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Kirok dipped his head slightly in gratitude.  "I understand.  And I thank you for your kindness" he said softly.  Looking back up, he asked "Is there anyway that you can think of that will help me to repay my upcoming debt to you?"

It was a necessary question.  One that possibly did not warrant asking for it was unlikely that T'Lara would have offered assistance with a condition in mind.  But one that was best to bring up now.

For once T'Lara didn't feel she had to think before answering.

"You have no obligation to repay me for something of this nature. Though we have not known each other long I consider you to be a valued friend of mine, and giving you assistance is the least I can do for you. I also believe that the meditation will benefit both of us."

She waited for him to answer and once he had they were alerted to the presence of a newcomer.

Kirok saw the new woman approaching.   "Excuse me for a moment, T'Lara" he said.  Then he stood and traversed the short distance to Ms. Weir.

"Greetings" Kirok said and then offered the woman a slight bow.  "I am Captain Kirok.  Welcome to the holodeck program.  It is agreeable to meet you" he said sincerely.

She nodded to him and remained seated at the bench, not wanting to walk back to the noisy fair just yet.

Kirok stood and scooted in his chair and bowed slightly to the new arrivals.  "I am Captain Kirok.  I am pleased to make you acquaintance" he said by way of greeting.

"And you are correct, there is food a plenty and more if needed.  I will trade you food for the gift of your company" he added as if negotiating.  A slight smile danced across his lips possibly giving away the fact that the Ensign would be allow to eat whatever her response.

"Ensign Torngate" Kirok replied with a second bow.  "Please be seated and serve you shelves.  For what ship to you both serve on?" the Captain asked and then sat back down.

[Repli-Mat]

As T'Lara entered she saw that Kirok was seated and conversing with a couple ensigns she knew of. She had heard about this gathering Kirok planned from a variety of sources. The newly appointed captain of the Phoenix was a popular topic of discussion, and so was his hospitality.

As she often did after a mission, T'Lara had spent nearly all of her time since docking at the starbase in meditation, and as such had not eaten. Seeing the sushi on the table she was reminded of when Kirok had shown her his favorite restaurant on starbase Horizon back when they first met. He had said it was one of his favorite foods and for T'Lara it was one of the few human foods she could admit to enjoying.

She motioned to Kirok not to get up and gave him a slight bow before taking a seat at the table. She was sure there would be plenty more people coming and she would engage in conversation when the opportunity was presented to her.

Kirok took a long breath.  Then he dropped his eyes again.  Vulcan rarely liked to talk about their personal lives and Kirok was no different.  So the silence went on for a few moments.

"My last mission left me.....broken" Kirok said.  "In order to save the Katra of two others.  I had to take them into myself.  To my dismay, they seem to be polar opposites and they are pressing me to my limits mentally.  As such, my level of control has decreased and my ability to achieve Kohlinar almost impossible" he explained.

"I need a trained Vulcan to help me with meditation.  To help me practice control so that I can more easily achieve it.  I need that person to be someone I trust" he finally said and then raised his eyes to her.

T'Lara embraced the silence and began to feel a certain peace that she could only achieve when in the presence of other Vulcans or others trained in Vulcan teachings.

As he began to speak she listened to his story. In truth she was amazed by what she was hearing. She could not imagine doing what Kirok had done, especially since she had failed to save a single Katra, her own mother's. She had many questions, but since they were all of a personal nature she didn't dare ask unless they were in an intimate setting and she asked his permission.

She was a little surprised at the amount of trust he placed in her, but that didn't mean she wasn't qualified or that she wasn't willing to help him. When he looked at her she took a single controlled breath as she gave his request some thought. When she was ready she looked at him directly.

"What you are asking for can be easily done, but I cannot determine the level of effectiveness." She was referring to his ability to achieve Kohlinar. She was not worried that he would not be able to maintain a higher level of control with her help, but balancing two Katras...she was uncertain of the outcome with that variable. As this matter was running through her head for several moments she finally realized that the Vulcan next to her was waiting for an answer.

"I will help you, Kirok," she said.

Kirok offered the young Vulcan a nod and then led her over to a place away from the crowd.  It was over a hill and much more pleasing to Vulcan ear.  Specifically because it was away from the noises of the fair and beside a bubbling brook.

If one looked close enough, they could see a few fishes swimming in the waters near the deeper portion of water.  "I am actually pleased that we had an opportunity to talk privately before I fully return to duty.  My recent mission left me in need of assistance.  Assistance which I believe you to be specifically qualified to help me with" Kirok said as he took a seat on on open bench and motioned to the open spot beside him.

Once they were over the hill T'Lara was pleased to be away from the 'sensory overload' that was the fair. It was much easier for her to relax without any extra distractions.

She looked around, admiring the scenery and the calming sound of the brook. She listened to him closely as she took the seat he offered her.

"Please proceed," she said, curious about his request.

Much had likely changed for the both of them, except to T'Lara's talented way of speaking in mysteries that were wrapped in riddles.  It always had fascinated the half Vulcan and had always seemed to have had the effect of pulling him and others more deeply into conversation with her.  He had often wondered if she spoke in this manner purposely or if was unintentional, but had never asked the question outright.  So, he simply arched his scared right eyebrow in response.

"Different is not necessarily bad.  In fact, I am a true believer that change is a powerful force and a natural process in life.  It is a sign of growth and evolution" Kirok said.  "Without it one is left with stagnation and death.  A lesson that is hard for some people" the half Vulcan started to add, but then did not finish his sentence.

"Indeed," T'Lara responded. One of the reasons why she valued her friendship with Kirok, yes, she would call it that now, was because of how enlightening his conversations always were. It was a refreshing change from the everyday monotony of giving reports on sensor data or field lab reports. She wondered what he had been about to say, but did not question it.

Instead he shook his head and then was silent for a moment.  "Part of letting go of the past is that we stop talking about it" Kirok finally said.  "That is a lesson for myself more than anyone else" he added.  "Perhaps we could find a quite place and you can tell me more about your experience" he suggested.

"That would be acceptable," she said with a slight creasing of her lips that could barely be classified as a smile. She waited, expecting him to lead the way.

[Bridge-Go-Round]

"Oh!" Ogrim grunted, as T'Lara's willowy Vulcan arms wrapped around him.  He was fortunate for her superior strength, however, for when he was pulled out of the lack of gravity, the small golden man dropped like a sack of potatoes.  Ogrim hung there for a moment, feet dangling before they finally touched down on the Bridge decking.  "Thank you!" he exclaimed, brushing himself off, looking around for Lieutenant Epath.  "It...uh, it would appear the gravity generators are starting to go out.  Not that you probably didn't already put that together through logic.  Or something."

[Bridge]

T'Lara nodded to him in response to his gratitude and regained her composure as she listened to him speak.

"Logic, along with simple observation," she agreed. "Now, if you do not require anything else-"

[Bridge]

"Damn!" Julia muttered under her voice. The situation had gone from bad to worse in the matter of moments and she couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. She looked to T'Koris. "Captain, sounds like a lifeform? If someone can get me a scan, maybe T'Lara and I could find a way to communicate with it?" As she finished her sentence there was a briefing flickering of the lights on the bridge before they went out completely. There they all stood in the darkness, it seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only a few seconds until the emergency lighting filled the bridge.

Her sharp hearing allowed her to overhear what Rellek was saying and as soon as the emergency lighting came back she looked at Ogrim.

"Excuse me," she said to him and walked over to Julia. "Commander, I believe getting a scan will be feasible at the present time." She looked to the captain for further instructions.

Kirok's smile got slightly wider.  "Thank you for the compliment.  It means a lot coming from you" he replied and again offered the Science Officer a slight dip of his head.

"Eve is a special person.  She can switch out her programs as needed and thus become knowledgeable in any field.  To be honest, I have sometimes envied her for this ability" Kirok admitted.

"I will be happy to introduce you.  She is here somewhere" Kiork said as he looked around the area for his favorite hologram.  "Oh there she is.  Eve, please come over here.  I would like to introduce you to Ms. Rellek, our Chief Science Officer" he said.

Eve walked over to the couple and extended her hands to Ms. Rellek.  She was dressed in a sun dress with her hair hanging down at her shoulders.  By all intents and purposes, she looked a Human woman with dark hair and slightly tanned skin.  "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rellek.  I'm Eve.  Can I call you Julia, or do you prefer Ms. Relllek?" she said warmly.

Kirok saw T'Lara standing off in the distance.  "Please excuse me, Ms. Rellek.  I must a greet an old friend.  I hope you enjoy you time here" he said before leaving Ms. Rellek and Eve.

"T'Lara, it is acceptable to see you again" Kirok said after approaching the woman.  He offered her a reverent bow.  "I hope the past months have been kind to you" he added after he finished bowing.

As Kirok approached her, T'Lara bowed to him in the same way he did to her.

"Kirok," she began, feeling slightly uncomfortable since the last time she had seen him he was Admiral Kirok to her. So much had changed since then for both of them. "I wish the same of you. The past months have been...eventful, in many ways. I will tell you that I am not the same person I was when we last shared company."

T'Lara stepped into the county fair setting and was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells. She had never been to a real county fair, since her entire life had been spent in Vulcan, excluding her years at Starfleet Academy. She was wearing her uniform, since she had not been informed what the program would be like. Many people had already arrived, and despite her preparation beforehand she still felt nervous even though her face betrayed no inkling of the emotion.

The return of her friend, more acquaintance really, Kirok, had come as a surprise to her. The last time they had seen each other on the starbase seemed to be such a long time ago. She wondered what circumstances had allowed him to return, but what was more important was that he had returned and, though she would never show it, she was happy they would be able to pick up where they had left off.

Seeing that Kirok was engaged with a group of her crew mates T'Lara made her way over to them. But, not wanting to interrupt any conversation, she stayed silent and listened.

Tag Ogrim

[Bridge]

Julia couldn't help but flinch as the sound from Lieutenant Falleg's knee seemed to echo throughout the bridge. "Ouch!" She muttered under her breathe. Julia knew they needed their science chief but unfortunately in the condition Julia knew she would not be able to continue. "You're relieved Lieutenant." She pointed across the bridge to a crewman working on one of the many malfunctioning consoles on the bridge. "Crewman. Please assist the Lieutenant to Sickbay." And she looked to the Vulcan at the secondary science station. "Lieutenant T'Lara, please take the Chief's station."

As Julia finished addressing T'Lara she heard the Cardassian speak up from the tactical station.

"Acknowledged Lieutenant." She paused reflecting on the situation they found themselves in. She was fearful of the worst; complete power loss so close to the neutral zone. She didn't have a reason to believe that the Romulans wouldn't abuse the Phoenix's poorly timed system failures as an opportunity to engage. "Keep and eye on the tactical systems. We don't want to lose those systems this close to the Neutral Zone."

[Bridge]

When she heard the sound of Hrafn's knee hitting the console T'Lara wondered what exactly had compelled her to do something so careless at the risk of injuring herself. However, she assumed there must have been a reason. She looked at Rellek.

"Yes, Commander," and she slid into the chair at Science 1. It seemed like they were back at square one. Now that Hrafn was sure she had her data saved there was just one thing left to do, find out what the cause of these malfunctions was.

[Main Engineering]

"Dammit!" Gabriel Arthur swore, hopping a little on one foot as he accidentally dropped a heavy EPS tap cover on his booted toe.  Fortunately, Starfleet uniform footwear was reinforced against just such a thing happening.  Still, it irritated him...but no more than this entire situation did.  Something was going wrong with the ship, and badly...and he didn't have the damnedest idea what.  No Chief Engineer ever wanted to find themselves in such a position.  He held up his tricorder, taking readings from the access node.  At first, Gabriel just let the 'corder scan the anomalous energy in the EPS line, completely unsurprised when the flow came back as irregular.  And then...he took a closer look.

At first he thought he saw ants - dozens of tiny, skittering ants, their chitinous feet crawling along the lines.  A closer examination revealed that they were actually crystalline-looking.  He scanned them directly, magnifying their image on his tricorder screen.  Curiously enough, they almost looked like tiny spiders.  Or...mini-Tholians?  "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, hitting his commbadge.

=^="Arthur to Bridge.  There are...things...in the EPS lines.  I'm uploading an image scan of them to you now.  I don't know whether to ask for Security, Science, or an exterminator."=^=

It seemed that part of her question might be answered. As soon as it became available she pulled up the image of the green crystalline organisms, but before she could get a proper look at them she heard a voice coming from the turbolift.

[Turbolift Two - Bridge]

ENS Ogrim

Ensign Ogrim wasn't having a good day.

You can say that again, the gold-skinned, diminutive Ithenite thought to himself as he turned head-over-heels in the passenger cab of the turbolift.  His destination had been the Bridge, mainly to see if Lieutenant Epath needed any help.  Ogrim knew that Ithenites were rare in Starfleet, and if they didn't get this systems-wide malfunction problem figured out, they were about to be come even rarer.  This localized lack of gravity was but one of the many...issues.  Or, at least, he assumed it was localized.  As soon as the 'lift opened up, he'd know.

As the turbolift doors slid open, Ogrim spun himself around in the antigravity, seeing that, yes, it was localized to his elevator cab.  Or maybe the whole shaft.  "Hello," the Ithenite said, rather nonplussed.  "Can someone catch me when I step out on to the Bridge?"

Standing up, T'Lara walked over to the turbolift. "I can assist you," she said, holding her arms at the ready for when the Ithenite crewman entered back into the artificial gravity.

James wiped the sweat from his face.  He placed his hand around the cargo container and wondered what happened.   He was in some pain in his stomach and abdomen region from two well placed kicks.  He felt a drop of sweat coming down his forehead.  His hair was a little damp but not too wet.  It has been a while since he had a workout that made him sweat.
"What the frack just happened!?  How did she get soo good, soo fast"  James thought to himself

He turned around and looked at T'Lara as she stated.
As she looked at him, James stood in front of a cargo container.  He gently put his weight into the cargo container as to help him stand up.

"That's one way of putting it.  How did you become the reincarnation of Bruce Lee?" James finished his question with a small smirk.  He still had some humor even thought his body hurt at the moment.

"Bruce Lee, a human martial artist and film actor who was alive during the mid twentieth century. Besides some of the moves I used on you I fail to see the resemblance." T'Lara stood near him as she continued.

"Recently I was trained by a Vulcan mentor I became acquainted with while I was serving on the Britannia. The moves you saw were a mix of the Vulcan methods ponn-ifla and kareel-ifla along with standard Starfleet combat training." She took a steady breath as she wondered how he would take this information. "Mr. Hawke... I did not intend to injure you in any way. I can teach you these methods, if you are interested." She faltered as she made the last statement, realizing what she was offering. Humans were not typically taught what she had just showed him, but she wasn't necessarily a typical Vulcan.

She noticed that he was leaning on the cargo container. "Are you alright?" she asked.

[Bridge Á¢â,¬"œU.S.S. Odyssey]

James remained seated in the Captain's chair of the Odyssey.  James could not help but feel comfortable   at the sounds of the stations in the bridge.  His black leather chair had an arm rest that had plenty of controls.  He obsessed that there was a signal coming from a nearby shuttlecraft.   James proceeded to put the signal in speakers.

He remained seated as he responded "Thank you for the warm welcome, Shuttlecraft Tydirium.  We look forward to your hospitality"

James then responded "Acknowledged, Tydirium, Odyssey out"

James looked and moved his chair to the direction of the helm station.  "Helm, take us in to Docking Bay two-one.  Bring us quick...one quarter impulse".  James had every confidence that the helm was able to dock the ship from an approach of on quarter impulse.

James felt his Science Officer, a Vulcan standing behind him.  He rotated the chair to look at T'Lara and James ranted "Can you believe that they want to pass a Starfleet Regulation to only use Thrusters when docking and another one that the Captain should NOT go on away team mission.  What is this world coming too when a Captain should not go on away team missions?"

James expected a logical response from his science officer.  Far to many times she pointed out how illogical his orders were.

[Bridge]

T'Lara raised an eyebrow. "I suspect the regulation for stopping captains from going on away team missions is so that the captain will not be subjected to the dangers they pose. They are the least expendable member of the crew..." she then realized what he had said about the thrusters.

"Captain, I feel compelled to point out that using only thrusters when docking has been proven to cause the least amount of stress on the engines. I would suggest modifying your previous directions to the helm officer."

[Bridge]

Bridge

"Aye Commander" replied Hrafn trying to keep the 'this isn't going to work' despair out of her voice.

Remembering something from a long time ago and a certain Engineering -then- Lieutenant, and her old Ops Chief - T'Mautlan Syrika-Grix.

'Right, initiate Emergency Repair Procedure One...' she thought to herself bringing her knee up hard under the console in a manner akin to how a woman might try to dissuade a man from giving her his undivided attentions, aka knee-meet-groin...

The pain from her knee made her swear out loud.

"Sorry Captain, Commander...just trying out some repairs here, Ma'am..."

She once again tried the console... it seemed to flicker momentarily then come back.

'Tee..' she thought to herself, '... in some ways you were a bloody genius!'

Using the communication on the console she sent a written message down.

Due to the malfunctioning commbadges and internal communication please acknowledge receipt of this message.

Rozzo and Nautnux, can you go to the Library and check out if any data has been eradicated recently and if there is anything slowly eroding our data.

- Lt. Falleg,  CSO

She waited a few moments and then to her delight heard a bleep.

Rozzo to Falleg

Library checked and the information is safe up to your last save, all data accounted for up to the start of Alpha Shift this morning.

Hrafn smiled, she decided to try out a quick commbadge message.

Falleg to Rozzo, please acknowledge if you get this.  Thank you for the information, Falleg out.

=/\=Rozzo to Falleg, Seems like the commbadges are working again Lieutenant! Rozzo out.

"Ma'am, report from the Library is that the data is sound.  We lost a couple of paragraphs that I did today, otherwise the data is sound and we've not lost, nor are we losing any of it.  Also, the commbadges seem to be working again."

She rubbed her knee...it was all very well doing 'anything in the name of the Fleet...' but her knee bloody hurt.

"Ma'am, I seem to have inadvertently injured my knee whilst performing, ah...repairs, may I either go to Sickbay to get it checked out or have someone in medical pop up here to administer some pain relief?!"

[Bridge]

With all the problems happening with the computer data, T'Lara continued monitoring sensors when suddenly she lost long-range sensor data. By tapping a few buttons she was able to get it back but she had a feeling this problem wouldn't be gone for long.

[Bridge- U.S.S. Odyssey]

T'Lara was sat at the science station but since they were docking there was essentially nothing left for her to do. As the captain communicated with the shuttlecraft the Vulcan rose and stood close to the center seat. She was aware that this stop at the space station was meant for relaxation, but since she didn't require any such thing she decided she would stay here. And if they made her take some time off she would dedicate it to meditation. She stood silently and waited for all the formalities to take place.   

James continued his kick to her right abdomen area.  Little did he know the consequences of his kick.  By kicking and punching at rapid succession, it left the right area open to an attack.  James did not realize the impact of the next move.

Almost as contact was made into T'Lara's right side, James felt a strong kick into his right abdomen area. *UMPF* sound came from James' side.   James clenched his teeth as he felt as sharp pain coming  from his side.  James felt pain coming into the area.  His body absorbed it but now he was realizing how strong Vulcans are.

James took the hit while standing in one leg.  The momentum of the impact was enough to cause him to lose his balance backwards. Hawke reacted by trying regain his balance but by having one leg in the air it proved to be a daunting task.  He fell backwards and landed hard on his back.
As he landed in his back he felt the cold metal  on his back.  The back of his head made contact to the floor.  He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.  "That is going to leave a bump" James thought.

After being in the floor for a second James looked up and noticed that through the entire process T'lara was on top of him.  Her arms seemed to be extended.  Hawke could not remember any point of time in which they were in close proximity to one another.

James felt her breath in his face.  It was even and tempered.  He looked at her face and noticed that she remained devoid of emotion.  James stood in a state of shock for a moment.  He did not know how to react.  His face showed a lot of indecision for a moment.  He did not know to say something serious or a joke.

He looked at her brown eyes and pointed eyebrow.  Her hair seemed to almost be perfectly placed.  He was beginning to sweat but he noticed that his combat partner was barely sweating.  After looking at her face for what felt like minutes  but in reality seconds, she raised herself up an offered a hand to him.

James accepted T'Lara's help and slowly rose into his feet.  He responded "Thank you".

It took a second for James to be back in his feet.  Normally he would have a wise crack.  His face felt warm and James figured he was blushing.  As he stood up he walked towards his uniform and used it to clean some of his sweat of the face and also cover his blushing.  In an unusual manner he said nothing.

T'Lara took his hand and pulled him up and as he walked over to wipe his face she saw the sweat and the flush of his cheeks.

"I should not have done that," she thought to herself. Her moves should not have been that extreme, especially since they had resulted in a somewhat compromising position. She should have predicted this outcome, assumed that Hawke wouldn't be able to block her last moves. If he were a Vulcan it would have been different. How could she have let this fact slip from her mind?...

She looked away from him as he cleaned the sweat on his brow and crossed her arms. Minutes passed and neither one said a word. In an uncharacteristic attempt to break the silence T'Lara spoke.

"You are probably wondering how I learned to do the art which you have just witnessed." Her hands fell to her side as she turned around and looked at him directly. "The last time we saw each other I was barely proficient in basic Academy combat training." She paced the room as she talked, a habit she gained from her mentor. After she made this statement she spent some time thinking about what to say next, and before she knew it she had walked around the entire room and was back facing James. As she looked at him again she realized that he still hadn't said a word since she'd helped him up. She was curious about how he felt about her new skill, so she waited patiently for him to process all that had occurred.