The Big Snake of the Night Sky

[Serena King]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena had disengaged from the scene to stand by Gideon's side. The two of them were... comfortable around each other, but... Were they serious? She put her hand on his arm, to steady him. Though both were human rootstock, they seemed to be able to read each other's moods and decided they needed to support each other then and there. "How would you like to help move the station? Then Kyan let his feelings known. Serena personally was ambivalent about him. Short, loud and irreverent, he seemed to possess an ancient wisdom around him. Although she disagreed with his methods, she was quietly cheering him on the inside.

[Gideon Drake]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena had disengaged from the scene to stand by Gideon's side. The two of them were... comfortable around each other, but... Were they serious? She put her hand on his arm, to steady him. Though both were human rootstock, they seemed to be able to read each other's moods and decided they needed to support each other then and there. "How would you like to help move the station? Then Kyan let his feelings known. Serena personally was ambivalent about him. Short, loud and irreverent, he seemed to possess an ancient wisdom around him. Although she disagreed with his methods, she was quietly cheering him on the inside.

:: Katra Station | Conference room ::

Whether it was the three "shots" of espresso in the cappuccino that the crewman had given him in OOC, or that he simply couldn't listen to the "Hunter" prattle on about snakes in space or whatever it was that he was on about, Kyan was out of his seat before his better judgement could catch up (not that it was particularly quick on any occasion).

"You.." he almost hissed at Adai..." will not be hunting this woman on this station." His eyes narrowed as he continued and his hand inched toward the sheathed karambit at the small of his back. "Nor will any of your friends, creatures that you all are. And if you DO disregard the rules that Captain Kirok has told ye the now, it's me that will see to you, quickly and happily at that. And then ya won't have tae be worrying about a snake in the sky, because you'll be off meeting whatever delinquent gods seen fit tae foist you raggedy lot on the universe."

Realizing what he was doing he glanced over at Kirok. "Sorry sir." he mumbled... but continued on regardless.

"And her having a baby in her too.. you lot make me sick!" he seethed, disgust dripping off every word. He shook his head, but then remembered something else.

"And it's fookin Mother's Day too!" then, in gaelic.... Thalla gu Taigh na Galla ya Lan dhen cac Blaigeard!

[Ensign Gideon "The Gryphon/Griff" Drake | Conference Room | Deck Three | Katra Station]
Griff flinched at the sight of the childlike Operations lieutenant Mackenzie (seriously, for a lieutenant he looked like a child, how old was he?) lashing out at the Tosk, expressing his indignation...the way he and Serena easily would've if they weren't more in control.

Griff felt the hand on his arm and saw Serena next to him. They felt a sense of...betterness about them. They seemed to know each others' moods. Maybe it was because they were a cohabitant couple for so long, they knew what they were feeling. Neither were empaths nor telepaths, of course. But he once heard Nira Said, the budding detective, say something like that at the Academy, when she observed such a close intimate couple: "body language between two people," she said simply. And she said it like body language was a literal language.

His body language, right now, was feeling comfort around Serena, while at the same time, he was concerned about Lieutenant MacKenzie. Oh, you're going to get in trouble, l...mate, he thought, stopping himself from calling MacKenzie "laddie."

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Conference Room >

Sirol had just been sitting there, quiet and still; legs crossed and arms folded in her lap, with only her head following the direction of who was talking.
Her eyes had attentively scanned the room; the visitors; analysing their power dynamic which entirely concurred with what she had downloaded and internalised about contacts with both of their species.
She as an individual detested letting another person - a pregnant one - stand while everyone else had a meal, yet she also knew well enough that this was neither the place not the time for her to mention it.
"˜Saving face in public; practising lenity in privacy' - This had always been her mother's guidelines as to how Sirol and her brother were supposed to act around their servants and guards. It was not an ideal solution to a greater injustice, but a provisional remedy avoiding further problems for everyone as of now"¦

So she swallowed her thoughts on that matter and instead focused on the Hunter's explanation of the "˜Snake'. Judging by his description, it was highly doubtful that it was an actual snake, yet - more likely - a cosmozoan resembling one at best.
What puzzled her though was the default punctuality of the phenomenon and the late acceleration of intervals.
She would certainly need more specific information about the Snake itself before she could determine as to what changed its intervals, she thought by herself, only for the Hunter himself giving her a potential little clue here.
If it was - as it seemed here - indeed tied to Meridian's phasic status, this may prove a problem to everyone involved.
The Meridians being willing to revert the artificial phasic lock"¦ That was most unlikely...

Counting to ten silently, she kept herself in check: "Given those criteria, I'd have to do some calculations, but with twenty days, we have time to spare if we move the station, at least from an Engineering standpoint. Scientifically, I'd like a second opinion about this... Snake." Although she was looking directly at the Alpha, she addressed the Captain with the emphasis

Not wanting to share the information with Alpha yet, Kirok turned to the rest of the staff.  "Sirol.  Mr. Drake?" he prompted.

At Ensign King's words and Captain Kirok's following inquiry, Sirol turned around and acknowledged their words with a little nod towards each.
"œUnless we have concrete knowledge of what exactly triggers its phase shift at which point, it is hard to determine how much time left is sufficient.
We are talking about years long cycles, and we do not yet know how long the actual transition itself takes. Depending on the constitution and density of the space surrounding, it could - theoretically - take an object in interphase years to show up again at either point. It might as well already be"¦ Colloquially speaking "˜Almost here'...
Twenty days may sound like a lot, but I highly recommend we do not waste any of it unless we have a clearer picture of the circumstances given."

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Alpha nodded.  "The snake will arrive here.  If you move in any direction away from this spot it will avoid hitting you.  It has never hit Meridian, always this part of space above Meridan.

You are welcome to check with the Meridians.  But I doubt they will give you the truth.  If fact, I will bet that they will try to ask you to block the path of the snake some way some how.

The members of the old dominion may be more forthwrigh.  The Jem'hadar, Vorta, and the founders are well aware of the significance of the snake to us.  They may be hard to contact though

The Paradan are neutral.  And their planet is close by.  So I would suggest them.

But the female...Tosk is her.  I will allow her to speak.  Please tell what you can female Tosk" he said.

The female Tosk kept her eyes down.  "What speaks true.  If you do not move the station, the big snake will not come.  And I will be hunted as prey" she said.

Sirol raised an eyebrow at the elaborations of both, the Hunter and the Tosk.
The truth about the snake"¦ That certainly sounded like there was far more to it than a humble cosmozoan in interphase"¦
She looked at Captain Kirok and tilted her head.
While the Hunter and the Tosk had spoken, she relayed her answers to the Captain.
After all, saving face also included the Hunter(s), and Sirol made sure to not speak up to their Alpha, but instead to Kirok - He was Katra's Alpha after all, and it was wise to maintain and show this image towards the foreigner for as long as needed.
Leaning over to the Captain, she strategically lowered her voice a little.
"œThat indicates that an event like this might have happened before, which makes me wonder as to whether there are any recordings of sightings and"¦ Well"¦ Accidents including the snake to be found, maybe even retrieved from the Meridians"¦
In a best case scenario, there might even be existing sensory data of the phenomenon."

Retreating back into her chair she then paused, following the conversation and taking a bit of one of the offered food items she had chosen for her place.
Thoughtfully chewing on a piece of garlic bread, she raised her eyebrows at Lieutenant Mackenzie's interjection.
She admired his honesty and principles, but hoped it would not cost the Captain his metaphorical high ground in this meeting"¦
Looking at Mackenzie, Sirol eventually calmly spoke.
"œThis is exactly why we are trying to find a solution; to fix the acceleration of the phenomenon, so their Species will not have to resort to hunting Women."
She spoke in a neutral tone, not revealing any of her own thoughts on the subject matter of hunting people like prey.
Still. It was not the time nor the place for her to phrase her own thoughts.
What mattered right now was to find a balanced solution, even if it meant moving the station"¦

Turning around towards Ensign King Sirol gave the Engineer a curious look.
The way Sirol had gotten to know Knig so far, the Ensign gave off the impression of a highly competent officer, quick thinker and flexible problem solver.
There was a good chance she and Ensign Drake might be able to contribute suggestions.

After all, they did show to be a"¦ Closely knit"¦ Well functioning"¦ Work(?) unit...

[Kirok]

:: Katra Station | Conference room ::

Whether it was the three "shots" of espresso in the cappuccino that the crewman had given him in OOC, or that he simply couldn't listen to the "Hunter" prattle on about snakes in space or whatever it was that he was on about, Kyan was out of his seat before his better judgement could catch up (not that it was particularly quick on any occasion).

"You.." he almost hissed at Adai..." will not be hunting this woman on this station." His eyes narrowed as he continued and his hand inched toward the sheathed karambit at the small of his back. "Nor will any of your friends, creatures that you all are. And if you DO disregard the rules that Captain Kirok has told ye the now, it's me that will see to you, quickly and happily at that. And then ya won't have tae be worrying about a snake in the sky, because you'll be off meeting whatever delinquent gods seen fit tae foist you raggedy lot on the universe."

Realizing what he was doing he glanced over at Kirok. "Sorry sir." he mumbled... but continued on regardless.

"And her having a baby in her too.. you lot make me sick!" he seethed, disgust dripping off every word. He shook his head, but then remembered something else.

"And it's fookin Mother's Day too!" then, in gaelic.... Thalla gu Taigh na Galla ya Lan dhen cac Blaigeard!

:: Katra Station | Conference room ::

Alpha showed no sign of fear when Kyan came at him.  He was a Hunter and used to fighting.  So, he pushed out his face - daring the man to hit him.

"Mr. Mackenzie, return to your seat or leave the room this instant" Kirok said flatly.  There was no base or emotion in his voice.  "We can make no progress here with such outbursts" the half Vulcan added, even though he did not like the way Alpha spoke about the Tosk.

< Katra Station / Conference Room >

Sirol had just been sitting there, quiet and still; legs crossed and arms folded in her lap, with only her head following the direction of who was talking.
Her eyes had attentively scanned the room; the visitors; analysing their power dynamic which entirely concurred with what she had downloaded and internalised about contacts with both of their species.
She as an individual detested letting another person - a pregnant one - stand while everyone else had a meal, yet she also knew well enough that this was neither the place not the time for her to mention it.
"˜Saving face in public; practising lenity in privacy' - This had always been her mother's guidelines as to how Sirol and her brother were supposed to act around their servants and guards. It was not an ideal solution to a greater injustice, but a provisional remedy avoiding further problems for everyone as of now"¦

So she swallowed her thoughts on that matter and instead focused on the Hunter's explanation of the "˜Snake'. Judging by his description, it was highly doubtful that it was an actual snake, yet - more likely - a cosmozoan resembling one at best.
What puzzled her though was the default punctuality of the phenomenon and the late acceleration of intervals.
She would certainly need more specific information about the Snake itself before she could determine as to what changed its intervals, she thought by herself, only for the Hunter himself giving her a potential little clue here.
If it was - as it seemed here - indeed tied to Meridian's phasic status, this may prove a problem to everyone involved.
The Meridians being willing to revert the artificial phasic lock"¦ That was most unlikely...

At Ensign King's words and Captain Kirok's following inquiry, Sirol turned around and acknowledged their words with a little nod towards each.
"œUnless we have concrete knowledge of what exactly triggers its phase shift at which point, it is hard to determine how much time left is sufficient.
We are talking about years long cycles, and we do not yet know how long the actual transition itself takes. Depending on the constitution and density of the space surrounding, it could - theoretically - take an object in interphase years to show up again at either point. It might as well already be"¦ Colloquially speaking "˜Almost here'...
Twenty days may sound like a lot, but I highly recommend we do not waste any of it unless we have a clearer picture of the circumstances given."

Sirol raised an eyebrow at the elaborations of both, the Hunter and the Tosk.
The truth about the snake"¦ That certainly sounded like there was far more to it than a humble cosmozoan in interphase"¦
She looked at Captain Kirok and tilted her head.
While the Hunter and the Tosk had spoken, she relayed her answers to the Captain.
After all, saving face also included the Hunter(s), and Sirol made sure to not speak up to their Alpha, but instead to Kirok - He was Katra's Alpha after all, and it was wise to maintain and show this image towards the foreigner for as long as needed.
Leaning over to the Captain, she strategically lowered her voice a little.
"œThat indicates that an event like this might have happened before, which makes me wonder as to whether there are any recordings of sightings and"¦ Well"¦ Accidents including the snake to be found, maybe even retrieved from the Meridians"¦
In a best case scenario, there might even be existing sensory data of the phenomenon."

Retreating back into her chair she then paused, following the conversation and taking a bit of one of the offered food items she had chosen for her place.
Thoughtfully chewing on a piece of garlic bread, she raised her eyebrows at Lieutenant Mackenzie's interjection.
She admired his honesty and principles, but hoped it would not cost the Captain his metaphorical high ground in this meeting"¦
Looking at Mackenzie, Sirol eventually calmly spoke.
"œThis is exactly why we are trying to find a solution; to fix the acceleration of the phenomenon, so their Species will not have to resort to hunting Women."
She spoke in a neutral tone, not revealing any of her own thoughts on the subject matter of hunting people like prey.
Still. It was not the time nor the place for her to phrase her own thoughts.
What mattered right now was to find a balanced solution, even if it meant moving the station"¦

Turning around towards Ensign King Sirol gave the Engineer a curious look.
The way Sirol had gotten to know Knig so far, the Ensign gave off the impression of a highly competent officer, quick thinker and flexible problem solver.
There was a good chance she and Ensign Drake might be able to contribute suggestions.

After all, they did show to be a"¦ Closely knit"¦ Well functioning"¦ Work(?) unit...

:: Katra Station | Conference room ::

Kirok nodded.  Alpha had said that the snake simply appeared as if out of no where.   But like, Sirol he was curious to know if there was and other images of the surrounding space before the snake arrived or reading of it.

"Do you have any images of the snake arriving.  Or any data regarding reading of the area before or during the arrival  of the snake.  And if you are holding any information back, now is the time to present it" Kirok said.

Alpha raised his head sharply, then brought it back to its normal state.  Yes there was some extra info.  Yes he had been saving it for last.

He brought up another image of the space that the Katra currently occupied before the Katra was placed her.  A 'crack' in space was seen (a white line).   The snake inched out.  Then the white line got bigger.  A larger portion came out.

"These are the images I have to share.  We have seen spikes in neutrinos, ionized hydrogen, theta-band radiation.  Our reading go all wonky after that" he said with a shrug.

"As for additional info, yes I have just one thing to add.  I believe that the snake causes Meridian to go into a phased state.  It is highly possible that if will do the same to you if you do not move the station and move it outside its range of effect" he concluded.

[Don Damien Addams]

[Bridge - USS Seleya]

Kyle sat in the center seat and simultaneously read the incoming status reports and listened to the friendly banter among the bridge crew. His bridge crew. He hadn't expected to ever be back in the captain's chair and found that he was inwardly excited and thankful to Kirok for the opportunity.
The final department reported ready.

"Alright folks. That's everyone. Let's buckle down and look alive." he said. "Mister Conley, you should have received coordinates from the Katra letting us know where to exit the shields. Go ahead and move us out."

The Seleya began moving. It was such a smooth ride. He unconsciously ran his hand over the seats arm. He found the switch mentioned by Hfran and brought up the same scan display that she should have been seeing. He nodded and smiled. He had several new crew members and was glad for the veterans he had as well. Hfran and Conley would be a big help.

As the Seleya cleared the shields, he sat up a tad straighter.

"Helm. Let's see what our new ship has. Take us in a tight circle around the Drai vessels and few times before putting us between them and the Katra. That will also give Science a chance to get a couple of close scans. Tactical. I want weapons ready to come online at the push of a button. Let's go to yellow alert. I don't want to go in hostile but I want us ready to go to red should those bastards try anything." he ordered. He sat back and let his crew do their jobs.

[USS Seleya - Bridge]

Kal was promptly ready and he was standing by. "Tactical is ready," he said. The yellow klaxon went on. Thank the makers it does not make noise. It might make some buzzing sounds when people are in their rooms sleeping when they need to be up.

This ship did have it new clean smell. It was nice and he was going to see what the ship can do. And show its teeth to the enemy in combat!

ROAR!

[Serena King]

< Katra Station / Conference Room >

Turning around towards Ensign King Sirol gave the Engineer a curious look.
The way Sirol had gotten to know Knig so far, the Ensign gave off the impression of a highly competent officer, quick thinker and flexible problem solver.
There was a good chance she and Ensign Drake might be able to contribute suggestions.

After all, they did show to be a"¦ Closely knit"¦ Well functioning"¦ Work(?) unit...

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena stepped a little closer, being very aware that she might be intruding on Sirol's personal space, or culturally, an affront, but she had to keep her voice low and discreet: "Given what the Alpha just told us, do you think we can rig up something to have this portal appear elsewhere? 1: We'd move this snake out of sight, out mind with the Meridians. 2: Ethics aside, if we can give the Hunters a steady source of food, we might force their tendencies elsewhere and neatly solve everyone's problems."

[Kirok]

[USS Seleya - Bridge]

Kal was promptly ready and he was standing by. "Tactical is ready," he said. The yellow klaxon went on. Thank the makers it does not make noise. It might make some buzzing sounds when people are in their rooms sleeping when they need to be up.

This ship did have it new clean smell. It was nice and he was going to see what the ship can do. And show its teeth to the enemy in combat!

ROAR!

[USS Seleya - Bridge - EQ]

"Power to engines, primarily" EQ reported.  He kept his eyes up.  Looking at the view screen.

There was nothing better than being on the voyage flight of a star ship.  Experiencing its stubble vibrations.  Moving with it as it make curves.

"Away we go" he added.  Something that his dad had said the first time they flew together.  Back on Mars before it was destroyed.

Still he click on a com channel.  -//All hands prepare for departure.  Warp is pending\\- the XB said.

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Bridge - USS Seleya]

Kyle sat in the center seat and simultaneously read the incoming status reports and listened to the friendly banter among the bridge crew. His bridge crew. He hadn't expected to ever be back in the captain's chair and found that he was inwardly excited and thankful to Kirok for the opportunity.
The final department reported ready.

"Alright folks. That's everyone. Let's buckle down and look alive." he said. "Mister Conley, you should have received coordinates from the Katra letting us know where to exit the shields. Go ahead and move us out."

The Seleya began moving. It was such a smooth ride. He unconsciously ran his hand over the seats arm. He found the switch mentioned by Hfran and brought up the same scan display that she should have been seeing. He nodded and smiled. He had several new crew members and was glad for the veterans he had as well. Hfran and Conley would be a big help.

As the Seleya cleared the shields, he sat up a tad straighter.

"Helm. Let's see what our new ship has. Take us in a tight circle around the Drai vessels and few times before putting us between them and the Katra. That will also give Science a chance to get a couple of close scans. Tactical. I want weapons ready to come online at the push of a button. Let's go to yellow alert. I don't want to go in hostile but I want us ready to go to red should those bastards try anything." he ordered. He sat back and let his crew do their jobs.

[Bridge - USS Seleya ]

Hrafn grinned.  She'd already clocked what Kyle was up to with the passing around the Drai ships, and set the scans to passive so they wouldn't be noticed so much.

[USS Seleya - Bridge]

Kal was promptly ready and he was standing by. "Tactical is ready," he said. The yellow klaxon went on. Thank the makers it does not make noise. It might make some buzzing sounds when people are in their rooms sleeping when they need to be up.

This ship did have it new clean smell. It was nice and he was going to see what the ship can do. And show its teeth to the enemy in combat!

ROAR!

"Scans active, and are able to be pulled up by Tactical, Ops and the Command arm PADD, so you'll know soon as if they power up weapons or anything Ensign Jimrec." the CSO announced.

[USS Seleya - Bridge - EQ]

"Power to engines, primarily" EQ reported.  He kept his eyes up.  Looking at the view screen.

There was nothing better than being on the voyage flight of a star ship.  Experiencing its stubble vibrations.  Moving with it as it make curves.

"Away we go" he added.  Something that his dad had said the first time they flew together.  Back on Mars before it was destroyed.

Still he click on a com channel.  -//All hands prepare for departure.  Warp is pending\\- the XB said.

Hrafn was glad that she was sat down, even though she'd had her knee fixed in the latter part of the previous year, something which had bothered her progressively since her time on the USS Chin'Toka, it was force of habit that she preferred to sit down, and brace, as they went to warp.

[Kirok]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena stepped a little closer, being very aware that she might be intruding on Sirol's personal space, or culturally, an affront, but she had to keep her voice low and discreet: "Given what the Alpha just told us, do you think we can rig up something to have this portal appear elsewhere? 1: We'd move this snake out of sight, out mind with the Meridians. 2: Ethics aside, if we can give the Hunters a steady source of food, we might force their tendencies elsewhere and neatly solve everyone's problems."

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Kiork heard Serena's question.  He was curious to know the answer as well.  From the little he know about pocket dimensions, it may be possible to block one from opening.

The question was, of course, should they?  The Prime Directive might be applied and direct them not to interfere.  If fact, by not interfering they might correct a 'mistake' that was put into motion 29 years ago.

Before Sirol could answer though, Kirok had to know the answer to a few of his questions.  "What would you hunt if the Tosk are no longer available?  If they do become extinct?  Are there wild animals on you planet that might make for good hunting?  Any none sentient species that might interest you..  Any that might be better for hunting than the Tosk?" he asked.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Conference Room | Katra Station ::

Kyan remained motionless as the Hunter did his face thing. It reminded him of a Denobulan and a smirk played at the corners of his mouth. Truth be told, he was hoping for something more.... provocative, so that when he dragged the karambit across the foul creature's throat there couldn't be any questions as to whether or not it was warranted. Kyan was about to offer up another remark questioning the existence of Alpha's reproductive organs, but Kirok spoke up.

After Kirok's order, Kyan spared a glance at his Captain but never took his eyes completely off of the Drai, nor his finger out of the safety ring of his karambit. He glared across the table at the distorted face of the Hunter for a moment longer, allowing the smirk to manifest fully before he re-took his seat.
As he was doing so, he flicked the blade from it's sheath into his sleeve with a practiced trigger pull motion. When he pulled his seat back up to the table, he left his hands under the rim of the table just long enough to drop the blade from inside his sleeve until he caught the safety ring on his index finger and flip it so that the handle was secured in his left hand and the back blade rested against the underside of his wrist.

He had no plans to derail the proceedings, but if the Hunters did, they would find him more than ready.

When Alpha finished speaking, there was still one question that Kyan had about the whole thing, which given that there was a pregnant female Tosk present, needed an answer, especially since he knew that Intelligence would want to know.

Kyan spoke up, working to keep the disgust out of his question. "So do you lot do cloning the now, for Tosks I mean, or have you switched to regular means of making babies?"

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Conference Room >

:: Katra Station | Conference room ::

Kirok nodded.  Alpha had said that the snake simply appeared as if out of no where.   But like, Sirol he was curious to know if there was and other images of the surrounding space before the snake arrived or reading of it.

"Do you have any images of the snake arriving.  Or any data regarding reading of the area before or during the arrival  of the snake.  And if you are holding any information back, now is the time to present it" Kirok said.

Alpha raised his head sharply, then brought it back to its normal state.  Yes there was some extra info.  Yes he had been saving it for last.

He brought up another image of the space that the Katra currently occupied before the Katra was placed her.  A 'crack' in space was seen (a white line).   The snake inched out.  Then the white line got bigger.  A larger portion came out.

"These are the images I have to share.  We have seen spikes in neutrinos, ionized hydrogen, theta-band radiation.  Our reading go all wonky after that" he said with a shrug.

"As for additional info, yes I have just one thing to add.  I believe that the snake causes Meridian to go into a phased state.  It is highly possible that if will do the same to you if you do not move the station and move it outside its range of effect" he concluded.

Silently sitting in her chair, Sirol's eyes attentively followed the conversation between Captain Kirok and Alpha. She still had her hands folded and not moved at all. Instead she internalised the discussion and impressions she gained from the foreigners"¦

Looking at the images she however leaned a little forward; studying the image of the snake more closely.
Most curious"¦
Even more so paired with the odd side effects that seemed almost even random"¦
Ionised hydrogen? Theta-band radiation? These were certainly no marks of a conventional phasic phenomenon.
At his mention of the snake being the supposed very factor to trigger this, she raised an eyebrow, and once more exchanged glances with Captain Kirok and Ensign King, then once more leaned over towards the Captain and quietly spoke.
"œDoes he indicate"¦ Some sort of intention from the snake's side here?..."

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena stepped a little closer, being very aware that she might be intruding on Sirol's personal space, or culturally, an affront, but she had to keep her voice low and discreet: "Given what the Alpha just told us, do you think we can rig up something to have this portal appear elsewhere? 1: We'd move this snake out of sight, out mind with the Meridians. 2: Ethics aside, if we can give the Hunters a steady source of food, we might force their tendencies elsewhere and neatly solve everyone's problems."

Sirol quietly turned around to Ensign King again and gave her a nod.
It was odd to have someone; a stranger come so close to her in an official meeting, yet the current situation entirely justified it.

Slowly the slender scientist nodded towards the engineer, responding in an equally quiet voice.
"œTheoretically"¦ Potentially"¦
We would have to determine the exact cause that has the phenomenon to occur exactly here. We would need to know what makes this part of space so unusually thin - metaphorically speaking"¦"
Moving a spacial rifts was"¦ Potentially rare"¦ Sirol did not recall a single research paper on that, but then again, she so far had never been searching for that specific subject.
She could tell that Romulans - at least in their current political situation - held only little interest in things like this. But then again, maybe the Federation and it's wide collection of research data would provide something useful to Sirol...
Activating her wrist mounted PDA she began to search for projects and missions including moving a spacial phenomenon; quickly typing on the holographic interface in front of her.

Towards the next part of Ensign King's question though she looked up again, and thoughtfully raised one eyebrow.
Still quiet and calm, she thoughtfully spoke.
"œI suppose"¦ Offers and decisions like this are"¦ Not ours to make..."
Yes, she certainly valued and agreed with Ensign King's moral, yet deemed it strategically unwise to state this in front of Alpha.
Instead she gave her a slow nod and leaned back in her chair again, letting Captain Kirok continue the dialogue with the Hunter and seeing each new layer of information unfold.

Kyan spoke up, working to keep the disgust out of his question. "So do you lot do cloning the now, for Tosks I mean, or have you switched to regular means of making babies?"

At Lieutenant Mackenzie's question Sirol turned around towards the security officer and tilted her head in acknowledgement of his interjection. A based question and one Sirol herself was curious to hear an answer to.
(Not that hunting down a cloned individual was morally any less repugnant to her, yet the logistics behind the Hunter/Tosk relationship were still widely unknown, and could certainly give useful insights into how to sufficiently interact with both of their species"¦)

[Serena King]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena watched variously at the Captain, Alpha, Kyan and Sirol with respectively, respect, annoyance, amusement and fondness.

First, respect for the Captain was managing to keep up with all the conversations and actions effortlessly, while managing to maintain balance in the room (respect).

Second, annoyance at the Alpha. That superiority. Oh, different cultures had different morals and ethics, but there was a limit to that. Haughtiness, pride, hubris?

Third, amusement at Kyan. He definitely has style. I don't agree with him, but he's got his own ways of dealing with the universe and it works.

Fourth, fondness for Sirol. Both their cultures prided themselves on respect for family and elders, honour, forthrightness and a deep devotion to duty. She spoke quietly to the latter: "I think we need to explore the portals. Even if it's years, the fact of moving the station every so often isn't feasible long term. We can't move away, we are here for the Meridians. Short term though, I have most of the calculations done in my head. Moving the station is something that can be done easily."

[Kirok]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Alpha blew air threw his nose when Kyan did not follow threw with the treat.  It was a sign that he was please with himself that he had won this round with the CS/TO.  He did though answer Kyan's question.

"Tosk were engineered to breed.  With our current shortage, though, we have encouraged them to do so.  To answer your question" he remarked.

When Sirol asked her question, Kirok replied.  "No.  I believe Alpha is warning that the snake may come no matter what we do and that if the station does not move that it might suffer the same fate that Meridian has and likely will again" he explained.

Alpha nodded in reply to Kirok's explanation.  He nodded along when Sirol added her other comments.  "Excellent" he said after Ms. King said it was possible to move the station.

Then he rounded back to something Kirok said earlier.  "There is something better for hunting than Tosk? I would be interested to know what" Alpha admitted.

"Yes.  And things that would not have the same issue with shortages that you are experiencing with the Tosk.  I can load some possibilities on a data padd for you to review" Kirok said.

"For now, lets have a small break.  We will give you the room while we contact the Meridan's.  And deliberate our options.  I'll have the data padd delivered right away.  You and your staff can review during the break" the Captain added.

Alpha nodded.  Kirok stood and addressed his staff.  "Let's adjourn to the ready room" he said.

[Serena King]

[Katra Station | Conference Room]

Serena's nostrils flared, but she kept herself in check. She was still annoyed in principle and while the other talk was interesting, she was still an Engineer at heart. When Kirok adjourned the meeting, she narrowed her eyes at the Alpha, but said nothing. Instead, she filled a small plate of food. The summer sausage was quite similar to lap cheong and doing something with her hands allowed her to do anything than want to punch the Alpha on principle. Silently, she left the conference room when she was finished eating.

[Katra Station | Ready Room]

Serena had replicated a paper pad and a pen and was rapidly sketching and annotating. When everyone was assembled, she had a rough sketch of the station and calculations in the margins. "The easy part is the 20 days and the relative distance. If they asked us to move the station across the sector in a few days, it wouldn't be possible. With the small distance and the timeframe, we could do it with time to spare. I'd have to check in with the XO as Chief Engineer and yourself, Captain, as well as Ensign Riss for a second opinion."

She paused as she set down the pen and paper. "If what the Alpha says is true, how is it in the 20 years Katra has been here we've never observed this snake or had to move the station, or have this impending doom?"

She raised an eyebrow, half imitating a Vulcan. "At the risk of also sounding like a party pooper, how would the Prime Directive apply? I haven't read up on our exact relationship with the Meridians, but wouldn't the P-D apply to them as well if this is a natural part of their development? That this snake is linked to them?"

[Kirok]

[Bridge - USS Seleya]

Kyle sat in the center seat and simultaneously read the incoming status reports and listened to the friendly banter among the bridge crew. His bridge crew. He hadn't expected to ever be back in the captain's chair and found that he was inwardly excited and thankful to Kirok for the opportunity.
The final department reported ready.

"Alright folks. That's everyone. Let's buckle down and look alive." he said. "Mister Conley, you should have received coordinates from the Katra letting us know where to exit the shields. Go ahead and move us out."

The Seleya began moving. It was such a smooth ride. He unconsciously ran his hand over the seats arm. He found the switch mentioned by Hfran and brought up the same scan display that she should have been seeing. He nodded and smiled. He had several new crew members and was glad for the veterans he had as well. Hfran and Conley would be a big help.

As the Seleya cleared the shields, he sat up a tad straighter.

"Helm. Let's see what our new ship has. Take us in a tight circle around the Drai vessels and few times before putting us between them and the Katra. That will also give Science a chance to get a couple of close scans. Tactical. I want weapons ready to come online at the push of a button. Let's go to yellow alert. I don't want to go in hostile but I want us ready to go to red should those bastards try anything." he ordered. He sat back and let his crew do their jobs.

[USS Seleya - Bridge - EQ]

"Aye, Sir.  Going to yellow alert" EQ replied.  Then the duty station screens flashed yellow while the klaxon started to blare.

Then EQ tapped his com badge.  -//Ops to Engineering and Medbay.  We have no one up here from your departments to test out the duty stations.  If you have anyone available, it will help us test all the systems.  And, of course, you can get a look at things from the new bridge\\- he said before ending the link.

"Does anyone know our top speed?  The captain said that this was supposed to be the fastest ship.  But never said how fast" he asked the group in general.