S6: E2 - Truth and Consequences

[Tora Zalos]

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Function Room Mayflower ]

One more song in their repertoire. Tora heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, an end to this infernal music assaulting her ears! Hands on her hips, she surveyed the crowd, who were still cheering and hand-banging to the Klingons' tunes. She didn't think much of the two strangers who joined the crowd - she'd left the invite open for a reason after all; people from the crew (and not) could come and go as they wished. "I'm gonna go grab a drink. You want anything? I'm feeling a nice, cold glass of fruit punch for now." She asked her co-organizer. The thought of Zhuk lapping up sweet red liquid with his tongue like an actual Terran cat was quite funny, really. Funny how even Caitians are prone to the basest feline behavior - that she had seen for herself once while working with him to make the event happen.

[Alexander Wu]

[Pub]

Ardyn nodded as the server came over and took Alex's drink and pretzel order. "œI'll pick up a couple shots," she said, adding her order to the tab. " She could hear the thumping of the Klingon music from the party even from here.

[Starbase 185 - Main Promenade - Promenade Pub]

"Shots?" Alex grinned before taking a healthy swig of his pint, savouring the frothy golden lager as it fizzed gently on his palate. "If I had known that was the night we're headin' towards, I would've arranged for a babysitter to pick up Maddy." He tapped the side of his glass along with the dull throbbing rhythm of heavy bass, though nothing else made it through the bulkheads. "I took a peek at that party's line-up, one of your engineering chiefs is on it. Lahr's apparently as good a DJ as he is performing repairs on untethered spacewalks." Alex had put in a strong commendation in his report for the Andorian, considering his key role in re-establishing their communications at the pivotal moment during their last mission. "I still owe him a drink for pulling that off."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Function Room Mayflower]

[Function Room Mayflower - Starbase 185]

The two figures split up and slowly began worming their way through the crowd, taking advantage of the distraction of the thundering music to approach the two Starfleet officers.

While the stage hand sought out information about the mixer, Lahr approached the stage curtain and moved aside the wall side edge to peek out towards the crowd.  From the stage, he had a pretty amazing view of the crowd and how it moved and flowed.  It was because of this vantage point that the Andorian could pick out those that didn't 'blend' with the crowd... like the Vulcan medic approaching the cluster of children... or the figure - oh wait make that two figures - worming their way through the crowd.  Lahr had to wonder how new those two were to peddling that they stood out that much.

Without looking away, he called back to the stage hand.  "You might also want to suggest a bigger presence of security... you got candymen on the floor."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"... Greetings," He said stiffly, his hands folded tightly behind his back as he glanced between the two of them.

Leran smiled up at the Vulcan who, on closer inspection seemed to be only just into adulthood. He glanced over at Max, who was probably thinking the same thing. Of course, he was scarfing a cookie, so he just gave a hampster-cheeked smile and a wave. Then again, Vulcans live twice as long as Humans or Bajorans, so it was hard to tell.

"Hi!" Leran greeted him. "You can sit with us if you want. I'm Kartos Leran, my dad is a medical officer on the Challenger, and my other dad is a Vedek. This is Max..." he pointed to his friend, who had managed to finish off the bite of the cookie. "He's an Onlie so he's super old even though he looks ten."

Max gave him a shove. "Hey! I'm not super old... your dad is twice as old as me and Kyan!"

Leran shrugged. "Yeah but he looks it. Anyways, what's your name?" he asked looking back up at Savyn.

"Oh! Um, sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt." She gave them a shy wave. "I'm Theresa, this is lIr'el. I don't think we're in the same class, but I've seen you around I think." She motioned toward Leran. "Do you mind if we sit with you guys?"

Since Leran was still talking to the Vulcan, Max answered for them. Although these were teenagers, and one was a Klingon, he figured it would be ok since they were from the Challenger. At the same time he glanced around to see if Kyan was finished with whomever he was talking to. He wouldn't want to miss hanging out with a Klingon.

"Sure." Max replied. "We just finished watching that weird band and Leran was hungry. Did you guys like them?"

"Kyan!" He grinned, turning as he saw the boy approaching him. "I should have known I'd spot you here."

"You're looking no worse for wear. How are you feeling?"

Kyan shrugged. "I'm ok. Sure and the blue shirts fixed me up from it but I hafta be on IRT because Jalen is after making sure I dinna got no Post-Trauma-Stress or whatever. He probably talked tae yer cousin so he did." He glanced around surreptitiously to ensure the old El-Aurian wasn't lurking within earshot. It was hard to see anything with the crowd of people milling around them, but Jalen was tall even for a grup. When Kyan was satisfied that he wasn't around, he continued in as close to a conspiratory whisper as he could while still making himself heard. "So... how're you? And what's going on with the crew? Are the fat admirals crabbit at Galloway fer having a piss on the Prime Directive? Is that why we're stuck on the base?

He knew he wasn't supposed to be talking about work, but not knowing what was happening was annoying. Besides it'd be nice to know if there was a court-martial coming down the pipe.

[Commander Frank Burnham | Mess Hall, Starbase 185]

"Oh! Commander. Of course please take a seat!" she gave a small nervous laugh as she quickly grabbed her notes and set them in a pile to the side. "What is that you need?"

Burnham smiled and sat. "Thanks Doctor." He'd spent the past several hours thinking about how he was going to approach this. In the end he'd settled on a straightforward path with a few omissions and hoping for a bit of luck. "I'm given to understand that you have just transferred to the Challenger from the Discovery. As you might be aware, the Challenger's last mission has caused quite a stir among the Starfleet brass." He paused. The next bit would be the important part. "I know you're new to the ship and probably haven't met many of the crew, so yours is a uhh.. unbiased perspective. What I need is for you to examine Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie and if you deem him fit for duty, then we can talk to him about the mission. Thus far he's been unavailable and we'd like a fresh perspective on his condition."

He waved the waiter away when one came to him. "His testimony is pretty much all we need to put a close to the inquiry. But like I mentioned, he's been unavailable. We don't know if it's a valid medical reason keeping him on inactive status or if there's some other reason we can't speak with him... ."  Burnham sat back, pausing to allow her to draw the conclusion that his last sentence implied. "...anyway.. like I said... we need a fresh perspective on this."

[Admiral Edward Jellico (ret.) | Conference Room, Starbase 185]

"Trust me Jelly ro-" Carter caught himself slipping into old habits and cleared his throat. "-Jellico the feeling is truly mutual." He replied flatly, the lack of enthusiasm in his voice as obvious as his subtly annoyed body language. "We just interviewed Galloway. His main argument is that the decision he made came from a variety of factors. For one being out of contact with command which meant he couldn't just get approval, another being that the species while not using warp specifically were faster than light capable simply using another form of technology that by his own description is more advanced than what we ourselves use in many ways. While I know the letter of the law says warp capable, I find myself questioning if the people who penned it would have thought differently had they known of other forms of faster the light travel would be not only achievable but viable." James sighed and leaned back in his seat slightly. "Frankly, with what we know about how sustained high warp can damage subspace now I've been questioning if warp itself is even all that enlightened or if we're still the same primitives that nearly burned our planet by using fossil fuels - and if we are...should we begin pursuing other faster than light means ourselves? Something's bound to go very wrong at some point and it will be our fault for ignoring the warning signs like we always do."

Jellico's forced smile tightened at Carter's almost use of his old Academy nickname. The tight smile turned into a tight frown as he continued speaking. When he'd finished, Jellico glanced at Hamish Gillespie before addressing Carter. "Admiral this isn't about whether or not the Federation should be using other forms of FTL travel. This is about whether or not Captain Galloway broke the law. That's the beginning, middle, and end of it. If he did, then he did. If he didn't, then he didn't. But sitting there wringing your hands over whether or not you'd have done what he did, or whether warp drive is the best means of FTL is a pointless exercise. Our duty in this instance is to determine if the law was broken and render a judgment based on that. Period."

Then he turned toward Gillespie. "Hamish are you waxing philosophical too? If you are, you both need to get your heads in the game. This is a simple question gentlemen, and it needs answered now Let's get it done.

Jellico, not having heard all the testimony yet was of the provisional opinion that Galloway had, in fact, broken the law. But he was by no means sure of it. If he became sure, then he'd vote accordingly at the court martial. But first they needed to get there. And to his mind, this thing was dragging out far longer than was necessary.

[Ian Galloway]

[Function Room Mayflower - Starbase 185]

The two figures closed quickly on their targets with authority and when they were inside five meters, each one produced an object their left hand simultaneously, almost as if they had practiced the maneuver. When they reached two meters from Jettis and Kyan, the two humans shouted to be heard above the music in very fine cultured voices virtually the same thing.

"Commander Kyan Mackenzie. I am Alex Freemantle, Federation Network News and I would very much like your thoughts on your experiences on the planet Land."

The second human had said the only slightly different.

"Lieutenant Jettis Jyur I am Rodney Fisk, Federation Network News could you tell me about your experiences on the planet Land?"

[Nira Said]

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James laughed steadily before replying. "Don't tell anyone at command you offered me an aid. It's less that none have been offered and more that I've avoided it. Since I've been out in the black working on reinforcing the fleet with our defenses crippled I've found myself in some precarious situations and I refuse to put anyone else in harms way ever again." His voice got soft as his mind wandered to the events of frontier day again. He couldn't shake that if he'd kept his post he could have spotted the massive red flags that just kept stacking on top of one another...but before much time had passed his attention returned to the room. "Plus all the good aids are already taken right Ruzal?" He did his best to pivot back to his usual upbeat self with a faked smile, but the genuine sadness couldn't be entirely missed.

Before waiting for an answer James glanced back to Gillespie and shook his head. "If Burnham mouths off we can remind him where the pips are." He added bluntly. "I haven't told someone to 'shut up' in a very long time. Might be a good stress reliever." He laughed again to himself this time.

[Admiral Edward Jellico (ret.) | Conference room, Starbase 185]

Edward Jellico had never been one for drawn-out ceremonies, or the pomp and circumstance that generally went hand in hand with having a box around your rank pips. He was about business. At least that was what he'd been about before he'd retired. Now he was about fishing and spending time with his family. But he couldn't do that now, thanks to some hothead captain who'd run afoul of the Prime Directive. He'd read the logs en route. To him the case was fairly cut and dry. The only thing holding it up was the investigation. Crossing ts and dotting is, as it were. Jellico intended to light a fire under that process if he could.

When the doors opened the old Admiral strode through them with a purpose. "Gentlemen." he greeted his fellow admirals. "It's good to see you again." That was a lie. It wasn't good to see anyone in the uniform, much less wear it himself, but one must observe the courtesies. "I hate to get right to business but there are some catfish right now living on borrowed time back in Texas. So where are we on the Challenger investigation?"

[Conference Room | Starbase 185]

James eyes squinted slightly. The open secret in this room was that Jellico didn't want to be here in this room with them, and the reverse was equally true that Carter didn't want him here either. "Trust me Jelly ro-" Carter caught himself slipping into old habits and cleared his throat. "-Jellico the feeling is truly mutual." He replied flatly, the lack of enthusiasm in his voice as obvious as his subtly annoyed body language. "We just interviewed Galloway. His main argument is that the decision he made came from a variety of factors. For one being out of contact with command which meant he couldn't just get approval, another being that the species while not using warp specifically were faster than light capable simply using another form of technology that by his own description is more advanced than what we ourselves use in many ways. While I know the letter of the law says warp capable, I find myself questioning if the people who penned it would have thought differently had they known of other forms of faster the light travel would be not only achievable but viable." James sighed and leaned back in his seat slightly. "Frankly, with what we know about how sustained high warp can damage subspace now I've been questioning if warp itself is even all that enlightened or if we're still the same primitives that nearly burned our planet by using fossil fuels - and if we are...should we begin pursuing other faster than light means ourselves? Something's bound to go very wrong at some point and it will be our fault for ignoring the warning signs like we always do."

[Admiral Edward Jellico (ret.) | Conference Room, Starbase 185]

Jellico's forced smile tightened at Carter's almost use of his old Academy nickname. The tight smile turned into a tight frown as he continued speaking. When he'd finished, Jellico glanced at Hamish Gillespie before addressing Carter. "Admiral this isn't about whether or not the Federation should be using other forms of FTL travel. This is about whether or not Captain Galloway broke the law. That's the beginning, middle, and end of it. If he did, then he did. If he didn't, then he didn't. But sitting there wringing your hands over whether or not you'd have done what he did, or whether warp drive is the best means of FTL is a pointless exercise. Our duty in this instance is to determine if the law was broken and render a judgment based on that. Period."

Then he turned toward Gillespie. "Hamish are you waxing philosophical too? If you are, you both need to get your heads in the game. This is a simple question gentlemen, and it needs answered now Let's get it done.

Jellico, not having heard all the testimony yet was of the provisional opinion that Galloway had, in fact, broken the law. But he was by no means sure of it. If he became sure, then he'd vote accordingly at the court martial. But first they needed to get there. And to his mind, this thing was dragging out far longer than was necessary.

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | VIP Suite | Starbase 185]

Gillespie watched on as Jellico bluntly gave his piece and he and Carter parried off each other. Finally, when he came to talk to him, he stared at him raptly. Blimey, was he more partial to the cases of answers of only yes or no, no explanations? No wonder the crew of the Enterprise (D) didn't like him. And he wondered if most of his crew on his posts, like the Cairo, were Vulcans, because Vulcans are less likely to whinge about him and the way he works, if at all.

"Well, if you heard Captain Galloway's words, yeh'd understand," Gillespie said. "Besides, just imagine coming across Iconians who are alive and well and are still using their gateways. However, if you're more partial to the decision quickly, overall...Nae, he dinnae. The Landsers are particularly unique, and in any case, whenever I think of them, I think of the Iconians, and believe me, as a member of Starfleet Security, even their means of travel can make me wonder what kind of threat they would pose."

He may have realized, deep down, he was deciding to support Captain Galloway on this matter, but maybe it was because the Challenger had the most attention on him...ships that need improvements in terms of defense often caught his attention, but the Challenger interested him in that, despite how outdated it is, the Challenger are among the starships with the most powerful defences in Starfleet.

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

Leran smiled up at the Vulcan who, on closer inspection seemed to be only just into adulthood. He glanced over at Max, who was probably thinking the same thing. Of course, he was scarfing a cookie, so he just gave a hampster-cheeked smile and a wave. Then again, Vulcans live twice as long as Humans or Bajorans, so it was hard to tell.

"Hi!" Leran greeted him. "You can sit with us if you want. I'm Kartos Leran, my dad is a medical officer on the Challenger, and my other dad is a Vedek. This is Max..." he pointed to his friend, who had managed to finish off the bite of the cookie. "He's an Onlie so he's super old even though he looks ten."

Max gave him a shove. "Hey! I'm not super old... your dad is twice as old as me and Kyan!"

Leran shrugged. "Yeah but he looks it. Anyways, what's your name?" he asked looking back up at Savyn.

[Starbase 185 | Function Room Mayflower]

Savyn stared at Leran for a short moment, as if trying to process the information he was being given. Slowly, he turned his attention to Max. "... I am unfamiliar with your species," he said finally, hesitantly taking a seat next to Leran. "I am... Curious on the details of your physiology if it is true that you have such a slowed aging process. I will research your people at a later time." There was a brief pause, and Savyn suddenly seemed to realize that he was not, in fact, good at talking to people. At all. Not even a little bit.

"I am Savyn," he added suddenly. "Ch'e N'ok Savyn. I was recently transferred from the USS Discovery-B to the USS Challenger."

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Function Room Mayflower ]

One more song in their repertoire. Tora heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, an end to this infernal music assaulting her ears! Hands on her hips, she surveyed the crowd, who were still cheering and hand-banging to the Klingons' tunes. She didn't think much of the two strangers who joined the crowd - she'd left the invite open for a reason after all; people from the crew (and not) could come and go as they wished. "I'm gonna go grab a drink. You want anything? I'm feeling a nice, cold glass of fruit punch for now." She asked her co-organizer. The thought of Zhuk lapping up sweet red liquid with his tongue like an actual Terran cat was quite funny, really. Funny how even Caitians are prone to the basest feline behavior - that she had seen for herself once while working with him to make the event happen.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

Zhukdra'shar breathed a sigh of relief as the Klingon music was over. He took a moment to respond to Tora, his head lightly buzzing from the high intensity of the shouting, drums, and electric guitars. His sensitive ears made him rather susceptible to loud noises, after all, "Ah... hmm... yes, if you would be so kind as to procure me with a beverage, I would find it delightful. Hmm... I shalt take some sparkling water, if you find it adequate."

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Sickbay >>>  Function Room Mayflower]

Lahr didn't waste time with a long goodbye to the Vulcan medic.  Once freed he left the station sickbay to hurry himself to the entertainer's entrance to the Mayflower Function Room.   His ears were assaulted by the J-pop stylings of some Klingon band Lahr had never heard of.  He wondered if they were station staff or if they actually considered themselves  'professional'?  In either case, Lahr still had time.  He knew he was scheduled after a Vulcan lyrist.

He approached one of the harried stage hands.  "Inform those in charge that DJ Lahr has arrived.  Do you know if my mixer table has been replicated yet?"

The man looked to him with a frown.  "Don't know.  One sec."

He tapped his headset, activating an open comm to all other production staff.

"We got a DJ Lahr.." The man paused to look at his PADD  "up after S'mol...  looking for his mixer.  Anyone seen it?"

It was at that point that his ears swished as he overheard a staff member that asked about 'DJ Lahr'. A small smile appeared on his face, and he proceeded to tap his attached commbadge to respond,

"Ah, yes... he should be the next... next act. After S'mol. Please escort him backstage. The mixer should be... located... on the back, by a pair of set pieces which... resemble a sun and a moon."

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Function Room Mayflower]

While the stage hand sought out information about the mixer, Lahr approached the stage curtain and moved aside the wall side edge to peek out towards the crowd.  From the stage, he had a pretty amazing view of the crowd and how it moved and flowed.  It was because of this vantage point that the Andorian could pick out those that didn't 'blend' with the crowd... like the Vulcan medic approaching the cluster of children... or the figure - oh wait make that two figures - worming their way through the crowd.  Lahr had to wonder how new those two were to peddling that they stood out that much.

Without looking away, he called back to the stage hand.  "You might also want to suggest a bigger presence of security... you got candymen on the floor."

Unfortunately for the staff member, Lahr was already gone, so the information could not be relayed to him right away.

Ignorant of the fact, and believing that the issue was resolved, Zhuk rubbed his temples, trying to eliminate the dizzy sensation that still overtook his brain. What finally managed to do it, was another call that came forth his commbadge, which made him raise an eyebrow as he overheard, "Thou are telling me that there are suspicious individuals within my assembly? Unacceptable..."

Zhukdra'shar stood up even before the stage hand had managed to verify this information, relayed to by Lahr. He got to searching, taking his P.A.D.D. alongside him, not wishing to leave abandoned on the table.

"Yes, uh... sir. I am trying to find them, ah... Mister DJ Lahr, could you point out to me exactly what they look like?"

Spoke the stagehand, who had joined the Andorian in peeking through the curtains. He trusted Lahr to make a good judgment, so he was certain that the information was truthful. He just hoped that he would be able to reach them in time.

His eyes darted around the place, trying to identify any outlier. Due to the crowd, however, it was not an easy task. He also had no weapon, believing that he did not require one. A fatal mistake. But he was by no means unarmed, and as he casually strolled through the floor, avoiding other individuals, his sharp claws were extended from within his fingers. Nature had given him rather powerful weapons for hand-to-hand combat, and he could more than wield it.

If they dared do anything here, they would be in for a world of hurt.

[As Maddy]

Maddy nodded .  "œI dunno. I know my mom flies the ship. That's pretty important."  at the mention of searching for his big sister, she nodded.   She knew that her mom and dad would probably wouldn't like it that she went off again, but she had to know, and this time, she wasn't alone. Mo was with her.

"œYeah! let's go search for her!" said Maddy excitedly, looking at the teacher. It was still recess, so  the teacher was watching some of the other kids, and looking closely at her mind, the teacher seemed busy. "œ Teacher's busy, so I think we can go now." She wasn't sure where his sister would be either, but they could find Mo's big sis. She knew it. "Maybe we can ask the computer?"

[Little Mo | Schoolrooms | Starbase 185]

The Ferengi offered a nod in agreement. Piloting the big, cool ship certainly was important in his book. It would certainly make their teacher angry. But finding Maddy's parents was certainly more important. At her agreement to search for Zala, Mo gave her a thumbs-up, a human expression he had seen previously on other teammates of his. He liked it, it was fun. He glanced over at the teacher, confirming that she was indeed busy,

"Okay, letsh's go now!" Mo said, excitedly, happy that he would be able to help Maddy with keeping her mommy and daddy on the ship. He made a beeline for the exit, before he stopped and glanced over to Maddy, "Oh, yeah! We should ashk the computer!"

He glanced up at the ceiling and spoke up, raising his arms and extending them, "Computer! Where ish my sister Zala?"

The response did not take too long to arrive: "Crewman Zala may be found in the Interrogation Room number 4, Starfleet Official Offices."

"There we go! We gotta go there!"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Function Room Mayflower - stage]

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

"Ah, yes... he should be the next... next act. After S'mol. Please escort him backstage. The mixer should be... located... on the back, by a pair of set pieces which... resemble a sun and a moon."

Unfortunately for the staff member, Lahr was already gone, so the information could not be relayed to him right away.

Ignorant of the fact, and believing that the issue was resolved, Zhuk rubbed his temples, trying to eliminate the dizzy sensation that still overtook his brain. What finally managed to do it, was another call that came forth his commbadge, which made him raise an eyebrow as he overheard, "Thou are telling me that there are suspicious individuals within my assembly? Unacceptable..."

Zhukdra'shar stood up even before the stage hand had managed to verify this information, relayed to by Lahr. He got to searching, taking his P.A.D.D. alongside him, not wishing to leave abandoned on the table.

"Yes, uh... sir. I am trying to find them, ah... Mister DJ Lahr, could you point out to me exactly what they look like?"

Spoke the stagehand, who had joined the Andorian in peeking through the curtains. He trusted Lahr to make a good judgment, so he was certain that the information was truthful. He just hoped that he would be able to reach them in time.

[Function Room Mayflower - Starbase 185]

The two figures closed quickly on their targets with authority and when they were inside five meters, each one produced an object their left hand simultaneously, almost as if they had practiced the maneuver. When they reached two meters from Jettis and Kyan, the two humans shouted to be heard above the music in very fine cultured voices virtually the same thing.

Lahr wasn't surprised that the priority went to dealing with the suspected drug pushers.  He'd have questioned Zhuk's being in charge of security of the ship  otherwise.   Lahr pointed out towards the two.  "There.  The ones that are approaching that cluster of kids."

At this distance and dim lighting for the concert, Lahr couldn't make out who the children were.  If truth be told, he was actually assuming they were children, rather than any number of short stature species within the Federation.

As he watched, he was surprised to see the pushers seeming to hold something out towards the kids.  It was difficult to tell what it was, given the figures had their backs to the stage.

"Bold.  I think they're pushing their goods on those kids and their guardian openly."

[Ian Galloway]

[Promenade - Starbase 185]

Ian had wandered without destination for some time and finally settled for a nice little cafe where he was enjoying a cup of black chai tea and reading a Micky Spillane crime novel when his combadge beeped.

"Galloway."

He answered simply.

"Starbase Operations here Sir, I have a message for you."

"Send it to my PADD."

"Aye Sir."

Ian read through the message quickly and beamed. He finished the last bit of his tea, stood, and tapped his combadge.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Mrekrerhas."

"Lieutenant Mrekrerhas is in Function Room Mayflower."

Ian tucked his PADD under his arm and headed for the nearest turbolift with a spring in his step.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Little Mo | Schoolrooms | Starbase 185]

The Ferengi offered a nod in agreement. Piloting the big, cool ship certainly was important in his book. It would certainly make their teacher angry. But finding Maddy's parents was certainly more important. At her agreement to search for Zala, Mo gave her a thumbs-up, a human expression he had seen previously on other teammates of his. He liked it, it was fun. He glanced over at the teacher, confirming that she was indeed busy,

"Okay, letsh's go now!" Mo said, excitedly, happy that he would be able to help Maddy with keeping her mommy and daddy on the ship. He made a beeline for the exit, before he stopped and glanced over to Maddy, "Oh, yeah! We should ashk the computer!"

He glanced up at the ceiling and spoke up, raising his arms and extending them, "Computer! Where ish my sister Zala?"

The response did not take too long to arrive: "Crewman Zala may be found in the Interrogation Room number 4, Starfleet Official Offices."

"There we go! We gotta go there!"

[Promenade â†' Interrogation Rooms]

[As Maddy]

"œRight!" said Maddy, as they got out of the classroom into the station at large. It was pretty big, but Maddy wasn't too afraid of all the crowds.. They knew where Zala was, mostly.  They could find her!

Maddy gave a reassuring nod to Mo as they went out into the big promenade. She turned to one of the computer terminals. "œComputer, can you tell us how to get to In-terr-o-gation room?" she asked. She wasn't exactly sure what that word meant, but maybe they could ask Zala once they found her.

The computer spoke some instructions, and Mo and Maddy were off the races. It didn't seem that hard to get there.

[Starbase 185 - Main Promenade - Promenade Pub]

"Shots?" Alex grinned before taking a healthy swig of his pint, savouring the frothy golden lager as it fizzed gently on his palate. "If I had known that was the night we're headin' towards, I would've arranged for a babysitter to pick up Maddy." He tapped the side of his glass along with the dull throbbing rhythm of heavy bass, though nothing else made it through the bulkheads. "I took a peek at that party's line-up, one of your engineering chiefs is on it. Lahr's apparently as good a DJ as he is performing repairs on untethered spacewalks." Alex had put in a strong commendation in his report for the Andorian, considering his key role in re-establishing their communications at the pivotal moment during their last mission. "I still owe him a drink for pulling that off."

[Party]

[Will finish up chat with Neva later]

"Heh, I'm keeping it light tonight Just a couple tequilas. We still have some things to do later tonight, "  smirked Ardy. She was certainly not planning anything too crazy in terms of alcohol tonight, but some old habits died hard, and she did enjoy a good tequila every once in a while. "But I'm down for a bit of partying before we go pick up Mads. If he's as good of a DJ as you say he is, it might be worth the stop." [Party - Some time later]
The bass of the Klingon music was certainly intense as they arrived, late to the party. Ardyn scanned the room, looking for some of their colleagues in the crowd.

[Alexander Wu]

[Party]

[Will finish up chat with Neva later]

"Heh, I'm keeping it light tonight Just a couple tequilas. We still have some things to do later tonight, "  smirked Ardy. She was certainly not planning anything too crazy in terms of alcohol tonight, but some old habits died hard, and she did enjoy a good tequila every once in a while. "But I'm down for a bit of partying before we go pick up Mads. If he's as good of a DJ as you say he is, it might be worth the stop."

[Party - Some time later]
The bass of the Klingon music was certainly intense as they arrived, late to the party. Ardyn scanned the room, looking for some of their colleagues in the crowd.

[Starbase 185 - Mayflower Function Room]

It had been very thoughtful for the party planners to schedule an 'early' concert so those with children could still attend part of the celebration, and the station provided after-school care for several hours. Still, Alex was secretly glad their meet up with Cordon had delayed their arrival, with just the final encore from that Klingon rock group more than enough to set his ears ringing. It seemed like most of the partygoers had enjoyed the full set though, with many still yelling at each other to overcome their deafened sense of hearing.

"That poor Vulcan." Alex murmured, distractedly watching the performer while they made their way through the crowd. The lute could barely be heard over the many conversations around them, though it did make for some nice background noise. "There's a refreshment table over there, did you want a drink?"

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"Commander Kyan Mackenzie. I am Alex Freemantle, Federation Network News and I would very much like your thoughts on your experiences on the planet Land."

Caught completely off guard by the news reporter, Kyan had no response. The truth was that he hadn't been thinking about Land since he'd regained consciousness. Or at least he'd been making an effort not to think about it. The goal of Immersion Roleplay Therapy was for him to be removed from the triggering event or stress so that he could focus on recovery. That's why his commission was deactivated, and why he was living with the Kartos family. In fact, if Jalen were here now...Well, he could imagine how that would go.

"I cannae talk about....

Before he could finish, the reporter was yanked out of his field of vision.

[Starbase 185 | Function Room Mayflower]

Savyn stared at Leran for a short moment, as if trying to process the information he was being given. Slowly, he turned his attention to Max. "... I am unfamiliar with your species," he said finally, hesitantly taking a seat next to Leran. "I am... Curious on the details of your physiology if it is true that you have such a slowed aging process. I will research your people at a later time." There was a brief pause, and Savyn suddenly seemed to realize that he was not, in fact, good at talking to people. At all. Not even a little bit.

"I am Savyn," he added suddenly. "Ch'e N'ok Savyn. I was recently transferred from the USS Discovery-B to the USS Challenger."

Max looked curiously at Savyn first and then at Leran. The Bajoran boy simply shrugged as if to say "Vulcans amirite?"

"Umm... well... it was a virus." Max offered. Then figuring he ought to explain more..."Well, the scientists made a virus that could make people age super slow but it mutated and killed all the adults. And older kids... and uhh... then the Enterprise showed up... the first one... with Kirk and Spock... and Doctor McCoy did some stuff and now we're here." Truthfully, Max only knew the broad strokes. He wasn't a history buff like Kyan. Max was more into engineering.

"Yeah, you should ask Kyan about it. He knows the history." Leran added. "You'll meet him when he heals up from getting hurt on the Landser planet. He's the First Officer. Well... he will be...again. Zhuk is now... but Kyan was. Anyways... so you're gonna be on the Challenger? You'll get to work with my dad! He's a doctor."

"Well, if you heard Captain Galloway's words, yeh'd understand," Gillespie said. "Besides, just imagine coming across Iconians who are alive and well and are still using their gateways. However, if you're more partial to the decision quickly, overall...Nae, he dinnae. The Landsers are particularly unique, and in any case, whenever I think of them, I think of the Iconians, and believe me, as a member of Starfleet Security, even their means of travel can make me wonder what kind of threat they would pose."

Jellico raised an eyebrow. "The Iconians ran an interstellar empire. Are you sure you're not making a flimsy connection between them and the Landsers as a reason to excuse what happened Hamish?"

Jellico wasn't buying the Iconian comparison, but having not spoken to Galloway himself, or any of the other senior staff, he wasn't ready to fully commit to a judgement. "Look, I just got here. So I'm going to go eat and then get some rest. Tomorrow I plan on talking to the Challenger's senior staff. ALL of them. I'll be ready to vote on whether or not to go to court martial by the end of the day. I suggest the two of you be ready to make a decision than as well. Good night Admirals."

With that, the retired admiral turned on his heel to leave.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Function Room Mayflower - stage (far left)]

Caught completely off guard by the news reporter, Kyan had no response. The truth was that he hadn't been thinking about Land since he'd regained consciousness. Or at least he'd been making an effort not to think about it. The goal of Immersion Roleplay Therapy was for him to be removed from the triggering event or stress so that he could focus on recovery. That's why his commission was deactivated, and why he was living with the Kartos family. In fact, if Jalen were here now...Well, he could imagine how that would go.

"I cannae talk about....

Before he could finish, the reporter was yanked out of his field of vision.

Lahr realized his descriptive of the scene and the perps must have been instantly relayed to the station and event security cause no sooner than he had spoken than he noted four new figures approaching the kids and yep sure enough the two would-be 'drug dealers' were being hauled away.  Lahr nodded satisfied.

Now he just needed to get ready for his performance.  "My mixer?" he inquired of the stage hand, and was eventually pointed towards the crucial piece of equipment.  With a bit of help, Lahr got himself set up and ready just in time for the Vulcan lutist to finish.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Starbase 185 - Mayflower Function Room]

It had been very thoughtful for the party planners to schedule an 'early' concert so those with children could still attend part of the celebration, and the station provided after-school care for several hours. Still, Alex was secretly glad their meet up with Cordon had delayed their arrival, with just the final encore from that Klingon rock group more than enough to set his ears ringing. It seemed like most of the partygoers had enjoyed the full set though, with many still yelling at each other to overcome their deafened sense of hearing.

"That poor Vulcan." Alex murmured, distractedly watching the performer while they made their way through the crowd. The lute could barely be heard over the many conversations around them, though it did make for some nice background noise. "There's a refreshment table over there, did you want a drink?"

[Function room]

"œTempting,  very tempting my darlin' "œ Teased Ardy to Alex, guessing pretty well that any more of the real alcohol kind would probably put her over the edge to do something stupid. Of course, her younger self would have probably been shocked to see her so mellow nowadays. "œThat doesn't sound half-bad. You want anything?" she said, looking around the party for the few folks they had gotten to know since coming onboard.