S3 - M3: State of Emergency

[Kirok]

< Katra Station / OCC >

It had been curious.
On multiple occasions Hrafn had told her to not worry, to not blame herself for the children's situation. She had been with them, yes, but her latest memory of that day had been a stranger [spoiler][Drake][/spoiler] dragging her out of debris and through the docking bay.
She did not recall the children, nor anything else she had been doing there"¦
Had she attempted to evacuate them?
Had she even been successful?
Her memory was still fuzzy to say the least, and as she stood there, next to her superior on the OCC, trying to put together the puzzle pieces of the incident, squinting at the painfully bright lights and trying to ignore the physical pain that slowly seemed to make her posture cave in the longer she was on her feet.

Only ever when she was spoken to, Sirol's focus snapped back into reality, focusing Hrafn and Kirok.
She had been following her superior, simply due to the fact that no one had ordered her otherwise and Hrafn had offered to claim OPS duty, which would have made the science station vacant anyways. A simple matter pf logic.
The news that the rest of the Crew had arrived safe at DS9 felt like an instant stress relief, and Sirol noticeably exhaled and closed her eyes for a second.
Her Captain was safe! And so were the others!
Her old Captain of course.
Looking at Kirok she squinted. Was he the replacement?
He certainly gave off an entirely different vibe than his predecessor. Less welcoming; less galvanising.
But then again he had been thrown into Katra in entirely chaotic circumstances. He might as well turn out to be a surprising enrichment to the OCC just as everyone else she had met here so far had been.

Slowly the scientist looked up to Hrafn and eventually nodded.
Had her state been that bad?
Was she radiating her pain all across the OCC already?
Was this the stage of "˜unfit for duty' she had reached at this point?
Rubbing her freezing hands together she looked down onto her feet again.
"œOf course Lieutenant. There is no need to apologise.
I will report to sickbay momentarily. Let me know if I can assist you with something from down there."
With that she was already about to leave when all of a sudden, the other officer hugged her.
...Hugged her!

Sirol noticeably stiffened up; almost even flinched.
Despite all of her empathy, knowledge of interspecies behavioural patterns and interaction strategies; she had not been prepared for someone to hug her.
At first the gentle but noticeable pressure on her chest almost made her panic, yet as she began to tell herself that it was Hrafn; one of her new allies; her friend"¦ She seemed to ease up a little until she eventually held her breath and just took in the situation for a moment.
This had been her first hug ever since her brother's declared death twelve years, seven months and thirteen days ago.
She did not say anything, but she understood the gesture, and acknowledged that it had been just what she needed.

< Katra Station / Medbay >

As to be expected, Hrafn had been correct. Sirol was worse off that she had assumed herself.
As she left the turbolift leading towards the Medbay, her painkillers had completely stopped working, having Sirol feel the full broadside of pain: The crushed and healing bones, the pressure of her uncomfortable [and subjectively too tight set] exoskeleton as well as the raging headache.

Her spirit was at a new low point.
She was not even useful enough to perform fundamental sensor duty at the OCC"¦
The only uplifting part was Hrafn looking after her and sending her here.
An order was an order after all. And Sirol gladly obeyed.

As the doors hissed open and Sirol stepped in, she quickly looked through the room, scouting for the new Chief Medical Officer; spotting her in a conversation with other staff members,
She had not talked to the new Doctor yet, and hardly would call this the ideal circumstances for a first meeting, but then again, she was not here to make new acquaintances [no matter whether or how much she would have enjoyed to].
As the Doctor eventually was free, Sirol did a step towards the stranger, her face visibly pale and painted with physical pain.

"œLieutenant Falleg asked me to report to you for an evaluation of my status.
This and I am also here to assist you and the staff in tasks you deem suitable for the aforementioned current state.
Ensign Sirol; Xenologist; Fveirrolh'khyi-cultural exchange program.."

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok had noticed the young Ensign at the meeting.  She had not spoke then.  Perhaps shy or introverted or simply overwhelmed by all of the new changes.

But when she spoke, she reminded him of himself when he was young.  Typically quiet around others.  Always respectful of authority.

That, however, had only gotten him threw the academy.  With solid As.  But had he not 'found his voice' when he was on the Churchill his fate may have been much different.

He watched from a distance with Ms. Falleg said her goodbye.  Before the young girl left thought, he called out.  "Ensign if you have a moment" he said.

After she approached he spoke a bit more softly.  "Your health is very important, so please take whatever time you need to recuperate.  But please return as soon as you can.

Because your input, your unique perspective, your voice is vital to each and every mission.  I rely on you as an officer to ask questions, suggest solutions, and tell me patterns that you see in the data.  You are my eyes when i can not personally look at things myself.

What I am trying say, and I believe that you might relate to this, is that emotion is not my go to state.  So I am not warm or fuzzy as humans are known to say.  I judge mostly on logic and contribution.  And from what I have read in your file, you have the potential to be great.

Perhaps after this emergency is resolved we can find some time to become more acquainted with each other.  I can learn more about you.  And you about me.  Would that be of interest to you?" he said.

< Katra Station / Medbay >

As soon as the doctor started to criticize him, the EMH deactivated himself.  Or the battery died in his mobile unit after running constantly for 24hours for 13 consecutive days.  Either way, Xiiv, found herself speaking to empty air.

[Eydis]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"That would be correct.  He is an XB as they prefer to be called now.  He is a good man and Dillon appears to like him" Kirok relied.  Brief and to the point as was his style, but hopefully conveying an appropriate amount of information to satisfy the XO.

Awhile later, the XB arrived with Dillon.  The dog was in a crate.  He looked up at Kyle and sniffed threw the cage door.

"Reporting for duty, Sir" the enlisted man said.  "Once we get down to the planet I'll put him on a leash.  Till then he'll be ok on the cage" EQ added.

[Control Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok's left eyebrow arched slightly.  Falleg was full of suggestions.  All good, of course.

She was obviously stressed.  She had personal connections to all of the newly found officers.   But her missing children were obviously present in her thought given the fact that she was singing a children's song.

"It is good new, indeed.  Let's hope that we get news about your children soon.  But Kirok is fine" he replied, partially to comfort her.

By then his duty station dinged to let him know that his log in had been successful.  He worked in silence for a moment.  Knocking out some of the things Falleg had suggested.

[Medbay - Katra Station]

The doctor turned when he heard the new voice.  "Oh.  Hello" he said.  Then he followed Amarande's eye to their 'friend.'

"Ah.  Our resident Deltan.  The riddle wrapped into a mystery.  Wrapped in a conundrum.

Eydis brought her in 13 days ago.  There were signs of trauma.  A puncture to her right, just below the color bone, cut threw her uniform.  A simple x ray showed a possible fracture on her c-4 c-5.  That was the best we could do at the time.  She showed positive involuntary responses to legs and arms during the nerve test.  But with her being un-conscious we don't know if she is capable of voluntary movement.

So we put her in a halo devise.  Drilled holes in her temples.  No sedation given.  The bed tilts every minute.  Internal functions are fine.

I sent for toxicology, but did not hear back yet.  I don't understand why she is in a coma.  But there is lots of brain activity - almost like she wants to tell us what happened.

There is a crown in her personal belongings.  I don't know what it is.  Was she royalty of some kind?" she asked the doctor and Eydis.

Eydis would crouch down a little on hir six legs as shi scuttles over to the bed side of hir friend. Not really hearing the other two. Shi would reach out a hand lightly pressing them against the temple of the deltan. Perhaps trying to see if shi could still communicate with out the crystalline shard via the lattice with the deltan. The lattice was never shared with anyone but tholians.

[Etain] Turning to the planet side the black dart like ship invaded the planets atomsphere. Beautiful and deadly in flight in the atmosphere a put of xindi assault shuttles would drop one after another from the under belly of the Etain. The shuttles claw like wings would extend as the two shuttles would begin to scan the area for impacts. The Etain itself was heading to a opening to deploy the suited tholian shock troopers on the planets surface. Skaldyr would transmit the report back to his commander.

[Gideon Drake]

Katra - Corridor ===>Lift ===> Shuttle Bay

Kyle had just reached the lift when his comm sounded. It was Ensign Drake acknowledging his message. He had to admit, he was impressed with the promptness of the young man. He entered the lift with his other thoughts. He'd never worked with a, what was Kirok had called him? An XB. Kyle had been in Starfleet long enough to know that allies came in all shapes and sizes. He wasn't one to judge. The man had been one of the first to volunteer and with his size, they could probably use the muscle as well. A few moment sleter, Drake contacted him again to let him know that they  had a shuttle and he was prepping it now. The lift stopped and the doors parted and stepped out into the shuttle bay.

Shuttle Bay - Shuttle Araguaia

"Ensign Drake. Good to see you again." Kyle said, referring to their flight out form DS9. "Wish it was under better circumstances." He stayed outside the shuttle while the Ensign completed his pre flight checks. It didn't take long for the others to begin arriving. EQ was the first and he was carrying a pet kennel that looked to be heavy but he showed no strain of the weight .

"Thank you for stopping by the Captain's quarters and picking up Dillon, EQ. I'm sure he will be a big help down there." Kyle said as he reached down for the dog to sniff his hand and see if he remembered him from the flight out. He stood back up and straightened his uniform. "And thank you again for volunteering. Hopefully, things won't be as bad down there as I'm expecting."

Within minutes, everyone else had arrived and the shuttle took it's leave of the Katra. It didn't take long to see the damage as they approached the planet. Kyle stood and addressed the crew.

"When we land, I want us to split up into three teams. The medical staff will be the leads. I want one medical with three engineers and two security." he said. "I know there aren't enough of you for that, Crewman Newman, so you and I will accompany Doctor Brinkman along with Mister EQ and Dillon. I will act as the extra security and engineer. If you come across any major, life threatening injuries that need to be beamed back up to medical, DO NOT hesitate to call for the extraction. Getting them up there ASAP. If they can't be beamed up, get them back to the shuttle for Ensign Drake to take back. Hopefully, he won't have to do too many back and forth trips but we will utilize him as needed. Any questions? Good. Move out."

[Ensign Gideon Drake | Runabout Araguaia | Katra Station >- Meridian]

"Thank you, Commander," said Gideon in reply. He noted with interest, as people came in, the huge Romulan and Kirok's dog. Still this was his first flight to Meridian.

In no time at all, he brought the runabout down to Meridian. Gideon was impressed. This world was amazing to him.

In no time at all, he brought the runabout down. As Commander Briggs set his instructions, Gideon nodded in understanding. He figured he'd be down here, keeping the engine running. Again, it's to be expected in any flight assignments on the station.

"You'll undoubtedly know where to find me if you need to scarper back to Katra," said Gideon positively. "I'll be down here keeping the engine running."

[Kirok]

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::

As Sirol was leaving, Kyan arrived.  Kirok turned to him.  The Miran was short in stature but big in personality.

"Mr. MacKenzie.  It is indeed agreeable to see you again.   You could not have arrived at a better time.  You can take this station.  You will have access to Ops and Sec/Tac here.  We are all multi-tasking until our numbers improve.

But to correct you, we must first determine if this was an accident.  Or sabotage.  Hopefully it will be the former.

I believe you know Ms. Falleg" he added before logging off the station.  Luckily it had some valuable info he needed.

So he tapped his combade and said.  -//-Kirok to Kyle.  I'm sending you coordinates to a humanoid signal on the planet.  I suspect it is one of ours -\\-

Shuttle Bay - Shuttle Araguaia
[NPC EQ]

"No problem, Sir.  Kiork has been good to me over the years.  I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.

I came up threw the Sec/tac department.  And as you can see was a victim of the Borg early on.  But I've had all my external parts removed.  They couldn't do anything about my eyes though" he said, showing the man his black obsidian eyes.

Just then a noise was heard from the cage.  A failure doer followed.  "Dillon!" EQ said, using a hand to disperse the fowl smell.   The dog simple look up unapologetically as if to say 'it wasn't me.'

[Medbay]

When Eydis attempted to connect to Zex over the lattis with a physical tough, it appeared that nothing happen.  But the crown that sat on the bed table did.  It 'sang' out to Eydis.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::

"Mr. MacKenzie.  It is indeed agreeable to see you again.   You could not have arrived at a better time.  You can take this station.  You will have access to Ops and Sec/Tac here.  We are all multi-tasking until our numbers improve.

But to correct you, we must first determine if this was an accident.  Or sabotage.  Hopefully it will be the former.

I believe you know Ms. Falleg" he added before logging off the station.  Luckily it had some valuable info he needed.

Kyan followed the Vulcan's eyes over to the woman sitting at another station and wearing the blue undershirt of the sciences division. Hey had met before...but where? He searched his memory for her, finally landing right back here at the restaurant. It had been her family dinner that he'd disrupted while taking that Red Squad cadet to see Captain Hawk! That had been what the grups called a clusterf*ck of mythic proportions. And as he recalled, she'd not been happy with him then, which was the only time that he'd made her aquaintance. Hopefully she wasn't still sore about it.

"Merry Met again Lieutenant Falleg!" He called out cheerfully. "I hope your daughter is doing well at the Academy the now, and of course your other children too... and your husband, Captain Tekin."

[Kirok]

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::

Kirok looked down.  Internally he cringed.  But he drew in a breath and spoke.

"Ms. Falleg's children are currently unaccounted for.  Perhaps I should have mentioned that.  Apologies" he added.

"Perhaps you will be able to help us locate them.  They would have left on a escape pod.  Maybe you can help track the trajectory of their pod?" he suggested.

[Amarande Xiiv]

< Katra Station / Medbay >

As soon as the doctor started to criticize him, the EMH deactivated himself.  Or the battery died in his mobile unit after running constantly for 24hours for 13 consecutive days.  Either way, Xiiv, found herself speaking to empty air.

[Medbay]

When Eydis attempted to connect to Zex over the lattis with a physical tough, it appeared that nothing happen.  But the crown that sat on the bed table did.  It 'sang' out to Eydis.

She was going to have to tweak his programming something fierce, Xiiv thought to herself, and knew she could do it and do it well. With Eydis investigating Zex and the crown singing out, she brought it over to the Tholian.

"Will this help?" she asked gently, sliding the crown very carefully onto Zex's head with as little pressure as possible.

"Let me fix this mess first, alright?"

It didn't take too long to rectify the EMH's peculiar style of healing but when she did, the fracture had been taken care of and the Deltan was free of contraptions hindering her full recovery. Amarande would let Zex and Eydis communicate in their own time and way. All she could do was wait.

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Control Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok's left eyebrow arched slightly.  Falleg was full of suggestions.  All good, of course.

She was obviously stressed.  She had personal connections to all of the newly found officers.   But her missing children were obviously present in her thought given the fact that she was singing a children's song.

"It is good new, indeed.  Let's hope that we get news about your children soon.  But Kirok is fine" he replied, partially to comfort her.

By then his duty station dinged to let him know that his log in had been successful.  He worked in silence for a moment.  Knocking out some of the things Falleg had suggested.

< Katra Station / OCC >

It had been curious.
On multiple occasions Hrafn had told her to not worry, to not blame herself for the children's situation. She had been with them, yes, but her latest memory of that day had been a stranger [spoiler][Drake][/spoiler] dragging her out of debris and through the docking bay.
She did not recall the children, nor anything else she had been doing there"¦
Had she attempted to evacuate them?
Had she even been successful?
Her memory was still fuzzy to say the least, and as she stood there, next to her superior on the OCC, trying to put together the puzzle pieces of the incident, squinting at the painfully bright lights and trying to ignore the physical pain that slowly seemed to make her posture cave in the longer she was on her feet.

Only ever when she was spoken to, Sirol's focus snapped back into reality, focusing Hrafn and Kirok.
She had been following her superior, simply due to the fact that no one had ordered her otherwise and Hrafn had offered to claim OPS duty, which would have made the science station vacant anyways. A simple matter pf logic.
The news that the rest of the Crew had arrived safe at DS9 felt like an instant stress relief, and Sirol noticeably exhaled and closed her eyes for a second.
Her Captain was safe! And so were the others!
Her old Captain of course.
Looking at Kirok she squinted. Was he the replacement?
He certainly gave off an entirely different vibe than his predecessor. Less welcoming; less galvanising.
But then again he had been thrown into Katra in entirely chaotic circumstances. He might as well turn out to be a surprising enrichment to the OCC just as everyone else she had met here so far had been.

Slowly the scientist looked up to Hrafn and eventually nodded.
Had her state been that bad?
Was she radiating her pain all across the OCC already?
Was this the stage of "˜unfit for duty' she had reached at this point?
Rubbing her freezing hands together she looked down onto her feet again.
"œOf course Lieutenant. There is no need to apologise.
I will report to sickbay momentarily. Let me know if I can assist you with something from down there."
With that she was already about to leave when all of a sudden, the other officer hugged her.
...Hugged her!

Sirol noticeably stiffened up; almost even flinched.
Despite all of her empathy, knowledge of interspecies behavioural patterns and interaction strategies; she had not been prepared for someone to hug her.
At first the gentle but noticeable pressure on her chest almost made her panic, yet as she began to tell herself that it was Hrafn; one of her new allies; her friend"¦ She seemed to ease up a little until she eventually held her breath and just took in the situation for a moment.
This had been her first hug ever since her brother's declared death twelve years, seven months and thirteen days ago.
She did not say anything, but she understood the gesture, and acknowledged that it had been just what she needed.

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn noticed Sirol stiffen, almost flinching but put it down to the shock the poor girl had been through. "Go now..." she said softly.  "...I'll come check on you soon as I have a spare moment. Or see you back here, whichever is the sooner. You're precious to us, and your health comes first!"

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok had noticed the young Ensign at the meeting.  She had not spoke then.  Perhaps shy or introverted or simply overwhelmed by all of the new changes.

But when she spoke, she reminded him of himself when he was young.  Typically quiet around others.  Always respectful of authority.

That, however, had only gotten him threw the academy.  With solid As.  But had he not 'found his voice' when he was on the Churchill his fate may have been much different.

He watched from a distance with Ms. Falleg said her goodbye.  Before the young girl left thought, he called out.  "Ensign if you have a moment" he said.

After she approached he spoke a bit more softly.  "Your health is very important, so please take whatever time you need to recuperate.  But please return as soon as you can.

Because your input, your unique perspective, your voice is vital to each and every mission.  I rely on you as an officer to ask questions, suggest solutions, and tell me patterns that you see in the data.  You are my eyes when i can not personally look at things myself.

What I am trying say, and I believe that you might relate to this, is that emotion is not my go to state.  So I am not warm or fuzzy as humans are known to say.  I judge mostly on logic and contribution.  And from what I have read in your file, you have the potential to be great.

Perhaps after this emergency is resolved we can find some time to become more acquainted with each other.  I can learn more about you.  And you about me.  Would that be of interest to you?" he said.

Once Sirol had left, Hrafn turned to Kirok.  "Kirok, you and I have known each other a long time, my friend.  And while like most Vulcans and Romulans for that matter, that I know, you're not given to outward displays of emotion, it's just not the normal modus operandi for Vulcanoids, I get that.  However, little moments like that... makes me always know that beneath that staid Vulcan exterior and the raised eyebrow like you question every move is a warm, and yes, fuzzy heart!"  she smiled warmly.  "You're right too, but you've always been a good judge of people.  I think she's destined for greatness."

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::
~ 13 days later (Present Day) ~

Kyan had been on the station before, but never in Main Ops. As he stepped off the lift he took a brief moment to look around before finding his query. The place was much bigger and more... crowded than a starship bridge, or even the Ops center in Starbase Columbus was. Finally, after familiarizing himself with the general layout, he noticed the Vulcan Captain sitting at a console and made his way over to him.

"Captain Kirok." he began to get the Vulcan grup's attention. "It's pleased I am to be seeing you again, and reporting for duty here on the station. The Sector Chief says I'm to be helping you catch whoever tried tae blow up yer station, the creature! So here I am... and my orders." he offered the padd as he finished.

Kyan followed the Vulcan's eyes over to the woman sitting at another station and wearing the blue undershirt of the sciences division. Hey had met before...but where? He searched his memory for her, finally landing right back here at the restaurant. It had been her family dinner that he'd disrupted while taking that Red Squad cadet to see Captain Hawk! That had been what the grups called a clusterf*ck of mythic proportions. And as he recalled, she'd not been happy with him then, which was the only time that he'd made her aquaintance. Hopefully she wasn't still sore about it.

"Merry Met again Lieutenant Falleg!" He called out cheerfully. "I hope your daughter is doing well at the Academy the now, and of course your other children too... and your husband, Captain Tekin."

Hrafn swallowed down her prior annoyance at the Ops officer before her.  They were here to do a job, and that's what she had to focus on, and he'd been pleasant enough.

"Welcome back Mr Mackenzie, nice to see you.  Since you're Ops I'll untoggle this and get over to Sciences only... I'd rather we had an Ops specialist on the job than a Xenolinguist with Ops as a side line!" she gave a lopsided grin. "I can do it... but then..." she shrugged pulling a moue "... can you do the Science?  We're given jobs for a reason I guess!"

She took a deep breath and said.  "So far as I'm aware both Ruthie and my husband are doing well, I've not had communication since there was a lot of interference and we were cut off at the Wormhole.  Ruthie's about to graduate this year.  Thank you for remembering.  As for my younger children..."

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::

Kirok looked down.  Internally he cringed.  But he drew in a breath and spoke.

"Ms. Falleg's children are currently unaccounted for.  Perhaps I should have mentioned that.  Apologies" he added.

"Perhaps you will be able to help us locate them.  They would have left on a escape pod.  Maybe you can help track the trajectory of their pod?" he suggested.

Hrafn smiled gratefully at Kirok. "That..." she wagged a playfully admonishing finger at Kyan and said "Get them back and we'll forget all about our previous meeting!" she chuckled and smiled.  "I've sent you across all the warp signatures I've been able to find and locate for the shuttles too, I've a feeling that they aren't going to be in an escape pod, likely they'll be on one of the shuttles but I think it might be damaged or their waiting for an 'OK it's safe' from us... I don't know if comms are getting in or out as yet.  Does Engineering have any update on that?"

[Meanwhile... somewhere out there on the  USS Tigris NCC-72854 (Yellowstone Class Runabout attached to Katra normally)]

(NPCs Crista, James, Tidu, Nerys and Lamar, Anth McCutcheon and random pilot)

Lamar stirred on James' lap where he'd been asleep, and woke his hair all tousled.

"Hello little man." James said, helping the still half-comatose boy to sit up.  "Would you like some chocolate, I found some in a ration box!"

"Where am I, where's Mammy?" a sleepy Lamar asked, looking around blearily eyed.

"Where's ours?" Tidu demanded.

"Manners young man you'll get yours soon enough!" Crista admonished. She was surprised that she hadn't heard a peep out of Nerys, who for all she was the most sensible of the children, wasn't immune to the lure of chocolate.  Then she saw her huddled over a PADD with the young Scientist.

"Here, Tidu, there's yours, take a piece to Anth and Nerys then you can pass this to Crista!" James said breaking up the chocolate.

"I read a book on Mammy's PADD once..." Tidu said nudging Anth on the shoulder and passing the chocolate to him and Nerys silently.  Anth nodded and smiled.  Nerys took hers almost distractedly.  It didn't bother Tidu... he realised her brain was switched to 'Science' and she was merely taking the chocolate automatically since some part of her brain said she needed food!  He continued.

"... It was about children, older than us but not Ruthie's age... somewhere about 11 or 12 I think at the start of the books, and they did magic, but one of the books they had these horrible things... I mean living on Bajor and going to DS9 regularly we saw all kinds of strange species, and we're friendly with many species on Katra, including a Tholian, there's an ex-Borg or what do they call them now?"

"XBs..." Nerys said not even looking up.  She was listening to the conversation but not really paying that much attention to it but she could hop in any time she wanted, she nibbled on her chocolate and then put in "...like Uncle EQ. And...you read?!" she teased!

"Yes, admittedly normally engineering manuals... and that's who I was thinking about... but anyway this story... these things they were like ghosts or something..."

"Wraiths... dementors I think you mean, Tids and it was Harry Potter books." his sister said.

"That's it!  Dementoids... anyway, there was this teacher, gave them all chocolate when Harry passed out from seeing one cuz apparently there's things in chocolate that makes you feel better! So it's good for you!" Tidu concluded.

Nerys sighed.  This was science and she had to knock it into the blockhead of her brother the actual truth behind the matter. Speaking in her best 'science-y' voice she began explaining.

"It's because the body uses it to produce the mood-elevating substance of serotonin "" also known as the happiness hormone. The sugar in the chocolate also plays a role in this. Because the insulin released in response to the sugar it fuels the journey of the tryptophan to the brain where it makes you feel the emotions of happiness.  Of course, the sugar doesn't help and if you eat too much you'll get first a sugar slum so you'll feel more miserable after and get fat if you don't exercise and while I totally appreciate Uncle James finding and giving us chocolate, thank you, we can't exercise much so eat it just a little bit at a time."

"No worries about that Nerys, dear... was only one little bar and we've just shared it 6 ways!" James said.  "That's it.  I thought it might perk up Lamar the sleepy head here!  What you up to with Anth down there, our Science boffins have had their heads practically glued to a PADD down there!"

"Science... that's what us science boffins do!  But seriously..." Anth grinned and then jerked his head at Nerys.

"Junior Cadet Tekin Nerys here is going for getting all her gold badges in Science for her badge sash and I'll be more than happy to sign them off for her. She found that there's been major amounts of radiation around DS9 and that's probably why Hrafn and co sent the messages by probe.  The winds that have been around that drifted a bit this direction so there may have been interference here.  We've also been looking at specifications for the escape pods and this shuttle... "  He turned to the pilot.

"I assume you've hit the distress signal button or whatever it is so that they can locate us back on Katra?!  I mean it's automatic on the pods, but unless there's something wrong with our shuttle and we have to make a mayday call, would anyone think to turn that on?"

"Ah actually... no, I've been trying communications and nothing as yet, you know, regular messages back to the Ops Centre and I was just getting static so I can only imagine that Engineering hasn't got that sorted yet, but distress signal now activated."

"And so we wait..."

Eventually, once things are settled in OCC on Katra a faint distress signal will be transmitting on constant loop, updating the location as they drift slightly on space winds. A little blip on any location maps perhaps.

...USS Tigris NCC-72854, requesting assistance from Katra Station or any Federation Ships in our vicinity we are currently at location...

[Kirok]

Meridian
[NPC EQ/Dillon]

EQ came off the shuttle with Dillon on a leash.  The dog stumbled a bit.  But corrected himself.

"He has doggie vertigo.  The gravity must be messing with his inner ear.  He'll be alright" EQ said.

[NPC President of Meridian]

"Oh thank the gods you are here.  It's been hours.  You have to help us find my daughter" he said to Kyle.

[Katra:  Operations Control Center]

Kirok dipped his head slightly, accepting the complement. "Stressful events are known to evoke odd behavior.  Perhaps this was a situational episode.  Nonetheless, I was logical to offer her comfort during these trying times" he replied.

"With both of you here now, Ms Falleg can you take over comms.  Kyan can you take over monitoring for any incoming treats?  I am going to start looking for the fragments of the starbase that fell away.  As well as completing the coordination of the repair teams.  Finally, I start going threw the data prior to the explosion" the half vulcan said.

[Kirok]

[Katra Station - Medbay -  Zex's mind space]

"EYDIS?  ARE YOU THERE?!?  EYDIS?  (Crying.  Feelings of loneliness.  Hopelessness)

I felt the deaths of 100s of crew mates - all at one time.  And the grief that followed.  The grief has not stopped yet.

It is overwhelming.  I think my Deltan defenses kicked it.  It wrapped me in an emotional shied.  A cocoon to protect me from feeling everyone else's emotional pain.

But I have my own grief too.  Something that I have never told anyone outside my family.  And I can't escape from this cocoon until I tell someone.  Release my hold on it.  Let go of the anchor that is holding me here.

But please don't hate me.  If i'm every to escape this prion, I have to tell someone.  Please don't be ashamed of me,  like my parent's were.

And please, please never tell anyone.  PLEASE!  (Begging with all her sole.  Uncertain if she should go one.  To finally tell her secret and release from the pain she has had since before joining Star Fleet).

Deltan women can only have one child.  Ever.  Our biology intentionally keeps our population controlled.  So that we never outgrow our limited resources.

Every child is a gift.  Made to feel love.  Cherished by all.  A chance to extend our species into the future.

So choosing the right mate is so important.  Most people take awhile to find the right person.  And I thought that I found mine.

It was when I was in med school.  He was an off world-er.  So handsome.  Interesting.  So loving.  (Hesitation.  Regret.  Acknowledgement of a mistake, a mis-step that took her off her intended path).

At first everything was great.  He was so loving toward me.   I...  (Getting chocked up.  A pause to collect her courage).  I became pregnant.  A baby girl.  Z'va.  (Happiness missed with something else.  A swirl of emotions.  Then deep sadness).

My mate started to be angry with me.  All of the time.  For no reason.  He hit me...

Then I was in a hospital, like this.  I was bleeding internally (Tears falling from her eyes.  She dropped her head.  Not wanting to go on).

They...They made me choose.  Me.  Or Z'va................(Soft, silent, sobs).

I know it was selfish.  I went against my species, my parents,  The Hippocratic oath I was suppose to take as a doctor.

Please don't hate me.  Or judge me.  (Openly sobbing.  Begging for mercy,  Then finally committing to saying it).

I...I chose me" she admitted in shame.

[Sirol]

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn noticed Sirol stiffen, almost flinching but put it down to the shock the poor girl had been through. "Go now..." she said softly.  "...I'll come check on you soon as I have a spare moment. Or see you back here, whichever is the sooner. You're precious to us, and your health comes first!"

Sirol tried to regain her default conveniently neutral and business evel attitude. Straightening her pose she slowly nodded towards her superior, then gave her a little smirk.
"œThank you"¦ Hrafn.
Your"¦ Concerns are very appreciated. And so will be us maintaining contact.
But as for now, please make sure to maintain proper prioritisation.
I will be monitored and - in the best of cases - get to sleep off my pain.
The children depend more on you than I do."

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok had noticed the young Ensign at the meeting.  She had not spoke then.  Perhaps shy or introverted or simply overwhelmed by all of the new changes.

But when she spoke, she reminded him of himself when he was young.  Typically quiet around others.  Always respectful of authority.

That, however, had only gotten him threw the academy.  With solid As.  But had he not 'found his voice' when he was on the Churchill his fate may have been much different.

He watched from a distance with Ms. Falleg said her goodbye.  Before the young girl left thought, he called out.  "Ensign if you have a moment" he said.

After she approached he spoke a bit more softly.  "Your health is very important, so please take whatever time you need to recuperate.  But please return as soon as you can.

Because your input, your unique perspective, your voice is vital to each and every mission.  I rely on you as an officer to ask questions, suggest solutions, and tell me patterns that you see in the data.  You are my eyes when i can not personally look at things myself.

What I am trying say, and I believe that you might relate to this, is that emotion is not my go to state.  So I am not warm or fuzzy as humans are known to say.  I judge mostly on logic and contribution.  And from what I have read in your file, you have the potential to be great.

Perhaps after this emergency is resolved we can find some time to become more acquainted with each other.  I can learn more about you.  And you about me.  Would that be of interest to you?" he said.

She had already been about to make a [painful] 180 degree turn on her heel to head for the turbolift, when the voice of the new Captain made her stop and once more turn around.
Here it came; the semi-expected surprise, Sirol could already tell it by the drastic change of metaphorical vibes throughout the room.
Tilting her head she looked at him. "œ...Captain?"

Him asking her to get better soon and telling her that her health was important had been within the parameter of the expected for the general situation, what followed though made the slender scientist musingly raise an eyebrow.
He did know what her function was, and understood the way she saw patterns in things? Judging by her experience most people she came across had a mind vastly incompatible with hers, and it had been Sirol's task to decipher those people. And in extension that usually meant that she herself was often a mystery to the world around her (and as she had learned so far, Federation cultures in particular) too.
All of those perceptions were a two way street, but then again, despite Romulans attempts to negate and nullify it, Vulcan innate senses - telepathic or not - were extraordinarily sharp, so Sirol could see where he might have been coming from here.

She gave him a hesitant little nod.
"œI"¦ Appreciate your assessment of my usefulness and potential, Captain.
I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
It is"¦ Welcome to hear that you have studied the crew files and seek to assign everyone to their respective fields of expertise.
As soon as there is a causality chain to be predicted; a code to be deciphered or the mind and soul of a foreigner to be understood and mediated for, I will be at your service, Captain."
She pointed at the little PDA device around her wrist.
Although she had received her combadge upon transfer, which indeed was a beneficial translator and tracking divide, Sirol still preferred to use the portable holographic interface, which allowed her a broader set of functions and access to all of her files within seconds and without the necessity of voice commands.

"œYou are in fact correct. Phrasing and acting upon my emotions is not my natural state either, although sensing and analysing them for the sake of understanding my surroundings is paramount to my work.
We all act within the fields and boundaries of our upbringing and shaping and it is entirely acceptable to not fit within the expectations of others. Unless either you or your duty calls for you being "˜warm and fuzzy', yourself should just be the person you are required to be right now."
She herself had been a scientist after all, and every fibre of her being had embraced this part of her identity; her destiny. After all she was Dvenn; the researcher, the unifier, and now"¦ The traveller"¦ She did not need to be warm and fuzzy, and neither did her new Captain - unless he chose so.
Another wave of pain rushed through her body, and Sirol could feel her legs getting more and more unstable with each minute of standing still, so she - quietly and without a notion - began to shift weight from one side to another to take some pressure off her tibias.

Squinting a little, she once more looked at him.
"œI agree, Captain.
I would appreciate the chance to get more acquainted as well.
Perhaps once we are back to sufficient efficiency and the people have back their families, Lieutenant Falleg can work her interpersonal skills into once more summoning the staff; including you and the other newcomers.
I noticed that most Federation citizens seem to have an easier time approaching one another when the circumstances are not of work nature."
A situation Sirol almost regretted, considering that to her it had been the exact opposite, and the easiest way to have her warm op with someone new was a conversation including any of her fields of work.
Once more the pain running up her body made her cramp up, forcing her hand to immediately reach out for one of the handrails to not lose balance.
"œ...But for now, I am afraid I may have to ask for permission to seek out the Medbay.
The fading levels of pain medications affect my ability to focus and move"¦"

__________________________________

< Katra Station / Medbay >

"Acting Chief Medical Officer Amarande Xiiv," she said with a nod, gesturing for the Ensign to take an unoccupied seat on one of the beds.

"Mm, you've had a rough time of it, Ensign, and it looks like you're having a worse time at the moment. Let's see if we can't get that pain under control," she called up the Ensign's chart, looked at the painkillers, adjusted a hypospray and with a soft hiss injected the proper amount. "And," she said, inspecting the exoskeleton with deft fingers, before frowning lightly. Hmm, yes, a little too tight, she thought as she untightened the unit just a little in the proper spots to provide some relief, "see if we can't make you more comfortable. Is that a bit better? We can adjust it until it's supportive but not restrictive."

Amarande let out the softest of huffs.

"Sorry, I move very quickly these days. I was with a Vulcan refugee and war relief fleet for about five years before I joined Starfleet proper, so I've seen my share of strife." She didn't touch Sirol other than strictly necessary and her words were a soft murmur that conveyed gentle sympathy.

Sirol gave the other a polite hailing bow, and did as she was told via gestures: Taking a seat on one of the empty biobeds. She immediately felt a little relieved, and  although she was still dizzy - the fact that she was both, sitting and had safely arrived in the Medbay - took some low level worries off of her: After all she had been here where (in the worst case) could safely pass out without blocking a corridor or a turbolift or anything necessary for traffic"¦

As she felt the Hypospray being injected and it slowly taking its effect, Sirol noticeably loosened up a little and closed her eyes for a moment.
"œYou"¦ Are correct"¦ From everything I could piece together this body has been blown up, crushed and burnt. I suppose it might be for the better that I do not remember most of it - as of now."
That was with the exception of the beauty within the flames and the firm grip of her rescuer...
"œ...I would assume you know more about my medical state than I do, considering all of my recent pass-outs.
In either case, I appreciate your help."

Looking at the medic's every move; trying to predict what would come next, Sirol eventually raised her arms, allowing the other easier access to her exoskeletal frame. Once she loosened it up a little, it felt like some weight being gifted off of the scientist's shoulders. While she originally had assumed it had been too tight around the chest she now realised that it had been the shoulder part.
For a moment, she just rotated her arms a little; her body enjoying the freshly regained mobility.
"œThank you. I think"¦ It is just right"¦ I did not realise how difficult keeping balance can be without properly using your arms"¦
Kudos to you for instantly identifying the part that needed adjustment.
Makes one appreciate their limbs more than expected."
She moved her arms forward, testing her coordination by trying to point her two index fingers together in different angles.

As the medic continued, Sirol gave the other a polite, understanding nod.
"œThere is no need to apologise.
I prefer fast and efficient work myself actually. And even if I did not; this is an exceptional situation we find ourself in, and we all depend on one another's skill sets, so mutual adapting is vital to maintain a functional work unit.
I suppose your past experience might even specifically qualify for our current situation.
Katra is torn apart: Literally, metaphorically, mentally and emotionally."

She paused for a moment, absentmindedly rubbing her freezing hands against one another.
"œAs Lieutenant Falleg ordered, I will gladly put my knowledge and skill into assisting you. Within the safety parameters you deem appropriate for my health state of course.
Unfortunately my knowledge of medicine is mostly rudimentary: Emergency field practise all Galae Officers learn during basic training"¦
I however might be able to assist restoring computer systems if needed, as well as lend assistance on matters of psychology"¦ Well xenopsychology.
I assume it is not the skillset any medic would hope. I apologise for that."
She - almost even awkwardly - cleared her throat and looked down on her feet freely dangling down the biobed.

Eydis would crouch down a little on hir six legs as shi scuttles over to the bed side of hir friend. Not really hearing the other two. Shi would reach out a hand lightly pressing them against the temple of the deltan. Perhaps trying to see if shi could still communicate with out the crystalline shard via the lattice with the deltan. The lattice was never shared with anyone but tholians.

She was going to have to tweak his programming something fierce, Xiiv thought to herself, and knew she could do it and do it well. With Eydis investigating Zex and the crown singing out, she brought it over to the Tholian.

"Will this help?" she asked gently, sliding the crown very carefully onto Zex's head with as little pressure as possible.

"Let me fix this mess first, alright?"

It didn't take too long to rectify the EMH's peculiar style of healing but when she did, the fracture had been taken care of and the Deltan was free of contraptions hindering her full recovery. Amarande would let Zex and Eydis communicate in their own time and way. All she could do was wait.

For one more moment, Sirol leaned a little back, her eyes loosely following Xiiv.
Quietly the scientist was observing her interaction with the other patients, trying to get a gist on the current routine and necessities on the Medbay.
Her eyes came to a rest on the comatose Ensign Zex and Commander Eydis next to her. Seeing the Diplomatics officer like this was saddening.
She had been such a cheerful and bubbly personality. Knowing that she was yet another patient currently trapped in her own body was a painful thought.
It had not been the first time Sirol had seen someone like this, but it almost felt like one of those sights to never fully get used to"¦
Eydis seemed to perform, what Sirol interpreted as some sort of mind meld. She was aware of Tholians being both touch- and non touch telepaths. Her previous experience though indicated that this attempt would not be particularly fruitful, with - at least by default - humanoid and Tholian brainwaves not being entirely compatible. But then again, maybe Sirol was thinking too scientific here"¦
Maybe it was more a gesture of affection.
She had seen unconscious and even dying patients being caressed by their loved ones ever since she started working on space ships; a physical attempt to reach the other"¦

Sirol tilted her head giving them a sad look, before she then turned around towards Xiiv again.
"œDo you need help with "˜fixing the mess'? I did notice there is no EMH active..." She awkwardly asked and - although still dizzy and weak on her legs - offered her assistance with the raise of one hand.

[Kirok]

The young scientist response was well thought out and delivered eloquently.  It even warranted an arch brow of his own.   'Interesting' he thought to himself.

"Indeed.  I look forward to our meeting.  And to working with you in the future.  But I can see that you are in pain.  Go now to Sickbay" he said to Sirol.

As she left, he turned toward Ms. Falleg.  He offered her a nod.  The his duty station dinged again.

Kirok tapped his combadge once more.  -//-Operations Control Center to the away team.  The bulk of the debris is not far from Kal.  You may even be able to see it when you find him.  OCC out -\\- he said.

[Kyle Briggs]

Meridian

Kyle was thankful when the shuttle finally landed. Dillon was a really cute dog but the shuttle had been to enclosed and too over crowded for the stench he had released. Kyle was one of the first ones off board as the others collected their gear and EQ released Dillon from the kennel.

[NPC EQ/Dillon]

EQ came off the shuttle with Dillon on a leash.  The dog stumbled a bit.  But corrected himself.

"He has doggie vertigo.  The gravity must be messing with his inner ear.  He'll be alright" EQ said.

"No worries. Give him the time he needs." Kyle replied as he was approached from behind.

[NPC President of Meridian]

"Oh thank the gods you are here.  It's been hours.  You have to help us find my daughter" he said to Kyle.

Kyle instantly recognized the man. "Mr. President. Commander Kyle Briggs, First Officer of the Katra. We're here to help you and the folks from the Katra. I have several teams here. We're going to put one at your disposal......Yes. One......" Kyle said when he saw the glare in the man's eyes. "That will be more than enough. We will need the rest for search and rescue. Plus anyone here that can assist."

As the President was gathering himself, the rest of Kyle's teams approached and awaited their orders.

[Hrafn Falleg]

Sirol tried to regain her default conveniently neutral and business evel attitude. Straightening her pose she slowly nodded towards her superior, then gave her a little smirk.
"œThank you"¦ Hrafn.
Your"¦ Concerns are very appreciated. And so will be us maintaining contact.
But as for now, please make sure to maintain proper prioritisation.
I will be monitored and - in the best of cases - get to sleep off my pain.
The children depend more on you than I do."

She had already been about to make a [painful] 180 degree turn on her heel to head for the turbolift, when the voice of the new Captain made her stop and once more turn around.
Here it came; the semi-expected surprise, Sirol could already tell it by the drastic change of metaphorical vibes throughout the room.
Tilting her head she looked at him. "œ...Captain?"

Him asking her to get better soon and telling her that her health was important had been within the parameter of the expected for the general situation, what followed though made the slender scientist musingly raise an eyebrow.
He did know what her function was, and understood the way she saw patterns in things? Judging by her experience most people she came across had a mind vastly incompatible with hers, and it had been Sirol's task to decipher those people. And in extension that usually meant that she herself was often a mystery to the world around her (and as she had learned so far, Federation cultures in particular) too.
All of those perceptions were a two way street, but then again, despite Romulans attempts to negate and nullify it, Vulcan innate senses - telepathic or not - were extraordinarily sharp, so Sirol could see where he might have been coming from here.

She gave him a hesitant little nod.
"œI"¦ Appreciate your assessment of my usefulness and potential, Captain.
I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
It is"¦ Welcome to hear that you have studied the crew files and seek to assign everyone to their respective fields of expertise.
As soon as there is a causality chain to be predicted; a code to be deciphered or the mind and soul of a foreigner to be understood and mediated for, I will be at your service, Captain."
She pointed at the little PDA device around her wrist.
Although she had received her combadge upon transfer, which indeed was a beneficial translator and tracking divide, Sirol still preferred to use the portable holographic interface, which allowed her a broader set of functions and access to all of her files within seconds and without the necessity of voice commands.

"œYou are in fact correct. Phrasing and acting upon my emotions is not my natural state either, although sensing and analysing them for the sake of understanding my surroundings is paramount to my work.
We all act within the fields and boundaries of our upbringing and shaping and it is entirely acceptable to not fit within the expectations of others. Unless either you or your duty calls for you being "˜warm and fuzzy', yourself should just be the person you are required to be right now."
She herself had been a scientist after all, and every fibre of her being had embraced this part of her identity; her destiny. After all she was Dvenn; the researcher, the unifier, and now"¦ The traveller"¦ She did not need to be warm and fuzzy, and neither did her new Captain - unless he chose so.
Another wave of pain rushed through her body, and Sirol could feel her legs getting more and more unstable with each minute of standing still, so she - quietly and without a notion - began to shift weight from one side to another to take some pressure off her tibias.

Squinting a little, she once more looked at him.
"œI agree, Captain.
I would appreciate the chance to get more acquainted as well.
Perhaps once we are back to sufficient efficiency and the people have back their families, Lieutenant Falleg can work her interpersonal skills into once more summoning the staff; including you and the other newcomers.
I noticed that most Federation citizens seem to have an easier time approaching one another when the circumstances are not of work nature."
A situation Sirol almost regretted, considering that to her it had been the exact opposite, and the easiest way to have her warm op with someone new was a conversation including any of her fields of work.
Once more the pain running up her body made her cramp up, forcing her hand to immediately reach out for one of the handrails to not lose balance.
"œ...But for now, I am afraid I may have to ask for permission to seek out the Medbay.
The fading levels of pain medications affect my ability to focus and move"¦"

[Katra:  Operations Control Center]

Kirok dipped his head slightly, accepting the complement. "Stressful events are known to evoke odd behavior.  Perhaps this was a situational episode.  Nonetheless, I was logical to offer her comfort during these trying times" he replied.

"With both of you here now, Ms Falleg can you take over comms.  Kyan can you take over monitoring for any incoming treats?  I am going to start looking for the fragments of the starbase that fell away.  As well as completing the coordination of the repair teams.  Finally, I start going threw the data prior to the explosion" the half vulcan said.

Eventually, once things are settled in OCC on Katra a faint distress signal will be transmitting on constant loop, updating the location as they drift slightly on space winds. A little blip on any location maps perhaps.

...USS Tigris NCC-72854, requesting assistance from Katra Station or any Federation Ships in our vicinity we are currently at location...

[OCC - Katra]

Hrafn nodded once more at Sirol, but did not engage in more conversation, realising that the poor lass was barely able to stand.

Nodding at the Captain she smiled.  "Affirmative Kirok, that works well for me."

She toggled into the comms system and listened there was nothing.  Sighing she started scrolling through the frequencies, then she let out a small gasp... what was that?

...USS Tigris NCC-72854, requesting assistance from Katra Station or any Federation Ships in our vicinity we are currently at location...

A tiny, faint message coming through.  "Sir I'm getting a faint distress message from the Tigris, she's one of ours, I'm attempting to amplify..."

Hrafn finally got the message coming through at a volume anyone in the OCC could hear.

The CSO grinned and sent a message back.   Tigris this is Lt. Falleg-Tekin, CSO of  Katra Station and we hear you, and have your location, can you advise us of your manifest?

Hrafn heard the audible sigh of relief and could almost see the grin of the person who answered.

Well Ma'am it's sure good to hear your voice.  There are three small people here that shot up like jack-in-the-boxes the moment your voice came through!  But to answer your question correctly... let's see...give me a moment to do the head count and ... well I know your lot but I'm not sure about the rest...

Grinning, the CSO barely heard the rest of the message, 'her lot' indeed.  She could only hope that meant all the children, Ujosso, Crista and co.

...right sorry about that here's the list. We were lucky... the pilot and co-pilot were checking the passenger pods so we had maximum passenger capacity so there's myself -  Ensign Meg Evans, engineering... our pilot - Ensign Jimmy Greenhowe, co-pilot - Crewman Sam Hawkins. Other Starfleet personnel, Crewman H'Ardang from Security, and Lt. Verso from Sciences... Passengers - Anth McCutcheon, oh he's Sciences too I guess but he's never in a uniform, Ms. Crista LePrant, Mr. James Dalton, Mrs. Ujosso Cunzicht, Tidu, Nerys and Lamar... oh and your cats.  Also Mr ch'Appelle, Ryan Oakes, Julie Hasler, civilian residents who'd not long got here, The Carter family Jill, Joe, Louise and Jacob... Jill's the Seamstress who's taken over Movel's shop, Ms. Ping Ja-Du a dancer from one of the clubs and Ms. Jacinda Fraser one of the bar tenders at a club.  But while everyone's lives are important, I'm guessing you're most interested in your family.  Oh I've been told to tell you, something hit us, we can't manoeuvre, we could go forward but we are... stranded.  I've looked stuff over but I can't fix this from here.

H-how are the children? I mean how's everyone?  We'll get someone out to rescue you as soon as we can, I just need to determine if we need to find a medic... we've got rather a few casualties here too you see.

Well, Lt. Verso has a broken wrist but we splinted it, she's asleep, and that's why I'm taking point cuz me and Jimmy our pilot are the next senior ranking...and we split the watch so to speak so that we have roughly have 8 hours sleep, 8 hours 'on duty' and 8 hours to do whatever, like we'd have on Katra, and there's always an officer on duty... If someone could bring some analgesics as we're out of them...and the replicators seem to work intermittently, I've tried fixing them but something works one day, something else the next, I've got them replicating food and drink now so we won't starve for a while but we'd rather have that than painkillers... it was Lt. Verso's descision...no one is seriously hurt, a few cuts and bruises, burns, but nothing major.  I think your kids have more bruises from play fights than anything sustained in the evacuation, they're bright and alert.  It's ok Lieutenant, I know they're you're first priority!

Ensign, you all are, but I have faith in Ms. LePrant to keep them safe.  Keep your chin up we'll get out to you as soon as we can now that we know your location. I'll advise or have a pilot contact you on this frequency as soon as someone is airborne on route to you.  Falleg out.

"Sir, we have the runabout... Can we send someone out to get them?  I don't know that there's many personnel that we can spare.  I'm not brilliant with a shuttle but I can pilot.  I believe I could handle the Munnin-Ra that I came in on, and that has enough of a capacity to take the entire manifest of the Tigris over, then tractor her in."

Remembering her promise to Sirol she tapped her commbadge but hailed Dr. Xiiv rather than the Romulan, mindful that her fellow scientist could be asleep now, plus she could advise the doctor of

Lt. Falleg-Tekin to Dr. Xiiv, could you get a message to Ensign Sirol, I'm going via yourself as I don't know if she's asleep, receiving treatment, whatever... but I promised to let her know, and thus alleviate her worry, as soon as we found the children.  We have found them, the rest of the family, a few crew and a few civilians, on the Tigris, along with several others.  Have been advised that all are alive, Lt. Verso has a broken arm which they've splinted.  I have no further details as to with what.  They also reported minor cuts, bruises, sprains and burns and requested some analgesics since they have used the supplies from the runabout medkit and the replicators have only been mended enough that they have food and drink.  I realise sending a medic might be beyond the resources we have currently but if we could have a medkit or two with supplies sent to the shuttlebay for whomever is taking out the rescue shuttle, we'd be grateful!

Hrafn then tried to curb her impatience and be a professional officer rather than a mother wanting to go and rescue her kids.  She knew that Kirok wasn't heartless, and would get someone onto it as soon as he could.

[Eli Ferris]

[Lt. Eli Ferris|Before|Location: Unknown]
Smoke...fire...wind...the air was circulating too fast. Eli gasped for air, feeling that ache down in his ribs, his heart going too fast. The air was bad. He needed to get to the...

Another explosion and he was off his feet. But, this time he could feel the deck. And breathe. He moved low, coming to a junction and able to get his bearings, in a crude sense. His badge was gone. So, he needed a panel. Each step was burning, and his face was wet, from tears or blood there was no way he could tell right now.

Trembling hands fumbled with a panel and just like  in his training days Eli felt the chips, redid the circuit and was beamed away.

[Katra Station: Now]
His return was as quick as could reasonably be expected. Starfleet had not anticipated the severity of the attack, resulting in a lot more questions than answers. It left him feeling on his back feet, again, and this time he was determined to actually find a way to keep Katra safe.

He had arrived, like many, to immediately need. He had tried to assess the auxiliary craft available for rescue missions, and reconnaissance. He simply assigned probes to try and be their eyes around the damaged station. The information would be useful in determining what had exactly happened, and lead to a cause. A cause Eli would very much like to have instead of the million questions burning in the back of his brain.

Ferris to Ops. I've managed to launch some of the auxiliary probes to aid in our assessment. Heading to Ops now.