Arrival on the Horizon

((OOC: IC'ly my char can speak it, one of the few languages that the translator cannot quite translate, dead language and all put the English translations in brackets beneath the Welsh words.))

After finishing her basic training Second Lieutenant Alexandria Somers was waiting for her ship to come in, during this wait she flashed back to the day when she told her Father of her career plans. Now her father was a retired Colonel in the SFMC and still held that rank, but in an honourary capacity, as he was an influential Ambassador to the outer Klingon Colonies. She lived on a vast estate to use archaic terms was expensive looking and reeked of wealth, as it was the 25th Century it still looked majestic and while her family was richer than the Ferengi Grand Nagus, the economy of this century was such that only Gold Pressed latinum was the frontier currency. But on Earth in the Eurasian Territories once known as United Kingdom in a country once known as wales no such currency was needed.

<< FLASHBACK >>

- Somers family Estate -

Alex was walking joyfully up her path to her family estate with a big smile happy with the choice, as she enters her home she gets a look from her father.

Oh hell he knows She thought to herself "What is it daddy?" she asked.

Samuel Somers was a hulk of a man, he looked tough and acted such and in truth he was and his look could melt Duranium now his look was directed at his daughter.


"Dammit Alex, why did you enlist in the Starfleet Marine corps? I wanted better for you, by all rights you should have followed your Mother into the diplomatic corps, after all you can be quite skilled at negotiation when you need be"

She gave her father one of her 'I am cute and you know it poses' he softened a little, but not much and when he was upset he spoke in the Welsh Gaelic tongue.

"Namyn paham a Marine 'n ieuanc Arglwyddes?"

(But why a Marine Young Lady?)

Alex replied back in the same dialect "Gwna 'ch mo adnabod dad a Dwi hychwaneg cara 'ch na Dwi fam?

(Do you not know dad that I am more like you than I am mother?)

He sighed heavily and absently scratched his head "Paham nei hon ata? ach yn cerdded at anrhega 'm rhyw 'n frith blew"

(Why are you doing this to me? you are going to give me some grey hairs)

Alex switched to English.

"Aw c'mon dad, you know I was heading in this direction, otherwise you would not have put me though basic Klingon combat training on Boreth, but I am sorry Daddy" She said hugging him.

He sighed heavily and hugged his daughter back and kissed her on the top of her head "You know honey you are absolutely correct and I could never stay mad at you" He said with affection all anger now gone. "Also there will come a time when you will be asked to make a choice, whatever you decide I will support it" He said/

She breaks away and looks up at him and suddenly.....

<< End flashback >>

Suddenly Alex was back in the present

"The USS Horizon has just docked, all newly assigned personnel can board in five minutes" The computer voice said.

"Oh well" She said then got a good look at her new ship "In the name of all that is holy!" She exclaimed at seeing the largest ship she had ever seen.

Then to her ten Marines behind her "heads up lads our ride is here" She said.

As they came to the transporter room, the transporter chief greeted them by asking for their boarding orders. Once looked over, they were transmitted to the barely docked starship.

"Please wait; I need to transfer transporter control to the Horizon."

Seeing their expected raised eyebrows, the chief smiled thinly to explain the unusual protocol.

"Sorry people, but this is the flagship; even more so, this is Captain Kheren's ship. By his express order, no one is to beam in or out except through the ship's own transporter grid. Theirsecurity protocol will have you analysed on a subatomic level, identified with your genetic, biometric and encephalographic data from Starfleet Command cross-referenced with your boarding orders and checked for any alteration before being materialized on their transporter pad. In yellow alert conditions, that pad would also be encirlced within a level 10 forcefield and a full security detachment. And don't be alarmed when you find out all your gear is not beamed with you; everything will be scanned in transit and all but replicated clothing sent to the appropriate location within the ship; weapons in the armory, personal effects in assignated quarters and so on. And ship security will take charge of you once you're aboard. And one word to the wise; those security officers have been trained for years by the captain himself and one of his wives well beyond the stringest requirements of Starfleet and fought everything from Klingons to Borg. Believe me, these people know how to dance. So be nice."

Ten minutes later the eleven Marines board the Horizon. They were greeted by a standard 6 man-squad Starfleet security, at their head a towering Andorian Giantess that made even the tallest men among them look like kids. One thing the marines noticed instantly was that they were all of various species, including a Betazoid, a Caitan, a Vulcan and another Andorian among them; the second thing they noticed was that all had a pair of combat knives strapped to their boots, one evidently meant for throwing.

"Welcome aboard the Horizon," greeted the Andorian giantess. "I am Lieutenant Tyvya, acting chief of security. You men will be guided by these fine officers to your assigned quarters and debriefed about ship protocols."

She then turned to look down from her towering height at Alex, recognizing her leadership of the incoming squad. She was not smiling; Andorians didn't have enough facial muscles to do so. But the tone of her voice was polite as much as professional, soft as much as firm.

"I guess you will want to report in immediately to the captain. Please follow me.

Alex turned to her men.

"I will go seek out the Captain" She said and left her men to be guided through the immense vessel by the security detachment.

As her men went to their assigned quarters and settled in,  Alex followed Tyvya along a long hallway and into a turbolift.

"Captain's Ready Room" she said when the doors had closed.

Minutes after she had left her troops she was standing outside the Captain's Ready room as the imposing Tyvya pressed the buzzer.

"Come."

The voice from the other side of the door was deep and soft at the same time,a sound of controlled power like the hum of a warp core. Tyvya let Somers enter but stayed outside as the door slid shut behind the Marine officer.

The Captain of the starship Horizon stood up to greet her. He was as tall as her and looked quite athletic to Human eyes; which meant that he was massive for an Andorian. His skin was a deep indigo color, darker than any Andorian, making his typical white hair stand out in almost as sharp a contrast as his silvery eyes. The antennae on his head where located farther back,marking him as of the Thalassan subspecies rather than from the more familiar Bishee. And they were making very unusual moves as they lowered towards the woman, like the eye-stalks of a snail.

He did not extend his hands in greeting in the customary Human manner popular in Starfleet. Andorians did not like to be touched by strangers. But  heavy calluses where still clearly visible on his hands, like those of ancient martial arts masters back on Earth. His movements also betrayed a lifetime of training and spoke of a harsh, dangerous, unforgiving existence. Yet, his eyes were friendly even if his face was austere and his voice perfeclty balanced between stern professionalism and  respectful congeniality.

Alex instantly noted that he was not the typical Andorian she came to attention and saluted, and he did not extend one in the Human manner to greet her; he was like all the Andorians she had ever met they did not like to touch strangers. His movements on the other hand were cat-like. Alex instantly knew he was a warrior it was disconcerting to see such a tall Andorian. As she lowered her salute the Captain spoke.

"Welcome aboard the Horizon, Lieutenant Somers. Please take a seat. Can I get you anything?"

Taking the offered seat and her minimal diplomatic training came out, especially the way she sat, she looked at him  "Bloodwine please Captain" She responded and found the chair quite comfy.

Kheren went to the replicator and asked for the famous Klingon beverage and for something he called out as "Captain's Brew", a light grey sirupy liquid with a fishy scent. He gave the bloodwine cup to Somers on his way to his own seat behind the transluscent desk where he had apparently been looking at a PADD before she came in.

He did not drink immediately from his glassy cup, putting it on his left as he crossed his powerful hands in front of him on the desk to look at her with all four oculars.

"Have you been made aware of the specific nature of your assignment aboard the Horizon, Lieutenant?"

The question was stated with a warm but firm tone, without any attempt at social amenities. In typical Andorian fashion, the captain wasted no time with small talk or polite pretense and went straight for the heart of the matter.

Alex took a large sip of her replicated Bloodwine "replicated is not the same as the real stuff" She commented, then looked directly at Kheren and she smoothly place the mug on the Captain's desk without looking and sat back with a cat-like ease. Thinking a moment "as for why I am here, I have no idea Sir, I was told the Horizon needed the extra Marines so I brought nine others along with me. All of them have, how shall I say unique skills as do I" She said looking directly at Kheren with a mischievous smile that played on her lips "but other than that Sir I have no idea" She finished.

The Andorian nodded, obviously expecting the answer he heard.

"There will be a full briefing session for all senior officers and then a general meeting of the entire crew before we leave the starbase. For the moment, I will just say this; we are heading for a critical diplomatic mission with unparallelled scientific and technical opportunites... involving one of the most dangerous species ever encountered in totally uncharted territory."

He paused for a moment but his four eyes never left those of the Human woman before him.

"This means that we will be away for quite some time in hazardous conditions with no assistance or support while facing unknown dangers."

Then, his voice, still deep and soft, nevertheless took a definite tone of command.

"Obviously, we will need more than the standard security people, even the crack ones I have under my command. We will need real soldiers... but not walking photon grenades. Do you understand what I'm saying here, Lieutenant?"

Smiling "I understand Sir, this is why I brought along a group with particular skills, the heavy stuff I will leave up to the Major you already have here, the following Marines are specialists in their fields" She said after a  pause "starting with me I have skills in Basic Recon and Demolitions I make bombs of all sizes, I am also an expert sniper and can fly any shuttle starfleet currently has in active service, also I have some unoffical training in Diplomacy, thanks to my father and mother" She said with a shudder.

"My  second in Command  Second Lieutenant  Jasmine Donovan her Speciality is Assault skills and she is also a pilot like myself. Then there is Chief Warrant Officer Chris Kildare his speciality is demolitions as in he defuses them. Warrant Officer Jennifer Griffiths she is the dedicated Sniper, Master Sergeant Ioan Jones he is a Recon  specialist  she paused for effect; Gunnery Sergeant Jefferson Thomas is the units Heavy weapons guy. Sergeant Sarah Jane, Rifleman then we have Selerib Shran the units Andorian Tech and resident computer hacker. Corporal Du'Ralle the units only Klingon Marine and Assault specialist, then we have Corporal T'Lania my Vulcan  Assault and Communications Specialist. Finally the units Romulan T'Rhhaien Llewii she is our spy and when needed the unit's Intelligence expert."

There was a long pause before Kheren spoke. Clearly, he was not impressed.

"Fly-jockeys, saboteurs, spies and sharpshooters we can have by the dozens. What we really need and is most rare, is having those skills and that diplomatic acumen you have, Lieutenant. That and discipline and a cool head that never forgets why we are out here in the first place. That is why you were called in, Lieutenant Somers, not your team. Your team, you are free to choose and prepare and lead... but under my authority, as I myself must answer to Starfleet Command... and Starfleet to the Federation Council. I want this to be perfectly clear;  we need thinking, peacekeeping soldiers for such a delicate and dangerous mission, not a Dirty Dozen."

Alex did not like the look she was getting. "I was not told the type of mission I would be needed for, Sir, so I brought a selection of Marines that will fill any situation" Alex said by way of explanation as she took another swig of her Bloodwine.

The Andorian for his part had not yet touched his curious grey beverage. he was entirely focused on her as he answered her unasked question.

"To be honest with you, Lieutenant, nobody knows exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Your foresight here is already a first sign of choosing you being a good decision. "

He paused a moment as if to better gather his thoughts before resuming.

"The only thing we can be sure of is of our own intentions when we will commit ourselves to this endeavor; we are on a mission of peace. We intend to establish, ensure and enforce peace, first, last and throughout it all, whatever happens. That being said, your presence is necessary because we may be on the side of peace, but that does not mean we will be the lone musician if the old lion comes in the glade."

Nodding her understanding "Ah I see, the walk softly but curry a heavy pulse cannon in your back pocket approach" She said and honestly wondered if the Andorian Captain would understand.

"That is good counsel too, in what seems to await us," agreed Kheren. "But I was refering to a Human Zen philosophy parable. I read in your file that you are proficient in the wakizashi, the short sword of your Earth's antique warriors called the samurai... and adept of their twin-sword Daito Ryu style. I assumed that you would be familiar with that story, a reflection on the spiritual outlook that was what truly made those warriors so efficient."

He took a sip of his curious "Captain's Brew," and went on.

"The story goes like this; once there was a musician, who's music was so pure, so perfect, so beautiful, even the most savage animals stopped to listen. One day that he was in glade playing his flute, all the animals of the forest had gathered around to listen in ravishment. Then came a old lion. The old lion looked a moment at the other animals and then at the muscician. The lion went to him, killed him and ate him."

The captain made a pause, sipping his drink again before continuing.

"All the other animals were horrified. "What did you do? Why did you kill him and eat him? His art, his music was so perfect... how could you do such a thing?" All the animals, outraged, shouted thus at the old lion. But the old lion kept his back to them and went on his way, not even looking or answering them. The old lion was deaf."

Putting down his cup, Kheren again corssed his fingers on the desk before him and looked straight at Somers.

"In this universe, no matter how good and pure our intentions and actions may be, there are still a few deaf lions. That is no reason to let ourselves get eaten."

She took on the subject of the blades first "well Captain I use twin wakizashi blades and have done before, as for my outlook its pretty much hack and slash in a melee fight, as my adrenelin runs hot and high it is also the case of kill or be killed" She said and paused "well they never met me" She said with a confident smile as she leaned forward and pulled out a small pole shaped item that was thick but only 50 cm in length as she looked at Kheren who was probably wondering what it was, but he showed no emotion on his face Okay he must have studied on Vulcan she thought.

"Also Captain even though my blades are in my pack" She said pointing to her kit-bag next to her "I am always armed" She added and held out the 50 cm pole up and pressed a small button.

A strange but familiar sound of an expanding pole was heard as it expanded into the full length of a quarterstaff.

She looked at him with an evil smile "I am prepared for anything Captain" She said and the reverse of the opening noise was heard as she closed the staff down and deftly replaced it on her belt and took a sip of her Bloodwine.

"Good... that means you are as well prepared not to use it," he pointedly retorted, taking a sip of his brew to make a pause. Then he looked again straight at her. "Being in a killed or be killed situation, backed to a wall and cornered, these are the marks of a stupid, inept fighter, or at least the sure proof that you made a serious error. As my Vulcan teacher would agree; violence is the last argument of the imbecile. When you are down to that kind of dialog, when taking life becomes the only answer to a problem, then, even if you win, you have failed."

He turned his hands up, as if to show the heavy fighter calluses they bore.

"This I know first hand, Lieutenant. And this belief is what is behind every decision I take, especially command ones. And I expect, and demand, that all those under my command to know and keep it in mind at all times."

His silvery eyes took a momentary far away look as he continued.

"From my Starfleet record, you might be aware that  I made first contact with the X'ell of the Dyson shell found in this quadrant. What you might not be aware of however is that, at the time, my chief engineer admonished repeatedly to crush the Klingons already invading that world and impose our help on the inhabitants. They had refused it outright because they considered us to be violent, moronic, barbarian children, just like the warriors of the three Klingon wings already bombing and invading them. Had I followed my chief's recommendation, we would have attacked the nine Klingon bird of preys with my sole refitted Ambassador class and then forced our benevolence on the X'ell. Had we won this way, you can imagine the damages and the casualties on both sides... But more to the point, consider this; the X'ell would have never accepted our help, ready to die before betraying their belief as we would have done then... They never would have signed a treaty of cultural, scientific and technical exchange with us... and we would have been in open war with the Klingon Empire in this entire sector for the last two years; a war that would have left us unable to tackle the Azimuth Horizon catastrophy that would have by now destroyed this whole galaxy. More violence, more destruction, more deaths and suffering... up to total oblivion. In short, slugging it out and winning would have been the same as if we had lost to those Klingon ships."

The Andorian sat back, still looking at Alex, his hands again crossed before him. He wanted the marine officer to fully grasp the implications of what he was saying, of what it meant to be under his command.

Locking gazes with Kheren "I and my troops fully understand Starfleet's position. I did not mention their professions as in to boast, I mentioned their specialities, they will act as Starfleet Officers even though they are marines they will act accordingly. She paused talk about emotions, now I fully understand why Andorian and Vulcans were at logger-heads for so many decades she thought to herself. But verbally "Papa never raised a stupid girl Captain, the men I have were hand-picked by my father to accompany me" She said then becoming bashful "I think he was thinking of keeping his little girl safe, how little he knows me" She said with a bashful smile.

"As for my reactions, I have yet to be back into a corner" She said then developed a deadly tone, but it was not directed at anyone, it was a general type of tone "I have never been caught in such a close melee situation but I have been trained to get out of them, hopefully on this mission I will not need such skills, I feel that I will need to use my unofficial diplomatic skills, if I understand what you are saying Captain!" She said.

Despite his rigid face, the commanding officer of Lotus Fleet,s flagship looked satisfied. At least his voice told it plainly enough.

"I hope for the later and fear the former, Lieutenant... and so does Starfleet. That is why you are here and not some stuffy water-blooded diplomat or some berserker, jelly-brained man-at-arms."

He stood up, walked to the narrow window of his office overlooking part of the immense starbase his ship was docked outside of. Without looking at her he spoke with an even tone but one that beared no discussion.

"There are only four ways to go about things, and especially here, Lieutenant; the right way, the wrong way, the Starfleet way and my way."

He turned to face her again from accross the room.

"On my ship, the right way is my way, which so happens is the Starfleet way. So, there is only one way to go wrong here. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant first class Alexandria Somers?"

The last was typically Andorian; using someone's full name was a sure sign that this was as binding as a solemn oath for him. 

Hiding a smile despite his genetics, your traditional Andorian she thought "Is it not always that way Captain? Be it ship or be it a Starbase!" She asked.

"I wish it was," retorted Kheren with a far away gaze. "There are some officers who sometimes beleive that any means are validated by their own personal beliefs, regardless of the consequences on everyone else or on the service. They throw the book away at the first opportunity just because it is so easier and more convenient for them to break the rules and do whatever they fancy is right. To that I say; do not throw the book away before reading the last page."

Again he looked at her. His antennae were now curving inward.

"Of course, if you get to that last page and still finds no answer, then it is time to write a new one."

After listening to Kheren, she waited for him to finish "So beside MCO, what other duties will I be expected to undertake while on this ship?" She asked.

The Andorian looked at her in silence for a moment. 

"We are about to embark on a critical mission, possibly for an extended period of time, with no help or support; and we are still lacking an assigned chief security and tactical officer. Lieutenant Tyvya has been assuming this task up until now, and quite proficiently; however, she is all too familiar, too much in tune with my way of thinking. And she is Andorian like me. Against what we might be facing, I need someone on the bridge with combat experience and with another way of looking at things, who can come up with something I would not think of."

He stood straight before her.

"Do you think you are up to it, Lieutenant?"

She looked at him hiding her shock, "Yes I am Captain; don't get me wrong I am honoured Sir, while the ship is en-route I will go through all the current procedures and see if I cannot improve on them, I will do all this before coming onto the bridge" She said "I may end up recommending some changes be implimented, but it will be for the better, but I will know more after I done my rounds" She added then waited for his response.

"I am always open to improvement," answered Kheren."They are all available on our files but you might prefer to see Lieutenant Tyvya for a complete review of security protocols on this ship, which you will probably find among the most elaborate you might have ever seen anywhere. You had a first taste of it when you came aboard. Once I had my ship, the Artemis, almost taken from me by terrorists while I was away; you can rest assured this will never happen again."

There was a determination in his stare, in his voice, that contrasted dangerously with the lack of expression in his dark blue face.

"As for tactical protocols, I make sure everyone under my command follow as rigourously as I do Starfeet's rules of engagement. Those you will have to take up with Starfleet Command if you want to propose any change... and without my support, unless such change follows something akin to your planet's Code of the Shaolin, which is my personal stance as far as conflict is concerned."

Thinking the young woman might not be familiar with that obscure historical reference, he spelled it out.

"Avoid rather than check, check rather than hurt, hurt rather than maim, maim rather than kill; for all life is precious and none can be replaced."

Kheren stood straight as he spoke.

"This was called the Way of the Shaolin by ancient contemplative monks of Earth. You may call it my way of dealing with adversity now. But there will be no discussion about the subject, now or hereafter and certainly not if we are facing a combat situation. If you think you can not abide by such rules and prefer a more warlike, murdering stance, I suggest you ask immediately for a transfer to the Klingon Defense Force."

This time, his eyes and his tone matched the hardness of his expression.

Looking at the Andorian with pity but keeping a low respectful tone despite the anger she felt at being pre-judged, the only form her anger showed was using Kheren's full rank and name. "Oh how you misjudge me Captain Kheren, you of all people should know that you cannot judge new crew on ethics and such or actions. Gauge them on the possibilites maybe, but I will ask that you not pre-judge me or assume something I am not" She paused. "There must have been some event that happened to you in the past Captain Kheren that caused you to adopt this outlook" She held up her hand to indicate she was not finished "while I agree with your outlook and rules, do please expect some changes in Security precautions they will be minor for the ship itself; from our conversation here and now I will not touch on Tactical as you seem to have it the way you want it and why mess with something that works" She said with a hint of a smile.

Then continued on without preamble.

"Rest assured Captain Kheren while I will follow the guidelines set out and your rules and such, know this I am no pushover and do not take kindly to challenges, in whatever form they arrive. On this ship you are the boss and I shall look at things that way and will act accordingly as per my training and upbringing" She paused again. "I may be a brat from a wealthy and influential family, but my father did not raise me that way, he was a career Marine and he wanted me to follow my Mother into diplomacy, but I followed the way of the warrior, like him." Once again she paused as she gauged the Andorian's response to her words 'Dang it nothing, hard to read' She thought to herself, then decided to become all professional again with all emotion she was feeling now well hidden she returned to her normal tone.

"So Captain, how do you want to introduce me to your bridge crew and when do you want me to report to the bridge?" She asked all business again.

Kheren listened to the whole tirade without interrupting. His expertise in body language told him much that he wanted to know, beyond the words and emotions she was offering. Once silence had come again between them, he spoke with the same even tone

"There will be a senior officers briefing shortly, where I will introduce you to the other bridge officers. By virtue of rank and position, you may access the bridge at any time to familiarize yourself with the tactical station. Since you are also a certified pilot, you might want to take a look at the helm right beside it. Feel free to do so, or with any other station you might believe useful in any tactical situation... including mine."

. Then, the fire in his eyes was plain to see.

"You are quite right, Lieutenant; too often I saw officers swearing their oath to Starfleet, only to discard it and all that it stood for when it was best convenient for them or the challenge was too hard for them to keep faith in it. There are still too many Siskos, Ross, N'Elighans and Sorriptos in Starfleet, those who think the ends justify the means or that rules are meant to be broken; not on this ship. And if you are saying here that you do not like to deal with challenges, then this is not the ship for you and you might want to consider an easier posting; this ship's mission and this crew's dedication is to go out and meet challenges. But I am confident that this is why you accepted this assignment."

The light in his silver eyes suddenly became as cold and hard as steel.

"I might be misjudging you, Lieutenant, but I am not pre-judging you; I am not even considering if you do or do not already know what I am saying. I am simply  telling you plainly and clearly the way it is under my command. There is no pushing around on this ship; there is a chain of command you will obey to without fail, regardless of your training or upbringing or wants or wishes or needs. There are General Orders and Rules of Engagement and Starfleet Regulations and ship rules you will strictly follow. All recommendations are always welcome, especially from you, a senior officer on board this vessel; I even hope and ask for them. But that in no way means they will be de facto accepted, let alone implemented. I already have everything as I want it aboard this ship; anything from you that, on my sole judgment, might further improve what has been established, I will thank you for... and decide upon. "

He made a pause to let everything sink in, then pointed a callused indigo finger at her.

"You may run your unit and perform your duties as you see best fit to follow orders you are given and under the parameters given. You are a soldier, so I know that you will understand this. If I say weapons on stun, you better not pull out those swords and start chopping heads off... unless there is absolutely no other way; and you better be ready to back it up hard and fast because if I find but the slightest alternative you have overlooked, rest assured that your head will roll off from that uniform of yours."

It was hard to tell if he was speaking figuratively or not. After all, Starfleet regulations since the founding of the Federation allowed Andorians their duelling rights aboard starships. It was plain however that he was not threatening her but stating facts he wanted to make very clear; and that he was using them to test her, to size her up... and to warn her about what she was getting herself into.

The flagship of Lotus Fleet.

Meeting his steely gaze with one of her own as with cat-like grace she fluidly sat back in the chair, her gaze never leaving his "if you are going to roll heads Captain, I can assure you that you will not be chopping mine off, and even if you managed to I would have inflicted crippling damage to yourself and while my father may mourn my passing and accept my disobedience he will not disown me, but trust me when I say that you will have nowhere to hide Captain as he will have his revenge in what-ever form he deems fit" She said aping his tone but remaining non-threatening

"But as for the advice" She said with a smile "consider it heeded" She finished. "Now we both know where each other stands on such things; Captain and trust me I know the difference between Frag and Stun settings so do my men and we will not fail you" She said.

Then became deadly serious "but should I deem a situation dangerous to you Captain be assured that I will take appropriate measures to ensure your safety as will any of my men I have brought with me. a Starfleet Captain is too valuable to lose and if such a situation arises we Starfleet officers will be the only ones left standing" She said affirming her loyalty to her new Captain but leaving out if the weapons would be on stun or frag when she protected Kheren.

Surprisingly, Kheren laughed. It was a genuine good-hearted laugh, one that was not only ringing with amusement but with respect.

"Pray to whatever supernatural force you may beleive in that neither will ever come to pass. Be it you, your family or whatever species would be responsible for my demise, no one would survive the vengeful wrath of my wives."

Then he became serious again.

"I hear you, Lieutenant. And I appreciate your dedication as much as your competence. Just remember that my judgment always prevail, be it before, during or after. I told you plainly where I stand and what I stand for; as long as you follow that stance, we shall face the challenges of this universe instead of each other. It will be more beneficial for this ship, this crew and the Federation, even if it may not always be as much fun."

He stood at attention, hands behind his back, showing unequivoqually his respect to her as much as he had exposed his authority moments before.

"Unless there is anything else, Lieutenant, you may settle in. We'll see each other again no later than when the mission briefing will be called."

Taking his tone as her cue that the meeting was over, Alex stood "Nothing more sir"  She said and picked up her kitbag and her case that had her unorthadox weapons in and left. She got as far as the door paused and turned to face Kheren "What deck are my quarters on Sir?" She asked.

"Deck 2, senior officers' quarters. But you may just ask the computer and it will guide you there. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant."

Smiling "Thank you Captain, see you at the briefing" She said and the door closed behind her as she left the room proper.