Star Trek RPG - Mission #4: "Codex Aelyrr"

Rangin resists the urge to kick back from the console with a grin on his face and his hands behind his head basking in the glory of his own cleverness, mainly because there wasn't anything that clever about it. But still, the extra data on the Klingon Empire and, more importantly, the unknown space the Klingon mercenaries had been flying in would be exceedingly useful to the Federation.

He starts making notes on the red dwarf system, twelve light years only a short hop away, and tries to get any translation of the Klingon symbols to see if it is some kind of mercenary camp, or possibly the Aelyrr homeworld.

The UT translates the Klingon text of the charts. The sole Class-M world orbiting the red dwarf is labeled "Aelyrrin." The star system also includes four gas giants, two smaller, rocky worlds and a sizeable asteroid belt. The belt contains - or contained, as of a few months ago, judging by the datestamps - three Klingon mercenary bases, all within convenient range of Aelyrrin. The bases are labeled "Angry Ones," "Fek'lhr's Forsaken" and "Ninth Sons."

"Okay, thank you." Collins replies. She takes out her communicator and messages the Captain Ma'am: Permission to stick around Sickbay so that I'm here when Graham wakes up? The nurse said it could be as soon as half an hour if all goes well. She sits on an available chair to wait for Singh's response.

Permission granted. Keep us posted. SINGH., comes the response.

It is now 1030 hours.

After acknowledging the shuttlebay's response, Nia performs a brief test of the Tesla's systems, sort of an abbreviated version of the pre-flight check, to make sure everything is still copacetic. There's no reason it shouldn't be, but it's a habit she can't break.

If everything's working as it should, she starts off, swooping slightly below the Klingon shuttle like a porpoise swimming underneath a shark. The Yorktown is straight ahead and above her now, and Nia takes the Tesla in a sideways arc, turning the shuttle 90 degrees so that its top sweeps along the starboard side of its parent ship. She only turns them to line up with the Yorktown once the aft shuttlebay is straight ahead.

"Making approach now," she murmurs into her mic as she slows the shuttle down, intending to slip into the open shuttlebay and land as far inside as possible, just in case Singh decides to pick up the Klingon's ship as a souvenir.

Collins messages back Thank you, will do and then says to the nurse, "I just want to grab my personal datapad from my quarters, I'll be right back." She leaves Sickbay and double-times it to her cabin to grab her datapad and will head back to wait for Graham to wake up.

After getting a nice look at the Yorktown from outside, Onn smoothly lands the Tesla in the Shuttlebay. The great clamshell doors close behind them. When the Shuttlebay is repressurized, the Flight Control Officer says over the comm system, "Tesla, welcome home. Shut down all systems and come to Door 1, please." She can see the Captain and High Priestess Alveron already walking towards them. Ens. Rachel Hayes, the ship's Xenosociology Officer, and two Security guards bring up the rear.

The nurse tells Collins, "Of course. I'll save a seat for you."

Nia follows instructions and opens up the hatch, waiting for the others to leave before she picks up her helmet and, holding it against her side, walks out to the shuttlebay. She gives the Tesla an affectionate little pat of farewell before she exits.

She's curious as to why there are two more security officers approaching. And still no Vargas. For someone who's second in command and head of security, he sure shows little interest in the crew's missions, even when they've gone into battle. Does he even care about Booker?

She reaches the others and nods. "Captain. High Priestess. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we're glad to be able to return the Codex to your people. I only wish the man directly responsible for its retrieval could be here. Ensign Graham was the one to take down the leader, the Klingon who stole the Codex from the Naradraen. And Graham paid for it... " She swallows. "Not too badly, I hope. If I may say so, High Priestess, Eris also acted very quickly and with great bravery. As did Mr. St. Croix and Three Crows, Captain. I'm proud to have served with them."

Inside Collins's and Kylah's quarters, the lights are off, and the room is completely dark except for the brief light from the corridor as the door opens for Collins. If she listens she will be able to hear deep, steady breathing from Kylah's side of the room.

Collins reaches for the light switch, but remembers that Kylah had come back here to get some sleep, so she puts the lights to half, quietly goes to her dresser to grab her datapad, and turns to leave. That's when she notices Kylah's side of the room.

Kylah lies on her stomach with her hair covering her eyes, and bare arms at her sides. The cover seems to have been kicked off while in her dreams, or perhaps before she fell asleep. And she appears to be naked.

...But no, it's a trick of the dim light: on second look she's just wearing a short, translucent, peach-colored negligee. God knows she has many such bizarrely impractical off-duty items in her closet, but this so-called nightgown is one Collins hasn't seen, and it's ridiculously revealing even for an Elasian.

Her legs are bare from mid-thigh downward, and she doesn't appear to be wearing any undergarments--which means it's fortunate Kylah's lying on her stomach. As it is, the security officer is now more acquainted with Kylah's... aft side... than she ever expected or wanted to be.

On the night table is a pile of datapads, similar to the ones Kylah was using on the Bridge. Probably the same ones. A corner of a paper envelope or card sticks out from underneath.

To the left, Kylah's uniform has been tossed lazily on the chair near her bed. Her stockings, boots and undergarments are piled on the floor beside it, and her duty belt is also on the floor. Underneath Collins's own bed, only a few feet away, there's a glint of a communicator. It seems to have been dropped or forgotten, perhaps while Kylah was undressing. The younger woman tends to be meticulous about her things, but it seems that she was in a hurry to get to sleep. Given her exhaustion, it's not surprising. She hasn't moved despite the door, the lights or Collins's activity.

Collins puts down her datapad. She picks up the communicator and places it on the nightstand, then takes the blanket from her own bed and places it gently over Kylah's sleeping form. She makes a mental note to ask her roommate about the atypical sloppiness some other time as she heads back to Sickbay to wait for Graham to wake up.

Singh smiles. "Thank you, Mr. Onn. Well done, all of you."

Alveron is clearly deeply moved to see the Codex when Eris opens the container. The high priestess raises her paws and intones, "Praise be to Ael, and to the Four, and the Sixteen, and the Four Hundred. Praise be also to you, one of our number as well as righteous offworlders who dared much and bravely served as Her instruments in recovering the blessed Codex. May he who was wounded in this holy cause be soon and fully healed. May the Codex now be redeemed and cleansed from its time among the enemies of our people, the errant barbarians, those scourges of the Aelyrr, and restored to its rightful place among those whom Ael chose to receive Her many and great blessings."

Collins returns to Sickbay and finds First Officer Vargas there, talking to the nurse.

Collins stands discreetly aside from Vargas and the nurse, allowing them to finish their conversation. When they're done, she will acknowledge Vargas properly, then settle down and continue reading from her datapad a book she'd started a while back.

Nia waits for the priestess to finish the prayer, forcing her fingers flat against her helmet to keep them from tapping impatiently. After murmuring her thanks following a respectful pause, she turns to the captain. "The data I sent back from the shuttle, ma'am... was it useful? Will we search for whoever hired these mercs?"

He watches as the little Klingon Birds of Prey and Shuttles swoop between the various planets launching attacks on the Aelyrr homeworld and trading with each other as little cat-like ships scurry around and do their best to fend off the attacking fleets. A little scroll like icon that ultimate goal for each side to obtain.

Rangin squeezes his eyes shut to try and wring the sleepiness from them and looks back again at the sensor screen. Any trace of the little figures gone from the display and the amusing thoughts of a miniature wargame being played out in front of him now banished to the back of his mind. Stifling a yawn and feeling the heavy weight of several hours on high alert begin to tell, he wonders if he is going to wind up working through this shift as well given it would be three it of the last four. Or at least, it felt like it.

Still, he continues to add the data into the Federation starmaps as not only the Federation would be interested in the new data, but the Aelyrr would no doubt be very happy to know where those bases where. On a whim he looks at the details for the gas giants and thinks back to why they were here in the first place. He matches up the new data with the area they were due to visit with Dr Brold for his experiments and wonders if the Klingons already have some data on the are. In some ways, it would be excellent, as it would give them a chance to try the sensors out at long range and have a set of control data in advance.

Rangin taps away on the screen to see if their goal has already been mapped.

The Captain says, "We're sharing the data with the High Priestess and her people, as well as with Starfleet Command. Mr. Delaney and an Engineering team will make sure the Klingon shuttle is safe to bring aboard, and once that's done, we'll return to the Naradraen. I'm not sure yet what our next move will be after that. You and your boarding party should prepare your After-Mission Reports, and then you're off-duty. I know it's been a very long day for you already." She smiles. "You've all earned a good sleep, at the very least."

"Our gratitude to you and your people is boundless, Lieutenant Onn," Alveron says. "We can never thank you enough for all you've done."

"The High Priestess speaks for me, as well, Mr. Onn," Eris says. "Many thanks to you all."

In Sickbay, Vargas finishes talking to the nurse, who goes off to attend to other duties, and notices Collins. "Good morning, Lieutenant," he says, walking over. "Sounds like the outlook is good for Mr. Graham."

Checking Federation records, Rangin sees that FGC 23, the pulsar cluster where Dr. Brold's prototype was to be tested, has a nearby inhabited planet. The Yorktown was to test the radio astronomy capabilities of the sensor module prototype and determine its effect, if any, on the ship's biosensors. Both the cluster and the planet have been mapped before.

Science Officer Roble, now in the big chair on the Bridge, notices Rangin's near-yawns. "I think it's about time you got some sleep, Mr. Rangin. Finish up what you're doing, please, and then you're relieved."

"Yes, sir" Collins replies with a smile. "The Captain has given me permission to be here when he wakes up in recovery; I've been meaning to finish this book anyway." she indicates the text on her datapad. She then puts it on the chair next to her and stands "Sir, may I talk to you about the misunderstanding earlier between Lieutenant Onn and me?"

"Of course," Vargas says. "But please, take a seat if you like."

Nia smiles as graciously as she can in response to the praise, then shakes hands with St. Croix and Three Crows before hurrying out. She gets out of her EV suit and returns to her uniform, takes a quick breath from her inhaler--she really needs to make up for lost recuperating time once she's off-duty--and hurries to Sickbay.

However, when she exits the turbolift, one glance down the passageway reveals Vargas and Collins. Her muscles tighten and she freezes mid-step. She doesn't want to see either of them, and certainly not both, together. Not when she's already in a shaky frame of mind.

The turbolift's doors haven't even had time to shut before Nia backs inside. Jaw clenched, she pulls out her communicator and taps out a message. AJ: I'm back. Ignore my past message, just me being maudlin and superstitious. Can we talk soon? I know it's crappy timing. You're getting ready for lunch and I need to write a report. But when I finish, if you can spare ten minutes, let me know where we can meet. Please. -- NIA

She sends the message off, orders the turbolift to head to her deck, and leans against the back wall while closing her eyes. I'll deal with the report and wait for him to wake up. No sense in hovering. Probably the last person he wants to see, anyway. Still, she lifts her communicator again, this time speaking into it. "Onn to Sickbay--anyone available. I'm sure you're getting this question a lot, but... can you give me a status on Ensign Graham?"

It's always a stressful time after a Red Alert when the crew is trying to calm down and return to some sense of normality. Well trained they may be, but that never stopped people worrying about it or just needing a little something to help unwind, a kind word or two, a little something extra whipped up in the galley, that kind of thing. Gliding between the tables with a couple of refills and extra pastries, the pastries always went down well, the mood is more relaxed as news filters around about the events of the past few hours. It doesn't take long to put the snippets together and Ajay nods along to the stories being chatted about.

As he looks around the relaxed crew, he wonders if Chef is going to make him cook for their latest guests. Not the Aelyrr, but the Klingons currently held captive as he isn't sure the replicators are up to the challenge. A buzz of his communicator goes off and he heads back to the galley to answer it in private. Ah, another person in need of unwinding, especially given she had been in the thick of it by all accounts.

Nia. Lower Galley at 1ish, Chef's table. AJ

A few weeks ago it would probably have been something a little more intimate in either of their quarters later on that evening, but so far his burgeoning relationship with T'Var is working out. But from the message, Nia is going to need that stiff drink and a massage. Ah well, something to look forward to.

Rangin instinctively looks up at the other Science Terminal as he hears Roble's voice, but is slightly confused by the occupant being different and the sound having come from the centre of the Bridge. Wondering what he missed, he turns his chair slowly round and sees that both Collins and the Captain are both absent from the Bridge and a slow flush creeps over his face at the fact he didn't see them leave.

"Thank you Sir, It's been a long few hours. The retrieved data has been added to Federation charts and I believe there is some tactical data that will be of interest shortly."

Rangin turns back to the desk and downloads the data to Lt. Cmdr Roble, which will give him something to mull over as things get back to normal, before standing up and being relieved. Holding on to the back of the chair, the only thoughts running through his head is how long it will take to get back to his quarters and finally get some sleep.

The Tesla group goes their separate ways - St. Croix and Three Crows to the Security office, and Eris with Singh, Alveron and the others.

Dr. Bucci responds to Onn, telling her, "Ens. Graham should be out of surgery in the next half-hour or so. His prognosis is good, although he's going to need some time for natural healing and physical therapy."

Ajay finds his goodies very well-received by the Yorktown crewmembers coming into the Mess Hall for late breakfast or early lunch. He overhears a Security rating mention that the Klingon prisoners are being fed from replicators in the Brig, but that they aren't enjoying the food much at all.

Roble thanks Rangin for the data and begins looking it over. He leaves the big chair to take over the Science console himself as the young Coridanite leaves the Bridge.

Nia thanks Dr. Bucci and reads Johnson's message, grateful but not surprised that he responded to her request without any questions.

Back in her room, she looks at the bed, its sheets and blanket still rumpled where she and Booker left them. Nia slowly drags the blanket back into place and rests a hand on her pillow. After her respiratory distress, Booker had lain against it, cradling Nia while she leaned against his chest and breathed into her mask.

Of course the soft cotton is cool to the touch; there's no memory of his warm presence there. She imagines seeing him in Sickbay now, also in a bed.

"Knock it off," she mutters, turning rapidly away to sit at her desk. She refuses to get distracted or, as she called herself earlier, maudlin. Her job isn't done yet.

Focusing only on the report, beginning with the boarding of the Naradraen, Nia dictates and records every detail relevant to the mission.

Rangin is barely aware of the brief turbolift ride and only mildly alert to the people passing him in the corridor. All that sustains him is the thought of crashing out after the long shifts.

Bumbling into the quiet room, he can vaguely understand his roommate is obviously out as the lights are off and all is quiet and he shuffles across and sits on the side of the bed. He slowly reaches down and pulls his boots off, the effort of which leaves him sprawling back on the bed. Lying there and looking upwards, Rangin is sure that there are other things he needs to sort out and that it would not take too long to do them, whatever they are.

Before the thoughts can coalesce in his mind, he drops off to sleep, worn out from all the events.

Onn finishes her AMR and edits it.

Rangin falls into a long, deep and well-deserved slumber.

Drs. Villa and T'Var complete their operation on Graham.

After a brief conversation, Capt. Singh takes her leave of the two Aelyrr. They are led to guest quarters on Deck 6 by Ens. Hayes, who wants to talk to them further about Aelyrr culture, and the two Security guards, who are assigned to provide additional protection for the priceless Codex Aelyrr.

Delaney and an Engineering team look over and thoroughly scan the Klingon shuttle, shutting down its warp core. Satisfied that it poses no danger to the ship, it is brought aboard and parked in the Shuttlebay. Delaney and his team continue their study of it there, inside and out. Once the shuttle is aboard, Singh calls Roble on the Bridge and orders a return course to the Naradraen. Traveling more slowly than it did in pursuit of the Klingons, the Yorktown will rendezvous with the Aelyrr starship in an hour. This is posted on the Ship's Status display available to all crew.

"Thank you, sir," Collins says as she sits and moves her datapad to the small end table to allow Vargas to sit, if he so chooses. "I know I have to apologize to Lieutenant Onn, but I wanted to explain. I was about to tell you about her recommendation to have a Security escort on each of the Aelyrr when she stepped between us. It was rude of her, and I reacted to that."

Vargas sits. "I see. Is there some sort of personality conflict between you two?"

"Far from it," Collins says, maybe a little too defensively. "We had just started to build a friendship."

"How closely have you worked together before now?"

"Other than being on the same Bridge watch, not at all. But I thought maybe I could learn from her, so I asked her to join me for a drink after watch, yesterday. Or was it the day before already? It's easy to lose track of time when there's a mission."

He smiles. "I know what you mean, and you've been up quite awhile now, haven't you? Once we have an update on Mr. Graham, why don't you go off-duty. You need your sleep, and the crisis with the Aelyrr and the Klingons seems to have passed."

"Thank you sir, but I'm fine, really." Collins tries unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "Or not." she laughs lightly.

"'Not,' I would say," Vargas says. "I'd rather not make it an order."

"No need." Collins says quickly. "As soon as I've checked in on Graham and reported in, I'll get some rest." But not necessarily sleep she thinks as she remembers her lunch date with Cooper.

Vargas says, "That would be for the best. And I agree, Lt. Onn deserves your apology. The Captain and I have been concerned lately that some of this ship's officers have not been dealing with each other in a professional and respectful way. There have been several... incidents. Strong disagreement or difference of personality should not keep anyone from behaving properly, as Starfleet expects under the regs. As Assistant Chief of Security, it's your responsibility to help set an example for others. I would rather not be convening courts-martial."

Dr. Villa soon emerges from the O.R. with Dr. T'Var and says, smiling a little tiredly, "The operation was a success. Mr. Graham should make a full recovery, although he'll need rest and then physical therapy."

"Thank you, Doctors," Vargas says. "Well done. I'll pass the good news along to the Captain."

Nia's mouth twists in discontent as she looks over her AMR. She's not happy with it--displeased with both what she's written, and what she's left out. And the wording. And, for that matter, everything it contains.

Her fingers absently tug at her lower lip while she rereads the AMR for a third time. She checks to make sure she adds a note about the gas canisters.

Even after we fought for what must have been five to seven seconds after the canisters were beamed in, the anesthizine gas seemed to have no apparent effect on the Klingons, none of whom wore a protective mask. Before venting the shuttle, we failed to determine whether the air in the ship had ever been compromised; another mistake.

If possible, may I suggest a follow-up examination of the canisters to make sure they deployed properly, as well as on our supply of anesthizine to see whether it might have been inert or less than optimal concentration.

After checking everything again, she rewrites the conclusion.

...As described above, while the mission was successful in eliminating the Klingon threat from the Naradraen and retrieving the Codex, it would be false to say things went optimally. Perfection isn't possible, and near-perfection unlikely, but what occurred was too distant to meet my standards, much less Starfleet's.

Plans involving multiple actions taking place simultaneously, or in quick succession, were performed sloppily, including the pass-by of the Yorktown above the Klingon shuttle and release of the Tesla, as well as the boarding party's beaming over to the shuttle following the gas canisters.

I am primarily to blame for the performance of those performing tasks I myself had conceived. In the first instance, where the Yorktown moved up too early and, as a result, the Tesla was vulnerable, I should have made certain that I, Lt. Bennett, Lt. JG Collins and Lt. JG Pourtash were all crystal clear on the necessary timing, including performing a dry run-through of the steps at least once before the plan was executed. Instead, the timing was poor and the Tesla was easily struck by the Klingons, putting us in danger.

The second instance was again my fault. I failed to seek clarification from Dr. T'Var regarding the length of time needed for the anesthizine canisters to take effect; I erroneously thought they were instantaneous, and had the boarding crew beamed in only three seconds later. My concern was that if we waited too long, the Klingons would see the canisters and prepare for our boarding. But I should have waited and made certain the gas had deployed. If I had, the Klingons would have been unconscious and none of us would have been endangered, much less required surgery for a disruptor blast.

She shuts her eyes at the memory of seeing Booker lying on the shuttle floor, one hand grabbing at his leg, in horrible pain. Swallowing, she types the end of the report:

I accept full responsibility for these errors in judgment and for letting my crew and captain down. I'm extremely grateful that no lives were lost, but that was our good fortune, not my leadership. I understand, expect and even welcome any disciplinary actions or recommendations for improvement in future.

She saves the draft and looks at her chronometer, having lost track of time.

"When may I see him?" Collins asks of the doctors.

Dr. Villa replies, "He's being moved to the recovery ward now. You can go in shortly, if you like, although he may still be groggy."

Vargas says, "I have other duties to attend to; I think I'll wait until he's fully awake. Mr. Collins, remember what I said. Carry on."

Onn sees that it is now 1117 hours.

"Thank you," Collins says to the doctor, then nods in the affirmative to Vargas just before he departs. She walks quietly into the recovery room and looks at Graham to see if he's awake. I should've been there. I should have had your back she thinks when she sees him lying there. When he looks up at her, she says "You went and had all the fun without me, huh?" and she smiles at her friend.

Rangin sleeps deeply - blissfully unaware of anything else going on.

With the Red Alert now over, the galley begins to empty as people start to head back to their usual schedule. Ajay heads into the galley and starts mixing a few things up before putting them in the oven. Checking the small spirits cabinet stored for emergency, he nods as he sees the items he's looking for.

With that in mind he sends a brief message to Nia. "Nia. All gone quiet here, feel free to pop down when you're ready. AJ"

Nia turns off her respirator tank and takes off the mask, which she's been wearing while typing up the report. She's very glad to receive the invitation from Johnson earlier than expected. Wasting no time, she grabs a datapad and her communicator and heads out to the turbolift.

The doors open on the lower deck. Her journey--through the passages leading from the public mess hall to the galley--is very familiar, as is the look sent to her by the tall, lean man waiting for her in his crisp white uniform.

Nia meets his gaze for a second and darts a look around to see if they're alone. He probably wouldn't have asked her to come if the other kitchen crew were bustling about, but she checks just the same. Then she returns her attention to A.J.'s young, handsome face. He seems clean and alert despite the hard work he puts in for each meal. Meanwhile, Nia is exhausted and knows she must look like someone dragged through a hedge backwards, especially compared to him. She also knows he doesn't care.

"Hi," she says. "Thanks for letting me come." Normally she wouldn't hand him a straight line like that, but she's too tired and shaky to notice. She looks down, directing her speech to her fingers gripping the edge of the counter. "Anyway... the mission went well. We did what we set out to do. Captured a bunch of Klingons and retrieved a holy relic. I didn't have to kill anyone, and none of us was killed. One officer was hurt but... he'll be okay." Her throat is constricted but she forces the words through it. "So I don't really know..."

She doesn't continue. She's not even sure what she was about to say. Nia just shrugs, annoyed at herself and this atypically uncertain mood she's in, and lifts her confused gaze to her friend.

Graham looks he's almost about to respond to Collins, but then his eyelids droop and he falls asleep. The medical display over his head records the steady thumps of his heartbeat.

Rangin is also resting comfortably.

Onn and A.J. are alone in the galley, at least for the moment.

Collins leans in and gently kisses Graham's forehead. "Sleep well, big brother," she says quietly, "I'll catch you later."

Outside of Sickbay, Collins decides a workout and a shower are in order before she meets up with Cooper. She heads to the gym for some exhaustive cardio, after which she'll head back to her cabin to shower, change, and check on Kylah.

Ajay nods as Nia enters the Galley and watches as she heads across looking weary and a little bit lost, certainly not her usual sparky self. He'd already heard a few bits of gossip over what had happened including that Graham had been whisked off to sickbay, so it's a little understandable she might not be in the best of moods. Normally he would not hesitate with her opening comment, but given her demeanour the comeback would be inappropriate, she needs a friend first and foremost to give her a shoulder to lean on.

"C'mon you, it's all quiet here and yeah I've heard a chunk of what happened including who's getting patched up as we speak. Right, I've got some freshly baked biscuits and a stiff drink back here ready for you. I think you need it." He steps around, puts a hand on her shoulder and guides her behind the counter. "Fuckin' 'ell Nia, you're as tense as a badger's arse. I 'aven't seen you this bad in ages." Ajay shows her to the seat at the little table all prepped for her.

"This is you being all responsible for everything again isn't it?" he asks, hoping to try and work out the reason for her confusion. "If it's not the ship, it's the crew and in this case, I'm guessing a certain crew member got more injured than I've heard and you think it's your fault."

Nia sits down and almost smiles at Johnson's words. His accent always gets thicker when he's concerned.

"I'll take the food, but you know alcohol does almost nothing for me. Thanks, though." She sighs and rests her elbow on the counter, leaning her head against her hand. "Here. I brought a copy of my AMR. There's nothing classified there, and if you read the last few paragraphs it'll be faster than me unloading the whole thing on you." Her other hand pushes the datapad toward him, then lifts and tears at one of the baked goods.*

While he reads, she chews disconsolately in silence for a few seconds before continuing. "I screwed up. I was sloppy. You know me, Aje, I'm not one of those officers who makes excuses for screw-ups. And yeah, part of what I'm feeling is that it was Booker who was hurt. I can't tell you what I thought, seeing him with that hideous disruptor blast... it burned his uniform, his leg was charred black from what I could see. And he was in such pain. God."

Nia stares down at the plate. "I've led missions before with people I cared about. Some of them got injured, too. But this feels different. I don't know why. Maybe because it was so directly my fault. Maybe because... I don't remember fighting side by side someone who I was just... with... a few hours earlier. Plus, it wasn't just sex, we were so..." She closes her eyes, remembering the strength of Booker's body. His arm around her, her naked form leaning against the very leg that nearly got blasted off later.

"I had a bit of a breathing issue during the night," she says in a weary exhale. "In front of Booker. While we were in the middle of things. I'd misjudged how much I needed my respirator, and I ended up needing him to put my mask on." Her eyes catch his, then shift away, embarrassed. "You know I'm never like that, Aje, I mean, how many times have we had to end early because it was one of those nights? But I lost track of time with Booker, and paid for it. I was mortified. I hate having men see me as some kind of invalid. He was so..."

Her tired brain can't think of the best word to describe Booker's gentle strength helping her breathe, not judging her. She just shakes her head again. "And now, five hours later, I'm too much of a coward to go down to Sickbay. I went down to see how he's doing but when I saw his security pals--worse, Vargas--taking care of the bedside vigil, I just fled. Chickenshit behavior, huh? But I could just imagine what Vargas would say to me, after getting one of 'his own' hurt.

"And then there was Collins--do you know her? I don't know what her deal is with Booker. She acts like he's a brother but... there's something more than that. I admit I might be prejudiced because out of nowhere she manhandled me--and I'm being literal here, the girl's hands are like frickin' slabs of granite--grabbing at me right in front of Vargas, who of course said nothing and got pissed at me for being irked by some junior officer shoving me around... I'll never understand them."

A dry chuckle escapes her. "Damn, listen to me, rambling on like this. The flat truth is, I'm scared of seeing Booker. I'm scared of him blaming me. And I'm scared of feeling this way. Over a guy? That's not me. I don't know who it is, but it's not me."


* Vital clarification needed: are these biscuits what we Yanks would call biscuits, i.e. more like scones, or are they what we'd call cookies and you guys call biscuits?

Collins has a good workout in the Gym. Kylah is still asleep when the Security officer gets back their quarters.

A Sciences lieutenant whom Onn doesn't recognize sticks his head into the galley. "Excuse me. Do you have any fresh crescent rolls back here?"

At the intrusion from the science officer, Nia straightens up a bit and wipes some crumbs from her lips. She's self-conscious at being caught in such a low mood, and she shakes her hair and shrugs to physically wake her up out of this mood. The smile she sends the new arrival is bright but brief.

She starts to slide from the chair. "Maybe I should get going," she murmurs, half to herself, while waiting for A.J. to respond to the stranger. "I've bent your ear enough."

*I was thinking closer to cookies

Ajay looks up from where he is reading the datapad and across to the science officer. "Sorry, Sir. Croissants all went about an hour ago, next batch won't be 'til tomorrow. Replicator only."

He taps the datapad on the side of his jaw as Nia starts to rise from the chair, "One moment ma'am..." he says as he turns back to the Science officer. "...if you'd excuse us sir." and once he has wandered off, Ajay turns back to Nia again. "I think you're being way too hard on your self. You're a competent officer in charge of competent people, and sometimes situations degenerate regardless of what you do or don't do. You need to at least sleep on this. You've made a lot of assumptions in their about things you should've known. Bollocks to that, you're not the expert, the experts should be telling you the answers even if you don't know the questions."

He offers the datapad back to Nia, waiting for her to take it. "As for Graham, fuck's sake Nia, go and see 'im before you get some shuteye. Even if only to convince yourself he's on the mend. I know how you feel about being strong in front of people, put it this way, you'll soon find out what kind of guy he is. Should put some of your fears to rest. As for Vargas, he really needs to keep a leash on Security and he's lucky there was no-one else around. I've heard of demotions for that kind of thing and he's not getting a Chilli Con Carne special for a while. Oh and if Vargas does the one of his own, then point out you were in charge, until he's better, Graham's yours. As for Collins, I've not heard much between her and Graham, I'll keep me ears out, but I doubt its anything that special. She's too busy bumping uglies with Cooper every chance she gets."

"Go on, head off and rest - don't send that until you've woken up and thought over it - doubt anything's gonna happen for a few hours yet. I can tell how stressed you are, you haven't been that colour for a while," Ajay gestures at Nia's scales, "you need to talk, you know where I am."

Before heading in to the head for a shower, Collins looks at her roommate. She appears to still be asleep. Poor kid. She really pushed herself hard after all that on Anubis. She'll probably sleep through 'til tomorrow. Collins then undresses and gets in the shower. She sings a couple of songs to herself as she washes, making sure not to get too loud about it.

The Science officer looks disappointed. "OK, thanks anyway," he says, leaving.

The Yorktown continues on its way back to the Naradraen.

Collins decides to put her hair in a braid for a change. She finishes dressing and leaves her quarters quietly to allow Kylah the rest she so obviously needs, and heads off to her lunch date.

Taking the datapad proffered to her, Nia smiles despite herself with weary but grateful affection. "Oh, Aje. I really hope the UT is getting your idioms right, because they're hilarious." Her free hand reaches out to squeeze his arm, then drops to her side.

"I really don't think I'm taking too much on my shoulders as far as how things went. I believe in accountability, you know that--there are too many officers who don't, and I hate it too much to follow their example. Still, I'll take your advice. The Captain wants this sooner rather than later, but I doubt she wants something from a sleep-deprived brain. I'll see how the report reads after a couple hours' rest."

She's not convinced she'll think any differently, but she trusts A.J. After a moment's reflection, Nia takes another cookie for the road and nibbles at its warm sweetness. "I know I should check in on Booker, too," she admits. "Even if he's still out, I need to get a look at him for myself."

Nia moves closer to Johnson and kisses him on his cheek. "Thanks for having my back, kiddo," she says softly, and hugs him. Her eyes brighten after she feels his strong grip around her. "Want me to pass a message to a certain Vulcan while I'm in Sickbay, if she's not sleeping herself?"

Ajay reaches up and strokes Nia's cheek gently as they embrace and can slowly see the scales begin to fade back under her skin. Satisfied she's in a slightly better condition than when she arrived, he let's go.

"Just remember you're only accountable for what you can control and nothing beyond that. As for that certain Vulcan..." he pats Nia firmly on the backside trying hard not laugh at the thought of Nia passing the gesture on. "On second thoughts, tell her once she's recovered, I'm fine for chess in my quarters at 7pm."

"Go on, get some rest, I'll see you round." he stands back to let Nia head on her way.

=================

Nia smiles. If A.J. hadn't stepped back she'd return his patting gesture--though less gently; instead, she thanks him and promises to speak to him once she's a little more sentient. Then she leaves the galley.

Before heading to sickbay, she decides to take a detour to her quarters to grab something. Finally, she's back in the turbolift and walking through sickbay, asking for permission to see Booker.

When it's granted, Nia walks slowly toward Booker's bed. He looks terrible, not surprisingly. Her own stomach lurches at how unlike himself he appears. She's never even seen him sleeping normally, much less looking like this.

"Oh, Book," she whispers, reaching forward to brush her fingertips along his arm. She hardly dares to put any pressure on his skin, as if her mere touch will bruise him. "I'm so sorry. So damn sorry."

After a moment of contemplating the plains and curves of his face, she sets down the bowl with her water lily--the one he gave her--on his bedside table. At least he'll know she was here, whenever he wakes up. Then she takes his large, limp hand and entwines her fingers with his. "I'll be back for that. And for you. If you want me." Her voice is hoarse and her vision blurry, the latter very rare for her both emotionally and physiologically. Sidonians don't often produce tears.

Finally she bends down and simultaneously lifts his hand with both of hers, kissing it--first the top and, more intimately, the palm. She lays his hand back on the bed as reverently as if it's a holy object, just like that Codex that caused all this. Again she mouths I'm sorry to him, and with one swift turn she hurries from the room before her weariness hampers her ability to prevent a complete breakdown.

Onn revises and files her AMR, and finally goes to bed.

Graham stirs in his sleep. The Sickbay duty nurse looks in a little later and sees that all is well.

Collins has a nice lunch with Cooper.

Ajay finishes his watch.

The Yorktown returns to the Naradraen, and Chief Engineer Cheverez reports to Cap. Singh that repairs should be complete in the next four hours or so. Alveron and Eris go back to their ship by shuttle, happily taking along Codex Aeylrr. The rest of the day passes without incident.

The next morning, the Captain is in the big chair on the Bridge, reviewing personnel reports. Onn is at the Helm, Rangin at Science I and Collins at Security. Thalen is at Communications, Vaudreuil at Navigation, Dr. Bucci at Life Sciences and Delaney at the Engineering console. The Yorktown is holding position 25 kms from the Aelyrr ship. Rangin realizes that Kylah should have begun her watch by now.

It is 0913 hours.

At a quiet spot, Rangin leaves the Science console on hiatus running a few scans and wanders over to Lt. JG. Collins. He hadn't had a reply to his text from the previous day which surprises him slightly.

"Excuse me ma'am," he says quietly trying to catch Collins attention, "is everything alright with Mr. Kylah? I thought she would be at Communications by now?"

Collins looks up at Rangin quizzically, looks over to the Communications station, and shrugs.

"I didn't stay in my quarters last night, so I don't know. I'm guessing she's still fast asleep. She was when I saw her yesterday at about 1230. After what she'd been through, I'm not that surprised. Maybe Lieutenant Thalen gave her more time off. I wouldn't worry too much." Collins is about to reach out and pat Rangin's hand, but thinks better of it, and remains professional.