Chapter Six: Challenges
Syrreiya Naetharr wandered alone along the Promenade deck. She was on business and nothing else. If Starfleet wanted its new precious space station up and running in prime condition, she would get it done but it would be on her timeframe not Starfleet's. She carried her personal toolbox with her on her way to a fluctuating power conduit that ran through the Promenade.
The walkway was mostly cleared of debris and was repaired over the past month once the Federation had come in after having negotiations with the temporary Jetallan government. Minor structural repairs were still needed but that was not her concern. Her priorities were just to keep the station running for the time being.
She found herself standing outside of what was to become the Infirmary. Not all of the bulkheads were sealed off yet, pending more reconstruction and design, so she entered the medical facility.
"Are you here to tear apart more of my facility?" came a familiar voice.
Naetharr turned to face one of her fellow Jetallan crewmates. Bithar Keddan came out from behind a pillar in the room and faced her. His dark raven hair was dusted gray as was his black and blue Jetallan work-uniform from his working inside the infirmary but his grayish eyes glowed from within.
"No, I'm here to fix a power conduit," she replied in their native Jetallan tongue.
He replied, but in Federation Standard, "Sorry, I did not know it was you."
Naetharr eyed him carefully and returned in suit, "You want to speak in their language?"
"I want to learn and I need to practice," Keddan said as he walked past her to the other side of the room to move some bulkhead plates off a console. "Besides, you're wearing their uniform."
Naetharr glared at him but did not answer. Instead, she walked over to one of the open panels to run the diagnostic on the power conduit before repairing it.
"You need to be patient," Keddan said, cutting into the silence. "Once they feel they have met their goals of helping us, they will leave."
"I don't think so," Naetharr replied as she finished the diagnostic and pulled out some tools from her toolbox. "Look at Bajor; they have been there for several years now."
"That is because of the Wormhole," he countered. "They have a reason to always stay there. Here… what do we have to offer the Federation?"
They have reasons they do not know of yet, she thought to herself. They will find out eventually and use us just like the Cardassians did.
"I'm finished here," she said as she replaced her tools in her toolbox.
"Good, now I can maybe get things in order here," he said as he moved some paneling plates to their proper places.
"I will stay and help you," she said suddenly as she took the panel that fit into the hole she was just working at.
"Thank you Syrreiya," he said with a nod in her direction.
* * *
Lieutenant Michael strode with a confident walk as he went about his way. He had gotten over his earlier annoyance at Naetharr and had practically forgotten the heated disagreement the two of them had earlier. Things of no importance did not last long in his mind and for good reason in his opinion too, no use thinking about such petty events. He came upon the Science Lab and entered through the parted doors.
"Hello, L'Nara," he greeted the dark hazelnut skinned scientist seated at one of the consoles.
"Lieutenant," she answered stoically, not glancing away from the screen she was looking at.
"What are you up to?" he asked as he leaned over the top of the console at her.
"I am scanning cultures I collected from different coordinates from across Jetal," she replied.
"Sounds like fun," he said dryly.
"Vulcans do not 'have fun'," she said finally shifting her dark brown eyes up at him.
"Too bad," he said standing up straight.
"We participate in activities that stimulate our minds," she replied. "You can call that our 'fun'."
"Then that means you won't be joining Rilar and I for a small tournament series of dom-jot?" he questioned as he came around the console and sat in one of the nearby chairs. "Or ping pong perhaps?"
He saw her long fingers stop from their movement on the console.
"Ping pong?"
"You're telling me you have never heard of ping pong?" he asked somewhat stunned. "I thought Vulcans knew everything."
"We learn what we wish to know," she answered. "Games are not as stimulating to me as cellular structure or bacterial growth."
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" he asked.
Her silence answered for him and he sighed heavily.
"Ah, well, ping pong is an old Earth game," he started. "It's like a smaller version of tennis and is actually called table tennis."
"I am familiar with tennis," L'Nara replied.
"However, ping pong has a smaller ball and you use a small paddle instead of a racquet on a table that is 2.7 by 1.5 meters," he described.
"On the smaller scale one must have great accuracy and reflexes in order to defeat an opponent," she observed.
"Yeah, but the point of the game isn't so much in defeating an opponent," he explained. "It's also in testing the other player's limits and abilities."
"And therefore is 'fun'?" she replied.
"Exactly!" he said pointing at her. "I finally got through to you."
"No," she said as she resumed her testing.
"No?" he asked.
"I am not going to play ping pong in your tournament," she answered.
"Why not?" he questioned.
"I do not have the time to play a game to entertain you," she said.
"What do you mean?" he said surprised.
"You need another player to, as humans say, 'liven things up'," she replied. "You are bored with playing, or perhaps losing, to Commander Rilar and need a new challenge."
"Now where did you get that idea?" he said, showing shock on his face but inside he felt like tearing his hair out. She can't stick me that easily…
"You are predictable," she elaborated.
"Are you so sure?" he said with an evil gleam in his eye.
She raised an arched eyebrow in response to his challenge.
* * *
"Eleven to eleven," Rilar said glancing at the computerized score keeper. "Your serve, James."
Rilar sat back on his stool in the holosuite room programmed for a ping pong tournament hall. He watched Michael prepare for his serve and observed L'Nara standing as straight and tall as she normally did without a hint of fatigue or adrenaline. It was the third game and both Michael and L'Nara had won once. Michael had won the first match as L'Nara learned the basics of the game but she had come back with a strong backhand after observing his movements and returns.
"I'm not going to let you win," Michael said as he prepared his serve.
"You have played well so far," she replied. "The odds however are against you."
"We'll see about that," he mumbled under his breath as he served the ball over the net.
They rallied together for a while, both hitting the ball back and forth in a rhythmic pattern of an echoing clack as the ball hit against the surface of the table on each side. The ball's white color contrasted against the deep green of the table as it flew over the net and would bounce on its wooden surface. L'Nara's quick Vulcan eyes noticed Michael attempting to set up an attack hit he had used on her during their first game. She prepared herself for his slap to the left side of her half of the table. Suddenly, his swing swerved its angle and he tapped the ball lightly to her right side. She moved her paddle quickly but her Vulcan reflexes were not quick enough to hit the ball over the net before it bounced twice.
"Twelve to eleven!" Rilar exclaimed from the sideline. "Remember, he has to beat you by two points."
"Not as predictable as you thought?" Michael gleefully grinned at L'Nara.
"It was a good hit," she replied.
"You won't give me any credit, will you?" he said as he prepared another serve.
"Credit will be given when it is due," she replied as he served her the ball.
For more than two minutes, they rallied against each other, both using the skills they knew or learned. The speed picked up on the delivery of the ball to each side. Michael was staring after the ball intently, completely concentrating on the game.
"Commander," came a voice from one of the entrances of the holosuite as the doors parted open. "Lieutenants!"
The sudden call interrupted Michael's concentration and he shifted his paddle too far forward of an angle. He attempted to return the ball but it bounced off the net without going over.
"No!!!" he cried out and then spun around to see who had come in during the game.
"Did we interrupt your game?" Vedrann asked from the entrance, another person standing next to him.
"No, sir," Rilar replied before Michael could answer, knowing that his friend was taking the game very seriously.
"Good," Vedrann said. "Now..."
"I am Commander Serea, your new commanding officer," said the person who entered with Vedrann.
"Yes," Vedrann said, taking a moment to pause after her quick introduction that he was about to give for her. "I was showing Commander Serea around the station and knew I could find at least two of you here." He nodded towards Rilar and Michael as he spoke.
"Commander, these officers are Lt. Commander Rilar Gital, Lt. James Michael, and Lt. L'Nara," Vedrann said motioning towards each of them as he said their names.
Serea glanced at each of them and bowed her head in honorable acknowledgement. L'Nara returned the Vulcan greeting as well but as she lifted her head, she hesitated for a moment then completely raised her head. She eyed Serea almost curiously for a moment, the commander met her glance but then turned away to address all of them.
"Gentlemen," Serea said. "I should be continuing on my tour of the station. I will see you on duty tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred."
"Yes, sir," the threesome said in unison.
Serea about-faced with Vedrann taking a quick step to keep up next to the commander as the door slid closed behind them.
L'Nara stared at the door a moment longer. She had a strange feeling that she had received from Serea. She could not define it but it was much different from other Vulcans she would meet.
"L'Nara…?" Michael said as he glanced at her almost trancelike state.
"Yes?" she said snapping back to her crewmates.
"It's your serve," Rilar answered.
He handed her the ball and she prepared to serve it over the net.
"Lt. L'Nara, scans of specimens 24 dash A are complete," the station computer voice announced suddenly.
"Are you that worried about your tiny cultures that you have to have the computer tell you when it's done scanning them?" Michael said in exasperation.
"It is imperative I see the results before more changes occur," she informed him as she set the ball and paddle on the table.
"Where are you going?" Michael asked after her as she walked out of the holosuite. "We're not finished here."
She did not answer as the doors slid shut behind her.
"I had her! She knows it," Michael said to Rilar absolutely confident in himself.
"I'm sure you did," Rilar chuckled with a pat on Michael's back.