S4: E9 - The Sheriff of Gothos

[Ian Galloway]

The Challenger had finished its resupply at Starbase 133 when it received orders assigning the ship to patrol the Romulan border. After eight days at warp seven the ship was just reaching her designated sector of of the border and Ian was just starting his log.

"Captain's Log, Stardate 76088.8. We have received interestin' orders from Admiral Jackson at Starbase 234. It seems merchant crews have reported seein' a previously unknown planet in this sector in the vicinity of the Larn system. Accordin' ta the Admiral's direct quote. 'It's probably complete hogwash - too much Saurian brandy with the food rations, I expect - but we have to look into it. You're the nearest vessel to Larn, so you're the ones who get to check it out.' Therefore, we are now approachin' the Larn System, which is consists of five completely worthless rock or ice worlds.

"Jackson dinae have any information on this rogue planet beyond reports of it bein' 'big and red', which was singularly unhelpful. However, he did add ta be on the look out for rogue Romulan warbirds in addition ta the rogue planet. Despite the marginal thaw between the Federation and the Free State, the chaos of the Hobus supernova has many former elements of the Empire under less than robust control, resultin' in hit and run raids along the border and thus the increased Starfleet presence. We will therefore be extra vigilant as we enter the system and try ta find this 'big and red' planet that's supposed ta be lurkin' about. End log."

Ian looked absently at the viewscreen and scratched absently behind his left ear.

"A rogue planet, a rogue Romulan, and a Federation Starship enter a star system. Sounds like the openin' ta a really bad joke."

He muttered as he turned his attention back to his PADD to make certain he'd signed all the reports he'd received that morning.

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

After a few days of 'hiding' in her office and/or on the holodeck killing things with her axes, Ruth felt a little better after the deaths which she still saw as her fault, she wasn't sure if Lahr had noticed the state that she'd been coming back from the holodeck, be it covered in blood... mostly other people's, or least holographic images she'd been practicing on... with the safety protocols overridden.

"Another day, another patrol... Not that I ever want to do anything else... quiet is good." she said with a firm nod of her head and put in an earbud to surreptitiously play some music while still being able to listen out for people talking to her or alerts on the console or whatever. For once it wasn't rock, but something a little more mellow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9Eh8wNMkw

"Hmm that's interesting..." Ruth muttered to herself.

Sigurdsdottir to Jyur... could you come up to the Bridge please, I'd like a second opinion on something...
Checking her scans again she increased the strength of them to highlight something she hadn't seen before, least not in the Larn system.  She wanted to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck One - Bridge]

While Lahr listened distractedly to Galloway orate his Captain's Log, the Andorian kept glancing over towards Ruth somewhat in concern, as she listened to something on her earbuds.  In the week or so since they'd left the Nelvari system and the devastated planet Trellion, he'd notice Ruth hadn't been quite her usual self.. or so it seemed to him - mind you she probably thought the same as he.

While she seemed to engross herself in various athletic holodeck programs - the kind that resulted in copious amounts of bruises and even some blood.  When asked, he got the answer that she'd removed the safety protocols which only worried him more.  Lahr didn't understand that compulsion to put test Lady Luck with actual danger when doing training, but Ruth seemed to feel it was necessary.

Lahr wanted to support her but it was hard for the Andorian see the bruises and minor injuries that she returned with and treated on her own.  There were times that he was tempted to mention it to someone that she was doing this, but because turning off the safeties was something that was technically not supposed to be done, he knew it could get her into trouble.  He didn't want that.. he also knew that such behavior would flag her for counselling and that was something else he wouldn't wish on her.  It was bad enough that he still had monthly sessions (thanks to Chloe) with the counselor of the month.  The position seemed cursed with its 'doctor du-jour' never really making an impact on Lahr.

He'd only found a measure of peace after starting his relationship with Ruth - and even then only when he spent the night in her quarters.  The nightmares of the things he saw and did on Innominatum still haunted his sleep occasionally when he slept in his own bunk.   He jokingly blamed the restless sleep on his roommate Grelek and his 0500hrs morning routine of Vulcan-monk chanting and the incense used during his Vulcan meditation - but Lahr knew that it really wasn't either of those things.  It was him.  For some reason, Ruth just helped him feel more at peace.

His antenna perked a bit at hearing her murmured words about a quiet patrol.  Yeah, as if.  If quiet was what she truly wanted, she wouldn't be bashing the holodeck equivalent of Grendel every other day.

Lahr turned back to his own console.  The Bridge was quiet - with the Captain having been recording his log earlier, Lahr couldn't play DJ and to be quite honest the impulse to play music lately hadn't been there... not since Trellion.

Yeah, witnessing that event had messed him up even more than he had been before.  Lahr just hoped he hid it well enough with his jovial banter.

While Ruth, called on one of her staff to look at something she'd spotted in her Science scans, Lahr glanced to the Helm officer a moment and winked - hinting he was gonna stir up some shit - before turning back to look at the Captain.

"That it does, sir... I wonder what sort of punchline a joke like that would have?" he mused.. and began to work through the idea aloud.  "While the cloaked Romulan ship plots deviously, the Federation starship flies to planet and declares 'We come in peace and would like to study you'.  The planet considers for a moment before agreeing under the condition. 'You first must find the rogue Romulan ship and get them to trust you.'"

"The Federation ship looked shocked. 'What rogue Romulan ship?'  They asked clueless.  The Romulans' hearing the planet's condition suddenly uncloak and fire on the Federation ship, destroying it with a veritable onslaught of disruptor fire.  After the ship is destroyed the Romulans turn to the planet and declare,  'We give up - you have bested us.  We trust nobody.'"

The Captain did say 'Really Bad Joke'.

[Kyle Briggs]

Bridge

Kyle had been doing department checks before making his way to the Bridge. Once there, he exited the lift and slowly made his way around the Bridge. He was carrying his fourth cup of coffee. He hadn't been sleeping well ever since Trillion. The images that played in his head over and over were like something out of a horror novel. And it didn't help that every so often, one of those images turned into his son, Elijah. His sleep cycle was turning out to be non existent.

He made his way from station to station and keyed in the reports that he needed sent to his terminal. He usually had the department heads handle this but he had the time with this new mission of just patrolling and watching for some planet that may or may not be there. He finally made his way to his seat next to Ian's.

"Morning, Captain." he said as he lifted his mug in a toast fashion. "We find any mysterious planets yet?" Of course, he was joking because he knew if they had, he would have been informed.

[Jettis Jyur]

[USS Challenger - Holodeck]

Jettis rolled his shoulders back, exhaling loudly as he stepped forward, balancing precariously on the ledge of a tall cliff. A cliff that overlooked lakes and trees, rolling hills and valleys. The ground was nearly overrun with thick, green foliage, only breaking to showcase a crystal clear pond, or rivulet. Digging his heels into the plush grass, he inhaled slowly, and tried to clear his mind of the height he stood at.  He was no less than 300 feet about the trees below him. Clasping his palms together, he shut his eyes to restart his meditation.

Since the last mission, this was one of the first moments of downtime he had gotten. Of course, there was the initial scramble to treat those effected, and the following month of constant reminders and trauma. But as they left, unlike most of the other crewmates, his work was just beginning. The catastrophic event had, predictably, set Theresa back a million paces in her therapy work. Once again he had to start sitting in on her sessions, every night plagued with nightmares of the horrors. All while trying to delicately balance his own mental health - rapidly deteriorating, if he was honest with himself.

Sucking in another slow breath, it was accompanied by another position change, and slow exhale. The tension from his shoulders started to melt away, as he tried to assure himself of Theresa's safety in school. With things returning to at least some semblance of normalcy, and his workload no longer being through the roof, he contemplated returning to his regular therapy sessions. At least to re-regulate himself, get another head start to overcoming these new obstacles. And better he recognize it and schedule one himself, then being forced off of the duty roster. He knew anyone could tell by the dark circles under his eyes, things had not gotten much better. A few had asked, offered to go out for drinks and talk about it. Most had been dodged or declined however, throwing himself full force into his work-family balance.

Another inhale. Maybe right after this meditation session he'd call the counsellor. Or maybe he'd pull her aside when he picked up Theresa, ask if he could schedule a time. Or maybe-

"Hmm that's interesting..." Ruth muttered to herself.

=/\=Sigurdsdottir to Jyur... could you come up to the Bridge please, I'd like a second opinion on something...
Checking her scans again she increased the strength of them to highlight something she hadn't seen before, least not in the Larn system.  She wanted to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

The peace and quiet unfortunately did not last until the end of his meditation session. Puffing his cheeks out, he blew out all the air in his lungs, unclasping his hands and slowly straightening. Despite not finishing his session, he most certainly felt lighter, less weighed down. Taking a few more breaths to steady his voice, he tapped his commbadge in response.  "I'll be right up, Commander."

Rolling his neck, he called out a short "Computer - quit program."  As the scenery around him faded, he stepped quickly for the door, to change into his work uniform.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Stepping onto the Bridge with a freshly pressed, well kept uniform, his eyes scanned the current bridge crew, before darting to the science station. Nodding to his superior, he offered her a soft, kind smile as his legs carried him over. He had had his sour feelings about her on their last mission - and he'd be a liar if he said they didn't still linger - but the smile was a genuine one, and he wanted to come to a kind of peace."You called for me, Commander?" He queried, voice as soft as his eyes. Clasping his hands loosely behind him, his neck craned to scan her station briefly, before turning his attention back to her. Whatever she wanted him to know, he was sure she'd tell him. No need to pry, until she asked him to take a look at the readings.

[Bianca Lightoller]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Bianca's rapport was bogged down by the tragedy of last mission. She had been swept away in paperwork and psych clearances passed around like candy to prep for the next engagement, which Bianca didn't much approve of. With the most credentials on the mental health department, she was ordered to take care of the alpha bridge staff.

It was a great honor, but also the bigger struggle for a counselor. Ego was a possessive mistress and a lot of officers preferred to self-soothe through questionable methods. One in particular decided to use the holodeck as their warzone, which raised an eyebrow over her cup of tea as she perused the report.

Starfleet rules dictated that a counselor be present for the next subsequent missions after a planetary tragedy, so she kept a quiet but pleasant aura near the science station. She would like to put to bed that mental health was the enemy, but also to keep an eye on Commander Sigurdsdottir's axe throwing arm.

The bridge began the shift with a bit of humor thrown around, which was nice, but it made for a good deflection. Bianca simply smiled in response and turned slowly in her chair as she quietly analyzed her coworkers around her.

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck One - Bridge]

While Lahr listened distractedly to Galloway orate his Captain's Log, the Andorian kept glancing over towards Ruth somewhat in concern, as she listened to something on her earbuds.  In the week or so since they'd left the Nelvari system and the devastated planet Trellion, he'd notice Ruth hadn't been quite her usual self.. or so it seemed to him - mind you she probably thought the same as he.

While she seemed to engross herself in various athletic holodeck programs - the kind that resulted in copious amounts of bruises and even some blood.  When asked, he got the answer that she'd removed the safety protocols which only worried him more.  Lahr didn't understand that compulsion to put test Lady Luck with actual danger when doing training, but Ruth seemed to feel it was necessary.

Lahr wanted to support her but it was hard for the Andorian see the bruises and minor injuries that she returned with and treated on her own.  There were times that he was tempted to mention it to someone that she was doing this, but because turning off the safeties was something that was technically not supposed to be done, he knew it could get her into trouble.  He didn't want that.. he also knew that such behavior would flag her for counselling and that was something else he wouldn't wish on her.  It was bad enough that he still had monthly sessions (thanks to Chloe) with the counselor of the month.  The position seemed cursed with its 'doctor du-jour' never really making an impact on Lahr.

He'd only found a measure of peace after starting his relationship with Ruth - and even then only when he spent the night in her quarters.  The nightmares of the things he saw and did on Innominatum still haunted his sleep occasionally when he slept in his own bunk.   He jokingly blamed the restless sleep on his roommate Grelek and his 0500hrs morning routine of Vulcan-monk chanting and the incense used during his Vulcan meditation - but Lahr knew that it really wasn't either of those things.  It was him.  For some reason, Ruth just helped him feel more at peace.

His antenna perked a bit at hearing her murmured words about a quiet patrol.  Yeah, as if.  If quiet was what she truly wanted, she wouldn't be bashing the holodeck equivalent of Grendel every other day.

Lahr turned back to his own console.  The Bridge was quiet - with the Captain having been recording his log earlier, Lahr couldn't play DJ and to be quite honest the impulse to play music lately hadn't been there... not since Trellion.

Yeah, witnessing that event had messed him up even more than he had been before.  Lahr just hoped he hid it well enough with his jovial banter.

While Ruth, called on one of her staff to look at something she'd spotted in her Science scans, Lahr glanced to the Helm officer a moment and winked - hinting he was gonna stir up some shit - before turning back to look at the Captain.

"That it does, sir... I wonder what sort of punchline a joke like that would have?" he mused.. and began to work through the idea aloud.  "While the cloaked Romulan ship plots deviously, the Federation starship flies to planet and declares 'We come in peace and would like to study you'.  The planet considers for a moment before agreeing under the condition. 'You first must find the rogue Romulan ship and get them to trust you.'"

"The Federation ship looked shocked. 'What rogue Romulan ship?'  They asked clueless.  The Romulans' hearing the planet's condition suddenly uncloak and fire on the Federation ship, destroying it with a veritable onslaught of disruptor fire.  After the ship is destroyed the Romulans turn to the planet and declare,  'We give up - you have bested us.  We trust nobody.'"

The Captain did say 'Really Bad Joke'.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian winced and knew instantly that Lahr was still haunted by Trellion. Many of the crew were, Ian had spoken with the new counselor as required, but unlike most Starfleet officers, he didn't have a problem with doing so. Ian knew he didn't have all the answers and he was certainly no philosopher, so why not speak to someone who had training in making the unimaginable less painful?

"Perhaps Lad, you should stick ta bein' a DeeJay, as comedy is nae goin' ta work for you."

Bridge

Kyle had been doing department checks before making his way to the Bridge. Once there, he exited the lift and slowly made his way around the Bridge. He was carrying his fourth cup of coffee. He hadn't been sleeping well ever since Trillion. The images that played in his head over and over were like something out of a horror novel. And it didn't help that every so often, one of those images turned into his son, Elijah. His sleep cycle was turning out to be non existent.

He made his way from station to station and keyed in the reports that he needed sent to his terminal. He usually had the department heads handle this but he had the time with this new mission of just patrolling and watching for some planet that may or may not be there. He finally made his way to his seat next to Ian's.

"Morning, Captain." he said as he lifted his mug in a toast fashion. "We find any mysterious planets yet?" Of course, he was joking because he knew if they had, he would have been informed.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was saved from continuing with Lahr when Kyle arrived to deflect the topic to something less sensitive.

"Assumin' such a planet exists, sensors have yet ta locate this rovin' 'big red planet'. I suspect we'll be on our way ta the border shortly, once we've completed a full sensor scan."

Ian had no sooner finished speaking then the proximity alarm sounded and the shields snapped on. T'Kel, ever stoically, announced.

"Romulan Warbird has just decloaked 150,000 kilometers off the port bow. Norexan-Class. Her weapons are armed."

Ian blinked, but before he could issue any orders, a massive red planet appeared from nowhere directly between the two ships. The Challenger lurched to a halt and Ensign Ozoim at the helm reported that the engines had shut down. T'Kel added that the weapons were offline and that they were being scanned. She paused and said.

"Sir, we are receiving a message. Text only. I'll put it on screen."

All eyes on the bridge shifted to the viewscreen to read.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

[Bianca Lightoller]

All eyes on the bridge shifted to the viewscreen to read.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Thankfully they were warned ahead of time of Romulan interference since she didn't spare a blink when a warbird suddenly dropped out of cloak to waylay them. She didn't expect the engines to suddenly go cold and a fleeting bout of panic ran up the back of her neck until the strangest thing happened.

Bianca stared at the red planet's sudden appearance between the two ships and the bewildering greeting, her British tongue thick in question. "Did that planet just hail us in a southern Earth accent?" How strange. Here they were exploring the cosmos and now it felt like they were on an episode of Gunsmoke.

[Mondo'li Nari]

USS Challenger - Enlisted Mess

Mondo sipped his cup, considering what Crewman Valdez had said.

"So, a rogue planet is merely a planet not orbiting a star?" Mondo asked, "Why is this remarkable?"

"It's not exactly remarkable.  Not in and of itself.  Orbital dynamics will sometimes cast an orbital body clear out of a solar system, and we do encounter them from time to time.  But what is unusual, is for there to be a big red rogue planet in this particular area.  An area which has previously been explored.  Modern sensors can detect a planet-sized body at quite a distance.  So, we should have mapped all the rogue bodies out this way long ago.  That's why I think the people reporting such a thing must have been using illicit chems."

Mondo nodded, finishing his cup.  "So, it is like the old Hupyrian adage: Finding a fire in your fire-pit is not surprising.  But finding a fire on your roof is cause for concern."

"Exactly," Valdez confirmed, chuckling at the phrase, "Objects out of context."

Suddenly, a giant red planet appeared in the rear viewport of the mess hall.

Mondo stared at the viewport for a moment, then stood up.  "Well... I think I should probably report to Lieutenant Wessex."

"But you're not on shift today, are you?" Valdez asked, his back facing the remarkable appearance of a planet "I thought you had your counselor appointment today."

Mondo shook his head.  "Considering the context... today was probably a bad day to take off."

With that, he recycled his beverage and headed out of the mess hall, leaving a bewildered crewman in his wake.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Thankfully they were warned ahead of time of Romulan interference since she didn't spare a blink when a warbird suddenly dropped out of cloak to waylay them. She didn't expect the engines to suddenly go cold and a fleeting bout of panic ran up the back of her neck until the strangest thing happened.

Bianca stared at the red planet's sudden appearance between the two ships and the bewildering greeting, her British tongue thick in question. "Did that planet just hail us in a southern Earth accent?" How strange. Here they were exploring the cosmos and now it felt like they were on an episode of Gunsmoke.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian eyed the Ensign briefly regarding her question, which seemed like a reasonable interpretation of the text on the viewer, but he had larger concerns and he called down to engineering.

"What the hell is goin' on Dashlish? Helm and weapons are offline."

"If I had an answer for you Sir, I would give you one, but while every diagnostic I have shows that the warp core is producing power normally, the power is simply not getting to the engines or the weapons. I don't have a reason for this or a fix yet."

"Stay on it then Lieutenant, we've got a situation."

"We always have a situation, but I understand. Tharn out."

Ian turned to Ruth.

"What do scans show about this planet?"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck One -  Bridge] (near the Romulan border)

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian winced and knew instantly that Lahr was still haunted by Trellion. Many of the crew were, Ian had spoken with the new counselor as required, but unlike most Starfleet officers, he didn't have a problem with doing so. Ian knew he didn't have all the answers and he was certainly no philosopher, so why not speak to someone who had training in making the unimaginable less painful?

"Perhaps Lad, you should stick ta bein' a DeeJay, as comedy is nae goin' ta work for you."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was saved from continuing with Lahr when Kyle arrived to deflect the topic to something less sensitive.

"Assumin' such a planet exists, sensors have yet ta locate this rovin' 'big red planet'. I suspect we'll be on our way ta the border shortly, once we've completed a full sensor scan."

Ian had no sooner finished speaking then the proximity alarm sounded and the shields snapped on. T'Kel, ever stoically, announced.

"Romulan Warbird has just decloaked 150,000 kilometers off the port bow. Norexan-Class. Her weapons are armed."

Ian blinked, but before he could issue any orders, a massive red planet appeared from nowhere directly between the two ships. The Challenger lurched to a halt and Ensign Ozoim at the helm reported that the engines had shut down. T'Kel added that the weapons were offline and that they were being scanned. She paused and said.

"Sir, we are receiving a message. Text only. I'll put it on screen."

All eyes on the bridge shifted to the viewscreen to read.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

Lahr's antenna swayed in satisfaction at the Captain's remark.   Sure, it was a bit of insult to his comedic routine, but it gave an implied approval to his DeeJaying.   The Andorian was content with that for the moment.

He looked over to the ships XO afterwards and gave the man a nod of greeting appreciating the man's own sense of humor.  Then suddenly Lahr's joke was made all too real as the ship came to a sudden stop and  T'Kel at Tactical announced the uncloaking of a Romulan Warbird with their weapons armed.  Rhooz!

At that moment a planet appeared.  A BIG, RED planet.   What the..!?  He was about to question how that was even possible when he was reminded of the dimension jumping planet they had left in the Gamma Quadrant not too long ago.   Could this planet be something similar to Meridian?  Lahr was no scientist so he had no way of knowing how or why Meridian (and them with it) had been sent to the non-corporeal dimension back when the ship was at Katra Station.  To Lahr it had just been really freaky.  Ruth had tried once to explain it to him shortly after it had occurred but his eyes had gone glassy for a moment before he decided to distract and her long-winded explanation her with kiss and ...  yeah.

And just to make things more interesting (read more difficult), her announcement was followed up by news that both the Challenger's engines and weapons were offline, and that the ship was being scanned.

Lahr's console chimed at the same time as T'Kel's announcing the text message.   The Vulcan however was quicker at announcing it.  Lahr's antenna drew back in confusion at the odd accent.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Thankfully they were warned ahead of time of Romulan interference since she didn't spare a blink when a warbird suddenly dropped out of cloak to waylay them. She didn't expect the engines to suddenly go cold and a fleeting bout of panic ran up the back of her neck until the strangest thing happened.

Bianca stared at the red planet's sudden appearance between the two ships and the bewildering greeting, her British tongue thick in question. "Did that planet just hail us in a southern Earth accent?" How strange. Here they were exploring the cosmos and now it felt like they were on an episode of Gunsmoke.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian eyed the Ensign briefly regarding her question, which seemed like a reasonable interpretation of the text on the viewer, but he had larger concerns and he called down to engineering.

"What the hell is goin' on Dashlish? Helm and weapons are offline."

"If I had an answer for you Sir, I would give you one, but while every diagnostic I have shows that the warp core is producing power normally, the power is simply not getting to the engines or the weapons. I don't have a reason for this or a fix yet."

"Stay on it then Lieutenant, we've got a situation."

"We always have a situation, but I understand. Tharn out."

Ian turned to Ruth.

"What do scans show about this planet?"

While the Captain called around, Lahr was busy on his console trying to see if the readings were anything at all like what they'd been just prior to their out-of-body experience in the Gamma Quadrant.  Nope.

Next he checked the planet, even as the Captain was calling for that info.

"Over 99.9% of the planet reads as Class D - uninhabitat.  It's rock with poison gases.  But that last point of a percent... It shows a habitable...'bubble' right at the equator... about 25 square kilometers.  Not a biodome.. just habitable area.   I'm not picking up any energy readings, and no life signs.."

Lahr looked over to Ruth and the recently arrived Jyur to confirm his interpretation.

[Kyle Briggs]

Bridge

Kyle sat relaxed in his seat, almost in a daze. That was, until the Romulan ship appeared out of nowhere. Before a single word could be spoken, the mysterious planet they had been sent to find suddenly appeared. That brought Kyle fully awake and alert.

"What the hell!!" he exclaimed.

T'Kel told them about the weapons and Ian contacted Engineering immediately. The report was not in their favor. Being a former Engineer, Kyle made his way to the engineering station on the bridge to see if he could help but his eyes kept a view of the front screen as the message they had received was put up.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

"This is not gonna be good." he said as he continued working on the weapons and helm as best he could.

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck One - Bridge]

While Lahr listened distractedly to Galloway orate his Captain's Log, the Andorian kept glancing over towards Ruth somewhat in concern, as she listened to something on her earbuds.  In the week or so since they'd left the Nelvari system and the devastated planet Trellion, he'd notice Ruth hadn't been quite her usual self.. or so it seemed to him - mind you she probably thought the same as he.

While she seemed to engross herself in various athletic holodeck programs - the kind that resulted in copious amounts of bruises and even some blood.  When asked, he got the answer that she'd removed the safety protocols which only worried him more.  Lahr didn't understand that compulsion to put test Lady Luck with actual danger when doing training, but Ruth seemed to feel it was necessary.

Lahr wanted to support her but it was hard for the Andorian see the bruises and minor injuries that she returned with and treated on her own.  There were times that he was tempted to mention it to someone that she was doing this, but because turning off the safeties was something that was technically not supposed to be done, he knew it could get her into trouble.  He didn't want that.. he also knew that such behavior would flag her for counselling and that was something else he wouldn't wish on her.  It was bad enough that he still had monthly sessions (thanks to Chloe) with the counselor of the month.  The position seemed cursed with its 'doctor du-jour' never really making an impact on Lahr.

He'd only found a measure of peace after starting his relationship with Ruth - and even then only when he spent the night in her quarters.  The nightmares of the things he saw and did on Innominatum still haunted his sleep occasionally when he slept in his own bunk.   He jokingly blamed the restless sleep on his roommate Grelek and his 0500hrs morning routine of Vulcan-monk chanting and the incense used during his Vulcan meditation - but Lahr knew that it really wasn't either of those things.  It was him.  For some reason, Ruth just helped him feel more at peace.

His antenna perked a bit at hearing her murmured words about a quiet patrol.  Yeah, as if.  If quiet was what she truly wanted, she wouldn't be bashing the holodeck equivalent of Grendel every other day.

Lahr turned back to his own console.  The Bridge was quiet - with the Captain having been recording his log earlier, Lahr couldn't play DJ and to be quite honest the impulse to play music lately hadn't been there... not since Trellion.

Yeah, witnessing that event had messed him up even more than he had been before.  Lahr just hoped he hid it well enough with his jovial banter.

While Ruth, called on one of her staff to look at something she'd spotted in her Science scans, Lahr glanced to the Helm officer a moment and winked - hinting he was gonna stir up some shit - before turning back to look at the Captain.

"That it does, sir... I wonder what sort of punchline a joke like that would have?" he mused.. and began to work through the idea aloud.  "While the cloaked Romulan ship plots deviously, the Federation starship flies to planet and declares 'We come in peace and would like to study you'.  The planet considers for a moment before agreeing under the condition. 'You first must find the rogue Romulan ship and get them to trust you.'"

"The Federation ship looked shocked. 'What rogue Romulan ship?'  They asked clueless.  The Romulans' hearing the planet's condition suddenly uncloak and fire on the Federation ship, destroying it with a veritable onslaught of disruptor fire.  After the ship is destroyed the Romulans turn to the planet and declare,  'We give up - you have bested us.  We trust nobody.'"

The Captain did say 'Really Bad Joke'.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ruth turned and rolled her eyes at Lahr... it was really bad, but at the same time they needed stupid and things to take their mind off Trellion.  And if anyone was going to manage that, it was Lahr.

[USS Challenger - Holodeck]

Jettis rolled his shoulders back, exhaling loudly as he stepped forward, balancing precariously on the ledge of a tall cliff. A cliff that overlooked lakes and trees, rolling hills and valleys. The ground was nearly overrun with thick, green foliage, only breaking to showcase a crystal clear pond, or rivulet. Digging his heels into the plush grass, he inhaled slowly, and tried to clear his mind of the height he stood at.  He was no less than 300 feet about the trees below him. Clasping his palms together, he shut his eyes to restart his meditation.

Since the last mission, this was one of the first moments of downtime he had gotten. Of course, there was the initial scramble to treat those effected, and the following month of constant reminders and trauma. But as they left, unlike most of the other crewmates, his work was just beginning. The catastrophic event had, predictably, set Theresa back a million paces in her therapy work. Once again he had to start sitting in on her sessions, every night plagued with nightmares of the horrors. All while trying to delicately balance his own mental health - rapidly deteriorating, if he was honest with himself.

Sucking in another slow breath, it was accompanied by another position change, and slow exhale. The tension from his shoulders started to melt away, as he tried to assure himself of Theresa's safety in school. With things returning to at least some semblance of normalcy, and his workload no longer being through the roof, he contemplated returning to his regular therapy sessions. At least to re-regulate himself, get another head start to overcoming these new obstacles. And better he recognize it and schedule one himself, then being forced off of the duty roster. He knew anyone could tell by the dark circles under his eyes, things had not gotten much better. A few had asked, offered to go out for drinks and talk about it. Most had been dodged or declined however, throwing himself full force into his work-family balance.

Another inhale. Maybe right after this meditation session he'd call the counsellor. Or maybe he'd pull her aside when he picked up Theresa, ask if he could schedule a time. Or maybe-

The peace and quiet unfortunately did not last until the end of his meditation session. Puffing his cheeks out, he blew out all the air in his lungs, unclasping his hands and slowly straightening. Despite not finishing his session, he most certainly felt lighter, less weighed down. Taking a few more breaths to steady his voice, he tapped his commbadge in response.  "I'll be right up, Commander."

Rolling his neck, he called out a short "Computer - quit program."  As the scenery around him faded, he stepped quickly for the door, to change into his work uniform.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Stepping onto the Bridge with a freshly pressed, well kept uniform, his eyes scanned the current bridge crew, before darting to the science station. Nodding to his superior, he offered her a soft, kind smile as his legs carried him over. He had had his sour feelings about her on their last mission - and he'd be a liar if he said they didn't still linger - but the smile was a genuine one, and he wanted to come to a kind of peace."You called for me, Commander?" He queried, voice as soft as his eyes. Clasping his hands loosely behind him, his neck craned to scan her station briefly, before turning his attention back to her. Whatever she wanted him to know, he was sure she'd tell him. No need to pry, until she asked him to take a look at the readings.

"Yeah, Lieutenant... hi.  These readings.  Am I going mad or... " she pulled up another set of data which was the 'approved' charts.

"That..." she pointed to a small blip, "...wasn't there...." she checked the date on the charts. "... six months ago...or least it wasn't marked."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Bianca's rapport was bogged down by the tragedy of last mission. She had been swept away in paperwork and psych clearances passed around like candy to prep for the next engagement, which Bianca didn't much approve of. With the most credentials on the mental health department, she was ordered to take care of the alpha bridge staff.

It was a great honor, but also the bigger struggle for a counselor. Ego was a possessive mistress and a lot of officers preferred to self-soothe through questionable methods. One in particular decided to use the holodeck as their warzone, which raised an eyebrow over her cup of tea as she perused the report.

Starfleet rules dictated that a counselor be present for the next subsequent missions after a planetary tragedy, so she kept a quiet but pleasant aura near the science station. She would like to put to bed that mental health was the enemy, but also to keep an eye on Commander Sigurdsdottir's axe throwing arm.

The bridge began the shift with a bit of humor thrown around, which was nice, but it made for a good deflection. Bianca simply smiled in response and turned slowly in her chair as she quietly analyzed her coworkers around her.

"Hi!" Ruth said to Bianca giving her a small welcoming smile.  "You can pitch in if you want, if you're interested.  At the moment I'm open to anything!"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian winced and knew instantly that Lahr was still haunted by Trellion. Many of the crew were, Ian had spoken with the new counselor as required, but unlike most Starfleet officers, he didn't have a problem with doing so. Ian knew he didn't have all the answers and he was certainly no philosopher, so why not speak to someone who had training in making the unimaginable less painful?

"Perhaps Lad, you should stick ta bein' a DeeJay, as comedy is nae goin' ta work for you."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was saved from continuing with Lahr when Kyle arrived to deflect the topic to something less sensitive.

"Assumin' such a planet exists, sensors have yet ta locate this rovin' 'big red planet'. I suspect we'll be on our way ta the border shortly, once we've completed a full sensor scan."

Ian had no sooner finished speaking then the proximity alarm sounded and the shields snapped on. T'Kel, ever stoically, announced.

"Romulan Warbird has just decloaked 150,000 kilometers off the port bow. Norexan-Class. Her weapons are armed."

Ian blinked, but before he could issue any orders, a massive red planet appeared from nowhere directly between the two ships. The Challenger lurched to a halt and Ensign Ozoim at the helm reported that the engines had shut down. T'Kel added that the weapons were offline and that they were being scanned. She paused and said.

"Sir, we are receiving a message. Text only. I'll put it on screen."

All eyes on the bridge shifted to the viewscreen to read.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

"OK, and I thought I was going crazy... not literally, Counsellor..." she grinned at Bianca. "...but tell me I'm not the only one reading that?!  I think we can safely say if we aren't all blind and our sensors suddenly stopped working... it exists!"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian eyed the Ensign briefly regarding her question, which seemed like a reasonable interpretation of the text on the viewer, but he had larger concerns and he called down to engineering.

"What the hell is goin' on Dashlish? Helm and weapons are offline."

"If I had an answer for you Sir, I would give you one, but while every diagnostic I have shows that the warp core is producing power normally, the power is simply not getting to the engines or the weapons. I don't have a reason for this or a fix yet."

"Stay on it then Lieutenant, we've got a situation."

"We always have a situation, but I understand. Tharn out."

Ian turned to Ruth.

"What do scans show about this planet?"

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck One -  Bridge] (near the Romulan border)

Lahr's antenna swayed in satisfaction at the Captain's remark.   Sure, it was a bit of insult to his comedic routine, but it gave an implied approval to his DeeJaying.   The Andorian was content with that for the moment.

He looked over to the ships XO afterwards and gave the man a nod of greeting appreciating the man's own sense of humor.  Then suddenly Lahr's joke was made all too real as the ship came to a sudden stop and  T'Kel at Tactical announced the uncloaking of a Romulan Warbird with their weapons armed.  Rhooz!

At that moment a planet appeared.  A BIG, RED planet.   What the..!?  He was about to question how that was even possible when he was reminded of the dimension jumping planet they had left in the Gamma Quadrant not too long ago.   Could this planet be something similar to Meridian?  Lahr was no scientist so he had no way of knowing how or why Meridian (and them with it) had been sent to the non-corporeal dimension back when the ship was at Katra Station.  To Lahr it had just been really freaky.  Ruth had tried once to explain it to him shortly after it had occurred but his eyes had gone glassy for a moment before he decided to distract and her long-winded explanation her with kiss and ...  yeah.

And just to make things more interesting (read more difficult), her announcement was followed up by news that both the Challenger's engines and weapons were offline, and that the ship was being scanned.

Lahr's console chimed at the same time as T'Kel's announcing the text message.   The Vulcan however was quicker at announcing it.  Lahr's antenna drew back in confusion at the odd accent.

While the Captain called around, Lahr was busy on his console trying to see if the readings were anything at all like what they'd been just prior to their out-of-body experience in the Gamma Quadrant.  Nope.

Next he checked the planet, even as the Captain was calling for that info.

"Over 99.9% of the planet reads as Class D - uninhabitat.  It's rock with poison gases.  But that last point of a percent... It shows a habitable...'bubble' right at the equator... about 25 square kilometers.  Not a biodome.. just habitable area.   I'm not picking up any energy readings, and no life signs.."

Lahr looked over to Ruth and the recently arrived Jyur to confirm his interpretation.

"Basically what Lahr says, a rock, covered in poison gases, Osmium tetroxide mostly, danger there is the solid is highly volatile. Small habitable area about 15, maybe 16 miles across near the equator. Can't see any lifesigns, bio signs or anything.... Lahr, any other way to check for bio signs that I'm not thinking of? Lt. Jyur, can you be seeing if you can get a reading on what the rock itself is, please."

Bridge

Kyle sat relaxed in his seat, almost in a daze. That was, until the Romulan ship appeared out of nowhere. Before a single word could be spoken, the mysterious planet they had been sent to find suddenly appeared. That brought Kyle fully awake and alert.

"What the hell!!" he exclaimed.

T'Kel told them about the weapons and Ian contacted Engineering immediately. The report was not in their favor. Being a former Engineer, Kyle made his way to the engineering station on the bridge to see if he could help but his eyes kept a view of the front screen as the message they had received was put up.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

"This is not gonna be good." he said as he continued working on the weapons and helm as best he could.

"One hopes they don't start asking for Chimichangas and Churros next!" Ruth quipped with a wink at Kyle.

Dating the ship's joker, despite the Captain's calls for him to stick to DJing, and having a fun streak a mile wide herself, she could bring some humour to the Bridge at times.  But anyone who knew her, would know it was a way to hide her nightmares.  She was better at night with Lahr there, as she knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her when he was around.  Sure he'd been by her side when Trellion was hit but that wasn't his fault, no one could have stopped that.  It was a disaster, but not something given the spinning of plates that they were trying to do at the time, it was inevitable that some of the plates would fall and smash.

In her heart of hearts she knew this, but she still blamed herself, wondering if she could have done something more.

Mentally, and physically shaking herself she turned once more to the viewscreen.

"You don't think it could be a Q playing with us do you?"

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck One -  Bridge] (near the Romulan border)

Next he checked the planet, even as the Captain was calling for that info.

"Over 99.9% of the planet reads as Class D - uninhabitat.  It's rock with poison gases.  But that last point of a percent... It shows a habitable...'bubble' right at the equator... about 25 square kilometers.  Not a biodome.. just habitable area.   I'm not picking up any energy readings, and no life signs.."

Lahr looked over to Ruth and the recently arrived Jyur to confirm his interpretation.

Bridge

Kyle sat relaxed in his seat, almost in a daze. That was, until the Romulan ship appeared out of nowhere. Before a single word could be spoken, the mysterious planet they had been sent to find suddenly appeared. That brought Kyle fully awake and alert.

"What the hell!!" he exclaimed.

T'Kel told them about the weapons and Ian contacted Engineering immediately. The report was not in their favor. Being a former Engineer, Kyle made his way to the engineering station on the bridge to see if he could help but his eyes kept a view of the front screen as the message they had received was put up.

"Howdy Partners. Welcome Y'all."

"This is not gonna be good." he said as he continued working on the weapons and helm as best he could.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ruth turned and rolled her eyes at Lahr... it was really bad, but at the same time they needed stupid and things to take their mind off Trellion.  And if anyone was going to manage that, it was Lahr.

"Yeah, Lieutenant... hi.  These readings.  Am I going mad or... " she pulled up another set of data which was the 'approved' charts.

"That..." she pointed to a small blip, "...wasn't there...." she checked the date on the charts. "... six months ago...or least it wasn't marked."

"Hi!" Ruth said to Bianca giving her a small welcoming smile.  "You can pitch in if you want, if you're interested.  At the moment I'm open to anything!"

"OK, and I thought I was going crazy... not literally, Counsellor..." she grinned at Bianca. "...but tell me I'm not the only one reading that?!  I think we can safely say if we aren't all blind and our sensors suddenly stopped working... it exists!"

"Basically what Lahr says, a rock, covered in poison gases, Osmium tetroxide mostly, danger there is the solid is highly volatile. Small habitable area about 15, maybe 16 miles across near the equator. Can't see any lifesigns, bio signs or anything.... Lahr, any other way to check for bio signs that I'm not thinking of? Lt. Jyur, can you be seeing if you can get a reading on what the rock itself is, please."

"One hopes they don't start asking for Chimichangas and Churros next!" Ruth quipped with a wink at Kyle.

Dating the ship's joker, despite the Captain's calls for him to stick to DJing, and having a fun streak a mile wide herself, she could bring some humour to the Bridge at times.  But anyone who knew her, would know it was a way to hide her nightmares.  She was better at night with Lahr there, as she knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her when he was around.  Sure he'd been by her side when Trellion was hit but that wasn't his fault, no one could have stopped that.  It was a disaster, but not something given the spinning of plates that they were trying to do at the time, it was inevitable that some of the plates would fall and smash.

In her heart of hearts she knew this, but she still blamed herself, wondering if she could have done something more.

Mentally, and physically shaking herself she turned once more to the viewscreen.

"You don't think it could be a Q playing with us do you?"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the reports on the planet and had the viewscreen text message replaced with that of the 'big red' planet. As he gazed at the planet that shouldn't be, he wondered what had happened to the Romulan ship.

"Curiouser and curiouser." He murmured as he stared at the viewscreen.

"Well, the how this all happened is goin' ta have ta wait. We were sent here ta investigate a rogue planet and it seems it found us. So, Kyle, put together an away team. Keep it small, you a science officer and a pair of security for now. We'll maintain a constant lock on the four of you and will beam you out the second either you or we think summat is even more off than what it already is."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck One -  Bridge] (near the Romulan border)

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the reports on the planet and had the viewscreen text message replaced with that of the 'big red' planet. As he gazed at the planet that shouldn't be, he wondered what had happened to the Romulan ship.

"Curiouser and curiouser." He murmured as he stared at the viewscreen.

"Well, the how this all happened is goin' ta have ta wait. We were sent here ta investigate a rogue planet and it seems it found us. So, Kyle, put together an away team. Keep it small, you a science officer and a pair of security for now. We'll maintain a constant lock on the four of you and will beam you out the second either you or we think summat is even more off than what it already is."

Lahr, hearing the Captain's order and suspecting that the Romulan ship - which had uncloaked fully-armed moments ago just on the other side of the randomly appearing planet -would be either speeding its way around the planet once more cloaked to confront Challenger and claim the rogue planet as its own...  or maybe even sending a Romulan equivalent to an away team... an attack force?.. down to the planet as well.

The more he thought about it, the more Lahr realized the Romulan's were likely doing both. The Andorian looked towards Ruth and hoped Commander Briggs picked the new guy, Jyur to go on the away team.   Not the ship was any safer without it's weapons and engines.

That brought to mind the ship's shields - were they down too?

Lahr switched his consoles focus from the planet to the ships' systems.  His antenna twitched in worry.  "Sir, shield systems appear to be working"

Lahr hoped that was subtle enough as a hint before inquiring "And did you want to send back a message? Before intruding on another culture's territory."

Though their scans showed nothing living, someone had scanned them and greeted them.  It was only Federation protocol to be polite.