Star Trek RPG - Mission #8: "Make A Wish"

[What Exit?]

Delaney gives and "Aye, Aye Sir" then calls for a relief on the bridge and does one last system check. Once relieved, he'll get his small tool belt to bring with him and musters.

[stolz]

Dr. Mäkeläinen gives Lt. Onn an incisive look, followed by the slightest of nods. She is fit for duty, but their recent experiences have taken more than a purely physical toll. There has not been much time since their last mission for them to meet outside a professional context. Before he has much of a chance to focus on her, though, his own preliminary orders arrive. They are not out of the blue, considering their arrival and all the related talk. He closes down the open tasks on his workstation in an orderly manner before calling for relief and leaving the Bridge to prepare for the mission.

It makes sense that Graham might tap him for this one, and Bizhi does not intend to make him regret his choice. He chooses not to pack a phaser, for a couple of reasons— this is not some wilderness adventure where it might serve as a tool, and, especially, it would be absurd for a physician to carry a weapon (not that one would do anyone much good if the party found themselves in the middle of a riot; he had better raise the possibility of emergency transport when he meets the Captain) while carrying out humanitarian duties in a tense factional powder keg, and he must not be perceived as a threat. What he does prepare to bring with him is extra medicine, and a couple of extra medkits he can donate to a civilian counterpart, the way he offered one to the suspicious and hostile Chalnoth. He recalls reading about the deliberately backwards state of medical care on the planet, and it galls him.

He taps out another message for his sister, playing up the exotic and strange marvels of the frontier, keeping the tone light. He is trying to be better about keeping in touch. However, if something did ever happen to him... would it not perhaps be better if he were less on their mind?

[choie]

Quite absorbed in her research, Kylah does not even sense the Captain's arrival until just before she notices the woman is already back in her chair. That would normally be atypical indeed, but Kylah has been spending extra time with T'Var learning to protect herself from others' minds, especially after Velir's intense fits back on Ollos and the Doregg.

Lt. Graham's voice uttering her name startles her as well, albeit for a different reason. The last time he requested her presence on a mission, she shamed herself and disobeyed him. Due to his wedding following soon after, and then the disastrous flight on the Tesla, she never had a true opportunity to apologize for such insubordination. He never so much as upbraided her for her disrespect, kind to her as usual despite her failing to show up on the mission to save a painting from Novy Rostov's tragic end.

Perhaps he already knew Kylah has been well-and-truly punished and chastised for her behavior, forced to work exhausting double watches for a week, and bearing Cmdr. Vargas's acidic displeasure, finding new threats each time they met on the Bridge. First he warned her that she risked the loss of even her lowly single Ensign stripe, undeserving as she was to wear it given her lack of experience. Then the possible recriminations escalated to transfer from the ship, and finally even a court-martial.

Still, she could not deny deserving it all. Yet look how well Lt. Graham treated her during the trials of the most recent mission. He seemed quite pleased, perhaps even proud, of her efforts. Now he provides her with the opportunity to join a rather prestigious journey: escorting Captain Singh herself! She has never had that honor on her admittedly brief time on the Yorktown.

Not that Kylah would be doing any true escorting, but regardless. This is also a somewhat risky situation, and the protective, almost paternal demeanor Lt. Graham has displayed towards her makes his inviting her along a tremendous show of trust. Even respect.

Without hesitating too long, she responds to his order with a crisp, enthusiastic affirmative, and catches the eye of the others on the Bridge whom she will be joining. It strikes her that Mr. Delaney is also being shown forgiveness and trust, considering that the last mission they shared involved his nearly getting Lt. Graham and Kylah killed. If her superior can forgive such foolish, reckless behaviors from people such as Kylah and Mr. Delaney, Kylah must be equally grateful and match his graciousness. So she sends the handsome young engineer a little smile, whether or not he notices, and does the same to Dr. Mäkeläinen when she belatedly realizes he too was asked, deservedly so.

She contacts Lt. Thalen to ask whom he wishes to relieve her, and while awaiting a response, decides that before she leaves, she must visit Velir to let him know. Like Delaney, he may not notice her gestures or words, or even her soul trying to reach out to his. But leaving without saying farewell is simply not an option.

(If Thalen returns her hail and picks a relief Comms officer, Kylah will turn to the Captain and ask permission to leave the Bridge once her replacement arrives, of course. They are nearing a planet, and while others currently on the Bridge can certainly perform her basic duties, the delicacy of the situation on the planet makes her wish to treat communicating with Traffic Control with the gravitas it deserves.)

[general_urko]

Graham makes it a point to find Marala. After the last away mission, she deserves to hear about his next assignment first-hand--and express how she might feel about it.

Especially since as far as Graham is concerned, he's more worried about something going South on this one than the freak accident that derailed the last.

[SidonianGal]

Satisfied with Singh's decision, Nia grins back at Leventhal with a soft "good job" of gratitude, then happily sits down beside her favorite navigator to work with--who just happens to be one of her BFFs. She and Lu are almost always in sync as partners. It strikes her that not only is it her first time in the pilot's seat since the Tesla crash, but she hasn't seen Luisa since she got back. So she murmurs a playful, "Honey, I'm home," which is some ancient Earth joke that usually gives the humans a smile.

As she scans the console to ensure that the Yorktown's status and journey are as they should be--no reason they've changed since the last Helm Officer kept the seat warm, but it's her job to check--Nia makes a tiny adjustment in the chair's leaning position. Tall as she is, she ain't Leventhal.

Then Book's voice crackles in the air, and Nia's head lifts in pleased surprise. A muster, so soon? Good, he's getting the C.O. role; going down to a planet like this requires your best. The names of his team continue, no real surprises--Kylah, natch--and it's only when he emphasizes that this is a Captain escort that Nia realizes that he's finished listing his chosen team. And that the tiny swell of disappointment and even embarrassment tells her she's been waiting to hear that deliciously familiar voice saying, "N--Lt. Onn."

Damn her stupid unconscious mind and its stupider out-of-date expectations. There was no chance. Vargas probably didn't even have to tell Book not to select her; it's just common sense and a reflection of reality. Maybe she was once Singh's favorite shuttle pilot, but even if that esteem were still in place (dubious), no one merely a week after a crash is getting the gig to chauffeur the frickin' captain. Plus Nia's barely recovered physically, and hasn't quite done so, mentally.

And disregarding all that, not to mention how...awkward...things remain between her and Book, the simple truth is, Nia's recent spate of off-ship activity is atypical of her two years' experience on the Yorktown. With extra blots on her copybook, things'll probably go back to normal.

Hmph. Fine. Certainly no dishonor to be on your Bridge, she mentally addresses the Yorktown--as if the ship's the one who needs the reassurance. Besides, I wanted to go swimming later. Priorities, girl. Her smile returning, if a little sad around the eyes, Nia dismisses her demons and puts full focus into following the orders from Traffic Control.

[Elendil's Heir]

Lt. Granai, a Tiburonian female and a Life Support and Environmental Systems specialist, arrives to relieve Delaney, while Ens. Nell Carmichael, a Human female medic, does the same for Dr. Mäkeläinen. Lt. Thalen himself comes up from belowdecks and takes over the Communications station from Kylah, quietly thanking her.

With a nod from the Captain, Ens. Horst Leventhal leaves the Bridge after Onn takes the Helm. Onn sees that the Yorktown is maintaining course and speed to Cavinre VII.

In their quarters, Graham's wife Marala takes him into her arms. "Leaving me again, are you?" she teases him.

Members of the landing party now have slightly less than an hour to attend to any personal matters before leaving.

[choie]

Hugging her datapad to her chest, Kylah thanks Lt. Thalen and steps lightly down to the turbolift. If she has under an hour, she would like to freshen up, but also wishes to visit Velir and perhaps take a moment to write her uncle back. Of course, she does not know how long they will be on the planet. It is unlikely they will sleep down there, with the ship in orbit, so she need not think of packing. Although if there is to be some kind of diplomatic function... Her mind wanders before she scoffs at herself. She is there representing Starfleet, and her uniform is likely all that is required.

If Dr. Mäkeläinen and Ens. Delaney are with her in the lift, she Will engage in brief conversation--if they are amenable; perhaps they are preoccupied--and heads to Deck 7. She will take care of some basic ablutions and make sure her curls are relatively tame and professional (though still loose, as Velir's reactions to her in the past have taught her that he seems more comfortable with her more simple appearance instead of the more formal, made-up and coiffed style she prefers). Perhaps the effort is useless, as he will be blind to her in his unconscious state. But Kylah will not submit to the possibility that it is all for nought. When she takes a final look in the mirror, she catches a glance of the Vulcan lute case placed reverently on her dresser.

The sight evokes her Uncle again. I will write him this evening, she thinks with some guilt when she scurries out of her quarters and this time heads straight to Sick Bay.

[general_urko]

For a moment, Graham can imagine everything is and has always been fine.

That his first love of Marala had carried through to adult life without a hitch of a bump.

So much stronger than he was as a teenager, he sweeps her off her feet.

"Not for long," he says. Then he kisses her.

He holds it a long time - as long as Marala is willing.

And then we'll--we'll what? Plan. Make believe. Pretend.

Pretend I can let go of Jane.

Or of Nia.

Or that Marala deserves better than me and always has.

"If Nikolai's away, we have time..." His hands find her curves. "Time before I go, for us to..."

"For me to show you how beautiful I always thought you were," he says, one hundred percent honestly. There's no equivocating or denying that.

One small truth in a world where so much went wrong.

[LadyCorva]

Alodia opens her eyes and exhales a deep breath. She slowly stands up from the mat on the floor of her quarters, rolls it up and returns it to a storage compartment. She has always appreciated having time before away missions to practice her meditations to center herself. This mission in particular required some additional mental preparation as it is her first since her transfer to the Yorktown. This ship is much bigger and much more crowded than the Hermes-class scouts she has previously served on. From the reports she had read, it promised to be quite a lot busier than the almost leisurely exploration and cataloguing of stellar objects and phenomena she was used to. Violaceans are natural diplomats and extroverts. Those traits had clearly skipped her in the genetic lottery.

As she finishes her preparations her thoughts turn to the planet they are approaching. Cavinre VII, she thinks to herself. I just can't understand why the Federation would align itself with such a repugnant world. But then, as Mother always says: nations don't have friends, they have interests. Alodia had always had a distaste for the nuances of intergalactic politics. The universe is so vast and plentiful yet so many still insist on subjugating others for their own benefit.

She goes to the altar on the floor where she had been meditating, snuffs out a small candle, then sighs. She stands again, pats herself on the hips, then picks up her away mission kit. "Alright then, Alodia," she says to herself. "Allons-y!"

With that she heads out into the corridor and makes her way to the nearest turbolift on her way to meet the rest of the landing party.

[Elendil's Heir]

Marala grins at her husband, and returns his caress. "As it happens, Nikki is visiting an Engineering friend belowdecks and learning more about the antimatter storage pods. I expect he'll be at least another hour." She takes Graham's hand and leads him to the bedroom. "So let's put this time to good use, shall we...?"

Ens. Alodia Baenre arrives in Transporter Room 1 early. No one else is there yet except Transporter Chief Binh Nguyen, an older Vietnamese man, who is standing behind the control console. He looks up. "Hello, Ensign," he says in a friendly way. "I don't believe we've met before."

[stolz]

Dr. Mäkeläinen is wearing a blue [mutatis mutandis] Starfleet Medical field uniform, which he has adorned with whatever neutral local symbol he could find, if any, representing medicine. He looks neat, businesslike, alert, and (he hopes) approachable. The steel in his eyes, for now, lies dormant.

He has regularly been seeing Velir Rangin on his regular rounds, but he will not be there now except to prepare and gather the medical supplies for the mission. If Kylah spots him running in, he is amenable to brief conversation though he needs to concentrate on what he is doing; there will be more time to chat later. (About Rangin, specifically, there is not much he can tell her at this time that she does not already know.)

He does not head early to the Transporter Room, instead making a final stop in his quarters. A cup of strong tea. A message sent. A moment of calm.

[choie]

Sickbay is far, far too familiar to Kylah for her to even feel the little thrill of nervousness that has always accompanied her when near medical facilities and personnel. Mostly, however, those visits were to fix her, repair her, prod and examine and investigate. Or, sadly, she was visiting someone else, alive or dying or dead.

Velir is not dead or dying. He is not. Wiping the thought from her mind, she nods pleasantly at the crew she meets in the outer room, including a rushing Dr. Mäkeläinen. His focus is manifest, and Kylah does not wish to interrupt him. She just says a knowing, "I hope this is exciting rather than overwhelming, Doctor. I know when I returned from my first mission, I did not expect to jump onto another so quickly. We were fortunate enough to have a brief shore leave. That is how Velir and I..."

Her hand gestures limply toward the private room area, then returns to clasping the other. "Anyway, I do hope this will be a more fair representation of the duties you will perform with the Yorktown. The circumstances on the shuttle alone were extraordinary, much less on Ollos and beyond."

Sensing his urgency, she apologizes and tells him she will see him soon. She then looks around to find a crew member to ask permission to visit Velir. T'Var would most likely allow her, if the patient is not in crisis. And Carlos would as well... I think. For a moment she closes her eyes, trying to feel anything unusual that might indicate anything troubling.

[SidonianGal]

Luisa's silence makes Nia give her a quick side-eye, wondering if her friend's okay. Is she upset? She didn't stop by during Nia's recovery, which was unusual. Giya might know what's up. Until I find out, I'd better not tell her I talked her up a bit with Double-T. Or maybe she knows and that's why she's pissed off? Seems dubious, but stranger things happen in space.

The changing personnel can't escape Nia's keen notice, and she offers a pleased grin to Thalen. The rest aren't super-familiar to her--and, likely, they don't know her either. Unless they can see her scales and realize oh that's the lizard lady, she's likely anonymous. Probably for the best. If they're aware of how brilliantly she flew her last mission, they might be less than comfortable seeing her at the helm.

The Yorktown handles itself beautifully, as it does 99.5% of the time Nia's ever been aboard, and she has little to do right at the moment. A question piques her curiosity, and she turns her head slightly to see if Singh is busy. If so, Nia will wait. If not, Nia will address her while returning her focus where it belongs. "Ma'am, as you're heading back down to the planet, will--"

She stops herself, a little surprised by the nerve of her near-question. Will you give me command again? It's not so much that she's dying for a much longer watch. She's tired and the pool lanes beckon. But she likes command. And even more to the point, she wants to know if Vargas will be ensconced here instead, glaring phaser beams into her back.

Without missing a beat, Nia alters the question. "Will you be gone long? If it's not breaching security to ask," she adds, lightly stating the obvious. "Just wondering whether you and your escorts have been remaining on the planet during your visits, or if you've able to return here rather than deal with whatever accommodations they have dirtside."

[general_urko]

For a while, Graham accepts the premise that Marala is not only happy, but happy to be with him and affirmatively made all the more so by their tryst.

It nags at him afterwards as he gets dressed that the gist of his comments are that he'll be back soon.

Not that he has any specific reason to doubt it - but after the last mission, he wonders if he's been honest enough about--

Then he wonders if he's thinking about the actual level of risk involved in Starfleet operations or his own pessimism.

With that still on his mind, he heads to the transporter room intending to ensure he has enough time to check in with each member of the team and double-check all the equipment.

[Elendil's Heir]

A nurse shows Kylah in to see Lt. JG. Velir Rangin, who is resting, motionless but apparently comfortable. The Sickbay biobed's readings look normal, as far as she can tell.

Thalen smiles back at Onn, then turns to his console and inserts his chromed earpiece.

Lt. JG Luisa Guzman, to Onn's right at Navigation, apologizes. "Sorry, I missed your comment. I'm a little distracted. Some recent bad news from home, unfortunately."

The Captain tells Onn, "I expect we'll be dirtside for just a few hours." A Science rating brings her a datapad, which she quickly reviews, signs and hands back. "I don't expect it to be an overnight visit, but if it is, we'll stay at the Embassy."

Marala kisses Graham goodbye and sends him on his way. In the Transporter Room, he finds only Ens. Alodia Baenre and Transporter Chief Binh Nguyen at the moment.

[stolz]

He does not want his family and friends to spend too much of their time thinking about him. Then, logically, that should go both ways, Dr. Mäkeläinen muses.

With the spare first aid supplies he prepared in addition to his Starfleet medical field kit, he is approaching the limits of encumbrance for a brief landing. He looks at the small pouch holding the field kit, but there is no practicable way to stuff any personal items nor reserve supplies in there. If the mission parameters change, he will have to resupply from the Embassy clinic. No call for Bilitrium this time, at least, something that still bothers him for overlooking it for his off-ship mission with Lt. Onn. He makes sure he has his trusty medical tricorder, of course.

Hydrated and caffeinated, he heads to the Transporter Room perfectly composed, making sure he is not late.

[choie]

Kylah does not know if Velir can hear or sense her. She doubts he will be able to communicate either verbally or emotionally. And yet, she closes the gap between herself and his figure on the biobed, and takes hold of his hand. It seems paler than usual, and certainly colder. But she suspects it is only the circumstances that give her this impression.

As she has done since their return, she greets him with words and through silence, aiming the full measure of her affection for him. Her wishes for his comfort are expressed, as ever, as is the question of whether he knows she is here. Staring down at him, Kylah bites her lip for a few seconds before leaving the unfortunately familiar territory.

"I can only stay for a moment. We have almost reached the planet--Cavinre VII, do you remember?--and a small group will accompany the Captain down to..." She furrows her brow. She does not actually know what they are doing other than escorting her, nor where they are going. "To the Embassy," she improvises. Her fingers interlock with his. "You have been onboard longer than I. But it is my first mission in the Captain's presence. I hope I do not bring shame to her. Things are apparently very unpleasant down there; Starfleet is no more liked there than we were on Ollos."

Kylah winces and shakes her head at herself. Why bring up something so harrowing? Her left hand joins her right in caressing his hand, and she concentrates even harder to make sure he is not distressed before she continues.

[Elendil's Heir]

Rangin does not respond to Kylah's touch for a long time... until finally, ever so slightly, so gently that she almost thinks she may have imagined it, his fingers tighten on hers and then, at once, relax.

Graham, Dr. Mäkeläinen, and Ensigns Baenre, Delaney and St. Croix gather in the Transporter Room. Chief Nguyen distributes communicators and phaser-1s. If you wish to take along a tricorder, you may get one from him.

Seconds later, Capt. Singh strides in, having left the Chief Engineer in command on the Bridge. She sees the local symbol representing medicine (a stylized seven-petaled flower) which Dr. Mäkeläinen found and placed on his blue Medical tunic. "What's that, Doctor?" she asks with a slight frown.

[choie]

After a sharp intake of breath, Kylah does not move for several seconds, hoping she did not just imagine Velir's activity--infinitesimal as it was. ""You do hear me?" she exhales at last. "I will stay with you, as long as it takes, if you will just give me a sign--"

The sudden recollection of her duty causes a tiny moan of frustration. If Velir has truly communicated with her, she must stay here! This matters more important than an escort mission where she cannot fathom playing any significant role. Except... she has already let Lt. Graham down before, the last time he chose her for a mission. True, then she truly had to stay, to save two lives. Now, she would be risking court-martial only for her own reassurance.

Swallowing, she bends down nearer to the pillow. "Please forgive me, dearest. I am in danger of being late. I must say goodbye for now." Her gaze searches his face miserably. "It will be my first mission without you. I--I do not like the feeling." Vision blurring, she quickly blinks before she risks tainting him with her tears, then lifts her shoulder to wipe any dampness from her cheek. The kiss she bestows is feather-light.

"I will be back soon. And you will get better," she murmurs with her lips pressed against his temple. "We will have other missions together. And, I hope, many more times to be as we were, at the nightclub."

The heat rising in her face could possibly warm him too, when she recalls how fervently their mouths explored each other in that private room. And now she risks crying again, overwhelmed by despair at the thought of never knowing anything further with this man. She straightens and steps away.

"Be well, my heart. I do not know if you are dreaming... But if you can dream, dream of us in the Black Sun. Before Mr. Rawlings' interruption," she hastens, smiling despite herself. "No. The boathouse, back on Beta Antares. Our day together, there. It was perfect. We will have that again, I promise."

She wavers at having made such a promise, one that she cannot fathom how to help fulfill. With another smile that is both insincere and undoubtedly unseen, Kylah turns to leave for the mission. It is impossible to resist another tiny pause, again hoping she can sense something from him. But the thought of Lt. Graham's having to hail her again--even just having to doubt her momentarily--forces her from the room, fairly flying toward the transporter room.

[SidonianGal]

It's been about a half hour since Nia expressed discreet concern for Luisa, offering to have one of their hangout sessions whenever/wherever her friend chooses...whether Lu wants to talk, meditate, listen to music or just drink. Since then, Nia divided her mind between helm activity and speculating on what might be Luisa's troubling news.

When she heard Singh hail Cheverez, Nia's shoulders slumped. The captain picked the one BCDO option that--for Nia, personally--is even worse than Vargas.

Now, with the Chief in the big chair behind her, Nia sits up straight and rigid, avoiding eye contact and conversation. Fortunately, the former's easy, given their positions. But as for the latter... the truth is, normally the two have a pretty collegial rapport, with their interests and humor aligning pretty well. He's always seemed appreciative of her "extracurricular" contributions to the engineering team. They've had many enjoyable conversations and companionable silences during late nights tinkering with things, particularly the Tesla.

She hasn't spoken to him nor been back to Engineering since the accident. She doubts she'll be asked for some time, and--if she maintains the sanity granted to her by Sid'Os--she sure as hell won't be asking for an invite.

Her hands move expertly over the controls, when necessary. Otherwise she is silent and still. If only her scales were capable of such sophisticated camouflage patterns as the ever-changing colors of the helm panel, she'd be invisible, too.

[stolz]

Mäkeläinen notes the new, as well as the familiar, faces, and very briefly greets the others when he arrives. He accepts a communicator from the petty officer, but declines to take a phaser. He has brought his own tricorder, which is a medical tricorder (one with sensors and software set up especially for medical diagnosis, compared to a standard-issue sciences tricorder), since he was not expecting to be supplied with one without having asked for it in advance, nor would he like to trust one he had not checked himself.

It is not unexpected that the Captain has lasered in on the foreign insigne which cannot but be prominent on his blue tunic, but she still catches him off guard. They say it is better to ask forgiveness than permission, but surely this is only a wee bit irregular? He explains, "This is the local symbol of medicine. Like the, er, rod with a serpent around it on Earth. I looked into it, and medical facilities in the cities, and elsewhere on the planet, are primitive--- not in a good way--- and inadequate. If we step out of the Embassy, well, even without the hostile audience, my role should be clearly visible in that case. Considering current events, I have brought extra medical supplies, and it is not out of the question we will want to share them, or be compelled by humanitarian principles to render assistance to any injured."