Rakurai Stryker - Ready Room

Captain's Log, Stardate 61347.6: Starfleet Command dispatched the Pretoria to Alodi 9 to ferry three warring delegations to Algol. The rest of the diplomats, not a suitable word for these people, is waiting for us in the Algol starsystem.

Personally, I was not happy to accept this mission, as I find the risk of the delegates resuming their private little war on the decks on this ship very unsettling. I have called for an important meeting with my senior staff, due to start in ten minutes. The warring delegations is due to rendezvous with Pretoria in about two hours.

Alice - Stryker and Alice's bedroom

Alice tapped the bottom corner button on the computer screen above the replicator. "Computer. Access standard Federation Communications Network. Personal authorization Brangwin Alpha Tango Goal."

"Access Granted." the default male voice replied.

"Establish link with communications array 14121. USS De' Aan."

"Link Established."

"Private channel. Hail Lt.-Cmdr. Deanne Sobinski."

About 30 seconds past before a golden blonde haired woman answered on the call. "Hey Jinx. How are you ?"

"We're all fine Dee." Alice replied.

"You don't look as tired as you did last time I talked to you." Deanne told her friend.

"I get a sleep hypo from the medical staff when I cant sleep. How are you doing? Did the mission go well?" Alice inquired.

"It didn't necessarily go well, but we did what we went to do."

"Heavy casualties?" Alice asked.

"Yeah. The ship is limping back to drydock at warp 2.2 for repairs."

"At least you didn't blow it up this time."

Deanne smiled slightly. "Alice ... MRess and I are leaving Starfleet in a year, moving to the ED 209 colony. There's a ton of room, the weather is perfect. We don't have to live on the station or at an apartment on the colony. We can grab some land in the middle of nowhere. MRess wants room to run around, get back to his feral Caitian roots."

"Sounds neat." Alice said. "Guess what ?"

Deanne shrugged. "What ?"

Suddenly behind Deanne yellow alert lights were flashing. Alice looked her friend, "I am pregnant."

Deanne did not think she heard it correctly as behind her, red alert lights were flashing. "Sorry Alice, gotto run. I will contact you as soon I can."

"Dee, I am pregnant." Alice repeated. Deanne stared at her friend in shock, the communication cut off three seconds later.

Liz Archer- Ready Room

Liz entered the ready room to find Captain Stryker standing by the window viewing the stars outside. Liz stopped shortly and looked confused for a minute. She hesitated and raised her voice.

"Hmm.., Sir, I am too early?"

He turned around and looked a bit surprised when he saw her. For a second they looked at each other under silence and then he walked forward to the table ahead and smiled.

"Ensign, good you are here. I was hoping that I would have a few words with you before the meeting." He sat down at the table. "Please sit down."

Liz did as she was told.

He continued. " ..As you maybe know we have been assigned to Alodi 9 to ferry three warring delegations to Algol and meet with some other diplomats. I suppose I don't have to tell you what a sensitive mission this is and the importance of success. "

He took a brief silence and look liked he was in deep thoughts for a while. Liz who was viewing her Captain closely interrupted and said.

"And you want me to keep an eye on the diplomats."

Stryker looked surprised and astonished.

"How did you know that? I knew from your record that you have some empathic ability, I didn't know that you could also read minds."

Liz smiled slightly and said.

"I am sorry to disappoint you with confirming that I am not telepathic. It's a question about knowing their history of our diplomats and identifying the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the diplomats resume their private little war here on the decks. I am also speaking of some experience, of course. Before I was transfered to Pretoria I had the oppertunity to see Captain Picard in action in missions simular to this one. "

Stryker replied, "Good, I want you to join Counsellor Damien Lynn Troy in this mission. When the diplomats are aboard this ship they are under your and Coundellors care. Make sure that they are doing what they are supposed to. Report everything that seems suspicious. Counsellor have been notified. "

Liz confirmed, "Keeping an eye on them, yes sir!"

Corridor, en route to Transporter Room

"This is odd, to say the least," Karen mused softly as she walked toward the transporter room. "Captain said senior staff, but he specifically requested me, not Kiya. I wonder why..."

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly bumped into a Security ensign who had unexpectedly crossed the corridor into her path, along with a handful of other crew who were trying to get as far away as discreetly as possible. "Sorry," she apologized, and only then did she notice the cause of the disturbance: the Gorn walking the other way. Momentarily annoyed at their pettiness, she dismissed the thought and gave the young officer a friendly smile. "Good afternoon," she said, ignoring the astonished looks from the few people left in the corridor.

A few moments' walk brought her to the transporter room, but as soon as she stepped inside, a hand reached out from behind the main console and tugged at her sleeve. "Psst. Hey, Doc." It was the transport chief, and his face bore the unmistakable look of a man Up To Something. "Doc, find yourself a place to hide. Ensign Archer's on her way down, we planned a little birthday surprise for her."

"Haven't we had enough birthday excitement for one week?" Karen replied dryly, but she did as requested, folding her frame under the console as best she could. Evidently nobody ever considered that a tall person might need to hide behind one of these things...

However, when Archer walked in, the look on her face when the cake materialized and everyone jumped up to yell "Surprise!" was well worth the stiff neck and the leg cramp.

Twenty minutes later, when the cake was consumed and the revelry subsided, Stryker signaled for attention. "Everyone, we've had a change of plans. Apparently for whatever reason, the Alodi don't deal too well with transporters, so we're going to have to ferry them by shuttlecraft. Second, as some of you might know," he said, with a sidelong glance at Archer, "Alodi 9 is an extremely cold planet to begin with, and it's currently winter, so expect temperatures in the -50 to -70 range. You will need cold-weather gear. Before you ask, Doctor, permission granted."

Karen's jaw dropped in surprise, and then she shook her head with a soft laugh, for indeed, she had just been about to ask if she could use her own winter attire instead of the Starfleet ECWCS gear. While the system was lightweight and designed for maximum mobility, it was only designed to withstand temperatures that would equate to a brisk spring day back home. "Thank you, Sir."

"Don't get too excited. I requested you for this mission because we'll need someone with extensive cold-weather experience. I also expect you to cooperate with Engineering to make the proper modifications to the diplomats' living spaces when we return."

"Understood, Sir."

Stryker looked at the chronometer on the wall, and then at the assembled team. "Everyone, go get any equipment you might need and meet in the shuttle bay in twenty minutes. Dismissed."

Liz Archer – Transporting room.

Liz ran through the corridor and entered the transporter room in a hurry. While there she looked around as she takes a deep breaths. With a surprised face she saw that the transporter room was nearly empty. She couldn't believe it! She was the only one that had arrived to great the diplomats. She expected at least that the Captain or the counselor would be here by now. Her face turn to the officer stationed at the controls and said.

"Don't say that I am the only one that has arrived."

The officer looked up and smiled and said.

"I am afraid so, ensign."

"Just great" she replied. She taps on her connbagde.

Ensign Archer to Captain Stryker Liz said.

She doesn't get an answer. She tries again.

Captain Stryker, please respond…

Right ahead, the transporter starts to materialized. Liz maked sure that she looks respectable and gets ready to greet the diplomats. But there were no diplomats where the materialization hade took place. Instead there where Captain Stryker and a few of her friends. Mike that was standing next to the Captain had a huge birthday cake. She noticed that is was made of coconut, her favorite.

"But Captain, what about the diplomates?" Liz asked Stryker.

Stryker smiled and walked down of the transporter platform.

"It can wait. We just got a message from them; they are delayed. They are not here until about two hours. I think we can at least have time for a bite of that huge birthday cake. "

The door to the transporter room suddenly opened and more friends of her's entered, they all started to sing a birthday song to her.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday dear Elisabeth…."

Liz looked stunned and really surprised, but she was smiling. She had almost forgotten that it's her birthday to day.

Kretak - Hallway

Kretak walked slowly through the corridors and he tried to not notice the stares he was recieving. For being a Gorn and the past history with the Gorn, it was hard to believe that he was even present on the ship.

He wanted to shout that he wasn't an enemy and not all the Gorns were evil, but such an outburst would turn everybody against him.

'I just better find my place and just do my work.

TO BE CONTINUED...