Party at Quarks (after Dominion Rising) (Open to All)

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Commander Nira Said | Quark's | Promenade | Starbase Deep Space Nine]

Nira looked up and saw the young man greet her. She recognized him at once from what she remembered from his personnel file - Aarwendil Cheizex.

"Pleasure to meet you, Aarwendil," said Nira. "I'm Nira. Of course, on duty, I'd be Commander Said. I'm more than just part of the ship's crew. I'm Challenger's First Officer."

She was excited to talk to him. Mostly because he was a Betazoid. He was the first Betazoid crewmember on the same ship as she was, though she had heard of another, albeit part, Betazoid on the ship as well, one Neva Cordon...? She was a little puzzled at the Cordon name, Cordon didn't sound Betazoid.

Just then, she saw Captain Galloway enter and she was surprised by his words.
"Care to come along, Aarwendil?" asked Nira. She stepped up and saw M'Nia speak up as well.Nira smiled. It was looking like it was turning into Kyan's and Zhuk's party. She had a good idea where it was going to potentially go. She decided to step up as well.

"And I wish to say that I owe Kyan and Zhuk as well. Especially Kyan," she announced, raising a toast. "I thank him for saving our necks in our confrontation against the last of the Dominion influence on Cardassia. And I praise him for his performance."

And she raised a toast at him again, but at the same time, she kept an eye out for a certain tall woman with horns, hoping she could be in the crowd.Later, though, she noticed another familiar face and beelined over, though she indicated for Aarwendil to follow along.

"Commander Jyur...! Oh, Lieutenant," said Nira. "Good to meet you again. Been a long time since we pretended to be a couple on that job for Admiral Gillespie. On Risa?"

[Deep Space 9 | Quark's]

"œOh." Aarwendil exclaimed, only now noticing the badge of the woman. Talking so nonchalantly to a high ranking officer during their first meeting probably wasn't something that he should have done. At least Commander Said wasn't offended by his lack of respect, but it wasn't enough to stop the blush that spread through the Ensign's cheeks.

"œIt's nice to meet you, Commander Said." he said, recovering from his surprise as fast as he could. Unfortunately, being telepath, the female Betazoid would have noticed that Aarwendil's feelings for what had happened.

Then, Captain Galloway arrived and spoke some words about the efforts of two of the officers during the mission. Aarwendil had recognized one of them as the Onlie that he had seen early.

He turned to look at Nira after having heard her talk with him. "œOf course." Aarwendil said, before following her. The Ensign watched the Commander raise a toast for the two officers and participated on it with the rest of the crew. The toast had barely ended and Commander Said was already walking away. The young Betazoid noticed her gesture to him to follow her, and he did exactly that.

She stopped near two other officers, a man and a woman. As far as he could tell, both were humans. After Said's exchange with the man, which was Lieutenant Jyur, the young Betazoid thought that it was a good moment to present himself. "œHello! I'm Ensign Aarwendil Cheizex."

[Commander Nira Said | Quark's | Promenade | Starbase Deep Space Nine]

"It was, it really was," she said. She looked around at Aarwendil and smiled. "It'll be quite the day for meeting people, won't it? But that's what a party is for, I figure."

And she was glad she wasn't having her senses on; a whole crowd of peoples' emotions would be a surprise on her part, but she had grown used to it.Nira perked up at what the Captain had to say. That explained it, and it made sense. Jess was close to Ian, but before she could move to talk to him, talk about Jess, he was gone. She shrugged and went back to mingling.

Aarwendil couldn't agree more. It was really a time to meet new people and Aarwendil was terrible with that. Back in Betazoid it was easier for him, since meetings were easy to go by due to telepathy. Talking through them made him sound like a computer. Although he believed that one probably was more flippant than him.

[Jettis Jyur]

[ Deep Space Nine - Quark's ]

As more people filtered in and joined in, the din of voices at the bar increased. It was rare he saw a lounge so lively save for during holidays and celebrations. His eyes roamed the people, briefly stopping on the next few to join and introduce themselves. A human and a Caitan, this must be the 'Zhuk' Galloway was talking about. As two Betazoids, he sensed. A woman he had taken note of when he first walked in, and the ensign that Commander Said had dragged over with her.

Cheizex was the first to speak directly to him, so blinking himself out of his reverie, he turned toward the man. "I'm beginning to feel a bit overrun by you yellowjackets," he quipped, motioning absently to the sea of Sec/tac and ops crewmembers in the vicinity, far outweighing his own science blue. He chuckled, before introducing himself as well.
"Lieutenant Jyur, call me Jettis off duty. Science division on the Challenger." He had a feeling that this would not be the last time he would say that tonight, based on the current rate of activity. Then, as a half-follow up to Tanner's question on being from the USS Challenger. "I wasn't present during the last mission though, just getting picked up."

[M'Nia]

[Deep Space Nice | Quark's | At the Bar in Duty Uniform]

The question from Jettis did cause her to turn, "Much the opposite due to the potential security vulnerabilities. All Starfleet ships get regular security updates to the computers, with the PADDs often, but not nearly as often, getting similar updates to continue their ability to interface with connected databases. Every time the PADDs update, it disables my interface's ability to connect until I write an update for it. Usually takes me a day or two at most, but having such an issue could be much more problematic if it interfaced with ship consoles. With the potential results unknown, I was given clear commands from Starfleet to not attempt to integrate the technology beyond personal use.

"I can see that. Otherwise it would be a security risk!" M'nia says

Doing her best to suppress the nervous chuckle M'Nia's response elicited from her, Sydney shook her head gently at the Caitian, "No, no. Don't be too impressed. I am not an Engineer in the traditional sense. Couldn't even begin to repair an EPS conduit, but code has always come easily to me. It's just a language like any other. I just learned how to master it."

She wasn't sure why, but the woman felt the need to hold back from revealing anything further on her academic history. If M'Nia was impressed with her Masters, she could only imagine how she might react to the degrees she'd acquired after. Sydney had learned back at the Academy not to disclose why she had been nearly ten years older than most other cadets. She especially loathed anyone referring to her as 'Doctor'. She'd been raised by a real one, and wouldn't disrespect his or any other MD's expertise by claiming such.

Quickly, and a bit thankfully, the attention of the room turned towards the Captain that had entered to make quite the scene of bestowing special praise on Kyan and Zhuk; another Challenger officer she'd yet to be introduced to. While M'Nia seemed quite comfortable bantering with the superior officer and Jettis turned to respond to a Commander that he seemed to have quite the unspoken past with, Sydney felt herself shrinking much like she'd seen Cole doing not long before. Being the 'new kid' was always awkward at first, but she knew in time the feeling would fade.

"Well that's ok. That's my job. We each have our specialties and strengths. I see a beautiful, intelligent woman. Don't discount your accomplishments!Everyone has something to contribute. I'd say making those implants took a lot of know how." She liked this woman. However she didn't like it when people we too down on themselves.

Still, besides Kinley, there seemed to be a lack of Discovery crew filling in. Turning her eyes back to the cup in front of her, Sydney's thoughts drifted off to the 'what ifs' before she downed what was left in it and motioned for the bartender to prepare her another. While unsure if she'd be able to get to sleep easily that night, she considered taking up some of her Papa's advice and make a short personal log to get her thoughts out. It was supposedly better than letting them linger on one's psyche.

Picking up the fresh cup and giving it a small blow before taking a sip, Sydney seemed to have become almost relaxed by the topic of conversation. It was clearly a specialty of hers and one she took great pride in. "But enough about me and my weird eyes. You said you were a Science Officer," she said glancing to Jettis, "and you an Engineer," she continued glancing M'Nia's direction, "What areas do you specialize in? Anyone who claims to be a 'Jack of all Trades' is usually just trying to cover for not being terribly great at anything." As engaged as she was talking about herself, the woman wasn't sure how long she'd have to get to speak to these two, especially since there was a better-than-not chance they would be shipping off on the Challenger before she got the call to head for the Discovery.

"Well my specialty is warp field mechanics and it's cumulative effect on space but I'm also interested in alternate forms of propulsion. Kind of a hobby. I still have  whole lot to learn but I am anxious to learn it!"

[Tanner Lachlyn]

Someone else approached. Zhuk proceeded to raise an eyebrow at his question, as he softly hummed. Not looking her best? What did she mean? "Yes, I am Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas. The Discovery did accompany us for a while... but do elaborate on not 'looking her best' part, please."

Tanner nodded, "Nice to meet you Lieutenant." She smiled widely, "I',m happy to clarify. I had heard from passing crew that she would need a few repairs before she was ready to head out again. I gathered from the tone it wasn't a small job."

She left out the part that she'd been lurking on decks to try catch bits of information. Tanner didn't do well with estimates or approximates. She was impatient and so if lurking helped her find answers, it was a worthy way to spend her time.

"Lieutenant Jyur, call me Jettis off duty. Science division on the Challenger." He had a feeling that this would not be the last time he would say that tonight, based on the current rate of activity. Then, as a half-follow up to Tanner's question on being from the USS Challenger. "I wasn't present during the last mission though, just getting picked up."

Tanner smiled at Jettis, "Same. Hence my question, I've been waiting on the station and when I inquired as to the arrival of the ship it was a vague answer most of the time or an estimate based on knowledge that wasn't to be shared to a lowly being like me." She paused and took a sip of her brandy, "Security though for me on Discovery."

[Kinley Garrison]

[ Deep Space Nine - Quark's ]

The warm and exuberant welcome was enough to bring an even wider smile to the man's face. The hug was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. Laughing, he returned with a tight grip, one that spoke his true delight in seeing the man again. "Bah. You didn't think a little thing like a phaser blast or a concussion would keep me down did you?" He pressed a hand against his chest, feigning insult at the mere idea. Tsking in disappointment, his eyes scanned over to Kinley. "Hey, a 4% increase is pretty impressive! I'll have to put these newfound skills to the test next time." Whether he was joking or not was unclear, his grin not betraying enough to be certain.

Turning his attention back to the woman who introduced herself, he gave her another respectful nod. A Caitan, he hadn't seen one of those in a Starfleet uniform in five years or so. "Challenger missions do tend to be rather...." He licked his lips, eyes flicking up as he tried to conjure the most appropriate descriptor. "A test of endurance and integrity. During my stints as Commander there I processed a lot of transfers on, followed by near-immediate transfers off." He chuckled a bit, though the reality of it was a bit gruesome, he did find some humor in it. He himself had gotten thrown directly into the deep end, and it was sink or swim. Thankfully, he swam.

Accepting Kyan's offer to join them, he took a seat down from the man to turn his attention back to the redhead. "That's the Challie for you, alright. Whadya think of Galloway?" Briefly breaking contact to flag down a bartender, he placed an order, expecting he would be here for awhile now. "You two haven't caused too much chaos yet? Other than near wrecking the ship, I suppose..."

[Quarks]

Kinley grinned, recognizing the jab from Jettis. "œMight have to do it before the Challenger heads out. I hear charcoal can be good for the digestive system, but I'm a scientist, not a doctor" , she said, finishing up her drink, and listening to Sydney talk to M'Nia before Captain Galloway came in. She recognized him from the multiple communications she had made. A round for everyone! That was pretty generous, to say the least, and the party energy jumped to a fever pitch.

She could feel the restless energy from the caffeine hitting her hard, and she went to the DJ, a Ferengi manning the soundboards, and passed him a strip of latinum.    "œCan you get something with a good danceable beat? Thanks!

With the music set, Kinley began dancing to the beat, not caring about the potential stares she was getting.

https://youtu.be/iLBBRuVDOo4

[Sydney Reid]

[Deep Space Nice | Quark's | At the Bar in Duty Uniform]

He perked up, leaning forward slightly as she explained how the ocular augments worked. They weren't implants per se, but almost a total reworking of the eye itself. "Really?" The concept was simple enough, but massively overlooked by most races, especially in the current day and age. "What inspired you to go with a concept so..." He paused for a moment, searching for a word that would accurately express his thoughts. Eyes flickering toward the ceiling, he stared up at it as if the very walls of the ship would give him what he was looking for. They didn't.

"Simple, for want of a better word. Humans, and I suppose most races I know of, when it comes to the undertaking of augments are typically drastic. I suppose, if you've lost an eye, or a leg, sure you could just have it replaced with your old capabilities, but why not get infrared scanning, or the ability to super-jump while you're at it anyhow?" Personally, he wasn't sure how he felt on the matter. On the one hand, there was appeal to having what you had before, but better. But another part of him found the artistry in such a small, yet useful change without all the bells and whistles of being able to see 25 new colors or having x-ray vision. And, presumably without the frequent headaches and medication that came along with ocular implants.

Studying the presentation, he gave a small nod, before leaning back against the counter again. Downing the last swig of his drink, he briefly turned to catch the attention of a bartender, mulling over how to answer the question posed to him.

"Well that's ok. That's my job. We each have our specialties and strengths. I see a beautiful, intelligent woman. Don't discount your accomplishments! Everyone has something to contribute. I'd say making those implants took a lot of know-how." She liked this woman. However, she didn't like it when people were too down on themselves.

Sydney looked at the man curiously, almost suspiciously at the challenge presented to her. She could sense his surprise, so she knew not to take offense to the question, but it still presented her with an inquiry that was not one she had gotten before. Doubt flashed in her mind until M'Nia retorted with even more praise for her work"¦and perhaps a bit of unexpected flattery, for which the human was unsure how to take. Sydney felt like see was missing something, but between trying to redirect the attention away from herself and pondering Jettis' question, she found herself falling silent in thought.

"In the academy I majored in Xenolinguistics and Exobiology, though I had additional focuses on Astrometry, Astrogeology, Cartography... a lot of navigational and planetary sciences. These days my main focus and duties typically lie with exobiology, though I expect that to change now that I'm back on a ship. Been Starbase bound the majority of the last three years." With a couple of short stints on ships, but mostly to travel from one base to the next. On the Challenger, as Sigurdsdottir had covered the majority of his specialties, his responsibilities fell to charting as they explored, every planet and asteroid to be marked down as well as composition. It was menial, but rewarding work.

"Well my specialty is warp field mechanics and its cumulative effect on space but I'm also interested in alternate forms of propulsion. Kind of a hobby. I still have a whole lot to learn but I am anxious to learn it!"

But her eyebrows did raise as a smile pulled at the corner of her mouth at the man's revelation. Knowing her was a fellow linguist gave her a bit of inspiration, while the engineer's comment drew forth a memory from her younger years that seemed to pull together a concept Sydney thought might be the best way to explain her initial motivation for the design of her implants. Looking down into her cup as she took a sip of the espresso, she spoke up, "Maybe it's better if I explain why I wanted to design them to explain them," as she set the cup back.

"I was already studying at Tomobiki when the destruction of Romulus left thousands of young Romulans orphaned. Despite all those that had relocated, there just weren't enough Romulan families to take in all of the orphaned children, so my parents, being who they were, decided to adopt one of these orphan children: my brother Merik. When they told me this, knowing how I came to be their daughter, I started spending all of my time not studying teaching myself Romulan.

"When I came home during that first semester break after, I discovered just how much further my grasp of the language was compared to our parents'. It was the first time this scared, sad, little boy was meeting me, and it had become painfully apparent that he'd been struggling with all of the changes, and especially with all of the humans that relied too heavily on Universal Translators to properly communicate with him. I might have been the first human whose Romulan wasn't clunky when trying to speak to him without needing the technology we've all become entirely too reliant on.

"The only thing this little boy had that connected him to his former homeworld, his former species, was a book of Romulan legends that he clutched as if he was afraid he would lose it as well. Our parents had tried to read it to him, but between the scanning and the translation, they'd not been able to bond with him over it like they'd wished. It was my third night home when I found him sitting up in the middle of the night trying to read this book, unable to sleep myself, and decided to give it shot.

"I don't know whether it was the ease which I had always found learning to read languages or the work I'd put into learning Romulan entirely for him, but I could see the surprise in his eyes when this round-eared woman took the book and began to read it to him in a voice that wasn't manipulated by the Translator. By the fourth or fifth page, this scared, little boy had curled up in my lap and fallen asleep against my chest as I read these stories to him.

"So if you want to know why my design was so 'Simple', Mister Jyur, I was just trying to solve a simple problem to bring some simple comfort to a scared boy. My hope was that I could create a low-impact system, much like the Universal Translator, that would allow people to translate any text they read instantly. I imagined a galaxy where anyone could pick up a book in an alien language and read it just as easily as we can hear it. Sadly, fear of such tech, or more so the work it would take to keep it secure, was enough to dash those ideas. I've never set out to build anything solely for my benefit, but for the benefit of everyone. It just didn't work out that way," Sydney finished her explanation with a small shrug before reaching to take another sip of her espresso.

"Maybe one day, though"¦" she mused as her eyes fell to the cup in her hands.

[Nira Said]

[Deep Space 9 | Quark's]

"œOh." Aarwendil exclaimed, only now noticing the badge of the woman. Talking so nonchalantly to a high ranking officer during their first meeting probably wasn't something that he should have done. At least Commander Said wasn't offended by his lack of respect, but it wasn't enough to stop the blush that spread through the Ensign's cheeks.

"œIt's nice to meet you, Commander Said." he said, recovering from his surprise as fast as he could. Unfortunately, being telepath, the female Betazoid would have noticed that Aarwendil's feelings for what had happened.

Then, Captain Galloway arrived and spoke some words about the efforts of two of the officers during the mission. Aarwendil had recognized one of them as the Onlie that he had seen early.

He turned to look at Nira after having heard her talk with him. "œOf course." Aarwendil said, before following her. The Ensign watched the Commander raise a toast for the two officers and participated on it with the rest of the crew. The toast had barely ended and Commander Said was already walking away. The young Betazoid noticed her gesture to him to follow her, and he did exactly that.

She stopped near two other officers, a man and a woman. As far as he could tell, both were humans. After Said's exchange with the man, which was Lieutenant Jyur, the young Betazoid thought that it was a good moment to present himself. "œHello! I'm Ensign Aarwendil Cheizex."

Aarwendil couldn't agree more. It was really a time to meet new people and Aarwendil was terrible with that. Back in Betazoid it was easier for him, since meetings were easy to go by due to telepathy. Talking through them made him sound like a computer. Although he believed that one probably was more flippant than him.

[Commander Nira Said | Quark's | Promenade | Starbase Deep Space Nine]

Nira chuckled at Aarwendil. "Well, perhaps you and I could have a little interview later. Along with Ensign Cordon, she's also half Betazoid from the personnel files. I know that it's more ideal to have a telepathic conversation in private."

Neva grinned as she smoothed out the wrinkles of her uniform for the umpteenth time as she walked to Quark's. She'd done what she was supposed to in the crisis and lived. She let out another relieved breath for that fact.
As she walked in, she looked around for anyone she recognized. Silently thanking The Gods for her luck, she made a beeline for the bar first. "Hello!" When the bartender came to her. "Can I have a double of Single Malt Scotch please?" She slid a bar of latinum to them when they returned. "The rest is for you. Thank you for this." She lifted the glass as thanks. The bartender took the bar & bit it before smiling back. Nodding in return, she turned and made her way to where Lahr and the Captain sat. As she reached them, she swallowed both the lump in her throat and a sip of her drink to push it further down. "Uh, may I join you?"

She had looked up to see the girl in question. She indicated Aarwendil to follow - again - and she approached Neva.

"Actually, we got a little space here," Nira said to Neva. "I'm Nira Said. I'm Challenger's First Officer. And this good man is Aarwendil from Betazed."

[Quarks]

Kinley grinned, recognizing the jab from Jettis. "œMight have to do it before the Challenger heads out. I hear charcoal can be good for the digestive system, but I'm a scientist, not a doctor" , she said, finishing up her drink, and listening to Sydney talk to M'Nia before Captain Galloway came in. She recognized him from the multiple communications she had made. A round for everyone! That was pretty generous, to say the least, and the party energy jumped to a fever pitch.

She could feel the restless energy from the caffeine hitting her hard, and she went to the DJ, a Ferengi manning the soundboards, and passed him a strip of latinum.    "œCan you get something with a good danceable beat? Thanks!

With the music set, Kinley began dancing to the beat, not caring about the potential stares she was getting.

https://youtu.be/iLBBRuVDOo4

At the bar, Quark raise a eyebrow structure almost in the way one raises an eyebrow with hair. "Technically, we don't have a dance floor. The best we can do is put you in Vic's...up in Holosuite One. It's on the house," he added with a wink. "Also, Vic Fontaine specializes in jazz, but he can adjust his own program to suit other musical variations."

[Commander Nira Said | Vic's | Holosuite One | Quark's | Promenade | Starbase Deep Space Nine]

Nira heard that some people were heading over to this particular holosuite for some musical interest, and especially since it was the closest thing to a dance floor...or a mosh pit, depending on what the program adjusted to. The default program was 1960s Earth, default music jazz. But Vic Fontaine was no ordinary holo-character.

Whenever Quark led some people with musical interest up there, Vic would smile sweetly and say, "Heyy, pally, new guests?"

Nira had a good chat with Aarwendil and Neva. These were good crew and their departments were lucky to have them. Now she sat in Vic's, seeing Lieutenant Garrison, Discovery's new(ish) Science Officer putting on the music. En route, she passed Lahr and said, "we're going up to a musical dance floor, I think it could be something you'll like," she had added with a friendly wink.

"Okee-dokey, everybody," said Vic. "I'm open to requests and we can adjust to musical style."

[Jettis Jyur]

[ Deep Space Nine - Quark's ]

Jettis nodded toward Tanner, smiling. "You'll like the Discovery. Captain Tekin, right?" If memory served correctly, Tekin had been XO of the Discovery when he first joined Starfleet. Good to know the man was still going strong as ever. "I don't expect it to be long before we can begin moving our things on, at least. As long as there's a structurally sound floor."

He chuckled, then turning back toward Reid as she finished pondering his earlier question. Jettis admittedly hadn't expected his question to pose such a dilemma or be thought-provoking. As she spoke he felt his heart go out to her. It was such a noble and heart-wrenching motivation, and to see her acting so dejectedly about it tugged at his heartstrings. It might've even brought a tear to his eye if he were a less stoic man.

"The power of language is wholly overlooked, especially for young children. The ease of amazing technology like universal translators has unfortunately left us as a less connected people. They are incredible, but nothing compared to actually hearing it, hearing the inflection, the nuances that simply can't be captured." He paused, slumping back a bit against the counter. His thoughts strayed to his own childhood, his own language, and he sighed. "I believe to an extent I understand. My native language isn't German, it isn't even Standard. My younger sister unfortunately never even learned to speak it, so it is only me and my brother. It's rare I ever get to hear it spoken. Can't even be run through typical Federation translators."

He pinched his lips together for a moment, as he let the somber mood settle for a moment. Despite being so open it was still a difficult topic. But, the point of bringing it up wasn't to bring down the mood - So taking a deep breath, he turned his head to look at her again. There was a sort of... determination in his eyes, an intensity that hadn't been present before. Flashing her a grin that crinkled the sides of his eyes, he straightened up again.

"All that to say, that isn't a dream you should give up on. It will happen someday, but maybe with a bit of support and rallying, it can happen someday sooner, rather than later." Lifting his glass slightly, he downed the rest of it to shake off his mood. "Sometimes the simplest problems to solve can be the hardest to convince anyone to care about."

[M'Nia]

[Deep Space Nice | Quark's | At the Bar in Duty Uniform]
.

But her eyebrows did raise as a smile pulled at the corner of her mouth at the man's revelation. Knowing her was a fellow linguist gave her a bit of inspiration, while the engineer's comment drew forth a memory from her younger years that seemed to pull together a concept Sydney thought might be the best way to explain her initial motivation for the design of her implants. Looking down into her cup as she took a sip of the espresso, she spoke up, "Maybe it's better if I explain why I wanted to design them to explain them," as she set the cup back.

"I was already studying at Tomobiki when the destruction of Romulus left thousands of young Romulans orphaned. Despite all those that had relocated, there just weren't enough Romulan families to take in all of the orphaned children, so my parents, being who they were, decided to adopt one of these orphan children: my brother Merik. When they told me this, knowing how I came to be their daughter, I started spending all of my time not studying teaching myself Romulan.

"When I came home during that first semester break after, I discovered just how much further my grasp of the language was compared to our parents'. It was the first time this scared, sad, little boy was meeting me, and it had become painfully apparent that he'd been struggling with all of the changes, and especially with all of the humans that relied too heavily on Universal Translators to properly communicate with him. I might have been the first human whose Romulan wasn't clunky when trying to speak to him without needing the technology we've all become entirely too reliant on.

"The only thing this little boy had that connected him to his former homeworld, his former species, was a book of Romulan legends that he clutched as if he was afraid he would lose it as well. Our parents had tried to read it to him, but between the scanning and the translation, they'd not been able to bond with him over it like they'd wished. It was my third night home when I found him sitting up in the middle of the night trying to read this book, unable to sleep myself, and decided to give it shot.

"I don't know whether it was the ease which I had always found learning to read languages or the work I'd put into learning Romulan entirely for him, but I could see the surprise in his eyes when this round-eared woman took the book and began to read it to him in a voice that wasn't manipulated by the Translator. By the fourth or fifth page, this scared, little boy had curled up in my lap and fallen asleep against my chest as I read these stories to him.

"So if you want to know why my design was so 'Simple', Mister Jyur, I was just trying to solve a simple problem to bring some simple comfort to a scared boy. My hope was that I could create a low-impact system, much like the Universal Translator, that would allow people to translate any text they read instantly. I imagined a galaxy where anyone could pick up a book in an alien language and read it just as easily as we can hear it. Sadly, fear of such tech, or more so the work it would take to keep it secure, was enough to dash those ideas. I've never set out to build anything solely for my benefit, but for the benefit of everyone. It just didn't work out that way," Sydney finished her explanation with a small shrug before reaching to take another sip of her espresso.

"Maybe one day, though"¦" she mused as her eyes fell to the cup in her hands.

'That has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. The fact that you did all that for your brother says a lot about you Sydney. I was always taught family is very important, no matter who they are. That goes for adopted family as well! The fat that your parents took in a romulan child says a lot about them as well. I hope he is thriving and doing alright now. I find that I want to get to know you better Sydney Reid! I think you are quite a woman!" M'nia said.

[Neva Cordon]

[Deep Space 9 | Quark's]

Aarwendil hummed happily while he walked through the corridors of the Promenade toward the famous, or perhaps infamous, Quark's. During his time at the Academy, the young Betazoid had heard stories from other members of the StarFleet about their visits to this place. Since these tales came from Ensigns, he was able to detect with his telepathy that they were mostly lies or exaggerations of real stories. However, what they all agreed was that the place was the heart of Deep Space 9 as much as the bridge was.

The Ensign agreed with it, because as soon as he arrived at the establishment, he noticed that it was crowded. Very crowded. Not only the crew of the Challenger was there, but everyone that participated in the mission and the workers of the Station seemed to have been invited to participate in this celebration.

Feeling a bit awkward for barely knowing anyone present, Aarwendil decided to move around a bit. Since he joined the ship when their last mission started, he had no time to meet the rest of the crew except those that were at the Challenger's bridge.

Looking around, he saw a child in uniform and deduced that he was an Onlie. The red-haired boy was talking with some other members of StarFleet. Aarwendil also saw a woman in uniform near the bar and by her unmistakable black eyes, he recognised her as a Betazoid. The young man walked at her, waving. "œHello! My name is Aarwendil." he said, before offering her a hand to shake. "œAre you part of the Station or of a ship's crew?"

Neva turned and started to smile at the man-a Betazoid too-greeting her, then it drooped a little when he offered his hand. She made a pushing down motion over it, nervously answering "Hi. Im Neva. I'm part of the Challenger's crew, yes." She lifted her drink and took a long sip before continuing. "Seems you are too then?" She made it a question just to be safe.

[Tanner Lachlyn]

[Deep Space 9 | Promenade - outside of Quarks]

Jettis nodded toward Tanner, smiling. "You'll like the Discovery. Captain Tekin, right?" If memory served correctly, Tekin had been XO of the Discovery when he first joined Starfleet. Good to know the man was still going strong as ever. "I don't expect it to be long before we can begin moving our things on, at least. As long as there's a structurally sound floor."

Tanner nodded but didn't say anything as the conversation carried on around the others at the table. Captain Tekin had a strong reputation and one she respected, even though she'd never met him.  The hard part of respecting rumors, was meeting the person and finding out whether or not they were honest or exaggerated.

"The power of language is wholly overlooked, especially for young children. The ease of amazing technology like universal translators has unfortunately left us as a less connected people. They are incredible, but nothing compared to actually hearing it, hearing the inflection, the nuances that simply can't be captured." He paused, slumping back a bit against the counter. His thoughts strayed to his own childhood, his own language, and he sighed. "I believe to an extent I understand. My native language isn't German, it isn't even Standard. My younger sister unfortunately never even learned to speak it, so it is only me and my brother. It's rare I ever get to hear it spoken. Can't even be run through typical Federation translators."

He pinched his lips together for a moment, as he let the somber mood settle for a moment. Despite being so open it was still a difficult topic. But, the point of bringing it up wasn't to bring down the mood - So taking a deep breath, he turned his head to look at her again. There was a sort of... determination in his eyes, an intensity that hadn't been present before. Flashing her a grin that crinkled the sides of his eyes, he straightened up again.

"All that to say, that isn't a dream you should give up on. It will happen someday, but maybe with a bit of support and rallying, it can happen someday sooner, rather than later." Lifting his glass slightly, he downed the rest of it to shake off his mood. "Sometimes the simplest problems to solve can be the hardest to convince anyone to care about."

"œHere here." Tanner added to the end of his sentence, raising her glass, "œI'll drink to that."

Most of what was being said went over her head. FAR over her head. However, she was following along enough to know that she agreed with his final statement.

[Sydney Reid]

[Deep Space Nine | Quark's | At Bar | In Uniform]

"The power of language is wholly overlooked, especially for young children. The ease of amazing technology like universal translators has unfortunately left us as a less connected people. They are incredible, but nothing compared to actually hearing it, hearing the inflection, the nuances that simply can't be captured." He paused, slumping back a bit against the counter. His thoughts strayed to his own childhood, his own language, and he sighed. "I believe to an extent I understand. My native language isn't German, it isn't even Standard. My younger sister unfortunately never even learned to speak it, so it is only me and my brother. It's rare I ever get to hear it spoken. Can't even be run through typical Federation translators."

He pinched his lips together for a moment, as he let the somber mood settle for a moment. Despite being so open it was still a difficult topic. But, the point of bringing it up wasn't to bring down the mood - So taking a deep breath, he turned his head to look at her again. There was a sort of... determination in his eyes, an intensity that hadn't been present before. Flashing her a grin that crinkled the sides of his eyes, he straightened up again.

"All that to say, that isn't a dream you should give up on. It will happen someday, but maybe with a bit of support and rallying, it can happen someday sooner, rather than later." Lifting his glass slightly, he downed the rest of it to shake off his mood. "Sometimes the simplest problems to solve can be the hardest to convince anyone to care about."

"That has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. The fact that you did all that for your brother says a lot about you Sydney. I was always taught family is very important, no matter who they are. That goes for adopted family as well! The fact that your parents took in a Romulan child says a lot about them as well. I hope he is thriving and doing alright now. I find that I want to get to know you better Sydney Reid! I think you are quite a woman!" M'nia said.

"œHere here." Tanner added to the end of his sentence, raising her glass, "œI'll drink to that."

Most of what was being said went over her head. FAR over her head. However, she was following along enough to know that she agreed with his final statement.

"Thanks, Jettis," Sydney said, giving him a small glance, but otherwise trying to not get her hopes up. Even if he didn't realize it, it was more about her acknowledging that he'd been able to recognize her point of view on her augments as opposed to one that most had. She didn't blame him for his initial thinking. He was a fellow Scientist, and those types tended to always be seeking enlightenment as opposed to finding solutions to current problems.

M'Nia, on the other hand, caused the woman to release a soft chuckle, mostly out of embarrassment at the praise being thrust upon her. Flashing a slight smile to the Caitian, it was the somewhat new arrival's words that caught Sydney's attention, cutting through the dip in the mood she'd caused to remind them why they were all sitting in Quark's in the first place. "You know what, M'Nia, I'll take that offer of a drink if you're still buying. I think I've had enough coffee to clear my head and a drink would certainly be better. This is supposed to be 'R&R' after all. I probably got a few more days left on this station before the Discovery is ready, but I'm sure all you Challenger peeps will be sailing off before too long."

If M'Nia's offer still stood, Sydney was happy with whatever the Caitian thought appropriate, trusting her to order for her before turning her attention to Tanner. "Sorry for not introducing myself before, but between the conversation and all of the Challenger officers spilling in, did I hear correctly that you'll be joining the Discovery as well?" Extending a hand to the Lieutenant, "Ensign Sydney Reid. I'm going to be taking over the Cryptology Lab"¦once enough repairs have been done that I can get to it. It's my first posting in Starfleet, but I have prior experience with Starfleet's tech. You're Security, right? Are you feeling just as impatient to get aboard as I am?"

[M'Nia]

[Deep Space Nine | Quark's | At Bar | In Uniform]

"Thanks, Jettis,"

M'Nia, on the other hand, caused the woman to release a soft chuckle, mostly out of embarrassment at the praise being thrust upon her. Flashing a slight smile to the Caitian, it was the somewhat new arrival's words that caught Sydney's attention, cutting through the dip in the mood she'd caused to remind them why they were all sitting in Quark's in the first place. "You know what, M'Nia, I'll take that offer of a drink if you're still buying. I think I've had enough coffee to clear my head and a drink would certainly be better. This is supposed to be 'R&R' after all. I probably got a few more days left on this station before the Discovery is ready, but I'm sure all you Challenger peeps will be sailing off before too long."

'You bet it is! Bartender, a tequila sunrise for the beautiful lady here and another caitian colada for me! " M'nia smiled at Sydney! "I always was a sucker for a beautiful woman! Especially one with brains!" Her tail flicked back and forth. This was just what she needed! The mission was had and now she had found a possible companion.

If M'Nia's offer still stood, Sydney was happy with whatever the Caitian thought appropriate, trusting her to order for her [/color]

[Tanner Lachlyn]

[Deep Space Nine | Quark's ]

With the music now playing and people dancing, the vibe in Quarks was shifting from a conversational space to one where you had to shout to be heard. Tanner wasn't opposed to using a louder tone but there was a time and a place.  She was going to excuse herself to head back to her quarters when Sidney spoke up.

If M'Nia's offer still stood, Sydney was happy with whatever the Caitian thought appropriate, trusting her to order for her before turning her attention to Tanner. "Sorry for not introducing myself before, but between the conversation and all of the Challenger officers spilling in, did I hear correctly that you'll be joining the Discovery as well?" Extending a hand to the Lieutenant, "Ensign Sydney Reid. I'm going to be taking over the Cryptology Lab"¦once enough repairs have been done that I can get to it. It's my first posting in Starfleet, but I have prior experience with Starfleet's tech. You're Security, right? Are you feeling just as impatient to get aboard as I am?"

Tanner happily grasped the hand and shook it eagerly, "Lieutenant Lachlyn, and impatient isn't a good word in the vocab of a Security officer. Eager is more comfortable." She took in the rest of her introduction, "Hopefully the repairs to your section aren't that extensive and, as it's your first posting, if you find yourself in need just ask. I've been told I'm a good listener."

'You bet it is! Bartender, a tequila sunrise for the beautiful lady here and another caitian colada for me! " M'nia smiled at Sydney! "I always was a sucker for a beautiful woman! Especially one with brains!" Her tail flicked back and forth. This was just what she needed! The mission was had and now she had found a possible companion.

Tanner laughed. The Caitian was a character and she liked that. She motioned for another brandy and relaxed. If they were going to be on her ship, the new posting was already off to a fun start.

[J.B Dersch]

[Deep Space Nine | Quark's ]

With the music now playing and people dancing, the vibe in Quarks was shifting from a conversational space to one where you had to shout to be heard. Tanner wasn't opposed to using a louder tone but there was a time and a place.  She was going to excuse herself to head back to her quarters when Sidney spoke up.

Tanner happily grasped the hand and shook it eagerly, "Lieutenant Lachlyn, and impatient isn't a good word in the vocab of a Security officer. Eager is more comfortable." She took in the rest of her introduction, "Hopefully the repairs to your section aren't that extensive and, as it's your first posting, if you find yourself in need just ask. I've been told I'm a good listener."

Tanner laughed. The Caitian was a character and she liked that. She motioned for another brandy and relaxed. If they were going to be on her ship, the new posting was already off to a fun start.

He stood out side the entrance to Qaurks but didn't know if he wanted to enter and wait for his parents to come or spend the next 15 minutes in here talking with the Crew and the New Additions but he then made his mind up. Okay, Just cause my worthless parents are coming dosen't mean I can't enjoy my free time. he then walked into Qaurks and made his way to the bar where, he saw a New Member of the Discovery crew..Okay, Chat up some people, then...Leave and meet my so called parents who are at least 15 minutes out..Great. He walked up and ordered some Jack and Coke, then turned to the New SEC/TAC officer.

"You look New, Hello, Name is JB, another fellow SEC/TAC officer, on the Discovery" He said as he reached out for a hand shake.