Orders received; Coming aboard

CHAPTER 1

"Captain Kheren,"

"Rear Admiral Kotari, Sir."

The face on the screen was that of a Boslic man; mostly Human- looking with fair-pinkish skin except for the fine small ridges on it's high brow crowned with greyish short hair, as steely and perfectly groomed as the small close-cropped beard that gave the face a most dignified mien. The lips were thin, the nose straight and the eyes small and beady, the pupils so large they almost filled the entire eyeball as the heavy brow frowned before the other sitting in front of the terminal.

This one was definitely not Human. The skin was of the deepest blue, almost indigo in color, and looked thicker and harder than Human skin, making the face look like a rigid mask. The lips were wide but thin, the nose large but straight and the eyes were of a silvery color where no pupil was discernible. But what made the figure look definitely alien was that, on the top side of the thick, long mane of snowy white hair, a pair of antennae sprouted like the eyestalks of a snail.

And at the moment, those eyestalks were darting straight at the screen along with the silver eyes as the soft yet authoritative voice from the speakers again broke the silence.

"I hope everything is good aboard that shiny new flagship of yours, Captain?"

The deep voice of the blue-skinned captain resonated with the same soft authority as that of the Admiral on the viewer, even as the words spoke of deference to his higher rank and responsibilities.

"She is a beauty, Sir. Truly a masterfull achievement in starship design and technology."

"But she's no Artemis."

The statement was said with a tone that evidently was meant to be understanding, as it voiced what had been left implied by the commanding officer's acknowledgement. And he took a moment before nodding.

"No, Sir."

"No ship, no matter how marvelous, how superior or how glorious and noble, can ever replace one's first command. Your Horizon is in every bit superior to that venerated refitted Ambassador class we entrusted so swiftly upon you, even if she had been the Stalwarth guardian of the Federation for almost eight decades. Yet, as large, advanced and powerful the Horizon is compared to the Artemis, you still think about her don't you? It's like when you first fall in love; you can never feel it with another woman quite like that again."

Captain Kheren nodded again to Rear Admiral Kotari. He didn't say a word. Andorians were as a rule poorly adept at what Humans called small talk; in fact, they despised it. And Kheren even more than most. Pragmatic to the core, he waited for the sector's commanding officer to come to the point of his subspace call, knowing full well that Kotari himself was not fond of the practice himself. If he indulged in it, especially with Kheren, it was because he was preparing ground for something much more significant.

The Andorian was not disapointed.

"Captain Kheren; I am sending you a mission briefing and orders. You will aknowledge them, confirm your willingness to proceed, then brief your crew and confirm their own acknowledgement to those orders. Then you will proceed with the mission towards the enclosed coordinates. At once, Captain."

As the Rear Admiral spoke, the orders and brief he was speaking of passed before the Andorian's eyes. The more he read, the higher his antennae rose until they were straight up and rigid like horns.

"This is... unprecedented, Sir," was all he could find to say after a moment.

"To say the least. But you understand why the Horizon is the only ship that can do this mission. And I'm not just talking about her technological prowess; yes she's one of the very few ships that can reach those coordinates in a sufficiently short time; one of the rare vessels able to cope with whatever wonders and perils might be found during this mission; and the only vessel capable of pursuing this mission for as long as it might take... But also, and most importantly, she's the only starship with the very team that could possibly succeed."

Silently, Kheren looked back at the Boslic officer on the screen. Kotari didn't waste any time to spell things out.

"This mission requires the very rare combination of diplomats, scientists and soldiers that are also proven as among the best in all those fields and especially true to our ideals, our laws and what we stand for. This is no game for cowboy diplomats and gung-ho space jockeys who think rules are meant to be broken and ends justify means. This is only for true Starfleet officers in the purest sense of the word. You, Captain, are such an officer; and so is your First Officer, Neil Redding."

"That he is, Sir," acnowledged the Andorian Captain, heedless of the compliment for himself.

"Yours and Redding's experience and excellence in command however would fall short without the correct crew to help you both. Fortunately, you have also among your officers that Bajoran Commander, Oseno Jureth, the one who managed to allow this... unprecedented opportunity to even happen."

"He's proven himself as much as Redding, Admiral," agreed Kheren. "Sir... was he asked for specifically?"

"Indeed he was, Captain."

There was silence again for a moment. Kotari finally spoke again.

"I'm sure you already grasp all the challenges such a mission will pose; most notably in regard to communication, data gathering and understanding. But as luck would have it, you also have aboard the two best telepaths in Starfleet."

"My wife, Lyrya... and Lieutenant-Commander K'Leysha."

"Aye, the only Aenar in Starfleet... and Snowfire K'Leysha. She's also among the best science minds in service at the moment, even if she's not completely Starfleet... still an exchange officer with the Ilythirii government..."

"Which might just be best for us regarding this mission, Admiral."

The Boslic man looked askance at Kheren. So he explained what he meant.

"How best to prove the validity of our action than by showing how well and good we can work with those even not of our kind?"

Kotari's eyes flashed in understanding.

"You're already proving yourself the right choice to lead this mission by this single remark, Kheren my friend. Fact is, we will even go further an have you joined by one who would have been beleived to be an enemy of ours."

"Sir?"

"I understand that your chief engineer has returned from the now famous "Tess Trial" with the intention of stepping down from that responsibility to further his research in cybernetics."

"Yes, Admiral. It is a great loss for the Horizon's engineering department; but even after being granted his promotion and new assignment, Commander Joseph Sisko  has asked to stay onboard as one of our head researchers. So it is not as we are loosing him entirely..."

It was obvious that the Andorian wanted the matter set aside for the more intriguing one the Admiral had hinted that. Kotari knew it and finished the tought.

"We are assigning you a new chief engineer for the Horizon. He might be of low rank in our chain of command but his expertise has already been groomed  before he put on our uniform. His name is S'Tan Solius... He's... Romulan."

Now Kheren understood. 

"Enemy indeed, Sir... between K'leysha and him, there will be no doubt left that we are true to our word when we speak of the brotherhood of all sentient life... and that they too may chose to be a part of it. but that does not mean it will be any more easy."

"It might prove downright dangerous," added Kotari with seriousness in both his voice and his stare. "Even if we think that we know who and what we might be up against... as I said, the perils match the potential."

"Fortunately, we are one of the rare vessels carrying not only the largest and best trained security complement in Starfleet, but a complete squad of Starfleet Marines as well," retorted the Andorian with no false pride or pretend humility in his voice.

"But that might not prove enough," then said Kotari. "If your escort craft, the Polaris, is out there with that squad while you get yourself into serious danger, you will need your own team of soldiers to pack enough punch with your security personnel, even with your other wife Lieutenant Tyvya still doing her usual excellent job. That's why we are sending you Lieutenant Alex Somers and her own team of highly trained specialists. She might be the only Marine commanding officer out there who can think with her brains instead of her phaser... And thus can help you make things better and not worse."

"I will make sure of that, Sir," promised the Andorian, lifting one finger of his heavily callused hand.

"I'm sure you will," said the Admiral. "Now, do you beleive your current medical officer and staff will be willling and able to face the biological and medical... particulars of what.. and who... is awaiting you?"

"011 and 110 are Bynars, Admiral; the only such pair serving as Starfleet medical officers. Being computer-interphased organic humanoids, they are uniquely suited to rise up to the challenge. And knowing them both, they will be quite enthusiastic at resuming what the Doctor from Voyager alone had the chance to study."

"Good. But as complex and demanding research will prove to be on board your ship, even more difficult will be managing it all for weeks... possibly months... maybe even years before this mission is finally completed, without any contact or support even if things come to worst. Such a task would require nothing less than a starbase. We can't build a starbase over there... but we can send the next best thing..."

"With Elisha Leône, my chief of Operations, the Horizon will be able to accomplish that task, Sir," completed Kheren when the Boslic man left his sentence unfinished. "She might still be a freshly-minted Lieutenant, but after our little trip to the edge of the galaxy and back, she is one of those who allowed us to do so in one piece and grew up pretty fast in her uniform. With her dedication and hard work setting an example to all of us, yes, the Horizon will do it... and come back home."

Kotari nodded.

"Well, having an Orion woman might even add some... incentive to our friends out there."

"As little as we know of their biology, I doubt they would find her pheromones alluring, Sir," commented the Andorian.

"Probably not... but she's green. That might do the trick."

The joking tone clearly marked that the discussion was at an end. So did the Admiral's next words.

"You have your orders, Captain. Safe journey and good luck. A lot of our hopes... and dreams... travel with you."

*     *     *

The Flagship. This was not something that S'Tan was expecting. When he read the Captain's request for crew, he would be hard pressed to not feel elated. He had heard the stories from his former comrades. How Starfleet was overly cautious and unaccepting of Romulan servicemen...but this? This took the cake. Although a large portion of his brain was shouting the fact that it was a trap, test or some other sort of way to remove him from active duty, he was ready to prove himself.

When he arrived on the ship, he took his small rucksack and proceeded to the Officer's section of the ship. As he walked, he took in every sight that he could. The sleek hallway, the bright glow from the deck lights. All polar opposites of a Romulan craft. Whose decoration was designed with only function and utility, not esthetic appeal in mind. They were also all green. That was the biggest change. Bright blues from the consoles, signaling the ship was docked, yellow/white lights from the floor and ceiling and the gray/silver wall and carpet. Everything was fresh. A fresh surrounding for a fresh start.

When he arrived at his quarters, the doors whooshed open quietly and he walked in. The room was far bigger than anything he was used to on a Romulan craft. He expected this, as he knew Humans enjoyed all sorts of strange amenities, but a small part of him was happy to have an area to spend some quiet time working out or reading up on this new ship. He dropped his sack on the bed and pulled out it's only contents. A small blade, a small fuzzy child's toy that most humans would call a "teddy bear" and finally his Romulan rank pips & insignia. He had fought with Starfleet Security for a few days to allow him to take the insignia. They were afraid that he would summon the Romulans down upon the Horizon. Like he wanted to see them again any time soon. But after a while, he was able to convince them that if he agreed to have another engineer rip out any communication systems, they would let him have the trinket from his past. He put the pips and insignia on his desk so that they would face anyone who sat down. The bear went to it's appropriate location, on his night stand and the blade he slid into his belt. It was the only family heirloom he was able to take onto a Romulan ship, and he'd be damned if he'd leave it in his room on the first day of his new life. In S'Tans mind it served two purposes. Firstly, it was to spit in the eye of the family he left behind. To show them that they did not need to control every aspect of the public's life to do something good. And secondly, he wanted to show Starfleet that he was a Romulan and even if he did wear the golden engineer's uniform for the rest of his life, he would still be Romulan.

After exploring his quarters for a few more minutes, he decided it was time to see this new type of warp core system. It was all very strange to him, as he was used to using quantium singularities to propel his ships. Not Transwarp and hocus pocus. Hisinstructors at the academy had said he was up for the assignment, but S'Tan had to wonder, as he walked down the corridor to the turbolift. "Am I ready?"

His trek through the vessel was certainly an unusual one. This was so huge a ship, it felt like going through a space station. Sure a D'Dridex was just as voluminous, but most of a Romulan cruiser's volume was empty space within the hollowed oviod form of the bird-like-with-curved-wings hull. Not this ship; built in the most famous saucer-secondary hull-twin nacelles on elevated pylons configuration of Starfleet's cruisers like the legendary starship Enterprise, the Horizon was truly immense. It was also full of the most varied crew ever found outside a mercenary unit. Romulans and Klingons and almost all other spacefaring cultures were homogeneous societies where different people were either enslaved or forced into a subservient role; there were practically never anything else but Klingons on a Klingon ships, Hirogens on Hirogens ships and Rihann'su on Romulan ones. Here, even in the restricted confines of the turbolift, by the time S'Tan had crossed the almost one kilometer from his quarters to main engineering, he had crossed path with at least a dozen different species; Humans and Vulcans of course but also the half-insect, half mammalian Andorians, felinoid Caitians, hairy porcine Tellarites, blue-seal-like Bolians, nose-ridged Bajorans... even an incredible three-legged, three armed Edoan. Much more amazing however were the obvious hybrids among this crew; a half-Vulcan, a half-Klingon, mixed races of Humans... It was hard for a Klingon of mixed blood to ever survive, let alone succeed in their Empire; it was unheard of in the Romulan Empire; and certainly not in their navy. But here, in the United Federation of Planets, even in Starfleet, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations was not just a philosophical view; it was a thriving reality.

Even one from an alleged, self-declared enemy state was welcomed.

When the Romulan engineer reached the thick double doors that gave access to the main engineering section of the colossal starship, he was greated by two security guards. One was Human, pale of hair and skin, with a heavy-lidded stare that gave the impression that he was daydreaming.  The other was a Saurian, nearly two meters tall, sleek red skin with black scales and enormous unblinking yellow eyes. That was another thing peculiar to this ship; security aboard was even tighter than on a starbase. Not only were all the vital areas of the ship guarded by a pair of armed officers sporting not only a hand phaser but also a very atypical pair of combat knives strapped to their boots, but his arrival on board had been so heavy with security measures it would have made anyone think he was targeted as a spy; boarding the ship was only allowed through the ship's own systems and control, scanning and sensory checks done before, during and after coming or leaving cross-checked with recorded orders and files... and all that while in condition blue! 

Only Romulans were usually that paranoid. But then again, this was the latest, most advanced vessel in Starfleet and the flagship of Lotus Fleet, it's most elite division, who's headquarters were right at the door of both Klingon and Romulan empires and facing the tip of the infamous Delta Quadrant from where Borg, Hirogens and Undines had come; and at their back, the sector of space were had raged most of the Dominion war. Being too cautious was certainly not a sin here.

On seeing the two security officers, S'Tan immediately started thinking about possible defensive positions to take. He tensed his muscles and prepared for an assault. Although he assumed that this was just a standard operating procedure, he was positive that the Tal'Shair already had a death-mark on his life, and he would not be caught unawares. The fact that there was so much security onboard was not lost on him either. He made a mental note to check to see where the security was most stationed: logical high security locations, or just areas that he frequented...

"One moment, Sir, if you please."

That came from the heavy-lidded eyes blond man. He entered a few commands on a wall panel, checked the readouts of a small monitor, eyed the blade at the Romulan's hip, checked once again then nodded to his reptilian comrade before turning again to S'Tan.

"Access to engineering as Chief Engineer and too all sensitive areas of the Horizon is confirmed for you, Lieutenant. The doors will now open when you will come, provided you wear your combadge. It's unique signal will be matched with the brainwave scan and biometric readings of the door's sensors to confirm your identity and allow you entry. Security inside main engineering and all accross the ship is now informed of you being here. Welcome aboard, Sir."

"Very good soldier. Has any of my other staff checked in yet? I know Humans are notorious for wanting the maximize their R&R, so they usually arrive as late as possible, correct?" He questioned the blond security officer. To be frank, S'Tan didn't want to meet anyone yet. He was not the greatest people person, and he saw the looks he was getting while walking to engineering. Additionally, he still was not fully confident in his ability to keep such a sophisticated warp drive online for long periods of time. He needed time to do his own research onboard, where the security systems were open for his use, versus on the Starbase...

Listening with obvious attention to  the new chief enginner's question, the security officer had but the faintest of smiles on hil small lips.

"Ensign De Paul, if you would please, Lieutenant; and this is Ensign S'hississ. I suppose you might beleive so, Sir; but this is the flagship; if you are here, it's because you're the best at what you do; so is everyone else aboard. Moreover, this is Lotus Fleet's flagship; and you do not get to be assigned to Lotus Fleet if you maximize R&R instead of work. But most of all, this is Captain Kheren's ship; you don't stay aboard, let alone get aboard, if you do not strive to do your best. Captain Kheren is a very patient commander... but he is not a tolerant one."

The young blond man returned to an attention posture.

"Gamma shift is in there, Lieutenant. I beleive you will find them eager to meet you and to start working with you right away... if you feel up to it, of course. You're the boss around here now, Sir."

"Excellent, Mr De Paul. Mr Hissssss, as you were soldiers." S'Tan nodded to the two officers and walked into engineering. As he ventured to the room, he was awe-struck by the design of the room. Everything was efficient and spacious. Very unlike the Romulan engineering rooms; they were tight, dark and not to mention incredibly dangerous thanks to the singularity. After taking in the view, he strode quickly towards his office and sealed the door. He had never had his own office before. Like with his quarters, the Romulan ships did not feel that officers needed their own rooms. 'What was there to hide?' was always the excuse given to any crewmen foolish enough to ask. But now? Now he had his own room to store any data that he found interesting without anyone ever knowing. He sat down behind his desk and the display lit up, showing him the current status of the Horizon. All systems were either offline or in docked mode. He leaned back in his chair contently.

This is cause for celebration, he thought to himself. Looking around, he discovered a replicator alcove. Yet another difference, he joked to himself.

S'Tan walked to the machine and made his request "Romulan Ale."

The computer bleeped in rejection, "Romulan Ale is not allowed to be replicated due to current Starfleet Standard Regulations."

He sighed. "That is something I will need to correct as soon as I get some free time. Fine. Computer, Osol Twist." He took his cake and sat back down to celebrate by himself.

Someone buzzed at his door.

Since the door was semi-transparent, he could see that beyond waited a rather tall Human woman with long pale hair tied into a ponytail, wearing the same pips as he did on the golden collar of her grey and black uniform.

S'Tan quickly cleaned off his hands and muttered "Enter." He would be lying if he said he had wished the door was solid durasteel and he could have ignored the chime.

"I'm Patricia Blakely, in charge of Engineering's Gamma shift. Welcome aboard Lieutenant... Solius, is that correct? I will be one of your assistants, along with Lieutenant Robert Baoule who takes charge of Beta shift. I'm pleased to be the first to welcome our new chief engineer."

She stood at attention, obviously quite at ease with the change in leadership in the department.

"Gamma shift is about to end  and I'm happy to report that all systems are ship shape for departure whenever that will be."

She then smiled with definite pride.

"I don't know how much familiar you are with recent Starfleet technology, Sir... But wait until you take a good look at our advanced impulse drive and especially our transwarp propulsion system; just let me say, Lieutenant...you're in for a treat."

"Greetings Lieutenant. Yes, I am Lieutenant Solius. Please call me Link. Starfleet suggested I take on a more...non-Romulan name to increase crew acceptance of having an enemy of the state on board. As for the technology...I prefer to fly ships that have only a miniscule chance of spontaneous combustion, but I am indeed interested in learning about the new systems. I have only started reading up on the basics of the new technology, so I am hoping that you will be able to lend me a hand when things get tough."

He smiled at the woman, trying to scan her facial features to detect any hint of disapproval of being skipped over for Chief. Or of the fact that he was Romulan. He couldn't see it, but that was to be expected. Starfleet was always quick to accept new members, even at the cost of angering others.

As if she had read her mind, she smiled again and eased his apprehensions.

"We're here to serve, Sir... Link... I'll be happy to lend a hand, whatever you wish to be called. Regardless of what Starfleet might think, you will never find enemies here, except those that you will wish to have. As for your other concern, well... I myself refused a proposal for chief engineer on another vessel a while back  just to remain under Captain Kheren and get aboard this ship because, for one thing, all other ships will go down in flames before his does; simple statistics, you know; he already went through that."

She was obviously refering to the well known loss of the captain's previous command, the legendary USS Artemis, sacrificed to the fire of the Azimuth Horizon anomaly to help stop it from destroying this universe. Patricia wondered if he was aware as well that, prior to that final act of sacrifice, the Artemis had also used her stardrive to destroy a Scimitar class Romulan dreadnought threatening Starbase Lotus and the whole Azimuth Horizon operation. Being Romulan, he might be the one holding a grudge...

She put the tought aside as she became all professional in tone and posture.

"You might want to talk to Robert... Lieutenant Baoule, about our systems; he's our chief expert in propulsion. He's even well cognizant about Romulan singularity drives, the best in Starfleet on the subject... It's something of personal interest to him. I guess the both of you should enjoy talking shop quite a bit."

"Mr. Bowl, you say. What an interesting name. I will get in contact with him as soon as I am able. Now, please go get some rest. I fully expect this mission to be...eventful. Dismissed"

She turned to leave, but not quickly enough to hide the grin his akward pronunciation had  brought to her lips. How she would love to be a fly on the wall when her fiance would meet their new chief and be called a cooking ware... This was going to be a very... interesting mission.

He spun in his chair away from the Lieutenant and began contemplating his new post. Secondary and tertiary chief of engineerings. Yet again, so much was different from Romulan activities. What else could be different. He was sure he would find out. He was most interested in learning how crewmen interacted during a mission. He was used to 100% business, but already knew that was not Starfleet's way. How strange indeed.

* * * * *

In the forward lounge Commander Neil Redding was talking to the only kind of councilor he ever felt he could trust.

A Bar tender.

I know I'm 'old fashioned' as they come Nathan, and I can't imagine that as time progresses that will improve, but I just don't know if I'll ever get used to synthetic people.." and took a drink from the glass he was holding.

"Take this 'Tess'.. 'THING' that their all breaking their backs for, it's just a computer program right?"

Knowing better than to interrupt the half drunk Commander Nathan simply smiled and nodded at him.

"Right" Neil said confirming his own opinion. "So why did I.. I mean the other me, the Admiral, think she was worth erasing the last 100.. something.. years of my life to save her for?" Then smiled at his own joke "Get it? he "Saved" her."

He drained the last of the amber liquid from his glass and slid it back at Nathan.

"You've had enough sailor, ready for your detox yet? or do you want to enjoy this for a bit longer?" Nathan Cross had the kind of voice that made you want to listen to him, it was pleasant but firm, and had a way of making you feel just a little bit better about the world.

Neil nodded as if in reply, not actually answering the question. "Your a good man Mr. Cross.. sure , hit me with a chaser."

Nathan reached under the bar and pulled out a kit that contained a single dose hypo-spray and injected Reddings left wrist with it, reloaded it and put it away.  "Next time I'll need a doctors note for that Commander, this time was on the house."

It was obvious that Reddings head was already clearing as he sat up straighter and straightened up his uniform.

"Thank you Nathan, I appreciate a bartender than understands the limit of a customer, and for allowing me to drink my own whiskey in the lounge." Neil said with a smile.

Nathan held up the small jar filled with cubes and gave it a shake. "I have no idea where you would get concentrated alcohol cubes in this day and age Commander, but they sure seem to work well enough."

Redding grinned but offered no explanation. "You hold on to them if you don't mind, I had a real problem with that once, so it's safer to leave them here."

Cross's smiles was soothing and reassuringly "Of course Commander, no problem at all." With a nod Redding got up and left the lounge.

As he went out, he almost collided with a bewildering ensemble of limbs that spread out before him in obvious surprise. Assistant chief of ops Cheonghi was Edoan; hairless chitinous red skin, lanky body with three arms, one right in the middle of it's cylindrical chest, and three-legs, one where a tail would have been on a more familiar lifeform. Each hand had three fingers, one opposable and looked quite dextrous. They were all raised in front of him as he backed off hurriedly with surprising swiftness to avoid colliding fully with the tall, large-shouldered dark haired and eyed Human that had obviously surprised him.

His voice was shrill and high-pitched; not that unpleasant but it always made Cheonghi look perpetually anxious even when it rarely was the case. This time though, it added to his surprised reaction in an almost comical manner.

"Oh! Commander Redding, Sir! My apologies, Sir! Sir I was just about to look for you. The captain wants you to round up all senior bridge officers, including the new ones, for a staff meeting before departure."

From a small table in one corner of the lounge, the Bynar doctors -- or 'doctor' as some called them, since they were a dichotomy: both a single thing and two things at the same time -- looked on at the patrons, observing their behaviors. They sat side by side on a single side of the table, enjoying a coffee after a long shift spent patching up the final victims of the Khan holoprogram. They spoke silently using the networking installed in parallel to their central nervous system, sharing thoughts on the various species that they observed in the lounge. A few Humans, Bolians, and Bajorans were enjoying drinks off duty and conversing happily. Several were solitary -- mostly Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites, reading PADDs and sipping various teas, coffee drinks, and Cardassian fish juice (a popularity among the Andorians who wished to emulate their Captain). The Bynars specifically noted the difference between these two types of social behaviors and noted how even with all the similarities among the different races, there was still very clearly defined stereotypes that existed for a reason. Of course, in the Federation, no one would ever have a reason or desire to be prejudiced based on those sterotypes, but it was clear they still existed.

Their coffee and socio-anthropological observations were both coming to an end when they saw the ship's Executive Officer, who they were quite familiar with due to their excursion in their previous mission, exit and almost collide with the assistant operations chief. Both making an intelligent guess that he was in a hurry to inform them of the inevitable pre-launch bridge officer meeting, the Bynars simultaneously rose and shuffled out to follow Commander Redding out of the lounge.

-----------------------------------------

After spending a quantity of time exploring the fleet starbase and procuring both personal and professional requisitions, the Orion Ops officer transported directly back to the Horizon. This time though, there were no security concerns regarding this olive-green skinned woman outfitted in full starfleet attire boarding this vessel. In fact, the security team were all very congenial and accommodating as they conducted their thorough security protocols upon her arrival.

Moments after the formalities had concluded, Lieutenant Elisha Leône stepped inside her quarters and swiftly deposited her procurements temporarily on her bed. She then carefully removed a variety of wrapped items from the large satchel, cautiously unwrapped each one and then selectively arranged them individually around her quarters. It was her intention now they she had made it through her first mission on the Horizon to embellish her quarters with a more personal and artistic touch. This was the first individual quarters that Elisha had ever had bestowed upon her and the comfort this brought was not lost on this woman who endured and survived a very perilous upbringing.

After Elisha finished modestly redecorating her quarters, she followed a path back to the turbolift and directed it to deck 19. After stepping out of the lift, the Orion casually strolled past a series of crew quarters, the hydroponics facility and thus arrived upon her destination: the ship's Arboretum.

The Ops officer entered the sizable room and deeply inhaled the scent of fresh vegetation all around her. Her duty shift would not begin for a while yet, so she strolled slowly among the greenery for a while, touching and observing the varied flora and fauna as she found her way to a secluded location surrounded by a variety of interestingly scented flowers. Elisa then elected to sit on a small bench nearby and closed her eyes; allowing herself an opportunity to relax and get lost in a multitude of scattered thoughts. 

She heard soft footsteps nearing her position. The soft padding of feet stopped a moment. Then an equally soft-spoken tone of voice was heard.

"I apologize for intruding, Lieutenant. There is rarely anyone in this part of the arboritum so i did not expect to find you here."

The voice was sincere but completely devoid of warmth or any other emotion. It could only belong to a Vulcan. And indeed it was Ensign S'Kon, one of the security officers that were serving under Captain kheren since the days the Andorian himself had been an Ensign and chief of security and tactical aboard the former flagship, the USS Lotus. 

"It was not my intention to disturb your meditation. I will find another spot."

Upon hearing the unanticipated voice address her, Elisha immediately popped open her eyes and stood up to observe the even more unexpected Vulcan security officer standing before her.

With her hands carefully clasped behind her back, she offered a slight bow to the ensign.

"There is no need for that Ensign. I am Elisha Leône and do not claim any of these spots for my own. You are welcome to have a seat and join me for a moment... if you aren't too busy."

The Vulcan obviously was taken aback by the response. For a moment, he just stood there, looking at her with his slanted black eyes, puzzlment raising slightly one arched eyebrow of his triangular face near the square line of his short-cropped jet black hair. Then he bowed slightly to her and took the offered space on the bench.

"Delta shift is still in effect for the next fifteen point fifty-three minutes. I was just looking for a peaceful and isolated spot before I attended my usual security duties at transporter room 1. However, sharing this moment with you will prove a welcomed opportunity to break the routine; something important to do in my line of work."

He sat very straight and as far as possible from her as he could on the bench, yet  facing her, not ignoring her at all. He was looking at her in a far away manner that showed that he did not concentrate on any specific part of her but looked her in her entirety and even included their immediate surroundings. His voice remained even and almost cold, yet his eyes were inquisitive as much as his words.

"You did a remarkable performance as a newly assigned junior officer during our maiden voyage to the edge of the galaxy; especially when we were confronted with the Khan Noonien Singh-impersonating artificial intelligence that controlled the warship Nemesis at that asteroid Jem'Hadar refugee camp hdden in the nebula."

It was not so much praise as it was an assessement of her as a fellow officer. Vulcans as a rule would not indulge in stroking someone else's ego since they had none of their own by virtue of their implacable self-imposed logic and rejection of feelings and emotions. They were however creatures of vast curiosity with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding.

Elisha's smooth, flawless complexion deepened to a slightly darker shade of green as she blushed in response to the unintended praise received from the Vulcan security officer.  

"Thank you Ensign for your kind words."

Then turning to face the Vulcan directly as he sat down, she continued.

"I also find that a break in routine is always a welcome opportunity for me as well; even though I haven't been here long enough to establish too many of them" she noted with a smile."

"Lieutenant; since we are now engaging in conversation for our mutual enlightenment, may ask you a question of a personal nature?"

"Not at all Ensign. What did you want to ask?" Kalynda inquired back to the Vulcan security officer.

"You are from Orion; and you are female. As current data would state, your culture is still unable as much as it is unwilling to join the Federation mainly due to it's centuries old practice of slavery... which includes the females of their own kind. History told us that the real enslavement however was done by the women themselves over the men, through the remarkable power of their interspecies-affecting sexual pheromones. Assuming this to be true, why would you desire to pursue a career in Starfleet, a life path that would certainly be much less easy and profitable for you personally?"

Initially, Elisha was not only surprised by the nature of the question, but personally insulted by its derogatory presumption. She felt a flash of anger ignite within her that she had to consciously restrain before responding back to the Vulcan. Yet somehow she also wanted to laugh hysterically at this absurdity as well. it was a most unpleasant dichotomy brewing within her.

It took a few moments, but once she had reined-in some control over both antagonistic reactions, she looked back directly at the Vulcan to respond. 

"Should I equally assume Ensign that you as a Vulcan selected your career pursuits and choices based primarily on yourneurochemical imbalances during Pon far? she inquired rhetorically.

Elisha then retreated somewhat as she consciously tried to address his inquiry more straightforwardly.

"It is exactly that type of presumption Ensign, based on my heritage and gender, that motivated me to not only be drawn into Starfleet, but to prevail despite such conjectures that I have had to endure and confront throughout my life... even as I fought to gain acceptance into the Academy itself " she managed to respond with civility and poise; although still feeling rather offended.

Elisha then turned away for a moment as she still fought to regain her composure. She knew rationally that this was merely an inquiry by a rather curious Vulcan and not meant as a personal insult. Yet the nature of his deduction unintentionally stung Elisha at her core. Nevertheless, she was determined to somehow enlighten this fellow officer rather than lash out at him as she may have instinctively been compelled to do.

Closing her eyes again for a moment, she began to center herself. 

"I was brought into existence by parents that I have never even met and then abandoned far outside of Federation domain from a line of such slave traders Ensign. From that moment on, I had to physically and psychologically battle my way to even survive. As a child, I had never known what is was to be provided with long-term shelter, steady meals, any sense of security or even a hint of compassion enduring that way of life."

She then opened her eyes and responded candidly to the Vulcan.

"There were no profits that held any meaning to me to be gained abiding such a lifestyle Ensign, only continued exploitation. There were no opportunities to succeed beyond that which my physical endowments had brought me at a very young age... along with the countless waves of relentless pursuers that wanted to posses and use me."

Slowly breathing in the fresh aroma of the striking flowers nearby also aided Elisha as she continued.

"My pheromones along with my physical appearance could be an extremely potent weapon on most males as you insinuated Ensign... beyond that which you as a Vulcan could even imagine. But I possess other gifts too that no one around me was even willing, let alone able to see. But they were there... deep inside of me... longing to be acknowledged and given a chance to be examined and explored. But such opportunities were never available to me... when merely perceived as a very desirable, young Orion female to everyone.  That is until I was finally able to escape into Federation space."

Elisha then reached up and picked off one of the fragrant flowers and brought it close to her face. She examined it as she inhaled its sweet fragrance.

"Like this flower Ensign, most sentient beings that come across it see only its beauty and appreciate its appealing scent. But this particular flower also possesses many medicinal values beyond its superficial appearance and aroma. Fortunately, there were others that were able to see beyond its exterior and discover how useful this flower could be as a healing agent for a variety of species. Perhaps it one of the reasons why it is here in the arboretum on this ship... or maybe it is just here for its sensory appeal."

Looking quizzically at the Vulcan, she inquired "What would you speculate Ensign?" 

"Speculation is a pointless exercise when empirical data and validated information is readily available, Lieutenant. Vulcans do not... speculate. The first use of a ship's arboretum on starships is to supplement artificial air recycling processes with organic sources. Beyond that purely utilitarian function, it also serves as a psychological and sensory support for most sapient life forms during long space travels. Even Vulcans find this a prefered environement for meditation and rest than cabin walls or even a holodeck recreation.  As a complementary benefit, an arboritum allows study and observation of a closed ecosystem and the build up of a small source of vegetarian dietary products and, as you aptly pointed out, medicinal plants, roots and herbs, again to supplement standard stores.On a security standpoint, the presence of unknown harmful microorganisms left undetected by internal ship sensors could also possibly be noticed early  if the more delicate living organisms here start to show signs of alteration."

He then nodded to her fractionally.

"On the same note, and with all due respect,  I did not insinuate anything, Lieutenant. I merely wanted to pursue a line of inquiry from a most reliable source to better understand a people that has been eluding us for centuries. There was no intention to judge or ciriticize your people or you personally, only to understand. However, despite my warning, I seem to have elicited in you a negative emotional response. Please accept my apologies. Emotions is not something that we Vulcans understand all that well as we are born and bred to weed them out of ourselves. I have caused you discomfort with my inquiry. I shall discontinue immediately and leave you to allow you to regain your inner harmony. With your permission, Lieutenant."

And so saying, he nodded again to leave her be.

-----------------------------------------

"Told you you could do it without me, didn't I." Snowfire smiled brightly at what she was beginning to call her Circle as the numerous psionic members of her department - and even some outside of it - pulled back out of the system she'd designed and then programmed for them to practice technopathic interface with. It was a clever little device, not much compared to a starship main computer, but it was easily capable of creating enough cycles to stress people. The link to the built in medical scanners on the Horizon allowed the device to make sure it didn't push anyone using it too far on the rare occasion that Snowfire or one of her subordinates on the project weren't there to supervise, and over the last several weeks she'd been training the volunteer only group to carry out steadily more complicated technopathic scanning or control routines. She'd managed to beg her way into getting her hands on a set of (yes, outdated) system patterns from some of the other polities that the Federation had routine conflict with so that she could train - and train her Circle - on interfacing with different hierarchies, but this had been the most complex challenge she'd put them through yet.

It was possible - hard, but possible - to interface with computers from a distance using Technopathic techniques. You lost quite a bit of fine control and raw power when you did so, but in a group it was possible to lay all of that on an extended group of Anchors. The Circle had been working on that sort of thing for about a week now, but this was the first time that Snowfire had set up a test where she wasn't in the link to help them. They'd had to find the system they needed to access, get inside of it and then successfully run through one of the more complex control routines in the face of steadily increasing cycle output. She'd known it had been a major test of their abilities, especially when she'd placed the device on the other side of the starbase from where the Horizon was docked, but they'd done it and the pride in her voice was anything but fake. 

They'd all had the basic skills to boost and transfer, every person capable of psionics did, but most had never even contemplated the idea that it was actually possible. Naomi, the Science Departments only psionic specialists (and she was non-Gifted  to boot), was having a field day with all the data they were producing for her and Snowfire saw some very interesting reports in her future. All to the good that, and she'd managed to reconcile some pieces of the Oath she'd sworn a bit more. It had taken some actual conversation with her sister (the traffic control on the Starbase were actually beginning to get used to the Sunstream at last) acting as Voice for her clan, but she'd had several stages of the Oath released - hence the current all but public training sessions.

The looks Starseeker had given her into some of the evolving views on the Federation were...complicated. They weren't bad, and that was a true relief, but they were too hazy to be called good either. The factions in and out of the Council were shifting around, and although the view on the Federation was becoming more accepting the fact that the Vision hadn't formed yet was a worry. And then there was Shatterglass's idea that there was something beneath the surface here, stealthily directing action and reaction. It was...well, it would be crazy but for the fact that Snowfire had been a member of the Talya. She'd asked Star to take back a message to 'Glass to keep looking, but to do so carefully. She'd also sent back several sealed dispatches to her old commander in the Talya and two more for contacts in the IDF. Even after her reaction to Vanguard she had pull in the IDF, and honestly, it was about time she started using it.

But here...here was something that certain members of the High Command were going to burst blood vessels over when they heard about it. There was nothing they could do about it, because she'd had the sections of her vow pertaining to them released, but it would interesting to see the reaction. Yet considering some of the things she and the crew of the Horizon might encounter out in the black, this sort of practice was probably a very good thing. And she really had to get around to inviting Councillor Lyrya to sit in and join these sessions. She'd not wanted to so far because of...just feelings, in the end. But with those on the way to at least temporary resolution, it was workable. She'd ask...soon. And that brought her back to the moment at hand.

"You know, you said that about being able to beat Engineering at nullball, ma'am." Daniel replied with a tired chuckle.

"Well, you did, didn't you?" Her smile was teasing, but only gently, and half of the Circle groaned theatrically.

"Yes ma'am." They chorused jokingly, and she laughed herself.

"Well then." She shook her head, then her smile returned to one of simple pride and her voice softened. "But really, you've all done incredibly well getting this far in only a few weeks. Give it a bit more practice and I'll pity anything that tries to force their way into the heads of anyone on the Horizon. Even if they're stronger than any of us individually, very few species actually know how to merge their psionic potential like I've taught you to do. And when you take the Horizon and match it with an ability to tap the empathic net, you produce a level of protection that is very rare." She left the words 'outside of my people' unsaid.

"Anyway, that's all for today. Break to quarters, and I'll see you at the next meeting." The group broke up quickly at that, usually some stayed late to talk with her but today had been very tiring so just about everyone wanted to get back to their quarters and get some rest. Snowfire, on the other hand, had some more correspondence to finish. She reached her room on the Horizon quite quickly, the security measures were almost unregistered by her now, and then sat down on the chair Star had brought for her from home. It had always been her favourite. She sat there for a long few moments, simply taking in the feel of the piece of furniture that was very distinctly of her people, and then reached for the PADD on the desk in front of her. Playtime was over, she had some work to do.