Mission 1: Changing of the Guard

**Mission 1, Day 2, 18:30 hours**

As Arron exited the holodeck he started towards the turbolift. He couldn’t help but realize he hadn’t eaten in some time, and lack of food always made him cranky. Hunger, on top of the possibility of a conspiracy onboard was adding to the anxiety. Making up his mind to grab some food in the mess hall, he spun around in the opposite direction, and collided right into Nala.

“ompf!” he exclaimed. “I am so sorry Lieutenant!” he said as he staggered forwards again.

“It’s alright sir,” she said, “I shouldn’t have been walking so close.”

“Well I’m sure you weren't expecting me to uh..change course.” Arron said feeling like an idiot. “Let’s just call that payback for kicking my ass in our workout this morning.” He added hoping to lighten the mood.”

Nala chuckled. “Okay Captain, we’re even.”

“Where are you headed?” Arron asked

“I was just headed back to my quarters to freshen up, then to the mess hall to grab some dinner. How about you sir?

Arron smiled, “I was on my way to the mess hall when I plowed you over like a Klingon Targ. Care to join me when you are ready? I would like to discuss how we are going to handle the Wells situation, you obviously work closely with him, and I want to make sure we utilize that to understand more of what’s going on.” Arron said.

“I would be delighted to! I shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes. And I agree completely. I’ll help with all of this to the best of my ability.” she replied.

“Excellent” Arron said. “I will grab us a table, and wait for you there.”

“Alright, see you soon!” Nala said as she rushed back to her quarters. She didn’t want to leave him waiting there forever. She had a feeling this conversation would be much more important than an hour long shower..

****1845 hours****

Arron was seated at a quiet table in the back of the mess hall, near a large viewport. The entire hall was glowing blue from the nebula the ship was currently inside. It provided a relaxing ambiance, that helped ease Arron’s mind from the troubles that had recently been supplanted there. He considered the days events carefully, always wondering if he was overlooking some detail, or putting too much emphasis into another. Such was the life of a Starfleet Captain. He drained the glass of iced tea that was sitting in front of him. A small condensation ring had formed at the base of the glass. Arron wiped it away unconsciously with his sleeve.

Nala had just gotten her dinner, a large chicken caesar salad with a glass of iced tea, when she spotted the Captain at the back mess hall. She quickly made her way to the table and took the seat opposite of him. She felt more comfortable being able to look directly into the eyes of the person she was speaking to. Though Nala could sense emotions without looking at someone, for her they always seemed clearer if she was looking at them.

“Blue is definitely a very calming color.” Nala stated as she sat down, “Most everyone on board is much calmer than this morning.” she observed, taking a bite of her salad. Swallowing, she glanced up to see him staring out of the viewport, seemingly lost in thought. “So, Captain, what’s on your mind? If you don’t mind my asking.” she asked, observing his rather mixed emotions.

Arron jolted up ever so slightly at the sound of Nala’s voice. “A lot” he admitted, turning to face the woman. “The last couple of days, I have just had this nagging feeling at the back of my head, like...” he paused. “Like things are about to change...and not necessarily for the better” he finished.

“I can understand that. I’ve had similar feeling as of late. Though maybe not to the extent that you’ve been feeling them. Any idea what could be causing you to feel this way?” Nala asked, though she had an idea of what it could be. Maybe it was just her need to help people, but she truly felt that the captain needed someone to talk to.

Drexel forced a smile, ‘Well I certainly have several ideas...” he picked up the now empty empty glass in front of him and spun it around in his hand. “This election feels more heated than any I can recall, and the ramifications of any one candidate winning will be felt by many people. If you couple that with this conspiracy crap that is creeping up on this ship...well it just feels like things are at a tipping point.”

Nala nodded, knowing exactly what he was saying, how these things truly made him feel. “Well sir, if I may speak freely, this election will certainly have good and bad results, no matter who wins. And, unfortunately, there’s not much we can do until these good and bad things come to pass. As for the conspiracy, I don’t think it’s crap. Lieutenant Luther, I honestly do believe, was telling the truth. Maybe not so much about HOW he overheard it, but that he did hear what he believes to be an order from The Circle for Commander Sumo to follow. And I must say, it is quite a coincidence. We just found out that his full Bajoran ancestry has been hidden from us, not only by him, but by our chief medical officer.”

Arron nodded as he dissected every word coming from the Lieutenant. “You know...my Father once told me there is no such thing as a coincidence. Sumo and Wells have served under me for 4 years. It just feels like a personal betrayal to witness this all unfold. How many things have I told Commander Sumo in confidence...things that could be helping further The Circles agenda...I guess I just can’t believe its all true...not without more evidence. And on that note, I think we should start with Wells...If Sumo is receiving communications, I don’t want him to know we are on to him. We need to use this to our advantage. Let’s figure out how Wells figures into the equation.” Arron placed his glass back on the table.

Nala glanced out of the viewport, lost in thought. “I know how this must make you feel, Captain. Betrayal is not an easy thing to deal with. But one thing we have to understand is that it’s their job, or mission, however you want to put it, to get close to those in charge. And I also agree that we shouldn’t charge right in without more evidence. We definitely do not want to let either of them know that we know anything. Since I work with Dr. Wells on a daily basis, I could keep an eye out for anything that seems out of the ordinary. He knew about Commander Sumo’s blood, but somehow let it slip into the pile of samples that I was reviewing. He’s bound to slip up again.” she stated with confidence, taking another two bites of her salad, waiting for the Captain to respond.

“Forgive my ignorance on the subject Nala, but as you are both Betazoids, would he be able to sense you probing his mind? Feeling out his emotional response to questions regarding his involvement with anything out of the ordinary?”

“Well, unless I project my intentions, all he would be able to sense is my basic emotion, which in my line of work could easily be interpreted as concern or frustration over a patient. He would have little reason to suspect I knew anything unless I make it apparent he gave Commander Sumo’s sample to me, which I have no intention of doing. I’ve already placed the sample back where it was cataloged.” she said.

“The next thing I should ask you is, how comfortable would you be with investigating Commander Wells...I have no right to ask you to perform a function that would place yourself in a dangerous situation for which you are technically not trained for...” Arron said looking into her dark black eyes.

“Sir, please take no offense, but I think I’d be the best suited for the job. If you were to place someone outside of our medical group with him, he would become suspicious. And my being a Betazoid will help that much more. I won’t do anything to put myself in harms way. And if a situation does arise, I will be sure to contact you directly and let you handle it from there.”

Arron shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the idea of seeing something happen to this recent new addition to his crew, yet she was absolutely right, and it would be foolish of Arron not to utilize her abilities to uncover the sinister plans currently engulfing his ship. “Of course Nala. I am grateful for your professionalism in this matter. I will take every precaution to make sure you are not placed in unnecessary danger, but I am confident of your ability to take care of yourself...I saw that this morning during our workout.” He gave her a grin.

She smiled, happy that she was able to help relieve even the tiniest amount of stress from the already over-stressed man in front of her. “Thank you, Captain. It is truly an honor to be able to help out in any way possible. I know it’s difficult to place someone with very little knowledge or training for this type of situation directly in the middle of it, but please, try not to worry so much about me. I may not look it, but I’m tougher than most.” she responded, stifling a laugh as she thought back to this morning.

“Ah,” Arron said still smiling. “Thats what they call Captain’s prerogative. I am responsible for the life of every person on this ship, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Arron checked back out the view port. the swirling gases of the nebula making intricate patterns in space. No stars were visible through the dense cloud, but the scene was beautiful. “I appreciate your support Nala. I really do” he said now looking at her reflection on the window. “I think you are going to fit in just fine on this ship. How have you been adapting to life on board the Yorktown?” he said turning back to face her.

“I’m glad you feel that way, sir.” she said. “Things so far have been rather nice. Much different than any of the previous ships I’ve been aboard. There’s more, how should I put this, camaraderie here than on past ships. Before, I hardly talked to anyone outside of my station. Hardly anybody did. It was like people were scared, or just too caught up in their own lives to really make anyone new feel welcome. But here, it’s completely different. While the election has certainly made things tense, there’s still many friendly faces, pleasant hellos in the halls. It’s kind of like a home away from home.” she said thoughtfully.

Arron nodded knowingly. “I’ve served on this ship for over 20 years” Drexel said, “the Yorktown has always felt like a Home. When I took command of this ship, I wanted to keep that feeling of a family that we had under the previous Captain. I’m pleased to see it seems to still be intact.” Arron’s mind raced through various memories over the years. Arron shifted again in his seat, leaning slightly more forward. “So tell me more about your ambitions Nala...what has driven you to Starfleet, and where do you hope to go?” the Captain asked, trying to sound interested and not interrogative.

“Well,” she started, “I actually grew up in the Starfleet, so to speak. Both my parents had careers aboard various ships. I never really pictured myself as being a member myself, but after my father passed away, it just seemed to be my calling. As soon as I was old enough, I began pursuing my nursing career. Ever since, I’ve been slowly moving forward and upward. My ultimate goal is to become a chief medical officer, though I will need a bit more training and experience for that.” she finished, glancing at him before looking through the viewport again.

“In my experience, the best officers are never truly ready for the big promotion, they get thrust into the position before they felt they were ready, but rose to the challenge anyway, and became great.” Drexel said honestly. “You have a great personality, I could see you achieving your goals one day. Just be ready... you may not pick the time that suits you best.”

Nala was surprised. She had never seen a captain so open with his crew before. She knew then that this was the right ship for her. “Thank you sir. I hope one day you will be able to see me achieve these goals, whether it’s when I’m ready, or when fate feels I’m ready. I’ll be prepared.”

Arron smiled. “Thats the spirit. I don’t want to keep you from getting some rest before your duties tomorrow. Myself or Lieutenant Milligan will check in on you at some point, just to make sure everything is going okay. If you need anything, my door is always open” Arron said.

“Thank you Captain. I won’t let you down! We’ll get everything sorted out, I just know it. And I’m here if you need to talk. Remember, I know what you’re feeling.” She joked, as she stood to leave.

Arron gave a knowing laugh. “Yes, yes I suppose you do” Arron said and also stood up.





********

This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 22:43 hours**

"How are things looking, Lt. Jelo?" Thoris asked as he entered the laboratories with a grin on his face.

"It already looks promising!" Jelo replied. "So far, I can verify that there will be a substantial amount of usable dilithium. What are you so happy about?"

"Nanites," Thoris answered. "The Doc is helping me get better control over my...ah, anger issues. Andorians have difficulties balancing bodily chemicals without the helping hand of our home planet Andor. It's just gotten worse lately, so I've been working with him to get things balanced. It's a trial thing, but so far, I'm feeling great."

"If you think about it, it's kind of creepy. Bunch of robotic bugs crawling inside you?"

Thoris shrugged.

"Anyway," Jelo continued, "take a look at this. The dilithium gas is in an excited state, it looks like, to the point that if it relaxes--slowly--to its ground state, we might also have single crystal dilithium."

Thoris exclaimed something in Andorian. "This is great! I mean...if this can be done, we're sitting in the middle of a fortune! Do we have someone working on it?"

"Yep."

"Good. I'll check back sometime in the morning. And, remember to sleep some as well. Don't you have the morning shift on the bridge?"

Jelo nodded. "Oh, yes, I've found an Earth song you might like. I've sent an audio clip to your console."

Thoris was intrigued. "Well, maybe I should go listen to it first..." He wandered into his office and sat in the chair. Seconds later, the synthesized music and distorted voices from the song hummed out of the console speakers. "...Blue are the words I say and what I think. / Blue are the feelings that live inside me. / I'm blue da ba dee da ba die..." Before the chorus ended, Thoris was on the floor laughing his head off.

Thoris ch'Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 3 0515 hours***

Vestara peered out into the blue cloud of gas that had engulfed the ship. It was probably one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. She took a sip from her steaming cup of coffee she held in her left hand. The liquid was still hot enough to burn and slightly more bitter than it should have been. She winced and quickly removed the cup from her lips.

“Do you realize what you are looking at?” a voice sounded behind her. Vestara turned in the direction of the speaker.

“I mean, truly...do you understand its significance?”

Vestara frowned at Commander Sumo who had taken up a position next to her, staring off into the nebula.

“Other than its star forming properties?” Vestara asked not understanding where the Commander was going with his question.

Sumo turned towards her, his eyes boring holes into her own. “The future of Bajor” he said darkly. “Daala will have the power to turn Bajor into the Galaxies most influential system. All because of this nebula”

Vestara snorted audibly. “We haven’t even been able to determine if she has won the election” she retorted. “And unless Luther and David find a way to cut out the interference, I doubt we will know for sure who won the election for at least a week.”

A thin smile crept across Sumo’s lips, “Have faith. The Prophets Will can not be undone. Your Pah is strong, and your people will need you to lead them soon.”

Vestara cocked an eyebrow. “Commander, in the year I have served under you, I have never known you to reference your religious ties to your Bajoran half.” She truly was caught off guard by the Commanders statement.

“Have you always been a perfect follower of The Prophets?”

Vestara felt her gaze drop to her feet. “Well...no. I uh, I see your point” she said rather meekly.

Sumo grinned, then said, “I was not happy with certain aspects of my life, and to be quite honest Lieutenant, I had tried to shut The Prophets out of my life. I have since repented and begged their forgiveness, and will hide my devotion to them no more.”

Vestara looked back up into Sumo’s eyes....they were so dark, yet filled with so much...power. “I am pleased you have found your path back” Vestara said. “I apologize for my preconceived notions regarding your spirituality. It is not often on this ship that I hear one refer to my ‘Pah’.” she admitted.

“That will soon be changing” Sumo said his voice becoming silky and smooth.

Vestara frowned slightly, looked over her shoulder and saw the the lounge was still empty at this early hour. Still, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “What do you mean?” she hissed softly.

“With Daala now in power, there will be changes happening very soon.” Sumo said quickly. “Changes that will allow someone such as yourself to capitalize on new opportunities.”. Sumos voice, still in this silky, almost beautiful tone, was captivating Vestara.

Vestara felt herself tense up. “Again...you talk as if you know the results of the election. That is simply not possible.”

Sumo’s eyes flashed with anger, and for a minute Vestara felt genuinely frightened that Sumo would lash out at her. Yet just as quickly the look was gone, and a warm smile spread across his face. “The Prophets have shared with me much of what is to come to pass”

Vestara felt herself almost melting in his words. Something about his voice had her in a trance like state now. She merely nodded, as she gazed into his eyes, it was as if he was literally taking her soul. Was this The Prophets manifesting themselves through Commander Sumo? Was she receiving a confirmation from her Gods that Sumo was telling her the truth?

Sumo stepped forward getting closer to Vestara. Vestara felt her breathing quicken. “What would The Prophets have me do!” She said, her voice barely audible now.

“Serve them. Serve me” Sumo said, leaning into her. Vestara couldn’t help herself. She leaned forward too, and their lips met. They kissed passionately, an explosion of emotions raced through her mind, but nothing else in the world mattered but this moment. But this wasn’t right! No this isn’t right! What about David! Her mind was screaming, yet Sumo’s eyes had locked with hers, and there was nothing Vestara could do to pull away. After several seconds, or maybe it was hours; she could no longer tell, Sumo pulled away, yet maintained eye contact.

“I will do whatever I can to serve you, and the prophets” Vestara heard the words, though she couldn’t not believe that they came from her mouth.”

Sumo smiled. “Good”. His words were soft and full of warmth. “Together we will usher in a new era for Bajor. And it begins with this ship. Meet me in my quarters tomorrow night. I have something to show you” Commander Sumo said cryptically.

“Yes...I will meet you tomorrow night” was Vestara’s almost hypnotic reply. Every conscious thought was like wading through mud. It was so difficult to concentrate on anything other than Sumo’s eye’s and the sound of his voice.

*****

Neither one of them saw David Mayne in the background standing in the shadows. His fists clenched so hard that his nails were literally cutting into his palms. Blood softly trickled down onto the carpet below. Quietly, he backed out of the room; anger, fury, and rage all permeating through his body. He was going to kill Sumo. He was going to kill him today.

*****

After Sumo had dismissed Vestara, he turned his focus towards the replicator Vestara had received her coffee from earlier that morning. He popped the access hatch off and slid his arm into the tight space where he blindly felt around until his fingers brushed against something soft and warm. His fingers followed the object up to an interface that connected the device to the computer controlling the replicator. He yanked it with sufficient force that it popped free from the interface, and then he removed his arm, still holding the device from the compartment. He then put the access hatch back into place and slipped the device into the waistband of his uniform pants. Pleased with how smoothly things had gone, he turned to exit the lounge. His eyes fell onto a glistening substance on the carpet. The blue light of the nebula reflecting off the glossy surface of the substance. He stooped down to examine it closely. It looked a lot like blood. Frowning he quickly looked around the lounge to confirm that it was indeed empty. He then took an empty glass from the bar, and wiped it down to sterilize it as best he could given the lack of true medical equipment available in a lounge, then scooped up what he could into the glass.

****

10 minutes later Sumo was in sickbay with Scott Wells. “Get this analyzed” Sumo said curtly slamming the glass with a very small amount of the substance contained within it, on to Well’s desk. “We might have a problem”

Before Wells could respond, Sumo had already left.

****

This has been a joint post by:

Commander Sumo (played by Elijah)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 3, 0715 hours***

After she and the Captain had parted ways the night before, Nala’s mind had wandered endlessly throughout the night, bouncing from thought to thought. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t stop thinking long enough to get any real sleep. Nala’s mind was mostly preoccupied with thoughts of dread. Even before everything that had taken place the day before, she had a weird sense of foreboding. After finding out what had been discovered yesterday, and her conversation with the Captain, she was even more unsettled.

About and hour and a half before she was scheduled for duty, she finally drifted off to sleep. Nala was woken up by Titan’s cold, wet nose gently nudging her awake. She glanced at the clock, silently cursing at herself for oversleeping. She rushed through getting ready, throwing on her uniform, and gave Titan a quick thank you pat before rushing through the door, heading for the sick bay.

As she practically ran through the doors, she ran right into Dr. Wells. Because of her sudden arrival, he fell, dropping the files he was holding and letting out a curse.

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry! I was running late and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, or anyone around me for that matter!” she exclaimed quickly, noticing his shadowed expression and guarded mood as she helped him pick up the files. She glanced at one of the files, noticing that Dr. Wells run a DNA reference scan on a blood sample. “That’s strange.” she thought, not remembering him mentioning anything about doing this scan the day before. She strained, trying to get a look at the name the scan came up with without being too obvious.

“For hells sake Lieutenant” Wells muttered. “And give me that!” he said yanking the PADD from Nala. “Mind your own business! Don’t you have some work to be doing?!” He snarled as he picked himself off the floor and brushed himself off.

“Ye....yes sir.” she said hesitantly, walking over to her station to get prepped for the day. Trying to control her mood, though she doubted the doctor was even paying much attention to those around him, she started thinking about what she found yesterday. Surely his actions and behavior were somehow related to this. She had never seen him be anything but friendly, sometimes a bit reserved, but never downright rude. And now this DNA scan to top it all off. Something was definitely going on here.

Putting these thoughts in the back of her mind, she started to focus on the tasks ahead of her. She could already tell today was going to be a long day.



*************



***1147 hours***

Nala was preparing to break for lunch, seeing as how she missed breakfast. She would have missed lunch, but thankfully there was a lull in patients. She had to use the hypospray more times than she could count today and was ready for a little bit of downtime. That, and she was starving! It wasn’t often that she missed a meal. She headed in the direction of Dr. Wells office to let him know she was headed out when he suddenly stormed out of his office, nearly bowling her over in the process.

“Always in my way aren’t you?!” Wells bellowed as he scurried out of the office, a PADD clutched tightly in my hand. “I must see Commander Sumo right away, keep this place in order” he said, and was out the door in a flash.

“Commander Sumo?” Nala thought. “Uh oh. This can’t be good.” She thought back to the DNA scan she had seen earlier this morning. Nala knew she needed to contact the Captain right away, something wasn’t right with this. She stepped into the hall, looking both ways before tapping her commbadge.

=/\= Captain Drexel, this is Lieutenant Koshka. We have a problem. =/\=

As she awaited his reply, her lunch break completely forgotten, she couldn’t help but worry. Something was happening, something that would affect not only those aboard the USS Yorktown, but every being in existence.







********************************



This has been a joint post by:

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

and

Commander Scott Wells (played by Elijah)
Chief Medical Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 3, 0715 Hours***


Mike Luther habitually tapped the comm on his chest, fully aware that it didn’t require him to do so. =/\=Captain, Lt. Suval and Mayne have been working on solutions to the communication issues while we are in the nebula. We would like to try something a bit unconventional.=/\=


=/\=Please explain=/\= came Drexels voice


“The effect of the nebula is preventing long distance subspace communication. The work around we are proposing is to receive those communications outside of the nebula and then rebroadcast them back to the ship electromagnetically. We can do this from a probe that the engineering crew has modified, a probe that cannot be launched without your go-ahead.”


Mike continued, “Mind you, it won’t be a perfect solution. It will broadcast to us, but we have not way of effectively talking back to the source of the transmission. For that matter, it will have to scan subspace frequencies and rebroadcast what it finds. We won’t be able to choose what communications we receive, but if we’re lucky we will may hear the results of the election or other important broadcasts intended for the ship.”


=/\=Very well Lieutenant. I applaud your outside the box thinking in this situation, you have my authorization for the probe launch, best of luck. Drexel out. =/\=


David nodded back to Luther to show that he had overheard the Captains go-ahead, and programmed the probe from the console in front of him, calibrating the launch vector, the ping time between probe and ship, and the standard Star Fleet encryption protocols, so no one could back door into the ships computer from hacking into the feed. After running some pre-launch diagnostics, he jammed his index finger down on the launch button. A subtle “fwump” could be heard as somewhere a probe was ejected into space. He watched the screen as the computer started receiving flight telemetry data from the probe as it moved into its plotted position.


He was grateful for the task at hand considering the events that had transpired that morning in the lounge. Had he not had a project to keep his mind occupied, he likely would have broken into a weapons storage locker and killed Commander Sumo by now. The last thing he wanted to do right now was finish his shift and have to confront his wife over what he saw this morning. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a horrible metallic screech behind him. He winced and looked over his shoulder, scowling at the source. Shaking his head in annoyance he turned back to the station in front of him and picked up a box from the desk and inspected it closely, looking for any flaws that would hinder their mission.


Mike Luther grasped the back of a hard metal chair and dragged it across the floor of the engineering communications center that he called home. The chairs square feet cause a terrible screeching noise that he didn’t bother to quell as he slipped it right up next to an identical chair that contained David Mayne who was holding a hobbled box in his lap. The box, now with an improvised metallic cover, was the work of Lieutenant Suval who had now retired after a long night of crafting.


Mike leaned back in the chair hoping it wouldn’t break and stated, “so Suval says that this, in conjunction with the ships emergency radio system, will allow us receive analog EM from the drone.”


Leaning back a little farther, “So, go ahead, flip the switch”.


David rolled his eyes at Luthers crude use of the word “switch” like this was some antiquated piece of of 20th century technology. Luther loved old earth-centric colloquialisms. Despite its appearances, the box was quite sophisticated, and David was impressed with what Suval had been able to put together. Perhaps he should ask the Captain to have Suval transfer into Engineering. David activated the device with a simple tap on the console on the workstation he was sitting behind. A few lights flickered to life inside the unit, there was a distinct clicking sound, and then soft, intermittent bursts of static.

“....okay” Mayne said, not sure exactly what he was expecting.


“Do you think that is as good as it will get?", Mike cautiously queried. "There is barely even any white noise. Here, let me see,” Mike said as he grabbed the box without waiting for a reply. He placed Suval's device, which was actually quite sophisticated on his lap and listened to the soft sound of the fuzz as he cycled through the EM spectrum, stopping longer on frequencies common for emergencies.


“David,” Mike said quietly, “you don’t look so good. Long night in engineering with the probe?”


David closed his eyes, sighed, and withheld a grimace. Was he really that easy to read? Though with all the emotional turmoil in his head right now, it should really come as no surprise. “Not exactly” he said finally. “Just had a bit of a rough morning at home. Marriage man...its a rough journey.” he said. “I’m going to replicate some coffee, you want a cup?” He said standing up and heading over to the replicator at the back of the room.


"Yes. Black," mike replied without taking his eyes off of David as he walked to the replicator. "You and and the Mrs. seem to get along well enough, at least as long as she knows we aren't blowing off steam together." Mike instinctively gave a wink to indicate jest but it was lost to David who had had leaned on the wall by the replicator with his back to Mike.


“Yeah..” David muttered barely acknowledging the conversation. His thoughts were all over the place, and the last thing he really wanted to do right now was keep Vestara and Sumo at the forefront of those thoughts


David returned with cups of hot coffee, and took a sip of the hot drink. He never drank Earth blends of coffee at his quarters, Vestara would not approve of the human drink, so whenever he was away, he always took advantage of the opportunity to consume the addictive beverage.


“What about you Mike, were you ever marrie-”


A burst of heavy static filled the workspace startling the two from their conversation. At first there seemed to be nothing coming through other than the white noise, but suddenly a word was audible. “...tense...”


“Right there! You got something.” David said. He quickly set down his mug, and returned to his chair, and leaned in close trying to decipher additional words.


“..terdays surpr...candal...sequent....fusal to take...ffice. Gyn....aala praised the decis....tement”


“Shit we’re missing it. Turn the power down, i think we’re drowning out the signal”, Mike spurted.


David spun towards his workstation and dialed down the power being fed to the box. “I don’t think its making much of a difference” Mayne said frowning. “There is just too much interference!”


The broadcast continued, “...allegations of foul...Fleet...miral Drex...recall of...Star...essels...desci...made. Obviously the response...Bajor...rage...long with ma...ther systems pled...pport for...aala. Never before...clusion. Poss...flict along with...spect of civil w...24 hours...Roux...pitilized, though his con....known................standing orders....attack on sight......of proportion.....tuned for...coverage...reporting...Travis Pedigree, FNN.”


Mike set all four of his chair legs back down on the floor and slumped forward, placing his hands on the back of his neck. “It’s already happened then. Shit. You heard it too, Mayne. We have to tell Arron-the Bajorans have revolted when they lost the election. We’re being called back to support the effort.”


“Uh...I don’t know what we heard, and wow, thats a gigantic leap you’re taking. You do realize I am half Bajoran right?!” David said, shocked at Luthers conclusions.


Luther turned sharply towards Mayne feeling surprised that David's instinct was not to support Star Fleet. Maybe David shared more of his wife's political fervor than he had assumed.


“You can’t tell captain that the message was sporadic. He is being so damned careful lately that he doesn’t see the threats under his own nose. It will be just like with Sumo. Arron will want to consider the details rather than act. We NEED to get this ship back to home to support the counter offensive.” Mike kicked the console in front of him hard pushing his chair back with a loud screech, then half-yelled , “This is the information Sumo is waiting for, his ‘Activation’ is on hiatus until he knows that a war has begun. He can’t know what has happened."


David blinked, trying to make sense of the words spewing out of Luthers mouth.”Commander Sumo? What are you talking about? What do you mean by ‘just like with Sumo’? What the hell is going on here?” David said standing up abruptly and looking at Luther.


Standing up slowly Mike squeezed his neck with his left hand looking anxious. He didn't know how much he could tell his friend, after all, it was just pointed out to him that he was, in fact, half Bajoran.


Seeing Mike's hesitance David reacted quickly, grabbing him by the collar with both hands and slammed him hard into the standing-height console, pinning him with his back bent over the console, feet dangling on the floor, “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what you know about Sumo!” David yelled.


The pain in Mike's back was immense. He could feel nerve pain shooting up his spine and through his neck. His back muscles spasms uncontrollably as he grasped at the smooth surface of the desk struggling to find any way to relieve the pain.


"Get off of me you wrinkly nosed son of a bitch!", Mike finally managed to reply through clenched teeth.


“Not until you answer the goddamn question!” David hissed. He could feel the adrenaline kicking in, and with all the tension he was experienced it felt really good to be in control of a situation. With one arm pressed against Luther now, he cocked his left hand back as if to strike him, “What don’t I know about Sumo?! TELL ME!” It came out of his mouth like an angry scream.


Luther did not respond. He lay awkwardly on the console no longer grasping, but lay limp awkwardly breathing out of his mouth. Through his soft breaths Luther finally whispered, "Arron knows all about Sumo, about his cryptic directive from The Circle..and now he knows you are willing to kill to hide that secret," mike said softly motioning to the door with his limp hand where Lt. Suval's stood mouth agape."


David relaxed almost immediately, loosening his grip on Mike. Suddenly regret filled his eyes. “Look Mike...” he said, “I don’t know anything about Sumo, or The circle or anything else you are referring to. But this morning I saw my wife and Sumo...well, they seemed intimate...” his voice trailed off, the pain of the admission greater than he realized “I just want to know what is going on...I thought maybe you and the Captain knew something based on what you were saying. I over reacted, and I apologize.” David looked over at Suval, “Get the hell out of here!” he said, annoyed at the Vulcans presence.

Suval stepped out of the doorway and two security officers slid into the room phasers drawn. As they secured David Mayne and called for a medic team Looked over at his old buddy. He didn't know what to think at this point. Mayne had overpowered him at the mere mention of Sumo's name. As security escorted David Mayne by Mike quietly said, "Sumo will kill us all."

*******


This has been a joint post by:


Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Travis Pedigree (played by Elijah)
Special Political Consultant to FNN
Location Unknown

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Mike Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 3, 1150 hours***

Arron set down his fork as he heard Nala’s voice come through his comm badge. He quickly swallowed the piece of salmon he was chewing, and took a sip of water from the glass on his desk. A Captain rarely got an uninterrupted meal, even when he was hiding in his office.

=/\=Yes Lieutenant, what is going on?=/\= he said noting the concern in her voice.

=/\= Captain, Dr. Wells has been acting strangely all day. He ran a random DNA scan that he didn’t inform any of is about, and he’s going to see Commander Sumo. I think something bad is going to happen. =/\= she replied frantically.

Arron grimaced, =/\=Does he know you suspect something?=/\= he asked, mentally crossing his fingers

=/\= No, sir. He’s been so preoccupied lately, I don’t think he’d notice if I were on fire. =/\= she said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Arron smiled to himself at the comment, yet kept his mind focused on the urgency of the situation. =/\=Okay, Sumo is currently on the bridge right now, he won’t be able to get away if I keep him busy. Lets put the squeeze on them just a little bit and try and make them feel the pressure of getting away with this right under our nose.=/\=

=/\= Yes sir. How should we go about doing this? =/\= she questioned, not really knowing how she could help.

=/\=To be completely honest with you Lieutenant, I will just have to improvise. I hope you haven’t felt that you were in any danger today.=/\= Arron said, a hint of concern in his voice. Perhaps laced with a side of guilt...

=/\= Oh, no. Not at all. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know, sir. =/\= she said, noting his concern. He was already under enough stress, she didn’t want to cause even more.

=/\=Thanks for the heads up Lieutenant=/\= Arron said. =/\=I will take it from here, you handled this perfectly=/\= he said truthfully.

Arron quickly picked up a PADD from his desk, and fired off a short text message to Bradley, whom he knew would be manning his station behind the arch on the bridge. WELLS INCOMING, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, DON’T MAKE A MOVE UNLESS I SIGNAL. IN 3 MINUTES MESSAGE MY CHAIR CONSOLE

Arron set the PADD down and headed out to the bridge. At almost the same moment the Bridge turbolift doors opened and Commander Wells stepped out. Wells made the slightest almost imperceptible hesitation when he saw Drexel entering the Bridge. “Good Afternoon Doctor!” Arron called. He gave a quick look to Bradley, hoping he received the message.

Bradley looked up from his console long enough to acknowledge the doctor entering the bridge. Bradley looked back down at his console appearing to be working on something important. He started preparing a message to send to the Captain.

“What brings you to the bridge?” Drexel said, injecting his voice with some cheer, while casually walking to the Captains chair and taking a seat.

Wells glanced over at Sumo quickly, “I uh, I was just hoping to have a quick word with Commander Sumo” Wells said, only the slightest hint of nerves creeping into his voice.

Arron patted the empty chair to his left.”Please have a seat, I have been meaning to talk to you myself”

Sumo glanced at Wells and back to the Captain, “Perhaps I should talk to him privately Captain, it is regarding a personal matter.”

Arron feigned surprise, “Oh! Forgive me Commanders” he said nodding to both officers. A beep suddenly sounded from his console built into the arm of his chair. Arron felt a flood of relief come over him. He looked down pretending to be interested in the blank message he received from Bradley. “Unless it is life threatening though I’m going to have to ask you guys to handle this later. It seems Lieutenant Bok has missed his check in time. We might have a stranded officer out there in the nebula.” Arron turned to Commander Sumo, “Please take a shuttle out at once and try and locate our Helm Officer. He should have finished deploying those sensor buoys by now” Arron could see the frustration in Sumo’s eyes. “Is there a problem Commander?”

Bradley’s head perked up and his hands moved to the top of his console gripping it tightly. He caught himself staring the back of Sumo’s head. Bradley had to break his attention to something else so it didn’t seem so obvious that there was a problem.

“No Captain, none at all. I will do it immediately” Sumo said calmly

Arron typed a quick message into his console as casually as possible.

GET A TRACKING DEVICE ON THE SHUTTLE IMMEDIATELY. HAVE NALA STALL SUMO IN CORRIDOR WHILE YOU WORK

and sent it to Bradley.

“Excuse me Captain I just received a message from L’del. There is an issue in the brig that needs my attention. I messaged Karina she is on her way to take my place. “ Bradley retreated from and headed to the lift.

Arron gave a curt nod to Bradley to acknowledge him, but kept his focus on Sumo. “I hope he hasn’t gotten lost. It is a big nebula after all. Commander Wells, why don’t you come into my office in the meantime, I have been meaning to chat with you about your latest supply requisition request.”

Arron stood up not waiting for Well’s reply and headed towards his Readyroom.

****

Bradley thought the tracking device might be able to serve multiple purposes. Since we are having hard time tracking while we are in the nebula I should set it to record any incoming and outgoing transmissions as well. He didn’t have much time so he had to make the adjustments on the way to the shuttle. =/\=Karina, it’s Bradley, I need your help with something in the shuttlebay before you get to the bridge, I will leave a device in the main turbolift, grab it and attach it to the shuttle. Discreetly=/\=

=/\=Aye sir, I’m on it=/\= she replied

Bradley tapped his commbadge again, =/\= Nala this is Bradley, I am on the way to the shuttle bay, I need you to stall Sumo as long as possible. =/\=

=/\= Yes sir. You can count on me. =/\=

Nala rushed from the sick bay, grabbing the PADD closest to her. She was hoping she could think of a way to use it to stall Commander Sumo before actually encountering him, thinking she could use it to come up with some reason as to why she would need him.

As she stood in the corridor clutching the PADD to her chest, waiting for Sumo to pass by, she wondered if this was even going to work. She had never done anything like this before, and she was hoping her nervousness wouldn’t show. She had a terrible habit of stuttering when she was scared or nervous, and in this case she was both.

Her heart sped up as she heard footsteps approaching, very angry and agitated emotions coming with them. Much faster than Nala would have liked, Sumo came around the corner. She still wasn’t sure she could do this, but she went for it anyways. Captain Drexel and Lieutenant Bradley had put their faith in her, so now she needed to prove to them that it was well placed.

“Excuse me, Commander Sumo. I’m g-glad I found you. I need your signature for th-this supply transfer...” she said nervously, her stomach in knots. She had no idea what to expect from this man. She hoped he couldn’t see how much her hands were trembling as she angled the PADD towards him. She had hastily filled out a supply transfer form in the small amount of time she had before he was to pass by, adding the first few things that came to mind.

Sumo pried the PADD from Nala's hands without glancing at her. "No one bothers me for 3 days, suddenly I'm the most needed man on the ship" he said growling. "What supplies are you short on, and why didn't you have Commander Wells sign this?" He said exasperated.

“Well, sir, you see, he’s been in and o-out of his office a lot lately. And we ran out of, of dermaline gel and ambizine, as well as a few o-other medications that we really need. A-And I couldn’t find him t-to sign this.” she replied, her nervous stutter coming through.

Sumo sneered down at Nala. “Get a grip Lieutenant, you’re embarrassing yourself. With a weak mind like that, I wouldn’t get too comfortable on this ship.” Sumo said venomously, and thrust the PADD, now bearing his signature, back at Nala.

Nala was in shock as tears began forming in her eyes. It had been a long time since someone had spoken so harshly to her, since she had felt such pure hatred coming from someone. She didn’t know how to react. She tried to control her trembling hands as she took the PADD that had been thrust at her. She began wondering if this small exchange had given Lieutenant Milligan enough time. She had a nagging feeling that this wasn’t going to end well, though she desperately hoped it was her nerves, that she was wrong.

As soon as Sumo was out of sight, Nala slouched down to the floor, unable to keep in the tears that had been threatening to spill out. Between the anger, frustration and irritation coming from Sumo, and her own feelings of fear, humiliation and dread, her mind couldn’t stand anymore conflicting emotions.

Drained, she wiped the last few tears away hastily as she realized she was still in the middle of the corridor. She quickly collected herself and headed for her quarters. As she walked through the door, she grabbed Titan and collapsed onto her bed, closing herself off from reality.

******

Bradley made his way into the shuttlebay and started looking for Sumo’s shuttle. One was already on the platform being prepared by the crew. Bradley knew it would look very suspicious for him to dismiss everyone and the play around with the shuttlecraft. He had to come up with something else.

“What are you doing if I might ask?” Bradley asked in a firm voice.

“We are preparing Commander Sumo's shuttle sir,” one of the crew members replied back.

“Let me ask you something. I want everyone over here. Do you know how much a security issue this place is?” Bradley went on a long lecture trying to keep everyone’s attention on him. he heard the doors to the lift open, but he knew it wasn’t Sumo that had entered. He watched as the figure entered the shuttlecraft and then exited a few moments later. The figure returned to the lift and Bradley finished his lecture. “Get it fixed by the time I come back. Finish preparing Commander Sumo’s shuttle.” Bradley returned to the lift where the figure was still waiting.

“I need you to take my place at the bridge they are expecting you there.” Bradley had a smirk on his face keeping his eyes toward the door.

“Yes sir, where will you be.” Karina replied back

“I am supposed to be at the brig, so I that’s where I’ll be.” The turbolift stopped and Bradley walked toward the brig.

****

This has been a Joint Post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Sumo (played by Elijah)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Junior Grade Bradley Milligan
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Junior Grade Karina Pope (played by Brian)
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 3, 21:10 hours**


Arron yawned and stretched his arms out over his head, feeling his joints pop in his shoulders. He sighed and dropped back into a slouch in his chair. It had been a busy day. Since being in the nebula for 36 hours, the ship had felt cut off from the rest of the galaxy. With tensions rising, Rawnk Bok officially missing, and Sumo and Wells being suspected conspirators, there was no shortage of issues to work out. Arron was beginning to feel claustrophobic in his office. he had spent too much time in it today. He looked at the time and sighed. He probably should turn in for the night. Who knew what troubles tomorrow would bring. As he exited his office, the bridge too was quiet. A few night shift personnel manning their stations, and Lieutenant Commander Zane Cross was the command officer on duty.

“Calling it a night, sir?" Cross asked as Arron made his way to the turbolift.

“Yes, I think it’s about that time.” Arron said. “Keep me posted if Sumo or Bawk show up.” Arron called over his shoulder as he stepped into the lift.

“Deck 8” Arron said to the computer. The lift hummed, taking him down to the deck his personal quarters were located. As he waited, he couldn’t help but feel the pressure of responsibility that was weighing on him right now. Was he making the wrong choice in allowing Sumo and Wells to carry on with their subterfuge? Was he putting lives in danger unnecessarily just because he refused to believe that officers that had served under him for years had loyalties other than Star Fleet? He suddenly felt very lonely. There was no one waiting for him back at his quarters, no long time friend he could call up out of the blue and vent. Such was the life of a Star Fleet Captain.

The doors slid open and Arron walked out onto deck 8. He considered his last few thoughts. While he certainly felt many in the ship respected him, it was sad to think that maybe they couldn’t think of him as a friend now that he was no longer a fellow officer but their commanding officer. Perhaps he should try and embrace Luthers shortcomings and recognize the genuine friendship he was projecting towards Arron. But Luther wasn’t really the type of person Arron felt comfortable sharing his deepest thoughts with. As that thought crossed his mind, an image of Nala flashed in his head. This was someone whom he had spent a lot of time with recently. Maybe because she was one of the few people on board who had not served along Arron while he was the First Officer of the Yorktown, but it seemed like they had just a different kind of relationship than the rest of his crew. He had shared a lot of personal information with her, as recently as last night, when they shared dinner in the lounge. Maybe he could chat with her for a bit...as friends, not as a Captain to a subordinate.

The thought seemed silly to Arron. He was a Star Fleet Captain! He couldn't afford such luxuries as friendship. It could affect his decision making, and he didn't ever want to be responsible for the loss of a friend due to a command decision. However, Arron realized he had not heard from Nala since he had her attempt to delay Sumo this afternoon. Perhaps he could stop by her quarters, just for a minute...as a Captain of course, to check and see how she had coped. Feeling that he had rationalized visiting her at this hour, he changed course and soon found himself outside her door. He gently pressed the call button outside her quarters, and waited.

Nala stirred at the sound of someone at her door. Dragging herself off of the bed, she looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Her hair was sticking out in every direction. She grabbed her brush and hastily ran it through her hair while heading for the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find Captain Drexel standing there, sensing a multitude of emotions coming from him.

"Oh, hello Captain." she said, regretting not taking a little more time on her appearance. She knew she looked far from presentable. She has slept for the better part of 6 hours, completely detached from reality. She also hasn't eaten anything since the night before, her dinner with the Captain. These simple thoughts soon gave way to other, more pressing thoughts. Her mind began racing as she tried to figure out why he was here. Had she not stalled Sumo long enough for Lieutenant Milligan to do what he needed to do? Did Sumo find out she didn't really need a supply transfer? She glanced back at the Captain as he began to speak.

“Ah” Arron frowned, “I have caught you at a bad time. My apologies Lieutenant. I will speak with you tomorrow." he said turning to leave.

"Oh! No, sir. It's not a bad time at all. Please, come in." she said, stepping aside so he could enter. "I'm glad you stopped by. It's always nice to see a friendly face after a day like today." she said, giving him a slight smile.

Arron entered, giving Nala a friendly smile. He paused as he entered the doorway, and sniffed. “What is that incredible scent?” he asked allowing the pleasant aroma to overtake his senses. “I must get it for my quarters!”

Nala paused, sniffing, confused because she couldn't smell anything. As she moved forward, her hair fell in to her face, and she blushed, realizing instantly that what he was smelling was her shampoo. "Well sir, I-I think you might be smelling my shampoo." she said hesitantly.

Arrons stomach fell to his knees. “I uh...I don't know what to say,” Arron said. Then laughed, “Forigive me. It was an exotic scent, and caught me off guard.” he felt like a complete ass and didn't know how to recover.

"Oh, it's okay. My mom sends this to me every once in awhile. It's a special scent from Betazed. My grandmother used to send it to us, and after I joined Star Fleet, my mom thought it would be nice for me to have a piece of my childhood here." she said, surprised that he had even noticed it, smiling at the thought.

“Your family has impeccable taste." Arron said, realizing that of course something that smelled that good would come from Betazed. The planet, along with its people, were well known for cultivating exciting stimuli, it was part of their allure, and why many people sought out the planet as a vacation destination. It was after all perhaps second only to Risa in terms of sensuality of the inhabitants.

“Well in that case, I guess it won’t be needed in for my quarters.” Arron said trying his best to save face.

She laughed, noting his embarrassment. "Are you sure? I'm sure I could spare a bottle." she winked, trying to put him at ease.

Arron laughed, and with it the tension he was feeling seemed to release. “I don’t think it would be good for anyone on this ship if the Captain walked around smelling like that!” Arron said cheerily.

"I suppose you're right." she said, laughing. As he continued to smile, Nala glanced at him and felt her heart skip a beat, and she quickly turned away. No, now way Nala. That is not an option, she thought to herself. He's your Captain, get it together! After she finished mentally scolding herself, she realized they were still standing in the doorway. Feeling like an idiot, she turned back to face him. "Please, have a seat." she said, shooing Titan off of a small sofa so they could sit. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked, trying to focus on something other than the man in front of her, her mind still too preoccupied to say anything else.

“I’m a sucker for Iced Tea” Arron admitted as he settled down on the couch.

Nala walked over to the replicator. “One Iced Tea and one Raspberry Tea.” she said, grabbing the glasses when they appeared. She walked back over and handed the Iced Tea to the Captain, slowly sitting down next to him. She pulled her feet underneath her as she sat, angling herself so she could look at him. “So, what brings you by tonight, Captain?” she asked.

Arron watched her sit, and thought about what she asked. Why WAS he here...he had talked himself into coming because of the incident with Sumo earlier in the day, but he also knew he felt like he could open up more with her than perhaps anyone else on the ship. But that just wasn’t something he felt was okay for a Captain to do with a Lieutenant. His head was starting to hurt from thinking about it too much. He took a sip from his iced tea, and went with his original justification. “Well, I wanted to hear how things went with Sumo earlier.” he said finally.

She raised her eyebrows at his hesitation, the mental war going on inside of his head, and a questioning look in her eyes. But she let it go, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than he already was. “Well, to be completely honest,” she started, “it was pretty rough. I’m used to dealing with multiple peoples emotions at any given time, but never one’s so strong as Commander Sumo’s. And never all at once. His anger was just so....so overpowering. I felt like my mind was on overdrive. It’s not something I ever want to feel again, that’s for sure. But I’m glad I was given the opportunity to help. I...was able to help, right?” she asked, her earlier questions plaguing her again.

Arron could sense the pain in her voice; it didn’t require any empathic abilities to hear it, and that pang of guilt he felt earlier returned. “I am sorry you had to experience that.” he acknowledged. “As Star Fleet Officers we often have to face things that terrify us, or go above and beyond what our expectations were involving the duties we are expected to perform. Had I known of another option at the time I certainly wouldn't have placed you in that situation, but...I want you to know that Lieutenant Milligan was able to get a tracking device on that shuttle, and its all thanks to your efforts. You did a very good job Nala.” he said with a warm smile.

“Thank you sir. You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that. I know that this is just a part of the job. I just never expected someone to have that kind of anger. It’s not often that I feel so overwhelmed and it’s not anything you should be sorry for.” she said, hoping he could hear the sincerity in her voice as she smiled back. She didn’t want him to feel guilty for having her be a part of this. If she was going to make it as an officer in the Star Fleet, she needed to expect situations like this to happen from time to time.

Instinctually he reached out to pat her on the leg that was folded under her...while it was meant as a gesture of reassurance, he suddenly felt like he had just crossed a line of inappropriateness and quickly withdrew his hand again, and clutched the iced tea in both hands as if his life depended on it. I’ve got to get out of here, he thought, and looked towards the door.

Nala looked at him quizzically, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden change. He had been reaching his hand out, for what she didn't know, then he snatched it back and put a wall up between them. Had she said something to cause this? She started to speak, "I...I'm..." but she didn't know what to say. She watched as he gripped the glass, looking towards the door, ready to bolt at a moments notice. She looked away, sensing a mix of emotions, from regret to passion, to loneliness. She was so confused by this man in front of her. His actions contradicted his emotions, and she had no idea what to do, no idea what she COULD do.

Arron stood up, “Perhaps I should leave, I don’t want to take any more of your off duty time.” he said taking a final gulp of his drink and handing it to her. Arron had never felt so uncomfortable in such a long time. He was discovering feelings he had for Nala that he could not, would not allow himself to succomb to. And that smell...it was so intoxicating. He had to leave soon before he did something he was sure he would regret. “Thank you for the drink." he said politely, while trying not to look directly at her eyes. Those dark black eyes. He couldn’t help himself...he looked anyway.

Taking the glass from him, she glanced up quickly and caught his eye. They says the eyes are a window to the soul. Nala had never believed that until now. As she looked into his eyes, she could see everything that made this man who he was, from the pride and sense of duty he felt, to the happiness and glee when he was around those he was close to and the sorrow and loneliness he felt the most. She glanced away, feeling as though she had violated his privacy. She still didn't know what she had done to cause him to react this way. But it stung to be so abuptly dismissed by someone she felt she was getting close to. Realizing she still hadn't acknowledged him, she glanced back up at him and whispered, "You're welcome....sir."

Arron cursed to himself. She was a Betazoid. She knew exactly what he was thinking. The damage had already been done. Acting purely on impulse, with no logical thought to it, he reached up to her with his right hand, and pulled her to him and kissed her.

Nala was so surprised, it took her a moment to actually register what was happening. He was kissing her! She sighed inwardly, leaning into him, kissing him back. The stress and worry from what had transpired only moments before seemed to melt away. Nothing else mattered but the fact that his lips were firmly, needingly pressed against hers. She couldn't believe that her stoic Captain had finally released himself from the emotional stranglehold he had on himself.

Arron could think of nothing else other than the touch of her lips against his, her body leaning up against his, the way she tasted, and smelled. But it wasn’t right. This was not the conduct of a Captain! He pulled away...not enough to discourage Nala, but enough to break them apart slightly. “I...I can’t do this” he said softly. “I am your Commanding Officer”

Nala, still in a daze, could only look up at him, slightly confused. She pulled him back down, kissing him gently before pulling away. "Arron...I...I know how this makes you feel, how I make you feel. And I know it’s scary, to feel so strongly for someone, to feel something you’ve never felt before. But we can't pretend this never happened, that our feelings for each other aren't real. Yes, you are my Commanding Officer, and I know you aren't allowed to be with me, but does that change how you feel? I know there are risks, that we shouldn't pursue this, but now that I know, I just can't let you go." she said. She had never felt this way before, and she knew she had to show him what she was saying was true. She softly kissed him again, not knowing what else she could do to show him that she wanted to give this a try. She pulled away and laid her head against his chest, listening to the rhythmic sounds of his heart.

Arron stroked her hair, and couldn’t help but like the way she had said his name ‘Arron’, instead of Captain. It sounded much better coming from her than Luther, and- How in in the hell is Luther coming up?! Arron thought to himself, feeling annoyance at the mans face flashing through his mind. He quickly pushed the thoughts away and focused again on Nala. “I appreciate you saying that Nala.” he said honestly. “I just need to figure out how we can make this work...discreetly.” he said hoping she would understand why that was necessary.

She nodded, knowing it had to be this way if it was to continue past tonight. A Captain was NEVER allowed to pursue a relationship with a member of the crew, no exceptions, even she knew that. She also knew the risks he was willing to take to be with her, even with them being as discreet as possible, and it bmade her heart flutter. Now that she knew how he felt, no, how they felt, she was willing to do anything it took to make sure they were able to see where this relationship could take them.



********

This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 4, hour 0620***

As Nala was walking into the mess hall, she glanced around, noting there weren't many people for her to run in to there. Good, she thought, too much on her mind for her to be good company. She had decided on brown sugar oatmeal with apple slices and blackberries with a raspberry tea for breakfast before she left her quarters. She unconsciously went to the table in the back, the one next to the large viewport.

As she sat down, she took a bite of her oatmeal and stared out at the swirling blues of the nebula. Soon, she was lost in thought, her breakfast all but forgotten.

She had no idea what to expect throughout the day, considering everything that was happening on board. The prospect of having to be around Dr. Wells all day was almost overwhelming enough to make her head back to her quarters, feigning sickness for a while. She didn’t know what he had to do with what was going on with Sumo, but after what had happened yesterday, she knew she wanted nothing to do with it. He had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time, so much so that he was nothing like the man she had met when she first came aboard. And then there was...

“Arron...” she whispered, bringing her fingers to her lips, remembering his gentle kisses. Last night had probably been the best night of her life. She had never imagined finding someone, other than maybe another Betazoid, who would accept her for who and what she was. And yet, here she was, with a wonderful man who cared for her, who liked her for who she was. And yet she couldn’t seem to get rid of this feeling that maybe she was wrong for convincing him to give them a chance. After all, he was her superior, her CAPTAIN, and he was risking everything to be with her.

She started to feel a little guilty, knowing what he would lose if they were caught. But over the past few months, she had really gotten to know him, to know things about him that he wouldn’t tell to anyone. He knew this, knew how easily she could tell what he was thinking, and he liked her anyways. It was this thought that helped her ease the guilt. Knowing that he wanted to be with her just as much as she wanted to be with him.

While this thought eased the guilt, it didn’t make it go completely away. She didn't know what to do. It was all so amazing yet confusing at the same time.

The sound of others moving around her finally snapped her back to reality. She glanced down at her plate, her oatmeal no longer appetizing. She quickly ate the last of her apples and blackberries and gulped down the last of her tea. She cleared her table and headed for the sick bay.

With her mind still racing, Nala tried to push all of this to the back of her mind as she finally reached the doors of the sick bay. She didn’t want Dr. Wells catching on to her emotions, though she didn’t think he would pay enough attention to anything outside of his office to notice. She paused, taking a deep breath, not wanting to walk in.

As she stepped in, she glanced towards Dr. Wells' office. On noticing he wasn't there, she released a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. With the tension of having to see Dr. Wells gone, and Arron back on her mind, she went to her station and started prepping for the day.




***************************

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1 Day 4, 1900 Hours**

Commander Sumo had now been piloting around the nebula for over 30 hours. He had been tracking an ion wake that had been left from the shuttles warp engines that Lieutenant Bok had piloted out this way. The pattern indicated that Bok had dropped out of warp every 90 minutes to deploy a sensor buoy along the nebula's perimeter. This pattern had given Sumo some irregular sleeping habits lately, but he was perplexed that he had as of yet not been able to figure out where Rawnk Bok had disappeared.

His proximity to that nebula was still playing havoc on communications, and while a ship as sophisticated as The Yorktown would have no problem communicating via subspace from this position, the shuttle had nowhere even close to the level of equipment necessary to cut through the interference coming off the nebula. Regardless he prepared a message to submit before he inevitably had to return to the Yorktown. He was to meet with Vestara Mayne in his quarters in a few short hours, and that was an appointment he absolutely needed to keep.

“This Emissary has already made the preparations necessary for the Sacrifice of Cleansing. I await further instructions as to how this Emissary may further serve The Prophets”

He sent the short message, wondering if it would be able to break through the nebulas interference and reach its intended destination. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do from this point. Of course he was never given more information than was necessary, a prudent measure to prevent compromised agents from divulging sensitive information in the event they were captured and interrogated. His mission up until now had been to move up the ranks within Star Fleet and have access to command codes, fleet movement data, personnel lists, and be in a position to effect a change in command should that need arise. Things had run smoothly over the years, sometimes Sumo would even forget that he had a purpose other than serving Star Fleet. It was easy to get lost in the false life he had constructed around himself. He had made friends, taken lovers, and done genuinely good deeds for people, however all of that was simply a ploy designed to get him to the point he was at today, when his people would rise to power, and where he could do something to propel that rise.

It wasn’t long ago that the Bajoran, Vestara Mayne was identified by his superiors as a suitable accomplice, willing or otherwise, to achieve some of their goals. She was strong willed, yet had xenophobic tendencies that would make her sympathetic to the goals of The Circle. Coercing her via chemicals would hopefully be only a temporary setback. Soon she would see what was going on, and her personal profile gave him confidence that she would be a full fledged member of The Circle before long; willing and eager.

A soft beep from his console alerted him that he had made the final warp jump and was now back to the beginning of where his journey had started. All the sensor buoys HAD been deployed by Lieutenant Bok. So where did he go then? He rechecked the sensors, confirming that from this point the shuttle had returned to the nebula. His readings seemed to indicate that indeed, that was the case. Sumo sighed, and set a course back inside the nebula. He needed to get back to the ship. Doctor Wells had some important information to give him regarding the blood sample he had found the morning before, and of course the crucial meeting with Vestara.

Another beep sounded from his console, and Sumo was pleased to see that it was an incoming text transmission. Eagerly he opened the file and read the messages contents.

“There has been trouble at home Child, Heretics and Disbelievers are not heeding the Prophets Call, The Will of the Prophets can not come to pass without a sacrifice, specifically the sacrifice of the Disbelievers offspring. Only then will the Heretics and Disbelievers accept the Will of the Prophets. You must bring the Sacrifice home, Child, and you must do so quickly.”

Sumo stared at the message, he read it two more times taking in its meaning. He wished he knew exactly was meant by ‘there has been trouble at home’, but the rest of the message was clear enough. He felt a surge of adrenaline and his heart began to race. This was the moment he had been waiting his whole life for.

He powered up the shuttle’s engines and sped into the Nebula eager to begin the Sacrifice. He hadn’t been back in the nebula long when all hell broke loose.

Suddenly the sensors were going wild and the voice of the computer could be heard reporting "warning: collision impending!"

He changed course just as a massive shape loomed up in the mists. He came around, edging the shuttle slowly closer. It was a vessel of some kind, and the material looked familiar.

"Computer, scan the object and identify it." Sumo said, bewildered over his discovery. It was WAY to big to be Boks shuttle.

Moments later there was a series of beeps. "Object identified; Cardassian Vessel, Keldon class. No life signs detected ."

"Keldon class...how...computer, establish a flight pattern to provide as thorough a scan as possible. Keep viewports toward the vessel. I need to see this."

"Acknowledged, commencing pattern now." said the tranquil voice of the computer

He moved, leaning towards the viewport and stared. Keldon class ships were roughly comparable to Federation Galaxy Class star ships. What one was doing here, floating in the mist, was a mystery to him. As the data streamed in he alternated between reading it and gazing at the vessel in complete disbelief.

Most of the vessel seemed undamaged. But there were holes in the hull near where vital systems were routed. It seemed something had penetrated the shield, and disabled the weapons, sensors, engines, and life support without any significant damage to the rest of the ship. Then there were the four larger holes. There was damage where something had clamped onto the outside of the ship and cut a whole roughly four meters tall by six meters wide. After the scan was complete he maneuvered the shuttle near one of the larger holes and aimed in a floodlight. There were blast scars on the interior walls. More small holes surrounded by burn marks as well. Something glinted and he dimmed the light. He gasped as the realization struck him that it was the upper half of a decompressed Cardassian corpse.

"The prophets gave them only what they deserved," he said aloud. He sighed. "And may they protect us from the same fate."

Confident that he had collected all the data he could, and the eery way in which the derelict vessel sat motionless in the nebula, Sumo was very eager to leave this ghost ship, he resumed his course back towards the Yorktown, the sooner he got back on board, the safer he would feel. The unsettling images of the ship still fresh in his mind, he temporarily forgot all about his assignment for The Circle.

****

This has been a joint post by Elijah and Daniel

Commander Sumo (NPC)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

The beacon followed its programming. The moment the alien vessel left sensor range it broadcast the report. Attached was technical data about the alien vessel, in addition to the following header. "Bait vessel scanned. No boarding. Continued into Queenspace."

-border beacon 8856, 14th legion

***Mission 1, Day 4, 1152 hours***

David had his head buried into his hands as he sat on a bench in the cell of the brig he was currently imprisoned in. He felt true remorse for the way in which he had reacted to Luther yesterday morning. With all of the emotional turmoil he was trying - and failing - to deal with right now, this ‘time out’ as he came to think of it, was probably for the best. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to keep his mind from thinking about Vestara and Sumo locking lips, and making out. His hand still was sore from the cuts he had made to himself as he watched the betrayal.

So when the doors to the brig opened and the petite figure of his wife Vestara walked in, David couldn’t feel more annoyed. He stayed seated as she approached, though he folded his arms and wore an unpleasant expression on his face.

Vestara was wide eyed, and had an expression of serious concern on her own face. “David!” she said hurrying up to the force field that divided the cell from the Brig. “What happened?!” she asked.

“Why are you here?” David said scowling, the irritation in his voice evident.

Vestara took a half step back, confused by her husbands reaction to her presence. ‘W-what do you mean? You are the one in the cell! I came to find out why you haven’t been home all night, and then when I found out you were in here, I had to find out what had happened!” she said defensively.

David wanted to scream, ‘WHY DON’T YOU ASK SUMO, YOU CHEATING BITCH!’ but he lacked the mental strength to engage in such an act, so instead he settled for non committal grunt.

“Drexel tossed you in here didn't he!” Vestara said, her eyes flashing with anger.

That response caught David off guard. ‘“What?” he said positively confused.

“I knew it! I have it all figured out!” Vestara said, lowering her voice and glancing around to make sure the room was empty. “I’ve been talking with some of the newer members of the crew...the non-human ones. There is a theory going around that Drexel has us in this nebula for no other reason that to force a strict communications blackout.”

David thought his eyes would get stuck in the back of his skull he rolled them so hard. “Oh for the love of The Prophets Vestara, where do you come up with this shit?”

“I’m serious David. There are multiple people on this ship who lost contact with family and friends when we came into the nebula, people who were giving them information that the Military flat out refused to support Daala should he win the election. A lot of people feel like Drexel, and many other Captains, all have shut their crews off from any information reaching them ship letting them know a government coup is taking place back on Earth. We believe Daala won the election, and Roux backed by the military seized control and declared martial law.”

David blinked, wondering if this was a joke. “Are you listening to yourself say this! I know you haven't always been the biggest fan of Humans, but what you are suggesting...the logistics, the repercussions, they would be massive!”

Vestara frowned at Davids reaction. “So...you just happened to be working on the communications issue, and what...did you guys get some sort of breakthrough, and now Drexel has you in brig to keep you quiet over what you heard?!”

David sighed exasperated, “I am here because I -” his voice trailed off..Something occurred to him that hadn’t before...when he...assaulted Luther, Suval was there in a heartbeat, with a security team...why would Suval, the Assistant Chief of Communications have a security team outside the communications room in engineering in a matter of literally seconds. There was only one possible explanation...Vestara was right. Drexel knew what they might find, and needed to have a security team there to keep things hushed up if they did receive a transmission. The security team...they were all humans, Luther...was he on it? A human. Suval...well he was a Vulcan, but Vulcans were long time allies of the Humans, and Daala would likely seem an “illogical” presidential candidate.

Vestara watched David carefully as he was clearly thinking hard. She could see the life returning in his eyes

“Vestara!” David said suddenly, jerking his head up to stare at her. “You have to get out of here!” David said his voice now in a panic. “I did hear a transmission, and if they catch you in here, they will detain you too! GO!” he said urging her out.

Vestara’s eyes grew, ‘What did you hear!” she demanded.

“GO NOW!” David yelled through the security field.

“No, I need to know what you heard...what is going on, it will help me rally support on the ship. Please!” she pleaded.

David knew there could be no argument. He wasn’t sure how long they would be left alone in the brig so he talked fast.

“The transmission was incomplete. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but now it all makes sense!” he began, recalling what he could from memory. “Daala did win the election, but Drexels father...the Fleet Admiral, he recalled all available ships to Earth. It seems like many worlds are flocking to Bajor, and recognizing Daala as the legitimate leader, while Roux is leading planets either too loyal, or too afraid of the military to openly pledge support for Daala. There is a civil war about to break out. We need to do something!” While David wasn’t entirely sure that he had interpreted the message correctly, it did seem to fit why Drexel would have a security team there so quickly to arrest him.

Vestara started backing out of the brig, she blew a kiss to David. “I will work on getting you out of here, and trust me, we will find a way to get this ship over to Daala. He need’s all the military support he can get it sounds like” And with that she quickly spun around and dashed out of the room.

David simply slumped into a cot in the cell, the betrayal of yesterday now forgotten, and a determined will to break free and help his wife lead an effort to take control of the ship firmly sat in its place.

********

This has been a joint post by

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1 Day 4, 1924 Hours**

Commander ch’Tell was on the bridge on shift time when Sumo returned with news of the abandoned and damaged Cardassian ship. “I suppose we can skip to that part of the nebula for now,” Thoris noted. “Won’t hurt the scans we have been taking already. Your choice, Captain.” His mood was unusually gleeful.

Arron pondered the decision. On one hand, evidence that Cardassians had been here was very intriguing, on the other hand, they knew literally nothing about what had disabled the Cardassian ship in the first place. And could he be sure that this wasnt some sort of ruse by Commander Sumo to lure the Yorktown into a trap. Things were starting to get out of hand, and the sooner he had a reason to get out of the nebula, the better.

"Alright, helm; bring us around, set a course for the Cardassian derelict. Commander ch'Tell, I want your team ready to record all the data we can get as quickly as possible."

“Aye, sir.” Thoris contacted Lt. Jelo in the Science labs, brought him up to date in a strange, perky voice--something very unusual for an Andorian.

Once the ship arrived at the site, the regular scans for the scientific survey initiated. Thoris started a parallel routine that would sample from the abandoned ship in short periodic bursts. As the first figures scrolled onto his screen, he couldn’t help but show a disappointing smile. “I’m picking up traces of dilithium in its type IIa state. It could be interference with the nebula gases.”

While Arron was more of a pilot than a scientist, he still understood the basics of dilithium and it's properties. What Thoris said seemed implausible. "How confident are you in that analysis Commander?" Arron asked.

“Not very. I’d prefer a more detailed scan. I will redirect some of the survey time to the ship, then. It should be another few minutes before we have something,” Thoris chirped. He began to hum a happy tune.

Minutes later, the interface at the science station notified that the scan was complete. “No, it was correct before. Type IIa state dilithium is found in the hull, specifically where the greatest damage was done.” Thoris turned to Arron, confused, but his face not showing it. “I would almost say that the ship was the source of the dilithium explosions, but that can’t be, since the ship is there. Unless dilithium can be localized in an explosion...”

Arron frowned, not seeing that as a likely scenario, but again, he was far from a scientist. "Based on the information you have right now, what would be your most educated guess?"

“It’s almost as if someone had contained many small dilithium-based explosions to make holes in the ship.” Thoris’ eyes widened, making him appear more excited than surprised. “What if someone had? A dilithium-based weapon?”

"A dilithium based weapon?" Arron repeated, "I have never heard of such technology. Are there any records in the computer to match what we are seeing?" He asked.

Thoris ran a search and found an unsettling entry. “There was an incident in 2359 where Andorian renegades used an interphasic dilithium bomb on Triangula Delta, wiping most of the planets inhabitants,” he answered joyfully. “That was large scale, though. That’s nothing like what we are looking for.”

Arron glanced down at his own console. "These attack patterns are almost...surgical. Absolutely precise targeting of key ships systems. If this is some sort of weapon, it's either brand new technology, or could it be something related to the nebula? Some natural phenomena that is unique to this sector, and had a chain reaction through the ships main systems." Arron's mind thought of the possibilities.

“It’s hard to say, Captain,” Thoris said with a smile. After reading that bit from before, he should have been more concerned, but his emotions were locked in a state of bliss. Maybe it was the nanites--he made a note to meet with the doctor later. “Although, I am unaware of any natural phenomenon that would target specifically the main systems, plus make a cut into the hull so rectangular.”

"No your right, this has to be deliberate. Nothing natural. But to harness dilithium in such a fashion...it's unimaginable. Wouldn't there pose a risk of igniting this whole damn cloud?!" Drexel pondered.

“There are other possibilities to consider: for example, it was attacked outside the nebula and relocated to the nebula where it could remain hidden...”

"I don't know Commander, the way these burn marks are hitting each critical component, I doubt this ship had the capacity to to move anywhere one they were hit. What a fascinating mystery we have here. Can you atleast determine how old the ship is? That might help us determine how long it could have been here" Drexel asked.

“Well, based on the initial quantum dating readings, almost twenty years.” Thoris’ antennae were moving rapidly. “If that is correct, this would be one of the first Keldon class ships manufactured.”

"I'd like a report based on the possibility of sending an away team there and the chances of recovering data from the computer. " Arron said. "By morning" he added. “I will be in my office doing additional research for unexplained activities reported near this sector."

Thoris nodded and turned back to the console, happily return resources back to the nebula scans.

***

Commander Thoris ch’Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 4, 2030 Hours***

“Come in” Sumo said in a calm voice.

The doors opened, and Vestara Mayne entered, exactly on time. The room was almost pitch black except for various candles lit around the room providing a soft ambiance. “I have come to serve The Prophets” she said. The doors to Sumo’s quarters slid shut behind her as she walked further in side.

“Good...good” Sumo breathed. “The time has come for us to make our move” Sumo said the words quietly. He was sitting on a pillow wearing traditional Bajoran robes, in hues of orange, pink and dark red. The traditional Bajoran earring now was visible on his left ear, and his nose ridges seemed more prominent.

Vestara hesitated, seeing Sumo like this was unexpected, and slightly disjointing.

“Check her!” Sumo barked roughly. Out of the shadows Commander Wells appeared, he was still in a Star Fleet uniform. In his hands he carried a medical kit. He grabbed Vestara by the arm, not enough to hurt, but with enough force to let her know she was not in control of the situation.

Vestara made no attempt to free herself from Wells grasp. She was completely submissive around Sumo. His eyes still seemingly delving into her soul. She knew that she was his servant, and he could do with her as he pleased. Anything, he pleased.

Wells propped the medical kit onto a small end table, setting it carefully amongst the lit candles. He retrieved a medical tricorder and began running it over her body, scanning her.

Vestara didn’t flinch a muscle. She needed to prove herself to Sumo that she could be trusted. that she would be his most loyal servant. That thought seemed to sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She bit her lip softly, grinning to herself.

“It’s still active.” Wells said candidly.

Vestara didn’t know what that meant, but she knew it didn’t matter either. Sumo would enlighten her with any knowledge she needed. The past day and half that she hadn’t been able to....feel, yes feel, his presence had made her weak, made her soft. She never wanted to feel that way again.

Sumo rose to his feet, his robes flowing about him. He reached out with his hand, and cupped her chin. “Vestara” he said, not breaking eye contact. “I need you to gather all the Bajorans on this ship and have them meet me in Cargo Bay 2. Then you must be prepared to disable the internal communications systems. This will need to be ready to activate on my signal”

“I understand” she said, her voice full of confidence.

“Meet us in the cargo bay when you are finished. Do not dawdle.” He said through gritted teeth.

“If you will permit me...” Vestara said, inclining her head slightly, “I have the support of over 80 non Bajorans on this ship who are similarly disenfranchised with Drexel’s leadership. There is a feeling that this ship needs new leadership. If you were to address them, I believe they too would follow you.

Sumo glanced at Wells for the briefest of seconds. Wells, who had just set his medical tricorder back into his med kit, removed a small sack with a tube coming out of it. Wells flipped it over in his hands and held it up looking through the translucent material as if to gauge its remaining contents. Satisfied, he nodded.

“Make the necessary preparations to have them join us.” Sumo said at last. “Now go, serve The Prophets well!”

Vestara bowed.

******************************

Scott Wells scrambled into the cargo bay, his med-kit close beside him.

Cargo Bay 2 had been selected because it was large, mostly empty, and had its own ventilation system used in case the ship needed to carry hazardous, toxic materials that could be lethal if they got caught up into the ship's life support systems.

Working quickly, as Sumo hadn’t given him a definitive time of when this short notice gathering would actually take place, he popped an access panel off the ventilation compartment, and retrieved the small sack from the med-kit. He disconnected the air filter in the compartment, and fed a cable from the sack into an injector funnel inside the the compartment. Almost forgetting he quickly pulled out a hypo-spray from the kit and injected himself in the neck, before finally released the diffusion valve and could hear the faintest of hisses as gas entered the ventilation compartment.

Wells quickly popped the access panel back onto its moorings. And placed the hypo-spray into his pocket, and closed the med-kit. He didn’t have to wait long, the cargo bay doors slid open, and Sumo walked in, Bajoran robed flowing about him as he walked. It was almost majestic.

Sumo held out his hand expectantly. Wells removed the hypospray from his pocket and placed it into Sumo’s palm. “Get to sickbay” Sumo said authoritatively. He then placed the hypo-spray up to his own neck, and activated it. The contents instantly traveling into his bloodstream to protect him from the effects of the chemical compound now filling the air in the cargo bay. “Quickly” Sumo added seeing that Wells hadn’t moved.

Wells didn’t need any more motivating. He was gone in a flash. Sumo looked up at the catwalk above the cargo bay. It would be the perfect place to address his subjects. He eyed the ladder he would need to ascend to get to his destination. A smile found his lips. Things had run well so far. The Prophets were with him today.

*****

This has been a joint post by:

Commander Sumo (played by Elijah)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Scott Wells (played by Elijah)
Chief Medical Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 4, 2100 hours**


Nala left the sick bay much later than expected. Lieutenant Luther had been in bad shape since he arrived yesterday, and she had to stay late to tend to him because he had wanted nothing to do with Dr. Wells. As she walked the corridors, heading for Arron’s quarters, the tension on the ship was almost palpable. Things had been escalating very quickly, and she wanted nothing more than to see Arron and let some of these worries slip away for a while. Though the chance of the latter actually happening was very slim. Something bad was coming, and it was coming fast.

As she reached his door, she quickly pushed the call button, glancing around as she waited for him to answer. She was surprised at how nervous she was. She, a Betazoid who could sense the emotions of others, had no idea what to do.

Quicker than she expected, he answered the door.

“Nala!” Arron said beaming, as the door slip open to reveal the attractive woman.

“Hello.” she said, smiling back and blushing slightly.

“Please come in!” Arron urged wanting to get her inside before any passersby noticed the Captain was entertaining company at this hour. He led her inside, and gestured to a spread of food on his dining table. “I must apologize, I never mastered any culinary talents, and primarily rely on replicated food for meals” he said.

“Oh wow!” She exclaimed. Arron had outdone himself. In front of her laid an impressive array of all of her favorite foods. From the vast array of fruits, everything from strawberries and pineapple to blackberries and kiwi, various cheeses and meats, lasagna with garlic bread, a nice side salad, and he even got triple chocolate cake!

He approached the table a pulled a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket. It had the label of the Roux vineyards from France. “This however, is the real deal. My Father sent it to me a few years ago after I received this Command, and uh...well I haven't ever felt the need to celebrate.” He admitted.

"Well, I'm glad I've given you a reason to celebrate." she said, winking at him.

“Please, have a seat” he said nodding to a chair, and grasping the bottle, with his thumbs applying pressure to the cork, popped it out of place. Bubbly froth foamed out of the bottle and dripped down the neck of the bottle. Arron held it over the ice bucket, careful not to let any of the liquid drip onto the floor. When the foam had subsided, he plucked up 2 champagne flutes and gently filled each glass. He then handed one to Nala.

She took a sip and sighed contently. "There's nothing like the real thing. Don't get me wrong, the replicator does a fantastic job, but there's just something so.... so fresh and tasty about the real thing." She glanced at him as she finished speaking. On noticing she had his full attention, she smiled.

Arron nodded in agreement, “Yes, one of my favorite things about shore leave is taking advantage of fresh cooked meals at local restaurants. I won’t eat replicated food off the ship” Arron admitted. He felt his stomach flutter now that he was in her presence again. He sighed and looked into her black eyes. "We can't keep it up as things are," he said. He thought of all the possibilities, inevitably leaning toward the worst case scenarios. “You could get a mandatory transfer off the ship, I could have a censure placed in my official record, and while that wouldn't officially kill my career, the chances of promotion are pretty much gone. Hell they might force me into another command. I’ve been on this ship for 28 years!” While these fears were legitimate possibilities, Nala had changed something in him, and he was still searching to find out exactly what that was. It was so unlike him to throw caution to the wind and embrace something so taboo among Captains in Star Fleet. He knew he couldn't have been the first one to sneak a little romance into his life, and that justification helped. For now.

Nala didn’t know what to say. She sat there for a moment, wondering how she should respond, how she could make him see that they could do this. "Arron... I know how much your career means to you... And I know how much I mean to you... I don’t know how we will get through it... But we can, we CAN get through it. Together.” she said, sensing his urgency. “I mean, we... well, how can I put this?”

Arron smiled at her knowing this was not the easiest conversation to have, but was patient for her to find the words she wanted to say. “It’s okay, don’t feel like you have to stand on protocol when we are in private” he encouraged.

“I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know our relationship won't be easy by any means...we won't be able to act as a normal couple would...but I'm happy. I've never really felt like I could find someone...someone who understands and accepts me for what I am, ya know? But here you are, right in front of me. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this work." she said, not wanting to look up.

Arron nodded, “The way I see it, it almost feels like to avoid the emotional attachment we have would be very Vulcan like, and neither of our two species are very adept at such a thing. It would be foolish to pretend like we could live like that...Up until now it was never really a concern for me...I would be lying if I said i was never attracted to anyone as a Captain, but you are the first person I felt like I could connect with on a romantic and intellectual level, and this is important to me. I would like for my life to have some meaning more than just a dedicated Starfleet Captain. And that is why, for me, the risk of losing all I have worked for, is worth it. To be with someone like yourself that adds value and meaning to my existence.”

"Oh Arron..." she said softly, her heart skipping a beat at the emotion in his voice. She stood up, slowly walking around the table. As she reached Arron, she placed her hand gently on his cheek. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Thank you...for taking a chance, risking it all...for us." With that said, she leaned down and kissed him.

Arron kissed her back and pulled her into his lap wrapping his arms around her as he did so. Thoughts raced through Arron’s mind as they kissed, but unlike last time, he was ready for this, ready to embrace the consequences, the feelings, the relationship, all of it.

“So...” He said finally breaking away from the kiss, and smiling at Nala, “How was your day?” he asked running a hand through her hair.

Nala smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "It was pretty rough. Lieutenant Luther is in pretty bad shape." she said, glancing at up at him. "He didn't want Doctor Wells examining him, so I tended to him all day."

Arron made an exaggerated expression, “All day with Luther?” he chided. His expression softened, “How soon until he recovers?” he asked.

"It'll be at least another 2 days. The damage to his back is pretty extensive. And with no help from Dr. Wells, it's going to take a little longer than normal." She replied, trying not to let the stress of doing it on her own show through.

Arron frowned, “I can’t allow Sumo and Wells to continue on like this any longer. I think it was wrong for me to think we could let them carry on while keeping an eye on them. It’s affecting the operations of this ship. And on top of that, I now have my Chief Engineer locked in the brig, Did Luther provide any more information regarding that situation?”

"He did. If it weren’t for the fact that we’ve had to keep him sedated, he would have come to you first. But from what he told me, I think that now is the time to act.”she said, then continued, “Here, let’s try something. This will make explaining much easier.”

She looked into his eyes once again, only this time she was concentrating very hard. She had only done this once before, and she knew she could do it again. Thinking of her conversation with Lieutenant Luther, she pushed these thoughts out towards Arron.

Arron felt slightly disoriented for a few seconds, then his vision seemed to fade, and his consciousness began to blend with Nala’s. The feeling was quite intimate, and suddenly he felt as if he was looking through her eyes, watching her life play out as if he was in her head.

Nala glanced up as she noticed someone being carried into the sick bay. As the man was laid down, he let out a moan. She rushed over, needing to asses him as quickly as possible. Her surprise was evident when she saw that it was Lieutenant Luther.

“Alright Lieutenant, I need you to lie as still as possible,” she told him as she began to look him over. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dr. Wells heading towards them. It seemed the Lieutenant noticed as well, as he started thrashing on the table, mumbling under his breath.

"Doctor Wells...I'm fine, said Lt. Luther, too softly to be heard. "Just about to head back to my shift after she patches me up," Luther said through a snarky grimace, attempting to sit up but barely moving at all.

“Lieutenant, you need to calm down.” Nala said, trying hard to get him under control. As he quickly glanced up at her in desperation she sensed his rational anxiety at being trapped alone with the doctor, at being destroyed by Sumo's accomplice.

Doctor Wells starred at Luther for a few seconds. His expression unreadable, but something in his eyes made him look more menacing.

“I can handle this, Dr. Wells.” Nala said.

Without preamble, Wells quickly spun back towards his office. As he left, Nala could feel the relief flood over the Lieutenant. “Alright, it’s just me and you now. I’m going to look you over, see what we can do to get you out of here as soon as possible.”

She picked up a tricorder and began assessing his condition. His vitals were fine, other than an elevated heart rate. As she began scanning his body, she noticed that a significant amount of damage had been done to his mid-back area.

“Alright, I’m going to need you to roll slightly onto your side. Can you do that for me?” she asked, hoping it wouldn’t put him in anymore pain. She wanted to wait as long as possible to give him a sedative.

As she rolled him over by hooking his knee in one hand and gently pulling on his upper torso Luther looked up at Nala. Nala mentally noted that Luther had complete trust in her competency, and in her protection of his life.

Trying hard to ignore the sensation of his pain sweeping over her, she inspected his back. She quickly discovered that he had at least 3 broken ribs and just as many, if not more, damaged muscles. It would take a very large amount of force to cause this much damage. Knowing what needed to be done, she rushed to get the equipment needed to start the healing process.

“What happened?” she asked quickly, getting everything ready to begin. She knew she needed to ask now, because he would soon be sedated and unable to communicate.

"David Mayne happened," was his reply. Luther again looked trustingly up at Nala, then took his one free hand and placed it on hers, cradling it against his neck where she had placed it for examination.

"You have to pass this along to Captain Drexel," he said softly. "Can you do that?" Nala only nodded in reply.

"Mayne and I were listening for transmissions over the new EM work-around, by random chance we heard one." Luther pressed at her hand, wrapping his fingers around it, and Nala slowly withdrew it. "You have to tell him that the ship has been recalled by starfleet. The bajorans lost the election and have revolted against the federation. I think they may have killed President Roux!"

Nala gasped, looking at him in disbelief. ‘What had been happening since we’ve been inside this nebula? Surely he heard the transmission wrong.’ she thought to herself. She glanced back down at him, looking for any sign that he was lying or may have misunderstood, but she couldn’t find anything but sincerity.

Luther slowly folded up his free arm under his body, and again looked up at Nala for a long time. When he spoke again his voice was choked with emotion, "You have to tell Captain Drexel that David Mayne is one of them. He knows we are on to Sumo."

Nala nodded once more, letting him know she would tell the Captain. She then used to hypospray to give him a sedative and began the extensive repairs needed for him to heal.

*****

As Arron returned to conscious control of his own body, he blinked for several seconds, “That...was exhilarating...what a sensation...Do you do this regularly?” He asked curiously.

“No, the last time I did it was about 10 years ago. It’s a very private thing, sharing your thoughts and memories with someone..” she answered.

“Well I appreciate the opportunity Nala,” he said and kissed her again. Arron turned his focus to the words he, or rather Nala, had heard Luther say in sickbay about the transmission. “Do you think he was in a condition to recall everything accurately? He seemed to be under a great deal of pain and was clearly distressed...” Arron’s voice trailed off.

“For as long as I’ve been a nurse, I’ve never seen someone so coherent when in that amount of pain. He has an enormous amount of self control.”

“Well I had Bradley’s security team go over the tracking device that was installed onto Sumo’s shuttle. His flight pattern was exactly what it should have been...he followed the buoys around the nebula, there was no sign of Lieutenant Bok, and it didn't seem like he sent any transmissions...though there was an odd static interference at one point, but we think that was just due to the Nebula’s proximity to the shuttle. I can honestly say at this point I have no clue what he is up to. And I keep wondering if there really IS anything going on at all, being trapped in this nebula has been disconcerting enough, being cut off from the rest of the galaxy so to speak...” Arron eyed the food on the table. “But I am getting hungry. Let’s eat, then I will confront Sumo and Wells.”

"There has been a lot of suspicion since arriving here, but I feel there is some truth to it. I've just had a sense of unease since we've arrived here. But, you know more of how to handle a situation like this. So I agree, let's eat." she said, smiling at him. Even with everything that was happening around them, they could enjoy some quality time alone. She reached out for a strawberry, popping it into her mouth. Amid the chaos, she was happy.

A chime sounded from the Captain’s door. Arron looked up from a forkful of salad. “Well that’s unusual...” Arron said more to himself. No one ever approached the Captain’s quarters without an invitation. He gave Nala a guilty look, feeling uneasy about anyone seeing him having such a lavish meal with one of his subordinates. He approached the door and opened it, taking up as much space in the doorway as he could. When the door opened, everything went black...

*****************

This has been a joint post by

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Junior Grade Michael Luther
Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Scott Wells (played by Elijah)
Chief Medical Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 4, 2102 Hours***

Vestara filed into Cargo Bay 2 along with a few dozen others. It was already full with over 100 people packed into the large room. They were all staring up at a grandiose looking Commander Sumo standing above them all, dressed from head to toe in traditional Bajoran garments. She caught Sumo’s eye as he gazed across the crowd. Subtly she gave a slight nod of the head indicating she had accomplished her task.

There seemed to be a nervous excitement in the air. The energy of the crowd was focused, yet expectant. This was a defining moment for these people.

She watched as Sumo raised both of his hands. The noise in the room ceased almost instantly.

“Brothers!.......Sisters!” Sumo’s voice boomed out over his audience. “8 years ago I took an oath! An oath to uphold the laws and morals of the Federation. That as a representative of the military it was my solemn duty to protect the Federation from enemies, whether distant, or within. I have recently discovered that there are forces inside the Federation, inside Starfleet, inside this VERY SHIP, who are actively plotting against the values of the Federation that I swore allegiance to!.”

Vestara could feel a ripple of dissent roll through the crowd. Sumo was preying on their fears, their anxieties, and and bending them to his control. But he wasn’t in full control. Not yet.

“I recently piloted a shuttle out of the nebula, and was able to secure a direct communications link with Federation space. What I found...” he paused. Vestara noticed the crowd eagerly anticipating his next words. They were straining ears, craning necks, all in an effort to hear exactly what Sumo would say next. “what I found shocked me to my very core. I was shaken, I was disgusted, and I felt betrayed by the military for which I have dedicated almost a decade of my life to! We all know about the election that was taking place, but we never heard what happened next. Not because we were on a mission to lay claim to precious resources in a distant nebula, but because Drexel wanted to hide the truth from us! He needed to buy time for his Father to sweep the crimes and atrocities the military was guilty of, under the rug.”

“TELL US!” yelled Kerren Dyleese, one of the Bajorans on board that was the first to pledge support to Vestara after David was thrown into the brig by Drexel.

More people raised their voices with Kerren, all demanding to know what information Sumo held.

Sumo smiled, relishing the attention, the anger, the need for leadership all in front of him.

“Daala won the elect-” There was a chorus of cheers that rang out, interrupting Sumo. He held up his hands indicated the need for silence. There was absolute immediate obedience by the mob. Sumo knew now that he had them all. Finally, he continued. “He won the election, but was quickly denied the presidency by the Military, who claimed they would never support Daala.”

Several boos and jeers sounded out from the crowd. Vestara overheard a particularly vulgar comment regarding Fleet Admiral Drexel get yelled out by Dyleese.

“Daala, fearing the military would attempt a coup, quickly moved what he could of the government to Bajor, where he felt they would be safer. “ Sumo continued. More cheering, though not enough to prevent Sumo from resuming. “There are many worlds across the Federation that have pledged their support to Daala, recognizing his legitimate election to the seat of power, and even some that have pledged what little military support they can muster from their own fleets. There are even reports of some Starfleet vessels that have gone to Bajor to lend in the fortification of Daala. But sadly...most of Starfleet is following the leadership of 2 individuals, Jean-Henri Roux, and Fleet Admiral Drexel.”

A louder chorus of boos erupted. Sumo was quick to quell them. “Brothers and Sisters! Do you not see the opportunity The Prophets have given us! We, above all others have a unique opportunity to prevent a true civil war! Fortune has granted us not one, but TWO offspring of these war mongering individuals. If we were to bring this ship, along with Ensign Roux and Captain Drexel to Daala...he would have the bargaining power to end this coup by the bloodthirsty conspirators, and allow the Federation to heal and unite under the guidance and visionary leadership of Gyntil Daala!”

A cacophony of cheering, whooping, whistling, and other various noises of agreement erupted. Sumo made no attempt to silence this. He did however look directly at Vestara. Vestara could feel the warmth of his gaze, and her devotion to him was as plain as the smile on her face. Slowly, deliberately, Sumo nodded to her. That was the signal. Vestara tapped her commbadge, =/\=Computer, initiate program Vestara Four=/\=

The cheering was so loud and so intense, that it would have been impossible to hear the computers confirmation. But she knew the computer had just shut off all internal communications inside the ship. Commbadges from this point forward would be completely useless until she deactivated her program.

When the noise of the mob had reached what could only be described as a dull roar, Sumo held his hands up again. Once again the obedience was immediate. Vestara could only gaze at Sumo longingly, appreciating the command he had over the 100 plus beings in the room.

“Today we take the Yorktown from the Humans. We do it not because we hate the humans, but because we love the Federation and what it stands for. We do it because like me, you all swore oaths to protect it, even if that means the tyranny from within. This will not be a violent takeover. I am not authorizing the use of deadly force. Our first order of business will be to storm security, from there we will procure weapons, we will free Lieutenant Commander David Mayne, whom Drexel placed in there to try and keep news of the coup on Earth quiet. At that point we will move deck by deck to secure this ship, stunning those not willing to help, or too loyal to Drexel to be swayed.”

Vestara watched the crowd, the looks of excitement, of willingness to sacrifice themselves for Sumo, it was nothing short of awe inspiring. Sumo had such a commanding presence. It was at this point she realized that she needed to be with him, not just as a servant, not just as a fellow Bajoran patriot, but as a lover. David was weak, and she could see now that he would never amount to the power and control that Sumo could wield. She actually felt sorry for David. But...he was half human afterall. It never would have worked between them, no matter how much he supported Daala...he would always be...an outsider. She would free him from his bondage, not just of the cell he was sitting it, but the vows of marriage they were locked into. She would be Vestara Mayne no more... When this was all over, she would be Vestara Dorvan again.

*****
This has been a joint post by:

Commander Sumo (played by Elijah)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

Out Of Character:

Due to the extreme size of the finale, it is not possible to place it on this site, and because of the ridiculous editing time it would take to cut it into 8 separate posts, I have opted to keep it available to view via Google docs. You can see the finale here in a READ ONLY file:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HKDJyGSFNZCseImBxGPVho-hcmT-Xp6Jel8jiB_k_0Y/edit

Enjoy!

~Elijah