Season 2 Episode 11 - Endgame

[Naira]

[CO's Office]

"No, over there, a little higher," Naira directed the young Ops officer she had commandeered to stand on a step stool while she redecorated her new office. While she didn't want to say that her predecessor lacked taste, he sure left much to be desired in terms of originality and creativity. If she was going to end up spending the better part of her days sitting in this office overlooking the Ops Center, she was going to make it to her liking.

"There," she said as she inspected the now perfectly leveled framed collection of butterfly specimens she had collected during her time as a student back on Earth. The collection had traveled with her on every posting she had had and had hung in each of her offices. It was only fitting for it to make its way onto the wall here.

A few of her Orion bioluminescent ferns hung from the ceiling, emitting a small glow of their own. A vibrant pink orchid sat on the corner of her desk surrounded by several smaller potted varieties of sarracenia and other carnivorous plants. Two very flustered young men carried around a rather large painting of a nondescript rain forest painted in various shades of greens, blues and yellows as they attempted to find a place to hang it.

"Over there," she directed them as she carefully made her way around the desk and pointed to a bare patch of wall near the entrance. "I think you should be able to see it upon entry but I also want to be able to view it from my desk." Tucking one hand under her swollen abdomen to support it, she made her way back to the desk to inspect it again from her original position. "There."

Behind her, on the shelf up again the picturesque window behind her desk, she displayed an unopened bottle of Bajoran spring wine she had been given as gift, along with a few trinkets she had picked up from her time on Rigel VI. Over the back of her chair was draped a large white fur she from some unknown beast the General claimed to have slain; it wasn't exactly within regulations, but it was soft and made for a more comfortable sitting experience.

"And you can remove those when you are done," she waved a hand in the direction of the oversized desk and matching chair now taking up a significant portion of floor-space over in the corner of the room. "We won't be needing those anymore."

Just then, a woman dressed in teal approached the office and tentatively poked her head in. One of the frustrated crewmen on desk-moving duty shot her a wide-eyed glance and attempted to silently warn her to get out while she still could, but it was too late, Naira spotted her.

"Ensign, what is it you need?" She asked as she stood up from her chair.

"I have that report you requested, Ma'am." The ensign slowly crossed the room, avoiding directly looking at the other lower ranking crewmembers hard at work. She held out a PADD in her hand before carefully handing it over. Naira thanked the woman before dismissing everyone.

Two days prior a comet, traveling off it's predicted course, had shown up on their sensors. While it posed no immediate threat to the station or any nearby system, a science team had been dispatched to take a closer inspection and collect samples and readings to figure out what had caused it to change course. In her hand sat their preliminary findings but until they got their samples down to the lab for further analysis, most of what she held was pure speculation. 

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Aquaponics]

The little girl had a skip step she liked to do: she'd turn her little body sideways and shuffle her feet from side to side, turn with a little shake of her arms and body, and do the other side. Repeat, ad nauseum. But the moment they had entered the aquaponics lab, Analyn had been quiet, almost reverent.

The area was filled with tanks, some of them low to the deck and others high up on the walls. Food fish, mostly, but there was sea life both alien and earthly in every tank. For every exotic and colorful fish that dazzled the eye there was a dozen dull eyed fish bound for the frying pan.

Analyn didn't care. Her little hand was curled up in the Admiral's, but her gaze was wide and happy wherever she looked. The little girl was in her normal clothes for once, a pink Starfleet uniform with shiny pink boots and a black and gray skirt with pink trim. Her extra pair of Vulcan ears was proudly sitting atop her straight brown hair.

"Do you see the clown fish, Analyn?" Adeyemi asked the little girl. Ever since T'Prina had been transferred off the station, he had been the girl's primary caregiver...now that he was back, however long that lasted. On leave too was Commander Knox, another person that the little girl adored. So he was with her all the time now, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Analyn's hand had to reach up quite a ways to meet his. Though he was 50 years old, the admiral still cut an imposing figure. Over six feet tall and over 200 lbs in weight, he still could move like the freestyle wrestler and stand out footballer he used to be. For the most part. His body had an accumulated total of sports and service injuries and didn't take too kindly anything sudden without a warm up nowadays. Even as he squatted down to point out the fish in question to Analyn, his knees popped like small caliber gun shots.

"I see 'em. What about these crawly ones?" Analyn jabbed a not so chubby anymore little finger at the tank. Adeyemi immediately shooed her hand away before she could make contact and smudge up the glass. Her fingers were perpetually dirty.

"I think they won't like that, whatever they are." He was no ichthyologist, but they didn't look like earth fish to him.

"That is a Kronos cray," A passing science officer said. Her hands were filled with a crate, and she didn't go to attention. The admiral knew the regulations required officers to do so, but he didn't blame her. He was only here with the Station AI, after all. "Some say it's the very same animal that Klingons evolved from."

"I wanna hold one," Analyn stated flatly. She was used to getting her way. Even though she had the personality and holographic vehicle of a toddler, she was in fact a sentient artificial intelligence capable of operating the entire Starbase Columbus. She was so childlike that Adeyemi often forgot about how petty and demanding and adorable she could be.

"Not a good idea, little lady." The science officer set down the crate, shook out her short blonde hair and squatted just like the admiral was. No creaks in those young knees. With a work hardened finger she tapped the glass repeatedly.

The crays immediately reacted, headbutting the side of the tank over and over. When it became clear to them they couldn't break through, the brown ans scaly fish turned on one another in a flurry of claws and bubbles. Analyn gasped.

"Klingon officers will fight Kronos crays before battle," The science officer said, nonplussed. "It awakens blood lust in any warrior."

As if on cue, a cray nimbly latched onto another's claw, squeezing, and before the other could react, jabbed its other claw into its mouth. In a second the tank was awash with blood. Other crays fell upon the dying animal, feeding. Adeyemi covered Analyn's eyes and turned her away.

"That's quite enough, ensign." The admiral told her, narrowing his eyes. She gave him a concerned and confused look before hauling her burden away.

Adeyemi marched the child away, who wanted to see more. Analyn began stiffening body, trying to slip through his arms, making her body heavier. The admiral knelt down, scooped her up on a hip, and brought the child face to face with him.

"Why couldn't I watch the fishy fight?!" She wanted to know. Her voice was a soft child's whisper.

"That's not for young eyes." He said firmly.

"But we watch people fight all the time." Analyn protested in his ear. In the ring or the octo...october...octabon."

"Octagon," Adeyemi corrected her. "Yes, we do. But those people choose to fight. Animals do not."

"Mr. Krall, the Klingon, says targs and crays fight anyway, so why can't I watch 'em fight?" She whined.

"Because I said so," He said, unconsciously using a phrase all parents have been using for millennia.

"WeeeEeEEEeEk!" Analyn screeched, causing everyone in the lab to wince.

He missed T'Prina already.

[Leanna Mazal]

[Puzzles - Storage Area]

If anyone was looking for Leanna, they would find the fun and feisty Betazoid in the larger of the bars storage areas, attempting despite her short stature to reorganise several crates of Bivellian Whiskey. With Ari and her Mother visiting family and feeling a little lonely whenever she returned to their empty quarters had decided to catch up on some much needed housekeeping.

It wasn't as though it hadn't been regularly checked but with everything that had happened on the station lately it was understandable that some things had been forgotten about. Besides for Leanna it was therapeutic and kept her distracted which was a good thing.

The memories of the Orient Express and how the crew had been targeted on what should of been a happy relaxing occasion still cropped up in her dreams but on the whole she had more or less recovered. Although this was more in terms of her telepathic and emphatic abilities and the odd bruise from where she had fallen, however had suffered a lot worse in the past so this was nothing.

She was hoping to catch up with Flick and perhaps some of the others although knew Knox was off the station and looked forward to her return. But for now she returned to work, humming one of her favourite songs as she reached up for another crate.

[Felicity Ellis]

[Felicity's Quarters]

Felicity adjusted the collar of her uniform with one hand, and brought her hot coffee to her mouth with the other. She savoured the strong sup for a moment before taking a seat in the living area of her quarters. "Computer, today's schedule, please." She leaned back against the cushions, the cracked and worn mug with 'THERE'S A SLIGHT CHANCE THIS IS WHISKEY' emblazoned on the side held aloft.

"1000, Medical Department Meeting. First shift attendance mandatory."

She winced. A morning of complaints, supply lists and requisitions beckoned her. Oh, and not forgetting several hours with Dr. Lunn as he tried to convince himself, and her, that he'd make a much better CMO.

"Dr. Kece Lunn has also submitted a request for a one-to-one meeting for 1200. Subject: Favouritism in the workplace pertaining specifically to promotion. Response?"

Felicity made a noise that sounded a little like a groan, though was definitely still a member of the snort family. "Deny. Response: 'Busy doing CMO things'. Next."

"1300 - Lunch. Added in parentheses by Felicity Ellis - 'Perhaps Puzzles?'"

Yay! "Move lunch slot to 1200. Next."

"1400 - Crewman Harcourt. 1515 - Ensign Paulsen. 1630 - Ensign ch'Zhani..."

Harcourt? Still? She'd been sure he'd died in the bombing, or the holosuite spree... Maybe he'd gone to that moon with the plants? She wondered what he'd been doing with himself this last month or two. Scratch that, she knew exactly what he'd been doing with himself, which made it all the worse.

"...1900 - Cadet R'Toka. 2015 - Lieutenant Avison -"

"Computer, stop. Request meeting with Gibbons Vasha at earliest free time slot." She and Gibbie would need to put their heads together and organise their session schedules a little better. As much as she might be tempted though, she would not offload Harcourt onto her young friend. That pervert would have to remain all hers. "Computer, time."

"The time is 0910."

"Where is Captain... Naira?"

"Captain Naira is in the Commanding Officer's Office."

Felicity drained the last of her coffee, placed her mug on the table in front of her, and stood. It was time to say hello to her new boss. She pulled and twisted her long, loose hair into a high bun, adjusted her uniform one last time and walked out of her quarters. Her stride was as purposeful as ever, and she refused to acknowledge the flutter of nerves in her empty stomach. Not for the first time, Felicity wished that Knox hadn't taken leave, as well-deserved as it was. Nobody to hold your hand now, Counselor.

[CO's Office]

Naira's office was a hive of activity, with crew coming and going, carrying various objects of different sizes and delivering reports. Narrowly avoiding someone carrying a giant chair, Felicity side-stepped over the threshold of the office, her eyes scanning the room, taking in the rather startling change in décor before finally resting on the woman herself. "Captain," she said by way of greeting, coming to a stop before her desk, her hands grasped loosely behind her back. "Have you a moment?"

Something caught her eye from above, and she glanced up quickly to get a better look at the hanging, glowing ferns. Her eyebrows raised of their own accord, betraying her surprise. Well now, this is a change. She refocused her attention on Naira, forcing herself to block out the many pretty distractions in her office. "I just wanted to drop by to say welcome back to the Columbus, and to see if you needed anything." And to be nosy. "This is lovely." She unclasped her hands and gestured around the room, still quite struck by the difference in aesthetic style between the two Captains.

[Aryn Corliss]

[NPC Post]

[SBC]
For the first time in ages, Cadet Dihiq was on break! There was no work waiting for him to do from any direction. He could just do something for himself.

So what did this enterprising, slightly underweight young Klingon do with his leave time? He went to seek a counselor. The time he had spent in space took a mental toll on the young Cadet, and he needed some advice on how to cope with all that went on on a starship.

A friend of Dihiq's had recommended Counselor Felicity Ellis of the Starbase Columbus, so that's where Dihiq went.

[Sickbay, SBC]

Counselor Ellis? Ma'am? Dihiq asked no one in particular.

A nurse noticed the diminutive Klingon and approached him, tray of instruments in her hands.

Can I help you, Cadet? Dr. Ellis isn't in yet.

Uh, no, Ma'am. Dr. Ellis was recommended to me. I'd rather see her.

The nurse realized he must have been referred for counseling and gave him a comforting smile. Don't worry, Cadet. I'll call her.

Tapping her combadge, the nurse said,  Sickbay to Dr. Ellis. I have a young cadet here who's wanting to see you. It's by recommendation. At your earliest convenience, of course. 

[TRell]

[Promenade]

She hadn't really had time to process the last few months, so she did the healthy thin and ignored it, she had disgraced herself in the holosuite, allowed her feral side to come out and for that she owed apologies to her crewmates, she had avoided when possible the prisoner, she had been congratulated for the collar, but he was just another reminder of her slip, still time to make amends,

[puzzles]

She stood outside puzzles, a small book clasped in her hands, not replicated but actual paper filled with neat handwriting, she crossed through the door, at this time of day the club was fairly quiet and she weaved her way across to the bar, she found herself happy to be back here, the crew had made her feel so welcome and she felt silly she hadn't tried to engage them before the party, still that was behind her, She caught the eye of the bar tender and muttered a soft hello,

"What can i get you" he asked wit ha wide smile,

"Is Lea in?" she asked placing the book on the bar "I have something for her" the bartender gave a frown of concentration and then a nod

"I'll see if she is available" he remarked, T'Rell thanked him and flicked through the book, it had been a memento of home, one of two copies made by her grandmother, this one, in her neat handwriting was a recipe book of classic Caitian meals all translated into Federation standard with notations of acceptable substitutions for some of the harder to find ingredients.  T'Rell was a poor cook and so had little use for the book, besides she had the original written in Caitian if she ever felt the urge to try again, besides it had been a long time since she had traditional Caitian cooking and if Lea could replicate any of these dishes the trade would be worth it and T'Rell had marked several of her favourites just in case.

[Naira]

[CO's Office]

Naira's office was a hive of activity, with crew coming and going, carrying various objects of different sizes and delivering reports. Narrowly avoiding someone carrying a giant chair, Felicity side-stepped over the threshold of the office, her eyes scanning the room, taking in the rather startling change in décor before finally resting on the woman herself. "Captain," she said by way of greeting, coming to a stop before her desk, her hands grasped loosely behind her back. "Have you a moment?"

Something caught her eye from above, and she glanced up quickly to get a better look at the hanging, glowing ferns. Her eyebrows raised of their own accord, betraying her surprise. Well now, this is a change. She refocused her attention on Naira, forcing herself to block out the many pretty distractions in her office. "I just wanted to drop by to say welcome back to the Columbus, and to see if you needed anything." And to be nosy. "This is lovely." She unclasped her hands and gestured around the room, still quite struck by the difference in aesthetic style between the two Captains.

[CO's Office]

Naira had been intensely watching a young man arranging a set of ceramic statuettes dangerously close to the edge of a high shelf. Not only were they in the wrong order, but she feared that at any moment one of them might topple over, hit the floor and shatter into countless pieces. The set was not something she could easily replace, having been passed down to her, and as such she didn't want to see them broken. She sat on the edge of her seat, fighting the urge to jump up, rush over and handle to task herself, but she didn't.

Her ankle had only recently healed from what could have been a much more serious fall, however, she was in no hurry to try to repeat that experience. She was in no condition to be climbing ladders in her present state and as such, she left it up to the young crewman to do, even if doing so made her just as nervous.

Hearing her new rank, captain, called out still sounded odd. Doctor or Ma'am, she was used to, but captain, that was going to take some getting used to. She looked up to see a dark haired woman addressing her. She knew the face looked familiar, she had seen it in one of the personnel files she had looked through as she had quickly tried to study the names and faces of the new staff she'd be working with. However, the woman's name eluded her for the moment. The woman wore a teal shirt with the pips of a lieutenant commander on her collar. That narrowed it down a bit.

Scientist? Doctor? Counselor? That was it! Counselor...Ellis? If she remembered correctly, the new Chief Medical Officer.

"Commander Ellis?" She stood to greet the woman. "What can I help you with?" Naira greeted the woman with a smile and glanced upwards when the commander directed her attention towards the ferns hanging overhead. "Orion bioluminescent ferns, native to Rigellian System."

She smiled again when the woman complimented her office and welcomed her back. "Thank you. With the amount of time I suspect I'll be spending in here, I figured I might as well be comfortable and make it to my liking. I'm sure you've done the same with your new office, though I must say, I'm a little surprised to see that Dr. Lunn isn't running your department." The corner of her lip curled upwards as she spoke the name of her former coworker and friend.

[Leanna Mazal]

[puzzles]

She stood outside puzzles, a small book clasped in her hands, not replicated but actual paper filled with neat handwriting, she crossed through the door, at this time of day the club was fairly quiet and she weaved her way across to the bar, she found herself happy to be back here, the crew had made her feel so welcome and she felt silly she hadn't tried to engage them before the party, still that was behind her, She caught the eye of the bar tender and muttered a soft hello,

"What can i get you" he asked wit ha wide smile,

"Is Lea in?" she asked placing the book on the bar "I have something for her" the bartender gave a frown of concentration and then a nod

"I'll see if she is available" he remarked, T'Rell thanked him and flicked through the book, it had been a memento of home, one of two copies made by her grandmother, this one, in her neat handwriting was a recipe book of classic Caitian meals all translated into Federation standard with notations of acceptable substitutions for some of the harder to find ingredients.  T'Rell was a poor cook and so had little use for the book, besides she had the original written in Caitian if she ever felt the urge to try again, besides it had been a long time since she had traditional Caitian cooking and if Lea could replicate any of these dishes the trade would be worth it and T'Rell had marked several of her favourites just in case.

[Puzzles Storage Area]

Seamus walked into the Storage Area after speaking with the Caitian Officer he recognised as T'Rell and had to suppress a grin at the sight of Lea attempting to put one the of the larger crates back on its proper shelf. However knew if he tried to help he would only get an earful and as much as it would be hilarious to tease her decided against it.

Lea on the other hand immediately sensed her friend and Manager and spoke first. " I know you want to help Shay but I get the feeling you need me for something else" she said as she managed to get the crate onto the shelf without dropping it.

" Okay you got me and I do, T'Rell is outside and would like to see you apparently she has something for you as well".

" I think I have an idea and thanks Shay, I'll go and see her " she replied turning around and as she walked past gave Seamus a playful pat on the shoulder, grinning at his response as she left him standing there.

[Puzzles - Bar]

Lea knew that Seamus wouldn't be too far behind her as she made her way towards the main Bar and soon spotted T'Rell standing there. " Hi T'Rell its good to see you " she said as she approached " If you like we can sit at one of the tables and I'll have Seamus bring us over some drinks ?".

[Aryn Corliss]

[Aryn's Quarters]

After recovering from the holosuite events (mostly just confusion on her part), Aryn had spent nearly every moment on duty reading every bit of information she could find on her husband - Dr. Alec Trenzal. She loved to say the name, to think it. He was 735 years old. He'd been a doctor of some kind nearly his whole life - medical, researcher, professor, even veterinarian for a short time.

She started doing some cross-checking with her own information, realizing they were both on earth at the same time a couple of times. They'd been at Columbia University together, about 400 years ago. Aryn wondered if they'd actually known each other then. If so, it took quite a long time for them to decide to get married. She had several of the wedding pictures she'd found replicated in frames and put them around her room.

As she'd seen previously, there was no information on either of them for the last hundred years. They must have been on an extended honeymoon or something, completely incommunicado. But still no memories. That was the most frustrating thing. All of this info, but it was still like looking at someone else's life.

With a sigh, Aryn decided to take a break and go to the Promenade for awhile. She could shop a little and maybe stop by Puzzles and say hello to Lea.

[Puzzles]

Aryn window shopped for an hour, picking up items and replacing them, unable to make any decisions. Finally entering Puzzles, she went straight to the bar. Can I get a...pomegranate juice? she asked the bartender. While she waited, Aryn looked around the bar and noticed Lea and T'Rell at a table. She hadn't had much opportunity to interact with the Caitian. Aryn raised a hand and waved, but made no move in their direction, not wanting to interrupt.

[Felicity Ellis]

[CO's Office]

"Commander Ellis?" She stood to greet the woman. "What can I help you with?" Naira greeted the woman with a smile and glanced upwards when the commander directed her attention towards the ferns hanging overhead. "Orion bioluminescent ferns, native to Rigellian System."

[CO's Office]

She nodded, confirming her identity as Naira stood to greet her, which also happened to serve as a reminder to the room that the Captain was indeed quite pregnant.

But she didn't allow her eyes to linger, instead she looked back up at the ferns as soon as Naira detailed their origin. They looked like creepy nightlights to Felicity, but she found she liked them. "Do they require much care?" She asked curiously. A strange question to ask one's new Captain during a first conversation, but Felicity hadn't the best track record when it came to greenery. The only plant she was currently allowing herself was Dericka the Cactus.

She smiled again when the woman complimented her office and welcomed her back. "Thank you. With the amount of time I suspect I'll be spending in here, I figured I might as well be comfortable and make it to my liking. I'm sure you've done the same with your new office, though I must say, I'm a little surprised to see that Dr. Lunn isn't running your department." The corner of her lip curled upwards as she spoke the name of her former coworker and friend.

"So is Dr. Lunn," Felicity responded with an arch to her brow and a smile on her lips. "I have no doubt he'll let you know all about it, most likely sooner than later." Lunn had been positively gleeful when he'd learned that Naira would be returning. Felicity could only hope that her new Captain knew Lunn even half as well as he claimed to know her, and that as a result she'd take his declarations of her unsuitability as CMO with a fistful of salt. She'd allowed herself a frisson of concern in that moment, but refused to let it fester. "He certainly had seniority of service. But then, when compared to me, most do."

Sickbay to Dr. Ellis. I have a young cadet here who's wanting to see you. It's by recommendation. At your earliest convenience, of course. 

At the interruption a small frown crossed her brow, which cleared gradually as she listened. Of course, she hadn't been expecting to see anyone for at least another half hour, and she had no idea who had recommended her. "Excuse me please, Captain," she asked of Naira, before tapping her badge to respond.

"Acknowledged, Sickbay. Please make the cadet comfortable in my office, I will be there as soon as I can. Ellis out."

"Apologies, it appears we have an unexpected guest in Sickbay." At that moment, Felicity wasn't all too pleased by the fact, and while she waited to be dismissed she fervently hoped that Captain Naira wasn't the type to get irritated by seemingly pointless social calls.

[Later - Sickbay to CMO's Office]

Felicity breezed into Sickbay and spied the nurse who had summoned her straight away. She slowed her pace a little, her eyebrow quirking in an unspoken question. Without opening her mouth, the nurse gestured toward her office with a nod of her head, and followed it up quickly with a shrug of her shoulders. Felicity picked up her stride again and entered her office, where her curious gaze fell on the Klingon cadet.

"Good morning," she greeted pleasantly as she approached the mystery guest with her hand extended for him to shake. "Felicity Ellis. You asked for me, Mr...?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[P-Way Outside of Naira's Office]

Anayln was still skipping, charged up from seeing her favorite animals so up close, and from them fighting. The little girl had a bloodthirsty streak like any self respecting toddler. But Adeyemi feared that by letting her watch combat sports with him he'd only worsened it. He frowned.

"We're going to see the captain," The admiral said for perhaps the fifth time since he'd set off. "I have to introduce myself and make my services available to her. Do you know what that means?"

"It MEANS that you're gonna spend most of yer time doing dumb reports 'n stuff rather than with in the holodeck with me," Analyn said with a roll of her hazel eyes. Her Vulcan ears had gone askew. Adeyemi went to fix them, immediately causing the little girl to bob her head about to dodge him.

"I have work to do, that's true, but it's for the good of the starbase." He told her. Adeymei finally got her fake ears straight. "I want you on your best behavior in here, yes?"

"Fine, Mack 'Em," She said tone that made it seem like meeting the commanding officer of a starbase with 50,000 inhabitants was an every day occurrence. "But this Naira'd better be nice, or I will make YOU captain again."

"She's very nice, I have met her before, and don't wish that on me." Playfully, the admiral tussled her long, straight brown hair, causing the little girl to giggle. He let her push the button to enter the office.

[CO's Office]

Adeyemi kept Analyn close in hand as they entered. He cast a glance around. His preferred style when he had been in this office was severe, spartan, almost monastic. Captain Tritter had decorated the place with pictures of his family and old hunting weapons.

Whatever Naira was going for Adeyemi didn't get. The whole place looked overblown, garish, and blase to him. But it wasn't his Station, not anymore, and that's why he was here.

"Good--"

"CAP'N NARNIA!" The little girl crowed in her tiny child's voice. She broke free of his grasp and commenced to charging the CO like a rugby fullback. Analyn leaped over a crate, causing a vase on top of it to tremble and twirl. She nearly ran through a painting being lifted by two crew, who thought to lift it the air so the little girl could slide nimbly under it. The AI was briefly deterred by an alien plant, but she sidled around it, scattering leaves across the deck.

Adeyemi was behind her every step of the way, steadying the vase, apologizing to the crewmen, and nearly slipping and falling on the leaves. The little girl cut a swath of near destruction through the entire room in less than 15 seconds.

"ANALYN! BE CAREFUL!" The admiral thundered, stress resuscitating his Nigerian accent. He sounded fresh off the boat.

He barely caught up with the little girl just before she crashed into Naira with one of her patented four limbed hugs. Adeyemi had her under her arms, her little limbs pedaling out, wanting to hug the new Starbase captain.

"Captain, I am sorry!" Adeyemi told her breathlessly. A 50 year old Starfleet admiral and athlete and he was being outpaced by a toddler. He was getting old.

"NARNIA!" Analyn absolutely shrieked in delight.

[Naira]

[CO's Office]

She nodded, confirming her identity as Naira stood to greet her, which also happened to serve as a reminder to the room that the Captain was indeed quite pregnant.

But she didn't allow her eyes to linger, instead she looked back up at the ferns as soon as Naira detailed their origin. They looked like creepy nightlights to Felicity, but she found she liked them. "Do they require much care?" She asked curiously. A strange question to ask one's new Captain during a first conversation, but Felicity hadn't the best track record when it came to greenery. The only plant she was currently allowing herself was Dericka the Cactus.

"So is Dr. Lunn," Felicity responded with an arch to her brow and a smile on her lips. "I have no doubt he'll let you know all about it, most likely sooner than later." Lunn had been positively gleeful when he'd learned that Naira would be returning. Felicity could only hope that her new Captain knew Lunn even half as well as he claimed to know her, and that as a result she'd take his declarations of her unsuitability as CMO with a fistful of salt. She'd allowed herself a frisson of concern in that moment, but refused to let it fester. "He certainly had seniority of service. But then, when compared to me, most do."

At the interruption a small frown crossed her brow, which cleared gradually as she listened. Of course, she hadn't been expecting to see anyone for at least another half hour, and she had no idea who had recommended her. "Excuse me please, Captain," she asked of Naira, before tapping her badge to respond.

"Acknowledged, Sickbay. Please make the cadet comfortable in my office, I will be there as soon as I can. Ellis out."

"Apologies, it appears we have an unexpected guest in Sickbay." At that moment, Felicity wasn't all too pleased by the fact, and while she waited to be dismissed she fervently hoped that Captain Naira wasn't the type to get irritated by seemingly pointless social calls.

[CO's Office]

She had to fight back the urge to laugh at the comment about Dr. Lunn and managed to stifle a small chuckle in the process. "I see he hasn't changed. I believe he said the exact same thing about me when I took over after Dr. Bardakci took an early retirement and named me his replacement." While the two of them had initially gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, Naira respected the Betazoid's skill at the operating table and his ability to take charge in hectic situations. She just hoped he'd learn to manage his stress and get a handle on his abilities.

"He isn't still sticking his nose is other people's business, is he?"

If she were to voice one complaint about Kece, it would be that the man had a terrible reputation for sticking his nose where it didn't belong, offering unwanted, unsolicited advice and his insatiable love for gossip. Technically, that was more than one complaint, but she wasn't keeping count.

When the counselor asked permission to respond to her call, Naira silently nodded. She knew all too well that living aboard the station meant that those in a position to runs things never got a moments peace. Someone always needed something, it was just a fact of life.

"Don't let me keep you from your patients. We can catch up some more later."

Naira watched as the woman left but before she had much of a chance to do anything, her office was once again invaded. Perhaps I should rethink this whole 'open door' policy.

[CO's Office]

Adeyemi kept Analyn close in hand as they entered. He cast a glance around. His preferred style when he had been in this office was severe, spartan, almost monastic. Captain Tritter had decorated the place with pictures of his family and old hunting weapons.

Whatever Naira was going for Adeyemi didn't get. The whole place looked overblown, garish, and blase to him. But it wasn't his Station, not anymore, and that's why he was here.

"Good--"

"CAP'N NARNIA!" The little girl crowed in her tiny child's voice. She broke free of his grasp and commenced to charging the CO like a rugby fullback. Analyn leaped over a crate, causing a vase on top of it to tremble and twirl. She nearly ran through a painting being lifted by two crew, who thought to lift it the air so the little girl could slide nimbly under it. The AI was briefly deterred by an alien plant, but she sidled around it, scattering leaves across the deck.

Adeyemi was behind her every step of the way, steadying the vase, apologizing to the crewmen, and nearly slipping and falling on the leaves. The little girl cut a swath of near destruction through the entire room in less than 15 seconds.

"ANALYN! BE CAREFUL!" The admiral thundered, stress resuscitating his Nigerian accent. He sounded fresh off the boat.

He barely caught up with the little girl just before she crashed into Naira with one of her patented four limbed hugs. Adeyemi had her under her arms, her little limbs pedaling out, wanting to hug the new Starbase captain.

"Captain, I am sorry!" Adeyemi told her breathlessly. A 50 year old Starfleet admiral and athlete and he was being outpaced by a toddler. He was getting old.

"NARNIA!" Analyn absolutely shrieked in delight.

Naira had no time to react as a speeding ball of energy, with brown hair and a bright pink uniform, came hurling through her office, knocking down items in her path. She was suddenly and without warning hit by a mass of photonic energy who chose at that moment to take on the size and weight of a young girl as she wrapped her tiny body around the captain in a move that nearly brought the two of them down to the floor.

"Hello Analyn, it's nice to see you again," she greeted the girl while patting her on the back with one hand and using the other to push herself back upright against the desk.

"You're fat!" The holographic girl stated in a similar manner that one might use when declaring an obvious face. The sky outside was black. The stars twinkled. And Naira had put on a significant amount of weight since last she had stepped foot on the station. While some might have been offended by such a statement, Naira knew from her own experience with her daughters that it was merely innocent observation.

She chuckled a bit before replying. "Yes, I guess you can say so." Bending down every so slightly so that she could stand on a similar level to the girl, she whispered, "It shouldn't be too much longer before you have another friend to play with."

Looking up, she saw the imposing and unmistakable figure of Admiral Adeyemi attempting to clean up after the girl as he followed in her path of destruction. Naira immediately stood upright, stiffened her posture and attempted to wipe any trace of a smile from her face. While she had only worked for the former captain for a short time, she knew the two of them had very different leadership styles and he took procedure and protocol to a whole different level.

"Admiral," she said as she readjusted the front of her uniform, forcing the rolls of fabric to be pulled tight over her round stomach. "What brings you to the station?"     

[TRell]

[Puzzles - Bar]

Lea knew that Seamus wouldn't be too far behind her as she made her way towards the main Bar and soon spotted T'Rell standing there. " Hi T'Rell its good to see you " she said as she approached " If you like we can sit at one of the tables and I'll have Seamus bring us over some drinks ?".

[Puzzles]

The room was much quieter than it had been on her last visit and for that T'Rell was glad, as soon a Seamus left to fill the drink order T'Rell pushed the small book across "This was given to me by my mother, transcribed and translated by my Grandmother, all in the hope that i would learn to cook and not rely on Federation replicators..." she shrugged "...that isn't going to happen, you expressed an interest and would make much better use of this than me" she said turning it the right way up before she released the book, "I have marked a few choice options" she finished, most Federation races put a lot of stock in the sentimental value of objects and this could cause them to refuse gifts such as these without explanation.

"don't worry about where it came from i still have my Grandmothers recipes in original Caitian and I'm certain my Grandmother would rather the book be used than sit on my book shelf gathering dust" she gave Lea a smile her tail flicking nervously back and forward behind her.  Seamus returned with their drinks placing a glass of Iced Tea in front of the Caitian, she mumbled her thanks and pulled the glass closer towards her. Once he had again moved off T'Rell nodded at the book still sat in front of Lea "It would be good to have some home cooking again, you may need to make a few changes for non caitian tastes though, cooking the meat for them would be a start"

[Puzzles]

Aryn window shopped for an hour, picking up items and replacing them, unable to make any decisions. Finally entering Puzzles, she went straight to the bar. Can I get a...pomegranate juice? she asked the bartender. While she waited, Aryn looked around the bar and noticed Lea and T'Rell at a table. She hadn't had much opportunity to interact with the Caitian. Aryn raised a hand and waved, but made no move in their direction, not wanting to interrupt.

Seeing the Lieutenant wave at them T'Rell gave a smile and waved her over indicating an empty chair "Come join us please" she called out to her.

[Xander Dorset]

[Secure Science Lab]

Xander cursed under his breath and heaved a kick at the console in front of him - only to wince and release another string of colourful language as he hobbled back over to the other side of the lab. He checked the sensor monitoring the conditions in the tanks, and temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels all read within the accepted range. Still. He couldn't monitor anything else, run any new scans or tests, or even enter any data until the damn thing was fixed.

Scowling, Xander tapped his commbadge and barked, "Lieutenant Xander Dorset to Engineering. Can you send someone competent over to Sciences to fix the consoles in my lab? Preferably sooner rather than later. I'm in the Secure Lab, and in the middle of a time-sensitive experiment."

The nearest waterbear swam over and butted its head against Xander's shoulder, leaving and oddly-shaped wet spot on his sleeve, but also making his expression soften slightly. "Okay, okay," he admitted to the beast, "It's not that time sensitive - but now they're motivated to do their job faster, aren't they?" He scratched the waterbear under what appeared to pass as it'd chin and crooned, "Don't worry, we'll get you all taken care of soon."

[Aryn Corliss]

[Later - Sickbay to CMO's Office]

Felicity breezed into Sickbay and spied the nurse who had summoned her straight away. She slowed her pace a little, her eyebrow quirking in an unspoken question. Without opening her mouth, the nurse gestured toward her office with a nod of her head, and followed it up quickly with a shrug of her shoulders. Felicity picked up her stride again and entered her office, where her curious gaze fell on the Klingon cadet.

"Good morning," she greeted pleasantly as she approached the mystery guest with her hand extended for him to shake. "Felicity Ellis. You asked for me, Mr...?"

[NPC Post - Dihiq]
[Sickbay]
As he was known to do around more powerful presences, but especially powerful women (who reminded him of his domineering mother), Dihiq lost what little confidence he had. Flick wasn't particularly intimidating, unlike Judy (by demeanor) or the young Klingon's mother (by demeanor and physique), but she exuded confidence, and that was bad enough. Dihiq's stutter was back.
"D-d-dihiq, ma'am. D-dihiq son of K-kroka."
When Dihiq stepped into the office, his brain decided that the counseling session was on, and just dumped words. Gone was the stutter, along with much of his control over the words coming out of his mouth.
"I've been having a lot of issues lately, ever since I took on an internship post under the Wicked Witch of the Eastman. She's completely crazy, and mean, and it aggravates all my traumas, and I can't put up with it, but I put up with it anyway because the alternative is to not put up with it and that means going back to my classes and getting a note on my record and maybe even not graduating in four years which will anger my mother. So I stay with the witch. And the witch is mean. Every time she goes to visit a lab, she tells me to get her lab coat. And when she comes back, she just drops it on me. Sometimes she drops it on my face. It smells like her beauty products, and sometimes like toxic chemicals. I don't like it. She has terrible taste in perfumes and chemicals. The witch also drinks coffee, so much coffee. She drinks 15 shots of espresso some days. She says Voltaire, whoever he was, drank 80 and lived to be 50, or maybe the other way around, so it's all OK, but I think it's bad for her. She also makes me do paperwork, lots of paperwork, nasty paperwork. I don't like paperwork. She's very scary, too, like all witches. I don't know why. She's very scary. I'm always so scared around her and it's scary. I can't keep up with it. She always wants me to do more stuff and I just can't keep up with her. It's so bad, I once tried to kill the witch, but she was so unimpressed she didn't even press charges. They didn't put it on any records, because the witch thought I was too pathetic to have charges pressed. I don't know what to do, or if to do something. It's all very stressful and hard for me."