S2 M8 - Seed of the Garden

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Station Commander's Ready Room

"...please do not be offended if my first action as SOO is to have you checked out in Medical to be sure you haven't been replaced."

Solluk chuckled.  "I will not be offended.  In fact, I think it will be policy now that if anyone in the senior staff requests a checkup of anyone else, they should immediately submit without complaint.  And in that vein, I have some new information from DS9's doctor indicating the proper concentration of verteron particles to be used in scans to detect replicants."

Solluk picked up his PADD and copied both Rayek and Tess on the new data.

"Soon enough, you'll be getting new intel like this before I do."  He set down his PADD and finished his tea- it was a small cup- before taking the PADD again and standing.  He'd recycle everything later.

"I think I should reinstate the officer's dinner for the senior staff and department heads," Solluk remarked as he came around his desk, "as a kind of informal briefing opportunity.  A chance for us to reconnect after the recent troubles."

He reached out to lay a hand on Rayek's shoulder.  "Things should go back to the way they used to be."

Smiling, and with a bounce on his step, Solluk began making his way to the medbay.  Surely, no one had ever been happier to receive a checkup.

[Kirok]

[Sweet Tooth Cafe]

Zex was the first to arrive at Sweet Tooth Cafe.  It was not very busy.  So she got a table to two rather quickly.

She took the seat facing the door.  Primarily so that she could see Beja when she arrived.  But also because that was what she had been trained to do at the academy.

She looked over the menu while she waited.  They did have several offerings the peeked her interest.  And to boot the pleasant smells of baked good lingered in the air enticing her to indulge in something sweet!

[Rayek trLhoell]

Lt Cmdr Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck One - Station Commander's Ready Room]

Katra Station - Station Commander's Ready Room

"...please do not be offended if my first action as SOO is to have you checked out in Medical to be sure you haven't been replaced."

Solluk chuckled.  "I will not be offended.  In fact, I think it will be policy now that if anyone in the senior staff requests a checkup of anyone else, they should immediately submit without complaint.  And in that vein, I have some new information from DS9's doctor indicating the proper concentration of verteron particles to be used in scans to detect replicants."

Solluk picked up his PADD and copied both Rayek and Tess on the new data.

"Soon enough, you'll be getting new intel like this before I do."  He set down his PADD and finished his tea- it was a small cup- before taking the PADD again and standing.  He'd recycle everything later.

"I think I should reinstate the officer's dinner for the senior staff and department heads," Solluk remarked as he came around his desk, "as a kind of informal briefing opportunity.  A chance for us to reconnect after the recent troubles."

He reached out to lay a hand on Rayek's shoulder.  "Things should go back to the way they used to be."

Smiling, and with a bounce on his step, Solluk began making his way to the medbay.  Surely, no one had ever been happier to receive a checkup.

It was odd to see Solluk's pleasant acceptance of his mistrust.  That the Captain was so willing to submit to the medical check, suggested that the Vulcan in fact was not a clone... but that realization just confused Rayek - because it negated the most reasonable explanation of how he was so suddenly promoted from Ensign up to Lieutenant Commander along with the multiple roles of Chief of Security, Strategic Operations Officer and Second Officer.

The Romulan couldn't understand how the Captain's view of him could have changed so drastically without some active atonement on his part.  To Rayek's belief, he had yet to fulfill that atonement, but evidently the Captain thought otherwise.

A chime and vibe from his PADD, alerted him to the forwarded information from the Captain.  He would look at it later.  While the Captain finished his tea, Rayek did likewise, using the tea as an excuse from having to speak since he was still very much uncertain of his place despite the pips at his collar.  This would take some getting used to once more.

After the Captain finished his tea, Rayek had anticipated the Vulcan wanting to continue their meeting, to provide him with expected tasks and duties, limitations of authority, and perhaps even a warning of what to expect should he betrayed Solluk's trust again.  But the Captain did none of that.  Instead Solluk set down his tea and walked around the desk talking about reinstating his idea of the officer's dinner.   It had been an idea that Solluk had suggested to him just prior to the Atrosian arrival.   He hadn't heard any mention of it since that time.

The hand laid on his shoulder was unexpected and Rayek looked up at his Captain.  While the Captain's sentiment sounded nice, Rayek was a pessimist and he doubted things could ever truly be as they were before...

'But that didn't mean it couldn't be pleasant', another thought in his mind suggested. That thought spoke to him in his wife's voice.  Rayek let a smile answer the Vulcan and nodded.  "I think an officer's dinner is an excellent idea, sir."

Then watched in surprise as the Captain prepared to leave.  Rayek hurriedly set down his empty tea cup and offered a bow to the Captain before taking his leave, exiting just before Solluk.  Once out in the OCC, he stepped aside and watched the Captain leave with a bounce in his step.  Rayek blinked in bafflement a moment before trying to determine what he needed to do now.  Obviously, he'd need to update himself on current intelligence matters; perhaps review the security roster and recent security matters.

But first, he needed to speak to Tess.  Had she known about this? Was this at her prompting?  He looked across the OCC to where Tess was seated in the command chair and strode over to present himself to her.  "Commander, if you were expecting to be relieved by the Captain, he will be delayed a bit...  I've requested the Captain's identity be confirmed by medical scan and he's headed to Sickbay now."

[Beja]

Katra Station - Promenade - Sweet Tooth Cafe

Beja looked down at Mon, who eerily almost acted like he knew what actually had transpired. "œNo you cannot"¦"¦." Beja's words died in the back of the throat, "œAlright, but you have to promise to be good. And no sweets for you." Mon appeared to smile back at her, and thumped his tail loudly against the floor.

Beja sighed, she really needed to be tougher with him, but it was just so difficult when he looked up at her with those big yellow eyes, and looked at her in the saddest, most pleading way. She didn't want him to feel unliked, or worse unwanted! The very thought of that pierced her heart painfully at the idea of such a terrible thing taking place. Mon did so well and just innately knew how to comfort those in need. If she believed in such things as fate, it would be easy to fall into the belief that Mon was fated to always be part of Katra Station and be part of the crew.

The two of them made their way to the promenade where the Sweet Tooth Cafe was. The interior was full splashed with the bright colors of pink and purple. Everything was coated in the cheery, "˜sweet' colors. From the ceilings to the flooring, not an item was left uncovered in the ultra bright colors. Beja smiled when she spotted Zex at a table, Mon followed right by her side as Beja made her way to the table and sat down.

"œI hope you found the cafe without any issues. I've not tried it here yet, but I know several that have and enjoyed it. The wafflers are their best seller here," Beja took up a menu and briefly looked over the different offerings, trying to decide which one to try out.

[Paul Wessex]

The crewman in customs waved through a pair of shifty-acting Nausicaans, with some words of advice on behavioral expectations while aboard, before sighing. He knew they wouldn't listen and he'd have to flag to the security chief of the high potential for disruption. Wonderful.

"Next" he called, and looked up into the smiling face of a man in Starfleet uniform. Odd. There was no scheduled Starfleet vessel on the docket. In fact, why was he coming in with the rest of the civilian transport passengers? "Uh. Can I help you" he glanced at the pip. Ensign. "Sir?". Great, he thought, taking in the man's features, another junior grade on someone that should be at least well on their way to something more suitable for their age. Not that this officer was old, to be sure. Probably in his early 40s? Why was he smiling?

"Paul Wessex" the man introduced himself, his eyes holding the crewman's gaze for a moment before glancing around, as if in wonderment, a strap of a bag hanging off his shoulder. "Ensign" he added, rather pointlessly the crewman thought. "I've been assigned to Katra Station. Security.". His voice was rich and well-spoken. It reminded the customs official of holovids of Admiral Picard.

"Uh-huh" the customs crewman nodded, not overly convinced. "And you came in on a civilian transport...?"

Wessex looked back and smiled. It was quite a friendly smile, the crewman had to admit begrudgingly. "Ah. A personal decision" he said. "New to space and the wonderful myriad of peoples out here."

The crewman frowned briefly. New to space? Where had this guy been - underground? "Are you-"

Paul handed over a PADD, his smile dropping slightly. "I believe I'm to report to the Second-in-Command, a Commander Tess tr'Lhoell. You'll find everything in order." He glanced around and caught the two Nausicaans slowly walking down the corridor. "Those two are delightful" he reported, a little trace of sarcasm making it into his voice. "Although a little boisterous. We've already had a nice chat en route and they've promised to behave themselves." The customs official looked over and noted how the two burly would-be-thugs kept glancing, almost nervously, over their shoulder back towards the inspection desk.

At that, Ensign Wessex took the PADD from the hands of the crewman and re-adjusted the shoulder strap of his carry-all. "Please let the Commander know I'm here" he said gently. "I'll be on the Promenade until I know where to report."

He looked around one more time. "At the very least I'll need to orientate myself first."

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Operations Control Center]

Tess' PADD chimed with an incoming message from Captain Solluk. Picking it up, she read through it with interest. Apparently Dr. Neizac had been able to find out that the replicants were susceptible to verteron particles and what dosage would be sufficient to detect any new replicants that the Thinkers might try to send their way.
Tess had been dissatisfied that the investigation of the replicants and the whole event had been taken out of their hands and conducted completely by the station near the Bajoran wormhole. She would have loved to get her teeth into it, perhaps because she was one of the person's directly affected. But her efforts to keep the investigation to Katra had been in vain. The only thing they got from the replicants, well from Tess and Hrafn, had been the BCP scan, which was interesting to see but didn't help much in answering the questions that had been raised. Of course Tess had placed those scans at DS9's disposal.

Lt Cmdr Rayek tr'Lhoell
[...]

But first, he needed to speak to Tess.  Had she known about this? Was this at her prompting?  He looked across the OCC to where Tess was seated in the command chair and strode over to present himself to her.  "Commander, if you were expecting to be relieved by the Captain, he will be delayed a bit...  I've requested the Captain's identity be confirmed by medical scan and he's headed to Sickbay now."

The sound of the doors opening followed by footsteps on the floor of the OCC made Tess look up. Rayek emerged first and Tess couldn't help but search for the pips at his collar. What she saw there made her smile. Solluk then followed and Tess raised her eyebrows with a soft chuckle when she saw the Vulcan crossing the OCC with a bounce in his step. Since he headed directly for the turbolift it seemed like she was staying right here for a while longer.

When Rayek approached her, the smile on her face widened - which turned into a chuckle at his explanation where Solluk was heading for. For a moment she wasn't sure if Rayek was joking or not. "Disbelief still lingering?", she asked with a fond smile. "Congratulations, Commander. You might feel like it's not deserved, but it is." For Tess it felt good to have Rayek's rank being restored almost completely. He was always someone she looked up to. Appreciating and admiring his ability to stay on top of things. Now - although she held a higher position - she felt like this was restored now as well regarding their life on duty. She made a mental note to herself to adjust the roster to reflect the change.
She looked at Rayek, trying and hoping to find at least a little bit of joy about his redemption in his face. She knew his mnhei'sahe was very important to him and might be in the way to accept this gesture of trust and good will before he himself felt he had made up for it enough.

While she waited for his reaction, a call from customs came in to her, informing her of the arrival of the newest security officer - Paul Wessex. Tess thumbed the button at the command chair she had logged into.  "Thank you, crewman. Please send Mr. Wessex up to the OCC."
Tess smiled at her husband. "Perfect timing for you to meet the newest addition to your department", she commented.

[L'mar Camili Rhade]

[ Ensign L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 2 - Chief Engineer's Office | Katra Station ]

"Incoming transmission from Ensign Brian Campbell," Rhade heard the feminine voice of the computer announced, "for Ensign Rhade."

Rhade smiled, he wondered about Brian and how the Trialus Starlifter was going. "Computerrr, Ensign Rrrhade herrre, accept trrransmission." L'mar said, as he tapped the computer terminal on his desk and the picture of Brian appeared. "Hello Brrrian," L'mar greeted.

"Rhade, weren't you a provisional Lieutenant Junior Grade?" Brian asked after a moment's inspection of the Felinoid's uniform.

"Insuborrrdination, what's up?" L'mar said firmly and with finality for he was not going to discuss it.

"I see, anyway, I recall you wanted to come over to the Starlifter?" Brian queried with a smile.

Rhade nodded. "I do. I will have to ask the Captain for perrrmission." L'mar stated.

"Not to worry, I need some help and so I will ask the Captain for you." Brian grinned then.

This is great, Rhade wanted to see the Starlifter's inner workings and it could be vital to have staff on Katra that knew how to operate and repair it. "When do you need me?" L'mar questioned.

"I'm about to hail Katra OCC about it, I wanted to give you forewarning." Brian smirked then bid the Felinoid farewell and disappeared.

[ Ensign Brian Campbell ] | [ Chief Engineer's Office | Trialus Starlifter ]

"Katra Station, this is Ensign Brian Campbell on the Trialus Starlifter. Operations are progressing as expected but I request that a personnel rotation be approved. I believe all Engineering and Operations personnel should be instructed on the Starlifter's systems. I request Ensign Rhade supervise the personnel selection."

[Rayek trLhoell]

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

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Operations Control Center]

When Rayek approached her, the smile on her face widened - which turned into a chuckle at his explanation where Solluk was heading for. For a moment she wasn't sure if Rayek was joking or not. "Disbelief still lingering?", she asked with a fond smile. "Congratulations, Commander. You might feel like it's not deserved, but it is." For Tess it felt good to have Rayek's rank being restored almost completely. He was always someone she looked up to. Appreciating and admiring his ability to stay on top of things. Now - although she held a higher position - she felt like this was restored now as well regarding their life on duty. She made a mental note to herself to adjust the roster to reflect the change.
She looked at Rayek, trying and hoping to find at least a little bit of joy about his redemption in his face. She knew his mnhei'sahe was very important to him and might be in the way to accept this gesture of trust and good will before he himself felt he had made up for it enough.

While she waited for his reaction, a call from customs came in to her, informing her of the arrival of the newest security officer - Paul Wessex. Tess thumbed the button at the command chair she had logged into.  "Thank you, crewman. Please send Mr. Wessex up to the OCC."
Tess smiled at her husband. "Perfect timing for you to meet the newest addition to your department", she commented.

Tess' question regarding his disbelief and her follow-up statement that he had earned the reinstatement had him considering his answer a moment...  a moment during which she received a call about a new security officer.   He nodded his acknowledgement of the upcoming introduction before returning to her initial question and statement.

"It just seems... sudden and... " Rayek struggled to find the right word,  "While perhaps Saxon's absence has accelerated the promotion process..."  Rayek glanced back towards the turbolift where he'd seen Solluk all but  skip and traipse.  "The Captain seemed far too jovial..."

Yes, Solluk was one of the most expression Vulcan's Rayek had ever met - which was likely why the Romulan got along with the Vulcan so well, but there had been always something held back in the man.  Even at the wedding, when Solluk had answered on behalf of the Rayek's family along with Lek, there had still that air of being separate or apart from the festivities.   Rayek had felt none of that during this meeting... and while refreshing, it was odd for the Vulcan.   "Has he been 'happy' like that very long?"
.
.
While Rayek waited on the new Ensign to arrive,  he moved to stand beside Tess, who was seated in the Command chair, and he pulled out his PADD.  This time when he signed in, his profile details were already updated with his current rank and position titles.  Rayek then looked over the roster to quickly read through the new officer's personnel file.  He smiled.  He'd missed having this access.   Lek's long standing warning about him remaining on his maladaptive path of 'knowledge is power' however tempered his mood.

Before the ensign could arrive, another call came in to the OCC .. this time from Ensign Campbell seeking to have a personnel rotation approved.   Rayek called up the current Engineering roster and the current time in each engineering sector - Station, Ship, Starlifter - and presented it towards Tess for her to look over should she need to in responding to the request.   

[Kirok]

Katra Station - Promenade - Sweet Tooth Cafe

Beja looked down at Mon, who eerily almost acted like he knew what actually had transpired. "œNo you cannot"¦"¦." Beja's words died in the back of the throat, "œAlright, but you have to promise to be good. And no sweets for you." Mon appeared to smile back at her, and thumped his tail loudly against the floor.

Beja sighed, she really needed to be tougher with him, but it was just so difficult when he looked up at her with those big yellow eyes, and looked at her in the saddest, most pleading way. She didn't want him to feel unliked, or worse unwanted! The very thought of that pierced her heart painfully at the idea of such a terrible thing taking place. Mon did so well and just innately knew how to comfort those in need. If she believed in such things as fate, it would be easy to fall into the belief that Mon was fated to always be part of Katra Station and be part of the crew.

The two of them made their way to the promenade where the Sweet Tooth Cafe was. The interior was full splashed with the bright colors of pink and purple. Everything was coated in the cheery, "˜sweet' colors. From the ceilings to the flooring, not an item was left uncovered in the ultra bright colors. Beja smiled when she spotted Zex at a table, Mon followed right by her side as Beja made her way to the table and sat down.

"œI hope you found the cafe without any issues. I've not tried it here yet, but I know several that have and enjoyed it. The wafflers are their best seller here," Beja took up a menu and briefly looked over the different offerings, trying to decide which one to try out.

Katra Station - Promenade - Sweet Tooth Cafe

Zex had just put down her menu when Beja and Mon arrived.  She stood and greeted the two.  "You brought, Mon.  What a pleasant surprise" the Deltan said.

She bend down and rubbed Mon's ears.  He had seems to have enjoyed that it the past, so it had become her go to move.  "How you doing, buddy" she asked/

"And what about your father?  Is he back to normal?" she added before standing back up.

"This is my first visit too.  Do you know if they offer meats too?  I tend to run on the hypoglycemic side.  So I have to balance my sugars intake with proteins.  Otherwise I get a sugar high and the subsequent crash that follows" she said after returning to the table.

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Promenade

Solluk found himself whistling softly to himself as he left medbay and decided to take a break, strolling the promenade.  He couldn't remember being this pleased with the progress of a day in quite some time.

Lost in pleasant thoughts, he was torn from his reverie by a deep voice, "Captain."

Solluk stopped mid-step and turned, finding the formidable figure of Captain Noh'ves approaching him.

"Captain," Solluk replied, flashing a smile at the man, "How does the day find you?"

Noh'ves studied Solluk's face briefly, "Not as well as you, I think.  Do you have news about the meeting between Ambassor Kol and Ambassador Eydis?"

Solluk shook his head, "Not yet.  I received some unrelated good news, today."  He glanced to a nearby storefront and nodded towards it, "Why don't we have a drink at the Brauhaus?  Have you been there?"

Noh'ves followed Solluk's gaze and growled an affirmative noise, "A favorite spot on the station.  The staff has a remarkable knowledge of historical battles."

Solluk's brows lifted in some surprise, "Do they?  I must admit I've never struck up a conversation with them.  But, it seems the perfect place to strike up a conversation with you.  I sense our encounter is not a coincidence."

Noh'ves shook his head, "No.  There are matters of import I would discuss with you."

Brauhaus Gamma

Solluk found a booth to share with the Klingon Captain, and they both settled into it and placed their orders.  For the Vulcan, a Samarian Sunset with Moba fruit.  For the Klingon, a simple mug of Blood Wine.   Noh'ves regarded Solluk's beverage with some disdain when it was brought out and activated.

"I suppose the beverage reflects your mood," Noh'ves observed.

Solluk smiled, "I suppose it does.  But what did you wish to discuss?"

Noh'ves held up a hand, "No.  First I would hear what has made you so happy.  Unless it is a secret."

Solluk chuckled, and looked at his glowing drink a moment before sampling its effervescent and ephemeral contents.  "No secret, really.  I suppose I oughtn't to be so pleased.  We just suffered a catastrophic security breach.  One of the heroes on my staff is undergoing serious medical procedures, and we may never see him again.  The prisoners you helped to capture have died before they could be properly interrogated.  We are only now completing repairs on the damage caused during the deception.  It should be a grim time of deep reflection."

"And so?" Noh'ves took a swallow of his wine.

"Not long ago, I had a great difficulty with a friend of mine.  One of the few people I called a friend in this life.  It was a difficulty both professional and personal, and I feared it would permanently sever the bond between us."  Solluk paused his explanation to take another sip of the drink.

"Well, through a twist of fate, recent events gave my friend a chance to prove himself.  I don't think I appreciated how deeply his absence had wounded me.  But with new developments, I was able to welcome him back into the fold.  It is as though a missing piece has been restored to me.  A piece whose absence I failed to properly appreciate until it was resolved."

Noh'ves regarded Solluk for a moment.  "That Romulan First Officer?  Who was demoted to Ensign?  He has secured some kind of redemption?"

Solluk smiled and nodded, "Yes.  Second officer, now.  But his penance is over."

Noh'ves frowned.  "If he had been my First Officer and friend, and committed an offense so great as to warrant such a demotion, I would have done him the honor of slaying him."

Solluk's smile faded.  "Well... we do things differently."

Noh'ves nodded, "We do.  And it is on that topic I wish to speak.  If this foolhardy plan of yours comes to fruition, you will be commanding a Klingon cruiser in our Defense Force.  I believe you have no conception of the responsibilities that brings.  Nor how to acquit yourself as a Klingon warrior."

Solluk blinked at the Klingon Captain.  "I intend to do my duty as you would in my place."

Noh'ves growled, pushing his drink away.  Then he unsheathed his dagger and stabbed it into the table in front of Solluk.  "You could not even perform the duties of a bekk, never mind a Klingon Captain!"

Solluk looked down at the dagger, remembering a special dispensation had been granted for the Klingons to carry the weapons as a 'tool' aboard station.  He began to wonder if that had been an error.

"Well, you are entitled to your opinion, but I intend to do my utmost-"  Solluk stopped talking as the Klingon growled at him and retrieved his dagger.

"Speak to my daughter if you must, Captain," Noh'ves said, rising from the table, "but however you do it, try to learn something about Klingons before you serve as Captain of a Klingon vessel.  If this encounter had occurred with any other Klingon on my ship, you would now be a dead man."

With that, Noh'ves got up and stomped off, leaving Solluk in surprise at such a declaration.  He could not fathom what he had done during their brief conversation to anger the man.

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (7 months pregnant)
[Katra Station - Operations Control Center]

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

Tess' question regarding his disbelief and her follow-up statement that he had earned the reinstatement had him considering his answer a moment...  a moment during which she received a call about a new security officer.   He nodded his acknowledgement of the upcoming introduction before returning to her initial question and statement.

"It just seems... sudden and... " Rayek struggled to find the right word,  "While perhaps Saxon's absence has accelerated the promotion process..."  Rayek glanced back towards the turbolift where he'd seen Solluk all but  skip and traipse.  "The Captain seemed far too jovial..."

Yes, Solluk was one of the most expression Vulcan's Rayek had ever met - which was likely why the Romulan got along with the Vulcan so well, but there had been always something held back in the man.  Even at the wedding, when Solluk had answered on behalf of the Rayek's family along with Lek, there had still that air of being separate or apart from the festivities.   Rayek had felt none of that during this meeting... and while refreshing, it was odd for the Vulcan.   "Has he been 'happy' like that very long?"
.
.
While Rayek waited on the new Ensign to arrive,  he moved to stand beside Tess, who was seated in the Command chair, and he pulled out his PADD.  This time when he signed in, his profile details were already updated with his current rank and position titles.  Rayek then looked over the roster to quickly read through the new officer's personnel file.  He smiled.  He'd missed having this access.   Lek's long standing warning about him remaining on his maladaptive path of 'knowledge is power' however tempered his mood.

Before the ensign could arrive, another call came in to the OCC .. this time from Ensign Campbell seeking to have a personnel rotation approved.   Rayek called up the current Engineering roster and the current time in each engineering sector - Station, Ship, Starlifter - and presented it towards Tess for her to look over should she need to in responding to the request.

Tess agreed that the exceptionally good mood of their Captain was unusual. When asked if he had been that 'happy' like that very long, Tess shrugged her shoulders hesitantly. She actually never had seen him that happy. While he was always friendly, meetings with him were always brief. Well, he was a busy man. "I think he is glad to have you back." She smiled at Rayek. Tess wouldn't easily admit it, but she wondered if Solluk would like to see Rayek, his friend, back in the position as his XO. She never had managed to improve her relationship to her Captain like she had wanted to.

"Katra Station, this is Ensign Brian Campbell on the Trialus Starlifter. Operations are progressing as expected but I request that a personnel rotation be approved. I believe all Engineering and Operations personnel should be instructed on the Starlifter's systems. I request Ensign Rhade supervise the personnel selection."

Another call coming in - this time from Engineering - interrupted her inner monologue. Before Tess could do so, Rayek already held his PADD out to her with the roster for Engineering that was split in three sections - Katra Station, the Healy with Cat Goodspeed as department head there and the Starlifter. Tess smiled as she took the PADD from Rayek. "Thank you."
Looking over it briefly and also checking the Ops roster, Tess thumbed the comm button once more, her eyes on the PADD.  "t'Lhoell here, Ensign. No objections. I'll await Ensign Rhade's rotation plan in my mailbox in the next couple of days for approval. I'm curious what he will come up with. Please advise him to involve Lieutenant Goodspeed and the Ops DH and forwarn them that there will be some changes in the duty schedule. t'Lhoell out."

Looking up, Tess handed back the PADD to Rayek. "I feel like celebrating your promotion. How about having lunch together later?" It was only 9 am and Tess have had breakfast with Rayek this morning in their quarters but she felt hungry again. It felt like since a couple of weeks she was hungry all the time. She knew her baby would grow rapidly the last weeks of the pregnancy and she felt that. It felt like her belly got bigger every single day and her skin became itchy and dry where she got stretch marks. But that was nothing she'd have to worry about. The dermal regenerator would be able to take care of that after the baby was born.

Tess shifted in the seat, her bad starting to ache. Standing up would relieve the pain briefly, but it would start again after a short while. She had planned to do some light workout to help with the back pain this evening, but she might edge that in once Solluk relieved her at the OCC. Speaking of appointments, Tess' face lighted up as she looked up at Rayek. "Tomorrow night's our first prenatal class", she reminded him. She was curious as hell and coulndn't wait for it to start.

[Catherine Goodspeed]

Katra Station - Promenade - Deck 14

So far today was turning out to be a rather lovely day for Cat Goodspeed considering the past events.

The diagnostic runs and deep clean of The Healy had finally been completed and Cat had spent her last shift double checking and walking through the Old Girl, reading up on all the reports  until she was finally satisfied everything was in ship shape.

To Cat's eyes The Healy shone like a rough diamond in a coal pit.  It had been hard work but the crew and cleaning Teams had outdone themselves as far as she was concerned and every single one had been commended in her final report which she had sent to the Captain earlier.  Her heart swelled with pride that she had such good, hard working and dedicated people to work with.

But today she had a free day and the first thing, to her surprise, that had happened was being woken up to the news that she was being  "Upgraded" to new Quarters due to her new ranking.

To Cat it was a complete and delightful shock.  Beforehand she had placed a lot of her personal effects into storage and even made arrangements for the Voles to be allocated a space in the petting Zoo as she had been advised she was getting a new room mate and there wouldn't be enough room for her, them and a new person.

Cat had been worrying about that since before the Fake Healy incident but now she would be allocated a single room.   Cat was the last to admit this but she did have a private little weep at the news.

Whilst some delightful young strong men were moving her belongings to her new Quarters Cat had leashed up Nibbler and taken him for a walk along the Promenade with a promise to pop to the Ice Cream Parlour to share a dish of pistachio ice cream.  She did this at least once a week with each vole separately to bond and spoil them.

She'd also made an appointment at the Beauty Spa on Deck 12 for her own "deep clean".   After all the stress and worry Cat had needed a little "pick me up" and the facial and neck massage and new hair cut was just what the Doctor ordered.

She had come out fresh faced and glowing and even with a slightly different hair cut.  Apparently "feathering" was a thing in hairdressing even though she had to be VERY insistent that she would NOT like her hair to be dyed back to the original boring brown.

She loved these walks, it gave her a chance to do one of her favourite past times.  People watching.

Cat settled on a bench to sip the fruit juice she had acquired and gazed around.

Civilians with children milled around, Cat noticed one youngling that had decided it didn't want to walk anymore and had thrown itself onto the floor and wailed as if the world was coming to an end.   The Father, whom she recognised from the Shoe shop where she had gotten all her work boots re-soled in some decent rubber insulator merely sighed, picked the child up by the back of their dungarees and carried them off.

Cat caught his eye and smiled at him, he in turn looked at his child and rolled his numerous eyes skywards and carried on walking.

With young Nibbler now on her lap she scanned the area again.

A couple of crew members that she recognised from OPS were walking past her and one stopped to pick a stray long hair off the others shoulder very gently and smiled at their companion.  Cat scoffed to herself.  Oh Gus was SO going to have to pay up on the rumours about those two.  She knew for a fact one was married and not to the person they were currently with.

This is what she loved about People watching.  You could pick up a lot about people by how they acted off duty or in their own time.  People always let their guard down without even knowing it.

Cat leaned an arm on the back of the bench and smiled as she saw Captain Solluk walk with a Klingon... Was he one of the Klingon Ambassadors?

She watched as they both entered Brauhaus Gamma and noted to her joy that the Captain seemed to look about 10 years younger.  Or maybe 40 years younger since he was a Vulcan and aged slower than mere fragile humans.

To Cat it seemed as if heavy weights that had been tied around his neck had been snapped off him and he could finally walk straight and true.

Even from this distance you could almost feel the happiness radiating from him.

Whatever it was she was blooming well glad.  That man needed more happiness and joy in his life.   Being the big Cheese was sometimes a rather depressing never ending round of decisions, decisions and more decisions and most of them unpleasant.

Cat gave herself a little stretch and petted Nibbler who was now having one of his almost continuous mini vole naps when she looked up and watched a new face walk past.

The man was tall with blondish hair and slim built.. Late 30s? Early 40s?  What struck Cat was he was dressed in a Starfleet Uniform, was carrying a holdall and seemed rather.. well.. happy to be here!

He was walking slowly and seemed to be trying to take everything in and enjoying it.

Normally new lambs to the slaughter went around for the first few weeks with either a look of fear or dread but not this one.

Interesting.

As he walked past her Cat smiled at the new comer just because she was in a rather good mood.

[L'mar Camili Rhade]

[ Ensign L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 2 - Chief Engineer's Office | Katra Station ]

The connection was still active and Brian appeared again. "Do you still have that personnel rotation we were working on?" Brian asked as he smirked.

"Yes." L'mar answered and he smirked as well. "Though we only did Engineerrring perrrsonnel." He added.

"That's okay, we can work that out later, send the rotation to Commander t'Lhoell and I'll come pick you up in one of the delivery Sphinx." Brian winked and then disappeared.

Rhade rolled his eyes as he downloaded the personnel rotational roster, though it only had engineers from Katra and not the Drydock or permanently assigned Healy personnel, on the schedule. He left his office and made his way up to the Operations Center.

Once off the turbolift Rhade approached Tess. "Grrreetings, Commanderrr." L'mar said, "herrre is the rrrotation rrroster." He offered the padd to her.

[Paul Wessex]

Space. That was the most striking fact to Paul Wessex as he walked around the Promenade (although meandering would be a more accurate description) in wonderment. Not the wide, open space of the Promenade itself - he had seen his own fair share of large commercial centres in his time, mostly all within immense domed sea-cities that were part of his Patrol's various homebases - but the inky blackness that lay outside the expansive windows looking down upon the denizens of this twilight palace. Paul had seen space, certainly. Even in the aquatic-bound Federation Naval Patrol, the Federation's subsurface fleet that protected the oceans and peoples of Federation worlds beyond the reach of StarFleet's vaunted orbital technology, there were occasions he, and his crewmates, would be rotated out to new assignments, relying on the perhaps-over-lauded 'warp-jockys' to carry them there (a fact that pleased no-one in the FNP). Aboard their starships, the streaks of stars could be considered beautiful for some. But not Paul. There was something...lifeless about space; missing the unique ebb and flow of each alien ocean. And now, aboard Station Katra, that same cold, souless visage surrounded him like a shroud.

Yet, something brighter off-set that thought. Bustling people. Of races and societies that he had only began to learn of. The Federation was an incredible array of different individuals and cultures, and Wessex had not begun to scratch the surface of all the members. But then there were also those not from the UFP: representatives of a far broader interstellar environment: some friendly, some not. In the FNP, there had been little scope to encounter 'Romulans' or 'Cardassians' (although the odd Pirate craft had one or two of those peoples among their gang) but Klingons? Tholians? It was a name he had heard of, read of, and from what he had learned of that latter people, finding them hundreds of kilometres beneath a cold, watery surface was one place he wouldn't have expected to do so.

Smiling and nodded to all passer-bys that gave him the most cursory of acknowledgements, his reverie was interrupted by his combadge chirping - something else in StarFleet he'd have to get used to. "Crewman DeSotto, Customs Inspection, to Ensign Wessex."

Tapping his badge, and feeling a little stupid doing so, Paul replied to the recently-familiar voice, but also thin air. "Paul Wessex here." As he did so, he passed an older lady who had some strange rodent(?) on her lap, smiling at him as she sat on some bench. He smiled back, nodding his salutations. From her Starfleet pips - quite different to the arm stripes he was used to in the FNP - she was the next rank up; Starfleet certainly had eclectic mix of ages and ranks. At least he was in good company.

"Ensign, Commander t'Lhoell has requested you join her in the OCC."

The OCC; the Operations Control Centre. The command and control centre of Station Katra; he imagined it would be quite different from the small chamber he was used to aboard FNP vessels. Quite the experience already. "Understood. Thank you!" and tapped his badge once more to close the channel; something he had learned to do the hard way...

He then stopped, dead. And looked around at all the signs, faces and doorways. Err...

Backtracking a few meters, Paul approach the lady he had passed some moments back. "Excuse me, ma'am" he started, pronouncing the word like 'calm', and then sticking out his hand. "Ensign Paul Wessex. You don't happen to know how to get to the OCC...?"

[Catherine Goodspeed]

Space. That was the most striking fact to Paul Wessex as he walked around the Promenade (although meandering would be a more accurate description) in wonderment. Not the wide, open space of the Promenade itself - he had seen his own fair share of large commercial centres in his time, mostly all within immense domed sea-cities that were part of his Patrol's various homebases - but the inky blackness that lay outside the expansive windows looking down upon the denizens of this twilight palace. Paul had seen space, certainly. Even in the aquatic-bound Federation Naval Patrol, the Federation's subsurface fleet that protected the oceans and peoples of Federation worlds beyond the reach of StarFleet's vaunted orbital technology, there were occasions he, and his crewmates, would be rotated out to new assignments, relying on the perhaps-over-lauded 'warp-jockys' to carry them there (a fact that pleased no-one in the FNP). Aboard their starships, the streaks of stars could be considered beautiful for some. But not Paul. There was something...lifeless about space; missing the unique ebb and flow of each alien ocean. And now, aboard Station Katra, that same cold, souless visage surrounded him like a shroud.

Yet, something brighter off-set that thought. Bustling people. Of races and societies that he had only began to learn of. The Federation was an incredible array of different individuals and cultures, and Wessex had not begun to scratch the surface of all the members. But then there were also those not from the UFP: representatives of a far broader interstellar environment: some friendly, some not. In the FNP, there had been little scope to encounter 'Romulans' or 'Cardassians' (although the odd Pirate craft had one or two of those peoples among their gang) but Klingons? Tholians? It was a name he had heard of, read of, and from what he had learned of that latter people, finding them hundreds of kilometres beneath a cold, watery surface was one place he wouldn't have expected to do so.

Smiling and nodded to all passer-bys that gave him the most cursory of acknowledgements, his reverie was interrupted by his combadge chirping - something else in StarFleet he'd have to get used to. "Crewman DeSotto, Customs Inspection, to Ensign Wessex."

Tapping his badge, and feeling a little stupid doing so, Paul replied to the recently-familiar voice, but also thin air. "Paul Wessex here." As he did so, he passed an older lady who had some strange rodent(?) on her lap, smiling at him as she sat on some bench. He smiled back, nodding his salutations. From her Starfleet pips - quite different to the arm stripes he was used to in the FNP - she was the next rank up; Starfleet certainly had eclectic mix of ages and ranks. At least he was in good company.

"Ensign, Commander t'Lhoell has requested you join her in the OCC."

The OCC; the Operations Control Centre. The command and control centre of Station Katra; he imagined it would be quite different from the small chamber he was used to aboard FNP vessels. Quite the experience already. "Understood. Thank you!" and tapped his badge once more to close the channel; something he had learned to do the hard way...

He then stopped, dead. And looked around at all the signs, faces and doorways. Err...

Backtracking a few meters, Paul approach the lady he had passed some moments back. "Excuse me, ma'am" he started, pronouncing the word like 'calm', and then sticking out his hand. "Ensign Paul Wessex. You don't happen to know how to get to the OCC...?"

OOC - Had permission to move Ensign Wessex

Katra Station - Promenade Deck 14.

Cat was in mid slurp of her juice when the gentleman that had passed her moments earlier backed up to stand in front of her.

Caught off guard for a moment, Cat stared at the newcomers outstretched hand.  She stopped rubbing Nibbler's forehead indent, wiped her hand on her thigh out of habit and shook it.

She was also surprised at his accent.  Not many Startfleet crew on the station or even at the Academy had what she liked to call an old fashioned British accent.

She found it oddly comforting.

Well.. At least he had a strong grip and didn't have a hand that felt like a wet wrung out flannel.

"Well hello there Ensign...Wessex? Catherine Goodspeed.. Engineering... Lt Jr.  I keep forgetting to add the rank"   Cat shrugged.  That was still a strange concept to her having to add her rank to her name.

"People I like call me Cat, people I don't like tend not to talk to me very much"  Cat smiled, hoping her humour wouldn't be lost on him.

Cat gently pushed Nibbler off her lap and stood up.

"A little lost are we?  Oh don't worry about it, took me about a week to work out where the main areas were.  Used to give myself an extra 10 minutes every shift as I kept getting lost which is surprisingly easy here"

"It's easier if I show you, follow me".

Cat made her way to the nearest Turbo lift that would take the fresh blood to his intended destination.

As they walked along she could see him keep glancing down at Nibbler.

"That Ensign Wessex is a Cardassian Vole. Never seen one before?  Ensign Wessex this is Crewman Nibbler, Crewman Nibbler this is Ensign Wessex"

The young vole paused slightly mid trot and looked up at him, his dark eyes fixing his and then gave his feet a very thorough sniff.

"Very good sense of smell, trained to sniff out issues... Aha!  Now this is the best Turbolift to use on the Promenade to get to OCC.  Deck 1, RIGHT at the top.  When you come out turn left then right, you can't miss it.  Good luck Ensign!"