S:5 E:12 - Dominion Rising

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

The Challenger remained in orbit over Ferenginar. Once the Romulan secret database was no longer up for grabs, all the interested parties quickly dispersed back to their points of origin. As her own business with the Ferengi homeworld was also complete, the Challenger would have normally been on the long trip back to her usual assignment along the Neutral Zone.

However, a series of high priority encrypted messages had ordered Ian to standby for other Federation ships, to include the USS Discovery, to arrive. Since the ships that were in bound were all equipped with Quantum Slipstream Drives, there wasn't time for shore leave, thus Ian sat in his ready room writing his report regarding the encounter with the droid Dokan, Moogie Miga, and her son Yaga.

The report was taking longer than usual to write because Ian was having trouble focusing on the report as his mind was preoccupied with one nagging question. If the other ships they were waiting for all had Quantum Slipstream Drives, how would the Challenger fit into such a task force? While the Trailblazer was an amazing upgrade of the venerable Excelsior design, she didn't have the hullform for slipstream and thus couldn't be upgraded to use that technology.

Even the USS Voyager, a design two generations ahead of the Excelsior, couldn't handle the stresses of slipstream. Why anyone would include the Challenger in such a fast task force eluded Ian and that was causing the distraction that was interfering with his report.

"Riddles within bloody riddles, and I bloody hate riddles."

He growled as he returned to his report.

[Nira Said]

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

The reaction from the crew at standing by while waiting for slipstream-outfitted starships was certainly varied in Nira's eyes. She felt plenty of relief from some of the crew; she figured they knew about what was below on Ferenginar. From some others, she certainly felt bitterness at no shore leave. Of course, there was overall befuddlement at why starships outfitted with quantum slipstream drives were coming along with some ships that weren't, and then making for a rendezvous following in their wake.

Of course, the non-slipstream ships incoming, the Lirpa and the Eagle were due in less than an hour. From Nira's understanding, a Richard Litt is coming aboard after extended leave from the Challenger. But the Lirpa...? She saw from reports about the ship that it was previously assigned to Katra Station. What was it doing all the way out here away from Katra, via the Bajoran Wormhole?

She looked up as Captain Galloway muttered something. Nira nodded in sympathy; he wasn't happy at the prospect of being part of a fleet that included ships outfitted with slipstream drives. Still, she had an inkling, which was why she was looking over reports she had received from the USS Scott, one of the starships waiting with the Challenger, a Sutherland-class starship, which was also outfitted with slipstream technology. From her discussions with the Scott's commanding officer, Captain Montgomery James, she was getting a good idea and a stronger inkling, but with the coming of Admiral Gillespie, she was sure he was going to explain everything upon his arrival.

Finally, she set down the report and sent out checking assignments to the different departments to inspect systems, equipment, supplies and, in the case of Sec/Tac, arsenal and weapons. Particularly to Sec/Tac to see if armaments and arsenal will be ready for potential action. Then she stood and approached T'Prith at the Environmental Control station and asked, "How are things at your station?"  Once she got the reply, she approached McNair, at his station filling in for Commander Catalan, and said, "Status reports on ship systems, Lieutenant."

She looked briefly at the Helm and the science stations, where Lieutenants Randall and Savar were seated, both Commanders Sigurdsdottir and T'Lara once again being absent. She'll decide which station to stop by next after she spoke with McNair.

[T’prith]

[USS Challenger-bridge]

T'Prith was monitoring things at her station keeping a close eye out for anything that looks suspicious. She looked at the Lieutenant commander as she said "œeverything seems to look good so far here. I have been keeping a look out for anything that might seem out of sorts or suspicious." After she gave lieutenant commander Said the response she went back to attending to her station. If she saw anything unusual then she would make sure to tell the captain and the lieutenant commander immediately. She figured everything needed to be perfect and running smoothly for when the other ships arrive.

[Kina Nural]

[Sickbay / USS Challenger]

Normally, her mind would be focused on her work. Taking inventory and making certain that all medical equipment was accounted for and in proper working order was a simple task in of itself, one that she could complete quickly. However recently, she was found her mind wandering more and more. It was nice to be back on the ship, in her uniform, her hair loose and free, and performing her normal duties, but it didn't erase the events that happened not too long ago. Acting as a spy and operative on Ferenginar, dealing with Romulans and a supposed new secret organization, the shuttle ride back to the ship. In the last 72 hours, Kina has done so much that she felt like she was a member of the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau.

But her mind wasn't on those events. Her mind was on home. She thought about visiting the monument of Damar, the weekly games of Kotra with her father, seeing the few holoimages of her mother. What she wouldn't give to be able to go home to Cardassia and visit the sauna's of her home. The heat would feel so nice right now. Not that she had any complaints about being away from home. She had quickly adapted to life off Cardassia and was fairly certain her father would be less likely to deal with the lower temperatures.

She shook her head and came back to her senses. Right now was not the time to be thinking of home. Kina had a job to do. She focused back at her PADD and continued her work. Maybe the captain would allow her to make a transmission to Cardassia so she could speak to him, maybe even play a game of Kotra. That would be something that she would have to deal with when she was not on duty.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 5 - Luigi's Pizzeria]

With Ruth away, Lahr had no one to keep him in check with his drinking.  It was barely past breakfast and the Andorian was on his 2nd ale.  Lahr felt unfulfilled. His efforts on the Scimitar ship had been for naught.  The day had been saved by the bounty hunters of all people!  All he'd managed to do was out his cousin as a blackmarket arms distributor - and make himself look like a coward.  He was fortunate that Commander Said hadn't reprimanded him for not following her gestured orders and instead trying to go solo.

Only afterwards, had he learned that 'Yada Yada' Yaga had captured her just after she managed to destroy the core.   If the man had been faster, things could have been way different.  And that would have been on Lahr, for not doing as he was told.  He should have just followed orders. Been the proper peg to the whatever shaped hole.  Don't think. Just do as your told.

It was quiet in the shop. The store owner, Tony, was just now making the dough that would be used for the crust of tonights pizza's.  Fresh and authentic that was Tony's motto.  The former security crewman, ch'Verret, was easily one of his best customers, bringing in so many of his team mates to game and eat pizza, so when the Andorian asked if it was possible to have an ale or two in his shop, prior to opening, the Italian man had laughed and commented that he couldn't sell him any thing alcoholic before noon.  He wasn't licensed for that.  "But if you want to stop by and keep me company while I make the dough you are more than welcome to anything I have in my cooler."

Two ales later and Lahr was feeling melancholic.  He glanced around the store - his thoughts were reminiscent of the days when his work felt worthwhile. Back when he would come gaming here with Torra and Helga and the others.  Others like M'lenda...

Lahr took another swallow from the bottle emptying it and looked pensively at the cooler... where he knew there were more.

[Richard James Litt]

[USS Challenger · Deck 05 · Luigi's Pizzeria]

A year has passed since Litt was last aboard Challenger. He had to leave to take care of Sam, who was going through a lot of problems and needed the only living relative to take care of her. That year passed quickly and Sam recovered and decided that it would be better to return to Earth and have his life back, after his relationship with another officer of the fleet did not work out very well. And now Litt was there, back on the ship he missed so much, wondering when he would be able to reconnect with his old friends, use Captain Ian's holodeck program again, eat something at Luigi's"¦

At that moment, Litt was out of commission, and as he still didn't quite understand the new dynamics of the ship and where he was in all of it, he decided to walk through the ship. There was a huge smile on his face as he walked through each one of those corridors he knew well, it seemed that the images of the ship had never left his mind.

After walking for some time he stopped on deck 5. It was still quite early so he believed that he would not find the pizzeria open, but he was surprised to pass by the front and see that he was mistaken and that was good, because one of those who he most wanted to see was there.

Richard approached little by little, trying not to attract too much attention and as soon as he reached the door of the establishment he smiled before calling attention to himself. "You know it's a little early to be drinking that much, don't you?" He spoke in an amused tone to his friend.

[Nira Said]

[USS Challenger-bridge]

T'Prith was monitoring things at her station keeping a close eye out for anything that looks suspicious. She looked at the Lieutenant commander as she said "œeverything seems to look good so far here. I have been keeping a look out for anything that might seem out of sorts or suspicious." After she gave lieutenant commander Said the response she went back to attending to her station. If she saw anything unusual then she would make sure to tell the captain and the lieutenant commander immediately. She figured everything needed to be perfect and running smoothly for when the other ships arrive.

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

Nira had to raise an eyebrow in a semblance of a Vulcan at T'Prith's use of the word "suspicious." "Well, Ensign," she said, "I doubt there'd be anything suspicious about a discrepancy in the systems, but that's good of you to keep an eye out for any potential discrepancies."

After getting the report from Mister McNair, Nira had been about to check on the Science section when a beeping came to both command chairs. Nira stopped at her chair and pulled up a message.

"Sir," she said, pulling up the message first, "that was Captain Richards from the Eagle. They'll be arriving at Ferenginar sooner than expected and are at far enough transporter range that they've sent Lieutenant Litt over to us."

Calling the transporter room, the inquiry about Lieutenant Litt was from Mister Grelek, that he beamed aboard just a moment ago.

"Well, then," Nira said, looking at Captain Galloway. "I guess I better go find him and be the welcome wagon. Computer, locate Lieutenant Litt."

"Lieutenant Litt is at Luigi's Pizzeria."

Nira was silent for a moment. She blinked, gobsmacked by the reply.

"Sorry...Computer, can you repeat that?"

"Lieutenant Litt is at Luigi's Pizzeria."

"And.........where is Luigi's Pizzeria?"

"Luigi's Pizzeria is on Deck Five."

Nira's befuddlement only increased. Shrugging, she stood, but then turned back to Captain Galloway and said, "How many restaurants...scratch that, how many dining establishments are there on this ship?"

She did recall the lounges and mess hall, but the pizzeria was a first for her. She wasn't even aware there was a pizzeria on the ship at all; just one more thing she overlooked about the ship, and just one more indication of how the Challenger's size surprised Nira. In fact, even in the whole time since her posting as First Officer, the Challenger was still surprising her.

Shrugging, Nira added, "Well, the only reason we're not a flying city like a Galaxy or a Ross would be that we're not big enough."

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 5 - Luigi's Pizzeria]

With Ruth away, Lahr had no one to keep him in check with his drinking.  It was barely past breakfast and the Andorian was on his 2nd ale.  Lahr felt unfulfilled. His efforts on the Scimitar ship had been for naught.  The day had been saved by the bounty hunters of all people!  All he'd managed to do was out his cousin as a blackmarket arms distributor - and make himself look like a coward.  He was fortunate that Commander Said hadn't reprimanded him for not following her gestured orders and instead trying to go solo.

Only afterwards, had he learned that 'Yada Yada' Yaga had captured her just after she managed to destroy the core.   If the man had been faster, things could have been way different.  And that would have been on Lahr, for not doing as he was told.  He should have just followed orders. Been the proper peg to the whatever shaped hole.  Don't think. Just do as your told.

It was quiet in the shop. The store owner, Tony, was just now making the dough that would be used for the crust of tonights pizza's.  Fresh and authentic that was Tony's motto.  The former security crewman, ch'Verret, was easily one of his best customers, bringing in so many of his team mates to game and eat pizza, so when the Andorian asked if it was possible to have an ale or two in his shop, prior to opening, the Italian man had laughed and commented that he couldn't sell him any thing alcoholic before noon.  He wasn't licensed for that.  "But if you want to stop by and keep me company while I make the dough you are more than welcome to anything I have in my cooler."

Two ales later and Lahr was feeling melancholic.  He glanced around the store - his thoughts were reminiscent of the days when his work felt worthwhile. Back when he would come gaming here with Torra and Helga and the others.  Others like M'lenda...

Lahr took another swallow from the bottle emptying it and looked pensively at the cooler... where he knew there were more.

[USS Challenger · Deck 05 · Luigi's Pizzeria]

A year has passed since Litt was last aboard Challenger. He had to leave to take care of Sam, who was going through a lot of problems and needed the only living relative to take care of her. That year passed quickly and Sam recovered and decided that it would be better to return to Earth and have his life back, after his relationship with another officer of the fleet did not work out very well. And now Litt was there, back on the ship he missed so much, wondering when he would be able to reconnect with his old friends, use Captain Ian's holodeck program again, eat something at Luigi's"¦

At that moment, Litt was out of commission, and as he still didn't quite understand the new dynamics of the ship and where he was in all of it, he decided to walk through the ship. There was a huge smile on his face as he walked through each one of those corridors he knew well, it seemed that the images of the ship had never left his mind.

After walking for some time he stopped on deck 5. It was still quite early so he believed that he would not find the pizzeria open, but he was surprised to pass by the front and see that he was mistaken and that was good, because one of those who he most wanted to see was there.

Richard approached little by little, trying not to attract too much attention and as soon as he reached the door of the establishment he smiled before calling attention to himself. "You know it's a little early to be drinking that much, don't you?" He spoke in an amused tone to his friend.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Luigi's Pizzeria | Deck Five | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira just walked right in and instantly assumed she had been transported to another place...maybe even another time.

It wasn't just a restaurant, it was also some kind of arcade. Nira knew what an arcade was, but she was never much of a gamer. Well...only with one exception. She was more partial to one particular game series...

She looked at the selection of games for a moment. Naturally, there was a huge database focused on popular Nintendo titles, but she was looking for one in particular...and she found her series of choice, the series around Shantae the Genie. Nira was first introduced to it when she was just a tween, but as she grew older, from her teens all the way into young adulthood, she tended to favor playing Shantae the Genie on the holodeck. Mostly for dance scenarios...

Nira shook herself from the nostalgia, remembering why she was here. She looked around and found two people at the bar. She recognized one of them at once, and she'd know that particular Andorian, but it was the man next to him...

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Litt?" she asked.

She got a good look at his face. Wow, so handsome and he looked like he stepped out of a Scheherazade story.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Said, the Challenger's current First Officer," said Nira, introducing herself. "I wanted you to welcome back. I understand it's been a year since you served aboard the Challenger..."

She looked over at Lahr. It should've dawned on her why he was there, judging from his body language as she approached him, but seeing the drink confirmed it.

"Chief ch'Verret? This early in the morning? You know you have your morning duties..."

She looked him over in concern, seeing his body language, but then she gave him a comforting smile.

"You know, Lahr, you're one of the best engineers we have here," she said. "We'd still be stranded on that Ferengi-commandeered dreadnought if you didn't disable the transport inhibitors. Chances are, the bounty hunters would've eventually taken us hostage or sent us to slavery if they were still online. Sometimes luck tends to obstruct us."

Then she lowered her smile and her eyes hardened. If anything, facing an angry Tellarite like Commander Tharn would probably look better than see her cold eyes and the tone changing into disappointment.

"However, taking to drink when you have duties before you?" said Nira. "Especially at this hour?"

She took his tankard and said, "Honestly, you'll need to stop while you're ahead."

Then going back to her comforting expression, she said, "If you'd like me to, I'll talk to Commander Tharn about having to have a bit of time off for counseling with Counselor Mills."

She turned back to Litt and said, "My apologies, Lieutenant...and the bounty hunters...it's a long story..."

Looking around, she asked both Litt and Lahr, now thoroughly curious, "In any case, what is this place? I've never been to this particular establishment before."

She knew about pizzerias, but she was not a pizza person. Oh, she had pizza at times, she mostly preferred halal or kebab meat on her pizza of choice, and partook extremely rarely. Funnily enough, after a long time in a Shantae program of constant dancing, she replicated a whole pizza and consumed it entirely, but then afterward, she felt like she feeling the gravitational pull of a gas giant - comparing it to Jupiter was overkill, but a Neptune- or Uranus- sized gas giant sufficed - and that was the reason why she wasn't a pizza person.

[Buehler]

[Sickbay / USS Challenger]

Normally, her mind would be focused on her work. Taking inventory and making certain that all medical equipment was accounted for and in proper working order was a simple task in of itself, one that she could complete quickly. However recently, she was found her mind wandering more and more. It was nice to be back on the ship, in her uniform, her hair loose and free, and performing her normal duties, but it didn't erase the events that happened not too long ago. Acting as a spy and operative on Ferenginar, dealing with Romulans and a supposed new secret organization, the shuttle ride back to the ship. In the last 72 hours, Kina has done so much that she felt like she was a member of the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau.

But her mind wasn't on those events. Her mind was on home. She thought about visiting the monument of Damar, the weekly games of Kotra with her father, seeing the few holoimages of her mother. What she wouldn't give to be able to go home to Cardassia and visit the sauna's of her home. The heat would feel so nice right now. Not that she had any complaints about being away from home. She had quickly adapted to life off Cardassia and was fairly certain her father would be less likely to deal with the lower temperatures.

She shook her head and came back to her senses. Right now was not the time to be thinking of home. Kina had a job to do. She focused back at her PADD and continued her work. Maybe the captain would allow her to make a transmission to Cardassia so she could speak to him, maybe even play a game of Kotra. That would be something that she would have to deal with when she was not on duty.

[Sickbay]

After the hectic "œspy" mission on Ferrenginar, Evan relished the mundane task of inventory that allowed him to hyperfocus to the point of tuning everything else out. It was perhaps tedious, but at least it made sense. Inanimate objects had no hidden agenda, numbers did not lie. He was a doctor, and a damn good one at that, so hopefully that was his last foray into espionage... ever. Honestly, he couldn't remember half of what had happened. It was all a mess.

Soon, Evan reached the bottom of the page. After running a finger down the list to double check one more time, he mumbled, "œAlles sieht gut aus." No discrepancies, but they were running low on Alkysine and Trianoline. He jotted off a quick note to the chief before popping his head around the corner to check on Ensign Nural. "œAlles-- scheiÁŸ-- sorry," he groaned. "œMy brain got stuck in German for a moment. You doing alright?"

[Kina Nural]

[Sickbay]

After the hectic "œspy" mission on Ferrenginar, Evan relished the mundane task of inventory that allowed him to hyperfocus to the point of tuning everything else out. It was perhaps tedious, but at least it made sense. Inanimate objects had no hidden agenda, numbers did not lie. He was a doctor, and a damn good one at that, so hopefully that was his last foray into espionage... ever. Honestly, he couldn't remember half of what had happened. It was all a mess.

Soon, Evan reached the bottom of the page. After running a finger down the list to double check one more time, he mumbled, "œAlles sieht gut aus." No discrepancies, but they were running low on Alkysine and Trianoline. He jotted off a quick note to the chief before popping his head around the corner to check on Ensign Nural. "œAlles-- scheiÁŸ-- sorry," he groaned. "œMy brain got stuck in German for a moment. You doing alright?"

[Sickbay / USS Challenger]

Kina was so lost inside her own mind, she didn't fully realize she was spoken to for a full few seconds. She looked over at Buehler slightly confused as her mind quickly decrypted what he had said to her. "œHuh? Oh, nothing. I'm"¦.im fine, sir." She reviewed her notes quickly and sent off the requisition and maintenance requests.

She set the PADD down and was about to go onto her next duty, but she remained still. After a moment, she looked at him again. "œActually sir"¦"¦"¦I keep thinking about home. I didn't have any problems when I was at the academy. I guess"¦.after everything that happened on Ferenginar"¦.I find myself thinking more and more of my father. Do you think"¦.the captain would allow me to make a long distance transmission to Cardassia when we have a chance?"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 5 - Luigi's Pizzeria]

[USS Challenger · Deck 05 · Luigi's Pizzeria]

Richard approached little by little, trying not to attract too much attention and as soon as he reached the door of the establishment he smiled before calling attention to himself. "You know it's a little early to be drinking that much, don't you?" He spoke in an amused tone to his friend.

Lahr looked over at the voice.  It took a moment for the surprise to register.  "Litt! Dude, it's been far too long! Good to see you man.  How long's it been?  At least a year?  How've things been? I heard things hadn't been well with your Aunt.  I hope she's okay now..?"

Lahr recalled Litt's aunt. She had been one good looking woman.  Definitely not what the Andorian had first expected when the man had said he had an aunt visiting.  If Lahr hadn't been dating Ruth at the time, the Andorian was certain he would have hit on her.  Hell, he might had anyways.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Luigi's Pizzeria | Deck Five | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira just walked right in and instantly assumed she had been transported to another place...maybe even another time.

It wasn't just a restaurant, it was also some kind of arcade. Nira knew what an arcade was, but she was never much of a gamer. Well...only with one exception. She was more partial to one particular game series...

She looked at the selection of games for a moment. Naturally, there was a huge database focused on popular Nintendo titles, but she was looking for one in particular...and she found her series of choice, the series around Shantae the Genie. Nira was first introduced to it when she was just a tween, but as she grew older, from her teens all the way into young adulthood, she tended to favor playing Shantae the Genie on the holodeck. Mostly for dance scenarios...

Nira shook herself from the nostalgia, remembering why she was here. She looked around and found two people at the bar. She recognized one of them at once, and she'd know that particular Andorian, but it was the man next to him...

That the restaurant was technically closed should have meant that no one would enter, but Lahr didn't have that sort of luck because the next voice he heard was that of the Commander!  Roozh. The Andorian attempted to discreetly hide the two bottles of Andorian ale.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Litt?" she asked.

She got a good look at his face. Wow, so handsome and he looked like he stepped out of a Scheherazade story.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Said, the Challenger's current First Officer," said Nira, introducing herself. "I wanted you to welcome back. I understand it's been a year since you served aboard the Challenger..."

She looked over at Lahr. It should've dawned on her why he was there, judging from his body language as she approached him, but seeing the drink confirmed it.

"Chief ch'Verret? This early in the morning? You know you have your morning duties..."

She looked him over in concern, seeing his body language, but then she gave him a comforting smile.

"You know, Lahr, you're one of the best engineers we have here," she said. "We'd still be stranded on that Ferengi-commandeered dreadnought if you didn't disable the transport inhibitors. Chances are, the bounty hunters would've eventually taken us hostage or sent us to slavery if they were still online. Sometimes luck tends to obstruct us."

Then she lowered her smile and her eyes hardened. If anything, facing an angry Tellarite like Commander Tharn would probably look better than see her cold eyes and the tone changing into disappointment.

"However, taking to drink when you have duties before you?" said Nira. "Especially at this hour?"

She took his tankard and said, "Honestly, you'll need to stop while you're ahead."

Then going back to her comforting expression, she said, "If you'd like me to, I'll talk to Commander Tharn about having to have a bit of time off for counseling with Counselor Mills."

She turned back to Litt and said, "My apologies, Lieutenant...and the bounty hunters...it's a long story..."

Looking around, she asked both Litt and Lahr, now thoroughly curious, "In any case, what is this place? I've never been to this particular establishment before."

She knew about pizzerias, but she was not a pizza person. Oh, she had pizza at times, she mostly preferred halal or kebab meat on her pizza of choice, and partook extremely rarely. Funnily enough, after a long time in a Shantae program of constant dancing, she replicated a whole pizza and consumed it entirely, but then afterward, she felt like she feeling the gravitational pull of a gas giant - comparing it to Jupiter was overkill, but a Neptune- or Uranus- sized gas giant sufficed - and that was the reason why she wasn't a pizza person.

But, of course, the Commander had already seen the alcohol and felt compelled to berate him, and worse take his ale!  "Hey!? What the hell?!  It was empty but it was the principle of the act.  You don't take another person's alcohol unless you were looking for an argument, and Lahr was just inebriated enough to take offense and talk back.  "Give it a rest, will ya?  I switched shifts with Petty officer T'Roth so I'm not on duty until later this afternoon... which is why I'm drinking now.  Plenty of time to sober up or visit Sickbay for an anti-intoxicant shot before my shift."

But it was the Commander's 'helpful' threat to involve the counselor than brought his antennae back.  "I'm fine, Commander" he said tersely.  "I don't need a counselor.  This was the only decent opportunity for me to get in some downtime.  It's not like we're on mission at the moment."

[Richard James Litt]

[USS Challenger · Deck 05 · Luigi's Pizzeria]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 5 - Luigi's Pizzeria]

Lahr looked over at the voice.  It took a moment for the surprise to register.  "Litt! Dude, it's been far too long! Good to see you man.  How long's it been?  At least a year?  How've things been? I heard things hadn't been well with your Aunt.  I hope she's okay now..?"

Litt was really happy when saw his friend at that place. He remembered the last time they were there, playing games, eating pizzas, the good old times.

"Yeah"¦ Almost that?" He said smiling to him. "Well"¦ Sam is okay now, it was a hell of a year. But everything is good now"¦ There's no need to be worry. Aaaand she sent you a big hug."

He was about to keep chatting with Lahr when they were interrupted by Lieutenant Commander Said.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Luigi's Pizzeria | Deck Five | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]
"Excuse me, Lieutenant Litt?" she asked.

She got a good look at his face. Wow, so handsome and he looked like he stepped out of a Scheherazade story.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Said, the Challenger's current First Officer," said Nira, introducing herself. "I wanted you to welcome back. I understand it's been a year since you served aboard the Challenger..."

She looked over at Lahr. It should've dawned on her why he was there, judging from his body language as she approached him, but seeing the drink confirmed it.

Litt got fit quickly as he listened to what the woman was saying. "Nice to meet you ma'am, I'm really looking forward to working with you". He said to her in a formal manner and then paid attention to the small conversation she had with the Andorian.

"Chief ch'Verret? This early in the morning? You know you have your morning duties..."

She looked him over in concern, seeing his body language, but then she gave him a comforting smile.

"You know, Lahr, you're one of the best engineers we have here," she said. "We'd still be stranded on that Ferengi-commandeered dreadnought if you didn't disable the transport inhibitors. Chances are, the bounty hunters would've eventually taken us hostage or sent us to slavery if they were still online. Sometimes luck tends to obstruct us."

Then she lowered her smile and her eyes hardened. If anything, facing an angry Tellarite like Commander Tharn would probably look better than see her cold eyes and the tone changing into disappointment.

"However, taking to drink when you have duties before you?" said Nira. "Especially at this hour?"

She took his tankard and said, "Honestly, you'll need to stop while you're ahead."

Then going back to her comforting expression, she said, "If you'd like me to, I'll talk to Commander Tharn about having to have a bit of time off for counseling with Counselor Mills."

She turned back to Litt and said, "My apologies, Lieutenant...and the bounty hunters...it's a long story..."

Looking around, she asked both Litt and Lahr, now thoroughly curious, "In any case, what is this place? I've never been to this particular establishment before."

She knew about pizzerias, but she was not a pizza person. Oh, she had pizza at times, she mostly preferred halal or kebab meat on her pizza of choice, and partook extremely rarely. Funnily enough, after a long time in a Shantae program of constant dancing, she replicated a whole pizza and consumed it entirely, but then afterward, she felt like she feeling the gravitational pull of a gas giant - comparing it to Jupiter was overkill, but a Neptune- or Uranus- sized gas giant sufficed - and that was the reason why she wasn't a pizza person.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
But, of course, the Commander had already seen the alcohol and felt compelled to berate him, and worse take his ale!  "Hey!? What the hell?!  It was empty but it was the principle of the act.  You don't take another person's alcohol unless you were looking for an argument, and Lahr was just inebriated enough to take offense and talk back.  "Give it a rest, will ya?  I switched shifts with Petty officer T'Roth so I'm not on duty until later this afternoon... which is why I'm drinking now.  Plenty of time to sober up or visit Sickbay for an anti-intoxicant shot before my shift."

But it was the Commander's 'helpful' threat to involve the counselor than brought his antennae back.  "I'm fine, Commander" he said tersely.  "I don't need a counselor.  This was the only decent opportunity for me to get in some downtime.  It's not like we're on mission at the moment."

When she turn back to Litt and Lahr, the pilot took the chance to talk about that place.

"If I may say so, ma'am... This is the best pizzeria on the entire ship. Luigi loves to work the old-fashioned way. Good old-fashioned pizza that takes as long as it takes to cook". He said slightly excited, remembering that place. "And, to enhance the experience, you can sit back and play while you wait for your pizza to be ready".

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Gymnasium | Deck 3 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas was happy enough with what had resulted of the mission on Ferenginar. Sure, he would have enjoyed stepping over Gath, Cloten, Visa and company after he had defeated them, but all in all, he was pretty proud of what he had accomplished. To have destroyed the datacore of the Deepfake was a big win on his book. Romulan secrets were a dangerous endeavor, he thought, best eliminated to prevent them missused, or employed by the same Romulans that had collected them.

That is what went across Zhuk's mind as he ran on a threadmill, using his free time at the moment to keep honing his body for whatever mission laid ahead of him. By this point, he was panting as he did his best to keep up as the speed slowly increased, his legs aching under the duress he was placing them in. However, he knew that pushing himself to his limits was the best way that he could maintain effectiveness. Earlier, he had also made sure to do other types of excercises: push-ups, weights, abdominals, even had done some gymnastics to keep his agility and flexibility.

Becoming the best of the best was his goal, and he would be darned if he couldn't reach that peak efficiency that he sought. He did not want to be beaten by a Romulan assassin once more, and while he had been quick and nimble enough to defeat the Ferengi at the core, he had a hunch that some luck had played into it. It was likely that he would require every bit of muscle next time on an assigment. Or so he thought.

This also reminded him that it was important for him to also sharpen his mind and acting, the latter being the only thing that truly bothered him. That he had been seen under his disguise, and as a result, had compromised the mission. Things could have turned truly bad if the thugs had not acted, and he shuddered to think what his fate would have been.

His body burned up, and so, after a couple more meters on the counter, he decided to turn off the machine, sighing softly as his full sprint fell to a light trot, and then a speedy walk. It took little for the machine to turn off fully, and he turned, taking his nearby blue towel, and his drink, chugging it for a moment. He then proceeded to clean his face and neck, before heading off to take a bath. It had been a good training session, he supposed...

[Ian Galloway]

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

Nira had to raise an eyebrow in a semblance of a Vulcan at T'Prith's use of the word "suspicious." "Well, Ensign," she said, "I doubt there'd be anything suspicious about a discrepancy in the systems, but that's good of you to keep an eye out for any potential discrepancies."

After getting the report from Mister McNair, Nira had been about to check on the Science section when a beeping came to both command chairs. Nira stopped at her chair and pulled up a message.

"Sir," she said, pulling up the message first, "that was Captain Richards from the Eagle. They'll be arriving at Ferenginar sooner than expected and are at far enough transporter range that they've sent Lieutenant Litt over to us."

Calling the transporter room, the inquiry about Lieutenant Litt was from Mister Grelek, that he beamed aboard just a moment ago.

"Well, then," Nira said, looking at Captain Galloway. "I guess I better go find him and be the welcome wagon. Computer, locate Lieutenant Litt."

"Lieutenant Litt is at Luigi's Pizzeria."

Nira was silent for a moment. She blinked, gobsmacked by the reply.

"Sorry...Computer, can you repeat that?"

"Lieutenant Litt is at Luigi's Pizzeria."

"And.........where is Luigi's Pizzeria?"

"Luigi's Pizzeria is on Deck Five."

Nira's befuddlement only increased. Shrugging, she stood, but then turned back to Captain Galloway and said, "How many restaurants...scratch that, how many dining establishments are there on this ship?"

She did recall the lounges and mess hall, but the pizzeria was a first for her. She wasn't even aware there was a pizzeria on the ship at all; just one more thing she overlooked about the ship, and just one more indication of how the Challenger's size surprised Nira. In fact, even in the whole time since her posting as First Officer, the Challenger was still surprising her.

Shrugging, Nira added, "Well, the only reason we're not a flying city like a Galaxy or a Ross would be that we're not big enough."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian chuckled as he replied to Nira's rhetorical question.

"In addition ta the replicators in the mess halls, there are three kitchens aboard the Challenger countin' Luigi's. Compared ta Discovery, this ship is massive, but is no but a guppy next ta my first ship, the Tempest, Galaxy-Class beast she was. If no for the computer, I doubt I'd ever found anything aboard her.

"Have Captain Richard come ta the bridge as soon as he's aboard. Whatever is up is sensitive enough that no one will say what's goin' on via subspace. He's got ta have updated information and I need ta ken what that might be."

[Buck McNair]

[Officer quarters > Turbolift > Bridge | USS Challenger]

Buck had been asleep.

He had settled back into his shift routine since their previous mission on Ferengar and the chaos of what had happened on the planet as well as above it.

Only that he had been rudely interrupted by three chimes of his alarm.

Being between a light and heavy sleeper had jolted him from whatever dream he had been having at the time to roll over with a grunt and a groan as he fought himself to not go back to sleep. He was due on shift soon as he rolled himself out of bed and to his feet with a sway. He hated the brief period where his brain was groggy and he wouldn't have the time to stop by the canteen to grab himself a coffee before he joined T'Prith and Commander Catalan on the bridge.

Buck ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down where it stuck up from the night and smoothed a hand down his uniform as he checked himself over to ensure he looked presentable before nodding and exiting the officer quarters and headed down the corridor to the turbolift. He jogged part of the way as he saw a crewman entering the lift. "Hold the door, hold it--!" Buck managed to slide himself in with luck as the door pinged back open. "Sorry about that, crewman. You doing alright?"

"Yes sir, chipper as ever."

Buck nodded. It still managed to take him off guard each time he had been addressed as 'sir', reminding him that he was one step up from once being an ensign.

He got off at his level and walked along the corridor, greeting those he passed with an acknowledging nod of his head before approaching the bridge doors which slid open to reveal the hive of activity as he joined T'Prith at his station. "How's it going?" Buck asked, giving her a smile as he logged onto his system.

[Buehler]

[Sickbay / USS Challenger]

Kina was so lost inside her own mind, she didn't fully realize she was spoken to for a full few seconds. She looked over at Buehler slightly confused as her mind quickly decrypted what he had said to her. "œHuh? Oh, nothing. I'm"¦.im fine, sir." She reviewed her notes quickly and sent off the requisition and maintenance requests.

She set the PADD down and was about to go onto her next duty, but she remained still. After a moment, she looked at him again. "œActually sir"¦"¦"¦I keep thinking about home. I didn't have any problems when I was at the academy. I guess"¦.after everything that happened on Ferenginar"¦.I find myself thinking more and more of my father. Do you think"¦.the captain would allow me to make a long distance transmission to Cardassia when we have a chance?"

[Sickbay]

Evan could almost see the wheels turning as she hopped out of whatever train of thought she was on, and he could recognize the mental fog that often came with that sort of departure. But she bounced back from it way quicker than he ever could, giving a typical reply to question he had asked. Thankfully she seemed to be hanging in there, no doubt glad to be off that miserable planet.

"Hmm?" he wondered as she paused before voicing a new concern. Evan listened attentively as she spoke, or at least he tried to, fighting the urge to daydream about his own days at the academy. But he got the gist of what she said. "I can understand that," he told the ensign. "I had a rough go of it when I first started at the academy. It was the first time I had ever spent so long away from home, and it was hard to not want to go back to Germany every weekend. But after awhile, I found the structure of the course load to be a real comfort. By the time I graduated, I had already met my now wife and was fortunate to be posted to the same ship as her. You're fresh out of the academy, right? You're still getting your 'sea legs' and getting used to coping without that structure that school offered..." He hadn't meant to say so much, but oh well. "Though," he added after taking a breath, "I don't see why you wouldn't be able to talk to your dad. In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask."