Columbus Stories 1.5 - A Party to Remember

[Xander Dorset]

[Personal Quarters]

It wasn't the first time Felicity had felt slow that day, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She stared back at Xander, recognising the expectant expression and watching the way his eyes glanced down at where Tjuv was making himself at home. "Me!?" She finally blurted out, feeling disbelief until he expanded a little for her.

By the time he declared Tjuv far superior to flowers, the blush on her cheeks was in full bloom. You deserve that... A little. She told herself, caught off-guard by the gesture. She'd barged in, making all kinds of demands and accusations based on assumptions, all while the cactus had actually bloomed and he'd arranged a gift, and even declared it superior to what Edair had. Instead of feeling placated, she was suitably chagrined.

"I'd agree with that," she said quietly, and with a bashful smile as she carefully avoided Xander's eyes by looking down her cleavage. So you can agree, after all. Feeling totally off-balance and unused to the too-nice conversation, Felicity posed a question to her new roommate. "What do you think, Tjuv? Would you like to come and stay with me in my place instead of here?"

And though she was talking to the ferret, her eyes suddenly flashed back up to meet Xander's, an unmistakable, cheeky glint in them as she added in a stage whisper, "Mine's bigger."

[Personal Quarters - Xander Dorset]

Xander smirked as he caught sight of the blush on Felicity's face. He had been hoping for a reaction like that. What she did next, however, was completely unexpected. "You're agreeing with me?" His jaw dropped open for a split second before his mouth closed again, this time in a genuine smile. "I think that's the first time you've ever done that," he said in a voice much softer than his previous shocked outburst. And within seconds the moment was over. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, stepping forward to place the back of his hand on her forehead in jest.

He shouldn't have worried. Seconds later, and she was already back to her cheeky self. "You just had to make this a size competition, didn't you?" He shook his head as if he were dealing with a child. "Well, yours may be bigger, but mine comes with a view," he said, twirling in place with an easy confidence as he lifted his arms out to the side. "Besides," he continued as he moved over to his bed, lounging on it with an easy grace, "This place is already spacious in comparison to my quarters pre-promotion. Any bigger and I'd feel lonely, surrounded by all that extra space."

He fished under the bed and pulled out a box, reaching inside to pull out a bottle of something. "Shall we drink to us? A celebration for our promotions and your new... Tjuv." He stood up again and walked back over to where Felicity stood with the ferret still in her shirt, then started fishing around in the cabinet behind her, looking for glasses. Finding them, he turned around and offered her one, before pausing and asking, "Unless you have somewhere to be?"

[Naira]

[Observation Lounge]

Leanna smiled at the Captain's response to her costume glad that there hadn't been any issue now that she had explained what she had chosen to be. " I wasn't either until Ariana was given a copy when she was younger" she replied before the Captain mentioned having someone look into what happened since Lea had told her that the blackout and apparition weren't part of the entertainment.

" That sounds good to me Captain" she said in agreement as the Captain then called out to the little AI and Lea smiled again when she approached looking adorable in her costume. Although the Betazoid knew if anything was amiss that Analyn would soon be able to tell them.

However when she told them that there wasn't a problem the mystery only deepened as she watched the little AI run off and rejoin the party.

Giving the Captain her full attention as she suggested that they discreetly look into it without alarming anyone and the Bar Owner agreed as that was the last thing they wanted.

" I agree Captain and I'm happy to help with looking into it ".

[Observation Lounge]

Aryn made herself be patient as she waited for the scan results, but absently drummed her fingers on her folded arm anyway.  Yes, do so. Keep me informed,  Aryn said in response to the report.

Hurrying over to Naira and Lea, Aryn tapped the captain lightly on the arm to get her attention. She gave one brief sideways look at Lea, wondering what she was dressed as, then said quietly to the captain, Ops reports an odd power fluctuation. They're checking with Engineering.

Any further orders? I can get a tricorder and do a close scan of the room.

Aryn wasn't sure it was anything important or problematic, but she felt it prudent to check into anything odd at any rate. After some of the things that had happened aboard the station, there was no such thing as being too cautious.

[NPC - Dr. Chief Kece Lunn - Observation Lounge]

"Quite ominous, wasn't it?" Kece asked of a nearby couple, the one visible eyebrow on his face wriggling along in concert with his bombastic tone. "Uncomplicated, yet classic. Imposing in its simplicity, wouldn't you agree?" Lunn did not need any response from the pair, who were looking at each other with naked confusion. He just wanted to speak, even if he did sound as though he'd swallowed a thesaurus. "Now, further refreshments are in order!"

He rubbed his gloved hands together with delight, before carefully selecting several of those cucumber sandwich fingers, which were his favourites. It was while he added them to a tasteful pile on his plate (one should never appear greedy at such events, it was an insult to the host) that he slowly began to realise there had been a distinct change to the atmosphere of the room. He was delicately nibbling on one of the finger delights as he scanned the Lounge, trying to figure out the source of the sudden apprehension.

Plate still in hand, he made his way over to a small group that contained Captain Naira, Ms. Mazal and the young woman he believed to be Lieutenant Corliss, Dr. Trenzal's significant other. "A good evening to you lovely ladies!" He greeted as he approached, just after Aryn mentioned an odd power fluctuation. He held out his plate. "Hors d'oeuvre? So. That wasn't part of the show, after all? Shame." A few heads turned toward their group at the sound of his voice, though the sound of the band might have drowned out the important parts. Fearful that he wasn't being heard, Lunn of course raised his voice.

"I have my medical tricorder here dear," he offered to Aryn, "If you'd like to scan for the source of our 'apparition'. I never leave home without it."

[Observation Lounge]

Naira had been in the middle of nodding in agreement with the suggestion the lieutenant had to scan the area, when Dr. Lunn had to make his dramatic entrance to the small group, drawing more attention than she had been hoping to receive. Then, he had to go and further raise his voice because loudly proclaiming the an unexpected occurrence once wasn't bad enough. She was glad it was dark in the room when she rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Doctor." She turned her attention away from the man for a moment to return to the lieutenant. "If the two of you would like to take further scans of the area and look for anything out of the ordinary, please do so."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a handful of individuals had ceased their merriment in favor of staring at the group and trading hushed whispers amongst themselves. She further lowered her own voice as she turned away from some of the onlookers and that was when she noticed the unmistakable figure of the Tholian in his custom-made environmental suit. While strange apparitions seemed to be a far stretch from his area of expertise, she figured enlisting the help of the specialist couldn't be any less helpful than asking anyone else at the party.

[Observation Deck]

Nearly half an hour later (Volskene had difficulty with the alien layout of the base), the Tholian finally came upon the destination given in the invitation. What he saw nearly made him drop his PADD in a multicoloured flash of surprise, slowly fading to a dull annoyance. Humanoids everywhere, but in the most absolutely inane, ridiculous assortment of garments that Volskene had ever laid eyespots upon. Even stranger than their usual wear! There seemed to be some sort of cacophonous racket coming from.. somewhere. It felt like his carapace would crack from it. His crystalline form dimmed slightly, as he fought to contain himself. More explanations would be in order, as soon as he could find somebody willing to give them...

"If you find an engineer willing to look into this," she spoke with the bar owner, "I'm going to go see if our resident Tholian might have any ideas as to what that thing was."

Making her way across the room, Naira came to stand before the insectoid suit. While she had heard stories and read reports concerning the alien living and working aboard the station, this was the first time she come to find herself face to face with him. The glowing figure behind the foggy mask was strange and frightening in his own right, more so than whatever that thing was that they had just seen, but she didn't let that deter her.

"Specialist, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She swallowed hard and forced a smile upon her face. "I don't want to distract you from the party, but I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something real quick?"   

[Leanna Mazal]

[NPC - Dr. Chief Kece Lunn - Observation Lounge]
Plate still in hand, he made his way over to a small group that contained Captain Naira, Ms. Mazal and the young woman he believed to be Lieutenant Corliss, Dr. Trenzal's significant other. "A good evening to you lovely ladies!" He greeted as he approached, just after Aryn mentioned an odd power fluctuation. He held out his plate. "Hors d'oeuvre? So. That wasn't part of the show, after all? Shame." A few heads turned toward their group at the sound of his voice, though the sound of the band might have drowned out the important parts. Fearful that he wasn't being heard, Lunn of course raised his voice.

"I have my medical tricorder here dear," he offered to Aryn, "If you'd like to scan for the source of our 'apparition'. I never leave home without it."

[Observation Lounge]

"If you find an engineer willing to look into this," she spoke with the bar owner, "I'm going to go see if our resident Tholian might have any ideas as to what that thing was."

[Observation Lounge]

Lea smiled and acknowledged Aryn when she walked over to her and Naira and informed them about what Ops had picked up regarding the power surge and that Engineering had been asked to look into it before suggesting that she scan the room. The Bar Owner was fully behind the need for an investigation, however their plans for keeping it quiet were almost scuppered when Dr Lunn approached them and began talking loudly about how the loss of power and apparition wasn't part of the entertainment and that it was a shame.

Lea kept her thoughts to herself regarding his comment knowing that he meant well especially when he then offered Aryn the use of his tricorder. She also couldn't help but notice people looking in their direction and hoped that they would go back to enjoying themselves without any further questions.

Making a mental note to have extra drinks sent over and to warn her staff to redirect any queries or concerns to her, Leanna returned her attention to the group as the Captain began issuing orders.

When she then spoke to Lea about finding an Engineer to look into it whilst she spoke to Volskene, Lea hadn't seen the specialist arrive but soon saw him amongst the crowd. " Okay and if I do find one I'll let you know Captain" she said before Naira walked over to the Tholian.

Deciding to seek out Lyric, the Betazoid left the small group and spoke with some of her staff as she walked across the room to where she had left the Changeling with Gates and Rixxy hoping they were still there.

" Lyric, can I talk to you privately?" she said quietly as she spotted them and walked over.

[Felicity Ellis]

[Personal Quarters - Xander Dorset]

Xander smirked as he caught sight of the blush on Felicity's face. He had been hoping for a reaction like that. What she did next, however, was completely unexpected. "You're agreeing with me?" His jaw dropped open for a split second before his mouth closed again, this time in a genuine smile. "I think that's the first time you've ever done that," he said in a voice much softer than his previous shocked outburst. And within seconds the moment was over. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, stepping forward to place the back of his hand on her forehead in jest.

He shouldn't have worried. Seconds later, and she was already back to her cheeky self. "You just had to make this a size competition, didn't you?" He shook his head as if he were dealing with a child. "Well, yours may be bigger, but mine comes with a view," he said, twirling in place with an easy confidence as he lifted his arms out to the side. "Besides," he continued as he moved over to his bed, lounging on it with an easy grace, "This place is already spacious in comparison to my quarters pre-promotion. Any bigger and I'd feel lonely, surrounded by all that extra space."

He fished under the bed and pulled out a box, reaching inside to pull out a bottle of something. "Shall we drink to us? A celebration for our promotions and your new... Tjuv." He stood up again and walked back over to where Felicity stood with the ferret still in her shirt, then started fishing around in the cabinet behind her, looking for glasses. Finding them, he turned around and offered her one, before pausing and asking, "Unless you have somewhere to be?"

[Personal Quarters]

She rolled her eyes at him when he stepped forward to test her temperature. Don't get used to it, she thought, though when he smiled like that it was definitely hard not to return it. "Everything is a competition Xander, you know that," she proclaimed, looking at him then like he was the sickly one. An eyebrow cocked with interest at his preening, and she was ready to concede that the view wasn't bad, until he belittled her glorious extra space and declared that he'd be lonely surrounded by it. It was an unexpected thing to hear, and she watched him with renewed interest, turning on the spot slowly as she followed his movements around the room.

"Even with me liable to barge in unannounced and uninvited? I suppose you could always take a look in the mirror at that view of yours should you ever get too lonely." She bit back a chuckle and smirked, pleased with herself as she peeked back down at Tjuv, who was beginning to squirm a little. She stubbornly ignored that niggling voice inside her head that liked to remind her of just how uncomfortable that same view made her sometimes.

She craned her neck a little, very interested in what the bottle was exactly. Bottles that came out of a box were usually good bottles. She turned in place again and didn't hesitate to reach out with her free hand for the glass he was offering. "Technically, we both do," she told him archly, though she had abandoned all notions of escape herself. "The party in the Observation Lounge for Adeyemi's return. Plus, it's apparently Halloween." For a moment, she wondered where she'd thrown her dress uniform in that earlier fit of pique. Then she decided she didn't care.

She stepped backward and lowered herself to the floor, back pressed up against the end of Xander's bed. She stretched her legs out before her and patted the ground beside her, grin turning very brazen. "Got time for one. Or two." From inside her shirt Tjuv was making a chattering noise, displeased at her moving and displacing him. Seemingly ever restless, he popped out and half-draped himself across her, reaching for her commbadge, which he gave a curious bite, looking very reminiscent of a Ferengi testing a strip of latinum.

[Aryn Corliss]

[Observation Lounge]

Naira had been in the middle of nodding in agreement with the suggestion the lieutenant had to scan the area, when Dr. Lunn had to make his dramatic entrance to the small group, drawing more attention than she had been hoping to receive. Then, he had to go and further raise his voice because loudly proclaiming the an unexpected occurrence once wasn't bad enough. She was glad it was dark in the room when she rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Doctor." She turned her attention away from the man for a moment to return to the lieutenant. "If the two of you would like to take further scans of the area and look for anything out of the ordinary, please do so."

[Observation Lounge]

Aryn stepped toward Lunn with a smile, attempting to maintain an easy manner so as not to alarm any of the party guests. Thank you for your offer of assistance, Doctor. If I may see the tricorder? I'll need to recalibrate it to scan for energy signatures instead of life signs.

Once Lunn had handed over the device, Aryn continued speaking quietly as she performed the necessary adjustments. I think we'll quarter the room and scan the entire lounge, rather than focusing just on where the apparition appeared. Get a better profile of things and make sure nothing is missed.

There, she said. We're ready to go.

Aryn led the way to one side of the room and began scanning, getting a reading from each part of the lounge before returning to the captain's side to deliver the results.

[Christopher McIntyre]

[Ops Center]

Ensign Jacobs pulled up the data and ordered a scan of the Observation Lounge from her console in the Ops Center. With half the staff off duty enjoying the holiday festivities, someone had to pull the short straw and stay behind. Just because there was a party going on didn't mean that the day to day, bustling activity of the station would take a day off. Shipments still needed to come in and go out, visitors still had travel arrangements and Starfleet still had obligations in the region.

Ops was coordinating with flights, but otherwise, until the Chief checked in, things had been quiet. The ensign had been tapping her foot on the floor, impatiently counting down the minutes until the next shift change. She had been planning out and putting together her costume for the last week, her new friends on the station had invited her to a party and she ended up having to pull a shift. As it stood, she'd have just enough time to change and do her makeup after she got off that she could hit the party before midnight.

The computer beeped with the results of the scan.

There had been a momentary power fluctuation, though she couldn't find any easily identifiable error or system failure to indicate a cause. Hmmm...odd, she thought.

Lieutenant, I seem to be reading an odd power fluctuation having just occurred in the Lounge, but I can't seem to find a cause and everything seems to be reading as it should right now. I'm going to contact Engineering to see if they can look into it.

Tapping her commbage, Jacobs put out the call, This is Ensign Jabos to Engineering, can I get someone to look into a recent power fluctuation in the Observation Lounge? I got a report of a 'strange energy event' and a blackout.

[Engineering]

Chris put the lid back on his flask and removed his feet from the console when the call came to Engineering.

=A= McIntyre here. I see no reason why we can't missy. Might take me some time to get around but I will certainly do what I can. McIntyre Out =A=

Standing up from his chair, he grabbed his cane and slowly made his way across the deck to a diagnostic station. He muttered to himself as his cane tap against the metal.

"These people up in Ops think they are all high and might don't they! Ain't it their job to chase these bloody ghosts. I mean if I knew that being in Ops meant sitting on my backside faffin' about I would've signed up for that instead of this waste of my time."

His mutterances stopped by the time he had completed the trip to the diagnostic station.

=A= McIntyre to Ops. I'm checking the readings now and apart from the increased draw to accommodate the party, only minor drops in power but I doubt enough to reduce a room to darkness. Now if you want me to conduct an onsite reading, I can do that or I can stay down here and work engineering magic to make sure it doesn't happen again. Your call. =A=

[Felicity Ellis]

[Observation Lounge]

"Thank you, Doctor." She turned her attention away from the man for a moment to return to the lieutenant. "If the two of you would like to take further scans of the area and look for anything out of the ordinary, please do so."

[Observation Lounge]

Aryn stepped toward Lunn with a smile, attempting to maintain an easy manner so as not to alarm any of the party guests. Thank you for your offer of assistance, Doctor. If I may see the tricorder? I'll need to recalibrate it to scan for energy signatures instead of life signs.

Once Lunn had handed over the device, Aryn continued speaking quietly as she performed the necessary adjustments. I think we'll quarter the room and scan the entire lounge, rather than focusing just on where the apparition appeared. Get a better profile of things and make sure nothing is missed.

There, she said. We're ready to go.

Aryn led the way to one side of the room and began scanning, getting a reading from each part of the lounge before returning to the captain's side to deliver the results.

[NPC - Dr. Chief Kece Lunn - Observation Lounge]

"Of course, Captain!" He responded with a flourish, swishing his cloak backward as he stepped forward and brandished the tricorder. Sharp eyes narrowed through the dimmed light to watch Lieutenant Corliss re-calibrate his trusty tricorder. With talk of life signs and energy signatures, he found himself musing aloud. "Surely such things should be handled by the Science department?" He noted then that Naira had approached the Tholian, who he believed had something to do with the sciences.

He dutifully followed Aryn as she led them around the Lounge in a logical, organised pattern. He took the opportunity to greet a few party-goers he recognised as they passed, offering some of them a finger sandwich from the plate he was carrying around like a tray. "Just some technical difficulties, we'll be resuming revelries soon, I personally guarantee it! Have an hors d'oeuvre!" Kece didn't want to spend the night in the dark, where nobody could see him or admire his costume.

"This is all a little irregular, isn't it?" He asked Aryn as they returned to the Captain to report the results of her scans. His voice was a little more subdued this time. "It's probably just a problem with the holoemittors, surely?" Chief Lunn didn't enjoy the alternative, as deliciously dramatic as that would be.

[Volskene]

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a handful of individuals had ceased their merriment in favor of staring at the group and trading hushed whispers amongst themselves. She further lowered her own voice as she turned away from some of the onlookers and that was when she noticed the unmistakable figure of the Tholian in his custom-made environmental suit. While strange apparitions seemed to be a far stretch from his area of expertise, she figured enlisting the help of the specialist couldn't be any less helpful than asking anyone else at the party.

"If you find an engineer willing to look into this," she spoke with the bar owner, "I'm going to go see if our resident Tholian might have any ideas as to what that thing was."

Making her way across the room, Naira came to stand before the insectoid suit. While she had heard stories and read reports concerning the alien living and working aboard the station, this was the first time she come to find herself face to face with him. The glowing figure behind the foggy mask was strange and frightening in his own right, more so than whatever that thing was that they had just seen, but she didn't let that deter her.

"Specialist, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She swallowed hard and forced a smile upon her face. "I don't want to distract you from the party, but I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something real quick?"

Volskene found his sudden and very deep annoyed concentration broken by the appearance of a humanoid whom the Tholian had (to his knowledge) never encountered on the station. His gaze met the stranger's, and one thread shot through his thoughtspace with a sharp report: Orion. Of all the humanoid species, the Tholian found his distrust of Orions to be among the greatest. Perhaps it was because they were most recognizable, or perhaps it was due to their Quadrant-wide reputation as a band of brigands and slavers. No matter what it was, the Tholian found that his two hind legs stepped back ever so slightly. His eye spots focused on the humanoid, who was, oddly enough, in a Federation uniform! Was it treachery? He had to find his contact; perhaps she would have the explanation (among the dozens of others he was still inspecting). The stranger hadn't drawn a weapon on Volskene, at the very least... so he played along.

"What is it?", his vocoded tone responded suspiciously. "I am expecting a contact who is disappointingly late."

[Naira]

[Engineering]

Chris put the lid back on his flask and removed his feet from the console when the call came to Engineering.

=A= McIntyre here. I see no reason why we can't missy. Might take me some time to get around but I will certainly do what I can. McIntyre Out =A=

Standing up from his chair, he grabbed his cane and slowly made his way across the deck to a diagnostic station. He muttered to himself as his cane tap against the metal.

"These people up in Ops think they are all high and might don't they! Ain't it their job to chase these bloody ghosts. I mean if I knew that being in Ops meant sitting on my backside faffin' about I would've signed up for that instead of this waste of my time."

His mutterances stopped by the time he had completed the trip to the diagnostic station.

=A= McIntyre to Ops. I'm checking the readings now and apart from the increased draw to accommodate the party, only minor drops in power but I doubt enough to reduce a room to darkness. Now if you want me to conduct an onsite reading, I can do that or I can stay down here and work engineering magic to make sure it doesn't happen again. Your call. =A=

[Ops Center]

"We don't want it to happen again!" The ensign's voice squeaked as it rose in pitch. "But maybe you should go check on it."=/\= The young woman mumbled to herself for a moment as she weighed her decision. Someone else, higher ranking should have been on duty so that they could make the call. She nervously chewed on the tips of her finger nails.

"The captain, a visiting admiral and most of the senior staff are up there, go check that they aren't having other problems." She was hesitant in her speech, ending her last statement in such a way that it could be either an order or a question.

[Observation Lounge]

Aryn stepped toward Lunn with a smile, attempting to maintain an easy manner so as not to alarm any of the party guests. Thank you for your offer of assistance, Doctor. If I may see the tricorder? I'll need to recalibrate it to scan for energy signatures instead of life signs.

Once Lunn had handed over the device, Aryn continued speaking quietly as she performed the necessary adjustments. I think we'll quarter the room and scan the entire lounge, rather than focusing just on where the apparition appeared. Get a better profile of things and make sure nothing is missed.

There, she said. We're ready to go.

Aryn led the way to one side of the room and began scanning, getting a reading from each part of the lounge before returning to the captain's side to deliver the results.

[NPC - Dr. Chief Kece Lunn - Observation Lounge]

"Of course, Captain!" He responded with a flourish, swishing his cloak backward as he stepped forward and brandished the tricorder. Sharp eyes narrowed through the dimmed light to watch Lieutenant Corliss re-calibrate his trusty tricorder. With talk of life signs and energy signatures, he found himself musing aloud. "Surely such things should be handled by the Science department?" He noted then that Naira had approached the Tholian, who he believed had something to do with the sciences.

He dutifully followed Aryn as she led them around the Lounge in a logical, organised pattern. He took the opportunity to greet a few party-goers he recognised as they passed, offering some of them a finger sandwich from the plate he was carrying around like a tray. "Just some technical difficulties, we'll be resuming revelries soon, I personally guarantee it! Have an hors d'oeuvre!" Kece didn't want to spend the night in the dark, where nobody could see him or admire his costume.

"This is all a little irregular, isn't it?" He asked Aryn as they returned to the Captain to report the results of her scans. His voice was a little more subdued this time. "It's probably just a problem with the holoemittors, surely?" Chief Lunn didn't enjoy the alternative, as deliciously dramatic as that would be.

[Observation Lounge]

Naira watched the Dr. Lunn and Lieutenant Corliss circle the perimeter of the room over the top of what might be considered one of the Tholian's shoulders. Knees? The pair didn't seem to draw too much attention, with the exception of Dr. Lunn stopping to socialize with every third person he encountered. When the two of them returned to her side, Naira nodded and leaned over to catch a glimpse of the tricorder the woman was still holding.

"Hmmm...I can't seem to make out most of what that's saying. Sorry I'm not an engineer or scientist." When Lunn brought up malfunctioning holoemitters as a possible cause, she shook her head. "That was my initial thought, but Analyn assures me that isn't the case."

Volskene found his sudden and very deep annoyed concentration broken by the appearance of a humanoid whom the Tholian had (to his knowledge) never encountered on the station. His gaze met the stranger's, and one thread shot through his thoughtspace with a sharp report: Orion. Of all the humanoid species, the Tholian found his distrust of Orions to be among the greatest. Perhaps it was because they were most recognizable, or perhaps it was due to their Quadrant-wide reputation as a band of brigands and slavers. No matter what it was, the Tholian found that his two hind legs stepped back ever so slightly. His eye spots focused on the humanoid, who was, oddly enough, in a Federation uniform! Was it treachery? He had to find his contact; perhaps she would have the explanation (among the dozens of others he was still inspecting). The stranger hadn't drawn a weapon on Volskene, at the very least... so he played along.

"What is it?", his vocoded tone responded suspiciously. "I am expecting a contact who is disappointingly late."

Meanwhile, the Tholian seemed to have backed up while Naira was conversing with the others. The space between them had grown in the few moments she had taken her eyes off of him. He was staring down at her in the most unsettling of ways. She tried to shake it off.

Perhaps it was some sort of glitch in the universal translator, but the specialist almost sounded annoyed to be asked for help. 'Contact' was also an odd word to describe someone. A friend, partner, or acquaintance were normal, but a 'contact' more often than not was involved in some sort of illicit or otherwise illegal activity. She was going to have to keep an eye on this one.

"Specialist, would you mind having a look at these readings and seeing if you could make sense of them. I'm sure we could help you find your missing 'contact,' in the meantime. Does your friend have a name?"

[Naira]

[Observation Lounge]

The light overhead flickered, the ambient temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees with another flash, several translucent figures appeared amongst the party goers. Like the first figure, this group didn't appear to take notice of those dressed in costumes and socializing around them.

A man dressed in a Starfleet uniform looked as if he was reaching into a wall, pulling out pieces visible only to himself. Two other beings seemed to be deep in conversation in the center of the room. Yet, another brandished a phaser as he ducked behind a support beam. Most however seemed to either occupied by either staring out the viewports encompassing the curricular room or tracing a pattern around the room.

"What's going on here?" Naira asked as the room drew quiet and all eyes seemed to be drawn to unusual sight.

[Leanna Mazal]

[Observation Lounge]

The light overhead flickered, the ambient temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees with another flash, several translucent figures appeared amongst the party goers. Like the first figure, this group didn't appear to take notice of those dressed in costumes and socializing around them.

A man dressed in a Starfleet uniform looked as if he was reaching into a wall, pulling out pieces visible only to himself. Two other beings seemed to be deep in conversation in the center of the room. Yet, another brandished a phaser as he ducked behind a support beam. Most however seemed to either occupied by either staring out the viewports encompassing the curricular room or tracing a pattern around the room.

"What's going on here?" Naira asked as the room drew quiet and all eyes seemed to be drawn to unusual sight.

[Observation Lounge]

Lea never got the chance to speak to Lyric fully as the lights began to flicker once more and the temperature dropped by a few degrees, enough to feel the chill. But that was nothing compared to the sudden appearance of several figures which seemed to draw the entire attention of those present including the band who stopped playing.

Watching in disbelief and concern at the way they seemed to move around the room or look out the windows as well as a couple talking to each other and one apparently removing something from a nearby panel. If they weren't so translucent and not concerned by the presence of the party attendees you would think that they belonged here and were simply going about their duty.

However that wasn't the case and the fear within the room began to creep up on the Betazoid, unsure as to how they could now keep this quiet or explain what was happening. Tearing herself away from the spectacle in front of her as she tried to think clearly before the Captain asked what was going on.

Moving away from Lyric and the others, Lea returned to Naira who was stood with Volskene, Lunn and Aryn. " Its as if we're watching ghosts Captain, ghosts who have been here before and going about their duty as if we're not here or if not ghosts then some kind of echo of another time " she suggested realising it didn't sound at all logical but that's the only explanation she could think of.

[Volskene]

Meanwhile, the Tholian seemed to have backed up while Naira was conversing with the others. The space between them had grown in the few moments she had taken her eyes off of him. He was staring down at her in the most unsettling of ways. She tried to shake it off.

Perhaps it was some sort of glitch in the universal translator, but the specialist almost sounded annoyed to be asked for help. 'Contact' was also an odd word to describe someone. A friend, partner, or acquaintance were normal, but a 'contact' more often than not was involved in some sort of illicit or otherwise illegal activity. She was going to have to keep an eye on this one.

"Specialist, would you mind having a look at these readings and seeing if you could make sense of them. I'm sure we could help you find your missing 'contact,' in the meantime. Does your friend have a name?"

Volskene stared for just a little while longer... Something felt suspicious.. Nevertheless, the Tholian was curious about these "readings", even if he proved unable to decipher them. Perhaps the base was being spied on in the service of Orion interests, and this was data that was gathered for some future assault. The muddled greys and browns clouding his thoughtspace with the feelings that he was veing deceived notwithstanding, Volskene demanded for the readings. "Give them to me", he spoke curtly. "My contact is the Primary Medical Castemember... who has inconceivably gained a ruling position within the command caste as well..." The Tholian's synthesized voice drifted off.

The temperature drop was imperceptible to Volskene, carefully climate-controlled and encased within his environmental suit, but he did see the change in light levels. His suspicion rising to fever pitches, the Tholian felt almost certain of some impending attack. He scurried into a corner of the lounge and positioned himself such that perhaps his form would simply be mistaken as a trinket, and jabbed his combadge.

"Primary Medical Ruling Castemember, your location?" 

[Aryn Corliss]

[Observation Lounge]

The light overhead flickered, the ambient temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees with another flash, several translucent figures appeared amongst the party goers. Like the first figure, this group didn't appear to take notice of those dressed in costumes and socializing around them.

A man dressed in a Starfleet uniform looked as if he was reaching into a wall, pulling out pieces visible only to himself. Two other beings seemed to be deep in conversation in the center of the room. Yet, another brandished a phaser as he ducked behind a support beam. Most however seemed to either occupied by either staring out the viewports encompassing the curricular room or tracing a pattern around the room.

"What's going on here?" Naira asked as the room drew quiet and all eyes seemed to be drawn to unusual sight.

[Observation Lounge]

As soon as the lights flickered, Aryn began scanning again, aiming the tricorder directly at one of the apparitions. Her face scrunched into a puzzled frown as she stared at the readings.

Volskene stared for just a little while longer... Something felt suspicious.. Nevertheless, the Tholian was curious about these "readings", even if he proved unable to decipher them. Perhaps the base was being spied on in the service of Orion interests, and this was data that was gathered for some future assault. The muddled greys and browns clouding his thoughtspace with the feelings that he was veing deceived notwithstanding, Volskene demanded for the readings. "Give them to me", he spoke curtly. "My contact is the Primary Medical Castemember... who has inconceivably gained a ruling position within the command caste as well..." The Tholian's synthesized voice drifted off.

The temperature drop was imperceptible to Volskene, carefully climate-controlled and encased within his environmental suit, but he did see the change in light levels. His suspicion rising to fever pitches, the Tholian felt almost certain of some impending attack. He scurried into a corner of the lounge and positioned himself such that perhaps his form would simply be mistaken as a trinket, and jabbed his combadge.

"Primary Medical Ruling Castemember, your location?" 

This is so strange. The tricorder is definitely picking up some kind of energy reading, but I've never seen anything like it before.

At the Tholian's demand, Aryn handed over the tricorder. Please, have a look. I hope you can make something of it.

Addressing the group that had congregated around the captain, she added, They almost seem like ghosts, but that's quite ridiculous.

Although...what do I know? I could have seen all manner of strange things and have no idea about them.

[Naira]

[Observation Lounge]

Lea never got the chance to speak to Lyric fully as the lights began to flicker once more and the temperature dropped by a few degrees, enough to feel the chill. But that was nothing compared to the sudden appearance of several figures which seemed to draw the entire attention of those present including the band who stopped playing.

Watching in disbelief and concern at the way they seemed to move around the room or look out the windows as well as a couple talking to each other and one apparently removing something from a nearby panel. If they weren't so translucent and not concerned by the presence of the party attendees you would think that they belonged here and were simply going about their duty.

However that wasn't the case and the fear within the room began to creep up on the Betazoid, unsure as to how they could now keep this quiet or explain what was happening. Tearing herself away from the spectacle in front of her as she tried to think clearly before the Captain asked what was going on.

Moving away from Lyric and the others, Lea returned to Naira who was stood with Volskene, Lunn and Aryn. " Its as if we're watching ghosts Captain, ghosts who have been here before and going about their duty as if we're not here or if not ghosts then some kind of echo of another time " she suggested realising it didn't sound at all logical but that's the only explanation she could think of.

[Observation Lounge]

As soon as the lights flickered, Aryn began scanning again, aiming the tricorder directly at one of the apparitions. Her face scrunched into a puzzled frown as she stared at the readings.

This is so strange. The tricorder is definitely picking up some kind of energy reading, but I've never seen anything like it before.

At the Tholian's demand, Aryn handed over the tricorder. Please, have a look. I hope you can make something of it.

Addressing the group that had congregated around the captain, she added, They almost seem like ghosts, but that's quite ridiculous.

Although...what do I know? I could have seen all manner of strange things and have no idea about them.

[Observation Lounge]

If there were bound to be ghosts anywhere on the station, this would have to be the place for it. In the short time that the station had been there, too many people had lost their lives in the Ops Center and the surrounding area. Twice it had been rebuilt, the wreckage replaced with new parts and life went back to normal. Seeing the figures seeming going about what might have been their daily tasks, assuming they were seeing some sort of glimpse into the station's past, reminded her of those they had lost.

Too many.

Naira was not a superstitions woman and she was more willing to believe that these figures, whatever they were, were more likely caused by whatever power fluctuation that caused the lights to flicker and the room to grown cold than she could accept that what she was seeing could in some way be former crew members returned from the dead. There had be some kind of logical explanation. Whatever it was, it escaped her.

What she did take notice of was the increased sense of panic in the room. The specialist had scurried away, nearly trying to press himself against a wall to get as far away from beings. The silence in the room was quickly replaced with the growing sounds of questions. 'What was going on?' 'Was this part of the party?' 'Were these ghosts?' 'Where did they come from?' 'What did they want?'

"We need to stop this," she directed the others. "The party ends now. Thank everyone for coming and escort them back to their quarters. I want the lounge locked off. Until further notice, if anyone asks, tell them the holoemitters were malfunctioning again. I'll have a team investigate this."

With any luck the ghosts would be gone by morning and while they wouldn't be forgotten, life would once again return to normal.

End of mission.