to request Marina’s quarters or head back to sickbay for a few more scans.

“Yeah,” Marina replied, quickly requesting her quarters before Megan changed her mind and dragged her back. “They don’t test your lungs with laughter in ‘prison.’ That’s all. Just don’t say anything funny until I’ve had a good night’s sleep, alright?”

“I’ll try and contain my wit until tomorrow,” Megan shot back, trying not to worry too much. “Hey, I know it’s still technically a soup, but how does a grilled cheese and tomato soup sound? You know, the kind we used to eat when we were sick as kids.”

Smiling genuinely, Marina nodded. “That sounds perfect. I asked for it in sickbay, but they said that the grilled cheese ‘wasn’t the best choice for my recovery.’ They said I could have the soup, but what good is tomato soup without grilled cheese?”

“No good at all,” Megan agreed, glad that she had managed to get her sister to eat something lighter than a burger or especially sushi. “And grilled cheese is always the perfect choice for any recovery. Clearly, the Academy is missing that lesson.”

“No kidding. No one should be allowed to graduate from any medical institution without the grilled cheese and tomato soup remedy,” Marina teased, starting to feel so much better, and not just from being out of sickbay. “Hey, Meg? Thank you…”

There was no teasing in her sister’s voice now, and Megan looked over and saw genuine gratitude. She really should have been here sooner... “You’re welcome,” she replied, determined to spend some more time this shoreleave with her sister.

[Valad Tavik]

Valad watched the waves come splashing up the beach as he waited for his beautiful date to arrive. His mind was stuck in one place, and it was not on the new computer system he planned on building. It was on Monica Quindara. He had never expected to find such an amazing young woman on this starship. He had only found love once in his life, and after that ended he never felt it again. But something in his operations assistant triggered emotions he never thought he could feel again. Valad wasn't sure if it was love. He wasn't sure what it was at all, but just once more, he would take the risk.

The doors to the holodeck swished open, revealing a woman with long jet black hair and absolutely beautiful features. She walked up to him quietly and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," he replied as he walked over to her smiling. He held out his hand and offered her a seat.

Monica quickly took his hand longing to once again feel his bare skin. Since last night, she couldn’t help but think about Valad and him only. She knew that this was a disservice to the rest of the ship, but at that moment she didn’t care. It dawned on Monica, that Valad was wearing a Risan shirt and she couldn’t be happier since anything Risan was practically see through. “You didn’t do anything you weren’t supposed to after you left did you?” Monica asked once she was seated.

~How does she know these things?~ He thought to himself. "I may have made a slight detour to the office. I had something I needed to check on, but it had nothing to do with our most recent mission." At least he was honest.

She had just been joking around, but the fact that Valad had been honest with her quelled her anger. “I’m sure no one saw you because the captain would have chewed my [word deleted] out already if you had been seen,” Monica said before she took a drink of one of the many juices in front of her.

"I'm good at staying hidden. There were a couple of the guys in there doing something intelligent that I wasn't really interested in being apart of," he said, then added, "After all, I am under the Captain's orders aren't I? How's the juice?"

“You are changing the subject, but it is very good, though I don’t really know what I’m drinking,” Monica replied with a smile. She was growing less angry by the second and she now realized that she could never really stay mad at Valad for long. It also helped that she understood his predicament. If she was ordered to stop doing all work, she just might go crazy,” so what made you choose this beautiful place?"

"Actually, I got the idea from you. When I looked into your beautiful eyes last night, it came to me instantly."

The ‘beautiful eyes’ line had been used for hundreds of years by multiple races but it was still effective. She already knew that her face was beat red, and all she could was try to hide her face away in embarrassment.

Noticing she was trying to hide her blushing face, Valad said, "No no. Hold on. I want to look into your eyes again. So far, you've have given me one epiphany. I'd like another if you please." He arched one eyebrow slightly and put a bite of the food on his plate in his mouth to chew. Not once did his gaze leave hers.

The intensity in his gaze was almost unnerving, but Monica could not stop looking into his eyes. She completely forgot about the food because she felt perfectly content just staring into his eyes. “I bet you’ve used that line dozens of times on girls all around the quadrant and they worked every time.”

That earned a little chuckle. "Actually, you would be the first who has heard this one from me." He dropped his gaze down to his plate for a moment. Thinking of the right words to say. Returning to her, he said, "I'm afraid that my pre-starfleet years didn't leave much time for this sort of thing, so I am kind of winging it. Is it working?"

“I would have to say that it is, it seems you are a natural at this,” Monica said as she grabbed a piece of fruit and ate it unable to deny her hunger anymore,” I’ve noticed that you talk about your time before joining Starfleet with such a negative tone, why is that?”

"Umm .... let's just say I had an interesting childhood and adolescence. A lot of .... learning experiences." It was definitely a learning experience, working for his uncle, but not one he was proud of. "I didn't get out much either." That statement wasn't entirely untrue, but when he was "out," it usually meant on a job.

“I think I understand, but I have to admit that I’m confused,” Monica said within bites of her food,” you said you had a lot of learning experiences, but how is that possible if you weren’t out there exploring, learning new and wonderful things.”'

Valad let out a silent sigh. ~She's pressing this.... damn...~ "I suppose I should have said I didn't get out for fun. I was definitely out there learning new things." After he said it, he realized the glaring sarcasm that would almost definitely catch Monica's attention.

“I’m sorry I realize that past events not might be easy to talk about,” Monica said mad at herself for making Valad uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure of what was affecting him, but she hoped that one day he trust her enough to let her in,” you know, you never told me if you liked my little outfit. It took me a while to put it together.”

Valad shook his head back into reality, realizing that he had not complimented her on how beautiful she looked. Honestly, it really didn't matter. Her eyes were all he needed. ~And her smile.~ "Forgive me. You look absolutely beautiful. Though I must say that once again your eyes have held my gaze since you walked through the doors."

“Then next time, I will have to cover them with sunglasses,” Monica said with a laugh,” because the rest of me feels left out.”

"Now that would be heartbreaking. But you are right. I'll make it a point to look away long enough at the rest of the beauty before me. But I want to be honest with you about something." Valad took a short pause before he continued. "Its not your beauty that attracts me to you. Its your willingness to try new things. Your ability to adapt to any situation. You have an aura that I find absolutely alluring." He smiled at her. "You are a rare catch Monica. Any man would be a fool to not realize that."

For a moment, Monica thought that Valad was going to say that she found her brain attractive and as Valad spoke she practically melted in her seat. At that moment, she would have done anything that he asked of her, but luckily for her she recovered rather quickly. “I’m nothing special Valad. Every woman on this ship shares those very same characteristics. I consider myself lucky that you even gave me the time of day."

Valad typically would have blurted out the most obvious counter-example in his mind, but he refrained from mentioning any other woman. "I disagree. Before I met you, I had never looked into someone's eyes and remembered what I saw. With you, just the simply thought of gazing into your eyes leaves me speechless. You are truly a unique individual."

While Monica highly doubted Valad’s last statement, it made her feel wanted and loved. It was a feeling that she had only felt once before and it had been a very long time ago. She would not deny herself this feeling but she would remain true to herself. “Now that is going to be a problem. We cannot have a speechless Chief Operations Officer. It will not be tolerated.”

Valad laughed. "Then as my assistant I assign the important task of making sure I speak, though it might not be a bad idea to keep my mouth shut a little more often." She was witty, something else Valad quite enjoyed. She would definitely keep him on his toes. He was willing to pursue this relationship. He hoped she was too.

“I doubt that you would like my methods,” Monica said,” as you already know I’m not afraid of speaking my mind and if you do something that will jeopardize the good name of our department, I will make sure you know it. On the bridge you can do whatever you want, but when we are together I don’t ever want to stop hearing your voice.”

Valad looked into her eyes once again, feeling the warmth of her gaze wrapping around him. His entire being was light, like he was soaring above the clouds. He was happy. For once in his life, he was truly happy. He got up out of his chair and walked to Monica. He gently pulled her up out of her chair and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her with such passion that all emotion flowed out of his body and into the kiss.

If Valad hadn’t been holding on to her, Monica Quindara would have fallen to the ground because her body had lost all control. The passion held in the kiss seemed to engulf both of them and for the first time ever she lost herself within his embrace.

“Damn, if only I didn’t need oxygen,” Monica said with a playful smile before taking in a breath of air. Monica had never felt so alive and all she wanted at that moment was to be with him.

He returned the smile. "Oxygen is important." He also took a breath before leaning down once again to kiss her. The passion remained this time and did not waiver. The kiss held for a while until it was broken naturally, not by either Valad or Monica. He held onto her, not gripping her, but gently wrapped as if he was acting as her protective cocoon. He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek.

Monica wished that the moment would last forever. Valad’s strong arms engulfed her and she felt protected from everything. While they had shared two very passionate kisses, the last one had been tender and let Monica know that everything would be alright. “It’s strange that in such a short period of time, I already feel completely safe with you. Is this normal?”

Though he was surprised by the question, Valad did have an answer for Monica. "Probably not, but I want you to know that you are and always will be safe with me." He held her tighter, reinforcing what he had just said.

As he held her tight, she couldn’t but think how lucky she was. She had fawned over Valad since the beginning and now her fantasies were coming true. Even though Monica had practically thrown herself at him, Valad had resisted her advances and in the process made Monica value herself more. Without even knowing it, Valad Tavik was making her happy. “Since we are at the beach, would you like to go for a swim?"

He looked out at the ocean and then back at Monica. "Yeah, I'd like that." He held her for a moment longer and let go to remove his shirt.

~I’m liking what I see more and more~ Monica thought as she admired Valad’s bare chest and stomach. Without even thinking she ran her hands across his chest and once she realized what she had been doing she froze.

Monica's hands felt warm against Valad's unusually cold chest. Realizing she froze, he grabbed her hands, kissed her on the cheek, and slowly backed into the water, letting go of her hands in the process. When the water was halfway up his thighs, he stopped and waited for her to come in.

“You know playing hard to get is the girls job,” Monica said as she followed Valad into the water. She would continue to play his game, but not for much longer.

"Are you calling me a girl, Monica?" he asked playfully before reaching his arms around her. He picked her up and twirled her around in the air, before setting her back down and kissing her again.

Monica erupted in laughter as she was spun around. For a brief moment she felt helpless, but that feeling was replaced with warmth and a sense of security as their lips met once more. “Yes, a  very handsome, strong, muscular boy.”

Valad grinned. He picked her up again, this time putting one arm underneath her legs and the other behind her back. He walked back up the beach a bit before gently setting her down, laying on the ground, and laying next to her. He gently took her hand, feeling happier than he had ever felt before.

~Finally~ Monica thought as their lips met.

=^=Lieutenant Quindara, those evaluations you requested are done and are awaiting your approval. Please respond=^= a female voice said over the com.

They broke apart, if for only a moment. Valad looked into her eyes and raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what she would do.

Monica at that moment hated the fact that she was good at her job, and for the first time she was going to ignore it. As she felt the Valad’s back muscles tightened, she reassured him by kissing him once again.

Should Monica go do her job? Yes. Was she going to? Not if Valad could help it. She kissed him again, telling him that she wasn't going anywhere. He reached behind her, pulling her in closer. As he kissed her, his hands caressed her now bare back. He could feel the muscles in her back tighten and release as he moved his hands passed them. All he felt inside his own body was passion and happiness. Something he intended on sharing with Monica here and now. Valad Tavik was finally happy.

--------------------------------------
An hour and a half later:

Complete happiness was the only way Monica could describe her current situation. Her only protection from the waves of the ocean was Valad’s body between them. They had not said a word to each other, but they both knew they were perfectly at peace.

Monica turned to face Valad and only stared into his captivating eyes. She once again caressed his face memorizing his facial features with her fingertips. “Thank you”

Valad had never felt such emotion. It was complete joy and a sense of completeness. He would no longer need to search for the meaning of life. He knew his place was here and now.

He gently squeezed her hand and kissed it, holding it close to his heart. He didn't need to respond vocally. As he looked into her eyes, he tried to show her what he felt. He saw a twinkle in her eye. Valad smiled

“Valad, while it was in jest when I said it the first time, I never want to see you speechless,” Monica said as she tenderly kissed Valad,” your voice reminds me that I’m no longer alone and that you want me just as much as I want you.”

He let out a sigh, almost as if he had been holding his breath for so long. He wished he could find the perfect words to say but they were not coming to him. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. After a short moment, words finally escaped his lips. "Monica, I don't know if I have ever felt this way before, but I want you to know one thing, you have my heart. In just this short time, you have shown me such great compassion that I am left speechless at your very gaze. I can't promise you that I will always have something to say, but know this. As long as my heart beats, it is yours."

His words caused such joy that she couldn’t help but cry. She knew that her reaction would scare him at first but she reassured him with soft kisses to his face and hands. She had never known the true meaning of peace until now and she was now overcome with emotion. Monica slowly got up and took Valad’s hand. “I was about something, you are not a girl,” Monica said before she let go of his hand and swam deeper into the ocean.

Valad watched her swim. She swam with such grace and finesse that he couldn't help but gaze about her. A short while later, he dove in after her. Finally catching up to her, they began to tread water and held her up to kiss her. It was a feeling of euphoria. Valad was safe in the hands of Monica Quindara, and that is where he would remain.

They were about two hundred meters away from shore, Monica knew that this was only a holodeck program, but to her senses it felt real but she had nothing to fear anymore. “I’m surprised that you can swim so well,” Monica remarked with a smile,” most male cadets stay away from the water. Doesn’t provide enough of a rush.”

"Swimming is good for the body, no matter who you are. I would say though that you are a much better swimmer." He held onto her still even though he knew she didn't need it.

“If we truly out at sea, I would be the one protecting you,” Monica said as she took hold of Valad’s waist. She knew that he would hold on to him always and that no one would take him away from her,” Valad…..I…..I love you.”

Valad was stunned! She loved him? Him? Not anyone else. All he could do was respond how his heart told him to. "I .... lo....." He paused but then smiled. "I love you too."

Monica was now speechless. She tried to speak, to respond to his declaration of love but she was unable to. She grabbed on to his neck and just embraced him. She placed her head and hand on his beating heart and just rested on his heart.

Valad rested his head on Monica's as they embraced. He couldn't believe this was happening. He just told a girl that he loved her and meant it. Wholeheartedly meant it. This was all he needed. He kissed the top of her head affectionately.

Even though she hated to part from their embrace, Monica knew that it was time they dressed and left the holodeck. While Valad had been ordered to not work during their trip back to Assailant, Monica did not have that luxury. She had to make sure Valad didn’t work, but keep up with her other duties. She lightly kissed Valad once again before motioning him to swim back towards the shore.

Valad slowly swam back to shore, taking as much time as he could so he could spend as much time with Monica as he could. He knew she had to work but he was going to try to coax her out of it. As they dressed, he said, "So how about requesting leave for the duration of the trip?"

“I normally would but there is no one to replace me,” Monica said with a smile,” trust me I don’t want to leave. I would rather keep you like this and repeat this morning, but we cannot push our other responsibilities to the side. ”

"Oh come on, they guys can handle it without us for a few days. We are just flying back to Assailant after all." He reached for her and held her again. "The Captain will give you some leave. You deserve it."

“If I ask for leave, he would then assign someone else to be your shadow and we cannot have that,” Monica said as she kissed him hard.

"I'm not going to win this battle am I?" Valad asked returning the kiss.

“You’ll win some, but not this won,” Monica said with a laugh,” and not many to come either.”

"Damn, well at least if I'm losing battles, its to you. I wouldn't have it any other way." He leaned down and kissed her one last time before she left.

"If I find out that you disobeyed orders again, I'll make sure you pay for it," Monica said with a devious grin and walked out of the holodeck

[Deleted]

"I'm glad he is excited and I hope you are hungry as well," Matt said as he led them to the kitchen table," though I'm sorry to say that dinner will not be ready for another thirty minutes or so."

"That's quite all right," Nathan replied, clearly uncomfortable at being here in the captain's quarters.

Matt was glad that the main course would not need much more attention, it would give him the opportunity to be a good host for a change. After offering both adults some drinks and some appetizers that he had replicated, Matt sat down with the couple and just talked to them.

Nathan declined the offer of alcoholic drink, using his heart condition as an excuse. Jayden on the other hand accepted the offer and settled beside his husband with his drink. "Some adventure, wasn't it," the marine offered, breaking the eerie silence.

"One I hope to never repeat again," Matt said as he drank a good portion of his drink. The previous mission had been especially hard and it was time for everyone to take it easy for a while.

Jayden leaned back, watching Nathan try to feed their daughter. He was completely lost in the task, which seemed just as well. "Captain, while Nathan sees to our baby girl, could I have a word with you?" He nodded towards the small kitchen. "I'll help you with dinner."

Matt doubted that the young marine would do much helping, but he stayed quiet. Jayden was worried about his mate and like Matt, he was having doubt about thier current situation." I hope you are not a vegitearian?"

The two got up and Jayden nursed his drink as he leaned against the counter. "What's going to happen now captain? Does he still need to serve brig time? You know he's not made any trouble about this, even though he very well could have, and probably would have under normal circumstances. But these are different circumstances and I know he's been trying very, very hard to comply with the orders set upon him. Except we both know that it's very difficult for him to not get up and help someone in need, despite his own needs and requirements."

Matt contemplated what Jayden had said and he knew that he was right. Nathan was probably to good a doctor and in this dangerous universe to few of them. "Trust me, I understand what you are saying. Just look at him with Angel. He is clearly uncomfortable being here right now."

"I'm very proud of him you know, the way he's been trying to approve. It's not easy on him you see. I really hurt his feelings, reporting on him, and I know now that I overreacted." The young marine paused, idly twirling the drink in his glass around. "I hope you don't fault him for not going to sickbay when you asked him to?"

"While I would have preferred his medical expertise, I've been informed that even he would have not been able to do anything for Raltorr," Matt said," the fact that he refused to go to sickbay just speaks to his character. He sticks by his principles and that is something we shouldn't punish him for."

"Thank you captain, I appreciate your honesty with me." He patted the captain's arm and walked back to the livingroom, smiling as he saw Freddy chase after Caleb in an attempt to catch him. "Nathan..."

The doctor looked up, shifting the baby in his arms, smiling slightly."She's all fed and drowsy now. Captain would you like to hold her?" He held out the baby towards the younger man, trying to get comfortable with the situation himself. He felt awkward, being here, when he should be sleeping in his quarters as he was ordered to do. Somehow, even though it was at the captain's own request to come here, it felt like disobedience.

Matt turned to face Nathan and Angel and almost instantly a smile appeared on his face. Angel was a beautiful child and Matt couldn't help but be jealous of his friends. "Of course I would. Though I would have preferred her to be fully active. She would be my first chance at practice."

"This is the first I've heard of this," Kristin said as she entered Matt's quarters," its great to see you Nathan... Jayden."

(Nathan/Jayden)

"I have been meaning to talk to you about that," Matt said as he showed Kristen the now sleeping Angel," isn't she just beautiful. I think we should just keep her for our own."

(Nathan/Jayden)

[Deleted]

Marina had slept wonderfully. It had felt so good to be in her own quarters and in her own bed again, not to mention how much she had enjoyed spending some time with Megan. They were very, very different people, always had been, and so they weren’t so close as to spend a lot of time together, but they did still love each other very much and got along famously for short, spread-out periods of time. Last night had been just such an occasion, sharing good comfort food and reminiscing on old, childhood memories. They had done a lot of laughing, remembering inside, family jokes that only the two of them, and perhaps their Mom, could ever really understand. Although the stories were told with good humor, underneath most were tinged with a sorrow and pain only they could truly comprehend, even if it remained unspoken.

It had been a wonderful evening, and Marina awoke refreshed and feeling like a new woman. Yes, it had been exactly what she needed after having been cooped up in sickbay for so long. And now, after sleeping in until nearly noon and having a leisurely breakfast and a long, relaxing soak in the tub, Ensign Garrett felt completely rejuvenated...and bored. Her nails and hair were now restored from the neglect of sickbay, her makeup was perfectly done, and it would be a shame to just waste that, so after selecting an outfit that was a perfect balance of comfort and style, Marina headed out to rejoin the rest of the crew and find some relief for her restlessness.

Leaving her quarters with a bounce in her step, Marina headed for the Aft Lounge to see what sort of fun she could locate. The large room was bustling with activity, just the thing she needed after being cooped up for so long. People were laughing and talking in groups scattered all around the room. It was lively and exhilarating to walk into a location with so much energy. Heading for the bar first, to case out the place, she was craving a real drink but could hear Megan’s voice in her head, so Marina ordered a virgin version of one of her favorites, the Orion Constellation.

Sipping the fruity, fizzy, green beverage when it arrived, Marina spun around in her chair to get a good view of her surroundings. There were people everywhere, in all different kinds of groups. Of course, those on dates were pretty obvious, and she felt a pang. There were several groups of guys...maybe it wouldn’t hurt to put off her friend-finding expedition, just for a little while. After all, she had just been shot. No, no, no...she had decided to find a good group of friends and focus on platonic relationships right now, and she was not going to give that up for a cutie sighting.

With renewed determination, Marina continued to scan the room. Dates and double dates, groups of couples and groups of guys...none of these were what she really needed. Couples and guys were far too dangerous. She would weaken before way establishing a relationship that would survive her breakup with a member of their group, and then Marina would just find herself right back here where she’d started, without friends whom she could rely on no matter what her relationship status was.

After perusing her options and nursing her drink, Marina’s eyes settled on a table near the window. A group of three girls were deeply engrossed in a conversation, two looked Human-ish, and strikingly similar, and one appeared to be part Klingon. Although the security officer had worked with Klingons professionally, she’d never interacted with one on a personal level, not to mention the fact that this particular Klingon did not appear to be in a good mood at all. However, something about this group seemed to draw Marina to them, and eventually, she decided to approach.

Carefully timing her arrival during a lull in the conversation, Marina offered a smile to the trio before speaking. “Hello, my name is Marina. I just got out of sickbay last night, and I’m absolutely dying for some social interaction which doesn’t involve a hypospray. Do you guys mind if I join you?” she asked, feeling a little bit awkward.

<Tag Valad (aka D’Etora and company)>

~

As the Jefferson approached Assailant, Megan was looking forward to having her idea of a break. She already had it all planned out: sleeping in a little bit, working out as usual except a little later to accommodate extra sleep, taking a shorter than usual shift on the bridge or in her office, and then enjoying quiet or fun evenings either spent on the holodeck training or in one of the science labs with her projects. The Commander had seriously considered requesting a Black Ops assignment, a short one, but eventually decided that it would be better to take it easier for a few days to be ready for the Jefferson’s next mission and for potential, future operations.

She was well aware that this wasn’t exactly a typical vacation, and that more than likely she wouldn’t get it to count on her record, but Megan really didn’t like to stay idle for very long. On most of her real shoreleaves, most necessitated by previous injuries, Commander Garrett would go back to Earth and spend the time visiting with her family, trying to get some time in with everyone or at least every group. It wasn’t a particularly relaxing way to spend a vacation either, but at least it counted.

Sighing contentedly, Megan dove smoothly into the water to begin the swimming portion of her workout. It was two and a half hours later than she was usually here, but somehow the extra sleep made it all the more refreshing. It had been wonderful to spend the evening, or a few hours of it, with Marina the night before, and she was glad her little sister was feeling better and would be alright. It had been a very welcomed distraction from those thoughts that had preoccupied her mind recently.

Govan... It seemed like every moment she wasn’t actively engaged in something else, the Romulan sprang to her mind along with all the memories she would rather forget. He was the reason she was on the Jefferson in the first place. The injuries she’d sustained as a result of his discovering her real identity had been so severe that it had caused permanent damage to her brain stem, which had decreased the communication with her assistant devices, lowered her autonomic functionality, and as a result, Megan hadn’t felt she didn’t belong in Black Ops anymore at less than 100%. Admiral LaPage had tried to convince her otherwise, but she had made up her mind, and as a result, transferred as the Chief Science Officer on the Jefferson.

Of course since then, her condition had gradually improved as her brain readjusted and learned to circumvent the damaged pathways, and things had actually worked out quite well for her: promoted to Second Officer, then First Officer, and eventually being offered the rare opportunity to have a duel career, but deep down, she still missed being in Black Ops and resented Govan for having put her in that position in the first place. That anger, along with the guilt of what she had done to him, had remained with her all these years and recent events had brought that all up again.

This was something Megan was planning on attempting to work through again in her mind, so as to come to some sort of a resolution before their next mission. It had been a struggle to adjust and process it the first time, but at least this time, she had a better overall view of how things had worked out since then, and she’d seen that in spite of the damage she had done to him, Govan was doing just fine, Commander of his own warbird, and just as grumpy, hostile, and menacing as ever, and she had survived, regained her strength, and ended up in an even better career.

It wouldn’t be a fun thing to do, but she would find a way to manage it somehow, For right now, she dismissed those thoughts from her mind and just focused on the flow of the water around her and the rhythm of her strokes as she glided across the length of the blue pool, executed a graceful flip, reversed direction, and repeated the trip in reverse with only the steady, relaxing pace to consume all her attention.

[Deleted]

Matt turned to face Nathan and Angel and almost instantly a smile appeared on his face. Angel was a beautiful child and Matt couldn't help but be jealous of his friends. "Of course I would. Though I would have preferred her to be fully active. She would be my first chance at practice."

"This is the first I've heard of this," Kristin said as she entered Matt's quarters," its great to see you Nathan... Jayden."

Both men rose to their feet to shake the woman's hand. “Likewise ma'am,” Jayden replied politely, while Nathan kept his eyes on his daughter.

“Practice at what,” Nathan murmured unhappily while resuming his seat. “She'll be awake soon enough, trust me. She's a light sleeper and has kept us up many a night so far.”

"I have been meaning to talk to you about that," Matt said as he showed Kristen the now sleeping Angel," isn't she just beautiful. I think we should just keep her for our own."

It was fortunate for Matt that Nathan knew he was just joking about keeping her, because it took every ounce of control to keep himself from snatching the child back from him. It was well known that Nathan was over-protective of his children, especially after his son had been abducted not too long ago, and his father gravely injured in the process.

The doctor cast his captain a very sour smile, while he tried to relax. Jayden sensed his mate's discomfort and idly rubbed his arm. “It'll be all right,” he whispered, “trust me, everything will be all right.”

Nathan peered into his empty cup then sighed. “I'm sorry captain, for not being the best of company right now. The last few days have been very trying for me and I'm beyond exhausted. I've been trying very hard to keep to the guidelines set upon me, by yourself and Commander Garrett and it's been really hard.”

"I know that I've been really hard on you lately, Nathan and I would like to apologize for being such an [word deleted], but I can honestly say that I only want what is best for you," Matt said sincerely," you are such a terrific doctor that you sometimes forget to take care of yourself or the consequences of your actions."

(Nathan)

“I had actually been looking forward to tonight, but with us probably approaching starbase by now, I can't help but get a little nervous. You won't hear me complain, I promise you that, as you know I've accepted my fate. I was wondering when I should report...”

“Perhaps you can discuss that in the morning,” Jayden suggested carefully, “let's just enjoy dinner tonight and be happy and thankful that we're all still alive. Oh, did you hear anything back on that gift you sent to the S'harien?”

"Why would you send anything to the S'Harien?" Matt asked utterly perplexed.

Nathan blinked in surprise, not having expected that to be brought up before the captain and his company. “Ah...no. I never expected a reply to begin with, I'm just hoping he didn't smash it.” He offered Matt a wry smile. “I had a bottle of whiskey sent over to the S'harien, as a thank you to Commander Echal. Contrary to other people's experiences with him, I found him quite cordial and polite. I am well aware that he could have had me executed, but he was quite civil. So...I sent him a bottle of whiskey as thank you. I added a handwritten note suggesting he have his doctor scan it just to be safe, but my own investigation showed that it wouldn't be toxic. I wouldn't want him to believe I'd try to poison him...”

Jayden laughed merrily. “I would've loved to see the look on that man's face. You do have an odd impact on people Nathan, some really don't know what to think of you. I mean, I didn't when we first met, and you were behind bars then too, if you recall.” He wrapped his arm around the older man, drawing him closer. He could sense Nathan recalled, only too clearly. “Don't worry love, you'll be fine. And if you still do have to do brig time, I promise we'll visit every day, and I'm sure Hannah'll keep you up to date on happenings in sickbay, despite ah...you not being allowed there.”

Nathan shrugged indifferently. “As you said, we'll discuss it tomorrow. Matt, I hope you remembered I am vegetarian?” He sniffed the air, smiling slightly, and more genuinely. “Smells good.”

When it came to Govan Echal, Matt decided that it would be best if he just completely ignored it. There would be no way in hell that he would ever get along with that man and it would be pointless to try. "First of all why did you waste a good bottle of whiskey on that waste of a man?" Matt asked with a wry smile of his own," I myself would have enjoyed it. As for you being vegetarian, I did remember, though I still don't know why anyone would give up such great taste."

"Because I was well treated, when it could've been worse. It seemed like the right thing to do, and I stick with that decision." He chuckled darkly. "As for meat, I can't remember the taste of it, the last time I had any, I was five years old. To eat it now would make me very sick."

"You don't eat meat?" Caleb asked with a look of utter shock," Freddy is there something wrong with your dad? Did you know that he doesn't eat any meat?"

The boy chuckled. "I don't eat meat either," he admitted, "dad grew up with a Vulcan, my auntie. Vulcan's don't eat meat, so dad and uncle Richard didn't either."

It took everything in Matt to not burst out laughing. Caleb's reaction was priceless and funny to boot.

[Matthew Reynolds]

A Few Days Later

The NCC-750076 USS Jefferson cruised at warp five towards Starbase Assailant and for the first time for the majority of the crew everything was going as planned. The crew was already undergoing a well deserved break and the captain of the Jefferson couldn't be any happier. He had just completed crew evaulations and he was pleased that both Megan and himself agreed on every promotion.

~He'll learn how to dodge next time~ Matt thought as he put down the last of the evaulations on his desk. His experience with Govan Echal was far from his mind and his thoughts turned to his family. The Jefferson was home to over forty seven families and Matt was finding himself envious of them all. The irony was that Matt already had a family in Kristin and Caleb. The only problem; he had yet to ask Kristin to marry and he was finding a hard time finding the right time to ask her. He already knew that she was going to say yes, but something was stopping him.

"It is now 1900 hours. You must stop working"

The computer's voice brought Matt back to reality and he prepared to head back to his quarters. He could still not believe that he had set up automated alarms for himself, but they were doing their job. ~I'm glad that I programmed them to only remind me when I was in here alone~ Matt thought before he went back onto the bridge for the last time that day.

"We'll be at Assailant in seventeen hours Captain," Monica reported seemingly happier than normal.

"Alright, contact all department heads and tell them that I would like them to all be in the ready room before we arrive," Matt said before he entered the lift and enjoyed the rest of his day with his girlfriend and son.

[Deleted]

OOC: Joint Post between Myself and Doctor van Breughel

After breakfast, Nathan knew that he couldn't put this off much longer. And he didn't feel like he could talk to Matt on this one; he'd tried to breach the subject over dinner several times but each time the subject was avoided or deflected. Sighing, he hugged his son and kissed his husband before seeing both out the door. Jayden would take Freddy to school and bring Angel to Hannah. They'd talked this over for hours, and Nathan saw no other option. After a few minutes to himself, he made his way to the First Officer's office. "Commander, could I have a word? Please?"

Placing the report she’d been reading on the desk, Megan nodded and gestured to the chair opposite of her. “Of course, Doctor. Please, come in and have a seat.”

Nathan sat, folding his hands in his lap. "I tried talking to Matt yesterday and get some closure, but he wouldn't talk to us on the subject." He gazed directly at Megan and though he was clearly nervous, his voice was steady and there was determination in his eyes. "I've come to report for my brig sentence," he stated resolutely, "our mission seems to be concluded. It was part of the deal, so here I am. You know I always keep my word, and I gave my word I'd report. I've not made any trouble, but I would like to get a time frame put to the sentence. Jayden needs to know how long I will be away for."

Megan had been somewhat expecting this, though not until they reached Assailant, and had given the matter some thought, so she was prepared to answer him. “You have kept up your end, albeit with a minor incident in sickbay, but I can appreciate how difficult it would be to be expected to rest in your place of work while seeing things that needed to be done and people who needed help,” Commander Garrett added, knowing her understanding wouldn’t be a surprise to him. “I’ve given it some thought, and taking into consideration your injury, which occurred after we spoke, as well as your family, I’ve decided that the best option would be to assign shifts in the brig, the same shifts you would take in sickbay were you on duty. That way, you have time to think about your actions and consider changes you need to make to prevent them from happening again, but you’re not unduly stressed or exhausted, and your family isn’t punished as well. Of course, since the time would spread out more, it would have to extend longer, but once you are fully healed, I believe we could exchange shifts in the brig for shifts of tactical and protocol training instead on top of your shifts in sickbay, most likely at the start of the Jefferson’s next mission.”

"If it's alright, I would prefer to sit it out in one go," Nathan requested. "I am feeling well enough, and the time alone won't impact my health. I have been resting since I was banned from sickbay. I haven't even been swimming, so I haven't exhausted myself doing that. You will need me on duty by the time we go out again, I would prefer that my time would be served by then, so I can serve to the best of my ability." It was a stretch but it was the truth. "What point is there to a punishment if half of it is spent at home, and half in a cell?"

That had been the last thing she had expected. Megan had thought it through quite fully and had felt her solution was perfectly suited to the circumstances and that he would appreciate the consideration, not turn it down. “You...would rather spend the entire shoreleave in the brig?” she questioned, not quite sure she’d heard him right.

"Yes, Ma'am," Nathan held his ground, for once had thought his situation through completely. "I've spoken with Jayden, and we've agreed that this is the best solution. I ask again, what point is there in punishment if one is allowed to spend shoreleave? No, Ma'am, I'd rather get this done and over with, so we can move on."

Still a bit stunned, Megan considered it. Her offer seemed like the perfect solution to her, but if he really wanted to stay in the brig for the rest of shoreleave to make up for his actions, who was she to say he couldn’t? That had been the original plan after all. “Very well, if that’s what you would rather do,” Commander Garrett finally agreed. “But I do have to remind you that the tactical training is still required from previously, and that I will still insist on protocol training, as I believe this situation has made it obvious that it is necessary. I still do not think beginning tactical training so soon after your injury is wise, but perhaps, you can begin reading Starfleet protocol and regulations during your time spent in the brig,” she suggested, still surprised.

“I have insisted upon the tactical training several times now," Nathan answered, arguing for the first time since he entered the room, "and apart from Ensign Garrett, no one has seen fit to answer my repeated requests."

“I know,” Megan replied, understanding his frustration. “That is why I have decided to handle the training myself, as soon as we have the opportunity,” she responded.

Now, his eyes widened and it was his turn to be surprised. "Eh?" he managed, then remembered. "Ah," he added, still at a loss for words. "Do I wait for escort to the brig? Or do I just..." He had no idea how to describe it.

“You can go ahead and report to the brig. I’ll tell them to expect you,” Megan replied.

Nathan rose to his feet. "Thank you, Ma'am. If I could have, I would've spoken with the Captain. At least you tell me straight how it is. I appreciate that even if I don't always show it. Permission to be dismissed?"

“Granted,” Megan agreed, not quite sure what to make of his comment about the Captain. “I will send you some material to read once I have compiled it,” she added.

The doctor nodded once, tried to offer a half-decent salute, and then walked out.

Shaking her head and smiling slightly, Megan opened a channel to the brig. “This is Commander Garrett. Doctor van Breughel is on his way down to serve out his sentence for the duration of shoreleave. Assign him to a quiet cell out of the way, so he will not be disturbed,” she added, hoping to give him plenty of time to think.

Halfway through a rather boring shift in the brig, Ensign Gerard had been leaning back in his chair with his feet on the console when the First Officer contacted him. Jumping at her voice and quickly dropping his feet back to the floor, Evan quickly recovered. “Uh, yes, Ma’am, there’s no one here at the moment, but I’ll place him in the corner, so he won’t be bothered by anyone exiting or entering,” he replied.

“I will be sending down some information for him to read shortly. Once it arrives, download it into a datapadd and make sure that he gets it,” the Commander added.

“Yes, Ma’am, I will,” Gerard replied, retrieving a padd from the drawer to be ready.

“Garrett out,” Megan finished, closing the channel. Her mind was already focused on figuring out which protocols and regulations would benefit Nathan most and how best to organize them into a more comprehensive reading program. She had already decided that she would be conducting Nathan’s tactical training, but she hadn’t yet arranged a complete course. It would be something for her to do during shoreleave, and although she had never been an instructor, she would be ready.

Several minutes later, he reported to the brig officer. "Reporting as ordered, Sir," he commented, looking around at the vacant cells. "Which one?"

“Right over here,” Ensign Gerard directed Nathan towards the cell in the corner. “She told me to put you somewhere out of the way, so you wouldn’t be disturbed,” he explained, lowering the forcefield and gesturing for the doctor to step inside the small cell. “If you need anything, just let me know,” Evan added pleasantly.

"The Commander said you'd have some reading for me," Nathan supplied as he stepped inside. The cell wasn't too big, and indeed in a quiet part of the brig. Unfortunately, he still had no clear estimate on how many days he'd be in here in total. He wondered silently if someone would think to tell him. "Starfleet protocols?"

“Commander Garrett said she would be sending it shortly,” he replied, activating the forcefield after the doctor stepped inside. “If you need anything, just ask. One of us will be by to check on you every hour or so, and you’ll be brought your meals.”

"Thank you, Ensign. I'll just be ah...over there." He pointed to the cot. "Hmm...perhaps a chair? It's not much to ask I hope...I don't think we got a decent chiropractor aboard." He smiled pleasantly as he sat down, then swung his legs up and lowered himself. As he waited, he stared at the ceiling in silence.

“Sorry, Doc, what you see is what you get here. It’s policy not to provide additional furniture since it’s not nailed down, though I doubt we’d see you throwing anything,” Evan added, with a bit of a grin. “I’ll be over there. Just holler,” he added, moving back toward his post and leaving the ‘prisoner’ alone with his thoughts in the cell.

With a smile, Nathan shook his head. "Don't be too sure, Ensign. Everyone has their limits, and I've already reached mine once or twice before, temper-wise that is....physically, I think my body has been trying to tell me something over the past few months. Since I've been taking it easier, I've not been ill. I'd like to keep it that way. No sir, I won't be throwing things. But...an extra pillow perhaps then?" That wouldn't be too much, surely?"

“Got to stick to policy,” the Ensign threw back over his shoulder as he moved away. “Besides food, water, and that datapadd that’s coming, this is all there is...”

Wow...that one was a stickler for the rules. Ah well, he wasn't in here for comfort, was he? Nathan sighed audibly but didn't voice a reply. Instead, he locked his hands behind his head and relaxed, keeping his eyes on the ceiling as his thoughts wandered. Soon, he was asleep, breathing easy, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

[Valad Tavik]

D'Etora couldn't quite believe what had happened. It was only a day ago and she was still fuming. How could he lead her on like that? It was wrong and she wasn't going to stand for it. She fumed as she got up and ready for her duty shift.

The Klingon's past several days had been pretty rough. With all of the action with the Romulan ship, she had been kept pretty busy in Engineering. All the excitement had made her bulge out in utter joy. No doubt, she was happy, even if she did only the menial tasks as a crewman. It was her third year aboard the Jefferson and she had learned so much more than the average crewman. Most of them just stay back and do what they are told. D'Etora was different. She was among the group that strived to be the best she could be. It should only be a matter of time before she could go and gain a commission.... she hoped.

But now everything was different. Her one method of actually talking to the Captain was through Valad. He could easily waltz into the Captain's ready room and ask anything he chose. It was not an option for D'Etora, being such a low ranking crewman. The Jefferson food chain was huge and she was at the bottom of it. She decided that the only way to earn it now was to perform well and speak with Commander T'Ress. That would be her only method to advancement. D'Etora thought all this as she finished getting ready for her duty shift.

Several minutes later, D'Etora entered main engineering to find officers and crewman performing diagnostic after diagnostic. The ship most definitely needed to be revamped to make sure all the damage was repaired and all the systems were in working order. Going to the starbase would help with some of that, but the real repairs were made by the crew who knew the Jefferson. She was in that group. Starfleet's cream of the crop. Hmph.... Well at least the officers are. She wasn't really bitter, but she just couldn't help but think that only those who were perfect Starfleet material could succeed. After all, she was Klingon, if only half. It was more of a disgrace than anything. All she got out of it was a bad temper and an irrational mind, or so she thought. Everything seemed to be going against her. Her only solace was in engineering. That was where she was home. Its too bad she only enlisted in Starfleet rather than finish at the academy. She remember dropping out after her third semester and going right into Starfleet. She was immediately assigned to the Jefferson and she had been here ever since. The Jefferson was her home and that was how she planned to keep it.

She looked around for Commander T'Ress, finding him doing his usual reports. "Commander, may I speak with you for a moment?"

(Tag J'Varr)

When she got his full attention, she continued, "Sir, I'd like to gain more duties by earning a commission and becoming an officer of Starfleet and the Jefferson. How can I earn a commission?"

(Tag J'Varr)

She listened intently and when he finished, she said, "Thank you sir," and went about her duties.

Her first task of the day was to go to the Jeffries tube section on Deck Seven and perform some maintenance on the power relays. It was a job for the crewmen who wanted to have nothing to do with true ship operations. This was not a setting for D'Etora, at least, not anymore. It was a tedious task. She finished the repairs and moved to the starboard nacelle to realign power manifolds. At least this task was more fun and actually took some engineering prowess. Still, it was an entry level job and one that she didn't want any more part of. After once again finishing her task, she went back to her section of upper engineering to once again, monitor the plasma injection until she finished her shift and made her way to the lounge.

-------------------------------

The dreamland was bright and joyful as she wound her way over the hills. Everything was so peaceful. She ran through a small creek, splashing in the warm water and rolled around on the soft grass. She looked up at the blue sky. It was heavenly.....

"Wake up! Alyssa, wake up!"

Alyssa Vanai opened her eyes and stared at the gray ceiling. Another day on the Jefferson would prove to be as uneventful as ever. With this new mission, she had been put on the back burner. Since she was a counselor, she expected to see many of the crew, now that the mission was over, but so far, none had arrived in the counselor's office. Thus, she began her boring new routine of doing virtually nothing every day. Her sister Sarah, on the other hand, had plenty to do. She was the relief helmsman who often took the third shift. At least she had a decent duty shift every day.

"Come on Alyssa. Your going to be late for your shift!" a joking Sarah said.

Alyssa winced at the thought of partaking in another boring day in the office. "What shift? I sit there all day and watch the stars go by."

"Now don't you wish you would have chosen to be a science officer? Counseling is sooooo boring!"

"It has great benefits, Human," a term of endearment Alyssa often called Sarah. The twins were half human/half Betazoid. Sarah always said Alyssa was more Betazoid than human since she chose to be a counselor. Sarah, on the other hand, was the more "Human" one. Thus Sarah was the Human and Alyssa was the Betazoid. "I won't take that tone when all you do all day is press buttons."

"And keep the ship floating," Sarah added sarcastically. "Come on. Hurry up and put something on so we can go eat."

Alyssa shook her head, but got up and put on a typical blue-hued uniform. Sarah as usual was in her red helmsman uniform, and as usual was bouncing off the walls, ready to do something. Alyssa finished getting ready and the two ensigns walked out of their quarters to go to the lounge.

As soon as they arrived, Sarah had already ordered what she wanted. Alyssa took much more time to decide what her body craved. She settled on a fruit cup with a biscuit. Sarah, being a ferocious carnivore, had ordered several eggs, in a variety of styles, as she did nearly every morning. "How can you eat animals? Its so barbaric."

Sarah scoffed at her sister, knowing full well that Alyssa was going on another one of her vegetarian rants. "I eat what I eat, my dear sister. You can go ahead and eat nothing."

As they ate, the door swished open to reveal a distracted D'Etora Maron. "Oh no, what happened?" Sarah said quietly to her sister.

"Oh hush up, maybe she'll finally come over and join us again. After that little incident that you pulled the last time she ate with us, its no wonder people ignore that you exist."

Sarah chuckled. "Umm .... I think its other way around, Betazoid. You are the one who stays cooped up in your room all day."

"I don't stay...."

She was interrupted by Sarah saying, "Hi," to D'Etora, who had just walked near the table.

"Hi," the Klingon said quietly. She sat down at the table without introduction. Sarah immediately said, "Guy trouble?"

Alyssa cut her off, "You always assume its about guys. Can't you just ask what's wrong?"

D'Etora looked up. "No its ok. She's right."

Sarah looked at Alyssa with an "I told you so" face. "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Alyssa glared at her sister before turning to D'Etora. She sensed an extreme feeling of pressure coming from the young Klingon woman. D'Etora was obviously tense. "It will make you feel better if you talk about it."

D'Etora sighed. "Ok. So there's this guy and I was giving him pretty obvious signals. I walked in on him yesterday with another woman."

"No!" Sarah gasped. "What a jerk."

"I went off on him and the woman. She was an officer. I know I have it in for me, but I was just so angry at them. And me..."

Sarah rubbed D'Etora's shoulder. "You had every right to be. I can't believe this is what men are turning into again. I thought they had gotten over their sense of arrogance. I guess not."

A small smile curved around the edge of D'Etora's lips. Alyssa said, "That's better. If my sister is good for anything its to make people laugh. What you need now is some fun."

"Yeah, how bout a day on the slopes of Ando Prime. Or maybe rock climbing on the Mountains of Etok Ketel...."

Alyssa once again glared at her sister. "What are you trying to do? Get people killed? No, how about a day on Risa, relaxing in the sun, with all the amenities happiness has to offer."

Sarah looked at D'Etora and mouthed Boring!

D'Etora smiled feeling a little better. They all looked toward the door, which had opened to reveal yet another young woman. She walked up to the table and said, "Hello, my name is Marina. I just got out of sickbay last night, and I’m absolutely dying for some social interaction which doesn’t involve a hypospray. Do you guys mind if I join you?”

Alyssa and Sarah looked at each other and then at D'Etora. "Have a seat. I'm D'Etora," D'Etora said.

"I'm Sarah and she's Alyssa. I've never seen you around before. What department are you in?" Sarah had met a lot of people, but certainly not everyone.

(Marina)

"Cool. I fly the ship around, or at least try to, and my sister poisons people's minds...I mean helps them."

Alyssa scoffed at her sister's latest quip. "That would be a counselor, dear." She shook her head. "You'll have to excuse my sister, she's mental."

Sarah started to say, "Oh well, I wasn't aware that Betazoids were so...." but D'Etora piped in with a, "I'm in engineering."

(Marina)

[Matthew Reynolds]

The Jefferson was a matter of hours from docking with Starbase Assailant. He knew that the entire crew was looking forward to some real rest and relaxation especially two of his bridge officers. He would need to speak with them about thier new relationship, but he was sure that they wouldn't do anything stupid. He was very happy for his long time friend and to be perfectly honest a little bit jealous as well. As captain of the Jefferson, he was not able to outwardly show his love for Kristin while Monica was currently showered with gifts and declarations of love.

"Captain we are recieving a message from Assailant, its Rear Admiral Savaili," the junior ops officer reported," he would like to speak with you privately."

"Here we go," Matt said quietly so that no one would hear him," I'll be in my ready room." The short distance from his center seat to his ready room felt like a walk of shame. He was expecting to be reprimanded for his complete disrespect of Govan Echal, but he hoped that would be the extent of the damage.

"Matt, you sure no how to make it difficult for us," Rear Admiral Savaili said," you have given us all a huge headache especially Loskene and Zhukarak.

"Felix, I don't know if you have ever met that idiot of a man, but I cannot stand him. I don't know how Loskene can work so closely with the Empire for such a long time," Matt said glad that Felix was not as mad as he had expected.

"You are lucky that Tedak put in a good word for you, but I understand that you gathered as much information as possible," Felix said with much interest.

"Yes we did and once we are at Assailant you'll have it all with a complete report from myself, Commander Garrett and my Chief Medical Officer," Matt said glad that he would not have to deal with anything Romulan after this report.

"Yes, I don't expect anything less from you, but just remember that we are trying to stay friends with the empire, we cannot afford another war," Felix said knowing all to well that he was preaching to the choir," I'm sorry to inform you that your request for an entire month of R&R has been denied."

"Did I at least get the two weeks?" Matt asked not at all surprised that his initial request had been denied. He knew that it was highly unlikely but there was no harm in asking.

"Yes, Magallen somehow agreed to the two weeks, though I'm sure that will not go so well with the other CO's in the fleet," Felix said with a knowing smirk." Though you should know that the Jefferson has been assigned an easy mission. you will get the details within the week. Savaili out."

~I wish he hadn't said that~ Matt said knowing that the Jefferson never had an easy mission.

"Captain, we will be arriving at Assailant shortl," the ops officer reported which prompted Matt to get back to the bridge.

[Matthew Reynolds]

OOC: Another chapter in the love saga that is Valad and Monica

Monica couldn’t help but sigh as she arrived onto the bridge. She knew that her long time friend and commanding officer knew about her relationship with Valad Tavik, the ship’s operations officer. Monica knew that Matt understood the situation but she was afraid that he would also badger her about the relationship. It had started two day earlier when a bouquet of twenty four Risan Yellow Roses appeared on the operations console during her shift. Before Monica had a chance to react, Lieutenant Commander Hayes found the card and read the message out loud to the entire bridge crew.

“Greg, if you weren’t a Commander, I would kill you right now,” Monica said completely embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Monica we all know about your relationship with Valad, we didn’t think it would take this long for him to do something like this,” Greg said with a huge smile that was shortly accompanied by a big laugh from the rest of the bridge crew. The next seven hours were like torture for Monica, but she endured it. The moment her shift was over, she darted out of the bridge which brought forth another round of jeering and laughter.

“Deck 4, crew quarters,” Monica said ready to attack Valad the moment she saw him. It took her only a few seconds for her to reach his quarters and when he opened the door, she cursed herself for ever thinking she could be mad at him. Before she said anything, Monica made sure to give him a passionate kiss. “They were beautiful, but if you ever do that again, I will have to cause you some serious bodily harm. “Did you think your delivery would go unnoticed?”

Valad accepted the kiss and wrapped his arms around her. "Bodily harm. Hmm.... sounds interesting." He smiled at her before letting her go and going over to a padd that he had been focusing on. He needed to encrypt it before she saw the project he was working on. He would tell her eventually, but not quite yet. The information changed to a novel, this time being Huckleberry Finn. "So, what time is it now? I keep forgetting with not having to go on duty."

“It’s 2200 hours and by 0600 everyone on the ship will know about us,” Monica said surprised that Valad wasn’t as worried as she was,” what if the captain tells us to break it off? What if one of us gets transferred of the ship? What if…..”

"Hold on now... I don't think anyone is going to have a problem with it. If we need to go talk to the captain, let's just go do it." He looked at her, a little confused. "What's wrong? Is there something I don't know about?"

“Everything is perfect as it is and with my luck something is going to come by and ruin everything,” Monica said as she found the nearest sofa and sat down. While she highly doubted that Matt would tell her to break it off, she knew very well that she was not very lucky in the area of love,” what if you realize that you would prefer to be with someone else on the ship?”

Valad was slightly taken aback at her comments. "I'm not going anywhere. Have I done something that makes you think that I am going to leave?" He looked at her and sat next to her on the sofa. "I'm planning on being on this ship for a while."

He reached caressed the side of her face. "Are you okay, Monica?"

“Yes and that is the problem. I know that I’m not making any sense right now, but everything is just perfect right now and from previous experiences it means that something is going to come along and turn my world upside down,” Monica said as she allowed his caress to calm her,” you have been more than perfect the past few days and I feel like I have done nothing to warrant such attention and love.”

"And you have been just as perfect. Its okay for things to just go smoothly. Just let it happen." Valad kissed her. "Now how are you feeling?"

“Like I’m on clouds,” Monica replies truthfully. Even though his kisses were no longer anything new to her, they still stole her breath away,” I’m sorry that I’m being such a girl right now. You would think that woman would have worked out their emotions by now.”

"Absolutely not, but I think that's what makes you young ladies so appealing." He stood up and set his padd down on the table, since he had still been holding it. "Want something to drink?

“Sure, I’ll have anything,” Monica said feeling much better already. She got up from the sofa and couldn’t help but notice the padd that Valad had been working with,” who is Huckleberry Finn? That is a very strange name.”

Valad was surprised that she asked since he wasn't ready to answer the question. He had read the book before, but it was a long time ago. "It's a book by the 19th century writer Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. Its an interesting book of the time. You should read it sometime." He ordered a couple of teas from the replicator and handed it one to her.

“I didn’t think you were much of a reader,” Monica said as she took the tea and drank some of it. While she had always been an avid reader, she stayed away from old Earth literature. Valad looked much more like a daredevil to her and that was something that she absolutely loved about him, “you seem like a pod racer to me.”

Valad chuckled. "Well I am, but I try to have an intelligent side too. I can't try to get myself killed all the time. I was ordered by the Assistant Chief of Operations to take it easy." Of course, Valad had not been reading in the slightest. But now that he got the idea, maybe he would roll with it. "Anything you recommend for my new reading material?"

The fact that she did not read old Earth literature, didn’t mean that Monica was completely ignorant on the subject. Three books had been highly recommend to her, but she knew little about them,” I’ve heard that that Weathering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, and something called Quicksand are outstanding reads.”

The books she mentioned sounded like philosophical books. "I'll take a look and see if they are my kind of style." He was starting to get restless. He was pacing around the room. Not very quickly, but more than likely enough for her to notice.

“if you prefer that I left for the night, I should be making my way back to my quarters,” Monica said noticing the now restless Valad.

"No no. I've just been sitting around all day. I'm sorry." It wasn't far from the truth. Valad had been in his quarters that day, mostly plotting for what he was going to surprise Monica with next. "We should do something. Got any ideas, Beautiful?"

“At this hour? No wonder people are talking about us,” Monica said with a very wicked sly smile,” I know what I would like to do, but I don’t think that is what you have in mind.”

Valad looked at her from where he was standing and raised an eyebrow. He walked over to a chair near the sofa and said, "Well then, your move."

“Stop being silly,” Monica said as she grabbed Valad by the hand and brought him to the couch with her. She then proceeded to have her way with Valad, only stopping to come up for air.

Valad felt his body slide to the couch from the force of Monica's pull. They kissed passionately. He stood up and picked her up. He carried her into the bedroom and gently sat her on the edge of the bed.

“And why are you just standing there?” Monica asked with a coy smile. Both of them knew what she wanted, but she liked it when Valad took the lead.

Valad said, "You know, I haven't figured that one out yet. So..." he leaned down and reached around her back to support her. Then he made his move.

Monica had been ready and like Valad had said earlier, she just let it happen over and over again.

Another night went by, and Valad woke up next to a beautiful woman. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly and it was an amazing feeling. He kissed the back of her neck before falling back asleep, next to the most beautiful woman in the universe.

[Deleted]

~one week into shoreleave~

Jayden checked his son over, wiping the remainder of lunch from his face. "Go comb your hair," he told the 6-year old, "and wash your face. I'll get your sister changed and then we're going to visit daddy."

The boy cheered; visiting dad was the highpoint of the day, even though they didn't go visit everyday. Jayden had told him that daddy was studying for something, and that he needed a lot of alone time to do it.

How to explain to a boy that his father was once more incarcerated in the brig? And that he had chosen to spend that time there while he could've had the chance to spend shoreleave with him and the rest of the family?

In truth, Jayden admired his husband for his choice, knowing it must've been a difficult one to make. Nathan was very much the family man, but Jayden knew that he'd been struggling off late. Struggling between duty, family and the need to learn a few things about starship operations. He also knew Nathan had wanted to pay for his transgressions, knowing full well that it would've and probably should've cost him his life. And that thought, Jayden remembered, is what set this all in motion.

And, in a week's time, Nathan had been studying hard. Jayden was smiling when Freddy returned to the bathroom. "Father, you've not dressed Angel yet! I wanna go see dad!"

Jayden smiled while changing the baby's diaper. Big blue eyes stared up at him, the same eyes as her father and she smiled back at him. "Da" she suddenly said, quite clearly, waving a chubby fist at him. The marine scooped her up in his arms. "Come Freddy, daddy's waiting."

The family made their way to Jefferson's brig, where the guard swiftly led them to the back, where of course Nathan sat huddled in a corner, eyes fixed on the PADD in his hand. Jayden could hear him murmer the lines he was reading, as if he was trying to memorise them. "Nathan?"

The doctor looked up, briefly confused before joy spread across his face. The guard dropped the forcefield before the child could charge into it, again. She remembered the first time that nearly happened, and was quick enough to respond. The boy jumped into his father's arms, sending the PADD skittering across the floor.

Nathan hugged his son close, before rising to his feet to greet his husband. Over the marine's shoulder, he smiled at the guard, who politely turned her back and resumed her duties. "You look well," Jayden observed as he handed the infant over, "how do you feel?"

"Remarkable. Of course I miss my swimming but well, something had to give to do this right. I did the right thing, didn't I?"

"Yes Nathan, you did. I'm very proud of you. And you're studying very hard. Is Megan coming in to test you soon? I heard she's going to take it upon herself to provide your training?"

"I don't know about being tested, but I'm cramming as best as I can. Been a while since I have spent so much time studying, and I'm not the youngest of persons anymore. It may take a while to remember it all but I'm doing my best."

Jayden smiled, watching Freddy play with the PADD, frowning as he tried to read it. "You look well, healthier, and more stress free." He reached up, placing a hand on his husband's chest, right over his heart. "No heartburns?"

"None. I don't have much room here but I do the best I can to stay fit. I don't have much leisure either, being a...prisoner. Except I don't really see myself that way, you know?" Nathan sat on the cot, cradling his daughter. "My she's grown since we first got her. Soon, she'll be crawling all over the place, she's old enough to start to."

Jayden positively glowed. "She said her first word," he confessed, "I'm sorry you had to miss it. She said 'da'. Not that it really means anything, but it was something. She'll have you wrapped around her finger in no-time love."

Bouncing the baby on his knee, Nathan looked sideways. "Really?" Angel giggled, waving her arms about before starting to chew on her fingers. "And it looks like she's teething." Carefully, he traced his left index finger over her gums, grinning as she suckled on his finger. "Yes, definitely teething." He sighed. "You're about to have to go aren't you? One more week and we'll have all the time together again." He handed the baby back before scooping up his son, taking the PADD from him. "That's no toy son, daddy needs that. Come here and give me a hug."

Freddy was about to protest, before his father drew him into a hug. "Dad!" he complained, trying to be a big boy about it. His friends all started to play up about being hugged lately, and he didn't want to be left behind on it.

"Oh right, before I forget it, because now I've only just remembered...the kittens. I gave two to the Romulan ambassador just like you asked me to, about a week ago. And I'm thinking that Marina might like one or two as well."

Nathan nodded. "Yes, she's been really good to us before all this, as well as trying to be patient on teaching me to ah...fight. Yes, give her the choice. How many are left now?"

"Three," Jayden replied. "Nate we have to go. I promised to take Freddy to the station. Hannah and Donovan are coming with us." He grinned. "If you didn't know any better, you'd think those two are in love. They're soooo....sticky!"

"Just like the two of us," Nathan commented dryly, hugging his family a final time. "One more week."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Jayden commented secretively.

A little later, the small family walked up to Garrett's quarters. "Ahh commander, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. It's about Nathan...is there a chance he could be let out early on good behaviour? He's not complaining, really, he's not. And he looks remarkably well and is studying really hard. But uhm..with only a week left of shoreleave..."

Jayden hesitated. "Can you let him out early? Please? I'll make sure he'll continue to study, though I doubt you have to worry about that. He's quite intent on doing this the right way. I'm just not sure how good it is for us. I'm proud of him, for having chosen to do it this way. But it's killing me." Jayden looked away. "I hate to ask it, I've never asked for favours before. Consider this asking for a favour."

[Tag Megan]

~ a little later ~

Jayden walked up to marina's quarters, carrying a basket with the three kittens. "Marina? It's Jayden Mitchell."

As she opened the door, he showed her the kittens. "Nathan and I would like for you to have one or two. Or even all three if you want. We thought you might like to have a pet. If you don't want them, I'm quite sure we can find a home for them. Don't worry about that, we don't just give them to anyone."

[tag marina]

[Deleted]

Sipping on a mug of hot chocolate and reviewing the recent transfers, both to and from the Jefferson, Megan was attempting to preemptively get a feel for the newest crewmembers. Reviewing someone’s recent duty schedule gave her a pretty good idea of what type of routine they were used to and would perhaps want to recreate, and in spite of how sterile a service record may appear, you could tell a lot about a person if you knew what to look for and how to read them. Her examination was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of transmission. Since it was already being cut in without notification from the bridge, that could mean it was only one person.

“Admiral,” Megan greeted her superior once the signal had been fully established.

David LaPage didn’t look happy, and that was never a good thing. However, from a first glance, it was unclear whether she was the source of his mood or the person he wanted to fix it. “How dare you not tell me that the Commander of the S’Harien was THAT Govan,” the Admiral began, his eyes blazing with the temper he was so famous for, making it perfectly clear which of the two previous scenarios this was.

Instinctively straightening up in her chair and resisting the instant feeling of being a Cadet again, Megan met his gaze squarely. “I did not think it was relevant, Sir.”

“Not relevant?!” Dave demanded, clearly not liking that answer. “I’ll decide what is and isn’t relevant, Commander, and I think discovering the identity of the man who nearly killed you, not to mention you having to deal with him during a mission, is completely relevant. He is the reason you left Black Ops after all, because of the damage he did to your brain. He’s the reason I lost one of my best agents and you were in a coma for weeks, and you dare to tell me that’s not relevant?” he fumed.

“It wasn’t relevant to the mission at hand,” Megan clarified, not used to seeing this.

“You’re telling me that seeing him after all that time, after days of interrogation, had no effect on you whatsoever? You’re not a robot, Commander, no matter how much you may act like one, so don’t tell me that facing him again didn’t affect you at all.”

Now beginning to get a bit mad herself, Megan snapped, “Well of course it affected me! But what it didn’t affect was my ability to deal with the situation at hand rather than allow my emotions to alter my decisions. I dealt with him as the Commander of an enemy vessel with whom we were expected to collaborate, and in spite of my personal feelings, I conducted myself in a professional manner for a Starfleet officer.”

Calming slightly, Admiral LaPage leaned forward toward the screen. “You should have talked to me, Meg. That’s not something any agent should go through alone.”

“There was nothing you could have done to get me through it. I did have to face it on my own, and I did that. Had I encountered him when it first happened, before I was able to regain my autonomic functionality, things may have been different, but it’s changed now. I’m perfectly healthy, back with Black Ops and in an even better position with this duel track opportunity, so things have turned out perfectly well.”

Sighing heavily, Dave leaned back in his chair. “You’re right, I suppose. This does put you in a unique position, and I have better access. I still wish you had contacted me, just for emotional support. If I’d had to deal with him, I’d have wrung his neck.”

“Well it’s a good thing you didn’t have to then,” Megan teased slightly. “Trust me, it wasn’t a picnic for him either. The look on his face was like he had seen a ghost.”

“Good,” the Admiral replied, face hardening once more. “It wouldn’t be right if he’d gotten out of it unscathed after what he did. And I suppose it was exactly like seeing a ghost, since he didn’t know if you survived. Plus, the fact that he now has a Navy command rather than a position in the Tal Shiar speaks volumes as to the fallout.”

“Perhaps,” Megan responded, startled at the sudden door chime. She hadn’t been expecting anyone. “I’m sorry, Admiral. I wasn’t expecting anyone. We’ll talk later.”

“Glancing quickly at his clock, Dave raised his eyebrow. “Boyfriend, Meg? It’s about time,” he teased grinning broadly. “So...who’s the lucky guy? When do I meet him?”

“Well...according to the sensors, he’s a married man with two kids, whose spouse I currently have incarcerated in the brig,” she retorted dryly, glaring at the screen.

Trying not to laugh, Admiral LaPage shook his head. “Seems I have a lot to teach you about fair play,” he replied, equally dry. “But at least you are making friends.”

Finally allowing a hint of a smile, Megan also shook her head. “Funny...Garrett out.” Once the channel closed, Commander Garrett turned her attention to the door. It was unexpected for Jayden to come here, and she could only think of one topic in particular he could want to discuss, though she couldn’t exactly figure out exactly why.

"Uh, Commander, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. It's about Nathan... Is there a chance he could be let out early on good behavior? He's not complaining, really, he's not. And he looks remarkably well and is studying really hard. But um, with only a week left of shoreleave... Can you let him out early? Please? I'll make sure he'll continue to study, though I doubt you have to worry about that. He's quite intent on doing this the right way. I'm just not sure how good it is for us. I'm proud of him, for having chosen to do it this way. But it's killing me." Jayden looked away. "I hate to ask it, I've never asked for favors before. Consider this asking for a favor."

“Actually, if my original plan was in effect, the doctor would only be spending shifts in the brig and going home and spending time with his family the rest of the time. It was his choice to spend all of this time in the brig rather than mine, and if this is how he wants to do it, I don’t feel it’s my place to insist he take an easier way out. However, if you can convince him to change his mind on this, I am certainly willing to consider time served as acceptable at least as far as brig times goes. He’ll need to continue his studies and once he is well enough to begin training, but it sounds like that won’t be an issue. So really, it’s up to him, not me,” Megan responded. It was still a complete mystery to her why he had insisted on this in the first place…

"He won't change his mind," Jayden replied, "he's adamant about doing this the right way, so it does feel like punishment. Any other way just wouldn't feel right, and I agree. He didn't ask me to come talk to you, he doesn't even know I am doing this and I don't want him to know either. Physically, he looks better. He got colour on his cheeks and he smiles again. He's also been working out in his cell. Don't ask me how, but he looks like he has. Have you visited him at all? Perhaps you should ask him why he chose this, even though I've already told you."

Jayden smiled. "Just visit him commander, he might actually be delighted if you do. If you'll excuse me ma'am, I have two kids to return to."

Shaking her head, Megan took a sip of her now warm chocolate and retrieved her padd. Relationships aboard starships were always so complicated... It was a good thing she had given up on such things before even entering the Academy, so she would never have to worry about being in a situation like this. It was better that way.

[Valad Tavik]

(ooc: A little girl talk supplied by D'Etora, Sarah, and Alyssa, along with Marina Garrett)

There was a brief pause, which all previously established groups go through as the current members wordlessly and instantly assess a potential, new one. "Have a seat,” the Klingon crewmember suggested. I'm D'Etora," she introduced herself.

"I'm Sarah and she's Alyssa,” one of the two other girls supplied. “I've never seen you around before. What department are you in?" Sarah questioned her pleasantly.

“Security,” Marina replied as she took the offered seat. “I work most regularly in the brig, which is probably why you haven’t seen me. Plus, I haven’t been here long.”

"Cool,” Sarah replied, taking a sip from her drink. “I fly the ship around, or at least try to, and my sister poisons people's minds...I mean helps them,” Sarah teased.

Apparently used to this sort of teasing, Alyssa smoothly clarified, "That would be a counselor, dear," shaking her head. "You'll have to excuse my sister. She's mental."

"Oh well, I wasn't aware that Betazoids were so...” Sarah began to retort, but, also apparently used to this sort of byplay, D’Etora quickly intervened and interrupted.

"I'm in Engineering," D’Etora supplied helpfully, putting an end to current teasing.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Marina replied with a grin and meant every word. This was exactly what she needed, the teasing, joking, casual fun that only talking with a group of girls could provide. Not that it wasn’t a bit awkward to meet new people, but it was no where near as awkward as meeting a guy or a first date could be. “So, we’ve got an engineer, a security officer, a pilot, and a counselor. All we need is a doctor, a scientist, and someone from Ops and we’ve got a department meeting!”

D'Etora simply nodded at the security officer. Alyssa smiled and Sarah said, "Yep. And then if we ever have to mutiny we have all the stations covered." She laughed.

Alyssa stood up, "I'm going to get refills, would you like something Marina?"

“No, thanks, I’m good. I just got mine,” Marina replied to Alyssa, before grinning at Sarah. “And keep me out of any mutiny talks. My sister would have my head...” Realizing she hadn’t even offered her last name and kicking herself for bringing up her relation to the XO, and everyone’s superior, already, the security officer offered a sheepish grin. “Uh...I guess I should have provided my last name first...Garrett...”

Alyssa walked away before the other two learned the identity of their new friend. "Well well," Sarah said. "I wonder what trouble we can get into." She smiled with a devilish grin. Alyssa came back with the refills. "Hey guess who this is. She is the sister of the ex-oh."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, having slipped into Marina's mind to find out her identity. "I know. I'm Betazoid remember." She then realized that she might have slightly offended the security officer. "Sorry."

Taken aback at the idea of her mind being read so easily without her knowledge, Marina didn’t know quite what to say to that, but it made her even more nervous. Laughing somewhat uneasily, the security officer glanced toward D’Etora trying to gauge if this happened often. “I try to stay on Megan’s good side,” was all she said.

Sarah, whose limited abilities were more empathic than telepathic, sensed Marina had become nervous. She looked at her sister, glaring and shaking her head, as if saying, "Really? Really Alyssa?"

Alyssa sat down and looked at Marina, apologetic. "It won't happen again. I apologize."

D'Etora looked up, finally contributing and attempting to lighten the mood and hoping it would help her as well. "Where's a Vulcan when you need one? They are good at blocking people out.... Oh wait, it's suppressing emotions. I keep forgetting that's the reason they are always serious."

Sarah laughed. "I thought it was because they didn't like their ears being all pointy."

Shaking her head, Alyssa said under her breath, just loud enough for Marina to hear, "so immature..."

Grateful for the quick change in subject and still completely thrown, Marina laughed along with them. “I used to think Megan was part Vulcan because she was always so serious. Turns out, she was practically born a Starfleet Officer and First Officer. Not kidding, she actually used to organize her stuffed animals to go on missions,” the security officer teased, not having any clue what else she could talk about now.

D'Etora perked up a little bit, finding something she could relate to. "I used to have lots of model starships. I would fly them around when I was a kid."

“I guess some people just know who they are and what they want to be early,” the security officer replied, grateful for the smooth transition. “I had no clue, and never would have imagined I’d end up in security... I was all over the place growing up.”

Alyssa looked over at Marina. "Now that sounds like an interesting story. Tell us about you growing up, if you would like."

"Yeah, tell us!" said Sarah, joyfully.

“Oh...” Marina stammered, not expecting that turn at all. “I...uh...well it’s really not that interesting. I was just a typical kid really, interested in typical kid stuff. I loved shopping and music, dated a lot of boys, had a lot of friends, and went to parties. My dad was...pretty strict about a lot of stuff, so when I wanted a more freedom, a way to get out of the house and earn credits to buy extra stuff I wanted, I decided to work at one of my favorite shops in the local mall. It was a really easy, fun job, but one day I saw some kid steal some jewelry, probably just for fun. I contacted security and assisted them in apprehending the girl, and the head of security saw something in me I guess and offered me a job. As soon as I was old enough, I took it, I and the rest is history,” she finished, feeling quite a bit strange talking about it.

This was not going well, as seemed to happen far too often with her. Awkward was just a part of who she was it would seem, and now, all she felt like doing was just escaping. "Uh...listen, I should probably get back and get some rest. Don't want to push myself too hard, or I could end up in back in sickbay. It was great to meet all of you though," Marina finished, nearly tripping over her chair as she left the lounge.

All three of the other girls watched her leave. Sarah was the first to speak. "Stupid Betazoid. You had to go into her mind didn't you?"

Alyssa glared at her sister, knowing full well the consequences of her actions. "I better leave to. I'm due in the office again. See you girls later." Alyssa also got up to leave.

"Well I guess that's that. I guess I'll go get some sleep. See ya later D'Etora." Sarah smiled as she left the table on her own way.

D'Etora sat only for a moment before getting up to leave herself. She thought she might have made some new friends, but it was all happening so quickly.