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Return to Ponia
Part 2

Voya was never one for passing out. She believed she was made of stronger
stuff. But when Chandos had said he was her Chosen she was out.

Next thing she knew she was in a small sheltered area. She looked around her
and spotted Chandos. “Jam tay kalim shonip, Chandos?” For a moment she was
stunned that she hadn’t spoken in English. She repeated, “How long have I
been asleep, Chandos?”

Chandos’ smile turned to a frown. “Why don’t you speak in our tongue,
chasa?”

“Because... I just don’t, okay? And don’t call me that. I’m not your love,
babe,” Voya responded with an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t come here for a
mate. All I want is to find some answers and then return home.”

Chuckling, the big man said to her, "You are home."

Sighing again she clarified, "The Reciprocity. It's my home. This is jsut
the place I was born!"

Chandos brought his eyebrows together and studied Voya carefully. She took
this time to study him also. He was big, bigger than a Klingon. At least
6’5”. He had dark hair and darker eyes. Chandos was not weak, that was for
sure. The man had biceps to spare!! His smile was killer and when he
laughed his eyes brimmed with happiness. ‘Dangerous combo, Voy. Watch out
or you might get stuck here,’ she tought to herself.

She stood up and brushed the dirt off of her pants. She had decided against
wearing a uniform and was instead wearing faded blue jeans and a black
tanktop. The weather certainly permitted it. Looking at her companion she
asked again, “How long have I
been asleep?”

Chandos also stood and answered, “Two hours. This leave us an hour of light
left. We can make it to the village by then.”

He started walking and Voya grabbed her bag and ran after him. When they
entered the village she was stunned. These people had technology, and it was
apparent by all the consoles and such, yet they lived in teepee like
structures. She followed Chandos into
one of these ‘houses’ and had to stand still while her eyes adjusted to the
lack of light. This left to momentarily vulnerable and she didn’t like that.

When her eyes were accostumed to the dim interior she looked around. There
was a pile of furs in own corner which she later discovered to be the
sleeping mat. A small fire pit in the center of the room and a small
computer console were the only other things in the small hut.

While looking around she asked,“Why do you live like this? You have
technology yet you don’t live in houses. You could live in comfort but
you... What’s so funny?”

Laughing his butt off, Chandos said, “We live the ways of the elders, chasa.
Don’t you remeber anything of our people?” When he saw her expression, he
quickly sobered. “Our people have lived this way for all time. We are closer
to the Spirit that way. We may have technology but we are still one small
piece of the larger part. If we change too much than we may disturb the
greater.”

Voya sighed, she seemed to do that alot lately, and said, “All I know is that
there was a war of some kind and I was sent into space with my caretaker.
She died and a couple, the Blades, adopted me. They raised me as their
daughter and didn’t tell me anything until
my fath... Devlin Blade was dying.”

“Our people were in a great war, chasa,” he answered soothingly. He walked
to her and held her in a loose embrace. “I can show you if you wish.”

Voya pulled back. “How?”

Chandos smiled, “You have been gone a long time, babe.” He said the last
word as though he had never said it before. He then placed a hand on her
forehead and closed his eyes. Voya’s own eyes drifted shut and she was
assaulted with memories.

As soon as Chandos broke the link he had created, he had to catch Voya before
she fell to the ground. Chuckling he layed her on the furs and began to
undress her. “You have much to learn, chasa.”

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Return to Ponia
Part 3

Assistant Medical Officer’s Logs
Personal
SD: 60003.07

I spent my first night on Ponia dancing of all things! Chandos and his...
our people insisted I join in at the celebration of my return. They called
it my Ponia nem Chompop, or my Return to Ponia. It was... fun.

I learn more about the link that Chandos had created between us last night.
It is called a Coom te Temmy. That means Finding the Lost. Its a special
link that helps a person remember memories they had long forgotten or
suppressed. The first four years of my
life had been given to Chandos by my child self so that he would never forget
me. And now the problem is... Well, he won’t forget me.

I’ll have to deal with that later, though. Right now I have other fish to
fry. Like making everyone here understand that I don’t want to stay. Only
the teenagers seem to understand my desire to return to the Reciprocity. The
adults on the other hand think
that the Spirit, their equivalent of the Christian God, has brought me back
to stay.

Another problem is a boy, Ossian. He is a very intelligent young man of
about ten years. And he wants to come with me. I’ll solve that problem in
good time.

*End Log*

***

Voya need time and quiet to absorb all her memories. And all the information
she had finally gotten out of Chandos. It seemed she had a sixth sense. She
could tell when something was wrong or out of place or when something bad was
about to happen.

Ossian ran up beside her and started walking with her in the direction of the
river. The two stayed in complete silence for a good half hour until Oz, as
Voya had taken to call him, broke the silence.

“When are we leaving?”

Voya gave the boy an annoyed look. “We aren’t leaving. I am leaving in two
days.”

Oz’s face fell and muttered, “I don’t like Ponia. There isn’t any room to
move. I try to lean this way and the Spirit disapproves. I try to go
another way and the Spirit is angered. I have to get off of this rock before
I go mad, Voy. I have to!”

They lapsed into silence until they reached the river bank. Then Voya said,
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you with me if you do two things for me.”
When Voya looked at him, Oz was smiling brightly and nodding so hard and
fast, his head was in danger of
falling off.

She smiled herself and finished, “First, you have to help me find a way to
get out of this marriage shit. I don’t need a husband, not now and not ever.
Second,” she smiled softly. “Second, you have to join Starfleet and stun
all of the professors with what you can do. You’ll be one of the greatest
engineers in Federation.”

Oz thought for a moment. Then he nodded, a bit more gently but just as
enthusiastically. “The first will be easy,” he said. “You just have to say
you have another mate. Then Chandos will have to find another to spend his
life with.”

Voya gave him another annoyed glance and responded, “Were you just here when
I said I don’t need a husband? Or was I imagining things?”

Rolling his eyes, Oz sighed in a good imitation of Voya, “That’s the only way
you can get out of it, babe. Unless you want to marry Chandos. Forced
marriages have happened before, you know.”

And the little jerk walked away.

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Return to Ponia
Part 4

That night, Voya confronted Chandos. She had thought the entire afternoon
about who she would claim was her mate. She had first thought about using
one of the Reci’s crewmen. She decided against that when the picture of her
and Shane married had popped into her head. It had taken her an hour to stop
laughing. They would kill eachother within a week if they ever got together!

She had then come up with the perfect person. No one. She decided that she
would pick a name out of her proverbial hat if Chandos or anyone else asked.

When she told Chandos that she already had a mate, she expected him to rant
and rave like any self-respecting Terran would have done. When he calmly
accepted it she was stunned into remembering that he wasn't Terran. ‘This
leaving thing shouldn't be as hard
as I thought,’ she figured with a smile.

***

But of course, it wasn't. Voya discovered that the trouble would come in
trying to leave Ponia with Oz. It seemed that the Ponians didn't like losing
their only resource, their children.

Since the war, children had become treasures to their parents because they
were the future for Ponia. Many men and women had died fighting for their
freedom from the Goom-tashi. Voya had yet to remember the meaning of the
word but it was known that
they took everyone they found useful. When the war was over many of the
survivors had to depend on their children or their relatives or neighbors
children. Not even the children had been safe from the Goom-tashi.

When Voya suggested that Ossian go with her, she almost found herself at the
wrong end of a noose. She met with Oz by the river later that night to
discuss the game plan.

“Its simple,” was the teenager's exasperating statement.

Voya rolled her eyes and said, “Now, if it was sooooo simple, babe, how come
we're both still here. Let me ask you something. These people love you,
have always cared about what trouble you got into and...” She stopped and
realized she was explaining the Blades as well as the Ponians.

Oz looked at her curiously and asked, “I don't know what your question is. I
have mental capabilities beyond your Terran people but I'm not a mind
reader.”

Voya shook her head to clear it. “Why would you want to leave your people?
They're not that bad.”

“Why do you want to leave them? They are your people, too, you know.”

“I was raised as a Terran. Its the only way I know. I could be told about
our people's rituals and customs a million times over but... There a saying
on Earth. ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it.’
It means that you can teach a person
something but you can't make them accept it. I know who and where my people
are. I know that I can come back and visit them. But I also know that the
Ponian ways will never be my ways. Now, quit dodging the question and tell
me why you want to leave.”

Oz grinned sheepishly and blushed. When he looked up he answered, “I don't
belong here. My entire life I have felt as though there is something else I
should be doing. Other things I need to see and learn and other people I
need to meet and talk to. I have
been told my entire life that I cannot leave Ponia because it is not the
destiny that the Spirit planned for me. I want to control my own destiny.”

Voya smiled. “So start controlling it now and tell me this simple way to get
you off this rock.”

He shrugged and replied, “I'll write a note to my parents telling them that I
had to leave and I will return. Than I will hide on your shuttle until we
are out of orbit.”

Chandos appeared from behind a tree and suggested, “What happens if you are
found on the shuttle?”

Two stunned pairs of brown eyes whipped around to face him. Voya groaned a
not so quite, “parkhest” and Oz wished desperately for the planet to swallow
him whole. And Chandos? He laughed!

“Don't worry. I won't give you away. I will, in fact, help you. Whereas
your plan is a good one... Oz is it now?” After receiving what might pass as
a nod, Chandos continued, “Your plan is very nice plan it will fail if your
parents find the note before she leaves.
That would lead to a search of her vessel and you being found. That is why
you are going to put the note in sealed envelope and give it to me to give to
your family after your are both safely away form here.”

Voya glared at him speculatively. “And what do you get in return, babe?”

The giant nodded approvingly, “You must both promise to come back to Ponia
occasionally. That is all I want.”

***

Oz was hidden in a storage compartment and Chandos was waiting for Voya to
say good-bye to all the friends she had made on her short stay. When she
reached him she smirked what everyone on the Reci knew as her
smart-alek-smirk. <<Adam got me for
swearing so...>>

She looked up and sighed. “You're a good man, Chandos. Someday you'll meet
the perfect person for you. She'll be proud and strong and always keep you
on your toes.” She looked thoughtful for a moment and than grinned
ironically, “Maybe you should come with me. KD would be perfect for you.”

Chandos chuckled and shook his head. Voya just shrugged and said, “Qapla,
jup. That means Good-bye, friend.”

He nodded his head and said, “Poltish goomtay, zann. This means ‘Til our
next meeting, babe. Zann is the closest our language will come, anyway.”
Chandos smiled and ushered her into her shuttle. “I am sure this Shane
Reikson you have spoken of wishes for the
return of one of his... What did you call it? His only attempt at a love
life? I still don't understand why you say things that mean you dislike him
but you say them as if he is a close friend. It is the same with the ones
called Hawke, KD, KorotH, Adam, and Ellahandra.”

Voya chuckled and responded simply, “Its a human thing.”

The shuttle left without further problems and a day later Oz and Voya docked
the shuttle and were soon intercepted by KD. She told Voya that she was
happy the younger woman had returned and started asking tons of questions
about Oz.

“How long is he staying?”

“I hope permanently.” She smirked smartly, “You have your pet, why can't I
have mine?”

“When you gonna tell the captain that he's here? By the way, what's his
name?”

Voya turned around to face her friend. “I'm going to ask the captain if he
can stay as soon as I get him settle into my quarters. His name is Ossian
but I call him Oz. Now, why don't you make my life easier and take him to my
quarters for me. You can interrogate the poor boy on your way there.”

KD just grinned and took Oz by the arm. He was too busy eyeballing her chest
to answer any of the questions beyond an incoherent mumbling sound. Voya
shook her head, grinning, and headed for the captain's ready room, where the
computer indicated he was.

~THE END~

BTW, Jared. Can I keep him??? PLEASE!!!! I promise to take real good care
of him.

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Following the simulated destruction of the Reciprocity in a training
exercise, the Doctor resolved to get as prepared as possible for potential
conflicts with the species known in the Kinloo System as the Dark Ones.
Little was known of this race, except for their sophisticated cloaking
technology and
the reputedly large size of their battlefleet.
Fvierrolh was disturbed by the results of the simulation and he wanted to do
all in his power to prevent their occurrence in real life. He knew well what
it was like to be on a doomed ship: He could vividly remember the horror of
the destruction of the Thrai, the Bird of Prey he had served on many years
ago, in his first tour of duty in the Imperial Fleet. The ship had lost her
bridge with the entire command staff in an attack by Orion
pirates and was scuttled upon her return to space dock, so extensive had been
the damage.
After all these years, Fvierrolh occasionally suffered vivid nightmares of
the disaster . He had such a dream the night after the latest training sim.
The Doctor was grimly aware that even as a medical officer he might have to
temporarily assume command some day if a similar disaster were to befall the
Reciprocity. As a result, throughout the week, Fvierrolh painstakingly spent
all his free time in the holodeck practicing combat maneuvers and
at the computer terminal in his office, poring over records of first contact
situations gone bad. The Reciprocity must not end up like the Thrai..

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Personal Log
Lt KDaana
ASCI Officer

KDaana sits on the sofa in her quarters hugging her knees. The room is in
total darkness. Her eyes stare out the tiny viewport at the stars and thin
streaks of tears stain her cheeks. She is oblivious to the salty drops as
her mind reels from the shocks she has received this day. Pain lances
through the heart she has guarded so closely and the loneliness of the empty
nights to come feels like a terrible burning
inside her chest. Trained as a warrior to never show pain or weakness, she
was able to conceal her distress over what she heard and saw while in the
presence of others. Now, in the privacy of her dark quarters, the female
within the warrior can grieve. Silent sobs wrack her body as her defenses
collapse. Tomorrow, she will again be the warrior...strong, efficient, in
control. Tonight, she is just alone...and in pain.

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The next series of story-logs will feature a couple characters I made up a
while ago. See my previous story, "Estranged Past" for references. Time table
for this entire story should have taken place a little while ago, over the
course of a single week or maybe more, despite how long it might take to
complete it.

Searching for Answers
Part 1

You'd be surprised how many things in life could still surprise you. An
unexpected party for your birthday, an ambush of an enemy force on your away
team...but facing a court martial on trumped-up charges took the cake.
Kevyn Sanders leaned against a bulkhead on the freighter Derra. His once
cheerful face was lined with worry wrinkles and his chin showed several
week's worth of not shaving. Beside him, leaning on the same bulkhead, was
his only remaining friend in the galaxy.
"Shavic," breathed Daniel Reikson. "Almost eight weeks on the search and we
still haven't found a trace."
"The organization has big coverage, it would seem," Vyn replied. "Those
bastards sure are thorough."
Almost a year earlier, the men were content as officers serving for
Starfleet. There had been a third member of their merry little band, Shane
Thompson. Together the three of them had gone on a covert scouting mission to
Turkana IV. There they had recovered one of the native boys and transported
him back to their ship, the Mariposa. Since they were supposed to go
incognito, they had chartered the civilian shuttle. Little did they know that
the pilot travelling with them was no civie.
He'd told them he was known as Sloan, and worked as an agent of the
Federation. Later, in the stillness of the night, Sloan had somehow spirited
the boy away somewhere. Since then, their careers had gone down the tube.
Throught the rest of their off-duty time they had searched every database
they knew, used up all of their favors. Thompson was killed in a mysterious
accident after unearthing reportedly important data; and before their
court-martial, they had also come very close to unearthing the conspiracy
behind the infamous Section 31 and the young adult they had taken in, named
after his discoverers.
Shane Kevyn Reikson.

Searching for Answers
Part 2

The Derra sliced through the vaccum of space in the Bajoran Sector, steadily
tracing an ion trail. Several parsecs before them lay the Bajoran System, and
beyond that Deep Space Nine and the renowned Bajoran Wormhole.
In the cramped cockpit, Daniel Reikson was curled up in one of the main
chairs, keeping half an eye on the sensors while he paged through a datapad.
The information on the padd listed statistics, crew assignments, and patrol
routes for most of the ships in this sector. Tedious to be sure, but the
information held one of the only links to the end of their search.
"Find anything?" asked a quiet voice from the doorway. Reikson spun around
to find Vyn slouching in the doorway, sporting the dark circles of fatigue
that had become almost the only constant they could count on.
Reikson held up the indicated pad. "We have the patrol routes of pretty much
all the ships in this quadrant and the ones through the wormhole. Combined
with the data Shane got to us before he died, I think our boy got posted to
one of the ships patrolling the Gamma Quad."
Vyn reached the for the padd and examined it while Reikson double-checked
their course. "Lesse...we have the Defiant, loosely scouting the Gamma but
mostly attatched to DS9. The Reciprocity, that's in the deep, unexplored
space. There's also the Hornet, its on a routine patrol of the relays we --
_Starfleet_ posted. The Darmok is nearby in Cardassian space."
Reikson shook his head, "I have friends on the Darmok and the Hornet. The
kid's not there, nobody matches his description."
"There's several Vulcan survey ships over in the Gamma also."
"Pity Shane's dead, he had a lot of contacts with the Vulcan survey teams,"
Reikson murmured.
"Suspicious how that shuttle just happened to crash just as Thompson was
about to bring us the more sensitive data we could have used," Vyn said.
"I think it's obvious we were sabatoged," Reikson retorted. "Let's not stray
from the topic. We have the Vulcan ships, the Defiant, and the Reci."
Vyn covered his eyes and randomly jabbed towards the padd. Whe his fingers
tapped the screen he opened his eyes and looked towards his "choice".
Daniel switched the terminal off and set a course on the freighter's
nav-comp. "Were heading for the Gamma Quad. Next stop, the Reciprocity."

Searching for Answers
Part 3

"I'm telling you...I'm looking for the ISS Reciprocity!" Vyn barked at the
figure before him.
The figure before him shook his head adamantly. "We know of no such ship.
Access to Aslan Heirate Space is strictly forbidden. Turn around at once or
be destroyed."
Quickly sending a confirmation, Vyn set a new trajectory which would take
them around a huge cluster of star systems one of the native alien species
had staked a territory. Once the comm transmissions had been terminated, he
quickly let loose a string of curses in several languages he knew, going
especially heavy on the Klingon.
"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" yawned the figure by the door.
Reikson lifted a hand to hide a yawn, then pointed towards the viewscreen.
"Meeting didn't go well?"
Picking up a padd and checkmarking a small item, Vyn was slow in responding.
"It's one thing to choose a ship to look for. It's another to _find_ the
blasted thing."
Reikson sat down at the sensor station and started scanning the region.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"Somewhere in the Dinalon system," Vyn said after checking the star charts.
"I think this is near one of the Reci's patrol routes."
"I'm detecting an ion trail through here, and enough tetryon radiation to
indicate an artificial quantum singularity drive," Reikson reported. "The
ship's supposed to be of Romulan construction, part of their propulsion must
still use an AQS."
"How old's the trail?"
"A couple of months," was the reply.
Vyn thought for a moment and then plugged several inputs into the computer.
Moments later a sector grid-map appeared on the viewscreen with five boxes of
sectors outlined. "At warp 5 and this amount of time, the ship could be in
any one of these sectors. Assuming, of course, that they made only minor
deviations to their flight plan."
"Let's go for the one nearest to our present location." Reikson tapped a
button on his console and zoomed in on the fifth sector. "The Kinloo system."
"That system's not rated contact-safe. I doubt the Reciprocity would violate
the Prime Directive," Vyn pointed out. But he turned and set a course for the
system anyway, hoping to find a newer trail.

Several hours later, they'd arrived at the system and found a fresh ion
trail, including a concentration that suggested an orbit around one of the
Kinloo planets, class M. From there they hopped from star to star, and
finally found what they were looking for.
"Look's like a normal Warbird to me," Reikson commented. "I don't see what
all the fuss is about it being a mix of designs."
"She's not moving very fast, looks like three-quarters impulse," Vyn
reported. "They might be doing surveys."
"Let's find out if the kid's really on board," Reikson said. He moved to
open a channel to the ship.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Vyn.
Reikson tapped the button to finish his sequence of commands. "I'm knocking
the door."
~This is Daniel Reikson on the freighter Derra to the ISS Reciprocity.
Please respond~

This part takes some liberties concerning...a certain crewmember who never
needs to sleep. To minimize other involvement, the rest of you sleepyheads
are...asleep. Unless of course you're suffering from insomnia and are awake
at 3 a.m., Standard Federation Time.
Anyhoo...

Searching for Answers
Part 4

Night shift was always a bore. At least, that's how Lt. Gatterweld thought
of it. For some reason all of the exciting things that happened on board the
ship seemed to be focused during the times when the alpha shift crewmembers
were always on station.
He looked to his left from the Command Chair (aka "Comfy Chair"). Commander
Android was currently in the captain's ready room, giving Gatterweld the
command for the third time in the week. The lieutenant suspected the
Commander liked to have solitude every now and then.
"Sir," Ensign Pierce at Ops called out, "Transmission coming in from a ship.
It just entered our sensor range."
Translation, Gatterweld thought, the ensign wasn't paying attention to his
board until the comm signal lit up. "Source?"
"Er...a small freighter sir. They're transmitting another signal, audio
only."
Gatterweld hit his commbadge, "Commander to the bridge." He half turned as
the ready room doors slid open. "Pipe it in, Pierce."
~This is Daniel Reikson on the freighter Derra to the ISS Reciprocity.
Please respond ~
Adam glanced towards the viewscreen reflexively as the transmission came
through. Moments later, he'd vacated Gatterweld from The Chair and initiated
a response. "This is the ISS Reciprocity, Commander Adam Android responding.
Mr. Reikson is it? Any relation to Shane Reikson?"
The voice on the other end was a long time in responding. ~Er...not exactly
related. But I'm pretty sure he knows me. I hope. ~
"Sir, the sensors register two life-forms on the Derra," Pierce reported.
Adam gave a slight nod in confirmation, then turned his attention back to
the exchange. "May I inquire as to the nature of your visit?"
~Mr. Sanders and myself were just dropping by to look in on the kid. We, ah,
we're old aquaintances of his. ~
"Sir, I have background checks on the names," the current Tactical officer
reported.
"Let's hear it, "Adam replied.
"Daniel Reikson and Kevyn Sanders are ex-Starfleet officers. There are
standing orders from High Command to detain them at first chance and turn
them over to HQ," was the reply.
"For what?" Adam asked, slightly confused.
The Lieutenant checked his board, "Uh...it just mentions 'High Treason',
sir."
Adam frowned. He hadn't heard anything from Starfleet Command about this,
which might have meant Starfleet didn't want the news that widespread. There
was something interesting going on. He made a decision. "Put a tractor beam
on the freighter and beam the two to the brig. Under guard we'll let them
have a little chat with Mr. Reikson..."

Searching for Answers
Part 5

Shane Reikson was human. That couldn't be disproved since he looked human,
he sounded human, and it could be assumed his parents were human. Acting like
a human...that was questionable. Without proper role models in his life he
was still unaccustomed to certain cultural assumptions that many humans took
for granted.
Still, like almost every human, Shane sometimes enjoyed the eight or so
hours he was permitted to lapse into unconsciousness. And like_every_person,
he was somewhat irritable when his sleep was disturbed. Still, Shane gave an
impression to most people that he was irritable at all times, enough that
when Adam had called him in the middle of the night with news that some
people wanted to talk with him, the tone of his voice sounded no different as
he
gave a gruff acknowledgment.
In spite of being woken up in the middle of the night, Shane didn't look the
part. His uniform was perfectly creased and his eyes were alert as he walked
down the corridor to the brig. He greeted the security guard on duty with a
nod before he turned and faced the two figures in the cell.
He scanned them both briefly and clasped his hands behind his back.
"greetings," he said simply. "can i help you?"
One of the men in the cell simply stared at him. The other walked up to the
edge of the field but stopped just short. "Hey, kid, don't you recognize us?"
he asked.
Shane narrowed his eyes slightly. "of course. you are daniel reikson and
kevyn sanders, there are standing orders from starfleet command and from
intelligence to detain you." But even as he said the cold words, neutral in
tone, there was a brief flicker of...something in the back of Shane's mind.
He quickly dismissed the odd feeling.
Reikson's face fell. "There's more to that story, kid -- er, Shane," he
proclaimed sorrowfully. He seemed to stumble over the last word slightly,
Shane noticed.
From the small ledge that served as his bed, Vyn glared at him. "What did
they do to you?"
Shane had a pretty good idea who "they" was and his eyes narrowed. He half
turned to the security guard behind him. "Ensign, you're dissmissed." Once
the guard had exited the room, Shane turned his attention back to the people
in front of him. "If you are referring to Section 31, they did nothing more
than prepare me in the task of protecting the Federation."
Again, there was a small flicker in the back of his mind. This time, it was
stronger and an image surfaced briefly in his consciousness.
Reikson shook his head mournfully. "I think they did do something to you.
From your service records, you have a pretty sharp memory. You wouldn't
forget us that easily."
The image flashed by again, a bit slower, and Shane could make out a memory
of being on a planet.
Vyn glanced at Reikson, both of them had caught the momentary stillness in
Shane's gaze. "It was nearly two years ago..."
Turkana IV. He was back on Turkana IV. He'd remembered being chased by a
group of thugs for stealing from one of the crimelord's caches.
He shook his head, he was showing weakness before the Federation's enemies.
But were they really enemies?
Both men watched as Shane's gaze defocused and focused again. "We rescued
you from this huge mob. You, in turn, rescued us from their retaliation.
Remember?"
There was a brief flash of another memory, three men standing before him.
Two of them were younger versions of the men before him, in the cell. The
third...
"There were three of us," Vyn said. "Me, Reikson over there, and..."
"shane thompson," Shane finished for him. "i..."
Something fell over the suddenly crystal-clear memory. Shane immediately
recognized it as his mind's instinct to destroy all traces of his past, an
instinct planted in him by Section 31. They_had_warped his mind, to use him
as nothing more than a tool. Even cutting himself off from the Organization
had not released him from its clutches. He quickly set to work trying to
block the advances of his "erasure" instincts.
Reikson and Vyn exchanged glances as Shane grabbed at the sides of his head,
fighting a battle in which neither of them could assist.
"Fight it, kid," Reikson whispered.
Inside his own head, Shane was succeeding in overcoming the instincts that
had plagued his mind. More and more he destroyed its influence from his mind,
uncovering more and more memories that had been supressed and almost
destroyed by Section 31 biotechnicians. He saw fragments of his life, of his
training.
An intelligence gathering operation on Qo'nos. Flash-imprinting processes
that poured gigaquads of information into his memory and inserted hidden
commands along with them. Hand-to-hand combat training. Starfighter tactics
and piloting simulations. Being woken up from sleep on the shuttle Mariposa
and brought to another ship by a man named Sloan. His first meeting with the
three offworlders. Raiding several caches for necessary life-giving
supplies. Watching a vengeful crimelord's henchmen brutally murder his mentor
and guardian, and not much before that.
He found and eradicated much of the hidden commands planted within him, but
he couldn't get the last one immediately. It managed to send a spark of pain
through him just as he cleared it from his head.
The two men watched as Shane suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed to the
ground. They stared at each other as the security guards rushed back into the
room.
"Is this a good thing?" Vyn asked.

Searching for Answers
Part 6

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings..."
Darkness. There was darkness everywhere.
"There are times when you have to open up to the world, don't place yourself
in an empty shell..."
No sound. No light. No thought.
"You are here...to protect your fellow citizens..."
Well except for those strange thoughts...
"You are all agents of the Federation. Your task coincides with ours:
protect the Federation...at...all...costs..."
What were these strange voices?
"What have they_done_to you?"
The voices...they wouldn't stop.
"Wake up, Shane..."
They won't stop. Why won't they stop?
"Sir, can you hear me?"
Stop it! Stop it now!
"Wake up, sir..."
Stop. Stop stop stop stop stop!
"Wake up!"

Shane's eyes snapped open. He found himself staring at the ceiling and the
globe of lights currently focused on his face. He snapped his eyes shut out
of reflex but opened them again, staring slightly off to the side this time.
There was an ensign standing at his side. She was currently leaning forward,
waving her hand slightly to get his attention. "Sir?" she asked, "are you
feeling alright?"
Shane immediately rose to a sitting position and swung his legs over the
side of the biobed he'd been laying on. He glanced at the young doctor, "what
has occured?"
"Uh, the security guards apparently heard a noise while you were questioning
our 'guests'. They ran in, found you unconscious, and rushed you to sickbay."
Shane matched the previous events with what he was experiencing now, but
found a slight discrepancy in time. He turned to the nurse again, "how long
have i been out?"
She glanced at a small chronometer displayed on her terminal. "No more than
twelve minutes."
Shane hopped off the biobed, "i will be off, then."
The nurse walked towards him as he made a beeline for the doorway. "Sir, you
haven't been cleared yet! We still have to run some tests on you!"
Had she been looking intently at the lieutenant, she might have seen Shane
almost imperceptibly shudder.
Shane looked over his shoulder and briefly scanned the ensign. He sighed in
relief under his breath and continued out the door. It_wasn't_the test-happy
romulan doctor, too short...he was still safe. Once out of sickbay and away
from the insistant ensign, he quickly walked down the corridor in search of a
turbolift.

Minutes later, Shane was back in front of the brig, the same position he was
in before.
"Are you alright?" a concerned Reikson asked him.
Shane nodded. "if you do not know already, i too am a fugitive of section 31
at the moment. i have attempted to right certain wrongs commited by the
organization. i've tried eliminating the subliminal commands they've planted
in my mind -- having been instructed in removing foreign influences is a
handy trick, the organization actually intended it for resisting
interrogation drugs and the likes -- but i can't be sure i've gotten them
all.
"either way, i don't believe it would be wise for you to remain here."
Vyn snorted and made a gesture to take in the whole of the brig. "Kinda
obvious from where we're standing."
Reikson shushed his partner and looked Shane square in the eye. "Are you
turning us over to the org?"
Shane brought his hands forward and crossed his arms. "i have made a
decision."

Searching for Answers
Part 7

"Let's see if I understand this straight." an elderly man in the uniform of
a Starfleet Admiral walked down the corridors of the Reciprocity at a
leisurely pace. "Two prisoners somehow bypassed a level four security field,
waltzed through the Reci without being detected or reported, and managed to
board an escape pod and got away scott-free."
The younger man beside him simply nodded. "the, ah, escapees had timed their
pod launch to coincide with a shuttle test i had scheduled," Shane carefully
explained. "as for the field, it would appear that they were assisted. our
security chief found a reflective field-inhibitor placed on one of the shield
emitters."
"So the field shorted out and the prisoners escaped?" asked current head of
Starfleet Security, Vice-Admiral Rollins.
"correct, sir," affirmed the young Lieutenant.
"About this assistance..." Rollins paused slightly to angle his head and
stare Shane straight in the face.
Shane's face, as ever, was a mask of stone as he regarded the senior officer
right back. "my loyalties lie to the federation and to the ideals it upholds,
sir." Rollins though he might have detected a bit of sarcasm in the last word
the junior officer spoke. "whatever the circumstances, i will do my best to
enforce what is right."
The conviction in Shane's voice, and the fact that the unnerving way his
eyes bored into Rollins' was enough to set the admiral back to his walk.
"Very good," he announced. "I never doubted it."
Rollins walked forward once more, Shane trailing respectfully behind him.
"The investigation board will not be pleased by your testimony," he said
icily. "If what you say is true, then we may have a hostile agent bent on
forming an uprising against the Federation." He cast his head back to look at
Shane. "You could say...this is a threat to the Federation."
Shane's eyes flashed briefly, with annoyance or anger, Rollins couldn't
tell. "i would say that you require my services no longer. reikson and
sanders...are of no consequence. you should let them go."
Rollins smiled slightly, one full of malice. "We'll see what the Board have
to say with a little_influence_and my report on your involvement."
Shane's eyes flashed again. Anger, definitely white-hot fury. "though i am
no longer affiliated with the organization, i still have some, ah, friends of
my own. i will see to it that you never make that report to implicate a move
that would harm_anyone_on this ship. unless..."
Rollins narrowed his eyes. "Unless?"
"you can give me a definite reason why daniel reikson, kevyn sanders, and
shane thompson were expelled from starfleet and branded as traitors."
Rollins opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and closed
it. His eyes projected their own fury to Shane as he wordlessly handed the
padd with his report to the Lieutenant.
As Rollins angrily stomped off, Shane sent a quick communique to clear his
ship for launch and left for his quarter feeling, oddly, regretful.
He shook his head and cleared the emotion from his head. He needed to make a
few calls and tag a few friends to make sure the Admiral kept his word.

Epilogue

"Are you sure he won't get into trouble for this?" Vyn asked Reikson.
The two were cruising somewhere through Bajoran space on an aging freighter
which should have been sitting on a scrapyard somewhere.
"He said he had everything covered, or it was going to be..." replied
Reikson, currently focused on maintaining the integrity of the antimatter
injectors.
Vyn wasn't convinced. "How can a little kid like that protect himself if
we-"
"He has resources," Reikson interrupted. "Show a little more faith. He knows
what he's doing, and what the consequences are if he screws up. At best, he
gets demoted..."
"I think he explained that since since Section 31 didn't really have him to
spy on the Reci and the Gamma Quad in general, he didn't really need to rise
to such a high position," Vyn interjected.
"At worst he gets court-martialed and/or executed," Reikson finished.
"Ouch."
"You think this is the last we'll see of him?" Reikson asked quietly.
"..."
"Me to. Now, where were we?"
"Uh, I think the kid told us to get to Bajor, find a couple of sympathetic
monks..."

Shane stared out the viewport at the side of his room. Somewhere, out there,
there was the cause of a majority of his suffering. But it was also the
source of all his achievements.
And he would never, ever, see them again...

THE END

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Personal Log
FstLt. Cannon Hawke
Cheif Intel Officer
Stardate 10003.22
ISS Reciprocity

Cannon Hawke sat upright in the attic of the barn the away team sought
refuge in. He had volenteered to be first watch as Rolly and Koroth slept.
The barn was reletively warm compared to the blazing storm outside, but being
in hiding did not please Hawke. Cannon was the type to be in control of
things, but now he was at the mercy of the raging storm as well as any aliens
that decided to check on the animals. Such uncertainty didn't go well with
Cannon, who was now creeping below to observe the barn animals.
Most of the creatures were of the same species, resembling a goat but much
hairier and plumper. They gave off a distasteful stench, which was probably
where the warmth was emitting from. Passing the animals, Hawke peeked
outside into the storm, which was still raging full force. The away team
would not be able to conduct more observations until the storm passes. In
addition, to get back to the Reciprocity, they would have to hike back to the
shuttle; no transport could be made in order to preserve the Prime Directive.
However, Hawke thought, if the inhabitants were found to be non-native to the
planet, the Reciprocity could potentially beam the AT up.

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Fveirrolh glanced from side to side, taking in the strange, alien scenery.
Amazing, he thought. It did resemble his homeland in many ways, but the flora
and fauna were quite different, although they were equally well adapted to a
hot, dry climate. The Romulan doctor found the plants they called "cactus" to
be particularly interesting, with their sharp spines and the numerous desert
animals
inhabiting their hollow parts. Fveirrolh shook his head; this would be no
time for sightseeing. That wasn't really what this holodeck program was
about.
The Romulan walked up to the quaint, rickety building labeled "Tin Horn
Saloon". On the outside of the building there was a wooden Romulan. The
doctor shook his head; he knew that detail wasn't quite right somehow.
Chuckling, he ambled through the saloon doors and looked around.
Inside the saloon was a mixture of scruffy-looking humans dressed in
primitive garb. Almost all of them were wearing primitive metal sidearms. A
few of them were playing some kind of card game in a corner, alternately
swearing and laughing. A man with a funny round hat sat playing a large,
rectangular, tinny-sounding instrument that Fveirrolh didn't care for one
bit.
Fveirrohl walked straight to the back of the room to the bar, where a
balding, mustached human with old-fashioned spectacles stood pouring
watered-down whiskey. "What's your poison, stranger?", the bartender asked.
"I don't drink...anymore", Fveirrolh replied, frowning at the loss of his
favorite vice. "This
stuff ain't real nohow, it's a holograph", the barman explained, pouring the
doctor a glass. "Good point...much obliged then....pardner?", said Fveirrolh,
gratefully taking the glass. "There's someone I'm looking for, you seen this
omelet?" Fveirrohl produced a wanted poster of an evil-looking Romulan. "Uh,
that's 'hombre', stranger...an' yup, I seen him.
He's one bad varmint, eh?" "Oh yeah, you betcha, pard, you ain't whistlin'
Ditsy", Fveirroh said. The poster read: "Hatham...wanted dead or alive"...
TBC

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Questions and Answers
an impromptu interview with
The Android

Joint Log, Stardate 60004.01
Captain Adam Android and Lieutenant KDaana
conducted in I.M.

The Android Captain had taken some rare time away from the Bridge to spend
some time contemplating in the Arboretum. He wandered aimlessly, allowing
his positronic net some time to process all the recent events.
Lieutenant KDaana was walking in the Arboretum. She enjoyed the fact that
the Reciprocity was so large, the Arboretum stretched for a thousand feet
down the length of the ship. It granted the freedom to Federation designers
during its upgrade to incorporate an almost wilderness setting that reminded
her of her Realm.
She was returning from her stroll to find Captain Android staring
motionless into a tubular flower which hung from a tree. "Captain? Are you
allright?"
The android twitched slightly, then turned to regard the Tuathan
Lieutenant, "Uh ... huh?"
KDaana smiled. "Daydreaming, Sir?"
Adam tilted his head and regarded the woman. "Yes, I suppose I was."
Suddenly the scientist in her kicked in. She had been wondering about
their android leader. She asked, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a few
questions?"
"Not at all, Lieutenant."
"Do you get itchies?" She smiled as she realized the Captain was going to
think she tends to blurt out questions that pop into her somewhat quirky
head.
The android made no expression as he began to answer. "Occassionally
certain areas of my synthetic epidermis develop an increased need for
lubricant and fuel supplements, thus necessitating an increased 'bloodflow',
which causes a sensation which can be described as 'an itch.'"
KDaana was intrigued now, and felt relaxed with how the Captain had
answered. She chanced a second question, "Does scratching feel good to an
Android?"
"When I 'itch'," the Captain answered, "I often stimulate the region with
vigorous rubbing with either fingertips or fingernails, which usually
relieves the itch and allows my sensor network to settle back to the norm.
So, yes, I suppose scratching does 'feel good'."
"Can you reach the middle of your back?"
"Unfortunately no, I am articulated to simulate normal human anatomy."
"Door jams work. Or ask a jup to do it for you." Without preamble and
consumed with curiosity, she reached out a finger towards his arm.
Adam stood motionless and watched as the Lieutenant tentatively touched
his bare forearm. He wondered what had possessed him to wear a short-sleeved
shirt into the Arboretum. Did he have precognizant abilities?
KDaana, fully at ease, spoke without thinking now, "I use Rolly's
hairbrush to scratch my back. He leaves it in his office."
Adam watched as she lightly touched his arm with her index finger, and
pressed gently. He mused, "Didn't you once ask if I were ticklish? Or if I
get the phenomenon known as 'gooseflesh'?"
KDaana moved her finger up his arm barely skimming the skin, "Do you?"
She knew how to evoke goosebumps.
Adam ignored her fingers on his arm. "Sometimes, a certain touch may
stimulate my neural net to the point where the neurons fire at an increased
rate. The signals as perceived in my brain are recognized as 'feeling good',
so yes I can be tickled."
KDaana was deeply intrigued in the android's construction now. "You have
hair on your arms. And your skin feels like real skin, only smoother."
"Yes, I have a substance with approximates normal human male body hair. I
was modeled after a composite of all of my designers, so I represent an
'average' human."
"You *are* getting gooseflesh!"
"Yes, if stimulated correctly, my skin can sometimes respond by
tightening, which causes what humans refer to as 'gooseflesh' ... usually
accompanied by a 'tickle' or an 'itch'."
Never taking her eyes off his arm, she said, "This works better on a
person's side."
The android watched as she stroked his arm, "Ah ... you might want to stop
soon ....."
"Why? You react normally." She watched his skin contract in ripples,
seemingly unaware of Adam's increasing discomfort.
He answered, "As I have mentioned before, my emotion-emulating routines
work automatically, I have no voluntary control over them. The actions you
are performing are beginning to effect my neural net."
"Are you going to sneeze?"
"Eh? Uh ... no. That is not the response normally associated with the
particular emotions you are beginning to ellicit."
KDaana did the same series of light touching along the inner aspect of his
arm, commenting, "Not as much hair here ..., " totally oblivious to his
distress.
The android suddenly shivvered. "Lieutenant, you are beginning to ...."
KDaana raised her eyebrows as she watched the hair on his arm lift up
violently. Amazed she said, "That was a good one!"
The android stepped away from her. "Excuse me ... I should probably go
see the counselor ... my emotion routines are reacting strangely."
Suddenly embarrased, KDaana looked up, "Forgive me! I made you itchy."
She pulled her hand away sharply.
"Ahem ... yes, itchy ... that's what you've done ... I ... yes ... itchy.
Um, are you finished?"
"You answered that question so I suppose I am finished until I think of
others." She smiled at him.
The android backed away. "Well, then, I'll be on my way. See you
tonight."
KDaana nodded, "Hija. I will be ready for duty at the prescribed time."

THE END

Explanatory notes:
KDaana is actually pretty naive about the softer side of
sensuality...having spent way too long with Klingons. She was unaware of the
possible implications of her actions, until the end.

And I remind everyone that Adam is actually only 5 years old. He was
activated only 5 years ago, and is inexperienced about a lot. He has been
programmed with a mature outlook ... and he is knowledgeable about many such
things, just never experienced it before.

This log is COMPLETELY INNOCENT!
there was nothing "meant" by any of this.

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"DISCOVERY"
Part One

Personal Log
Captain Adam Android & Lieutenant Junior Grade Ellahandra Roletta

Stardate 60004.01

The Captain, Adam Android, was in a state of confusion after his
"interview" with the Assistant Chief of Sciences, Lieutenant KDaana. He made
his way from the Arboretum to the Counselor's quarters. Since she was a
friend, and he felt rather close to her, he thought he'd speak to her "off
the record" in her quarters, not her office.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ellahandra Roletta, ship's Counselor, sat in her
quarters drinking hot chocolate and relaxing when she heard the door chime.
She looked up and called, "Come in!"
Adam entered with his faint golden blush on his face. "You busy?" he
asked.
"No, come in."
Adam walked over and sat beside Ellahandra. "I've had some unusual events
today."
Ella sat up, "Really? Are you OK?"
Adam answered, "I am fine, just ... troubled."
Ella got a worried look on her face. "Do you want to talk?"
Adam responded, "Actually, yes. Ella, I had an ... encounter ... with
KDaana ..."
Curious, Ella prompts Adam, "And?"
"Well, she elicited some ... unusual emotion-like responses ..."
"Ok .... Can you explain better?" She sat up and gave Adam her full
attention.
"Well, she was asking me about my skin and certain responses to stimuli."
To this, Ella quirks an eye oddly. Adam continued, "She stroked my arm,
watching as gooseflesh formed,
and ..." Ella smiled as she thought about what that would do to Adam when he
is just starting to experience his emotions and his body. Again, Adam
continued, "Well, I started having some ... strange reactions .… They were
pleasurable, but frightening as well."
Ella smiled and asked, "Adam, can I ask you something?"
"Certainly, Counselor."
"Were you aroused by it?" she smiled softly, "Do you understand what I
mean by arousal?"
Adam tilts his head slightly as he accesses his vocabulary database, then
his face flushes golden as he blushes. "Yes, I believe that was it, Ella."
Ella thought Adam looked even cuter when he blushed like that. She
reached out and touched Adam's arm and said, "And what was frightening about
it for you?"
"I was frightened because my internal lubricant pressure raised, my
lubricant pump began working at an increased rate, and my body temperature
raised at least two full degrees! Just like it is right now!" He glanced
down at Ella's hand lying on his bare arm.
Ella smiled, almost mischievously. "Really? And all she had to do was this
…?" and she ran her fingertips lightly on Adam's arm.
Adam shivered as gooseflesh raised on his arm. "Her touch was different.
I … can't explain …"
Ella stopped and said, "Let me explain something.. Each person that you
come across will give you different feelings."
Adam accepted that, "OK." Then he asked, "But a touch is a touch … why is
yours different?"
"It all depends on what you like, and who the person is." She smiled at
him. "If it is, say a mother or father, you would get a loved feeling."
Then Adam suddenly blurted out, "I like you Ella. And I like the way it
feels when you touch me. But I'm afraid my pump will fail if it keeps up this
pace!"
Now it was Ella's turn to blush. She commented, "I think that your pump
was made for this purpose."
Adam then asked, "May I touch you?"
Nervous, Ella swallowed her fear and answered, "Sure."

TO BE CONTINUED ...

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"DISCOVERY"
Part Two

Personal Log
Cpt. Adam Android & Lt. JG Ellahandra Roletta

Stardate 60004.01

Adam then asked, "May I touch you?"
Nervous, Ella swallowed her fear and answered, "Sure."

Adam tentatively touched Ella's arm. "Smooth … silky …"
Ella sighed as she said, "Thank you."
A moment of silence passed, then Adam says, "Ella ... I'm having ...
strange thoughts ... I'm not sure I should be here."
Ella smiled back at him, "I am not sure also but as I said before.. Your
emotions were out of control before, but you are fine now. Do you think that
it is time to find out what we feel for each other?"
Adam blushed again in his golden hue. "Yes, by all means!" He allowed his
hand to roam up her arm to her shoulder.
Ella smiled at him, "You have to experience all of this as you go. There
is no other way to do it." She leaned her head down to met Adam's hand and
her hair fell down to cover half of her face. She muttered, "I like you,
Adam. I think that we should set up more time to see each other and to see
what becomes of us."
Suddenly, Adam seemed to panic, "I can't breathe! My pump is threatening
to explode! My skin tingles all over! What's wrong with me?"
Ella takes Adam's hand. "Nothing. This is arousal." She places his hand
in her lap and looks down.
Adam comments, "If I survive this 'arousal' I'd like to experience it
again."
Ella looks up and smiles, "You will survive it.. And it just gets better."
Then Adam got a confused look on his face. "Uh ... uh-oh ... there is ...
unusual activity ... eh ..."
Suddenly Adam's commbadge chirps, "Engineering to Captain Android. Do you
have a moment?" The new Ensign in the Engineering Department, Raoul Hooley
had called.
Adam stood up quickly, a blush on his face. "Huh? Uh …" He tapped his
commbadge, "Oh, um, yes, go ahead, uh, Hooley, um, Ensign."
Ensign Hooley asked, "Captain, is it possible for us to talk in my
office?"
Adam looked over at Ella, then tapped his commbadge again, "Certainly,
Ensign," and signed off.
Ella looked up at Adam and said as she stood up, "I am glad that you came
to talk to me."
Adam replied, "Duty calls, Ella." He paused, "I ... I want to do this
again."
She walked him to the door, "I want to, too."
Adam hesitated near the door, his "pump" beating rapidly. Ella leans up
to Adam and puts her hands on his chest. "Can I kiss you Adam?"
The android blushed again, "Kiss? Uh ... that would be ... um ..."
Ella stopped his reply with "Good!" and planted one on him. Then she
stepped back and with a sigh said, "Duty calls."
Adam's positronic net was in a state of high activity now. He responded,
"Huh? Duty? Oh! Yes, well, I'd better be ... um ... going then."
Ella opened the door then asked, "Maybe we can have a date?"
Adam grinned at her, "Certainly!"
Ella stepped back from the door, allowing it to close, then leaned back
against it, muttering to herself, "OK … OK … OK …"
Meanwhile, the android turned and walked briskly, almost skipping, down
the hallway to a Turbolift which he entered and smartly said, "Engineering."

THE END
(or is it just the Beginning?)

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Personal Log
Lieutenant Shane Reikson
Chief of Flight Operations
ISS Reciprocity
SD 60004.04

due to some offchance, the reciprocity was left with over half the senior
staff unable to perform their duties. once again we were forced to limp away
through impulse and waited for the crew to recover before continuing our
mission.
the rest of the crew decided to have a day of no responsibilities...or at
least very _few_ duties. lieutenant kdaana invited myself for a "different
sort of workout" on the holodeck. it apparantly consisted of riding two
quadrapeds equestrian-like through an earth-like environment consisting of a
large meadow.
needless to say, with little prior contact with such creatures i had no
accomplishments towards that regard. soon after, we started feeding the
creature. fortunately there was the ritual hourly meeting after the initial
briefing and we had to curtail the recreation.

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Personal Log
Ensign Ian Raoul Hooley
Assistant Engineering Officer
ISS Reciprocity

Today, I begin my first official duty as Engineer. I have been ordered to
assist as needed in extracting any informatin from the ship that we found
near Oranda One. I have also been asked to assist the Medical Department if
they required mechanical systems or equipment fabricated for the Orandans.
On a side note, have taken the liking of Ensign Voya. We have chatted
numerous times, and I must say we are hitting it off well. More to come
later. I will have lots to report about this mission that I will be a part
of.

End

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ISS Reciprocity
Lt. KDaana
ASCI Officer's Personal Log
SD 60004.08

::open log::

Personal memo....cease drinking Romulan Ale immediately. ::groans::
Purchase some boxers at the next spaceport we stop at.

::end log::

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Personal Log
Lieutenant Shane Reikson
Chief of Flight Operations
ISS Reciprocity
SD 60004.09

the reciprocitians had little to do, once again, as our esteemed captain and
acting executive officer were conspicuously absent. acting-captain hawke
scheduled a fire drill to relieve the boredom from our medial tasks and we
assembled in the aft section of the warbird to take a headcount.
meanwhile, kd and visiting fcapt. kharn were engaged in a tour and ensigns
voya and hooley were engaged in a "medical examination, the old fashioned
way". ella was meandering along as hawke futilely attempted to convince
hooley of his status on the duty roster. i was coordinating several
scout-fighters in a search pattern and two pilots nearly fried the tourists
as kd and her charge were examining a nearby fighter.
during the drill we had a hard time separating the two officers making like
bunnies but there were no other complications.

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Ensign Ian Raoul Hooley
Acting Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
ISS Reciprocity NX-25677

"We have finished our mission with Oranda One. We are now proceding with our
mission to explore the Gamma Quadrant. Our new Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Jon
Linder, a nice fellow, will be governing my department now. I still keep my
office, he gets the one next to mine. This upcoming mission will give us a
chance to recognize our department and the ship.

End

Secure with Level 10 Restrictions
Access Code Hooley Tena 2*********

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Cha'Sturek sat at ops, sorting through all the problems caused by this
nebula. One of the major problems was in his head. His head felt like a
shipwreck. He wondered if it was all of this work, or maybe some unknown
gaseous element from the nebula was somehow seeping into the ship. He woild
have to check on that. First, he would
have to clear all the kinks out of the energy system. After he did, he
checked on ventilation. It was set to filter the gas everyone breathed, but
he made a few adjustments just in case. It was probably just his work.
Next Cha'Sturek worked on some way to improve the sensors. In this nebula,
they were sitting ducks to anyone familiar with this star system. Working for
three hours and not finding a way, he passed the matter over to Science. His
duty was over, so he walked to the holodeck.

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The First Fix
Ensign Ian Raoul Hooley & Lt. Jon Linder

Linder was in his officer looking over the specs of the ship when he
received his report from Hooley. He tapped his comm link. "Linder to Hooley.
Please come to my office."
"Hooley to Linder, I am on my way." Hooley entered the turbolift. "Deck
Fifty-two Aft."
Jon took another sip of his coffee and entered a command on his console.
Instantly, Hooley transported to his office. "Have a seat Ensign."
Hooley took a seat on the couch.
"Why on Earth is the impulse rating so low?" Linder asked.
"It possibly could be from the Nebula we passed through. I wasn't in
Engineering at the time, I was attending the ceremony for Rolly."
Jon shook his head. "Well, then, we need to get on it right away. Section 24
Beta is its location, I think.
"Ensign IAmGonnaGetKilledBecauseIAmARedShirt was on dirty"
"He won't be able to give us a straight answer. Let's just get it fixed."
Jon grabbed a kit. Shall we?"
"OK" Ian grabbed an engineering kit. "Computer, Activate Engineering
Answering Machine."
The Machine spoke, "You have reached the office of Lt. Linder and Ensign
Hooley leave a message."
Jon smiled as they walked to the turbo lift. "I am going to let you do this
one. I need to fill out your eval report."
"OK." Ian stepped into the turbolift. "Section 24 Beta"
Jon followed. The turbolift stopped and Ian and Jon stepped out. They tried
to open the door leading to Jeffery's Tube Subsection 21-Zeta. Linder tapped
in the command to open the door. It didn't.
"Jon, Could the Impulse Failure be causing this." He motioned to the door.
"No, I do not think so. They are independent systems. Hold on. Computer,
this is Lt. Jon Linder."
"Well, then what could it be?"
The computer stated, "Emergency Override, Engineering Authorization Omega 47
Jon Linder" The door opened.
Ian crawled down. "I haven't been in one of these since the academy."
Linder stopped. "I think this is it." He opened the panel. "Give me a
molecular stabilizer."
Ian handed Jon the molecular stabilizer.
Jon went to work and entered a command on the mini-console. "Someone has
locked me out of the computer."
Hooley said, "Computer, command override, Hooley 1579 Alpha. Allow access to
Lt. Jon Linder.
I forgot to add you to the access list. Sorry. It has been a hectic week."
"No problem. I will fix it when I get back." He activated his implants and
fixed some internal problems while he worked on the outside."
"Now all you have to do is the next three conduits and we should be fine.
Chop chop, my time is valuable."
"So Jon, how is the Reciprocity. Besides being way to big."
"Well, it's not like anything I've seen before. Most of my career, I have
been on StarBase 1."
"Yeah, my cousin Dr. Robert Potter, serves on StarBase Everest, he told me
he would not be
caught dead in Engineering."
Jon shook his head. "He just doesn't know good fun." He smiled as he watched
his crew fix the conduits with ease and speed. "Woa, woa, you are going too
far. It is done now."
"Okay."
They exited the tube and went to the turbolift. "Now as I recall, it is your
shift."
"Yes, it is. I have work to do in my office," replied Hooley.
Then I will see you later." Jon left for his quarters."

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Bumping into Each Other
FstLt. Cannon Hawke w/ FstLt. Jason Phyerspin


On deck 27F, Cannon Hawke was reviewing recent reconassance photos when he
heard unfamiliar footsteps come up across the hall. Not many pass through
the halls of deck 27, being the restricted main intelligence center. So the
sound of unfamiliar footsteps caused Hawke to perk up from his work, and he
moved silently across his office, to the hallway entrance. He timed himself
precisely to emerge just as the unknown visitor would pass him.
Cannon dashed out from behind the door and surprised the intruder. The
"intruder" turned out to be a Starfleet officer, FstLt. in rank. Hawke
reconigzed him as the engineering advisor, a Jason Phyerspin who had just
transfered from the USS Integrity.
"What are you doing here? This deck is restricted," Hawke demanded.
Spin whirled around to face Cannon, "I picked up an irregular proton field
on this deck. I just came here to check it out, unless you'd care to explain
it." Spin grinned. "Besides, I've never been to this area. Just came to take
a peek..." The officer held out his hands and a small camera appeared between
them. "Cliiiiick."
"I am not at liberty to discuss that," Hawke grabbed his arm to lead Spin
back to the turbolift. He was a bit startled as to where the camera had come
from. He put two and two together and something in his mind clicked. Without
warning, he grabbed and twisted Spin's arm and placed him in a choke hold.
"Hey! Waitaminute here!" Spin demanded, trying to struggle vainly.
"You're a changeling. State the meaning of your presence aboard this
vessel," Hawke tightened his grip.
"Officer Exchange Program. So what if I'm a shifter?" Spin flailed his
libs helplessly, and Hawke soon let go.
"Oh, yes. I remember now, you're the 'Phyerspin' incident," Hawke
recalled.
"Why'd the brass have to choose such a boorish name. Now I would have
called it --"
"My apoligies for suspecting you, Lieutenant," Cannon said, interrupting.
"Perhaps we'll have lunch sometime..."
"Ehh..." Spin shrugged and looked at Hawke, eyes slightly narrowed. "By the
way, who are _you_ to start pulling rank on me...fellow First Lieutenant?"
"Cannon Hawke, Chief of Intelligence," he extended his hand.
Spin took it, and shook half-heartedly, "Oh. Jason Phyerspin. You Intel
people are way too high strung if you ask me..."
"Nice to, uh, bump into you, Mr. Phyerspin," Hawke said.
Spin seemed to shudder for a moment and said, "Spin. Pleeeeese call me
Spin. Nice ta meetcha too, Intel-guy." He side-stepped away, and then
continued his way down the hall.

End.

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After a hard day's work in sickbay, Rolly plopped down in the easy chair in
his quarters to read his incoming mail. Looking down at the table in front of
him, he suddenly remembered: it was the deadline date to fill out the new,
improved Year 2400 Census. There it sat, gathering dust next to the plasteel
model of a venerable Bird of Prey Rolly had built
when he was 12 years old.
Rolly hadn't filled out even the first question on the document; he couldn't
figure out what it was possible useful for, though it did make a pretty good
paperweight. Still, the duty-bound Romulan was starting to feel a little bit
guilty, so he picked up the hefty tome, dusted it off, and started to read.
"Hmmm...maybe it won't be so bad....Let's see..question one...'what is your
name?' Well, what do they mean, mine's a mile long, do I have to put down the
whole nine yards, it'll give me writer's cramp. Best to skip that one." That
decided, the good doctor proceeded to the next question. That one didn't seem
to be any easier to answer, so the good doctor skipped to the next question,
and the next.
"Bah", Rolly exclaimed, "The whole thing is pointless! Besides, I can always
use a good paperweight". That decided, Rolly sat the immense bureaucratic
masterpiece back down on the table and went to bed. "Bah, what are the Feds
going to do about it, anyway? Come in and arrest me? Ha!"
At approximately 3:00 a.m., Rolly heard a loud ringing of the door buzzer in
his quarters. The half-awake, bleary-eyed Romulan clumsily rolled out of bed
and staggered to the door. "Argh, I hope it's something important...Couldn't
those aliens have waited to attack the Reci at a respectable hour like 12:00
noon?" He unlocked the door and said, "Come". Instantly, a couple of thugs in
strange Starfleet outfits with emblems Rolly had never seen before
burst into Rolly's quarters and handcuffed the startled Romulan. "Hey, who
are you punks, and what are you doing in my quarters? I'll have you arrested
by security, that's just what I'll do!", Rolly snapped at the mysterious
burly figures.
"You'll do no such thing, Citizen!", one of the strange redshirts replied.
"I'm Agent Thursday, and this is my partner, T.J. Booker. We're from the
Starfleet Census Bureau, and we've got some questions to ask.....Number
One....'What is your name...."

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Cannon returned to his quarters after his duty shift, prepared to relax with
a hot bath or perhaps a swim in the Reci's holographic pool. So
understandably, he was annoyed with the computer stated he had several
messages. Hawke didn't recall checking his messages in the recent past, so
maybe he should clear his box out...
"Message One: Mr. Cannon Hawke, as a member of Starfleet and citizen of a
Federation Protectorate, you have the responsibility to fill out your Census
2400! Please turn in our census by stardate 20004.29." The message was
dated stardate 9912.01.
"Message Two: Mr. Cannon Hawke, as a member of Starfleet and citizen of a
Federation Protectorate, you have the responsibility to fill out your Census
2400! Please take note this is the last week to do so!" This message was
dated stardate 20004.22.
"Message Three: Mr. Cannon Hawke, as a member of Starfleet and citizen of a
Federation Protectorate, you have the responsibility to fill out your Census
2400! The deadline is TODAY!" And sure enough, the stardate read 20004.29.
Cannon considered just discarding the census along with the messages, but
reconsidered as he recalled the last time he forgot to pay his taxes. He
picked up the padd and read the first question:
"1. What is your name?" Easy enough, he wrote proptly: "Cannon Hawke."
"2. What is your quest?" What quest? Did it mean his job? So Hawke
wrote: "Chief Intel Officer, Special Liaison, Second Officer."
"3. What is the aerial velocity of an Antaran Jub-Jub Bird?" Finally an
easy one, he though, and wrote his answer down. He recalled going Jub-Jub
hunting and had to memorize their velocity to properly aim the high explosive
canisters...
"4. For the record, please state your age and your species." Now he
couldn't give away his age, so he wrote, "Undisclosed." But his race was,
"Fathom."
"5. Sex: M, F, Other? (You never know with some species)" Simple enough,
"Male."
"6. Marital Status: married, single?" Hawke circled "Single."
"8. What ship or starbase do you serve on?" Cannon wrote swiftly, minding
to dot the i's, "ISS Reciprocity."
"9. How many batteries for small appliances do you use up in a typical
week?" He thought for a while, and then wrote, "I plead the 5th."
"10. How many times a day do you use the replicators?" Cannon thought of a
number off the top of his head, "42."
"11. What is your favorite holodeck program?" He put down, "Long Beach,
California, Earth. Tsunami day."
"12. Who was that crew member you were seen illicitly meeting with last
week in the (pick one):
A. Arboretum
B. holodeck
C. Jeffries Tube
D. It's none of you're business!"
Cannon thought, and marked E, "All of the above."
"14. 'I'm not a member of the Federation?', you say? Then, while you're at
it, kindly fill out forms 425009-A, B and C in addition to Application
200431-B" Cannon sighed and decided to skip that one.
"15. Which tastes better, Glop-on-A-Stick, or Gagh Wriggling in Bloodwine
Sauce?" He wrote, "Neither."
"16. Who was the Most Valuable Player at the 2389 Federation Series?" Hawke
thought for a moment, then guessed, "Micheal Jordan?"
"17. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center?" He
recalled the Federation sponsored experiment to truely discover how many
licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll. Results were
inconclusive...
Hawke continued through the night, answering question after question, all
until he reach the two thousandth, four hundred eighty fifth one. He read it
once wanted to puke. But just as his stomach contents started rising, the
chono ringed to stardate 20004.30 and the census deadline passed.

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Personal Log
Ensign Ian Raoul Hooley
Assistant Engineering Officer
ISS Reciprocity NX-25677

"I have returned from my trip to New York City's Manhatten burough. I had to
take care of one of my friends who was injured. After he recovered, I used
the rest of my shore leave to explore. I picked up Voya a 24 karet diamond
ring from Tiffany's to symbolize our love. I then accompanied some of my
old-time friends to shows called "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Les
Meserables." Both were very moving. I am now departing Earth and making my
way back
to the ISS Reciprocity at her location. "

End Log
Ensign Ian Raoul Hooley
Acting Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
ISS Reciprocity NX-25677

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Personal Log
Stardate 0005.15
Lt. Jon Linder (LtJPDTrek)
Chief Engineering Officer-ISS Reciprocity

Computer, begin log......
I almost floated on air today. Yes, floated. I met the most beautiful woman
today in the lounge; her name is Rae (this is no way connected to anyone in
the SIM, by the way). We talked for a while as we were eating. We went to the
holodeck and laid by the beach. A few hours later, I asked her out. I didn't
expect her to say anything but "no," but I was wrong. She said "sure" and now
we are some happy peoples. :)
End log.....

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ISS Reciprocity
ASCI Officers Personal Log
SD 60005.20
Lt KDaana

KDaana sits quietly in her quarters holding a cooling pack on her eye which
is bruised and swollen shut. "Lucky shot! That's all it was!" She refuses
to show any outward sign of discomfort even though her head feels like a
metalsmith is hammering bat'letH's inside of it. After finishing her duty
log and shift reports, she pulls out a small flask. Opening it and taking a
sip, she coughs lightly then sighs as the
liquid burns a path down her throat. The Captain of the SS Deliverance had
given her a small supply of the liquid distilled in that vessels engine room.
"You can not get this burn from replicators or synthehol" she mutters after
she takes another long swallow.
Enjoying the warmth provided by the beverage, she begins to search the ships
database. Alcohol production>ingredients> equipment>set up....
Once her search is complete, she sets out to collect the necessary items and
wanders down to an unused closet on Deck 35. She chose that site for its
isolated location. Internal logs have shown that no one has used that closet
in the last 6 months. There she begins to construct a small still that will
run off of portable energy cells. As she works, she thinks about where she
can access the ingredients she will need. She decides to try the
arboretum first and then the galley. If worst comes to worst, she can barter
for ingredients when on shore leave. She smiles, lowers her protective eye
visor and reaches for the plasma torch.

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ISS Reciprocity
Personal Log
SD 60006.03
Lt KDaana

::Sits quietly in her quarters with the lights set very low. In front of her
are the newly given pips of First Lt. and the Insignia for Chief of Science.
She holds them as her eyes cloud over in thought. After a long while, she
carefully puts them back into their small, velvet lined boxes. Activating
her comm screen she begins to record a message for the Captain::
I firmly believe that the most qualified person is the one who should be
wearing the rank insignia of Chief of Science. In keeping with that belief,
I find my conscience will not allow me to accept the position. I am deeply
honored by the offer, but I must refuse the post.
With Respect
KDaana

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ISS Reciprocity
Personal Log
SD 60006.18
Lt KDaana

Interesting party last night. ::chuckles:: The Aslan Commander learned to
wave bye-bye and the crew learned that Voya cant hold Romulan Ale too well.
TrRekhiel is back from extended leave on Romulus and lost his understanding
of the concept of humor while he was away. I hope he finds it again before
blood is spilled. Our newest crew member, Ens Hunter, is learning that the
Reciprocity is not like other ships. Our
mixed crew brings the behavioral and cultural norms from many distinct groups
together in a somewhat churning pot. We can do great things together but we
also have to overcome prejudice and try to understand the cultures of our
crewmates...not an impossible task, but definitley a daunting one at times.
::Adds to herself:: Make a note to transfer 5 slips of GPL to Shane's
account.

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Questions and Answers
an impromptu interview with
The Android

Joint Log, Stardate 60004.01
Captain Adam Android and Lieutenant KDaana
conducted in I.M.

The Android Captain had taken some rare time away from the Bridge to spend
some time contemplating in the Arboretum. He wandered aimlessly, allowing
his positronic net some time to process all the recent events.
Lieutenant KDaana was walking in the Arboretum. She enjoyed the fact that
the Reciprocity was so large, the Arboretum stretched for a thousand feet
down the length of the ship. It granted the freedom to Federation designers
during its upgrade to incorporate an almost wilderness setting that reminded
her of her Realm.
She was returning from her stroll to find Captain Android staring
motionless into a tubular flower which hung from a tree. "Captain? Are you
allright?"
The android twitched slightly, then turned to regard the Tuathan
Lieutenant, "Uh ... huh?"
KDaana smiled. "Daydreaming, Sir?"
Adam tilted his head and regarded the woman. "Yes, I suppose I was."
Suddenly the scientist in her kicked in. She had been wondering about
their android leader. She asked, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a few
questions?"
"Not at all, Lieutenant."
"Do you get itchies?" She smiled as she realized the Captain was going to
think she tends to blurt out questions that pop into her somewhat quirky
head.
The android made no expression as he began to answer. "Occassionally
certain areas of my synthetic epidermis develop an increased need for
lubricant and fuel supplements, thus necessitating an increased 'bloodflow',
which causes a sensation which can be described as 'an itch.'"
KDaana was intrigued now, and felt relaxed with how the Captain had
answered. She chanced a second question, "Does scratching feel good to an
Android?"
"When I 'itch'," the Captain answered, "I often stimulate the region with
vigorous rubbing with either fingertips or fingernails, which usually
relieves the itch and allows my sensor network to settle back to the norm.
So, yes, I suppose scratching does 'feel good'."
"Can you reach the middle of your back?"
"Unfortunately no, I am articulated to simulate normal human anatomy."
"Door jams work. Or ask a jup to do it for you." Without preamble and
consumed with curiosity, she reached out a finger towards his arm.
Adam stood motionless and watched as the Lieutenant tentatively touched
his bare forearm. He wondered what had possessed him to wear a short-sleeved
shirt into the Arboretum. Did he have precognizant abilities?
KDaana, fully at ease, spoke without thinking now, "I use Rolly's
hairbrush to scratch my back. He leaves it in his office."
Adam watched as she lightly touched his arm with her index finger, and
pressed gently. He mused, "Didn't you once ask if I were ticklish? Or if I
get the phenomenon known as 'gooseflesh'?"
KDaana moved her finger up his arm barely skimming the skin, "Do you?"
She knew how to evoke goosebumps.
Adam ignored her fingers on his arm. "Sometimes, a certain touch may
stimulate my neural net to the point where the neurons fire at an increased
rate. The signals as perceived in my brain are recognized as 'feeling good',
so yes I can be tickled."
KDaana was deeply intrigued in the android's construction now. "You have
hair on your arms. And your skin feels like real skin, only smoother."
"Yes, I have a substance with approximates normal human male body hair. I
was modeled after a composite of all of my designers, so I represent an
'average' human."
"You *are* getting gooseflesh!"
"Yes, if stimulated correctly, my skin can sometimes respond by
tightening, which causes what humans refer to as 'gooseflesh' ... usually
accompanied by a 'tickle' or an 'itch'."
Never taking her eyes off his arm, she said, "This works better on a
person's side."
The android watched as she stroked his arm, "Ah ... you might want to stop
soon ....."
"Why? You react normally." She watched his skin contract in ripples,
seemingly unaware of Adam's increasing discomfort.
He answered, "As I have mentioned before, my emotion-emulating routines
work automatically, I have no voluntary control over them. The actions you
are performing are beginning to effect my neural net."
"Are you going to sneeze?"
"Eh? Uh ... no. That is not the response normally associated with the
particular emotions you are beginning to ellicit."
KDaana did the same series of light touching along the inner aspect of his
arm, commenting, "Not as much hair here ..., " totally oblivious to his
distress.
The android suddenly shivvered. "Lieutenant, you are beginning to ...."
KDaana raised her eyebrows as she watched the hair on his arm lift up
violently. Amazed she said, "That was a good one!"
The android stepped away from her. "Excuse me ... I should probably go
see the counselor ... my emotion routines are reacting strangely."
Suddenly embarrased, KDaana looked up, "Forgive me! I made you itchy."
She pulled her hand away sharply.
"Ahem ... yes, itchy ... that's what you've done ... I ... yes ... itchy.
Um, are you finished?"
"You answered that question so I suppose I am finished until I think of
others." She smiled at him.
The android backed away. "Well, then, I'll be on my way. See you
tonight."
KDaana nodded, "Hija. I will be ready for duty at the prescribed time."

THE END

Explanatory notes:
KDaana is actually pretty naive about the softer side of
sensuality...having spent way too long with Klingons. She was unaware of the
possible implications of her actions, until the end.

And I remind everyone that Adam is actually only 5 years old. He was
activated only 5 years ago, and is inexperienced about a lot. He has been
programmed with a mature outlook ... and he is knowledgeable about many such
things, just never experienced it before.

This log is COMPLETELY INNOCENT!
there was nothing "meant" by any of this.

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Personal Log
Stardate 20007.09
ISS Reciprocity

Cannon retired to his quarters for some much needed rest. Rarely he was
tired, but his relentless search for further information on the Vordock had
left him mentally and physically drained. The past 72 hours had been spent
at computer modules and screen displays, digging up whatever information was
available on the Vordock or Aslans. But still, the topic burned in his mind.
What does the Vordock do, if anything? A secret weapon? Spiritual
guidance? Holy relic?
Although much was discovered, more questions were raised than answers
recovered. Hawke still had no idea where Hecalious' generals fled, perhaps
taking the pieces of the Vordock with them. Searching all the star systems
nearby to Kwazi would be pointless, a goose-chase that would only benefit the
Dilithium suppliers. Cannon had come to the point were no further leads
could be pursued.
Hawke stretched his arms and sat down at a chair in the corner of his
quarters. Although a shapeshifter, he did not melt into a bucket as the
Founders did. Solid form was mostly preferred among the Fathom, and unlike
the Founders, solid appearance could not be changed. Slipping into liquid
form was something Hawke didn't do often, and definitely not something done
casually.
Taking a PADD, Hawke checked his messages. Standing out conspicuously was a
message from the Galaxy Today newspaper. Contact with the Aslan was recently
released publicly, but the search for the Vordock was something Starfleet
kept from the press. Gossip and public speculation was something Starfleet
did not want, so although not confidential, the Reci's recent missions were
not released to the press. Still, reporters would be reporters,
and another press conference would have to be held to quell any rumors.
Cannon found the cycle irritating, and he was sure Captain Android would not
be happy either.
The message from Galaxy Today requested a reporter and cameraman to be on
the Reciprocity to document their ventures. Cannon was confident Adam would
say no to that, a reporter would only get in the way of day-to-day operations
and be a constant distraction to the crew. The second request was an
interview with none other than Cannon himself. Hawke gave more consideration
to this one; he would rather if he feed the media info than have them
search for information themselves, or worst yet, create their own stories.
After some thought, Hawke agreed it would be a good idea if he grant an
interview. Hawke sent a message to Adam, saying he would agree to an
interview if Adam would approve so. And with that, Cannon went to sleep.

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Year of The R'hatta

Part 1, by Dr. Fveirrolh "Rolly" Cha'Riuurren, CMO, ISS Reciprocity

Rolly stomped into the cargo bay, muttering something about having to deal
with "scummy merchants". It was his unpleasant task to purchase a shipment of
kheh from the fat, beady-eyed merchant known as Ejiul. The doctor's general
dislike for the Arrhai, the Romulan merchant class, was only slightly
balanced by the interesting prospect of aquiring the valuable kheh, a grain
favored for use in the production of Romulan ale.
"Aefvadh, Arrhai Ejiul", Rolly said to his sleazy guest. "Jhollan'trruh,
Maenek....Rolly?", the beady eyed merchant replied, returning the greeting.
The doctor was surprised that the merchant had called him by the nickname the
Reciprocitans had given him instead of by his Romulan name, Fveirrolh.
The unpleasantries out of the way, Rolly got down to business. "You have
brought the merchandise, at the agreed upon price?" The merchant grinned. "It
is all here, but I regret that the price you have bargained for is highway
robbery, I barely made a profit from the transaction. But for your fine
vessel, which
contains many Romulans in its complement, my fervent patriotism inclined me
to lower.." "Enough!", Rolly exclaimed, disgusted by the merchant's nonsense.

The Reciprocity's XO thrust a bag of latinum into the grubby merchant's
hand. The merchant looked into the bag and grinned. Rolly looked to the
inventory officer, a Bajoran. "It's all here, Doctor", the ensign replied,
looking up from his inventory PADD. Rolly curtly turned to the merchant.
"Bedah ...and begone!". The merchant's servile grin
disappeared and he barely hid a scowl as he beamed back to his freighter.
The inventory officer looked back down to his PADD as Rolly walked up to the
freight containers and personally examined the precious grain. "I hope we'll
be able to put this to good use soon", he said, grinning as he left the cargo
bay.
Rolly whistled a cheerful tune as he exited the turbolift and headed down
the corridor to the main medical bay. With this new purchase, the
Reciprocitans would be able to try brewing their own ale instead of relying
on the disgustingly cheap stuff provided in the Imperial Fleet rations. There
were a few crewmen aboard with the necessary expertise, and Rolly eagerly
looked forward to the experiment.
As Rolly turned the corner and entered main medical bay, Nurse Greene looked
up at him with a look of horror. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!" A few of the Viridian
radiation patients joined the caterwauling chorus from their biobeds:
"Aieeeeeeeee!" "Noooooo!" "Get it out of heeeere!"
Rolly was taken aback by this most unfavorable emotional display when
suddenly he felt something nibbling at his collar. He turned his head to see
the biggest, ugliest, sneakiest, meanest rodent he'd ever laid eyes upon.
"Ack! a r'hatta!", the unfortunate doctor exclaimed. The savage beast leaped
off the doctor's left shoulder and charged straight for nurse Greene, who
stood helpless, paralysed
with fear. It ran straight up her right leg, across her abdomen, and swiftly
crawled through her collar, into her smock. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Rolly stood
dumbfounded as the unfortunate nurse collapsed in shock.
The horrible rodent ran out of the right sleeve of the unconscious woman's
smock and turned to face Rolly. It seemed to be grinning triumphantly,
thrusting its sharp, little teeth in the air and wiggling its whiskers
defiantly. Enraged, Rolly instinctively reached to fast-draw his disrupter,
but his hand came up empty. Looking down, he saw that the r'hatta had chewed
his holster loose, and the weapon was missing. In desparation, the doctor
grabbed a
sonic scalpel and charged the rampaging rodent. The beast turned on a dime
and with blinding speed leapt onto the chest of a Viridian patient and ran up
to his face, staring eyeball to eyeball. "Aieeeeeeeeee!", the man screamed,
his vital signs plummeting from the shock. Rolly ran up to the bed and took a
swing at the beast with his sonic scalpel, but the
wily rodent easily evaded the attack, which barely missed the patient's
throat. Out the door the r'hatta fled, scattering hyposprays and assorted
medical paraphernalia in its path. Rolly dropped the scalpel and struggled to
stabilize the shrieking patients. "Mark my words, that merchant's going to
pay, selling r'hatta-infested grain on my ship! He'll pay, if it's the last
thing I ever do!", Rolly shouted, amid the ear-piercing screams of terror.
Meanwhile, the evil Romulan rodent prowls the decks, craftily seeking out
its next victims. Who's next? Maybe.....you!

Important note: This is the first in a series of hand-off logs. Each member
of the crew can pick up the story and continue, writing a chapter of this
sinister saga, in which the wicked varmint messes with their department. Who
dares continue the tale?

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Year of the R'hatta

Cannon was in his office, doing about his usual business when his consol
started blinking, and eventually, went out. He stood, and stepped out.
Crewmen around him seemed to have a similar problem.
"What the hell is going on?!" Hawke demanded. But everyone else was as
bewildered as he.
A crewman said shakily, "I contacted the bridge and engineering, there
doesn't seem to be a problem, sir."
"Not a problem?! Nothing works on this deck! No problem, my ass..."
Cannon kneeled, and open a panel. Inside, was an entire family of rodents,
and their feces all about the inside of the computer consol. At first sight
of Hawke, the rats, or rather R'hattas, hissed and bared their front teeth.
Cannon jumped back, startled. The crewmen and officers around him also
leaped back, but most soon regained their posture.
But not Hawke. He shuffled back slowly, still on his knees, until clear out
of range from the fierce r'hattas. He then leaped for the phasers stored
nearby and grabbed one. Or rather, two, or three. Now, with a phaser in
each hand, and another two in holsters, Cannon faced the vermin.
Exclaimed several officers, "Sir, what are you doing?"
"Exterminating them," came the cold reply.
The surrounding crewmen were obviously more startled by Cannon's behavior
than the r'hattas. One asked, "You aren't afraid of them, are you, sir?"
"Huh?" Hawke was taken back, and then obviously lied, "No, of course not."
At that remark, several crewmen let out a soft chuckle. Hawke shot out a
cold glare, and the laughter stopped.
Bringing his attention back to the rodents, Cannon overloaded a phaser and
threw it into the computer panel. The rat family easily scurried out, and
the phaser blew up, destroying the computer and causing any array of sparks.
Alarms spread, and the fire sprinklers went off. This only angered Hawke
more, and he chased after the rodents, firing his phasers blindly. He went
after the vermin in such fashion all across the deck, decimating consols,
walls, PADDs, and carpeting. Everything, that is, except the r'hattas.
Hawke's patience grew weary, the rodents had proved illusive. He pointed to
a group of crewmen, forgetting he had a phaser in his hand. They all ducked
in panic, obviously more afraid of Cannon than the vermin. Cannon yelled,
"Quarantine the deck! Nothing gets out or in!" But the crewmen just looked
on in bewilderment. One grabbed hold of a hypospray, and managed to sneak up
to Hawke during his fury against the r'hattas. With one dose of
tranquilizer, Cannon slipped into unconsciousness. The r'hattas would be
taken care of later, but it was determined Hawke would have to be held up
until it was over. Or at least until Cannon overcame his rodentphobia.

Who's next? So far, Rats: 3, Reciprocitians: 0.

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Year of the R'hatta
Part 4

shane was in his office, busily scheduling recon flights for the region the
reci was travelling through. while he alternated between entering data on his
padd and his terminal, a soft, skittering noise caught his attention. the
young officer paused in his work for a few moments, then placed his padd
down. though it was a minor occurance, there was a strong possibility the
noise would continue and the thought irritated shane.
continue the noise did, and shane used it to track the source. he stepped
over to a nearby wall terminal, where the noise seemed to be loudest.
however, just as he was about to pull off the access hatch, a loud bump was
emitted, followed by a loud hissing sound.
shane considered his options and retreated for a brief moment. again he was
beside the terminal, this time armed with a tricorder. after a few brief
scans, shane's irritation grew. it appeared that a rather large rodent had
found its way inside the terminal and had set up temporary residence there.
also, the terminal's ability to function was rapidly diminishing as the
critter chewed through the various wires and lines from within. with no time
to
lose, shane ripped off the access hatch...only to have the rodent launch
itself onto his face and start scratching.
with a start, shane leapt to his feet and threw the rodent to the floor. as
the rodent skittered away, shane reached for his feet and pulled out one of
the throwing knives he kept there. in the blink of an eye, shane took a bead
on the thing and threw his weapon with deadly accuracy.
the knife missed.
shane lifted an eyebrow as he mentally reviewed the events. he'd been aiming
for the rat's tail, so as to pin it down. unfortunately --for himself or the
rat, he wasnt certain -- the rat was already without its tail. judging from
the type of wound, he judged that this critter had already met kdaana. if it
had survived the encounter, surely it was smarter than your average rat.
it would not live. without a second thought, shane reached behind his desk
and pulled out the phaser he kept there. setting it for high stun, he whirled
around and targeted the rodent. unfortunately -- for him, definately him --
the rat was gone.
shane quickly left his office, taking note of the rodent-sized bite marks
left in his door and glanced down either end of the hallway. he caught a
glimpse of a tail turning the corner, and the sight made him growl lightly.
the rat he'd been chasing had no tail, which meant that there were more of
the vermin.
he gave chase, determined to annihilate this annoyance as surely as he would
its cousins, and found himself in front of a cargo bay. there were a few
skittering noises that he heard through the door, but he pushed any doubts he
had in the back of his mind. a few rats, no matter how cunning, could hope to
stand against a trained starfleet officer with complete combat skills and a
phaser to match. he quickly barged through the door but soon gave
pause.
the whole of the cargo bay was covered with rodents upon rodents. a few of
the foodstuffs this cargo bay carried had been ripped open and still more
creatures swarmed across them. too late, shane realized, these creatures were
romulan r'hattas, even worse than legendary cardassian voles.
his situation grew even worse, as the rats finally chewed their way into the
cargo bay electronics. the door was disabled first, reverting to its wait
state and locked. unfortunately for shane, its wait state happened to be a
closed one. following that occurance, the lights failed, plunging the whole
bay into darkness.
shane drew the silver rod hanging on his belt and thumbed the switch. there
was a sharp *ka-klick* as the rod expanded into his trusty 10-ft duranium
staff. shane quickly set into his battle stance, knowing it would take a
while for an engineering crew to open up the door.
just before the hoardes of rats surged forward, he had time to utter a
single phrase.
" . . . "

x_X
(who's next...?)