S2 M6 - The Spaces Between Us

[L'mar Camili Rhade]

[ Provisional Junior Lieutenant L'mar Rhade ] | [ Above Internal Docking Bays - Decks 5, 6 and 7 | Outside Katra Station ]

Rhade, Calabrass and Valak are in environmental suits walking about the large Tractor Beam Emitter that assists vessels inside the Main Docking Bay. They had been examining the emitter�s internal circuitry and parts, they had to see what could be done to it for the upgrade.

It did start to look like they had to uninstall the emitter and bring it inside the workshop. �Looks like we have to detach it.� L�mar said to his specialists.

�I agree, I�ll get started, we can use the workbee to move it inside.� Valak replied, the Vulcan bent down and began the disassembly of the housing that connected the emitter to the main hull.

�Excellent, if you could be so kind as to shut down the Emitterr, Calabrrass?� L�mar softly ordered, he himself walked around to stand opposite Valak to start on that side.

�Right,� Calabrass replied, the Coridanite opened the large panel and began tapping at the LCARS monitor inside. The emitter itself had been making a humming vibration that all three could feel but after a few minutes it ceased as it was shut down.

The trio got the emitter detached. �Keep it still.� Rune joked as he piloted the workbee into position that it�s magnetic lock pads could make physical contact with the emitter.

There was a shared sigh of annoyance from the suited engineers as they watched the Trill in the workbee cab. He grinned at them all and secured the emitter. Rhade, Calabrass and Valak walked onto the arms of the bee and Rhade waved that they were ready to go.

Rune waved back and the workbee flew down to the Engineering decks to the one that had an external cargo door, Rhade saw 3 workbees flying in to join them.

[ Katra Station - Deck 24 - Engineering Support Office 5, Workshop w/ External Door ]

The workbees delivered the four emitters onto anti-grav sleds that other engineers had ready, the air shield was active so they didn�t need to wear suits. Rhade, Calabrass and Valak walked off the arms of their workbee and deactivated their grav boots. The trio headed to get the suits off while the other engineers moved the emitters to a workbench for each one.

There were parts, pieces and bits near each bench that were in crates. Clearly the transport had arrived with the 9 tractor beam emitter kits for the upgrade. As Rhade made his way from the suit locker room, he would have guessed that since Katra Station was an outlining outpost Starfleet Command would have to send them the kits first as the freighter would take time to get here. Wormhole notwithstanding.

Engineers began the pulling apart of the emitters, everything, to the bare frame. They had to rebuild it. Rhade, Calabrass and Valak joined separate teams, though Rhade was the only one that walked from team to team. He had to check how the engineers were doing.

(OOC Post restored due to server outage - ShranLahr ch'Verret November 2021)

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (5 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Saucer 1]

[Katra Station - Saucer 1 Level]

At her touch, Saxon almost - almost - whirled around in an automatic response, but caught himself in time. Her soft words were like a balm; a salve on a burn or ice water on an inferno. Instantly he knew he had over-reacted, and he pinched the bridge of his creased nose and blew out a long breath. "You're quite right, of course" he admitted. "I could have just done without this today" he said. But then he glanced at her, his eyes displaying just a small chip of granite. "However, you know as well as I do that I can't take anything for granted with Jada these days; rationality and self-restraint tend to go out the window when there's something she wants to do. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that entire armoury has been replaced with damn fakes, with the real ones stashed in some novel location."

The real reason, however, was that he had expected - perhaps foolishly - that he had earned some semblance of respect after all this time; that someone involved in this celebration would have had the decency to inform the Chief of Security that this was due to begin. He didn't mind the waggling, roaring beast. He did mind the once-more unilateral, contumacious attitude.

But looking at the back of the 'float', he again blew some frustration out of his nose and poured more fire retardant on his temper. "Okay. Fine. Since there's no real security issue here, so I'm going back to my office and crack on with my other duties. I'll transfer notes on the initial proposal to your access code." He nodded politely to Tess. This festival was currently better suited to her more tolerant temperament."Commander."

And with that, he made his way back to the turbolift, tapping his combadge. " Saxon to Rayek. Slight change in instructions: I'd be appreciative if you could instead take charge of a visual inspection of weapon lockers, if you please."

Nothing to chance.

Even as John started to seemingly calm down there was something strangely off of him. She never had seen him like that before. Nodding her head she looked at him as he stated he'd send a copy of the protocol about the celebration to her PADD. She just managed a "Thank you", before Saxon already bustled off.

Tess looked after him for a moment, her forehead creased in worry and wonder. She made a mental note to herself to check in on him sometime later - for his health and wellbeing.
Not long after she had turned around to have a closer look at the approaching 'monster'. After her conversation with John she wondered if she was too trustful. It just wasn't in her nature to expect bad things from people. Even if they had a history of having stepped over lines before. While she thought about that, biting her lower lip, someone snuck up on her to surprise her. She startled slightly, her face lighting up as she turned around.

"Rayek", she smiled, but it faded rather quickly. She looked at the phaser she assumed was the fake one. "Is this really just a toy?"

[Shops Section, Saucer 1]

Peering through the dark gauze at the front of the costume, which let her see out and, more importantly, see where she was going, Jada was pleased to see Saxon and Tess show up in the gathering crowd. Great! With senior personnel getting involved and showing their approval, maybe this show could really take off and be fun everyone. And Jada wanted it to be; she was leaving, but there were a lot of new people on the station, and this would help break the ice and help them meet each other, and in more joyous circumstances than Katra Station was often used to. She wanted to leave on a high note, and to know she'd left a high note behind her. Then she spied the thunderous expression on Saxon's face before he turned and stalked off, and she wondered if just maybe he didn't know how to have a good time after all.

But, too late, she'd already begun the ponderous process of turning toward the pair, and the giant slug was a cumbrous beast. Fortunately, she also spotted Rayek coming up to Tess. Perfect. 'Swinging the head right.' she alerted her team-mates, side-stepping and throwing her end of the costume to the right.

'And tail swings left.' s'Metra echoed, doing the same the other way.

'And crawl!'

*

As Rayek caught up with Tess, the Monster caught up with the both of them, and they got a close look at it for the first time. It was formed by a greenish-brown fabric wrapped over a mesh to give it shape, and around the base was a shimmering curtain of semi-transparent plastic that, in the right light and rippling with the dance, looked like a slug's "foot" and its mucus might. To give it flair and colour, the slug's back was striated with colourful fabrics and more semi-transparent mock mucus. It had a big blunt head, with a window of dark greenish-brown gauze; the green face looking through was almost certainly Jada's. On either side were two mouth tentacles that looked a lot like someone's arms stuffed through a tube, and were. Above were two big eyestalks that bounced and swayed on some kind of spring with every motion. They each ended in a big ball-shaped eye that rotated within a socket and was topped with a single comical eyebrow that tilted. Both eyebrows and both eyes could move to give the giant slug various expressions, though most just looked crazy as the slug danced and swayed non-stop.

Approaching Tess and Rayek, the Monster bobbed and wobbled and danced to get their attention. Not just them, of course, but the whole crowd looked their way to see what it would do next. It lowered its eyestalks curiously at the couple, with even one eyebrow raising in interest. Then it swung toward Tess and lowered its head – and suddenly a mouth flap popped open and it vomited something into her hands. It was a sealed tub of jelly with fruit pieces and a plastic spoon!

Then it turned toward Rayek, looked him over a bit, and then a bit more, and lowered its head. The mouth flap opened. And suddenly a squirt of slime shot out and splattered across his torso.

Then, as everyone laughed, the slug jumped back, dodging any reprisal, bouncing its eyestalks daringly at the Romulan. Was it... smiling?

Before she could hear his answer, the giant 'slug' approached them. Now that she had a moment to think about it, she was reminded of her conversations with Jada. After the Dosi attack she had seen a tattoo on the woman's body that resembled a wing-slug - a totem animal of the Orion. They had all kinds of vermin as totem animals as they are hard to distinct and resistive.

From that point of view it made sense that they picked that animal for their festival. She tried to recall if Jada ever mentioned such a festival to her - but no, not that she remembered. Maybe she would look up what this was all about.

The 'monster' stopping right in front of them cut any further thoughts on that short. Tess couldn't help but grin a little - the thing looked quite funny.
The grin turned into an expression of surprise when the giant slug 'vomited' something into her hands. Lifting the thing up she looked at it curiously - the surprise on her face remaining when she realised it was some kind of sweat treat.
Tess chuckled and bent down a little to maybe catch a gilmpse through the gaping mouth at the persons hiding under the costume - and sprung aside when suddenly a squirt of slime came out of it, unerringly aiming for Rayek's torso. She faltered in shock for a split second as she stared at Rayek - but the corners of her lips were already twitching with upcoming laughter at the comical scene. She managed to suppress it as she tried to make out the sense of it. She thought there must be a purpose behind her actions - something that was related to the thing going on. What that was she wasn't sure about.

"Is that a call out?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NPC - Adryel Randis of Etros
[Katra Station - Promenade]

[Katra Station - Promenade ]

"Ah, that's brilliant to hear. I hope you and your people will be as happy as the Meridian are. It's a lovely planet. I've not yet been to the surface nearly enough. I think it's a blessing, too, I'm so glad things have worked out well." She looked back to him with a wry expression on her face. "I was worried there for a while. Ah, no. Not unless I'm requested, I think. But I'll be here on the station."

Amarande had seen that shimmer before and had been meaning to ask without sounding medical about it but that was always difficult without getting in the man's face. Not that she could manage that without rising on the tip of her toes, anyway.

"Adryel," she murmured a moment later, "I did notice the difference in your facial markings and that of the Atrosians. I confess I've been wondering about it." She touched her own markings with a soft smile. "My people have these spots, while some have ridges but we are all Trill. Is it just happenstance at birth or family lineage? They're really lovely..."

He smiled when she said she would stay on the station. He had half feared she might get assigned to one of the ships and ... leave.

When she then murmured his name he directed his gaze back down at her much smaller frame beside him. She seemed to have a fascination with his skin patterns, he had noticed the way she looked at them before. Not that he minded that much. Quite the contrary.

His eyes followed where she pointed at her own spots, the trace of them disappearing under the collar of her uniform. He then smiled at her. "Your interest honors me." He hesitated briefly. "I realize you have such advanced machines here ... it probably would be easy for you to find out what you long to know. As for me, I am not able to give you an answer to that. We just take it as The Wise One Above has created us. Sometimes ... there are Etrosians and Atrosians bonding and procreating. And the children sometimes would have no patterns at all ... or the whole body covered in it." He turned a little so he could fully see her. "Can you find out about our patterns with your machines?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Saucer 1 - Shop District]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (5 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Saucer 1]

Tess looked after him for a moment, her forehead creased in worry and wonder. She made a mental note to herself to check in on him sometime later - for his health and wellbeing.
Not long after she had turned around to have a closer look at the approaching 'monster'. After her conversation with John she wondered if she was too trustful. It just wasn't in her nature to expect bad things from people. Even if they had a history of having stepped over lines before. While she thought about that, biting her lower lip, someone snuck up on her to surprise her. She startled slightly, her face lighting up as she turned around.

"Rayek", she smiled, but it faded rather quickly. She looked at the phaser she assumed was the fake one. "Is this really just a toy?"

Rayek grinned at his prank until Tess' smile faded to something more serious and she turned their attention to the 'fake' phaser.  Tess' question of it it was 'really just a toy', had Rayek hesitating.  He wasn't quite sure that 'toy' was an apt description - not without testing it first, but he did believe - giving what he knew of Jada - that the Orion believed it relatively harmless. However, Rayek didn't get a chance to express that to Tess because the said Orion had seemed to notice their presence and had danced the costumed monstrosity directly in front of them.   So much for not getting involved or being noticed, he grumbled to himself.

The 'monster' stopping right in front of them cut any further thoughts on that short. Tess couldn't help but grin a little - the thing looked quite funny.
The grin turned into an expression of surprise when the giant slug 'vomited' something into her hands. Lifting the thing up she looked at it curiously - the surprise on her face remaining when she realized it was some kind of sweat treat.
Tess chuckled and bent down a little to maybe catch a glimpse through the gaping mouth at the persons hiding under the costume - and sprung aside when suddenly a squirt of slime came out of it, unerringly aiming for Rayek's torso. She faltered in shock for a split second as she stared at Rayek - but the corners of her lips were already twitching with upcoming laughter at the comical scene. She managed to suppress it as she tried to make out the sense of it. She thought there must be a purpose behind her actions - something that was related to the thing going on. What that was she wasn't sure about.

"Is that a call out?"

As the crowd surrounded both him and Tess, wanting to see what interact the 'monster' would do, Rayek felt very conspicuous and the hairs on the back of his neck rose uncomfortably.  Over the past 6 weeks, he'd tried to keep out of the public eye because of his demotion.  He didn't want to fuel the civilians gawking and gossiping about the Romulan that had once been XO of the station.  But no Jada and her monster had to draw attention to his presence.

He kept his expression neutral but Jada, who knew likely knew his moods more than most others, would likely see the glowering in his eyes as he tried to peer through the meshing.

The gift presented to Tess lightened that glower a bit.  Bah, the Orions were just having a bit of fun, celebrating their culture with this costumed monster dance.

When the head turned towards him, Rayek smiled a bit humoringly and held out his hand to receive a treat as well, so was completely unprepared for the spurt of slime that jetted out to hit him across his torso.  What the...?!

Laughter erupted from the crowd, which was probably the only reason Rayek didn't step forward and attempt to punch Jada through the mesh of the costume.   Too many witnesses to yet another disgraceful action.  Rayek was stiff holding himself back, until he heard Tess stifling a laugh as well.  The fury he'd felt vanished as if it never were.  Tess hadn't laughed around him once in 10 weeks.  Elation at this breakthrough nearly had him reaching over to give her hug, but the slime gave him pause.

Her question turned his attention back to Jada and the monster with its taunting expression.  Rayek blinked back happy tears, a wide smile on his face and he nodded to Tess.  "Yes, I think it is."  He considered for a moment before leaning close to Tess to whisper to her, careful not to accidentally get any of the slime on her pristine uniform.

"I'm supposed to be checking the weapons lockers for tampering... but an order from the XO to 'engage' this clear threat to station peace and security, would override that. Perhaps even a call out to the TMPST team to assist could be made?" 

[Hrafn Falleg]

Katra Auxiliary Drydock orbiting within 50 kilometers of Katra

Cat was delighted to see Hrafn, she was beginning to forget what everyone on the station looked like but you would never forget that hair colour.

"oh coffee... you are an angel!"  Cat placed the box onto the floor and emptied 2 sugars and a few milk pots into an instant coffee cup from the tray being offered. She took a happy sip before replying again.  "Hrafn, this is Gramps. Gramps, this is our Chief Science Officer Hrafn Falleg. Gramps is a wizard round here, nothing he can't turn his hand to"

Gramps smiled his widest smile "A delight to meet you my dear!  Ohh take a handful of the ones you love, they do cheer you up.  I like to bite their heads off for a quick death you know" He winked and then took the tray of drinks from her.

"I'll gather the troops Cat and feed and water them with the lovely refreshments..." And with that he ambled off, trying not to spill anything.

Cat watched him wander off, calling loudly for the others to gather for their break.

Cats gathered her thoughts and remembered Hrafn's last comment.

"oh the box!  Labels.... good old fashioned sticky labels.  One thing I have learnt is once people who work on ship refits start ripping stuff out they can go a bit.... trigger happy.  Point out what you want to keep and I'll slap a label on it so they know what to keep aside rather than put in the recycling processor".

Cat managed to bend down and jostled the box under one arm whilst she held her coffee stable. "Are you up for a tour to see what you want to keep?  "

Cat took another sip from the hot liquid.  "Oh and if your children want to meet a Cardassian Vole at anytime, bring them along next time you pop over... They'll be helping with cables re-runs and checking for any stress fractures.. Also checking the waste systems... Going to have to upgrade those!  I don't think what the vessels currently have will cope with the amount of ...well.... waste all the refugees will produce!!"

Cat took another sip and smiled at the look on Hrafn's face.  "Oh trust me, had to do many a refit on commercial ships because someone else didn't think of the changes from someone eating proper home grown food and drinking their own water to having to eat replicated food and on board water.... " Cat shuddered at the last time they had to fix that error on a Klingon commercial vessel that went from a shipping vessel to taking passengers... oh the horrors she saw...

Cat changed the subject back to something more pleasant "if your little ones want to see and pet a vole that is, they aren't very pretty. They can see them at work.. they don't bite.  oh... and.." Cat leaned in slightly and whispered "if you ever fancy fresh eggs... let me know..."

Lieutenant Goodspeed, this is Ensign Sherem," he said. "Could you come down here, please? I may need your expertise. There's a problem with the EPS conduits on the Sivok.

"Ahhh.. that'll be Ensign Gidjael Sherem.. new blood.... only met him once... I hope he hasn't ripped out something you needed!"

Goodspeed here.   One my way"

Cat smiled and straightened herself upright.  "Shall we kill 2 birds with one stone and have a wander to see what the problem is and then go and see what delights we have that we can play with?"

Katra Auxiliary Drydock orbiting within 50 kilometers of Katra

"Delighted to meet you Gramps, and yeah... If I could get hold of them more readily I'd use it as a way of mildly torturing my children!"  Hrafn said with a giggle, mercilessly ripping the head off a green Jelly Baby with her teeth.  "Mmmm I've missed these! You know... Mammy can be really evil, look what I do to poor innocent Jelly Babies...muhahahaha!"

She took a drink and added her own milk and sugar.  "Well, everything is better with coffee in my opinion.  As for the kids, they'd love it.  Nerys for the Science stuff, Tidu well... if you want an apprentice you don't mind tinkering with stuff and not necessarily having the time, skill or whatever to put it back together, he's good but he's only 5!, then Tidu is our budding engineer, and Lamar bless him is only 3, but that's the age where he wants to get into everything and not be left out when it comes to his elder siblings doing something.  So thank you, yes I'll bring them over, they'll love the voles too.  Not that pleasing but ask Jada... if it comes under 'Fauna' they want to pet it even if it's venomous or would kill them for a snack!  They've been begging me to let them have a snake after Jada calmed down Nerys when her twin disappeared ... do you know about that one yet??"

When the call came through from the Ensign she smiled.  "I'm pretty sure that things will be standard on similar ships so if something has gone from one ship, I can find it on another of the same type I suppose.  Sticky labels... let you into a secret..."  Hrafn put her hand into her pocket and drew out the 3 things that always 'lived' in there.

"It's an open secret so to speak, but I have kept these 3 things from the beginning of my career in Starfleet.  The pip is my husband Nevir's cadet pip.  He has one of mine, and the other of his Tidu has for his bravery when we were invaded.  The twins were only 5 at the time but they put up a helluva fight.  The pen and paper... hang over from when I was on Earth at Uni.  My PADD had a dodgy connection, wouldn't always work when I wanted it to, so I took to taking paper legal pads and a pencil to lectures.  I was looked upon as strange but..." the Science Officer shrugged.  "...guess who had ALL the notes by the end of term!  Old Fashioned doesn't mean useless.  Look at Gramps!"

Winking she linked arms with Cat and said "Yep let's go see what this Ensign is up to, and don't worry I get it with the waste disposal!  Having 4 kids and despite having a nanny, I've cleaned my fair share of butts in my time... what goes in, must come out!  Speaking of which... things that fall out of a hen's backside... yes please!"

[Kirok]

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

Beja sat quietly and listened while Zex answered the question as to how the Deltan was doing. The humorous, slightly glb answer hadn�t really felt like the truth, and Beja just waited until the truth came out. She knew that people often didn�t really allow themselves to answer that simple question often enough. How was a person doing? Most people didn�t take the time to really sit and reflect on that to understand their own feelings to answer that in a honest, and raw way.

Certainly most wouldn�t have taken the time to really allow themselves to be vulnerable like that, especially in front of another, especially one who was virtually a stranger to them. Beja was quite impressed with Zex for that, to really attempt such an honest, and pure answer. When the Deltan found the true emotional answer, that brought up the traumatic event they had just been through, Mon sensing the tension left his corner and padded over to Zex and laid down at her feet. His rather large head placed on her lap, as he did what he had been trained to do, provide comfort.

Beja smiled over at the two and nodded, �Well I applaud you for your honesty. I will be happy to of course talk with you about it at any time. It can be quite jarring to realize that the person we thought of ourselves, perhaps might not be who we are. To think of ourselves as non violent, and then to realize that in a blink, we would gladly pick up a knife and snuff out another person�s life, can be very difficult to struggle with and to come to terms with. You appear to be handling that well, but in case you are ever in need of someone to talk to, my door is always open.�

�I should warn you that you won�t find it any easier here at Katra. People have lost their lives defending the station, and people will continue to lose their lives doing so.People like the Thinkers, certainly are not going to stop because their first plan hadn�t worked out. In fact, I�m sure they already had 4 or 5 back up plans in case the Palkeds ship didn�t destroy Katra. And if not the Thinkers it will be another group, perhaps Atrosians will find a way to right what wrongs they have perceived to be done to them,� Beja explained to Zex.

�Katra is a place where there is a lot of opportunity to learn, grow, and help to mold the future into wondrous possibilities. But that comes with an equal amount of challenges and difficulties, and bloodshed and violence is just one of those. I understand that you might not be a violent sort, but there is no promise that you won�t have to pick up a knife again either to defend yourself, or Katra again. There is a real darkness here, and it can consume you if given the chance to,� Beja further stated to Zex. She wanted the female to really understand Katra and the real peril that they all faced each day out here.

Beja smiled gently, �Now what I want you to do is really think on this next question. Do you wish to stay here? I will give you a week. I will not take any answer you give me right now to that question. There are other stations and positions that we can find you in Starfleet if you so choose that come with less physical and emotional danger, that will allow you to thrive in the diplomatic field without having to have the chance to pick up a knife. And there is no ill will, nor is it weak to say yes to a transfer. The strongest, most courageous thing a person can do is pick the path that truly fits them best.�

�In the meantime, while you are thinking on that important question. I have some jobs that you can help with. With the new embassies we have with the Tholians and Klingons, we are going to have a diplomatic party for all of the different ambassadors to be introduced to each other and perhaps find a bit of common ground with each other. I would very much like for you to go to each of the embassies we have here on Katra, introduce yourself, and personally hand the invitations out to them. Also I would be much obliged if you could work up a menu plan and entertainment for the party. I will leave you in charge of details,� Beja smiled again over to Zex. No better way to see if the Deltan wanted to stay and do the diplomatic work then putting her right into the fray of things.

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

Zex started stroking Mon's head as soon as him big head landed in her lap.  It was the natural thing to do.  And it did seem to calm her a bit.

It was her turn to listen though.  So she listened.  And messages Mon's head a bit.

Like she has told Beja, if she had a cub in her office she would be snuggled up with him all the day long.  The cub at sum point began to purr.  That brought a little smile to the Deltan.

Zex had nodded along with Beja.  No she didn't need to talk about the incident any more.  Yes, she felt good that Beja concurred with her thoughts on the matter.

Her back went rigid though when Beja asked her if she really wanted to stay.  Her expression likely projected her response to the question, but did not speak it a loud per Beja's request.  Mon, though, lifted his head and looked at her with a lilt of his head - he apparently sensed the change in her.

She blow out the air she had been holding after Beja asked the question.  "I can understand why you would ask me such a question.  I do" she said softly and with no emotion.

"I've survived quite a lot my first couple of years in Star Fleet.  Yes, this was the first time I've ever had to harm another person to make sure I lived to knife another day.  But the fact that I came in today should sufficiently convey my intent to stay" she said flatly.

"I hope that didn't come out wrong.  Or that you think I'm angry.  I'm not.  But I will be here next week and every other day after that until Star Fleet needs me elsewhere" she said and offered Beja a confident smile.

She stopped talking for a moment.  She relaxed a bit again.  Mon dropped his head back into her lap.

"I'm excited to meet with the delegates of both embassies.   Overseeing the party planning is definitely in my wheel house, so I'm sure I can pull it together.   I would, though, like to additionally offer my assistance in completing the psychological assessments for Mr. trLhoell and Ms. Jada" she said.

"I studied to be a psychiatrist and still have my Rorschach cards.  And with me being new to the station, no one will be able to say that the evaluation where biased one way or other.  Not implying that your evaluation would be biased, but with an outsider like me there would be no question" the Deltan explained.

She was silent for a long moment.  Mulling over what she had said.  Wondering if it's true meaning had landed appropriately.

No doubt something she would ponder later tonight.  Obsessively, no doubt, given her tendency for social anxiety.  Regrettably, no doubt, something that would prevent her from getting a good night sleep.

"I get the feeling that you tend to use reality, slap you in the face, type therapy with you clients.   I'm guessing that it typically works for you with them.  If this wasn't that, a technique to test test me, then I'm sorry for even mentioning it" she said apologetically.

"But I've never been very successful with using that technique.  And by no means am I trying to challenge you or the method by which you practice therapy with your clients.   I'm really not" Zex added with slightly slumped shoulders.

"But I sense that you would not respect me unless I was honest with you.  So, in all honestly, I'm good with my decision to stay.  And I'm good with my offer to help you with the psychological evaluations, especially that of Reyek's, who I think is the most important of the two" Zex said firmly.

She typically was not so honest with others.  Especially people she barely knew.  But then it dawn on her, that was likely what Beja was aiming for the entire time.

She shook her head slowly.   "Dang it.  It worked on me, didn't it.  Reality therapy, oh how I hate it" she whispered.

[Jada]

[Shops Section, Saucer 1]

Backing up into the centre of the aisle, and concertinaing slightly as it did, the Monster kicked its legs wildly and nodded its head up and down, almost as if laughing mutely at Rayek's expense, while the others laughed more loudly, but good-naturedly. Then the gigantic slug bounded to the left and trotted toward the crowd again, trying to menace other people present.

Suddenly, a booming, rough voice cut through the chatter and chuckles. 'Who will take the chance? Who will get it on their pants? You must face the beast to fill your belly. Else others get treats, and you'll be jelly.' It was Boss Ngachi, stepping boldly through the crowd; evidently the old Orion was taking some kind of master of ceremonies role. People laughed at his jokes and rhymes, but he took it deadly seriously.

After that, the prancing Monster approached random people � Starfleet, civilians, and travellers � among the crowd, coaxing them and daring them to take the risk: slime or jelly, both clearly standing in for slug's mucus. Playing around, some people tried to push friends into the Monster's path, or squealed and got out of the firing line, while some presented themselves boldly, risking a sliming for the fun of it. Seemingly at random, they got slimed or they got a jelly tub. But children always got jelly tubs, and even jelly-beans.

[Beja]

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

Beja wasn�t sure if the experience of having to defend one�s self with violence was more tramatic than Zex wanted to portray it, or if Zex was just nervous and had mistaken the conversation for a job interview. She sat quietly as the Deltan worked herself up, and talked a bit in circles. Beja was happy to see that Mon picked up on the emotional distress cues that Zex gave off and comforted her. There had been a bit of skepticism when Beja had wanted to bring in a therapy animal, and sehlat cub, to Katra. But so far he really had done better than even she had expected and excelled at providing a different comfort level than any counselor could.

Beja just listened, remaining quiet as Zex worked out everything she wanted to say. She smiled gently over to the Deltan, �As I said, I will take the answer at the end of the week. Please do not take my request for your answer as a rejection of your position here. I just want you to really think over the dangers that Katra presents, and to consider what the consequences for that could be. And if you find you are accepting of that, great, and if you find you are not, that is also great.�

�I do appreciate the generous offer to help out in the counseling department and I have no doubt about your capabilities. But let�s have you begin in the diplomatic area, before we look into cross training you. As you know some of the diplomatic meetings in the past on Katra have not been as successful as we would have liked, and I�m sure that you will be able to help turn that around for us,� Beja replied to the kind offer Zex made to help with reviewing counseling patients' needs.

�There are 5 different embassies here at Katra, and you will need to speak with all 5 of the ambassadors to invite them to the meet and greet soiree. I do look forward to seeing your menu and entertainment plan, and I have quite total faith in your abilities to really bring the different races together that will allow them to find some common ground with each other. We want to keep the peace between them and the Federation,� Beja went into a little bit more detail of Zex�s duties for the upcoming official welcoming party for the diplomats on Katra

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Promenade

The session of drinking at the Brauhaus Gamma was a welcome oasis of joy amidst recent miseries.  Sadly, all good things were destined to come to an end.  Greta came off shift, and her encyclopedic knowledge of historical battles and cultures went with her.

The two warriors of the Klingon Empire, who had been friends since they'd joined the Klingon Defense Force and qualified as officers, walked back out into the promenade half-drunk on the brews of a dozen Terran nations...  and fully drunk on the tales of ancient battles.

The stories of Viking heroes were still bright in their minds.  They joined the tales of German Landsknechte with their zweihander swords, bravely arrayed at the front of armies against lines of pikemen.  So, too, were there Greek heroes and Roman Generals.  Tribal Philippine warriors who faced modern armies fearlessly, charging forward even after being shot multiple times by thunderous slug-throwers.

There were Mexican victories against Imperial French.  The valiant Texan defeat at the Alamo.  The French conquests against Europe.  The stalwart Russian defenses against the French and the Germans.  The Mongol Khans.  The Chinese Monks.  The Japanese Samurai.  The British Redcoats and their Forlorn Hope chosen men, who were first into enemy forts: First to die... and first to find glory.  The English victory over the French tactical genius who'd nearly conquered the world.

The native American tribes with their warrior braves on horseback.  The European-Americans who rebelled against a mad King, and then proceeded to wage war against the natives.  The great civil wars that re-shaped nations, and the generals on both sides who produced brilliant tactics and incredible follies.

To Klingon ears, they were all glorious tales.  The hero of one story could be the villain of the next.  What mattered was that they fought well, won gloriously, or died valiantly.  In the endlessly churning carnage of war, the two Klingons could find only merit.  It was not a cause that captured their minds, but the spirit of each individual warrior who put everything on the line for one perfect moment of battle.

There would be other days to understand the philosophies at play.  The righteousness of one cause over another.  Klingons were not above understanding such things.  But in this moment, drunk on drink and the legends of long-dead heroes, such nuanced concerns were beyond their interest.

As they came back into the promenade, singing and holding each other upright, it became suddenly clear that some commotion was drawing people away towards one of the docking arms.   Their bleary but curious gaze followed security officers and civilians as they moved in that particular direction.  The distant thrum and thump of some disturbance- barely perceived at this remove- gradually piqued their interest.

The two men meandered, slowly but surely, in the direction of interest.

Perhaps some adventure was afoot.

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (5 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Saucer 1 - Shop District]

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Saucer 1 - Shop District]

Rayek grinned at his prank until Tess' smile faded to something more serious and she turned their attention to the 'fake' phaser.  Tess' question of it it was 'really just a toy', had Rayek hesitating.  He wasn't quite sure that 'toy' was an apt description - not without testing it first, but he did believe - giving what he knew of Jada - that the Orion believed it relatively harmless. However, Rayek didn't get a chance to express that to Tess because the said Orion had seemed to notice their presence and had danced the costumed monstrosity directly in front of them.   So much for not getting involved or being noticed, he grumbled to himself.

As the crowd surrounded both him and Tess, wanting to see what interact the 'monster' would do, Rayek felt very conspicuous and the hairs on the back of his neck rose uncomfortably.  Over the past 6 weeks, he'd tried to keep out of the public eye because of his demotion.  He didn't want to fuel the civilians gawking and gossiping about the Romulan that had once been XO of the station.  But no Jada and her monster had to draw attention to his presence.

He kept his expression neutral but Jada, who knew likely knew his moods more than most others, would likely see the glowering in his eyes as he tried to peer through the meshing.

The gift presented to Tess lightened that glower a bit.  Bah, the Orions were just having a bit of fun, celebrating their culture with this costumed monster dance.

When the head turned towards him, Rayek smiled a bit humoringly and held out his hand to receive a treat as well, so was completely unprepared for the spurt of slime that jetted out to hit him across his torso.  What the...?!

Laughter erupted from the crowd, which was probably the only reason Rayek didn't step forward and attempt to punch Jada through the mesh of the costume.   Too many witnesses to yet another disgraceful action.  Rayek was stiff holding himself back, until he heard Tess stifling a laugh as well.  The fury he'd felt vanished as if it never were.  Tess hadn't laughed around him once in 10 weeks.  Elation at this breakthrough nearly had him reaching over to give her hug, but the slime gave him pause.

Her question turned his attention back to Jada and the monster with its taunting expression.  Rayek blinked back happy tears, a wide smile on his face and he nodded to Tess.  "Yes, I think it is."  He considered for a moment before leaning close to Tess to whisper to her, careful not to accidentally get any of the slime on her pristine uniform.

"I'm supposed to be checking the weapons lockers for tampering... but an order from the XO to 'engage' this clear threat to station peace and security, would override that. Perhaps even a call out to the TMPST team to assist could be made?"

[Shops Section, Saucer 1]

Backing up into the centre of the aisle, and concertinaing slightly as it did, the Monster kicked its legs wildly and nodded its head up and down, almost as if laughing mutely at Rayek's expense, while the others laughed more loudly, but good-naturedly. Then the gigantic slug bounded to the left and trotted toward the crowd again, trying to menace other people present.

Suddenly, a booming, rough voice cut through the chatter and chuckles. 'Who will take the chance? Who will get it on their pants? You must face the beast to fill your belly. Else others get treats, and you'll be jelly.' It was Boss Ngachi, stepping boldly through the crowd; evidently the old Orion was taking some kind of master of ceremonies role. People laughed at his jokes and rhymes, but he took it deadly seriously.

After that, the prancing Monster approached random people – Starfleet, civilians, and travellers – among the crowd, coaxing them and daring them to take the risk: slime or jelly, both clearly standing in for slug's mucus. Playing around, some people tried to push friends into the Monster's path, or squealed and got out of the firing line, while some presented themselves boldly, risking a sliming for the fun of it. Seemingly at random, they got slimed or they got a jelly tub. But children always got jelly tubs, and even jelly-beans.

Tess was glad Rayek felt no offense at Jada's admittedly quite bold action of sliming him. She herself chuckled once more as the 'monster' wiggled its head in some challenging way before it started to back. While Tess watched she noticed Rayek leaning in to her and she then turned her gaze away from the giant slug to Rayek.

She smiled a little, but was hesitant to override Saxon's order just like that. Checking the lockers might be important - even if she wouldn't expect her to do something like that ... it really would be risking the station's security immensely. So she thought for all of their peace of mind it should be checked. But maybe that could wait a couple of more minutes, since this 'festival' seemed to require some sort of interaction.

"I agree, this should be taken care of. So by all means ..." She stepped aside and made an inviting gesture towards the 'monster' that had moved on to look for new 'victims'. "But make sure that it won't alarm the people around here", she added in a lowered voice. None of them knew what that phaser thing would do after all.

Calling the TMPST was probably a good idea, since they most likely knew what was going on.  "Commander t'Lhoell to TMPST. We have a giant dancing slug in the shop district of Saucer 1." The good humor was audible in her voice as she spoke. "As far as I know there are special 'weapons' that might be suited to keep it at bay." 

[Kirok]

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

Beja wasn�t sure if the experience of having to defend one�s self with violence was more tramatic than Zex wanted to portray it, or if Zex was just nervous and had mistaken the conversation for a job interview. She sat quietly as the Deltan worked herself up, and talked a bit in circles. Beja was happy to see that Mon picked up on the emotional distress cues that Zex gave off and comforted her. There had been a bit of skepticism when Beja had wanted to bring in a therapy animal, and sehlat cub, to Katra. But so far he really had done better than even she had expected and excelled at providing a different comfort level than any counselor could.

Beja just listened, remaining quiet as Zex worked out everything she wanted to say. She smiled gently over to the Deltan, �As I said, I will take the answer at the end of the week. Please do not take my request for your answer as a rejection of your position here. I just want you to really think over the dangers that Katra presents, and to consider what the consequences for that could be. And if you find you are accepting of that, great, and if you find you are not, that is also great.�

�I do appreciate the generous offer to help out in the counseling department and I have no doubt about your capabilities. But let�s have you begin in the diplomatic area, before we look into cross training you. As you know some of the diplomatic meetings in the past on Katra have not been as successful as we would have liked, and I�m sure that you will be able to help turn that around for us,� Beja replied to the kind offer Zex made to help with reviewing counseling patients' needs.

�There are 5 different embassies here at Katra, and you will need to speak with all 5 of the ambassadors to invite them to the meet and greet soiree. I do look forward to seeing your menu and entertainment plan, and I have quite total faith in your abilities to really bring the different races together that will allow them to find some common ground with each other. We want to keep the peace between them and the Federation,� Beja went into a little bit more detail of Zex�s duties for the upcoming official welcoming party for the diplomats on Katra

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

"Very well" Zex replied.  She gently moved Mon's head off her lap.  Expecting the meeting to end soon.

"I will see you next week then.  But should you change you mind about the psychological assessments, the offer will remain open" she added.   The Deltan stood.

Zex nodded to indicate that she understood the task at hand.  "The new Tholian envoy is due to arrive shortly.  I will start there and move onto the others" she said.

"Thanks again for meeting with me.  Would you like me to send in Captain Solluk as I leave?  Or would you prefer to have reception take care of that for you" she asked.

[Rayek trLhoell]

[Shops Section, Saucer 1]

Backing up into the centre of the aisle, and concertinaing slightly as it did, the Monster kicked its legs wildly and nodded its head up and down, almost as if laughing mutely at Rayek's expense, while the others laughed more loudly, but good-naturedly. Then the gigantic slug bounded to the left and trotted toward the crowd again, trying to menace other people present.

Suddenly, a booming, rough voice cut through the chatter and chuckles. 'Who will take the chance? Who will get it on their pants? You must face the beast to fill your belly. Else others get treats, and you'll be jelly.' It was Boss Ngachi, stepping boldly through the crowd; evidently the old Orion was taking some kind of master of ceremonies role. People laughed at his jokes and rhymes, but he took it deadly seriously.

After that, the prancing Monster approached random people – Starfleet, civilians, and travellers – among the crowd, coaxing them and daring them to take the risk: slime or jelly, both clearly standing in for slug's mucus. Playing around, some people tried to push friends into the Monster's path, or squealed and got out of the firing line, while some presented themselves boldly, risking a sliming for the fun of it. Seemingly at random, they got slimed or they got a jelly tub. But children always got jelly tubs, and even jelly-beans.

With his head still leaned towards Tess just after his whisper Rayek watched as Jada and her beast moved off, randomly sliming and treating others in the area.  He stepped back and turned to glance to Ngachi as the older Orion warrior  - now made MC - encouraged participation.   Rayek wondered at how buoyed everyone was.  He supposed the station was long overdue for some cheer.  But it seemed more animated than what he might have normally expected.

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (5 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Saucer 1 - Shop District]

Tess was glad Rayek felt no offense at Jada's admittedly quite bold action of sliming him. She herself chuckled once more as the 'monster' wiggled its head in some challenging way before it started to back. While Tess watched she noticed Rayek leaning in to her and she then turned her gaze away from the giant slug to Rayek.

She smiled a little, but was hesitant to override Saxon's order just like that. Checking the lockers might be important - even if she wouldn't expect her to do something like that ... it really would be risking the station's security immensely. So she thought for all of their peace of mind it should be checked. But maybe that could wait a couple of more minutes, since this 'festival' seemed to require some sort of interaction.

"I agree, this should be taken care of. So by all means ..." She stepped aside and made an inviting gesture towards the 'monster' that had moved on to look for new 'victims'. "But make sure that it won't alarm the people around here", she added in a lowered voice. None of them knew what that phaser thing would do after all.

Calling the TMPST was probably a good idea, since they most likely knew what was going on.  "Commander t'Lhoell to TMPST. We have a giant dancing slug in the shop district of Saucer 1." The good humor was audible in her voice as she spoke. "As far as I know there are special 'weapons' that might be suited to keep it at bay."

His attention turned away from the beast when Tess spoke agreeing with his suggestion.  He inclined his head.  "Thank you," he paused momentarily, torn between addressing her as her husband, or her subordinate. ".. Commander."

While Tess went on to call in 'reinforcements', Rayek looked down at the 'fake' phaser once more.  She was right they had no idea what these new phasers did.  They could shoot off a stream of slime themselves for all he knew.   He would need to test it first.

He moved aside a pace or two until he was once more out of the crowd of people.  Then headed towards the nearest 'crew only access way'.  A quick tap on the access panel granted him access to the maintenance tunnels and security short-cuts that were all over the station.   In the empty hall, Rayek sighted down the way and fired off a shot with the 'special' phaser.

The result earned a soft chuckle.  All was good.  Time to meet up with the TMPST.

[Kirok]

[Docking Saucer 3]

Zex had rushed up to Docking Ring A as fast as her short legs would carry her.  She had, of course, arrived before the envoy had arrived.  She even had time to prepare herself to meet the Tholian.

Luckily she had worked with a Tholian before.  So she had some first hand knowledge of what to expect.  That and a quick review of what was available in the database made her feel well prepared for the meeting.

So, the first thing she did in preparation of he meeting with the envoy was to put on an EVO suit.  Then she asked all of the staff to do the same.  So as to protect them from the high temperatures Tholian's lived in and from the radiation they emitted.

She did this because she fully expected the envoy to arrive without an EVO suit.  She also expected that the envoy would expect to be beam directly to it's quarters or embassy.  So, she  pre-arranged to set the temperatures of each to 480 Kelvin.

She was sure that additional changes would be needed to keep the envoy comfortable.  Sure that those changes would keep her busy for the foreseeable future.  Such was the life of a Diplomatic Officer.

She could see the ship coming in now.  "Everyone on the ready please.  Let's meet the new Tholian envoy" she called out before the ship landed.

[Jada]

[Shops Section, Saucer 1]

Calling the TMPST was probably a good idea, since they most likely knew what was going on.  "Commander t'Lhoell to TMPST. We have a giant dancing slug in the shop district of Saucer 1." The good humor was audible in her voice as she spoke. "As far as I know there are special 'weapons' that might be suited to keep it at bay."

'Yes, commander, we're already equipped and on the scene.' answered CPO Bexx promptly, and then, just seconds later and as if on cue, a side access door burst open and Starfleet Security personnel trooped out. There was Bexx in the lead, accompanied by Park and Lambe of TMPST, as well as Curdo, Warrington, and Yelmetrei who'd evidently been roped into this "security exercise" and were still confused by it all. Each had one of the new "phasers", whether a pistol or even a rifle.

They were quickly joined by Ensign tr'Lhoell, still their superior officer. 'TMPST and recruits at your service, sir!' Bexx passed command, but it was clear she was a little more in on this than Rayek was.

'In the black of deepest space, will you see the monster in your face? You must be quicker off the mark, if you would be out in the Dark.' Ngachi chanted ominously. And the music picked up its pace, still weird and deep as befitted a giant slug but with a faster and more thumping beat appropriate to battle. The bass resounded through the deck, echoed off the walls, and made the whole saucer section ever so slightly shake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvsqEFWZ9tw

The Security personnel slipped through the crowd, which parted around them, and the Monster rotated in place to confront them, emitting strange roars over the music. 'Line up! Draw special weapons!' Bexx ordered, pointing her own rifle.

'But that's just�'

'These weapons aren't�'

'Fire!' Bexx cried. Training kicked in, the Security personnel took aim and fired their "phasers" at the Monster. The weapons flashed, emitted tinny pew-pew noises, made hollow foot! noises, and launched a barrage of yellow darts at the gigantic slug. But these just bounced right off the hide with a light patter � of course they did, they were just blunt-ended foam bullets from a range of popular toy guns...

Of course, Orions and Security personnel had a nickname for this kind of projectile weapon, whether it shot bullets or blunt darts, to differentiate it from energy and particle beam weapons � a slug-thrower.

And the giant slug wasn't so easily slain. It roared and swung its head from left to right. Then the head jumped up and down, the middle followed suit, and finally the tail, making it wave and undulate in the air. Then Monster turned and charged the Security line, opened its mouth flap, and squirted another stream of slime. 'Ah! I'm hit!' Lambe cried out theatrically, falling to the ground as the Monster reversed again.

'Oh no! We've enraged it! Sir, your orders?' Bexx prompted tr'Lhoell.

(OOC Post restored due to server outage - ShranLahr ch'Verret November 2021)

[Beja]

USS Katra Station - Deck 18 - Counseling Facilities

Beja smiled over to Zex and stood with her, when the Deltan got up from the chair, �I�m sure you will do wonderful in your introductions. I look forward to seeing your menu and entertainment plans. Let me know if you run into any issues at all, or if you have any questions that come up. I wish you luck ensign, though I know you don�t need it.�

Beja stood up when Zex did and walked the Deltan out to the waiting area. She would be available through either commbadge or through her personal PADD if anything came or was needed. Mon went back to his area of the room, settling back down when his new friend left. He thumped his tail a few times as if to say his own goodbye.

Beja shook Zex�s hand if she allowed it before she bid her good luck and goodbye with her new duties. Then she turned to the Captain and smiled, �Captain Solluk, thank you for waiting. Would you care for a cup of tea or something else to drink?� She offered the Captain as she took him back to the counseling office, curious to see what had brought him to her area today.

(OOC Post restored due to server outage - ShranLahr ch'Verret December 2021)

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Counselor's Office

Solluk nodded to Zex as she made her departure, and then turned his attention to Beja.

"Thank you, Counselor.  Vuhlkansu suk'kunel theris-masu would be delightful," he said, requesting a Vulcan tea variety cultivated in the L'Langon Mountain range.  It was somewhat more bitter than the valley-grown leaves, and tended to be used for special occasions and ceremonial purposes.  'Perhaps you would join me in a cup."

As he entered the office proper, he paused to look around.  This room was not laid out like any counselor's office he had been in, before.  Although he needed no further proof that Beja was not like other Klingons- nor even like other psychiatrists- here it was, nonetheless.

He found a comfortable chair and sat, smiling softly at the Sehlat cub before un-holstering his PADD and palming a small box.  He opened the PADD's menu, pausing in some surprise to see copies of Security Alerts flow onto its screen.  The details of the alerts were... curious, to say the least.  Taking in the highlights, he thumbed the alerts aside and brought up information more directly relevant to this meeting.

"I regret that I haven't visited you here sooner, Counselor.  Most particularly I regret that we haven't met regarding your recent performance.  My Executive officer often handles these sorts of meetings with the staff, but in the recent transitions, I fear you were overlooked.  I hope to ameliorate that.

I have been very pleased with your work these past several months.  It is not an overstatement to say that, thanks to your efforts, an entire species of sentients may have been saved from eventual extermination or enslavement.  My coercive negotiations could have easily dissolved once the proverbial guns were no longer in sight.  But you managed to carry forward some complicated agreements without so much as a single other Starfleet officer to support you.  Starfleet Command shares my satisfaction, both with the Etrosian matter and the matter of the Klingons and the subspace life-form they encountered.  And, of course, your help with the astrocetus surgery.

Starfleet's decision to supplement our staff with a dedicated Diplomatic Officer is not a reflection on you or your diplomatic efforts here.

But my decision to ask you to perform double-duty as the Department Head for the Diplomatic division is.

You have earned more brass for your collar.  Wear it with pride."

When she brought his cup, he exchanged it for the small box he'd been holding.

It contained the pip that would elevate her to the rank of full Lieutenant.