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[[Deck Seven, Sickbay]]

[Deck Seven, Sickbay]

"Hmm, ok, wait right there whilst I confirm this information..." The Risan raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed that she hadn't been kept in the loop.

Taja checked the ensign's medical records and indeed saw that this was all authorised. She closed the terminal and made her way over to the pair. "It appears my colleagues neglected to inform me of this arrangement, and I have not yet had the opportunity to meet with the chief medical officer. This is fine, you can perform your checks, Mr Nekab. I'm sure you understand the need to check these type of things. We can't have just anyone running around sickbay doing who knows what to patients."

Taja grabbed her own tricorder from her utility belt and ran the portable hand-scanner over Aarwendil, she wanted to make sure for herself how we was doing. Satisfied he wasn't about to drop dead, she popped close the tricorder. "I am Dr Grippen, welcome to sickbay. What was an operations ensign doing playing around with alien spores?" Her tone was slightly playful.

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira had given up trying to sleep at around 0500, there was just too much bothering her on her mind. As such, she was on the bridge before the regular shift, before Captain Galloway, and had taken enough coffee to ensure she was awake. She jumped when the new science officer jumped in and excitedly gave an idea.

"Well, it could be tricky to beam inside, much less trick it to feel full," said Nira. "We'll shelve that idea as a potential backup plan, Mister Avant...inshallah," she added in Arabic.

Soon, they had arrived back at Andgarr and Anax Glarathna Jindak was back on, with Anju, his brother, at his side.
Anju raised an eyebrow in a gesture not lost especially to Nira. The fact that they called the place the Warbird Necropolis was an indication that it was not hidden, not a secret, and Anju put in some reverence in the name. Of course, he did mention Glarantha, the Anax, was always somewhat secular.

Once disconnected, Nira nodded at the instruction to assemble a team.

"Aye, sir," she said. "Lieutenant Espada, you're with me. Arrange for the Shuttlebay to prepare the Cutty Sark and to temporarily remove the Hunley from it." Then she tapped her comm badge.  "Said to Mrekrerhas. Zhuk, we're at Andgarr, we're heading down to the junkyard. Equip yourself, bring two phaser rifles and six hand phasers, just in case, and meet us at Shuttle Cutty Sark."

She then called up the following:  "Said to Ensigns Zalos, Cordon and Cheizex, assemble your kits and equipment and meet at Shuttle Cutty Sark, we're heading down to Andgarr." Then, remembering the Yanmarr, just in case, she called Sickbay, hence why she picked the Cutty Sark...  "Said to Sickbay. Doctor Grippen, assemble a kit and meet at Shuttle Cutty Sark at the Shuttlebay. Bring the new Romulan volunteer, Nekab."

She looked at Captain Galloway and explained, "There's a reason I want a shuttle, it's going to take too long to go it on foot; if it's called the Warbird Necropolis, it's still going to be a huge area to cover. On a shuttle, it'll be faster. I would've chosen the Mjolnir, but that would be overkill. Plus I feel the need to bring medical officers just in case of the Yanmarr. Espada."

She gestured at the helmsman to follow, and they were off.

[USS-Challenger/ Deck Seven-Sickbay]

Nekab waited patiently while the Risian confirmed his situation in the fleet. Once she finished, he immediately moved to work with the tricorder. "œNo harm done. It's logical that you would want to certify that whoever is working at your medical facility has the approval of your commanders."

Taja's question made the Ensign look away from her, his face completely red. The events of that day were still fresh in his mind and remembering about it made him feel so ashamed. "œWe went to investigate some insects called yanmarr on the surface of Andgarr because they were releasing toxins that affected Vulcans and Romulans. In the end, they also affected Betazoids and our hormones went crazy."

"œYou are completely fine now." Nekab said, after finishing his analysis. The Ensign was relieved that the young Romulan had  stopped the conversation before it entered into the details of how he ended up kissing Commander Said in the middle of a river. "œYour hormonal levels are normal and you'll not have any emotional outburst because of them."

"œThank you for the help." Aarwendil said to the Romulan, who simply nodded. It was at this moment that they received the message of Commander Said. They were back on Andgarr and the Betazoid was going to be part of the team that would go to the surface. He swallowed dry, but was prepared to help. There were people to be saved.

[Shuttlebay/Cutty Sark]

After gathering everything that he would need, the Betazoid entered the Cutty Sark. Nekab had remained behind to help Dr. Grippen pick the material the medical team would need, before going to the shuttle. Having studied the yanmarr and its effects, the young Romulan knew what could be useful to treat the effects of the insect's spores.

A smile appeared on the Ensign lips when he saw that Neva was there. "œHey! How are you doing? Did you recover?" he didn't seen her since they left Andgarr.

[Deck Seven, Sickbay]

Taja looked up from the terminal to see the ensign with the nice jawline from the bridge, she smiled at him. "Hello there, what brings you to sickbay?"

She then noticed the older Romulan in the background picking up one of her tricorders as if he owned the place. "Er excuse me, that's not yours, put that down."

She hadn't reached their part of the personnel files yet, so she still had no idea who this pair was and why there was a random-romulan following the ensign like a shadow.

[USS-Challenger/ Deck Seven-Sickbay]

"œMeasuring my hormone levels." Aarwendil said, being a bit surprised about the Risian not knowing about his condition. Even if she was new, he thought that others would have told her about what had happened in their last mission. "œI got infected by some spores from insects that affected my hormonal system. I got an antidote, but now I'm going through some last exams."

Hearing the woman talk to him, Nekab turned to look at her. He was still holding the tricorde and showed no sign of dropping it. "œI received permission from the chief medical officer from this ship to use the equipment to evaluate the condition of Ensign Cheizex. Since my position as a specialist in medical entomologist allowed me to study the insect that was source of the spores and their effects, my presence here to help his recovery was deemed logical by Commander Said and my colleagues in the planet." he said with his stoic expression and neutral voice, making him look like a Vulcan.

He approached the Ensign, still holding the device. "œWhat is your name?" Aarwendil asked, being friendly with the Risian. "œI'm Aarwendil and this is Nekab."

[[Deck One, Bridge]]

[USS-Challenger/ Bridge]

With the senior officers going to the briefing room to discuss what they should do, Aarwendil and some other members of the crew remained behind. The young Betazoid continued doing the scanning that Catalan had started. Meanwhile, Nekab was still looking at the projected path of the Doomsday Machine toward Andgarr. When he got bored from it, he turned to look at one of the ship's windows.

Once the Ensign finished with what he was doing, he decided to leave the bridge. There wasn't anything else that he could do to help. Aarwendil yelped when he saw that the Romulan was still there looking at the all this time. "œWhy didn't you go rest?" he asked, making Nekab turn to look at him. "œIt's pretty late."

"œI was only seeing the space. Federation's ships have very large windows, it's as if you are closing with the outside." Nekab stared at outside for some time, they were still in warp speed, making the young Betazoid stay confused with what the Romulan found interesting in the emptiness.

It must be a Romulan or Vulcan thing.

Then, Nekab was back with his stoic face. "œI think that it's time for us to measure your hormonal levels." he gestured for Aarwendil to follow him. The Betazoid did it and the two remained in silence during the entire walk to the sickbay.

[Deck One, Bridge]

Taja simply nodded and made her way to the turbolift and back to sickbay. She was to worried about her brother's fate in Frontier Day to even consider sleeping. There were plenty of stimulants in sickbay, she could make good use of the time and begin scheduling in the crew's next round of physicals...

[Later that evening, Deck Seven, Sickbay]

Sickbay was quiet at this time of the day, with just a few remaining patients under observation from the previous mission's events. Taja was sat at a desk in a darkened corner scrolling through the ship personnel's medical records, anything to keep her mind from worrying. In a mug atop the desk was a concoction called 'Go-Juice', something she'd found in the replicator database. It tasted like pure sugar-caffeine and she could almost feel her teeth melting with each sip. But it was effective.

Taja sighed and rubbed her dry eyes, hopefully something would happen soon to keep her brain active. This was a far cry from the emergency room at her previous hospital on Risa, there was always something going on.

[USS-Challenger/ Deck Seven-Sickbay]

When the two arrived in the sickbay, Aarwendil immediately noticed that the Risian woman from early on the bridge was also there. "œPlease, sit in one of the beds." Nekab said, before going to pick a tricorder. The young Betazoid nervously smiled at the woman and waved at her. "œHi."

["Evan, what is the course of the Machine?"]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

O'Flaherty continued on, explaining that one of his engines was damaged and while they were outdistancing the Machine, if he didn't shut his engines down, the whole system would seize up. All of this confirmed what sensors had detected as the Challenger approached. However, one piece of the puzzle didn't fit and Ian's excellent three dimensional situational awareness from being a pilot gave him an idea. He signaled for Catalan to mute the channel to O'Flaherty.

"Evan, what is the course of the Machine?"

"130 mark 25."

"Anything on that course aside from our friend O'Flaherty?"

Randall bent over the sensors for a moment and gasped.

"Sir! The Doomsday Machine is on a direct course for the Angdarr system!"

Ian sighed as all the pieces dropped into place and he nodded to Catalan to reopen the channel.

"O'Flaherty. I can see where you might get the idea that boggit is chasin' you, but have you tried changin' course? That Machine has a specific engagement range, you stay out of that and it will find bigger fish ta fry."

O'Flaherty was clearly stunned and he shouted orders to change course at his helmsman. The Pride O'Rigel sheered off and accelerated. The Machine briefly pursued, but once the smaller ship passed beyond 50,000 kilometers, it resumed course for Angdarr.

The Pride O'Rigel maneuvered next to the Challenger and O'Flaherty spoke sheepishly.

"Sure'n I'm a pillock for not thinkin' o' that me own self. Thanks to ye Captain. If tis possible, I'd trouble you fer one more favor."

"And what might that be?"

"Our replicators are nae up ta makin' the parts we need ta fix our engines. Could you be so kind as ta replicate a series 12K Sienar impulse manifold and send over one of your brilliant engineers ta help us?"

"Would ye like fries with that?"

O'Flaherty burst out laughing as he replied.

"A Starfleet Captain with a sense of humor. Now I've seen it all. Will you be helpin' us Captain?"

"You ken full well I will. I'll have a team over shortly. Galloway out."

Ian turned to Randall and asked.

"How long before the Machine reaches Angdarr?"

"Thirty-six hours Sir."

Ian winced, evacuation was not an option and that put a severe limit on his courses of action. He tapped his combadge.

"Dashlish, I'm goin' ta need you ta replicate some parts and send a repair team ta the trader."

"Blockade Runner is more likely."

"Aye it is, but we're still obligated to help. Get that team over as quick as you can, we don't have much time."

"On it Captain. Tharn out."

Ian turned to the bridge crew and asked.

"Ideas people. I really need some ideas right now."

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

When Randall mentioned the course the Doomsday Weapon was headed, Nira gasped in horror. Andgarr?!?

"No!" she said. When the channels came back on, discussing the idea that the behemoth was chasing the trader, Nira inwardly hoped that the thing was following them instead of heading to Andgarr. If it was heading for Andgarr, and the trader was in its path...

Nira's expression turned from horror to suspicion. This surely had to be more than a coincidence if it was heading for Andgarr so soon after the so-called New Romulan Empire, under the three Praetors, had declared war on the Federation, or what they termed as the last of the Federation, and particularly so soon after Andgarr had just destroyed a good portion of their fleet. The thing was, if this Doomsday Machine was sent out by the Tal Shiar...but how could they?

Nira forced herself to move from the suspiciousness and determining suspects. The priority now was to shut down this machine. But she was open to ideas...

[USS-Challenger/ Bridge]

Aarwendil's face became pale when the severity of the situation hit him. A doomsday machine was traveling toward the Andgarr System. In less than 36 hours, what could be the most powerful weapon in the quadrant would arrive at the forested world and wipe out all life that existed here.

"œMy mother is living here." Nekab's voice made the young Betazoid turn to look at him. "œDid the Tal Shiar do that? Did he know about it?" the Romulan said to himself, but loud enough for some of the crew to hear. He didn't made any sense to the Telepath.

The Romulan approached the console, as if wanting to see with his own eyes the destruction that was going to strike the planet where his family and friends lived. The Ensign saw how the man had bailed his fist and that he was taking deep breaths in the same way that he had taught Aarwendil some hours ago.

Nekab was struggling with his feelings about the situation.

Aarwendil was even feeling a bit of panic flowing from him.

No one on the bridge seemed to know what to do to stop it. There were the stories about what Captain Kirk did to stop one many years, but would they be capable of mimicking his actions? "œIt must be a way of stopping it! Maybe we could make it collide with something else? Maybe use the tractor beam to throw an asteroid at it? Try to ask the Pride O'Rigel to help?" without any doubt he was saying stupid things.

["NOT NOW!"]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Things were happening quickly, as they tended to do at the worst of times, and Ian was annoyed at the chatter. Most of the noise was valid and even Kyan's gripe had some merit, but Ian felt like the parent of a pack of unruly children and wanted to scream.

"NOT NOW!"

But he did not. He was the Captain and he was supposed to answer questions and provide direction. Question was, who was he supposed to ask when he needed answers? Speaking with a purpose, he replied.

"Communications have been intermittent, no known casualties at this time. Ensign, you can take the Mission Operations station and assist Commander Catalan. And no Mister MacKenzie, you do not get ta bloody quit."

Catalan provided the much needed break in the tension by saying.

"Sir, we're close enough to punch through the interference. I've got an incoming hail."

"On screen."

While the image had static, the screen showed a young, dashing human male doing his best to affect a 'devil-may-care' attitude, but it didn't take an expert to see it was an act, he was scared.

"Hello, Starfleet. Glad you laddies could join the party. This is Captain Pat O'Flaherty of the Pride O'Rigel. We've got ourselves a spot o' trouble here. Can you lend us a hand before that big boyo breathin' down me neck has me ship fer a snack?"

[Deck One, Bridge]

Whilst waiting for a reply from the captain about casualties, Taja couldn't help but notice the miniature officer enter the bridge and start talking about injuring buttocks. The Risan's first impression was that a holodeck character from 'The Hobbit' had escaped, but when no one else seemed to react she realised that mustn't be the case. Taja really did have to review the personnel files sooner rather than later...

A welcome distraction came in the form of this curly haired ensign, judging by his eyes, another betazed. 'I wonder if Nira and he get on well? He's handsome though, nice jawline...though perhaps a bit young for me. Still, the thought was there.' As it always was with Risans.

Taja's eyes widened as the hobbit started spouting odd words and something about a stain that she didn't understand. 'Is this kind of language really permitted?' The academy taught her to remain professional and courteous at all times, especially whilst on the bridge. But this little creature was swearing like a drunken Klingon sailor. Perhaps captain Galloway ran things differently from what she learned to expect at the Academy.

"Aye captain." Grippen made her way over to the station and continued to listen to the unfolding situation. Hopefully she would be of some use here, though the doctor felt awkward amongst the rest of the bridge staff. She was more used to the organised chaos of accident and emergency back on Risa and could handle busy situations, but this one was different. She was inexperienced at 'bridge-life' and it made her want to prove herself capable in front of her peers.

[USS-Challenger/ Bridge]

"œYes, sir." Aarwendil said, before walking toward Catalan in the Operation station. The two greeted each other, before the Betazoid went to help him. He took another deep breath after hearing the Captain and Mackenzie bickering with each other. The Ensign wanted to laugh, but he feared that it would make the entire bridge suffer with a laughing burst. It wasn't the best moment for that, when they are in the middle of an operation to help another ship.

The young Betazoid felt, for a brief moment, that someone was looking at him with some interest. He turned to look at the source, identifying them as a gorgeous female Risian. He immediately turned back to his job, while taking some more deep breaths.

His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Nekab, who had stayed near the same Risian. From here, the Romulan doctor could help Aarwendil if his empathic abilities got out of control and help the crew if they started to get hurt due to combat. The Unificationist acknowledged her with a nod, before remaining to look at the busy crew with a stoic face.

["Aye Lieutenant, by all means do so. When we were fightin' the Romulans, I told the little git ta throw everything we had at one of the targets, includin' his shoe and the pillock took me literally."]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

In spite of the underlying tension on the bridge, Ian managed to snort at Zhuk's request and replied.

"Aye Lieutenant, by all means do so. When we were fightin' the Romulans, I told the little git ta throw everything we had at one of the targets, includin' his shoe and the pillock took me literally."

Ian shook his head and rolled his eyes upward as if asking for strength. It was however, at that moment that Lieutenant Commander Catalan at Ops spoke up.

"Captain, I am picking up a distress call. Audio only, intermittent signal disruption makes it hard to decipher."

"On audio Fernando."

The speakers crackled with static, and the whine of signal oscillation filled the bridge. Then some words cut faintly through the interference.

"...any ship... in danger... this is trader... O'Rigel calling... hostile vessel... huge... we can't   ...engines failing... need assistance. Repeating: To any ship... danger of attack. This is Pride O'Rigel... under attack by..."

Then a burst of static drowned out the signal. Ian arched his eyebrow at Catalan.

"They're still signaling, but but they are being jammed."

"Evan, you got a fix on their location?"

"Aye Sir, range is twelve billion kilometers, bearing 121 mark 14."

Lieutenant Evan Randall at the science station reported.

"Helm, plot an intercept course. Warp 9. Tactical. Looks like Mister MacKenzie's shoe is goin' ta have ta wait. Raise shields and take us ta yellow alert."

While twelve billion kilometers seemed like a long way, but at warp 9, the Challenger would cover that distance in less than 30 seconds. As they closed, Randall focused the sensors on the contact and gasped.

"Sir..." He sounded stunned. "I've got readings on both contacts. One is is a standard Dwarfstar-Class trader. It's transponder reads as the Pride O'Rigel. The second..." He paused again and swallowed. "The second is enormous, it reads as an uneven cylinder over a kilometer and a half long. It is pursuing the smaller ship and sensors indicate that the hull is collapsed neutronium. There is a record of such a ship in Starfleet's archive. It's called... a Doomsday Machine."

Ian stood silently, as the entire bridge went silent. it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room at once. He rubbed his forehead and said.

"Tactical. Red alert. Battlestations."

[USS-Challenger/ Deck 7/ Officer's Quarters]

"œWe can stop for today." Nekab said, while raising from the floor. "œWhen you feel your emotions becoming too overwhelming, you can repeat what we did today." the other man offered a hand to Aarwendil, who immediately accepted. The Ensign was still impressed with the fact that he was being so nice. He doubted that Romulan doctors used to act this way with their patients.

"œEven with the exercises, I still want to monitor the side effects. I expect you at the medical bay soon." the two approached the door. Aarwendil still felt stupid for being the only one that didn't recover completely from the yanmarr. He took a deep breath, his emotions were starting to come back.  "œGood job." Nekab's voice made the Betazoid flinch, having forgotten that the other was still here with him.

The Ensign opened the door, allowing the other to leave the room. "œThank you for"¦" he couldn't finish, because the red alert sounded around the ship. "œWe have problems." Aarwendil immediately rushed toward the bridge. It wasn't time for him to feel an emotional mess, they could need his help.

In his hurry, he didn't notice that Nekab was coming after him.

[USS-Challenger/ Bridge]

As soon as the turbolift's door opened, Aarwendil presented it to the captain. "œEnsign Cheizex presenting for duty, sir. Is there any way that I can help?" he waited for a positive answer, hoping that having something to do would make him forget about Andgarr.

Suddenly, the door of the turbolift opened again and Nekab stepped out of it. He looked around the bridge, his face still stoic. However, there was a small glint of emotion in his eyes. Was it amazement?

[USS-Challenger/ Deck 7/ Officer's Quarters]

Aarwendil was seated on the floor of his room, eyes closed and legs crossed. He was taking deep breaths, while trying to maintain his emotions at bay. Nekab was in front of him, doing the same. He was only allowed to leave the medical facility because the Romulan had started to instruct him in meditative exercises. However, the fact that they were traveling to Earth at the moment wasn't helping calm down.

"œYour emotions had been under control since we left the medical area, but you are nervous now. Why?" Nekab's voice made the Betazoid open his eyes. "œIs it because what is happening with the Federation?" he asked, but already knew the answer. "œYour concern is illogical. If there is something that we learned is that the Federation is always full of resources and can escape from even the worst situations. Even the Tal Shiar recognize it."

"œHow do you know that about the Tal Shiar?" Aarwendil asked, thinking that it was strange how the Romulan had mentioned the secret police. The Betazoid noticed how Nekab's face trembled, as if he was going to show some expression.

"œWell, it's logical that they would recognize that too." he said simply, not convincing the Ensign. "œWe need to continue the exercise." Nekab closed his eyes and gestured for Aarwendil to do the same. At least this conversation made him forget what was happening.

[Sickbay]

It seemed that the distraction and interruption of the man - even if it was simply just to keep him from fuming in isolation - had been enough to at least deaden the effects of the outraged Betazoid on the rest of the crew. While Abas held no formal rank or position on the crew to issue orders in day-to-day life, but in the medical realm? That was a different story. He had the positional authority in sickbay on a wide variety of topics - so long as he was right.

Moments later, the cause of the outburst was made clear. The man had suffered from the same infection as some of the Vulcans on the surface. On the positive side, however, it sounded like progress had been made on containing or curing the disease. This is what caused the breakdown in emotional control. It was interesting that this had caused the emotions to be projected so strongly - worthy of further research later. For now, however, the Ensign needed someone to listen more than a continued lecture.

"What is your name, Ensign?" he asked, pulling out a stool and sitting next to the man while the Romulan doctor continued their work. "This is not your fault. Do not blame yourself. I understand you are upset. I also am angry about our fellow fleetmates. But we must focus on our duties. Tell me what you are feeling," he opined to the man. Hopefully, Abas could serve as a sounding board for the man, to help at least re-focus himself. At the very least, he could try and listen and prevent further explosions of emotion.

[USS-Challenger |Medical Facility]

"œAarwendil Cheizex. And who are you?" the Ensign asked out of curiosity. He didn't remember seeing this person before. Whatever was his answer, the Betazoid would answer the man's question. "œI'm angry because the Changelings are once again attacking us. They devastated my homeworld and now they are doing it again with the entire Federation!" the young Betazoid wasn't born during the occupation of Betazed, but the stories that he heard from his family was enough to make his blood boil.

Once again Aarwendil's emotions would be flowing out of him, to the point of even affecting Doctor Fallow. On the other hand, Nekab had remained with the same stoic expression. "œPerhaps we could start a therapy with Vulcan meditation to control your emotions, until this side effect disappears."

[Sickbay]

Abas had primarily been minding his own business when the pit of his stomach felt like it had been metaphorically dropped out from under him. An overwhelming wave of concern hit him as his antennae shot straight up into the air, and only moments later the Captain's emergency order came through to stand fast. Something had gone wrong in a hurry.

The rumor mill on a starship was the second most powerful engine on a starship - second only to the maelstrom that was the warp drive. In moments, various conflicting reports were shooting through the enlisted crew like wildfire - from a massive Borg attack on the Klingon Empire to the Q declaring war on Starfleet. None of them seemed very plausible, until a more confirmed report came through. Something had happened at Frontier Day - where the bulk of the fleet had been massing to celebrate the Federation. It wasn't clear who was shooting, but what was clear was that there were at least a few wolves in sheep's clothing.

Moments later, the recall alarm klaxon was replaced with the high-pitched wail of the red alert klaxon. The ship was in danger - and it was their duty to respond. With practiced precision, Sickbay became a flood of activity. The team prepared to receive casualties, as the tactical teams above prepared to do everything they could to inflict casualties on the enemy.

It wasn't long before he felt the vast wave of emotion flowing from one of the new arrivals. A Betazoid, if he was correct. The man was letting his emotions flow freely, and Doctor Fellows had put the man in isolation. He strode over to the man, looking down at him with concern as he could feel the waves like rip-currents flowing off the man. "Ensign," he said, trying to snap the man back to control. "Contain yourself. What seems to be the matter?"

[USS-Challenger |Medical Facility]

Aarwendil was still fuming about the Changeling attack on Frontier Day when another member of the crew approached him, basically ordering the Betazoid to control himself. "What do you mean?" he asked, completely confused. This exchange was enough to distract him from the events that were transpiring on Earth, this way the rage that was flowing from him stopped.

"This wasn't his fault." a monotonous voice answered Abas' question. "You had been spreading your emotions." Nekab said, returning with Doctor Fellows from their tour around the medical facility. "Apparently the yanmarr's pheromones had the side effect of disturbing your empathic abilities."

The Ensign stared at the Romulan in shock. "I thought that the vaccine would have stopped the effects!"

Nekab nodded. "Indeed, it stopped most of them. However, I theorize that what you are suffering is only a temporary minor symptom, but more tests are necessary." the Romulan approached the Ensign to start the exams. Aarwendil sat, while using his hand to cover his face.

First the shame from early, now losing control of his emotions.

This was indeed a terrible day.

[Commander Nira Said | Unification Movement Refuge | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"Apologies, but I have been Ambassador Saavik for the past ten years," came the reply.

"True, but what are you doing here among the Unificationists?"

"I feel it'll be simpler to explain," said Saavik, reaching a hand.

"Oh," said Nira. "Better show than tell. One mind to another."

Saavik nodded and put a palm to her face. It was just a moment, but to Nira, it felt like a lifetime. When she opened her eyes next, she looked in understanding. A kind of clarity to her, a kind of awe...

"So you've been aiding the Unificationists because you felt you owed Spock?"

"Yes. I had been doing my best in Spock's stead since he sacrificed himself to consume the Hobus Supernova."

Nira breathed in surprise. It certainly explained a lot in a nutshell; it was unnerving to see another's life flash before her eyes.

"So the Federation is not permitting anybody from the Movement to Vulcan?"

"No matter how much I do," said Saavik, and Nira could feel bitterness from the Romulans around her. "I've kept having denials and after years, gradually was being ignored. What's more, a Romulan warlord self-proclaiming himself a Praetor had been encouraging our youth away..."

"Allah's sake, not another Praetor," grumbled Nira.

"Nobody from Starfleet has even seen the conditions here," Saavik added. "Not until you came."

"In all honesty," said Nira, "We had come here to take in the beauties of Andgarr. Study the unknown lifeforms here...we weren't expecting to meet refugees...we can, however, do our best to bring conditions to further attention to Starfleet Command, even if we have to bring others here...but unfortunately, it's drawing closer and closer to Frontier Day, so I'm afraid they're too busy with the festivities to have the matter brought to attention..."

"More than just days away," retorted Saavik. "It's today."

"What? Holy Allah, how long have we been out?" asked Nira.

"Longer than expected," M'Ret said nearby. "It may have felt like a day to you, but time tells different."

"In any case, you helped us more than you imagined," said Saavik. "Mister Jyur, you have been very helpful in neutralizing the effects of the yanmarr, and your methods. And since you mention the source, the collection point, we know where it is; now you have brought us the means to neutralize them completely, we can commence neutralizing it."

"But where are they? And who...?" asked Nira.

"One of many criminal elements eager to do what the Romulans of the past could never do," said M'Ret. "To take control of Andgarr. We're certain that they had been producing the Yanmarr in an attempt to weaken or even exterminate the Andgarr with a poisonous biological weapon."

"And they're located in the Warbird Necropolis," Saavik added. "The site of the battle against the Andgarr and the Romulans. A junkyard of sorts."

"Fitting place to hide something, but what can we do more?" asked Nira, but Saavik waved her aside.

"You need further recuperation, Commander," she said. "You'll need to return to your ship and at least tell your Captain about us."

Before Nira could add anything further...
"Speak of the devil, but what's happened?" asked Nira.

"Sounds like you need to return," said M'Ret. Nira nodded, but then a young Romulan approached. "Ah. Mister Nekab wishes permission to join you. As an expert on the yanmarr, he can help finish the treatment. And he can be of aid to your crew."

"Of course," said Nira. Tapping her comm badge, she called, "Said to Challenger, Six to beam up."
[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Just Outside the Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

A moment later, D'Lorra emerged into a clearing. What lay before her was a massive junkyard. She recognized Romulan ships from at least three centuries earlier strewn around, from Birds of Prey (the Romulan variety) to cruiser-sized Battle Hawks. A close observation could see why it was a virtual clearing; there were many felled oln'garr trees, and a lot of the Romulan ships looked to be under it. Crushed or smashed, the look of things.

"Behold. A site of a battle," said D'Lorra in awe. It was obvious to see how most of the trees, with help from the Andgarr, were doing the fighting.

She had been gazing in awe when the recall came. The concern for why the recall came brought her out of her awe state. What had happened?

Just then, she saw a Romulan ship decloak from among the junkyard...and it certainly looked more recent than three centuries, more like three decades...

"Chief, Mogai class down there...we better let the Captain know, something's..."

Suddenly, green bolts rang and D'Lorra flinched. A squad of Orions erupted and attacked. She hurried over to the group and was just in time for the beam-out, but had noticed the Mogai-class lifting off, shooting something in the junkyard and causing an explosion sending swarms of butterflies into the air, enough swarms to darken a skyline...[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira sped on the bridge, still getting into her uniform.

"All crew present and accounted for, Captain," called Commander Catalan from Ops.

"Captain, what's going...?" Nira started, but she stopped. She saw the transmission. It was the Frontier Day celebration but...something was wrong. The fleet was in assembly, but they were all firing on the Spacedock, along with all the orbital defenses. She looked at Captain Galloway and flinched, more at the emotions she felt exploding from him. Rage...and was that despair?

"Oh Allah," said Nira in horror. What she had expected in the new program had come true. Somebody had taken over the fleet and was attacking Earth.

"Sir, Romulan ship incoming...it's hailing us..."

The order for the on screen came and the two Caligula sisters were there, leering identically at them while Hakul skulked with a triumphant smirk in behind...and the Frontier Day celebrations were still going in the background.

Nirreen, the one Nira recognized most, spoke first.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" she said.

"On behalf of the Cradol," said Ratheen, "I and my sister present: The End of the Federation."

"Nireen!" snarled Nira. "And Ratheen...you all knew about this?!?"

"Naturally," said Nireen with dangerous sweetness. "We, the Triumvirate, and we who gathered in an alliance outside Romulan space with help of the Changelings. At least a good deal. I believe other Changelings are responsible..."

"You've hacked into the program, didn't you?" accused Nira furiously.

"I'm not doing a thing at the moment," giggled Nireen, gesturing with her hands. "None of us are. We are merely enjoying the festivities. So are the Kzinti, they're very eager to kick you while you are down...but I imagine you will be blinded sooner or later..."

"Kol Khara!" snarled Nira in Arabic. "If you aren't behind this..."

"It's not just the Changelings," Ratheen said with similar sweetness. "What would I say if I told you the Changelings entered into an alliance with the Borg?"

"Then Kol Khara again, both of you!"

"Go ahead and let your emotions fly," Hakul said silkily. "Despair completely..."

"Sirs, something's being broadcast on all Federation channels!" said Commander Catalan. "It's President Chekov!"

He put on the transmission, the Caligula clan widening their leers like snakes as President Chekov called:

"This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets broadcasting on all emergency channels. Do not approach Earth. A signal of unknown origin has turned our young against us. They have been assimilated by the Borg. Our fleet has been compromised and as we speak, our planetary defenses are falling. Sol Station is defending Earth as best it can. But we're almost out of time. We have not been able to find a way to stop this Borg signal and unassimilate our young. But I know if my father were here, he'd remind us all that hope is never lost. There are always possibilities. Until then, I implore you: save yourselves. Farewell."

Nira collapsed in utmost horror into her chair, stunned by what was heard. Only once before in the history of the Federation had a stay-away order been given from the President, and that had been more than a hundred years previously. Earth was almost wiped out until James Kirk returned with a pair of whales. Now something even more horrifying was happening and the Borg was at the centerpiece.

Nirreen, Ratheen and Hakul grinned evilly, baring their teeth; they had heard the transmission and the triumph in their faces was evident.

"This doesn't matter," Ratheen leered. "As soon as our new fleet finishes with Earth, we all move in and finish them off. The End of the Federation has begun."

"Enjoy yourselves, Challenger," Nireen added, tauntingly. "Enjoy being the last of the Federation. Goodbye, stragglers."

And the transmission was cut, leaving a chill of horrified and shocked despair all around the bridge.

[Unification Movement Refugee Camp | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil was still feeling uncomfortable in being in this place, more precisely in being closer to Nira and everyone that saw what happened in the river. Even if he was mostly distracted with his own shame, the Betazoid was able to catch details of the conversation between his Commander, the Romulans and the Embassador. The mention that this group was formed by Unificationists sparked his interest enough for him to turn to look at them.

He had read about the existence of Romulans that wanted to rejoin the Vulcans, even seeking to adopt their "˜cousins' lifestyle. However, they were frowned upon by most of the Romulan Empire. The young Betazoid turned to look at Nekab, who remained close during the entire conversation. They had basically the same each, but the other was courageous enough to face his entire homeworld to follow a lifestyle that he believed to be true.

It was admirable.

While they were still discussing the fate of the refugees, Captain Galloway sent a message recalling all of them back to the Challenger. Aarwendil felt relieved that he was going to be able to return to his room. To his surprise, Nekab was also going with them. The Romulan approached Nira, already carrying a bag. "œI'm a doctor specialized in medical entomology. I have been studying the yanmarr and the way that they affect other species since it started. It is logical that my presence and the resources of your ship will be helpful in learning more about the infection."

Then, with their new friend, the group was transported to the Challenger.

[USS-Challenger |Medical Facility]

Rather than being allowed to go to his room, Aarwendil was dragged to the medical facilities as soon as they arrived on the ship. Nekab was convinced that the young Betazoid experience with the yanmarr had been more extreme and that he needed more time to recover. Since the Romulan was the specialist, this prompted the Chief Medical Officer Jessica Fellows to put the Ensign in observation.

Now he was in the medical facility, arms crossed and very annoyed. Meanwhile, Doctor Fellows was showing the place to Nekab. His annoyance became rage when he heard one of the nurses talking with another about the situation in the Frontier day, with Changelings uniting forces with the Borg to bring down the Federation and the Romulans that were going to attack.

Aarwendil hated the Changelings. They were responsible for the most terrible things that happened in the Quadrant Alpha in recent times. For a moment, the betazoid thought that it would be so good if they disappeared, together with their jem'hadars and vortas.  All of them throw inside a wormhole to never be seen again.

He wasn't aware, but his emotions were slowly influencing the nurses nearby him, who speak about their rage regarding the recent events.

[Commander Nira Said | Medical Facility >- Refuge | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira could feel the intense feeling of shame burning from Aarwendil. And she heard the thought from Neva.

"I'm not sure...what's going on out here, we need to find out..."

She then approached Aarwendil humbly and said, "Ensign? I feel I owe you an apology. Regardless of whether or not those actions were my own, I am deeply sorry. Can you forgive me?"

A moment later, Nira emerged with her team. She was taken by surprise by what she was seeing. The ruins were genuinely ancient, but what was surprising were more Romulans behaving in a Vulcan-like way, or as close as possible to Vulcans as they were. The attire, the mannerisms, the tent set-ups; many slept in the dwellings, but others had their tents. It looked like a refugee camp. And from the look of the tents, they had been here for a while. Many look used to the place, others, a sense of hopeful wonderment.

A particularly elderly Romulan appeared and approached them.

"Good, you're awake," he said. "I presume from Mister Jyur, as described by our matron, you are the senior officer?"

"Commander Nira Said," said Nira in introduction. "Who are you? All of you?"

"I am M'ret," the old man said. "Refuge leader here. Individually, of course. As to who all of us are, wager a guess."

"Well, I have an inkling," said Nira, taking a look around. Then, all at once, she saw it. The inkling she had now had confirmation.

A momument was made, small but very significant. Candles were lit in memorium around it, and the figure displayed was that of a Vulcan, chiseled as he was, but nonetheless, Nira and her team recognized him at once. It wasn't hard, there was a similar statue of him or holographic display; one can't go anywhere without seeing or hearing him in the pages of history or on displays of memorium.

"Spock," Nira whispered. She looked around at M'Ret, part in awe, part in recognition. "You're the Unification Movement. Aren't you?"

"That's right," M'Ret answered. "A part of it, at least. We all have memorials to Spock like this one wherever we are."

Nira nodded solemnly. Of course they did. Spock gave his life to stop the Hobus Supernova by consuming it with some device generating a singularity to cause whatever hit it to consume itself. She had been a little girl when she heard the news, and she was among those who mourned Spock's loss.

"We've sheltered this group for a long time now," Anju explained. "We have given them help as we could. More than the Federation ever did," he added dryly.

Nira took a look around. There was definitely an air of intending to move. Unfortunately, as someone once said, "nothing is more permanent than the temporary."

"So you were trying to get to Vulcan?" asked Nira. "And why would the Federation not do..."

"In all due respect, animosity towards all things Romulan, regardless of faction, ingrained deeply in Starfleet has led to a history of spurning and eventual ignoring."

Nira turned and saw a hooded woman, a memorial candle in her hand, apparently just arrived, still kneeling reverently. M'Ret nodded respectfully.

"Ambassador. You have returned."

"Yes, and it seems the Commander has recovered from her illogical burst."

Nira blinked, and suddenly a spot between her shoulder and neck ached. Nira felt it, and she realized...

"I saved you, in case you were wondering," The Ambassador said under her hood. "The disease ailing you would've brought worsening conditions. It all lies at the source."

"I'm sorry, Ambassador...?" Nira asked, quering for an introduction.

The woman before her lowered her hood. There was no doubt she was once a beautiful Vulcan, but age showed. She was not grayheaded, not as of yet. Maybe, with careful noticing, she could spot the starting graying. Then she spoke.

"I am Saavik."

[Medical Facility | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

When he saw Nira approaching him, Aarwendil immediately moved away from her. The Ensign didn't want to even look at the Commander, so he remained with his eyes turned to the floor. Aarwendil felt dirty because of how he had acted around her. Their shared kiss was so wrong and memories of it were burning on his mind. He wanted to tell her that it was fine, but no word came to his mouth.

He felt so much shame

He wanted to finish this mission and return to the Challenger. This way he would be able to stay alone.

"œExcuse, Commander, but I believe that the Ensign needs some time to process what happened." Nekab said. The Romulan apparently was next to him this entire time. "œIt seems logical that he needs some time alone for it." He felt a bit relieved that the other man had said it, because the young Betazoid was sure that he wasn't going to be able to do it by himself.

"œThank you, again." he whispered, when Nira walked away. Once again the Romulan simply nodded. They followed the rest of the group, arriving in a type of refugee camp. Even with his shaken emotions, Aarwendil was able to look at his surroundings. The way that these people acted was completely different from what he learned about Romulans. They were exactly like Vulcans.

Perhaps the greatest surprise that he had in this camp was the presence of a real Vulcan, Ambassador Saavik. The woman was famous among the members of the Starfleet.

[THE NEXT DAY...]

[Subanax Anju Jindak | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"Technically, Doctor, it's their facilities, not ours," said Anju, gesturing at the newcomers. "But we'd best hurry on."

THE NEXT DAY...

[Commander Nira Said | Medical Facility | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

At first, it was oblivion. And then, suddenly, Nira was awake. Her eyes were wid, instantaneously opening. Like she woke from a nightmare. She had even gasped. She momentarily wondered what she had dreamed...then she felt the nozzle. She looked for the source just as it went away and saw Jess pulling away a hypospray.

"Jess...what happened...?" Nira tried to rise, but a headache hit like she was wearing a turban made of titanium.

"Take it easy, Commander," Jess said soothingly. "And in case you were wondering...it was butterflies."

Nira blinked. And she remembered. Flocks of yanmarr. Then memories fuzzier and fuzzier, but she seemed to remember...

"Was I behaving like some harem..."

"Worse. You were enduring The Phase."

Nira blinked. "What? But I thought that never happened until middle age."

And then Jess explained that the butterflies' chitin somehow caused her hormones to accelerate. Same with Aarwendil. Neva, however, breathed it in, and it caused a different reaction.

"Holy Allah, what was with those butterflies?"

"Why, by the Elements, something out of the natural order."

Nira blinked. It certainly didn't sound like Anju. She slowly raised her head and looked around. It was a hospital of sorts, except set up in, apparently, some kind of jungle temple, it gave Nira memories of Carraya IV, her first mission on the Discovery. The only things that didn't seem to belong were the biobeds, most of them empty, but a handful occupied by Romulans, definitely Romulans. And then she noticed Aarwendil and Neva, just barely being roused. And then she saw the source of the voice.

Amidst some medical computers and equipment, with Jettis and Anju aside and at work, a Romulan woman was looking at her.

"Who are you?" asked Nira.

"I am T'Baran," the Romulan doctor introduced herself. "I'm in charge of the medical facilities here. You've had a strong reaction to the corrupted yanmarr. You and your telepathic fellows."

Nira looked at Aarwendil and Neva as Jess checked them over. Then something occurred to her: That Vulcans were strongly affected the most...she looked particularly at the sick Romulans nearby.

"Ah, yes, Romulans were afflicted...but it hits Vulcans worst, although it can't be coincidence that it hits telepaths particularly hard...and isn't it usually something in Vulcan blood, copper, I think, that causes...?"

"Rest your thoughts a moment," T'Baran said assuring. "Breathe a little and clear your mind, let the vaccine work and help you."

Nira furrowed her brow in befuddlement. Why was this Romulan talking like a Vulcan? She stared long enough for Anju to say, "Do it, Nira. You can trust them."

Now this was certainly of interest. And an indication of sorts that this was a friendly Romulan if Anju trusted her enough to reassure others. Remembering the Vulcan meditiations she took part in with Savar, she cleared her head and breathed. In a few moments, the headache subsided and she sat up like she had a good night's sleep.

"Better?" asked Jess.

"Very," Nira said. "What was in that vaccine?"

"A counteragent to protect against the chitin as it absorbs in the bloodstream," Jess said. "You can thank Jettis, though, he helped with that as you three slept."

"We've studied these corrupted yanmarr since they first manifested, thus longer than the rest of the planet," T'Baran explained. "At least with the simple ones, the Andgarr were able to make quick work, but this was a much more serious matter; it's the first time of reactions from Betazoids. As such, our files were able to help Mister Jyur here to formulate a vaccine."

"My thanks to the both of you, then," said Nira. She had just whipped off the blanket she was wearing and then suddenly wrapped it back on. She was still in her dancer attire used for swimwear and underwear. How embarrassing.

"Uh...I think we left our clothes back at our campsite," said Nira.

"We've got a selection of clothes in the back," T'Baran said, gesturing to a doorway. "Choose at your leisure. Same to you, young man," she added to Aarwendil. "Though with facilities for males to your right of the doorway, females to the left."

Wrapping herself completely with her blanket, coming across like a simplified ghost, Nira made her way to the wardrobe. She went through the selections, but she was surprised by what she found. They were all of Romulan make, of course, indicative of gridlike patterns, but the outfit design, the style...it was Vulcan. Nira would know Vulcan style, she had seen plenty in Savar's wardrobe.

She found a piece of attire that got her attention. A kind of variation of salan-sai, what the Vulcans called "cloak of breezes," designed particularly for hot weather, even if there primary ones for ceremonial purposes. Nira had one that Savar made her; he can often be a tailor when he wanted to, although he specialized in Vulcan attire, he was no professional tailor like Elim Garak. This one, however, it had the usual Romulans patterns that made it look like disco scaled robes...disco without the flash, and Nira knew about disco from Lahr.

Her dancer attire fit well with it, but she certainly needed a skirt or whatnot, but fortunately, the saran-sai provided. She had even found some jewelry for which she was able to work it out, simple in design and material, nothing too ornate. Wearing a necklace collar and a pendant-like vik'talu, she hooked the saran-sai on the vik'talu so that it draped in front, then draped the rest around her waist. Added a finishing touch of a sash and a shawl-like patam-puna-ti, normally a shawl to close the hair, but Nira kept it wrapped like a scarf for the time being.

She knew her hips would be exposed, but at least her legs no longer were. And they still displayed her tattoos, the ones that covered the brand carved in Cardassian language. Nira can never help herself in showing her tattoos when wearing casual as of late; maybe to remind her of that impactful mission...

Emerging, Nira said to her fellows with a shrug, "Well, as our favorite Chief Petty Officer would indicate, 'she would look like a disco ball.'"

Noticing T'Baran's raised eyebrow, Nira turned toward her. "But it does leave a need of explanation. Romulans? With Vulcan style attire?"

"You'll see when you get a look around," T'Baran said. "I just heal people. You can direct your questions to our leaders in due course. For now, I need to check you all over, see if you will be well enough to move outside."

Nira stood to wait, looking around again with pondering. An inkling was forming, but she'll need to see when she moves about.

"We're still on Andgarr, aren't we?" asked Nira to Anju.

"Very much so," Anju replied. "As the good doctor indicated, you'll see."

[Forest floor| Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Like the other two Betazoids, Aarwendil ended up also being knocked out. He refused to leave the water, with unconsciousness being the only way that he could be dragged out of it without being aggressive.  He couldn't know right now, but the Ensign would be regretting everything that he did today.

[Medical Facility | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil groaned, his eyes slowly opening. He looked around in panic when he noticed that he wasn't in the forest anymore. Getting up from his bed, the Betazoid was able to see that Nira and Neva were also there. "œWhat happened? Where I'm?" he asked, while bringing his hand to the head.

"œYou were affected by the yanmarr." someone said next to him and Aarwendil immediately turned to look at them. The person was a male Romulan, not much older than him. His monotonous voice nearly made the Betazoid confuse him with a Vulcan. "œI'm Nekab, an assistant in this medical facility. I applied the vaccine on you, it'll be fine now." the Ensign wasn't sure about it, because memories of what happened early started to come to him. He remembered his childish moments, then the kiss with Nira.

His face burned with shame.

The Betazoid couldn't even listen to the conversation that was going around him because he felt like an idiot. He couldn't look at the Commander's face because of his misconduct. Aarwendil wanted to dig a hole and never came back from it. When it was offered clothes for them, the Ensign immediately realized that he was half-naked. Obviously he had left his clothes near the river.

Covering himself with his blanket, the young Betazoid rushed to where the clothes were. All of them were Vulcan and Aarwendil had no idea about what he should wear. Trying to remember the few things that he knew about their culture, he didn't notice Nekab approaching him. "œIf you are confused, wear this pel-el and these trousers."

The Romulan passed the clothes to the Betazoid, who would have never chosen those because they looked like some type of pajama. "œThank you!" he said, while Nekab simply nodded and walked away. Once dressed, he walked back to where Nira was talking with the other Romulans.

He still couldn't look at them.

[Commander Nira Said/Subanax Anju Jindak | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"If they were loaded with every known virus, even we Andgarr would be affected," Anju pointed out. "It's still coincidental that it has worse affects on Vulcans, but perhaps it's exceptionally adverse on telepaths. It has to be a proteases issue..."

He nodded in agreement at Jettis' advice to keep the party contained. As Jettis went to young Neva, Anju approached Nira and Aarwendil, but Jess beat him first.

Nira looked up at Jess' words and giggled. Too giggly than usual. She disregarded the doctor's words and just clambered onto the young man's body like a sloth to a tree trunk.

"Impaired?" she giggled as she schmoozed. "Impaired...Allah almighty, I have never felt this so good!"

No she wasn't, Anju thought to himself. This was serious ecstasy, he could see the sweat, the gradual hyperventilating. It wasn't just the hormone levels.

"Jess, I have never felt more wonderful in my life!" Nira said, leaping off and then grasping Jess with manic ecstasy. "I could live here forever!"

And she just kept on giggling ecstatically, wrapping her arms around herself and twirled in a dance...

and at the height of it, and as Jess had opened her mouth, whether to state the contrary or to make good on her use of authority, she just stopped. Paused. She just stood there, a wide bubbly grin plastered on her face. Anju wondered at first if this was something new with the virus. But then he saw the hand from a shadowy figure behind her. With the night coming quickly, Nira was looking darkened, and so was Aarwendil. As such, the cloaked figure behind her was nearly invisible, but Anju had to focus to get a look at...whoever it was.

Nira felt a hand clasp on her shoulder, near her neck. For a nanosecond, in her hormonal ecstasy, she thought Aarwendil had placed a hand...and a nanosecond later, the black oblivion of unconsciousness took her.

Nira slid into unconsciousness into the shallow water...at least, it looked to Anju and Jess that she was sliding, if she was against something. She seemed, rather, to crumple, maybe like a dangling snake. Then Anju had greater focus on the cloaked figure...make that figures, plural. With the darkening forest, Anju didn't see them at first. If they had appeared when the sun was further in the sky, they would've been more noticeable.

In any case, Anju was apprehensive. He remembered that Captain Galloway and his greeting party had been ambushed after he met him and his brother. He was suspicious at the new arrivals.

"Don't make a move," Anju snarled, aiming a phaser. "You're not harming anybody else."

"Jolan Tru, Subanax Jindak, we mean you no harm," one of the cloak figures said with a placating gesture, not the one that gave Nira the nerve pinch.

Romulans. Anju knew the greeting. And they knew who he was.

"That remains to be seen," said Anju testily.

"I understand how you feel, Subanax," said another cloaked Romulan. "We heard about the Federation party, the boy kidnapped."

"You're not taking Nira there," snapped Anju.

"We're not kidnapping her, if that's what you mean."

"Not with what ails her, no," Jess retorted, tapping her comm badge. "Fellows to Challenger, medical beam-up now..."

"You won't get a signal, not here in the Old Realms," the first figure stated. "Too much ion interference. But we have the facilities for treatment. We've been observing these corrupted yanmarr for some time. Now you're getting the affects. And that rash is worse than it looks, Doctor."

Anju pursed his lips. They're certainly not giving any choice. And they're certainly claiming innocence, but he'll have to see. He looked to Jess and to Jettis nearby, to Neva with her hangover, and at young Aarwndil. And that rash on Jess...Great Canopy help her.

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil groaned in protest when Nira interrupted their kiss to leap away. However, his mood changed back to childish happiness when he looked back at the water. The young Betazoid continued splashing on it, laughing how the water would form small waves around his arms. He didn't even notice when the Commander was knocked out or that there was Romulans among them.

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira laughed with him, giggling ecstatically. Oh, Aarwendil looked so gorgeous...They were swimming, and Nira was circling him like a shark...she wrapped around him and laid him a kiss, a kiss that seemed to last forever...She looked up with a snap and saw Neva screaming...ooh, but maybe she needed some fun, but on the other hand, she was focused already...

"Let's not let this bother our night, Imzadi," Nira purred, and went back to Aarwendil."Oh, leave him alone, Jettis," said Nira coyly. "Unless...well, we played husband and wife before, maybe you want to try for real, but I'm called for."

Meanwhile, Anju thought a bit as he watched Jettis make his examinations, and approached just as Doctor Fellows grabbed Jettis and brought him back over. He had noticed Fellows staring profoundly at the three Betazoids and covertly scanned them from a distance, looking suspicious.

"On the subject at hand," said Anju, "before we were interrupted...it's entirely possible. I'm no scientist, but I know a lot of our flora, especially flowers, contain such proteases. The wing dust from the Yanmarr are essential for spreading to help them, and they enhance the proteases. Unfortunately, with these, it's entirely possible that it's harmful."

"You couldn't be more damn closer to the truth if it crawled down your fur like a flea and bit you on the ear," Doctor Fellows snipped quietly, scratching her torso, clearly showing a rash.

"œWell, normally, Yanmarr are harmless," Anju said, remembering the scientist talk, "but as the experts indicate, butterfly wings are made out of chitin and have tiny little "˜scales' on them which easily come off. Normally, this would be a rare occurrence, as a person would have to deliberately catch and touch the wings of these creatures to be affected."

"Yeah, well," Doctor Fellows quipped, "It depends on the reactions. Either from breathing it in, as Ensign Cordon demonstrated, or getting absorbed on the skin. The very fine size of the scales causes them to enter the pores and crevices in our own outer dermal layers. They then break apart due to their fragility, and because the sweat and oils of our skin dissolves them down into even tinier pieces, hence how they absorb into skin. Organic compounds in the scales can cause different reactions than breathing it in, like with the other half..."

She nodded at the three Betazoids, the one clearly suffering mentally, the other initiating some kind of mating ritual that Anju found bizarre.

"They seem affected worse," Anju said. "And you said they reacted differently?"

"Unfortunately," Fellows said. "Ensign Cordon had lost emotional control after breathing in the chitin. She's come down with a variation of Zanthi Fever, one common symptom for loss of emotional control. In time, it'll be able to project emotions into others unless treated soon, but for now, it only amplifies her empathic feelings...it's roughly like being next to a loudspeaker as long as a runabout and it's on at full blast; they come in like a sonic supernova. Same with a whistle that can affect animals like dogs."

"I know how you feel," Anju said with a cringe; he once experienced the affects of what was called the dog whistle on his visit on Earth. He knew firsthand about the effects sound can have on animals. "And Said and the boy?"

"The chitin absorbed into their skin has seeped in to become a microbial virus. It's triggering a reaction that's accelerated their hormonal levels," Fellows continued uneasily. "Quadruple the times usual. They're Phasing."

"Phasing where?" asked Anju.

"No, it's what it's called among Betazoids," said Fellows. "The Phase. It's similar to menopause in humans, or Pon Farr in Vulcans. However, Betazoids normally experience this when they enter their midlife age, and it nullifies their telepathic abilities. This microbial virus has accelerated their hormonal levels so that they're experiencing Betazoid Phase early. It's going to make treatment tougher...even more so with them losing control like that," she added with disgust at their behavior.

Anju looked over at Jettis. So far, he hadn't displayed any symptoms. "Well, we know the symptoms now," he said. "Even you're affected, Doctor, we've seen similar rashes on humans affected. I don't know what affects there are when they breathe in the chitin, as opposed to having it get absorbed in the skin. Scientist as you are, Mister Jyur, what can you recommend?"

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil was giggling while splashing the water. He felt so free in the water, it was as if he was back at home. He would dive, only to quickly come back to the surface. The feeling of being totally covered by water was so good that he would do it several other times. Each time that he did it, the young Betazoid would stay underwater as long as his need for air allowed.

The Ensign was so distracted playing with the water that he didn't notice Nira approaching him. Only when the Commander started to swim around him, Aarwendil finally saw her. When he saw her approaching him, the young Betazoid gave a cocky grin. He forgot everything else when she started the kiss, eagerly reciprocating it.

Meanwhile, a small part of him wanted to stop it and rush to help Neva when he heard her scream. However, the hormonal overload caused by the spores was too much for him to resist.

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira heard Aarwendil and Neva briefly chatting...or rather, "heard" them. She stepped over, cleared her throat, and whispered to them, "You should bear in mind we're among non-telepaths. Still, it doesn't to have something in case of getting lost..."

Checking over to see if all had their sigils on them, they proceeded on the trail. They took their time, of course. They collected local insects and evidences of wildlife, like shed fur, teeth or excrements, as they proceeded. Even twigs from the oln'garr trees were collected...at least, they looked like twigs in the sense that chips of oln'garr bark shed off at times, but these chippings were perfect to get a close look at oln'garr trees in a sense. The tricorders were able to determine the makeup of an insect and what particular animal it came from, although Anju was of great help in determining what animal the piece of fur or tooth or such came from.

Even Nira had something to do amidst the party. She had once stated in her Officer Exchange that she could potentially use her skills of noticing small details for tracking, and it was a good chance to do so. Not just on the lookout for observers, she kept lookout for foot- or pawprints or clawmarks, and Anju, being more familiar to the planet than Nira was, was able to determine the kind of animal she found.

"It's amazing how you could do that," Anju complimented. "We never would've noticed. We only have our own animal instincts to pick up hostile animals."

"So does that mean Andgarr are empaths?" asked Nira.

"Quasi-empaths. Plenty of animal still exists in us, we've grown beyond it. Physically, we've been slow to evolve, but not our minds."

Among the insects collected were yanmarr butterflies. They weren't hard to catch, but it was easy to determine that they weren't genetically modified like the ones plaguing the canopy. They had a natural green look, easily mistaken for floating moss, as opposed to the genetically modified ones, which had a psychedelic look about them, almost like the color of a 2200s Romulan ship.

Still, it often got dark and murky, but plenty of places let in sunlight, owing to good timing from passing a patch of canopy that let in sunlight. It was a virtual jungle they were at. Nira did notice how warm and muggy it often got.

"I'm curious, Anju," Nira asked their guide at one point, "would your planet seem to have a small surface level?"

"At some points, yes," said Anju. "But not completely. It's easy to assume that, just as how it's easy to look at our world from orbit and assume it's bigger than it looks thanks to the Great Canopy. On one of my visits to Earth, I've shared some tidbits about our trees. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I mentioned how an oln'garr tree could penetrate Earth's atmosphere."

"That was you?" asked Nira.

"Correct!" Anju chuckled.

The trail of the modified yanmarr was detectable enough from the sensors. Soon the party made camp for the night at a riverside with a good beachhead.

"Wow! Never mind an ocean!" said Nira. "It's big as it comes!"

"This is the Tangarr River," Anju said. "Headwaters at the Mon'Garr. The longest river ever. Longer than Earth's Amazon, its main body and tributaries spread over a full quarter of the planet. Eventually it widens to the Tangarr Sea."

Nira could see a clear view of the Mon'Garr range; they were getting closer.

"I think we'll camp here for the night," said Nira.

A few moments later, night fell, and Nira was surprised how fast it fell, even with the jungle setting. And then they were in for an amazing sight. As night fell, natural luminescence came to life. Wildlife seemed to blossom and spread, even more than in the daylight.

"It never gets old," Anju said with a smile. "When Nature comes alive."

"Glowworms? Fireflies?" said Nira in amazement.

"Among other fauna," said Anju. "Some predators are certainly obvious, but others can easily camouflage themselves."

Then Nira noticed one of the trees exhuming butterflies. She was amazed that even the yanmarr could glow in the dark...and then she realized how much the colors were interchanging.

"I think we found some suspect butterflies," Nira said.

"Careful," said Anju warningly. "We don't know how any of you can react once they let loose their scale dust..."

But Nira could feel it already, even if she couldn't see it, taken by the wings as they were.

"It smells...wonderful," said Nira sweetly. "Doesn't seem bad..."

Anju scoffed. Some diseases usually weren't.

The dust was virtually spreading everywhere in camp. The reactions were different; only Anju felt unaffected. He kept shaking dust off his fur, of course, and he paid rapt attention as to what symptoms Nira would exhibit...

...while Nira laid down on the sand of the beach. A fire had been going despite the glow-in-the-darkness, and she was enjoying it. In fact, everything was feeling great; the sand on her skin felt so good, she took off her red tank top, her dancer's attire displayed, and she waved on the sand with a soothed sigh.

"Everything...it feels so wonderful," Nira said ecstatically. And they were on a beach...Betazoids were born to water, and water always called. She stood up and headed for the shore. "Moonlight swim anybody?" And she dove into the shore. At which Anju sauntered over, now acting as a lifeguard. The Tangarr River could be dangerous at night, after all, if one went too far from shore. Besides, he was beginning to see something was wrong with Nira...he couldn't place it yet, but something wrong was emerging...a reaction of some kind to the insects was worming its way up.

[Andgarr Prime=>Forest Floor of the Great Canopy]

The Commander's caution noted, Neva followed and found herself engrossed in the wonder of being under such a huge Tree. She had to force herself at times to collect and catalogue all the flora and insectoid species she needed to. This was not like what she'd collected for Mother, for sure.

Neva did, however, use some of her non-telepathic senses as she did her job. Running fingers over mossy rocks, weighing a piece of bark in her palm for a long moment, inhaling the musky, jungle scent as she walked. She almost wished for those weird butterflies to come to see what happened, but the logical side of her brain reminded her of her duty.

[Andgarr Prime-Forest Floor-Camp]

Sitting down just inside the tent she'd put up as night came, she scanned the area, trying to commit it to memory in every detail. Neva knew an opportunity like this wouldn't come again, to be sure. She smiled when someone handed her some food and thanked them. It seemed to be some sort of stew or thick soup. Taking a whiff, she realized it was Potato Soup. Licking her lips, she dug in, taking drinks now and then from her canteen.

After Neva had washed and given her bowl back to the crewman in charge of such things, she sauntered leisurely back to her tent. She observed the bioluminescent creatures making their way around their world, stopping now and then to watch more intensely.

As she neared her tent, Nira's call for a swim rang out and she swiveled to look. Even as she gawked with amazement at her commanding officer's antics, she spied the altered butterflies bursting into a moving umbrella above the camp. She watched as various people suddenly rid themselves of clinging garments and joined in on the nighttime swim. Some dove into their tents to close themselves in, while others fell to the ground to do curious and even blush-inducing things.

As a multi-colored butterfly alighted on Neva's somehow reaching arm, Neva's head slowly tipped sideways in wonder. She moved in slow motion to touch it with her other hand, and it crawled onto her fingers. She let it dance over her fingers and hand, totally enamored with its movements. She lifted it to look closer at it, eyes almost crossing in the effort. Still, it stayed as if to allow itself to preen. A slow wow sighed from her lips as she pushed it higher and it finally sailed off, dust in its wake.

Neva cupped her hands, seemingly fascinated at the sight. The insect had left its sandy offering all over her hands and she pulled them to her face and strongly inhaled. She felt herself drop to her knees in the sand, hands still covering her face. She let them drop, rubbing her palms forward and back in an effort to wipe them off. The dust fluttered to the ground, Neva's gaze distant as she stared ahead.

Suddenly, she felt slammed against a wall of emotions and thoughts. Neva grabbed her head and fell sideways into the sand. Rolling onto her back, she squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. "No! No! I don't want to hear it!" she cried. The last sentence became a mantra that degraded to a whisper then went silent as she rolled back and forth. Tears streamed down her face as the young Betazoid curled into herself. She lay that way until exhausted sleep washed over her.

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"œSorry." Aarwendil whispered back to Nira, his cheeks being a bit red. He was so distracted talking with Neva that he forgot that they were surrounded by non-telepaths. It happened because the Ensign had spent so much time without using his telepathy that he ended up getting carried away by this opportunity of doing it.

After this small scolding, Aarwendil immediately stopped talking telepathically with Neva. He would follow the Commander and Anju in silence, listening to their conversation. The young Betazoid would occasionally look at the plants that surrounded them. Being so close, he was able to verify the enormity of the tree.

Then he saw the insects. They didn't seem dangerous, with the young Betazoid even thinking about how beautiful they looked. Their wings had so many colors and even the dust that they released was pretty. It even smelled good. Aarwendil wondered why people were thinking that they were dangerous.

The thought that people could be afraid of insects made the Ensign laugh. When he heard the Commander mention swimming, a large smile appeared on his lip. "œCount me in!" Aarwendil said, before rushing toward the water. He removed his shirt and left his backpack. He laughed like a child while doing so, completely oblivious that the insects' spores were affecting him.