This chapter may be removed later and edited as there are parts I am not sure about. If you can please tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not the chapter suits the rest of the story. Thanks.

Chapter Four:

"Come in."

Captain Alce leaned back in his chair as Commander Reven entered, his face troubled.

"Ah, Reven. Good, I need to speak to you."

Reven cleared his throat. "I am sorry sir, but I also need to talk to you about one of the crew members."

Captain Alce frowned. "Surely that can wait Commander? I have some rather urgent business I need to talk to you about."

Reven bowed his head. "Of course, sir. I will speak to you later about the crewman, but do tell me, when are we leaving port?"

Captain Alce stroked his hairless chin in a quick motion and answered. "Quite soon. I should say the day after tomorrow. I just need to get permission from Starfleet. They have yet to give me my orders."

Commander Reven nodded. "I see."

"Now then," Captain Alce started. "I have been debating whether or not allow shore leave on the planet, Anethma. I know it is a crew favorite and presumably we shall be in that sector from the hint I got from my friend Admiral Querick, but the planet has had some very strange reviews as of late."

Commander Reven frowned slightly.

"Like what?"

"Well," Captain Alce started, "Last year Captain Premite returned to Star Base Twelve and reported a few of his lieutenants coming down with sickness, which lasted a couple of days, after they left the planet."

Commander Reven shrugged slightly, not very concerned. "Your pardon sir, but at the time Captain Premite said he also thought there was some problem with the replicator that led to contaminated food which could also have been the cause."

Captain Alce frowned. "That could be, Commander. I hate to take it away from the crew; Anethma is a favorite of theirs." He shook his head. "Well, we won't have shore leave until at least four months into our voyage so we have time to think about this and hear any reports."

He subsided into silence and Commander Reven looked at him curiously. "Is that all, Captain?"

He was surprised. What the Captain had wished to talk to him about had not seemed very urgent.

Captain Alce nodded. "Yes, that is all."

Commander Reven frowned slightly at the dismissal, but nodded. "Captain." He said before exiting.

Commander Reven walked down the hall puzzled.
He had not seen the Captain all day. Infact he had not seen him since his last meeting with him. The Captain seemed very preoccupied of late, but did not seem to wish to share any of the pressing problems with him.

Reven shrugged it off. If things got worse he would talk to Counselor Ollily, the betazoid who had come at the recommendation of the late Counselor Deanna Troi.

"Locate ensign Tarvyd." He said to the computer on the thought.

"Ensign Tarvyd is in the Biolab on deck three."

Reven pursed his lips. "Hmm. Locate Lieutenant Commander Elie."

"Lieutenant Commander Elie is in the Biolab on deck three."

Reven let the frown drop from his forehead. Lt. Commander Elie was responsible and respectable.
He was the ships Exobiologist, the field which Tarvyd worked in. He could be relied on to keep an eye on ensign Tarvyd.
Reven sighed.
Tarvyd.
It is not your fault you were born half Romulan. Who am I to judge you? Who is the Captain to judge you? Should not everyone be given a second chance? As I was.

His hand hovered above the com link which would call the Captain and alert him of his coming. He paused and then his hand dropped.

Time will be the judge.

The judge of you and the judge of my decision he thought and walked very slowly away.

Tarvyd waited for the summons to the Captain's office, but it never came. It almost seemed that Commander Reven was avoiding him. Tarvyd was not sure what he had done, but assumed it was because he did not wish to face the son of his friend and be seen as the enemy.

Tarvyd tried not to ponder his upcoming permanent retirement from Starfleet and through himself wholeheartedly into his work to keep his mind off of it. As it was probably the last chance he would get to do so aboard a starship, he devoted his time to improving the Biolab and studying the few Earth plant species already kept.

His supervisor, Lt. Commander Elie was kind and very attentive and as a man who had worked with Vulcans before kept his distance from Tarvyd. Tarvyd could not help, but feel a little isolated by this and fervently wished he were indeed a true Vulcan and in that sense incapable of feeling the loneliness that threatened to engulf him.

He had been aboard the ship nearly a week now since Commander Reven had told him he would have to inform the Captain and waiting for the Commander to call him was preying on him. Tarvyd finally after his second week aboard the ship sought out the Commander and finally located him in Ten Forward.

Tarvyd had been studiously avoiding Ten Forward ever since his last visit and entered with some hesitation.

He spotted Commander Reven on the far side, seated by a window and gazing out at the stars that spotted the sky outside. Tarvyd self-consioucly approached him and said quietly,

"Excuse me Commander. May I join you?" The Commander looked up at him in surprise and then reluctantly motioned for him to sit.

"Yes, ensign?" He asked after Tarvyd and settled into the chair.

Commander Reven noticed that the half breed, even with his raising on Vulcan could not completely hid his agitation behind the expressionless mask used so frequently by his kind and could feel Tarvyd's cautious calculating look.

"I was wondering sir, if you had yet informed the Captain of my unwanted presence."

The look the Commander gave him was very composed and easy though he responded slowly and cautiously.

"I have…I have not informed the Captain Mr. Tarvyd."

Tarvyd struggled to hide the sudden up rush of Romulan triumph and at the same time keep his face from displaying the Vulcan confusion at such an illogical course of action. "If I might ask, sir, why not?"

Commander Reven let out a long breath.

"Tarvyd, S'Torr," he said very quietly. "When I was a boy there was a man, a man named Jean-Luc Picard. He died over twenty years ago, but I remember he was retired when I was oh, about five years old and lived on my street. I messed up as a teenager. I neglected school and I got into fights and in short when it came time to decide what I wanted to do with my life I had very few options left. By that time I realized what a mistake I had made and found that more then anything I wanted to become a Starfleet officer. Well, I would not have been able to fulfill that dream if Picard would not have, in his compassion interceded for me and found a way for me to re-attend school so that I could get my grades up and in short attend Starfleet Academy. It is because he gave me a second chance that I am were I am today and thriving, not struggling to survive, under trained on Earth. It is because of that experience that I have not turned you in."

He turned and stared out at the stars for a moment and turned back then. "If Picard had judged me the way I was going to judge you, the way Captain Alce would judge you I would never have had a chance to become an officer. I think, Tarvyd that you have a lot to offer. Whom am I to decide that based on your species you are unsuited for service. Time will be your judge, Tarvyd. In time we will see, Tarvyd how this decision ends."

Tarvyd heard the dismissal and stood and bowed his head. "Thank you, sir. I can give you no guarantees. To do so would be illogical, but I can tell you, Commander, that if I have a choice I shall never let you down."And he turned and left.

Commander Reven remained seated for a few moments staring out to the stars and then he to stood and left Ten Forward.