Season 4 - Episode 5 - The Consequences of Greed

[James A. Hawke]

"I'm sure I'll find out in due course.  He sounds like my..." she hesitated seeing as she was actually talking about James Wentock rather than Antonin Kolev her biological father.  She decided to hedge her bets but be truthful at the same time and say "...mother's husband.  He can be quite... difficult to get along with at times.  I'm sure I'll manage but thank you for the forewarning, Ma'am."

"My mind is playing tricks, not just the banner, but you seem shorter, Commander.  This is... disturbing." the cadet said with a worried look on her face.

[Observation Lounge]

As Hawke listened to Wentock he looked down for a second and looked down to his shoes.  He was slightly alarmed that he was wearing regular shoes when he thought he would wear dress boots for work.  Which was more practical.  Hawke looked at them and said " I would have sworn I wore dress boots earlier today, Cadet"

Hawke commented as she mentioned that he appeared shorter.  It was no unusual for him to wear shoes, but it appeared to be changing.

It was on the tip of T'Prina's tongue to remind Hawke to try and relax, when his comment about the banner worried her. She eyed it with suspicion, and tried to look around to see if there were any other noticeable 'changes.'

"It is different, James. With your permission, I would like to be excused to go to Ops. I need to run a scan." She purposely did not mention the tachyon pulse, but was certain he would understand her concern.

ANaLYN still stood near the tall security officer, however the cookies in her hand had changed from chocolate chip to raisin. It wasn't a noticeable difference though. She was more concerned that the balloons were gone now, replaced with tall tropical flowers. Her lip puckered out some, in a pout, as she still wanted a balloon.

James looked at the banner as he changed and said "Nah, that's impossible.  It's probably our mind playing trick on us.  But yeah, if you need to go to ops and find out what happening then you are dismissed Lt. Commander"

He mentioned as he answered her.  He just could not believe that things could change.

Stratton was saved from answering as the Commander was immediately hailed and had to move away due to protocol. He watched as the Commander strode off. He was horrified. The Commander wanted him to be the eyes and ears for former Shran personnels morale? Him? The newest and most inept Shran crewman ever?

Just exactly, how did he go about correcting the senior officer's thought process? Should he tell the Commander, he was not exactly what one would call chatty? That the bulk of the conversations he had previously had with Shran crew, outside duty hours, added up to precisely.. seventeen words?

Stratton recalled the past conversation.

"Excuse me.." Spoken to by a pretty redhead.

Stratton had looked up at her somewhat startled.

"Oh.. uh.. sorry.." he said absently as he collected his thoughts and dragged his attention away from PADD in his hand. "Hello.."

The girl dimpled at him "Hi.. so.. Is this seat taken?" 

"No.." Surprised, pleasantly so. "No.. no it is not."

"Then you don't mind if I take it?" Asked smilingly.

"Absolutely not.. Please.. Be my guest. Help yourself."

And she did, by taking the seat and dragging it to another table where the group was rearranging their chairs to accommodate one more. 

He sighed, reached over and picked up the drink he had just recently set down. He tossed it back in a single gulp.

Stratton had only just set the empty glass down when he noticed the Commander pointing at him and indicating he should approach. He knew he should have changed into his uniform. Nevertheless, he attempted to straighten his attire, only to note he was.. Wearing his uniform after all.

'No.. this cannot be right.' He gazed around the room. His gaze stopped and pinned on the table with his empty glass. There were four empty drink glasses on the table. Stratton frowned. Synthale was not supposed to affect memory. How could he have..

He snapped himself out of his thoughts and back to the Commander. He would worry about the drinks and blackout later. Maybe.. If he didn't speak. He could bluff his way through this. He joined the Commander's group.

Hawke looked down for a second and then looked up as he was distracted.  His shoulder Padd were now Yellow and he looked and felt his command pips instead of three yellow he had 2.  He was wearing a Lt. Uniform.

He thought he was a Commander but his uniform say otherwise.

"Computer Identify Me" Hawke ordered

The Computer Responded

"Lieutenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of Starbase Columbus under the leadership of the Ferengi Alliance"

He turned to Stratton and asked "Ferengi Alliance?  Do you remember them taking over the Federation"

[Luby Wentock]

[Observation Lounge]

As Hawke listened to Wentock he looked down for a second and looked down to his shoes.  He was slightly alarmed that he was wearing regular shoes when he thought he would wear dress boots for work.  Which was more practical.  Hawke looked at them and said " I would have sworn I wore dress boots earlier today, Cadet"

Hawke commented as she mentioned that he appeared shorter.  It was no unusual for him to wear shoes, but it appeared to be changing.

James looked at the banner as he changed and said "Nah, that's impossible.  It's probably our mind playing trick on us.  But yeah, if you need to go to ops and find out what happening then you are dismissed Lt. Commander"

He mentioned as he answered her.  He just could not believe that things could change.

Hawke looked down for a second and then looked up as he was distracted.  His shoulder Padd were now Yellow and he looked and felt his command pips instead of three yellow he had 2.  He was wearing a Lt. Uniform.

He thought he was a Commander but his uniform say otherwise.

"Computer Identify Me" Hawke ordered

The Computer Responded

"Lieutenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of Starbase Columbus under the leadership of the Ferengi Alliance"

He turned to Stratton and asked "Ferengi Alliance?  Do you remember them taking over the Federation"

[Observation Lounge - SBC]

Luby blinked twice.  "I think I was mistaken Commander, my apologies.  I don't think shoes or boots would make a significant difference but you seemed like 6" shorter.  And I didn't realise you were a Trill."

The Cadet smiled and looked at her boots.  "This wasn't at all what I was expecting..." she muttered to herself.  "...and I'm a bit scared of Ferengis, I don't know why."

The last had just come to her, she started shaking, more like she was acutely terrified of Ferengis rather than just 'a bit scared'.

"I think I'd better sit down, could someone get me a drink?"

[Michael Deus]

[Observation Lounge, Deck 1, SBC]

The newly promoted Ensign meandered into the Observation Lounge on Deck 1 in full uniform, as he was currently on duty. He had decided to make a quick sweep of the area before heading back to the Brig where the Security offices were located. Having only just been assigned to the Starbase, straight from the Academy, he was dual-purpose, working both Security and Tactical roles as and when needed to give him experience in managing and commanding personnel.

He ran a hand absently through his hair as he gazed around the room, taking note of the small groups forming. He began filing faces, and ranks for those in uniform, with each of the groups, away in his mind-palace for further reflection once he was off duty. With a bit of time, he'd be able to tell which groups were from the newly arrived ship, and which were already established cliques from the Starbase.

He gave a friendly smile and a small nod of his head in acknowledgement as a Security WO3 from the previous Shift walked by, before posting himself by the doors to watch quietly for a few minutes. As several minutes ticked by, his mind-palace began to shutter itself as it fought with a number of minor...and not so minor details. The changing of footwear, ranks...and species of several occupants of the room. He closed his eyes and breathed in, taking a moment to re-structure his palace to process the disturbing inconsistencies.

He tilted his head as he listened to the small ear-piece he had connected to his communicator, as other Sec/Tac officers and enlisted began to flood their channel with other incongruous observations.

[Charles Stratton]

He thought he was a Commander but his uniform say otherwise.

"Computer Identify Me" Hawke ordered

The Computer Responded

"Lieutenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of Starbase Columbus under the leadership of the Ferengi Alliance"

He turned to Stratton and asked "Ferengi Alliance?  Do you remember them taking over the Federation"

[Deck 1 – Observation Lounge]

Stratton gave the Lieutenant a bemused look. 'Keep it together Chuck..' He told himself. 'First day at a new assignment.. You don't want to mess it up like last time. Short concise answers. Offer no opinions. Just the facts.' Though he couldn't really recall what he had actually done 'last time' to warrant being tossed off his ship. That was a puzzle. He jerked himself back to the present.

Aloud Stratton said, "Ferengi? No.. The Tzenkethi Alliance." He frowned suddenly. "That has to be a joke. One in poor taste I might add. The Tzenkethi will tear whomever pulled that prank, apart, slowly.. Painfully. Everyone knows how the Tzenkethi feel about being made fun of... and by a Ferengi, at that? I do not envy that poor bast.." He caught himself abruptly. "..person."

Stratton took a slow deep breath, while trying desperately hard, not to look like he was. He attempted to give the appearance of being thoughtful or contemplative of who might have hacked into the computer. He was really trying to oxygenate himself quickly. Whatever he drank was affecting him. He had never been this talkative. What happened to short concise answers?!

[Observation Lounge - SBC]

Luby blinked twice.  "I think I was mistaken Commander, my apologies.  I don't think shoes or boots would make a significant difference but you seemed like 6" shorter.  And I didn't realise you were a Trill."

The Cadet smiled and looked at her boots.  "This wasn't at all what I was expecting..." she muttered to herself.  "...and I'm a bit scared of Ferengis, I don't know why."

The last had just come to her, she started shaking, more like she was acutely terrified of Ferengis rather than just 'a bit scared'.

"I think I'd better sit down, could someone get me a drink?"

While Stratton fell into silence trying to sober up, the young Cadet spoke up, saying she was 'scared', needed to sit down and could use a drink. She was giving the Lieutenant one of those sultry looks that said, 'Oh yes.. You should protect me, keep me close. Very close'.

He couldn't help it. He leaned over toward the Lieutenant whispered. "That was an obvious invitation. She definitely wants something more than just a drink.. Not to worry James.. I will cover for you."

[T'Prina]

Starbase Columbus - Deck 1 - Observation Lounge

As he did so, he met someone new- a young girl who described herself as Analyn.

"Do not apologize for not knowing me, Miss Analyn.  You can't be expected to memorize every face on the station.  There must be tens of thousands here."

He smiled at her, "In any event, it is a pleasure to meet you.  I am Petty Officer Mondo'li Nari."

Mondo took up one of the cookies and tried it.  "Delicious.  Thank you for sharing."

[LtCmdr. T'Prina and NPC ANaLYN - Observation Lounge, Deck 1]

ANaLYN grinned up at the tall man, quite pleased he'd enjoyed the cookie.

"It's nice ta meetcha, Ossifer Monday! It's sorta part of my job to know everyone. I help run the station. I'm the... Artificial Neural and Logistics Yeoman Node. Or ANaLYN for short. My mama's Mander Prina. She's the Science boss and she takes care of me." The little AI girl pointed out the Vulcan woman standing with other crew members.

"We live with Mander Hawkey. I used ta not like him, but he's actually really nice." Suddenly, she lurched, dropping the cookies in her hand as she clutched her arms to her stomach. There was a static shimmer much like a glitch in the LCARS on a monitor. The pink accented Starfleet uniform changed to a simple black dress, accented with silver Vulcan embroidery. The headband she always wore with fake Vulcan ears attached vanished, leaving two, very real, pointed ears behind. All of the little hologram was now very suddenly real.

"I feel all funny... I'm sorry..." The little girl turned on her heels to run for her mama.

[Observation Lounge]

James looked at the banner as he changed and said "Nah, that's impossible.  It's probably our mind playing trick on us.  But yeah, if you need to go to ops and find out what happening then you are dismissed Lt. Commander"

He mentioned as he answered her.  He just could not believe that things could change.

Hawke had dismissed her, which is what T'Prina wanted, but she wasn't exactly pleased. Leave it to humans to deny something that was occurring right before their eyes. She did need more data on the situation before she could clearly explain why these strange changes were happening. Her instinct, or gut feeling was that the tachyon radiation had caused some sort of temporal fluctuation or localized anomaly on the station, but she did not want to commit to such a statement without all of the available information. She simply let her displeasure show with a slight frown as she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Commander Hawke. I will inform you once I know more."

T'Prina made her way to the door, rubbing her bare arms against the sudden chill. Bare? She'd been wearing her full uniform, accented in Sciences teal. But now she was in a dress? Her hands quickly smoothed over the slick, silky material that formed the well cut cocktail dress, that she didn't recall putting on, much less owning. A fur stole was also draped over her shoulders, but it did nothing for the increasing cold of nerves she felt deep inside.

A tugging at her skirt made her look down. ANaLYN's chubby face looked up at her with concern, tears forming in the big hazel eyes under sharply swooped eyebrows. T'Prina reached down to lightly touch the tip of one of the child's pointed ears.

"ANaLYN, did you change your appearance files?" Her own eyebrows rose in near disbelief, as she already suspected the answer. ANaLYN's skin was warm, far warmer than usual. She was a very convincing hologram, but this was something else. She was something else. In some way, she'd become a flesh and blood Vulcan child.

"Mama, I can't hear the Starbase. I can't access none of the files. What's wrong with me, am I sick again?" The worry was heavy in ANaLYN's little voice, and tears were starting to fall down her round cheeks.

T'Prina scooped the girl up and quickened her pace walking. She wiped at her tears with her free hand, and spoke to the child gently.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Little One. We will go to Ops together and find out what is going on here. We will figure this out, do not worry."

*********

[Ops, Deck 5]

"What do you mean, I lack the proper credentials to enter Ops?" T'Prina asked incredulously, her eyebrow arched at what seemed an impossible angle. ANaLYN clung to her, face buried in the fur she wore, but the child on her hip made her appearance no less regal. The gold shirted ensign blocking her entry cringed.

"I'm sorry Ambassador T'Prina. Ops is restricted to authorized personnel only. I know your husband's the Executive Officer, but really you can't just come waltzing in here whenever you've got a complaint." Ensign Bartleby crossed his arms and tried to look more authoritative than he felt. Honestly, this woman could get him demoted back to cadet or something and he debated if following the rules was really worth incurring her ire.

T'Prina's face went pale, and then colored, as she felt a rush of awkward embarrassment.

"Excuse me, my what? There must be some sort of mistake here." Perhaps this ensign was very, very new, and had just assumed she was married to Hawke.

The ensign held up his hands, clearly very nervous. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry ma'am... Uh... Just wait here and I'll go get Commander Sterek for you." He quickly ducked back inside Ops, door shutting behind him. He did not have the chance to see every ounce of color fade from T'Prina's face. He likely would have found that very curious indeed.

[Derek Rodwell]

[Starbase Columbus - External Docking Ring - Deck 84]

Derek's trip took several transfers to get him out to the Columbus. His final ride was aboard the USS Tacoma that just happened to be stopping off for supplies before continuing on their way. The shipped docked and Derek made his way through the air lock onto the base. Several security officers were there to check in those that disembarked. When it was his turn, Derek approached the one that waved him over and offered his PADD with his orders on it to the man.

"Ahhh. Ensign Rodwell. Welcome to the Columbus. We've been expecting you." he guard replied as he offered a different PADD back to Derek. "On here, you will find, specifically for you, your quarters assignment and the location of Main Engineering. Also downloaded is a layout of the entire base. And, you're just in time for the big shindig in the Observation Lounge on Deck one."

"Shindig?" repeated Derek.

"Yeap. Having a huge get together to welcome all the new folks. Being hosted by our XO himself so make sure you stow your gear and get up there as soon as possible. Oh. And thank you for flying Federation Airlines. We hope you enjoy your stay. Next!" he called as he moved on.

Derek took the offered PADD and walked away slowly as he brought up the information he required. "Let's see." he said in a low voice to himself. "Junior officer quarters are on Decks 196-202 and mine are on 200. Not bad. Easy number to remember."

Next, he brought up Main Engineering. "366-370? We must spend hours a day just keeping the turbo lifts operational." he jokingly told himself.

He took a second and looked up at the wall. Deck 84.

"Okay. So 84 to 200. Stow my gear and then all the way up to Deck 1. Piece of cake." he mumbled as he headed toward the nearest lift. "Deck 200." he said upon entering.

Much to his surprise, it was a fairly quick ride. Also to his surprise, the lift let him out on the wrong side of the ring. He was so sure that he was going to get assigned to a starship that he never paid much mind to the whole side to side lift that starbase lifts were capable of. Now he had to walk about a quarter of the way around the ring to get to his quarters. "Damn it." he cursed under his breathe.

As he made his way along, he remembered how some of the officer on the ships he had been transported on had teased him about having to share quarters. Obviously, he was used to it due to having to do the same thing at the academy. But one of the older Officers about the last ship had told him that only Enlisted personnel had to share and that as commissioned, he should have his own. He was relieved to find only one bed when he arrived at his destination and opened the door.

Not too shabby. he thought as he entered. "I'll look around later. Let me get to this welcoming party thing and report in." he told himself. He dropped his gear beside the bed and quickly changed into a fresh uniform.

Exiting his living space, he made his way to the lift once more. This time, he tried something else. "Main Observation Lounge, Deck 1.  " he said. The lift shot off. Yeah. Lots of maintenance on these things. he thought. Only a few minutes later, the doors parted and he was right across the corridor from where he needed to be.
_________________________________________________________________________

[Starbase Columbus - Observation Lounge - Deck 1]

The doors parted as he approached and he walked in. The first thing he noticed was the HUGE banner hanging across the ceiling.

He drew his attention back to the few folks that were there and spotted Commander Hawke. Derek had checked out the base roster during his travels and had seen several images of the man. Tugging down on his uniform shirt, he headed over. He came to a complete stop just a few feet away and stood at attention like he had been taught.

"Commander Hawke, Sir. Ensign Derek Rodwell reporting for duty."

[James A. Hawke]

NPC – Commander Sterek
[OPS]

"Ensign Continue, Scans." .  The Vulcan First Officered ordered.  It was logical for them to raise their defenses and shield and study the anomaly which appeared moments earlier. He was made aware that the Chief Engineer did a "Welcome" party to boost morale.  However, such an event was both illogical and a waste of time.   Logic dictates that his place was in Ops especially when something unusual happens.

The Ensign said "We are currently bombarded with Tachyon Particles"

The Vulcan Officer raised his eyebrow as he heard the result. "Fascinating...we should not draw any conclusions.   The Vulcan Science Academy states that there is a strong correlation between those particles with time travel and temporal distortions.  It is reasonable that we might feel changes in the time line. ".  The Vulcan Officer picked up his PADD and took notes on the situation.

"I shall inform the Captain, and the Ferengi Alliance at once" .  The First Officer responded.  Starfleet was Command under the Ferengi Alliance as they controlled Earth.  History is well known that it was the Ferengi that make first contact and made contracts with Humanity during the height of their Capitalistic years including 2020 of Earth Year.

As the Officer walked he was informed "Sir, your Wife is here"

Sterek raised an eyebrow as this was most unusual.  He was working in a potential crisis and logic dictates that he needed to focus on his duties to the Station.  If he was human and had emotion he believed that he would be annoyed at the situation.  However, this is a moment to express to her that she needs more discipline.

[Ops, Deck 5]

"What do you mean, I lack the proper credentials to enter Ops?" T'Prina asked incredulously, her eyebrow arched at what seemed an impossible angle. ANaLYN clung to her, face buried in the fur she wore, but the child on her hip made her appearance no less regal. The gold shirted ensign blocking her entry cringed.

"I'm sorry Ambassador T'Prina. Ops is restricted to authorized personnel only. I know your husband's the Executive Officer, but really you can't just come waltzing in here whenever you've got a complaint." Ensign Bartleby crossed his arms and tried to look more authoritative than he felt. Honestly, this woman could get him demoted back to cadet or something and he debated if following the rules was really worth incurring her ire.

T'Prina's face went pale, and then colored, as she felt a rush of awkward embarrassment.

"Excuse me, my what? There must be some sort of mistake here." Perhaps this ensign was very, very new, and had just assumed she was married to Hawke.

The ensign held up his hands, clearly very nervous. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry ma'am... Uh... Just wait here and I'll go get Commander Sterek for you." He quickly ducked back inside Ops, door shutting behind him. He did not have the chance to see every ounce of color fade from T'Prina's face. He likely would have found that very curious indeed.

Commander Sterek approached his wife and he was across ops.  "Ambassador T'Prina, your intrusion on Operation on this station is both illogical and improper.  Please take the time to apologize to the Staff at once.  It is logical if you wish to communicate with me to first contact me and then come in person.  Your presence here is a distraction" .  The Commander stated his voice flatly.  If he was human he would have expressed his displeasure.

Commander Strerek looked at the crew and said "My wife's actions have been improper.  I will assure you she will be disciplined accordingly" .  As the Commander finished he then looked to his wife.  "If you excuse me, Ambassador, we are currently bombarded with Tachyon Particles and I am working with our Chief of Science figure out the damage.  You should be attending our Chief of Engineer Event as we do REAL work here.  You are dismissed"

[James A. Hawke]

[Observation Lounge – Deck 1]

The Chief Engineer walked around as he observed.  The surroudings seemed to be changing constantly from what he remembered.  At first, confused believed he was an executive officer but know he remembered the was the Chief Engineer of the Station.  As he walked with gold outfit he listened to the Medical Cadet.

[Observation Lounge - SBC]
The Cadet smiled and looked at her boots.  "This wasn't at all what I was expecting..." she muttered to herself.  "...and I'm a bit scared of Ferengis, I don't know why."

The last had just come to her, she started shaking, more like she was acutely terrified of Ferengis rather than just 'a bit scared'.

"I think I'd better sit down, could someone get me a drink?"

James smiled and said "Yeah, it seems strange for some reason, I believed that Vulcan had the first contact with humanity and not Ferengi.  Can you imagine how different would it be if we would not have made those deals with the Ferengi? I might be losing my mind...maybe I need to get my head checked" .  Hawke responded as she wanted a drink.  For some reason in the back of his mind, things were changing.

Hawke, your Mom is on the line

Hawke stood there for a second and stood silent.  "I'll call my mom back in a while.    Hawke said as he remembered that his mother died in Child Birth.  He walked a little and was kind of confused.   He remembered that his twin sister and father hated him, but now his Twin Sister helps him as a Starfleet Officer.
As Hawke finished, he observed another person coming into the event.

[Observation Lounge, Deck 1, SBC]
He ran a hand absently through his hair as he gazed around the room, taking note of the small groups forming. He began filing faces, and ranks for those in uniform, with each of the groups, away in his mind-palace for further reflection once he was off duty. With a bit of time, he'd be able to tell which groups were from the newly arrived ship, and which were already established cliques from the Starbase.

He gave a friendly smile and a small nod of his head in acknowledgement as a Security WO3 from the previous Shift walked by, before posting himself by the doors to watch quietly for a few minutes. As several minutes ticked by, his mind-palace began to shutter itself as it fought with a number of minor...and not so minor details. The changing of footwear, ranks...and species of several occupants of the room. He closed his eyes and breathed in, taking a moment to re-structure his palace to process the disturbing inconsistencies.

He tilted his head as he listened to the small ear-piece he had connected to his communicator, as other Sec/Tac officers and enlisted began to flood their channel with other incongruous observations.

Hawke arrived and walked to approach the Ensign.  He walked to him and said "Ahh...Ensign Deus, welcome to the Columbus my name is Comm....  He paused for a second as he corrected himself.  It appeared he felt he was used to to say the word commander.  "Luitenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of the Starbase, just thought to organize the meet and greet for all the new people.  Can you tell me a little about yourself?" .   As Hawke asked the question.  He observed another officer come in.

[Starbase Columbus - Observation Lounge - Deck 1]

The doors parted as he approached and he walked in. The first thing he noticed was the HUGE banner hanging across the ceiling.

He drew his attention back to the few folks that were there and spotted Commander Hawke. Derek had checked out the base roster during his travels and had seen several images of the man. Tugging down on his uniform shirt, he headed over. He came to a complete stop just a few feet away and stood at attention like he had been taught.

"Commander Hawke, Sir. Ensign Derek Rodwell reporting for duty."

James nodded for a second and said   "Ahh Ensign Welcome to the Columbus.  Sadly, I am not a Commander but a Chief Engineer.  Commander Hawke is my sister.  But thank you for the promotion Ensign. .   Hawke mentioned with a smile.  He then looked down for a second and said "You know what's weird...the computer tell me I am a Luitenant, but I feel like a Commander.  It's strange,". Hawke commented.

He took a second and picked up a drink from a nearby waitress.  He stopped and said to everyone.  "All right I would like to make a quick toast to everyone in the room.  Welcome to the Columbus.  I know some of you are surprised to be here.  But I hope you all like your stay here.   Now if you join me to our Mandatary Toast. 

Hawke raised his glass and said "To the FERENGI ALLIANCE"

[Luby Wentock]

"Commander Hawke, Sir. Ensign Derek Rodwell reporting for duty."

[Observation Lounge – Deck 1]

The Chief Engineer walked around as he observed.  The surroundings seemed to be changing constantly from what he remembered.  At first, confused believed he was an executive officer but know he remembered the was the Chief Engineer of the Station.  As he walked with gold outfit he listened to the Medical Cadet.

James smiled and said "Yeah, it seems strange for some reason, I believed that Vulcan had the first contact with humanity and not Ferengi.  Can you imagine how different would it be if we would not have made those deals with the Ferengi? I might be losing my mind...maybe I need to get my head checked" .  Hawke responded as she wanted a drink.  For some reason in the back of his mind, things were changing.

Hawke, your Mom is on the line

Hawke stood there for a second and stood silent.  "I'll call my mom back in a while.    Hawke said as he remembered that his mother died in Child Birth.  He walked a little and was kind of confused.   He remembered that his twin sister and father hated him, but now his Twin Sister helps him as a Starfleet Officer.
As Hawke finished, he observed another person coming into the event.

Hawke arrived and walked to approach the Ensign.  He walked to him and said "Ahh...Ensign Deus, welcome to the Columbus my name is Comm....  He paused for a second as he corrected himself.  It appeared he felt he was used to to say the word commander.  "Lieutenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of the Starbase, just thought to organize the meet and greet for all the new people.  Can you tell me a little about yourself?" .   As Hawke asked the question.  He observed another officer come in.

James nodded for a second and said   "Ahh Ensign Welcome to the Columbus.  Sadly, I am not a Commander but a Chief Engineer.  Commander Hawke is my sister.  But thank you for the promotion Ensign. .   Hawke mentioned with a smile.  He then looked down for a second and said "You know what's weird...the computer tell me I am a Luitenant, but I feel like a Commander.  It's strange,". Hawke commented.

He took a second and picked up a drink from a nearby waitress.  He stopped and said to everyone.  "All right I would like to make a quick toast to everyone in the room.  Welcome to the Columbus.  I know some of you are surprised to be here.  But I hope you all like your stay here.   Now if you join me to our Mandatary Toast. 

Hawke raised his glass and said "To the FERENGI ALLIANCE"

[Observation Lounge - SBC]

"Ferengis..." whimpered Luby quietly from where she had found to sit wringing her hands and looking tearful.

She spotted the Ensign in gold and tried to attract his attention.  "Excuse me, Ensign... are there really lots of Ferengi on this base?  I-I... um... Ferengi scare me.  It's the teeth and the ears, even when they smile at me it... ugh." she shook in fear at the thought of all the little sharp teeth.

She noticed how attractive he was but it did little to assuage her fears.

"And I'm not sure where my twin is...have you seen a guy looks like me but um... shorter hair?"

[Eydis]

[Tholian Cruiser Acrux] After the Cruiser finishes docking. Eydis would leave her ship in her armored bio suit along with three of her warriors to act as her bodyguards. Leaving the XO in command of the ship for the time she was gone. A sense of unease was hanging over eydis as she comes into the star fleet personal waiting for her. Then something reached over the void through the lattice.  You are all alone Tholian Warrior Caste member Eydis  The voice was cold emotionless and was forcing itself through the lattice and then it was gone.  Eydis shakes her head and takes the tubrolife to the observation deck along with her guards.

Something was indeed happening that the young Tholian Caste member had yet to experience, the unease causing her to dock her Cruiser to a federation starbase.  I have arrived on board the starbase. Command Caste hawke, currently enroute via turbo lift to the observation deck She would send the message with her communicator

[Michael Deus]

[Observation Lounge, Deck 1, SBC]

"I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone that this is a secure line for emergency transmissions only. There's a chain of command for a reason, so follow it." The Ensign advised over his communicator. As Ensign, he was where the buck stops for Security matters for Decks 1-32, unless it was something he couldn't deal with, and in that case he'd pass it up to his Sector Officer, who was a Lieutenant Junior Grade that would be dealing with Decks 1-96. He had a feeling it was going to be a busy time for everybody. Turning the volume down slightly on his earpiece, he turned his attention back to the internal havoc these changes were making in his mind-palace. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply as he decided to mentally fortify and barricade his knowledge sanctum, choosing to protect what was already in there, rather than let new and differing data in to corrupt it. It would mean he wouldn't be able to store new information, for the long term, until he decided to lift the fortifications, but he'd be able to take in enough to be getting along with since everything was ever-changing right now, anyway. "Who needs stability?" He thought to himself as he opened his eyes again.

[LtCmdr. T'Prina and NPC ANaLYNHawke had dismissed her, which is what T'Prina wanted, but she wasn't exactly pleased. Leave it to humans to deny something that was occurring right before their eyes. She did need more data on the situation before she could clearly explain why these strange changes were happening. Her instinct, or gut feeling was that the tachyon radiation had caused some sort of temporal fluctuation or localized anomaly on the station, but she did not want to commit to such a statement without all of the available information. She simply let her displeasure show with a slight frown as she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Commander Hawke. I will inform you once I know more."

T'Prina made her way to the door, rubbing her bare arms against the sudden chill. Bare? She'd been wearing her full uniform, accented in Sciences teal. But now she was in a dress? Her hands quickly smoothed over the slick, silky material that formed the well cut cocktail dress, that she didn't recall putting on, much less owning. A fur stole was also draped over her shoulders, but it did nothing for the increasing cold of nerves she felt deep inside.

A tugging at her skirt made her look down. ANaLYN's chubby face looked up at her with concern, tears forming in the big hazel eyes under sharply swooped eyebrows. T'Prina reached down to lightly touch the tip of one of the child's pointed ears.

"ANaLYN, did you change your appearance files?" Her own eyebrows rose in near disbelief, as she already suspected the answer. ANaLYN's skin was warm, far warmer than usual. She was a very convincing hologram, but this was something else. She was something else. In some way, she'd become a flesh and blood Vulcan child.

"Mama, I can't hear the Starbase. I can't access none of the files. What's wrong with me, am I sick again?" The worry was heavy in ANaLYN's little voice, and tears were starting to fall down her round cheeks.

T'Prina scooped the girl up and quickened her pace walking. She wiped at her tears with her free hand, and spoke to the child gently.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Little One. We will go to Ops together and find out what is going on here. We will figure this out, do not worry."

Michael's mouth dropped openly slightly at the sight of the beautiful vulcan in a lovely cocktail dress as she strode past him into the lift, before he promptly closed it as he took in what was being said. He frowned, at himself as he mentally scolded himself to remain professional, and at the situation.

As Hawke finished, he observed another person coming into the event.

Hawke arrived and walked to approach the Ensign. He walked to him and said "Ahh...Ensign Deus, welcome to the Columbus my name is Comm.... He paused for a second as he corrected himself. It appeared he felt he was used to to say the word commander. "Luitenant Hawke, Chief Engineer of the Starbase, just thought to organize the meet and greet for all the new people. Can you tell me a little about yourself?" .  As Hawke asked the question, he observed another officer come in.

James nodded for a second and said   "Ahh Ensign. Welcome to the Columbus. Sadly, I am not a Commander but a Chief Engineer. Commander Hawke is my sister. But thank you for the promotion, Ensign. .  Hawke mentioned with a smile.  He then looked down for a second and said "You know what's weird...the computer tell me I am a Luitenant, but I feel like a Commander. It's strange,". Hawke commented.

He took a second and picked up a drink from a nearby waitress.  He stopped and said to everyone.  "All right I would like to make a quick toast to everyone in the room. Welcome to the Columbus. I know some of you are surprised to be here.  But I hope you all like your stay here. Now if you join me to our Mandatary Toast. 

Hawke raised his glass and said "To the FERENGI ALLIANCE"

Throughout Hawke's actions, Deus had remained almost silent, with the perfunctory nod and sounds of acknowledgement as he listened to both the Commander and the newer Ensign, (since, while he couldn't store new information, he could still access the old), and the alert he was getting from his Chief Petty Officer supervising Deck 5, concerning a Commander Sterek and an Ambassador. He moved away from Commander Hawke as he began making his toast, so as to not disrupt the man, and called down to his Chief, "I'll be right down," as he entered the lift.

[Operations Center, Deck 5, SBC]

As he stepped out of the lift, Chief Petty Officer Perez met him at the door along with the Chief's 5 crewmen assigned to this Deck. "SitRep, Chief?"

The Chief scratched the back of his head as he moved into the room and pointed out the Vulcan 'ambassador' and the now departing Commander Serek, "I-uh...I don't actually know, Sir. I mean-I-uh...I wasn't here at the start, and then I'm not really sure what's going on. At all. Sir." He tacked on the 'Sir' at the end quickly, as if he'd forgotten who he was speaking to, but then again the Senior Non-Com did look thoroughly bewildered. "With the reports coming in from the other Decks...it's just plain screwy, that's what it is," He finished with as they drew closer to the woman.

"Hard to argue with that assertion," Michael said quietly, before standing to attention next to the woman. His mouth nearly dropped open again at the sight of her, but he kept it firmly in check as he looked her over. Accessing the palace, he managed to put a name and rank to the face, although, for some reason, his brain struggled for a moment to pick out if it should be Lieutenant Commander or Ambassador. "Is there a problem here, Lieutenant Commander?" He asked, his gaze sweeping the other crew aroud them, his default position being metaphorically behind the woman senior in rank.

[Charles Stratton]

[Deck 1 – Observation Lounge]

As soon as the offer was out of his mouth, Stratton wanted to retract it. What in the bloody hell had come over him? He wasn't wingman material. He had no desire to even try to attempt to be wingman material.. So why did he make that offer? And to a superior at that? Why did he speak up at all? That wasn't like him. No way.

Expecting to be placed on report by the Lieutenant, when the two walked off, Stratton nearly sagged with relief. Except, should their walking off together be construed as implied consent to his offer? He was horrified. He ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated, 'what do I do now' manner. Looking between the couple and the exit. He stood where he was staring at nothing in particular when he noticed the sleeve of his arm. Civies.. He was wearing civies.

His brow furrowed, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and looked again. The sleeve was now a back to being a uniform. That was it. No more drinks for him. Synthesized or otherwise. Apparently he had suddenly developed the side affect of waking nightmares from them.

Stratton glanced back at the Lieutenant and the Cadet, they were now separated. Alright.. This was good. Now he could have a clear conscience when he managed to slip out. As he edged toward the door hoping to make good his escape, his egress was stopped as a toast went up. Someone shoved a drink in his hand and although he tried to only take a sip, the unnamed person inferred they would be highly insulted if he didn't empty his glass. Sighing inwardly, he drank it all.

[T'Prina]

[LtCmdr. Ambassador T'Prina and ANaLYN T'Aloren Ops, Deck 5 - SBC]

T'Prina hadn't seen her ex-fiance in thirty years. She had seen her husband in their shared quarters this morning. A tightness rose in her chest, and knotted up her throat. Her hand raised to touch the lieutenant commander pips at her collar, and found only the chunky beads of copper and citrine she wore that matched the earrings hanging from her pointed ears. She was the Chief Science Officer, graduated with honors from Starfleet Academy. She had attended the Vulcan Science Institute with Sterek, his temper assured she never dared outshine him. With her free hand, she rubbed at her temple. The conflicting memories were disorienting. The girl in her arms shifted slightly, making a quiet whimper. The Starbase AI, ANaLYN. Her daughter, T'Aloren. The tachyon radiation was changing their reality. Her husband stepped closer and her entire body tensed.

She despised him.

NPC – Commander Sterek
[OPS]

Commander Sterek approached his wife and he was across ops.  "Ambassador T'Prina, your intrusion on Operation on this station is both illogical and improper.  Please take the time to apologize to the Staff at once.  It is logical if you wish to communicate with me to first contact me and then come in person.  Your presence here is a distraction" .  The Commander stated his voice flatly.  If he was human he would have expressed his displeasure.

Commander Strerek looked at the crew and said "My wife's actions have been improper.  I will assure you she will be disciplined accordingly" .  As the Commander finished he then looked to his wife.  "If you excuse me, Ambassador, we are currently bombarded with Tachyon Particles and I am working with our Chief of Science figure out the damage.  You should be attending our Chief of Engineer Event as we do REAL work here.  You are dismissed"

Subconsciously, she positioned her body so her daughter was held away from the stringent man. Her eyebrow raised imperiously, and she held herself stiffly, despite an icy feeling of fear she could not shake.

"I do apologize, Commander, since you have obviously misunderstood my purpose for coming here. I did not come to see you out of some idiotic misplaced sense of sentimentality, like some simpering fool." Her words were icy calm, and did not betray the simmering resentment that flamed deep within her. Where this fire had come from, she wasn't sure, but it felt right.

"It is my duty, as Ambassador, to make sure that the best interests of the Ferengi Alliance are maintained, and to help keep the citizens appeased and happy. A happy population spends more latinum. There have been many startling changes that are scaring the population. I think you will find you failed to properly modulate the shield harmonics to accommodate for the incoming tachyon radiation." T'Prina shut her mouth a moment, the words were still coming from somewhere unknown, but so was the sense of rightness.

"You have been remiss by not making any announcements to ease the citizens' fears. Unless you do your job, Commander, I am unable to do mine. Or do you want to explain to the Ferengi why their Starbase will be losing profits?" Once the man's back was turned, she allowed herself the simple pleasure of a glare.

[Operations Center, Deck 5, SBC]

As he stepped out of the lift, Chief Petty Officer Perez met him at the door along with the Chief's 5 crewmen assigned to this Deck. "SitRep, Chief?"

The Chief scratched the back of his head as he moved into the room and pointed out the Vulcan 'ambassador' and the now departing Commander Serek, "I-uh...I don't actually know, Sir. I mean-I-uh...I wasn't here at the start, and then I'm not really sure what's going on. At all. Sir." He tacked on the 'Sir' at the end quickly, as if he'd forgotten who he was speaking to, but then again the Senior Non-Com did look thoroughly bewildered. "With the reports coming in from the other Decks...it's just plain screwy, that's what it is," He finished with as they drew closer to the woman.

"Hard to argue with that assertion," Michael said quietly, before standing to attention next to the woman. His mouth nearly dropped open again at the sight of her, but he kept it firmly in check as he looked her over. Accessing the palace, he managed to put a name and rank to the face, although, for some reason, his brain struggled for a moment to pick out if it should be Lieutenant Commander or Ambassador. "Is there a problem here, Lieutenant Commander?" He asked, his gaze sweeping the other crew aroud them, his default position being metaphorically behind the woman senior in rank.

The Vulcan ambassador turned to the officer who had addressed her. She had a vague memory of seeing him recently, briefly, but he was unknown to her. Her face softened, diplomacy came naturally to her, almost second nature.

"My apologies, Ensign. I believe you may have mistaken me for someone else. I am Ambassador T'Prina. There is no problem here, sir. I was just leaving, to return to the gathering. Someplace I am actually needed, or so it would seem." Apologetically, she shrugged at the man, gracing him with a small half smile. The movement caused the fur stole she wore to slide down, revealing what resembled a bruise on the pale skin. Quickly, she righted the accessory, hiding it away once more.

"You heard the Commander, I am dismissed. I am sorry for taking up your time." The diminutive Vulcan turned on her heel to leave, irritated that she couldn't do more to solve the problem plaguing herself, and the rest of the starbase.

[Derek Rodwell]

[Observation Lounge – Deck 1]

James nodded for a second and said   "Ahh Ensign Welcome to the Columbus.  Sadly, I am not a Commander but a Chief Engineer.  Commander Hawke is my sister.  But thank you for the promotion Ensign. .   Hawke mentioned with a smile.  He then looked down for a second and said "You know what's weird...the computer tell me I am a Luitenant, but I feel like a Commander.  It's strange,". Hawke commented.

He took a second and picked up a drink from a nearby waitress.  He stopped and said to everyone.  "All right I would like to make a quick toast to everyone in the room.  Welcome to the Columbus.  I know some of you are surprised to be here.  But I hope you all like your stay here.   Now if you join me to our Mandatary Toast. 

Hawke raised his glass and said "To the FERENGI ALLIANCE"

Derek had grabbed a glass of champagne and lifted it as well but something was gnawing at the back of his head. He would have sworn he had read a file about Commander Hawke. A male Commander Hawke. Well, he was just an Ensign. What did he know.

"To the FERENGI ALLIANCE!!" he joined in.

Before he could take a drink, he was asked a question by a young female cadet.

She spotted the Ensign in gold and tried to attract his attention.  "Excuse me, Ensign... are there really lots of Ferengi on this base?  I-I... um... Ferengi scare me.  It's the teeth and the ears, even when they smile at me it... ugh." she shook in fear at the thought of all the little sharp teeth.

She noticed how attractive he was but it did little to assuage her fears.

"And I'm not sure where my twin is...have you seen a guy looks like me but um... shorter hair?"

Derek thought for a moment. He wasn't sure of his reply at first. Hadn't he just arrived?

"I'm sure there are." he finally answered with more confidence. "I mean, we are one big alliance. Why else would you have their insignia on your uniform." he pointed out.

"As far as seeing your brother, I haven't a clue." he added as he took a drink of Romulan Ale from the glass in his hand.

[James A. Hawke]

[Observation Deck]

Hawke listened as she appeared to be looked scared of the Ferengi's he was not sure since they have lived under their economy for centuries.  The Chief of Engineer did not understand but it was not his job to deal with politics.  It was his job to make sure the Station and the ships were running up to order.

It was not until long that he heard a message coming in.

Something was indeed happening that the young Tholian Caste member had yet to experience, the unease causing her to dock her Cruiser to a federation starbase.  I have arrived on board the starbase. Command Caste hawke, currently enroute via turbo lift to the observation deck She would send the message with her communicator

Hawke was confused for a second as he remembered the term Command Caste Hawke, but would not have reason to remember it.  It was like he was in between two worls in which he remembered this person and the same time remembered also the current state.  For a second, he thought they lived in the a world in which the Federation was independent.

Hawke took a second and pressed his comm "Acknowledged,  thank god we are all under the Ferengi Alliance  .  As Hawke finished he wondered how it would be like if the Tholians were not under the control of the Alliance.

He took a sip of his drink and he finished the toast.   As wondered how different life would be.

As he mentioned that he took a second as he looked out the window.