S2 M8 - Seed of the Garden

[Catherine Goodspeed]

Katra Station - Briefing Room - Morning of Day 2

Solluk arrived at the briefing room slightly early, and found that Hospitality Services had done their duty.  The briefing room table was already supplied with a variety of baked goods, including bagels, doughnuts, muffins, and jams and butters.  There was also a covered dish containing a breakfast casserole.  And to top it off, tea and coffee.   While everything at the table today had been derived from replicated ingredients, the Hospitality Services staff had gone through the trouble of cooking those ingredients.  This gave the array of foods subtle imperfections and variations that marked them apart from common replicated fare.  Even the tea leaves and coffee beans had been steeped or ground down and then brewed, giving the spread a faux authentic sensibility.

Of course, if there was anything someone might wish that was not in evidence, they could replicate it from the wall alcove.

Solluk punched up the briefing materials on the room's wall console, and had a holoprojection of the Lod Qan arrayed over the table using the room's ceiling emitter.  The Klingon cruiser would be the topic of much of today's discussion.  Solluk set the permissions so that any of the meeting participants would be able to use their PADDs to interface with the image, rotating it or making changes to it as might be required during the discussion.

With that accomplished, Solluk sat down and poured himself some tea, relaxing before the first arrivals came.

Though... perhaps he was not as early as he thought.

If he did not miss his guess, Rayek would have already been here, scanning the room and planting interference devices to foil any snoops.  There was no actual evidence of this, but Solluk could feel that it may be true.  He'd also often had this same sense when Saxon had led Stat Ops and Security.  He was sure the old officer had frequently screened spaces before they were used, and then left before making a show of arriving with everyone else.

This thought amused him as he sipped his tea and eyed one of the 'everything' bagels in the baked goods basket with rising interest.

Katra Station - Briefing Room - Morning of Day 2

Cat coughed to clear her throat and adjusted her uniform for what seemed like the 100th time before she entered the Briefing Room.

Cats eyes scanned the room quickly to check if she was the first one to arrive.  Spying The Captain, XO and someone she didn't recognise Cat sighed inwardly with relief that she hadn't been the first to arrive. Phew.

Now where would she sit.

Cat hated this part of entering the room.  The eternal struggle of 'where to sit when entering a room'.  If there was a hell Cat was positive there would be a room like this with her name on it.

She thought it best to sit opposite the XO; safest bet maybe.

Cat smiled and nodded her head at Captain, the XO and the new face to her and Cat sat down as quietly and quickly at possible.

Her eyes fell on the food.  Oh no.... Everything looked so ..crumbly and delicious! She was going to get covered in crumbs no doubt about it.

Then her eyes were drawn up to the holoprojection of the Lod Qan.  Cat arched an eyebrow.

Of course it looked lovely from the image being projected into the room but Cat's heart sank a little at the thought of what lay within.

This was an old bird and one thing you could always say with truth about Klingons was that the words "Maintenance" and "Cleaning" were rarely said or put into practice.

Cats eyes drifted off for a bit.  Oh the THINGS she had found on Klingon vessels.... Things no normal person should have to see or clean up with a scraper.

Damn; Peaches and Gramps were right, they'd have to dig out the hazmat suits before she'd allow anyone to start crawling around the Lod Oans guts.

Cat tried not to think about a ships guts and more on her own that had started to grumble slightly at the sight and smell of all the food.

[Kirok]

Katra Station - Sweet Tooth Cafe - Promenade - Morning before Breakfast meeting

Cat laughed when Zex clapped, she wasn't used to that.  "Thank you, I don't normally have them preform tricks but I thought it might be a good ice breaker with strangers who have never seen one before".

Cat tickled his chin.  "He's only a youngling so my spare time is spent training and training and more training to get him up too speed with the other older ones."

Cat's eyes again were drawn to the pair of eyes under the table.

Before she could open her mouth the LOUD and rather grating voice of the waitress filled the air.

"1 choco almond, 1 strawberry twist, 2 fruit blasts and 1 Blueberry vanilla!!!  TAKEAWAY!!"

Cat grimaced at the noise and made a face at both Zex and Beja "Blimey, is that me or can that woman bellow?!" Cat smiled

"That's my order I'm afraid" Cat looked down at Nibbler who was still trying to get to know the new furry thing he had discovered.

"It was lovely to meet you both.  Lieutenant, if you ever want your furry friend to get used to other animals let me know, I can pop over in my free time to your office or quarters for an animal play date"

With that Cat stood up with Nibbler tucked under her arm and waved a goodbye at Beja, Zex and the furball with her free hand.

"Have a lovely day ladies, hope next time we meet it's not so rushed".

Cat smiled and went over to collect the takeaway and made her way to her new quarters for a feast.

Katra Station - Sweet Tooth Cafe - Promenade - Morning before Breakfast meeting

"The ice breaker worked.  Consider me a fan now" Zex said.  She saw Cat's eyes look under the table again.

"Mon.  I think you might have a new friend" she added.  Then heard the waitress call.

"It was lovely meeting you.  Formally this time.  Enjoy the rest of your day" she said as Cat was leaving.

[Don Damien Addams]

Katra Station - Sweet Tooth Cafe - Promenade - Morning before Breakfast meeting

"The ice breaker worked.  Consider me a fan now" Zex said.  She saw Cat's eyes look under the table again.

"Mon.  I think you might have a new friend" she added.  Then heard the waitress call.

"It was lovely meeting you.  Formally this time.  Enjoy the rest of your day" she said as Cat was leaving.

[Katra Station - Sweet Tooth Cafe - Promenade - Morning before Breakfast meeting]

The newbie had decided to take a stroll before his shift. To be honest he just missed bumping into LG Goodspeed. That was good. There a possible he would not like her pet. Moles have these tiny beady eyes like rodents.

He held his data pad in his right hand in case he got lost. He paused as he saw a Deltan sitting by herself. She had a purple undershirt for a uniform. That was color for Diplomats.

The individual he had met on Risa. It was this woman. What was her name. Something ex. The reason he was Risa was he lost a bet to some crew men who was playing a joke on him. They had to pull a fast one on him. They made a wager if he lost he would have to go down Risa in a bathing suit and to relax. He had not liked that wager. Then he played the game and lost.

The visit was short and sweet, but it was someone who was familiar. Deep inside him he had felt shy. That was then human reaction in him. This was not a Klingon base where he would had no problem.

One foot front of the other was the way to go inside. Why was his foot not moving? Was he still feeling weird meeting her? It was not like they were on the peaceful beach.

When they met first he was honest why he was on Risa. He told her the truth because she asked. This was ridiculous move you feet!

There one foot moved and he was in. Then more. More. Soon he was through the door!

"Hello, Ensign See-" he paused with his eyes blowing up. "Er. Zex. Please accept my apology,"  he corrected himself. Klingon women are much more easy to address, he thought. The man was still standing like he was on guard.

"And you look good in purple," he complimented her. That was a little thing he does. That was what got him in trouble with other people who was attach to someone. Someone had advised him. So he had been using it. The thing Klingon women don't like it. Klingon mating rituals are great, but he seem to hurt real bad afterwards. No physical tired. But physically beat up and hurting. That was the flaw being a human growing in a Klingon. He had battle scars about his body to prove it.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck One - Operational Control Center - Day 1]

A short while after the Captain requested the briefing the next morning Rayek excused himself from the OCC to 'catch himself up'.  The Romulan used his new security authorizations to gain entrance to Saxon's office and spent the day reading up on the station logs, Saxon's SOO reports and becoming familiar with all that had happened in the months since he was last in a position of command.

It felt odd to sit at a desk rather than the briefing room table.  Even more awkward was the lingering presence of the room's former occupant.  The genuine leather office chair Rayek sat in to work explained why the former Security chief had always carried that scent with him.  Rayek had assumed previously it was the man's cologne but no it was his furniture that the Romulan could smell.

Other than the warm smell of leather, the room though clean and tidy had a smell of... was it tea?  Rayek thought he could smell the earthy scent of black tea...  Whatever the fragrance was, it was so reminiscent of Saxon.. that Rayek was half expecting the Lieutenant to walk in on him and demand to know what the Romulan thought he was doing there.  It was a rather unsettling feeling and distracted Rayek much more than he liked to admit.

He took a brief break for his arranged lunch with Tess, but beyond that, Rayek buried himself in files.  Rayek might have even skipped on dinner and worked late in order to continue his attempt to catch-up but Tess and he had received notification of a change in their prenatal class and the decision was made to go to the class offered tonight.   There was no way he would miss that!

One of the first things Rayek did was to review the schedule and assign Ensign Wessex to Civilian Zone Constabulary duty.  It would give the Ensign more opportunity to learn the station more.

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Birth Center - Day 1 evening]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Birth Center - the evening before]

Letting her own hand rest in Rayek's lap, fingers intertwined, Tess greeted the arriving couples who soon settled on the mats before Dennix finally did so as well.

"Welcome to your first prenatal class!", Dennix said to officially start the class. "I am trained in obstetrics and have enjoyed every single day of the 17 years I've been doing this." His smile widened as he looked around. "I am married and have 11 wonderful children. Now I am happy to assist you during your journey. I usually start these classes with a small round of introduction. You may share your names, age, previous pregnancies, due date and such." Dennix smiled over to the Bajoran couple who started them off.

The Bajoran and Karemman couple - like Tess and Rayek - expected their first child. The human male had three children with his deceased wife and now expected his first one with his new wife, which was the first pregnancy for her.

Then it was Tess and Rayek's turn. "My name is Tess t'Lhoell, I'm 29 years old and I'm here with my husband, Rayek. We too are expecting our first child." She smiled over to Rayek to give him the opportunity to answer some of the questions so it wasn't Tess who was saying it all.

Rayek kept hold of Tess' hand as she spoke, and smiled when she introduced both of them. He was more than happy to not have to say anything, but that wasn't what Tess had in mind. Instead after stating that they too were expecting their first she smiled over to him, clearly indicating that he needed to offer up something as well.  He gave a slight nod back acknowledging the 'tag' before answering what and when. "The medical scans say that we are expecting a boy... and that he is due on stardate 75717"

The Denobulan smiled and clapped his hands together thanking everyone for introducing themselves.  He then gave a quick overview of what topics would be covered in the next 4 classes:  Late Pregnancy, Labour and Birth, After the Birth, and Growing as Parents.  Tonight would focus on Late Pregnancy - what to expect, concerns and possible complications and how to avoid complications.

Rayek paid close attention while Dennix began to go over the mechanics of the physiological changes that most humanoids (and Vulcanoids) went through during late pregnancy.

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room - Day 2 - hours before the meeting>>>> meeting]

Following the prenatal class, Rayek had gone home with Tess and spent quality time with her and Thrafv until Tess retired to bed.  He tucked in his wife before excusing himself to do more reading - he still had lots to catch up on and was up the rest of the night attempting to do so.

The next morning found Rayek reading through the files, yet again.  When he noticed Tess awake he offered put his work aside and help with the preparation of breakfast but she'd reminded him that breakfast would be provided at the meeting.   Rayek frowned slightly knowing that the meeting was still several hours away.. but didn't argue.  This was one of those moments when he had to respect Tess' decision.

He did however insist she shower first.  While Tess was in the shower, Rayek realized just how late it was.  If he was going to scan the briefing room before the senior officers gathered he'd have to do so now or he wouldn't have time after his own shower.

Slipping out while Tess was in the shower was not something he liked doing but he would only be gone 5 minutes... 10 at most... she might not even notice.   When Rayek arrived, the Hospitality Services staff were already present and beginning to set up.  Their presence was unfortunate because he likely looked a mess in his civilian attire that he'd worn the night before to the prenatal class.  The Romulan was given a few odd looks by some of the newer staff, but those from before his demotion recognized what he was doing and left him to it.   The room was clear.

When he was done Rayek hurried back home and waited for his turn at the shower, changed and walked Tess to the OCC before heading to Saxon's office get a couple more hours of reading in before he had to head to the meeting.

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room]

Tess entered the room shortly after Solluk. She had been here earlier this morning already to check on the breakfast preparations, but the Hospitality Services were very reliable and there was practically nothing Tess had to do other than placing the order. So she found everything as it had been when she had left a couple of hours before - well, almost everything. The holoprojection of the Klingon cruiser hovered now over the table and it was impossible to miss that detail.

"Captain", she simply greeted Solluk friendly, since they had seen each other already. Tess have had some time to think about the mission that was about to commence the night before in her quarters and she had involved Rayek into her considerations which she was sure he'd support. So she had made sure to catch Solluk for a brief private talk about her role in the upcoming mission, being honest and open with him that she had concerns to join the mission. In her current state, she was not sure if she would be able to be 100% fit to do her duty as required on such a mission. They all knew they had to expect the worst to be prepared in the Gamma quadrant. She would do anything she could to contribute to the preparations from here as she could.

Hearing her stomach grumble - since she knew that they would be treated to breakfast by the Captain she had skipped her usual breakfast with Rayek in her their quarters - Tess chuckled as she walked around to approach Solluk and put down her PADD on the table at the spot next to him. "It was so worth to wait", she commented with a look at the delicious foods.

Sitting down, Tess drew her PADD closer to her to check on the reports coming in. The building of the pylon the Klingons needed to attach it to the Tholian attack craft to extend the cloak around the vessel as well was progressing well. While the first estimation had said that this would take several days, it seemed like the Engineering team working on that would beat that estimation.

She looked to Solluk, smiling. "An officer exchange is quite exciting. Have you ever participated in an exchange like that?", she asked curiously.

Rayek delayed his leaving until the last possible moment.  He still hadn't quite caught up... it might take him a week of non-stop reading to even feel close to that.  Tess had already indicated that she would meet him there so he didn't need to go up to the OCC to pick her up first, instead at just a few minutes to the 9 am start time, Rayek left Saxon's office and strode quickly along the deck to the briefing room.

Upon entering, Rayek quickly assessed the scene. Tess was seated beside the Captain.. as per her role as Executive Officer.   He was pleased to see no one had claimed the spot next to her.. and after a brief nod towards the Captain, moved to assume that spot.  "Good morning, Captain."

After greeting Solluk and sitting down in the chair beside his wife, Rayek offered very self-conscious nods around to the other senior staff.   It had been months since he'd been a part of this inner circle and returning to it was a bit awkward.

Despite the lack of morning meal, Rayek found he lacked an appetite at the moment.  He did however pour himself a tea.  It wasn't chai, but instead more of the same tea that Saxon liked to drink.   He sipped on that while he waited for the Captain to call the meeting to order.

[Paul Wessex]

- Morning of Day 2>

"...chemically and genetically augmented to be several times stronger, faster, more agile and durable than most Humanoids" continued Senior Chief Petty Officer Veirla Solen, Katra Station's Angosian Master-at-Arms, as they strolled along the Promenade as part of his first duty assignment as Officer-of-the-Watch. Paul Wessex nodded, making interested sounds in response but to be truthful he found the bragging to be a little tedious. It wasn't so much that she was quietly clearly physically impressive - she most certainly was - but it was the lack of humility that bothered him most. He had seen the attitude many times in NavPat, almost as if there were a correlation between physical prowess and self-importance. All he did was to ask her to tell him a bit about herself and the only thing she came out with was her obvious physiological and martial prowess.

He did briefly wonder if she was marking out her territory to a new officer, but she didn't strike him as someone who'd give a Gatronian squid about anyone not the upper-most senior officer of Security.

"Well, that sounds really impressive" he replied, making every effort to convey it. "But what do you do for fun around here?"

She stopped and stared. "Fun?" she intoned, with a hint of mockery. "I don't do anything for 'fun'." Her glare was as cold at the depths of the Balder Trench, and he believed it. He also let the tone slide - she was a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, and the station's Master-at-Arms to boot, which afforded her some small measure of leeway due to her undeniable experience. But even though he was just an Ensign in StarFleet, Wessex had a long career as an officer of not-inconsiderable experience himself, and even the most competent Senior would do well to remember the chain of command even towards junior ranks.

"Fair enough" he conceded and they continued side-by-side, taking in the sights. Of all the assignments that were possible, Paul was pleased that Lt Commander tr'Lhoell had allocated his first real day to Civilian Zone Constabulary, the civilian-centric foot patrol for the Promenade and other municipal areas, providing local 'community' assistance to all patrons or businesses alike. In the old days, it would have been referred to as the 'Beat'. He liked the sound of that. "So what are the hotspots around here?" He figured that the second best thing Solen liked to talk about was the job. "Any particular local 'celebrities' I should be aware of?"

Solen nodded, seemingly happy for her knowledge to be resourced. "There's less trouble in 'Brauhaus Gamma' than you'd expect, even when taking into account only half their drinks menu is synthahol. The Distillery and Pub - they don't have a name yet, but I've heard the owners consider 'The Admiral Benbow' - is a good place to interrupt extralegal activities out the back; we suspect they have an portable emergency transporter but until now we've not caught them red-handed using it; run by Hirem and Dolgen, two Bandi partners.  'Blue Belles', the 'exotic' club, has the odd overly-enthusiastic would-be suitor, but the staff can handle themselves well, so we just take over when they're dumped outside." She pointed out towards the wider Promenade. "Over there, Sole Sisters, footwear traders, have had a spate of grab-and-run thefts of late. That way is the Post Office - some items have gone missing from the storage suite which the postmaster, and her staff, has cleared our investigation into being the culprits. On Deck 26, which has its own patrol, the ice-cream palour is suspected of being a front for Breen intelligence operations. I don't believe it to be true, but the rumour has generated some strong feelings towards the owners - graffiti and some minor property damage."

Paul took it all in, his arms lightly folded across his chest. "Seems fairly stable" he answered. No more troublesome than many of the subsurface cities he had been based at.

He was about to continue when a motion caught his eye. True to what Solen had just relayed to him, a frantic activity was going on at the shoe shop. His arms unfolding, he spotted a young Orion lad - no more than eleven - racing out of the shop, with one of the store staff chasing him just past the doorway, yelling. The kid spotted Wessex and Solen in his way, and so spun like a Xerxes porpoise and took off in an opposite direction.

Before he could set off in pursuit, he felt the brush of Solen's forward motion, her hand already drawing her phaser. Wessex set off behind her, frowning at the unnecessarily provocative action. " Solen to CZC Watch. Deck 15. Theft in progress. Orion Male, around 10-14 years. Heading, at pace, towards Zone 15-Beta.  "

[Rayek trLhoell]

NPC Lt jg Saqa7 Mountain-Khan
[Katra Station - Deck 15 - Promenade]

Saqa7 was strolling along the Promenade on her day off looking for a gift-ideas.  She had been so delighted to receive the All-Staff notification the other day announcing the the promotion of Rayek to Lieutenant Commander, assigned as Chief of Security, Strategic Operations Officer AND Second Officer.   She knew it wouldn't take him long to pick himself up and make a comeback.

Now she just needed to find the perfect gift for him to say "˜Congratulations!'

She was paused outside the Vulcan jewelers, peering though the window at the display there when a ruckus drew her attention.  She turned about to watch as two security began to run down an Orion youth.  She frowned.  Jada had been an unspoken deterrent to these sort of incidents. Now they were occurring far too often.

Saqa7 was surprised to see Senior Chief Petty Officer Solen being the lead security in pursuit.  Usually the woman manned the OCC. Curious, Saqa7 watched the scene

[Paul Wessex]

Morning of Day 2>

Wessex was grateful, if not terribly sorry, that Solen was apparently keeping her prodigious speed throttled back so that he could keep up; he had no illusions she could far outpace him, or perhaps most, in pursuit of the adolescent criminal mastermind. He was most grateful of this simply because he wanted to actively monitor how Security managed issues around the civilian area.

The thief was darting between sauntering patrons, one hand clutching something that looked thin and glittering; to Paul it looked like a pair of gold sandals - an interesting choice to have absconded with. However, with the co-ordination of Solen, the cordon of officers drew tighter as swiftly as his options of escape, and the began to look ever more desperate.

"There's more to this", Wessex ruminated to Solen. "I think we should back off and see where he goes."

Solen halted in her stride and turned to him, her mature face incredulous. "Are you suggesting we let him go!?"

"..'Sir '" Paul punctuated calmly, allowing himself a wry, almost embarrassed, smile to accompany it.

Her expression retained its disbelieving mask. "Excuse me?"

" 'Are you suggesting we let him go...Sir' " he repeated. "I might be new here, Senior, but I think I'm afforded the privilege of rank." He didn't want to have this conversation on his first patrol, but the ground rules had to be established quickly otherwise the chances were it would set the tone for the rest of his posting aboard the station. And Solen seemed the type to stamp her authority early on.

The glare that reached him was as hot as a hydrothermal vent, but she relented. "Yes...sir. Are you advocating letting him go?" The question was delivered with forced pleasantry.

Wessex shook his head. "Not at all. I think we need to see what an adolescent is going to do with a stolen pair of footwear - an ill-conceived gift for a mother? Sister? Brother? An initiation test? A dare? I think we need to determine the source of the motivation."

"I-"

Paul held his hand up to halt her in mid-protest. " This is Ensign Wessex, Officer-on-Watch, to all CZC. Hang back: let the target proceed unimpeded but keep eyes covertly on task. Report back on developments, but don't approach or be seen; I want intel, not custody. Yet. Oh. And stow your weapons. I don't want to see a drawn phaser from anyone. Wessex out. "

He looked at Solen, who looked about to burst. "I think you're wrong. Sir." she said plainly.

Wessex nodded, conceding he was meddling in affairs he had limited knowledge of. "I will bring this to the attention Commander tr'Lhoell, including your concerns, but you've said there has been a spate of thefts from the store. Since you've not closed this down, I'll go ahead and assume you've not been able to apprehend any of the perpetrators, and this is the closest you've come so far. I'll also assume the suspects are all different, otherwise there would be a bulletin out for this one individual. Lets get to the root of the problem."

Solen's eyes narrowed, as if to study him intently. "If we catch him, we can ask him. Sir."

"Agreed" he replied, "but we have no guarantee they'll talk. What we need is intel that can't be denied or be purely reliant on suspect cooperation. So let's build a case. Find out what other activities are being orchestrated. Gather the dramatis personae and bring it to the Chief of Security for the decision."

"And if it's just an opportunistic little thief, doing it for the thrill?"

"Then we'll deal with it appropriately, Senior. This may only be my first day, but I don't believe Katra Station - or the Community Zone at least - should be some police state. Investigate. Case. Arrest. Charge. And then bring to the Federation Magistrate."

"We don't have a Magistrate." A triumphant look.

Paul was undeterred, although surprised. "Then we'll make sure we get one. Now..lets reacquire the suspect."

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Briefing Room - Morning of Day 2

Solluk smiled at Tess, "It is a rather exciting prospect," Solluk said, a smile spreading across his features as he got up to collect the 'everything' bagel which had been tempting him for the past several minutes.  He also took a dab of strawberry cream-cheese, and began spreading the cheese upon the bagel as he spoke.  "I've only ever read about them.  The reports of then-Commander Riker, Lieutenant Sopal, and Ensign Lorami are all interesting reading.  Lorami served on Qonos for six months, and even wrote a book about her experiences.  But, no, I've never tried it myself."

He bit into his bagel just as additional officers trickled in.  He nodded a greeting at them, rather than trying to speak with his mouth full.   Eventually, he was able to chew and swallow.

"That reminds me, Number One... there will certainly be other exchange opportunities with the Klingons, given their presence here.  I don't want you to feel that the door is closed to your participation in such endeavors in the future."

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room]

Katra Station - Briefing Room - Morning of Day 2

Solluk smiled at Tess, "It is a rather exciting prospect," Solluk said, a smile spreading across his features as he got up to collect the 'everything' bagel which had been tempting him for the past several minutes.  He also took a dab of strawberry cream-cheese, and began spreading the cheese upon the bagel as he spoke.  "I've only ever read about them.  The reports of then-Commander Riker, Lieutenant Sopal, and Ensign Lorami are all interesting reading.  Lorami served on Qonos for six months, and even wrote a book about her experiences.  But, no, I've never tried it myself."

He bit into his bagel just as additional officers trickled in.  He nodded a greeting at them, rather than trying to speak with his mouth full.   Eventually, he was able to chew and swallow.

"That reminds me, Number One... there will certainly be other exchange opportunities with the Klingons, given their presence here.  I don't want you to feel that the door is closed to your participation in such endeavors in the future."

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room - Day 2 - hours before the meeting>>>> meeting]

Following the prenatal class, Rayek had gone home with Tess and spent quality time with her and Thrafv until Tess retired to bed.  He tucked in his wife before excusing himself to do more reading - he still had lots to catch up on and was up the rest of the night attempting to do so.

The next morning found Rayek reading through the files, yet again.  When he noticed Tess awake he offered put his work aside and help with the preparation of breakfast but she'd reminded him that breakfast would be provided at the meeting.   Rayek frowned slightly knowing that the meeting was still several hours away.. but didn't argue.  This was one of those moments when he had to respect Tess' decision.

He did however insist she shower first.  While Tess was in the shower, Rayek realized just how late it was.  If he was going to scan the briefing room before the senior officers gathered he'd have to do so now or he wouldn't have time after his own shower.

Slipping out while Tess was in the shower was not something he liked doing but he would only be gone 5 minutes... 10 at most... she might not even notice.   When Rayek arrived, the Hospitality Services staff were already present and beginning to set up.  Their presence was unfortunate because he likely looked a mess in his civilian attire that he'd worn the night before to the prenatal class.  The Romulan was given a few odd looks by some of the newer staff, but those from before his demotion recognized what he was doing and left him to it.   The room was clear.

When he was done Rayek hurried back home and waited for his turn at the shower, changed and walked Tess to the OCC before heading to Saxon's office get a couple more hours of reading in before he had to head to the meeting.

Rayek delayed his leaving until the last possible moment.  He still hadn't quite caught up... it might take him a week of non-stop reading to even feel close to that.  Tess had already indicated that she would meet him there so he didn't need to go up to the OCC to pick her up first, instead at just a few minutes to the 9 am start time, Rayek left Saxon's office and strode quickly along the deck to the briefing room.

Upon entering, Rayek quickly assessed the scene. Tess was seated beside the Captain.. as per her role as Executive Officer.   He was pleased to see no one had claimed the spot next to her.. and after a brief nod towards the Captain, moved to assume that spot.  "Good morning, Captain."

After greeting Solluk and sitting down in the chair beside his wife, Rayek offered very self-conscious nods around to the other senior staff.   It had been months since he'd been a part of this inner circle and returning to it was a bit awkward.

Despite the lack of morning meal, Rayek found he lacked an appetite at the moment.  He did however pour himself a tea.  It wasn't chai, but instead more of the same tea that Saxon liked to drink.   He sipped on that while he waited for the Captain to call the meeting to order.

Tess' lips twitched with a smile in return to Solluk's smile. She often thought that it really would have been a shame to never see that friendly smile if circumstances had allowed him to live the emotionless life the majority of Vulcans strove to live. That he thought of the prospect as exciting was totally understandable for Tess. The mention of an Ensign Lorami who had served on Qonos for six months and who had written down the experiences piqued Tess' interest. "I definitely will look it up, it sounds very interesting." It could be her bedtime reading for the lonely nights if Rayek was away on that exchange. Tess didn't like to think of that just yet.

As she poured herself a cup of breakfast tea, Ensign T'Palin and Lieutenant Goodspeed arrived. Tess nodded to the Vulcan and smiled at Cat as the Chief Engineer sat down opposite her. Turning her eyes back to Solluk she added a teaspoon full of sugar and slowly stirred the beverage while she listened to Solluk. His concern made her her smile. "I hope so. It's such an awesome opportunity to share knowledge and create shared experiences. And me staying here will give me the opportunity to look a little more into the Meridian sickness problem." Tess sounded a little bit defeated. It weighed somewhat heavy on her that she so far had not been able to find out what exactly was wrong with the Meridians let alone find a cure for it.

Shaking off that thought she refocused on the topic of officer exchange. "How did Captain Noh'ves like the idea of that exchange?", she asked curiously.

The arrival of Rayek drew Tess' attention away from her conversation with Solluk for a moment. She gave him a wide smile as he greeted the Captain and sat down next to her. She knew he felt uncomfortable, but Tess thought he really could be more confident despite what others thought. She hoped he might get there eventually. While he poured himself some tea Tess leaned forward to help herself to a bagel and eyed the sweet spread of nougat cream with grinded hazelnuts. "You want one too, Commander?", she asked as she looked to Rayek, then back to Solluk. "We just have been talking about officer exchange experiences", she tried to loop Rayek into the conversation.

[Eydis]

[Tholian Assembly] Eydis would nod her head in a respectful manner to the Klingon ambassador. Hir thoughtspace filled as shi digested what the Klingon has said.

Hir first thought was how the empire but react to this all, as long as it didn't get the assembly involved in a war. Shi didn't really see why it would either way. But this could mean a shift amongst the other major powers. Were the Romulans behind this little upstart nation, who was supplying them. Eydis would walk down the ceiling and head to fetch a evo suit. Shi had sent a thought back to the assembly about the successful so far negotiations. Shi want to leave the embassy for now and possible seek out hir friend zex or head back to hir cruiser.

Of all the things that had happen the fact shi couldn't command hir own cruiser was one of the worst things to hir as captain. Shi would have to leave it with second in command. Shi couldn't risk losing hir crew or the entity.

[Don Damien Addams]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room]

Tess' lips twitched with a smile in return to Solluk's smile. She often thought that it really would have been a shame to never see that friendly smile if circumstances had allowed him to live the emotionless life the majority of Vulcans strove to live. That he thought of the prospect as exciting was totally understandable for Tess. The mention of an Ensign Lorami who had served on Qonos for six months and who had written down the experiences piqued Tess' interest. "I definitely will look it up, it sounds very interesting." It could be her bedtime reading for the lonely nights if Rayek was away on that exchange. Tess didn't like to think of that just yet.

As she poured herself a cup of breakfast tea, Ensign T'Palin and Lieutenant Goodspeed arrived. Tess nodded to the Vulcan and smiled at Cat as the Chief Engineer sat down opposite her. Turning her eyes back to Solluk she added a teaspoon full of sugar and slowly stirred the beverage while she listened to Solluk. His concern made her her smile. "I hope so. It's such an awesome opportunity to share knowledge and create shared experiences. And me staying here will give me the opportunity to look a little more into the Meridian sickness problem." Tess sounded a little bit defeated. It weighed somewhat heavy on her that she so far had not been able to find out what exactly was wrong with the Meridians let alone find a cure for it.

Shaking off that thought she refocused on the topic of officer exchange. "How did Captain Noh'ves like the idea of that exchange?", she asked curiously.

The arrival of Rayek drew Tess' attention away from her conversation with Solluk for a moment. She gave him a wide smile as he greeted the Captain and sat down next to her. She knew he felt uncomfortable, but Tess thought he really could be more confident despite what others thought. She hoped he might get there eventually. While he poured himself some tea Tess leaned forward to help herself to a bagel and eyed the sweet spread of nougat cream with grinded hazelnuts. "You want one too, Commander?", she asked as she looked to Rayek, then back to Solluk. "We just have been talking about officer exchange experiences", she tried to loop Rayek into the conversation.

[Katra - Deck 2 - Briefing room]

Ensign T'Palin was staying quiet and observing. In politeness she had decided to take a cup. She leaned over to take a kettle of hot water, she tipped as she poured the steamy water in her tea cup. Then she took the tea bag and placed it in the water. She saw how the brown started to seep into the water. Then she had looked up to see if anyone was getting tea. She had carried on by remembering watching other crew members in a cafe.

She raised an eye brow. Not sure that the bag stay in the water. Well, she had decided to let soak. Then she picked up the tea cup to take a sip. It was bland. Not the greatest. It was not like the soda pop drink someone had shared to her. This was a human beverage.

She placed the cup back down on the saucer pretending that she had liked it. Her expression was on her face was blank. Way far from Solluk's happiness. How could he function like that? She would not sure she would be able to live with herself as a Vulcan.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Birth Center - Day 1 evening]

The Denobulan accoucher, Dennix, went over the physiology of late pregnancy for the benefit of all; speaking about the loosening off the pelvis, the changes in the uterus and cervix.  For some, like Tess, it was likely nothing new.  But for Rayek, despite having done a lot of reading prior, he found the information useful and the holographic visuals the Denobulan used helpful.   But what Rayek had been a bit unprepared for was that when partner support was suggested... he had the pairs practice the support.  This had first come up when discussing pain support measures in the last stages of pregnancy. This included the 'partnered penguin walk'.

"So your partner will stand close behind you and reach around low at your hips and place their palms up under your belly, firmly lifting up supporting the uterus. The couple then can walk around in a shuffle like a penguin while holding support. This will help relieve pain and pressure in the nerve clusters found there.  Mrs. t'Lhoell, if I could get you to stand up and allow me to use you to demonstrate this for the class?"  Dennix called upon Tess to be the visual.

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room - Day 2 - 9am]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room]

Tess' lips twitched with a smile in return to Solluk's smile. She often thought that it really would have been a shame to never see that friendly smile if circumstances had allowed him to live the emotionless life the majority of Vulcans strove to live. That he thought of the prospect as exciting was totally understandable for Tess. The mention of an Ensign Lorami who had served on Qonos for six months and who had written down the experiences piqued Tess' interest. "I definitely will look it up, it sounds very interesting." It could be her bedtime reading for the lonely nights if Rayek was away on that exchange. Tess didn't like to think of that just yet.

As she poured herself a cup of breakfast tea, Ensign T'Palin and Lieutenant Goodspeed arrived. Tess nodded to the Vulcan and smiled at Cat as the Chief Engineer sat down opposite her. Turning her eyes back to Solluk she added a teaspoon full of sugar and slowly stirred the beverage while she listened to Solluk. His concern made her her smile. "I hope so. It's such an awesome opportunity to share knowledge and create shared experiences. And me staying here will give me the opportunity to look a little more into the Meridian sickness problem." Tess sounded a little bit defeated. It weighed somewhat heavy on her that she so far had not been able to find out what exactly was wrong with the Meridians let alone find a cure for it.

Shaking off that thought she refocused on the topic of officer exchange. "How did Captain Noh'ves like the idea of that exchange?", she asked curiously.

The arrival of Rayek drew Tess' attention away from her conversation with Solluk for a moment. She gave him a wide smile as he greeted the Captain and sat down next to her. She knew he felt uncomfortable, but Tess thought he really could be more confident despite what others thought. She hoped he might get there eventually. While he poured himself some tea Tess leaned forward to help herself to a bagel and eyed the sweet spread of nougat cream with grinded hazelnuts. "You want one too, Commander?", she asked as she looked to Rayek, then back to Solluk. "We just have been talking about officer exchange experiences", she tried to loop Rayek into the conversation.

Tess' offer of a bagel highlighted to Rayek that she wanted to be sure he ate something.  Her thoughtful care of him was endearing and even if he were nauseous, he couldn't say no to her.  "Yes, thank you, that would be appreciated."  He picked up a napkin from the stack provided and held in out towards the plate of pastries and bagels, allowing Tess to pick one out for him.

He looked between Solluk and Tess after her comment to him on the topic of discussion.  "Interesting... I was reading about the proposed exchange earlier this morning.  I'm not sure if you are aware there was brief point in time after the Shinzon incident where the Federation and Romulan Empire had such an exchange program.   On Romulus it was kept very quiet and was not looked on favorably," he remarked placing the napkin with his breakfast  down in front of him after Tess had selected something for him.

"Though in those instances it was the First Officer position that was usually exchanged..  not the Commander.  I'm surprised that the Klingons have even considered it much less agreed."  He didn't voice his shock and disbelief that Starfleet had agreed to hand over the Command of the station to a Klingon officer.

[Catherine Goodspeed]

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Birth Center - Day 1 evening]

The Denobulan accoucher, Dennix, went over the physiology of late pregnancy for the benefit of all; speaking about the loosening off the pelvis, the changes in the uterus and cervix.  For some, like Tess, it was likely nothing new.  But for Rayek, despite having done a lot of reading prior, he found the information useful and the holographic visuals the Denobulan used helpful.   But what Rayek had been a bit unprepared for was that when partner support was suggested... he had the pairs practice the support.  This had first come up when discussing pain support measures in the last stages of pregnancy. This included the 'partnered penguin walk'.

"So your partner will stand close behind you and reach around low at your hips and place their palms up under your belly, firmly lifting up supporting the uterus. The couple then can walk around in a shuffle like a penguin while holding support. This will help relieve pain and pressure in the nerve clusters found there.  Mrs. t'Lhoell, if I could get you to stand up and allow me to use you to demonstrate this for the class?"  Dennix called upon Tess to be the visual.

Lt. Cmdr. Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Briefing Room - Day 2 - 9am]

Tess' offer of a bagel highlighted to Rayek that she wanted to be sure he ate something.  Her thoughtful care of him was endearing and even if he were nauseous, he couldn't say no to her.  "Yes, thank you, that would be appreciated."  He picked up a napkin from the stack provided and held in out towards the plate of pastries and bagels, allowing Tess to pick one out for him.

He looked between Solluk and Tess after her comment to him on the topic of discussion.  "Interesting... I was reading about the proposed exchange earlier this morning.  I'm not sure if you are aware there was brief point in time after the Shinzon incident where the Federation and Romulan Empire had such an exchange program.   On Romulus it was kept very quiet and was not looked on favorably," he remarked placing the napkin with his breakfast  down in front of him after Tess had selected something for him.

"Though in those instances it was the First Officer position that was usually exchanged..  not the Commander.  I'm surprised that the Klingons have even considered it much less agreed."  He didn't voice his shock and disbelief that Starfleet had agreed to hand over the Command of the station to a Klingon officer.

Katra - Deck 2 - Briefing room

Whilst the Commanding Officers discussed the exchange programme Cat had procured from a pocket a small cotton tea bag filled with real green tea and placed it into one of the empty cups and leaned over for the hot water jug.

As she poured the hot water onto the tea bag she lamented slightly at not being able to have a proper 'brew' to accompany the 2 almond croissants she had snapped up from the offerings earlier.

That was the problem with the replicators and these hot water jugs, you could never get a proper cuppa using black tea.  The water was never hot enough and to Cat it always seemed an injustice to the blackened tea leaves offering themselves as a sacrifice if you tried to use anything less than  freshly boiling water.   But at least green tea leaves didn't mind a bath in the off boil water temperatures, they preferred it that way.

God she could really do with a proper builders tea right now.  Strong and sweet enough that if you left a spoon in it too long it would start to build up a delightful layer of tannin.

Cat felt her eyebrow raise up by itself as Lt Commander Rayek spoke.  Sometimes Cat wondered if her eyebrow was possessed by a long deceased Vulcan at its habit of raising itself almost on its own accord when something peaked it's interest.

Whilst she let her tea brew Cat broke off a piece of croissant and popped it into her mouth and chewed whilst she listened.  It tasted so good.

Of all the races she had dealt with over her long years it still amazed her that the Federation could still think so... Insular.   She'd seen private vessels filled to the brim of mixes and races and had dealt with The Klingons more times than she'd had a hangover from too much Blood Wine.  And she'd had several of those.

One thing she knew they were a proud race and honour was top of the list when it came to them.  Honour was everything.

Cat had remembered an instance when a Klingon freighter had been docked at the shipyard for over a month due to a complete systems failure and extensive weapons damage to the ship and some severe injuries to the crew due to getting caught between a "private border incident" and Cat had offered her own large private quarters for use when the Captains wife and 2 young children had arrived on a passing civilian vessel to see him after months away from him.  She had merely asked him to keep an eye on it whilst she herself had to go off world.  He had viewed it as an honour to do so.

Obviously there was no need for anyone to keep an eye on her quarters for her. She had merely wanted the family to have some private space and relax whilst the husband recovered from his extensive injuries and could be with his family but if you word something the right way as a request for a favour and one that you would trust with no one else then... Well...

Cat broke off another piece of her breakfast to eat.  After a few moments she took a sip of her tea and dared to speak.

"If I may Sir?"  Cat swallowed, she was more used to listening than speaking during these meetings and was concerned she may be overstepping her mark but, what the hell.

"There has to come a time when even the Federation must look to strengthen their relationships with other species or factions and what better opportunity to show you trust someone than handing over the keys to your house for them to look after whilst you are away."

Cat inhaled as if to take more courage into her lungs.  "One thing I have learnt dealing with Klingons over the years is pride and honour may as well be like breathing in and out to them.  From what I can see is that the Klingons may have agreed to this from a view of being more.... flexible in their view point of this exchange.  To them they are trusting us with the vessel and crew AND this delicate and important mission and we in turn trust them with the Station and all on board her."

Cat took a quick sip of her tea  "There is much honour in this exchange from what I can see, from both sides.  But then I've only dealt with the occasional Klingon diplomat in my past life so I have a limited view on how they would think but to me a Klingon is a Klingon no matter their job."

"Also the Ambassador won't be risking his neck on this mission either so THAT'S a good enough reason as well for him to agree to this exchange"

Cat smiled then went quiet again and stuffed a larger chunk of breakfast into her mouth to stop herself from speaking any further.

[Kirok]

[Katra Station - Sweet Tooth Cafe - Promenade - Morning before Breakfast meeting]

The newbie had decided to take a stroll before his shift. To be honest he just missed bumping into LG Goodspeed. That was good. There a possible he would not like her pet. Moles have these tiny beady eyes like rodents.

He held his data pad in his right hand in case he got lost. He paused as he saw a Deltan sitting by herself. She had a purple undershirt for a uniform. That was color for Diplomats.

The individual he had met on Risa. It was this woman. What was her name. Something ex. The reason he was Risa was he lost a bet to some crew men who was playing a joke on him. They had to pull a fast one on him. They made a wager if he lost he would have to go down Risa in a bathing suit and to relax. He had not liked that wager. Then he played the game and lost.

The visit was short and sweet, but it was someone who was familiar. Deep inside him he had felt shy. That was then human reaction in him. This was not a Klingon base where he would had no problem.

One foot front of the other was the way to go inside. Why was his foot not moving? Was he still feeling weird meeting her? It was not like they were on the peaceful beach.

When they met first he was honest why he was on Risa. He told her the truth because she asked. This was ridiculous move you feet!

There one foot moved and he was in. Then more. More. Soon he was through the door!

"Hello, Ensign See-" he paused with his eyes blowing up. "Er. Zex. Please accept my apology,"  he corrected himself. Klingon women are much more easy to address, he thought. The man was still standing like he was on guard.

"And you look good in purple," he complimented her. That was a little thing he does. That was what got him in trouble with other people who was attach to someone. Someone had advised him. So he had been using it. The thing Klingon women don't like it. Klingon mating rituals are great, but he seem to hurt real bad afterwards. No physical tired. But physically beat up and hurting. That was the flaw being a human growing in a Klingon. He had battle scars about his body to prove it.

Zex turned to Kal.  "Oh hi" she replied.  "No apology needed.  Zex is right.  The Z is a hard Z" she said.

"And you are looking quite professional in you uniform" she said.  "Are you hear for waffles?  We've ordered already.  They should be out soon" she added.

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Briefing Room - Morning of Day 2

Solluk's expression soured just slightly when Tess asked about Noh'ves' reaction to the exchange.  "To be honest," Solluk said, "I don't think he considers me the right man for the job."

When Rayek conveyed a past Romulan exchange, Solluk was surprised.  He could only imagine what such an assignment had been like.   "Well, this is indeed an unusual situation.  Diplomatically motivated."

Then Cat spoke up, and Solluk turned to regard her.  She seemed to have a good handle on the diplomatic aspects of this mission.  No doubt, she spoke from some degree of personal experience- though it was hard to imagine the diminutive Goodspeed in interactions with Klingon warriors.  Perhaps she'd share some tales of her interactions in the Lod Qan's feasting hall during the long days of travel that would be necessary for the mission ahead.

"Well," Solluk said, "that's certainly how I see it.  I think commanding an asset like Katra is even more prestigious than commanding the Lod Qan, in fact.  But..." he trailed off.  Then, brightening slightly, he added, "We shall just have to show them they've made the right choice to work with us on this."

He stood, noting that everyone had finally arrived, and smiled.

"Good Morning, all.  Thank you for coming."

He gestured to the hologram floating above the table.

"During the past two weeks, while we conducted repairs on the Healy and the Station to recover from the recent Thinker replicant debacle, we have been leading up to this moment.  The Klingons and Tholians have come to an agreement about the use of the Lod Qan for the upcoming mission.  This is to be the first nearly complete officer exchange between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets.  The mission is momentous, although most of its details must remain classified.

We have official and unofficial objectives on this mission."

He touched an icon on his PADD, and the hologram briefly changed from a semi-transparent view of the Lod Qan to a fully solid and rendered image of a solar system.

"Officially, the Lod Qan will travel for five days at its best speed in order to perform a scientific survey of a star system- GT-132.  This system contains a Class M planet, and the Klingons are interested in confirming its suitability for the first Klingon colony in the Gamma Quadrant.  We will enter the system and conduct the necessary scans, transmitting our results back to Katra station for receipt by the Klingon embassy."

He restored the image of the Lod Qan with another press of his PADD.

"At this point, our Tholian companions will detect a distress signal from an ailing Crystalline Entity in Gregari space.  They will inform us of this, and our unofficial mission will begin.  I will order the Lod Qan into Gregari space, against our orders from the KDF.  This will give the Klingon government deniability for whatever may transpire next."

He continued, "Our mission is to penetrate Gregari space undetected, find an ailing Crystalline entity at coordinates provided by a Yridian contact, and render whatever aid we can.  Then we will withdraw.   The Tholian ambassador will be accompanying us, as the Tholian government has a special interest in the Crystalline Entities.  In order to facilitate this, we are building a pylon or docking spar into the Lod Qan so that the ambassador can bring one of their attack ships along for the ride.  The Tholians seem to think its crystalline construction will comfort the Entity.

And so with that summation out of the way, Lieutenant Goodspeed, will you brief us on the construction of the pylon, and any concerns you may have regarding this aspect of the mission?"

He sat down, giving her the floor.