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Knowing little about plants, Zero had left Jiseth to care for the one she had nearly dropped, instead moving on to a box that contained the various paraphenalia that came with canine ownership, unpacking Ghost's litter tray, basket, and blankets.  At least she couldn't break those.  She looked up again at the Romulan spoke and her expression turned to one of faint shame.

"I would not ask you to submit to the same limitations as I experience, Jiseth," she replied.  "I would not deprive you of what you call 'proper food' when it is one of your pleasures in life simply because I am currently unable to partake of the same."

[Quarters]

"Currently, but I'll hold out that it's not permanent."

The broccoli and carrots were in small enough pieces that she did not need a knife for those, just for the meat itself which she separated into many blocks with a pinkish hue in the center. One hand held the plate while the other the fork as she left the kitchenette and surveyed their work so far while eating. They had made great progress though that was the benefit of having very few personal items.

One caught her eye in particular. It was a picture they were both quite familiar with, their picnic together, but her focus was not on the smiling Romulan or the confused Augment. It was the former's legs in the background. She looked down at the metal and carbon fiber prosthetic limbs that replaced them wondered just how much farther she was willing to go for her career when it was her family that would have to cope with whatever came back.

She often had thought despair and grief were ways to keep someone from growing conceited, but it was far too late for her. The chip on her shoulder weighed so much she never really could wear heals because it would prevent her from keeping balance. Pulling from her pocket a small PADD handheld, she flicked through the list of current department and mission objectives. They were heading to a sunken ship in an asteroid field and she could only guess who would be called upon to fly a shuttle for the away team.

"...I miss our walks on the beach. I know we can do that again whenever we want on the holodeck, but it's the... The way the sand feels so hot until you get near the water where it's damp and cool. Then the water rushes up to your ankles and splashes up your shins. Just wading in the surf and feeling it move around you. I never really understood how damaging it was to the mind to lose a part of the body, until it happened to me, because there's a part of your life that's gone with it. Something you'll want to feel yet can't."

Jiseth looked over her shoulder to Zero.

"So I thank you for the work you've put in for your research, but know that I have my own to help you as well. It's a partnership after all, is it not?"

Along with Jiseth, Zero started to unpack their belongings, although she concentrated on Callion's affairs, getting them moved in to the tiny room on the other side of the living area to the bedroom that she and Jiseth would occupy.  Although very few people knew about the little girl, and Zero had taken pains to ensure that few people knew of her, Callion had nonetheless received many gifts from that small group.  Picking out a fluffy bear that she seemed to favour, the Augment ducked into the bedroom to tuck it under the blankets with the girl.

Returning to the living area, she had just lifted a potted plant, one of Jiseth's new hobbies, out of its protective travel case when Jiseth asked whether she wanted anything from the replicator.  An expression of sheer panic flashed across her face for a brief moment, during which the plant wobbled dangerously before Zero quickly placed it on one of the tables.

Food.  Yet another of the great barriers put in place by Admiral Corinth in her life.  While Leela and Commander T'Koris had made great efforts to help her break that barrier, she had made little progress.  On the other hand, she hadn't eaten that morning, nor particularly the night before, and she found that she too was becoming hungry.

Not looking up at the Romulan, a faint blush of pink embarrassment creeping up in her cheeks, she murmured something about one of her nutritional supplements being required at that moment in time.

[Quarters]

The Romulan's eyes widened for a second and she hesitated to take a step forward when the vase lost balance, but seeing Zero handle it left her at ease. After moving close to it she looked the plant over and in particular focused on the bulb that had yet to blossom. Much like many things in her life, she would have to wait for it to unfold and reveal the fruit of her labor.

"...Could use more bone meal. And an increase in hydration."

Once finished with her mental notes, the replicator was her next stop. Even with her modestly superior hearing it took Jiseth a moment to figure out what Zero had been saying. Part of her wanted to remove all traces of the gruel her partner had been fed for so long, but it too seemed like a far off goal. Her choice of meal was a steak with vegetables and rice. Simple enough and smelled wonderful which she hoped would coax her partner into perhaps taking a bite.

"You sure you wouldn't want a bite? Otherwise, I can always adjust to have what you normally do."

After taking a drink, Ghost trotted through to the bedroom after the rest of his family and, seeing the little one tucked into the bed, jumped up onto it, curling himself around Callion and resting his head on her shoulder as if to guard her from any possible attacker.  Zero sighed quietly at the sight, as relieved as Jiseth that their daughter was sleeping.  It would no doubt be a long and difficult transition for the little girl to change her biological clock to function on a new ship's time.  It was just as well that Zero didn't need to sleep as much as most humans.

Moving back into the living room, she started to unpack the various boxes that had been beamed over to their quarters from the storage container left behind by the Discovery, beginning to put things away.  She glanced up from a box of her Callion's clothing as Jiseth spoke.

"I believe that Lieutenant Kintiss continues to serve aboard the Phoenix," she replied.  "He was instrumental in my recovery from my experience with the extremist group.  Perhaps, once Callion wakes, it would be prudent to take her to sickbay in order for her to be entered in to the system.  Her immune system is strong, but I do not wish to take chances given her difficult birth."

[Quarters]

"We'll just have to get as much done as we can beforehand then. Maybe a family outing can be made of it? Wouldn't hurt to attach some fond memories with this moving around ship to ship."

From the container, Jiseth retrieved several bottles of various alcohols of Federation and Romulan origins. They were kept in a cabinet far out of reach of their daughter. Next came three ship models, one for each that she had flown, which were placed on top of a small bookshelf near one of the viewports. There was an Intrepid, Sternbach, and Akira-class there and she made sure to keep enough room for the future addition of a Nebula.

The various framed photos found places on small tables and the bookshelves filled with their reading PADD's. Zero's seemed to be mostly medicine and biology texts with a few on dancing. Her own were equally as singular in focus with her many manuals and procedure checklists with a few science fiction works fit in. There was a fresh sense of satisfaction seeing the place come together until her stomach made a rather audible grumble.

"Uh... Hmm. Want me to grab something from the replicator for you as well?"

Yes, it's Saturday. I have no idea what to do with myself.

Just the pile of packs was already tugging at her need to organise and put everything in its assigned place, but Zero forced herself not to get stuck in immediately, instead unclipping Ghost's lead from his collar and allowing him to explore his new living space while she dug out his water bowl and filled it.

"I have no doubt that you will soon have this layout memorised also, as well as the flight crew bent to your will," she reassured the Romulan.  "I am... glad to once again be serving on this ship.  She is more familiar to me, as is the majority of its crew.  Also, with Commander T'Koris and Lieutenant Arthur close, we will be able to avail ourselves of their child-rearing experience."

[Quarters]

"Well, when I first met T'Koris those two certainly had a lot on their plate with the girls, but they've kept it together pretty well and seemed quite happy. Think they'd get along with Callion okay?"

Jiseth pulled the container into the bedroom and left it between the bed and the closet. One of the packs she managed to slide off her shoulder, but she could not remove the other while still holding the toddler. Luckily the bed was already made for their arrival and with her utmost finesse pulled back the sheets and lowered her daughter onto the mattress, taking care to not wake her.

After she stood fully back up and pulled the sheets up to keep the little one warm, the Romulan took a moment to simply appreciate the beauty of the moment. There lay the embodiment of the legacy that she and Zero would leave behind. With all that had gone on around them on their previous ships it was welcome relief to see her sleep so soundly. She quietly set down the other bag and removed her work PADD from it then moved back to the living room to help unpack without waking the little one.

"It seems T'Koris is going to have Ensign Weir do the flying out of here. Just as well. Any idea who you'll be working with?"

I went Instinct. Zapdos is the best of the birds.

Tag Zero

[Quarters]

One arm cradled Callion, her daughter sound asleep and drooling on her mother's collar, the other tugged at a large luggage container. This all in addition to the heavy duffel bags strapped to her shoulders, she was feeling rather like the family pack mule. Jiseth had heard of the weight of parenthood, but the Romulan didn't think it was a literal one.

Looking around the room, it was touch larger than their accommodations on the Discovery. Something Callion and Ghost would appreciate during their hide and seek games. The only thing she wished was for the transport to not have arrived during what was to them the middle of the night. At least a day would have to be spent adjusting their sleeping to the different shift schedules. She tried while on the shuttle, but too frequently ended up in the cockpit to observe their progress much to the annoyance of the crew sent to retrieve them.

"Guess this is our new home, Zero. Pity, I had just about memorized the deck layout to that Akira-class. Zex seemed well enough too. Bah, it's fine. We know plenty people on this whale of a ship already."

Jiseth gave Nevir a brief thought as to whether he should have any say in the matter. The result was simple: he should not. After all, life was short enough and although the Deltans were known for their almost Andorian level of sexuality, they were still a very spiritual people. Perhaps the gods of Delta IV and Bajor were not too dissimilar even if the Romulan had no such beliefs to empathize with.

"Well, just be gentle."

She gave a genuine chuckle as it was rather refreshing to find another as devious as herself.

"...Nightmares are dreams too, remember. I'm a lot more adamant about checking my work a second time over because they're on board and I would like to grow old with them instead of accidentally crashing into a star while at warp. Still, I know plenty who don't see their families for months at a time and there's something to be said about coming off a shift and they're there."

"Helm. Set course for Calabar. Warp five. Engage when ready." Kyle ordered.

At this speed, they would arrive in just under three days. He hoped this would give him some time to welcome the new crew members and spend some time with the older ones. The last mission had taken a toll on most of them and even though he had hoped for a longer down time, he knew that the crew of the Discovery were like him. They'd rather be out there doing something.

One of the things about her job was that rarely did she visit the same planet, or rather rarely did she fly to a planet from the same direction. On top of that with a galaxy containing several hundred billion stars, there was plenty to keep her from getting bored. The course was laid in though at warp speed her ability to maneuver was almost nonexistent. The ship would become more like a train set on its track than a vehicle that could move freely in three dimensions.

"Course set. Speed 5, aye."

As she punched through her array of buttons, the helmsman eyed her plasma stream indicator. That was one thing for sure that would wreck their day if out of tolerance. Normally she would have snubbed her nose at any order less than Warp 7, but the extra time would give her the ability to get to know her new officers.

Jiseth's fingers traced up the console slowly and in turn the nacelles throttled up. The impulse engines were brought back to idle. Warp field stable. Plasma stream still reading green. All hatches and airlocks closed. Checklists complete.

With the simple touch of a button, millions of tons of metal hurled seemed to elongate and disappear. A moment later there was a simple flash in the distance and to the Romulan at the helm all the stars had turned into streaks in a burly, blue fog going by. They were now underway.

[Observation Lounge]

"Henriks was... No, dark, not at all. If anything, one of the few beacons of light I've met in my life. The story book underdog hero who starts out with little confidence and then wins the day. That's him. Tall, dark, and handsome goes to this Klingon who I was on the Churchill with as well. A Klingon scientist of all things. Tough, yet tender."

Jiseth looked down at her glass and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring a few fond memories that had come up.

"I haven't been single for years and don't really pay attention to what pairings there are or have ceased to be. Come to think of it, the Chief Science Officer is going through a divorce, so I know of at least one potentially single person on the ship. My partner is someone you'll be working with, Dr. Zero Alpha. She's brilliant and I expect she'll have her own research lab one day. We have a daughter together who's about two years old though she's developed rather quickly due to the genetics on Zero's side. Callion may as well be a four-year old in terms of mobility and way beyond that in cognitive ability. Sorry, if I'm rambling, this has been my first night out in quite some time."

[Observation Lounge]

Tilting her head up and looking around above them, Jiseth pondered Zex's question. Was it fun? Define fun. It certainly was not as ungainly as the flying sarcophagus of a Sternbach-class that was the second Churchill. The first had perhaps been her favorite. An Intrepid-class that had survived everything she could throw at it and in many ways was an over-sized runabout.

By comparison, the Akira-class was the modern equivalent to the destroyers of old flotillas. They could escort the larger cruisers and packed enough firepower to easily dispense pain to the harassing smaller ships. Groups of them could easily overwhelm much larger ships and retain the flexibility to tackle smaller targets while able to withstand far more punishment than the Intrepid. It was the epitome of a ship built by committee to handle almost every task and that versatility gave the Discovery's Romulan pilot no small sense of comfort.

"Well... I miss being able to land on planets with the first ship I was assigned. I remember quite clearly um... It was Valentine's Day. Walked into the lounge not dissimilar to this one. Saw a guy there, just by himself. Henriks was his name. He was in medicine too and such a joy to be around. Not half an hour later the ship was destroyed."

She looked down to her drink and took a very long sip. Then another. Henriks would live that day, but Jiseth could never muster the courage to say yes to him. Not that it mattered now as her partner in life would be working with the newcomer she sat next to.

"And relax. I get that your previous job was a morbid one and not exactly pleasant to talk about, but I promise to keep myself from being another stiff for you to examine. Besides, pilots tend to really like medics. Namely because you're the people who fix us up to fly again when we do silly things. Besides, if you got on this ship, you must be good. If my guess is right, you weren't the type to simply study to just pass a test and get out. You know damn well that you're going to be the barrier between somebody's loved one and death itself. Here's to you, Dr. Zex."

Jiseth lifted her half-empty pint glass and gave what her equivalent of a smile was, though barely greater than a smirk.

[Observation Lounge]

For a moment, Jiseth was caught completely flatfooted. A comment about her hair seemed completely inane and it took her a moment to remember that the person next to her had none whatsoever. Her blue dress and eyes were darker than Zero's. In her mind she saw the two as Neptune and Uranus respectively and she was a little surprised at how much the comparison made sense. The former was a favorite of many while the latter seemed nearly featureless and behavior that was simply odd.

As she sat down, the second comment came and her own intelligence gathering mission seemed to be met with someone making observations of their own. However, what could be gleamed from cranial follicles  and a liquid beverage was probably just hubris. It was two data points, but at least it was a mystery she could figure out along the way as to how this Deltan sorted the world around her.

"I don't, well... I don't usually like beer, but this one grew on me and it hits you slower than the hard stuff. If it wasn't so painful I would go towards something with rum in it or vodka or both. On Romulus we have kali-fal which Humans mistake for whiskey, but it's far more akin to a hybrid of gin and cognac."

She took a quick sip of the beer, dabbing a napkin to her lips to remove the foam that had remained.

"I'm in the flight department... For awhile too, I suppose. What did you do previously?"

[Observation Lounge]

Too often Jiseth was reminded of the boundaries that she had to maintain, in this case those at home. Ghost was asleep in his basket, her partner Dr. Zero Alpha was busy with research, and their daughter watching a documentary series on her PADD. Since her recovery, if it could have been called that, the Romulan seemed to lack something in her life. A hobby.

Still, with her new position she made at least the appearance of being more social with the crew. Considering she had recently expelled several flight deck personnel to the starbase for transfer, she was perhaps the least people-friendly individuals on the ship. She was in her usual off-duty clothing which consisted of a a grey tank top and black cargo shorts with her artificial lower legs on full display to remind people the price she has had to pay already for the uniform.

After arriving at the bar, she ordered her usual stout beer. The bartender began pouring it, but seemed quite distracted. After a few moments she tilted her head and glanced over to the focus of his attention.

"...Oh, the Deltan. Our new medic."

"More like angel. Have you ever seen someone so beautiful?"

"Yes, I had a kid with her-"

Jiseth's attention was brought back to the sound of her drink over flowing and splattering around. Slowly her gaze rose like a volcanic plume toward the man who was still quite enthralled. She was aware of the effects the Deltan pheromones might have on individuals, but she had spent so many years around aircraft that the harsh fumes of various fuels and exhausts had dulled her sense of smell. Slowly she reached over and swatted the man in the back of the head.

"Hey! What was that fo-oh my I'm so sorry. Hold on let me clean this up."

"You're like a plebe cadet on their first trip to Risa..."

She waited for him to wipe down the glass and there was no small tinge of hate for how much precious, dark bitterness had just been wasted. She put a slip of latinum on the counter and took her pint glass in hand. Alcohol still messed with the nerves in her legs connecting to the circuitry, but it was becoming more manageable with time.

There was the zzt zzt of her servos as Jiseth strode, which impeded her previous ability to stalk around nearly silently, from the bar to the booth where the newcomer sat.

"Pardon, would you mind some company?"

PROMOTIONS!