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"Computer. Initiate program Sevril 1."
The familiar black and yellow grids of the holodeck faded, replaced suddenly by an evergreen forest with a dirt trail leading through it, parallel to a rushing stream. Naeve inhaled the fresh air and allowed herself some satisfaction as she surveyed the scene she had created. She wrapped her hair in a ponytail, straightened the comfortably loose fitting pants she wore and broke into a run along the dirt trail.
The scent of fir and pine assailed her senses and the air was crisp and cold as she ran, her stride never tiring. She tried to lose herself in the moment, concentrating on her burning muscles as she pushed herself harder. It felt good to run, she hadn't had the time in weeks, and she could feel the tension slowly ebb from her body. Just as she was about to sprint over a small wooden bridge that forded the widest part of the stream, her commbadge chirped.
< Bridge to Lieutenant Commander Sevril. >
She recognized the voice as belonging to Ensign Vir Delen.
"Sevril here." she wasn't quite able to suppress her annoyance at the interuption. This had better be good.
< There's an encrypted message for you-normally I'd route it to your quarters but it's got priority coding. >
Naeve knit her brows in puzzlement. "Starfleet?"
< No ma'am. I's designated personal. From Loron. >
"Loron." Naeve repeated faintly.
< Would you like me to put it through to the holodeck? >
"No!" she said more vehemently than she had intended. "Send it to my quarters. I'll read it later."
< But--it's got priority coding. >
"I said my quarters, Ensign." she ordered.
< Yes, sir. >
Clenching her jaw, she resumed her course, refusing to think on the implications of the message. She would not spoil her liesure time. But the thought came unbidden.
Loron.
Home.
*************
Daniel Ryan contentedly sipped his steaming mug of coffee, savoring its aroma. Although the replicators made a passable imitation, there was nothing like the original article. He had spent a sizeable amount of credits securing a crate of coffee beans shipped directly from the South American continent of Earth, and as far as he was concerned, it was well worth it. Taking another slow sip, he reluctantly put the mug down and returned to the task at hand. The past two months had been quiet ones for the science department. Prometheus' recent orders and missions had not affected his domains overmuch until now. The Captain had allowed his teams to do a geological survey in the last system they had passed through, and the data was enough to keep his people busy for a while. At least until something more exciting came along.
"Daniel!"
The excited shout pulled Daniel away from his musings. An exultant Ariada D'all burst into his office clutching a data PADD, her grey eyes sparkling with excitement. Daniel swallowed. He could feel the heat spread to his cheeks as his pulse quickened. Even after all these months together, he hadn't learned to suprress his reaction to her presence.
She came closer, waving the PADD in the air as she spoke. "The probe results are back! There's evidence of unicellular bacteria and possibly even simple plant life on one of the planets."
He smiled. "It looks like your department's going to be busy."
"A whole world that obtains its energy exclusively from geothermic sources. There have to be some unique adaptations in its lifeforms. Maybe unique enough to net me a paper or two."
As she continued to wave the PADD at him, her glance fell on the steaming mug on his desk. She wrinkled her nose at the dark liquid with displeasure.
"You're not drinking that stuff again, are you?" she accused.
Unaffected, Daniel took another swallow. "That stuff, as you call it, is quite expensive. And quite good."
Ariada grimaced. "I'll take tea any day." She had never understood the CSciO's fondness for the bitter liquid derived from a bean-of all things.
"Where are the rest of the probe results?" Daniel brought the conversation back to the reason for her visit.
"In the life sciences labs. Shall I tell them you're coming? We'll summarize the findings for you." she offered.
"Give me ten minutes to finish my coffee." he grinned at her expression as he raised the cup again.
The Deltan shook her head and turned to go, missing the wistful glance she recieved as his eyes lingered on her retreating back.
***********
Mirana Keset's fork hovered with some uncertainty over the plate before her. She eyed its contents, suspicious of the unidentifiable yet distinct odor which emanated from it. Colin Becker leaned towards her eagerly.
"Go ahead. Try it." he urged.
After several meals together during which Colin had discovered the doctor's limited and unadventurous palate, he had taken it apon himself to expand her horizons-at least where food was concerned. By some unspoken consent, they had taken to meeting once a week for a meal in which he programmed the replicators to prepare a new dish from the Federation cultural database. Little by little, the awkwardness was diminishing and for a small time, he could forget just who and what she was. A physician and an empath. One of Them. But one he was slowly beging to see as a friend.
"What is it?" she asked, poking at it with her fork.
At his impatient expression, she sighed and brought the fork to her lips. Hesitatingly, she took a bite and chewed. Slowly.
"Haggis." he explained. "It's a traditional dish from Scotland on Earth, made of sheep stomach and intestinal lining."
Mirana choked in mid-swallow, sensing her own stomach was about to do something very rude.
"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.
Mirana was saved form having to reply by the buzz of his commbadge.
< Sir, you've got a message from Stafleet Command coming in on a private channel. >
"I'll take it in my ready room." Colin sighed regretfully as he glanced in Mirana Keset's direction. She smiled wanly as she reached for a glass of water.
"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short." he apologized.
'That's quite alright." she said hurriedly. "I'll take a raincheck."
Colin nodded briskly and apologized once more, adjusting his tunic.
"If you'll excuse me, Doctor." he rose and left the messhall.
Mirana waited just long enough for the doors to slide shut behind him before she hastily deposited her tray in the trash receptacle.
***********
If you stared at a wall long enough, Naeve discovered, you could learn all sorts of things. For instance, if you connected the specks on the wall just above Captain Becker's head, the shape would greatly resemble the Big Dipper constellation.
".....as it stands, I'd like you to coordinate with the other departments."
Guiltily, Naeve brought her attention back to the Captain, realizing she hadn't heard a word he had said.
"Coordinate, sir?" she repeated lamely, hoping he hadn't caught her drifting off.
Colin frowned. "Yes, Lieutenant Commander. I can't stress enough how important this is. We'll be ferrying six ambassadors to the conference on Nekkar VII. Once we deposit them at thier destination, they're no longer our problem. But while they're onboard, the Admiralty has made it very clear that we are to accomadate them as much as possible."
"Of course, sir." Naeve said half heartedly. This was one assignment she wouldn't enjoy-jumping through hoops for the powers that be.
"You're in charge of accomadations-house the ambassadors and thier aides as you see fit. Coordinate with Commander O'Conner to arrange ship tours, entertainment and the like. And Mr. Sevril, keep them out of my hair."
Evidently, Colin Becker found this assignment as distastefuly as she, but he had the Captain's perogative to dump the responsibility and the headache on her. She hoped one day to have the opportunity to do likewise, but until then.....
"I understand, Sir." she sighed.
"Good. Here's our passenger list and thier demands-er-requirements." He handed her a PADD and bid her a good day.
Clearly dismissed, Naeve tucked several strands of unruly hair behind her ears and made her way to the bridge to relieve the Ops officer. Distractedly scanning the PADD for details, she stepped off the turbolift and onto Prometheus' control hub. As she perused the list of names, her eyes widened in dismay as one name in particular leaped out at her.
"Oh no." she said softly, knuckles white as she clutched the PADD. It took several moments before she realized the blond haired Ensign at Ops had been calling her name.
"Lieutenant Commander." she repeated insistently.
"What?" Naeve snapped, wrenching her eyes away from the PADD.
The Vulcan looked back at her reproachfully. "You have two priority messages from the planet Loron designated to your private channel. Shall I route them to my display?"
"No, T'Pek. All traffic from Loron goes to my quarters. To be read at my convenience. I could care less how it's flagged. Is that clear?" Naeve demanded.
"Yes. Sir." T'Pek replied stiffly, clearly offended by the other woman's tone.
"Good."Naeve continued, calmer. "Then you are relieved."
Naeve waited for the Ensign to stand, then slid into her seat, activating the Ops console. She tried to focus on her display, yet her eyes strayed repeatedly in the direction of the PADD. Damn, she cursed silently. Why now?
*********
Seyla Ta'quith stood calmly surveying the room from her corner, feet apart, hands clasped behind her back, her eyes riveted to the empty transporter PADD. To the casual observer, she looked relaxed, even bored as she waited for the Ensign at the control station to initiate transport. But inside, she was bursting with impatience, her senses on heightened alert. Turek had allowed her to take a prominent role in arranging for the ambassadors' safety while onboard Prometheus, and she had spent a great deal of time coordinating with each of thier personal security contingents. Althoug Starfleet did not expect any disruptions before or during the conference of Federaton worlds, one had to be prepared for any contingency. Terrorism, political assasination, kidnapping--Seyla had prepared her teams to respond to any eventuality. Not that she would allow anything to go wrong on her watch. Everything would run smoothly until they reached Nekar VII simply because she willed it.
She looked carefully around the small transporter room, eyeing all those who assembled there to greet the incoming arrivals. Turek was conversing in low tones with Commander O'Conner, whose expression indicated that they were having another one of thier ridiculous arguments that they seemed to relish so much. Next to them, the auburn haired medical doctor seemed bored, most likely by the details of the discussion she was forced to listen to. The sour looking chief engineering had already checked her chronometer several times, no doubt wishing she could retreat to her engine room. The doors slid open to admit Captain Becker, folowed closely by Lieutenant Commander Sevril . The blonde appeared ill at ease, her tone pleading as she spoke to the captain, clearly distressed. Although Seyla could not hear them clearly, Captain Becker's impatience with the human female was evident. He answered her brusquely, raising his voice and Seyla was able to hear his firm reply.
"No, you may not be excused, Mr. Sevril. Your place is here as my second officer."
He ignored her look of mute appeal, nodding his head in permission to the Ensign at the controls. Seyla's eyes brightened in anticipation when several patterns began to take shape on the transporter pads as atoms scrambled to reassemble themselves. The amabassador from Aquatia was surprisingly tall and slender, with almost androgynous morphology. She was clothed in shimmering silver cloth draped elaborately across her delicate body. Seyla had never seen someone so....green before. The ambassador's long dark green tresses spilled down her back and her emerald eyes sparkled with warmth as her lips curved upward in a smile. She lifted one webbed hand in greeting, her pale green skin damp and glistening. As she descended from the pad to clasp the captain's hand, her unsmiling security escorts followed closely behind. Seyla observed them with undisguised curiosity. Aquatians were a reclusive race, seldom venturing from thier watery home, not unlike thier cousins the Argoans. She had heard there was one or two in Starfleet, but she had never met one before today.
After introductions had been made, one of her security officers, Ensign Anthony Perotti, stepped forward to escort the newcomers to thier quarters. The Aquatians had one of the more spacious guest suites aboard Prometheus primarily in order to accomadate the large tank of salinated water that the science department had prepared for them. Aquatians required one hour of immersion in the specially treated water for every twelve hours spent on dry land to prevent organ damage from dessication.
The ambassador's party had barely exited the room before the next group materialized. The Saurian ambassador assessed her with his cold yellow eyes before stepping off the pad and turning his attention on Captain Becker. Although his reptilian features appeared menacing, particularly his toothy smile, he did his best to appear benevolent. This did little to reassure Ensign Simon Franklin, who swallowed nervously as he craned his neck at the silent body guards that surrounded the ambassador. They did little to discourage apprehension.
"If you'll follow me...."his voice trailed off uncertainly as they turned thier intense yellow gazes on him in unison.
The ambassador nodded, slowly, waving a hand to indicate he would follow where led, and his protectors filed in behind him as they left the room.
The ambassadors from Alpha Centauri and Halii arrived together, two silver haired men who looked remarkably similar. The man Seyla identified as the Haliian, due to the tell tale bony prominence on his forehead, had arrived without an entourage. To her surprise, he stated he felt perfectly safe using Prometheus' officers for protection. As Ensign Deera Ramalan led him from th eroom, Seyla wryly reminded herself that he most likely had psionic defences that worked equally well, if not better than a whole a security force. The pompous Alpha Centaurian, however, brought eight of his own guards with him, making it very clear he felt them vastly superiour to anything Starfleet had to offer. With a twinge of sympaty, she watched Ensign Kiri S'peth lead them away.
Seyla sensed a change in the assembled greeters as the next ambassadorial contingent materialized. A hushed anticipation descended over the group as it held its collective breath. The hairless figure which appeared before them was adorned in a floor length yellow robe, loose fitting and delicately embroidered. The material rustled slightly as the Deltan ambassador stepped off the pad to greet Captain Becker. His retinue of all male guards followed, smiling as they were introduced. Seyla scowled as she observed Ensign Alanna Kirkpatrick blush and stammer beneath thier gaze, immediately regretting her poor choice to assign a female to greet them. She would have to rectify the matter as soon as possible.
It was't until the Deltans had gone that the room visibly relaxed. They were still recovering from exposure to so many Deltan pheromones at once when the last ambassadorial contingent arrived. Selya noted Naeve Sevril's apprehension with puzzlement as six figures materialized. The ambassador from Loron swept past Seyla, her posture regally graceful as she came to a stop before the captain. Her expensively tailored cloak was a deep red color which complemented her fair complexion, and jewels glittered on her wrists and fingers. Her silvery blonde hair was elaborately coifed, and encircled prominently around her graceful neck was a choker bearing the crest of the Loronian royal family. Vaguely, Seyla recalled that Loron was a matriarchial society headed by a queen with a complicated and ancient nobility system.
"Welcome, Ambassador." Colin Becker greeted her. "Or do you prefer Dutchess?"
The woman laughed softly as she placed a hand on his arm. "At home, I am the Duchess of Argos. But here, I represent my people by the title of Ambassador."
"Very well, Ambassador. On behalf of Prometheus and her crew, I welcome you." He glanced quickly in Naeve's direction before continuing. "Ensign Karen Torros will escort you to your quarters."
The Ambassador turned to Naeve, as if just noticing her presence, and thier eyes met. The older woman looked at her sharply and Naeve could not quite mask her defiance as she gazed steadily back at her.
"I was hoping that perhaps your Operations officer might accompany us." she said quietly.
Before Naeve could rudely decline, Colin Becker smoothly interjected, "I am sure she would be delighted to."
Naeve flushed but managed a forced smile. "Yes. Of course."
"Excellent." The Ambassador seemed to relax slightly.
"If you would follow me, Ambassador."Naeve said formally, stepping towards the exit without bothering to see if she was being followed.
The crew watched with speculation as the Ambassador and her five guards fell in behind the Ops officer, wondering at her choice of escort. Colin Becker noted this and responded by clapping his hands together to distract them.
"Well, then. That's the lot of them. I expect you all to be on your best behavior until our guests depart. Any questions?"
************
Naeve paused outside the Loronian contingent's quarters and keyed in her security code. The doors slid open and the five silent guards entered, leaving Naeve alone with the older woman.
"If you need anything during your stay, don't hesitate to inform us. If there's nothing further, I must return to my station." Naeve's voice sounded remarkably calm to her ears.
"Are you planning on referring to me by my title the whole time I'm here?" Ambassador Kiera asked quietly.
"Yes. I prefer it that way." was the terse reply.
The woman's eyes fell on Naeve's pips and she sighed, unable to hide her distaste. "Then I will refer to you as...Lieutenant Commander. You didn't tell me you were promoted."
"You didn't ask." Naeve struggled to keep the bitterness out of her tone.
"I suppose I should congratulate you." Kiera said dryly.
Naeve did not reply to this. Instead, she changed the subject. "Is there anything you require before I leave you?"
"Is that all you have to say?"Kiera demanded in exasperation. "Do you know how many strings I pulled to have this particular ship assigned to escort us?"
Naeve's nostrils flared in disgust. The woman had manipulated events to suit her purposes, just as she always had. She was no different than Naeve remembered.
The ambassador sighed when her adversary remained silent. "You didn't return my messages."
"My apologies."Naeve replied in a tone that indicated she wasn't sorry at all. "I was busy."
"Ah, yes. Your Starfleet duties." she scoffed.
"I'm the second officer aboard this ship. I'm responsible for a great deal. I--" She stopped abruptly and bit her lip.
"Do not dare to speak to me of responsibilities." Kiera said quietly, her eyes condemning the younger woman where she stood. "Or loyalties."
"I am loyal." Naeve nearly bit the words off.
"Yes." Kiera readily agreed. " I can see you are quite loyal to your Federation organization. I was referring to Loron. You have obviously forgotten it in your ridiculous affinity for Starfleet."
"This is my career. My--" Naeve stopped herself again. "This is an old argument and one I do not have time to rehash right now. We're about to leave spacedock. I am needed on the bridge."
"Then go." Ambassador Kiera commanded. "By all means."
They locked gazes once more, neither speaking, neither moving, until Naeve broke the link between them. She nodded briskly, turned on her heel and marched away, her braid swinging defiantly behind her.
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