Act 2

Admiral Boombly Edeot wasn't a man for briefing rooms. Well, he wasn't much of a man at all. His skin was a reddish-orange, with a large cranium and pronounced ridges that pushed his beady yellow eyes further to the side than most humanoid species. Boombly Edeot was the singular Starfleet Admiral from the race known as the Kasheeta. Their only notable contribution to Federation history was being in attendance to the Starfleet trial of James T. Kirk after the "Probe Incident" which required a time-travel to procure two humpback whales.

So, he stood on the bridge. In full view of all the bridge crew.

"The Romulans are very much enduring civil strife," he said, his voice shaky. "Our goal to ensure that the civil strife remains on their side of the Neutral Zone. The Wayne is one of three ships assigned to watch the situation and intervene only if it spills into our space."

He turned to the view-screen and with a push of a button, the entire screen changed from the area surrounding the space station to a 3-D diagram. They could see three small ships on the 3-D display. The spade hulled Norway class the Wayne, the circular hull of a Centaur class ship whose name was displayed as the Archer and a Klingon-style looking Curry class known as the Vulcan.

"You are replacing the Valkyrie, which has been reassigned at the request of Admiral Janeway," Edeot informed them.

"Meet the first officer on that ship," James said in a side-whisper to the Captain as the Admiral was droning on about their assignment. "Thinks very much of herself."

Kinda like a strapping Commander who set foot on my bridge three months ago.

He heard the telepathic words and the tint of humor in the thought. He glanced sideways and noticed the amused smile on the Captain's lips. It warmed him considerably and he couldn't resist smiling as well. He mentally slapped himself and focused on the briefing. What was the matter with him?

"….be maintaining blockade distance between the various ships of the task force."

"B-b-blockade distance, sir?" Ensign Daarth said from his navigation console.

James could sense the annoyance from the Captain. An annoyance he shared. The Kasheeta did not see rank the same way other races did. To them, each person had the right to make a comment at any time and give an opinion with the opinion having the same weight as the leader of the group. This cultural view had hindered their species' ability to join Starfleet. They couldn't adapt to the more regular view on rank. Even though Boombly Edeot had a very successful Starfleet career, he still insisted on his subordinates following his cultural tradition.

"Three thousand kilometers between each vessel," the Admiral explained. "Enough to give every vessel of the taskforce a good firing arc. It is very good to maintain that in potential combat situations."

The only potential combat situations I'm interested in a good firing arc is what you can accomplish with a woman in bed, James.

The Commander couldn't help but snort loudly as he heard the words. The entire bridge turned to look at him. Even the Admiral stopped, looking at him with his offset beady eyes. A flash of embarrassment ran through him but he quickly recovered.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No Commander," the Admiral held a long finger hand out in his direction. "If you have a comment, please, speak your mind."

He cleared his throat. Well, he hadn't actually been trying to make a statement. But there was no help for it now.

"Forgive me, Admiral," he started, leaning forward in his chair. "I'm perhaps the most combat experienced officer onboard the Wayne. I have had experience with blockade distance. They tried using it during the Tyre Offensive during the Dominion War. The Jem'Hadar and their Cardassian allies were able to tear us apart, sir."

"We are much more advanced in our starships since the beginning of the Dominion War," Edeot pointed out.

"Of course sir," he didn't argue that point. "But even now, blockade distance is unfortunately very unreliable for any race with real teeth in their combat capabilities. The Romulans not only are, but they also have cloaking tech. I don't think that simply three ships will be able to stop the Romulans should they come in any sort of force."

"This comes from the highest levels of the Starfleet Command, Commander," the Admiral responded, shooting down the concern with the same effort one gives to brush their hair out of their eyes. "Three ships will be more than sufficient against anything short of a full out invasion force."

"Take us to warp 7," Traz called to navigation. "I want to be in the Qualar system within the week."

"Yes ma'am," Ensign Daarth replied from his station. It was one of the few times he hadn't stammered at least once. She liked that. Hopefully it meant he was getting more comfortable onboard her ship.

She glanced over at her First Officer. He stood next to Z'org, speaking at the tactical station. As she looked at him, she couldn't stop herself from feeling…..what? Attracted to him? Ever since the Romulans had nearly crashed into her ship, she had seen him….what?

She hadn't meant to say something that was innuendo. Well, she had thought it. She hadn't actually said anything.

There was a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior between crew-mates. Especially when it came to superiors with their subordinates. She closed her eyes, hoping to figure out exactly where she was on that spectrum.

Judy walked up to the doors and pushed the door chime. She stood there, with hands behind her back. She didn't have long to wait before the door slid open. The figure within the doorway scanned her visually. Unlike most males she encountered (and including some females) it wasn't checking her out romantically in any way. The man before her was guarded and suspicious as he checked her out.

"Hello?" the man asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "I am Judy Ziz, ships' councilor and ship ambassador. And you are?"

She thrust her hand out confidently and held it before her. He glanced down at the proffered hand, the long hair framing his shallow scruffy face. At first, he seemed disinclined to shake her hand. But she kept it extended. His hand flexed a few times as he seemed to be warring between a long-cultivated distrust and the desire to be hospitable. Taking what could only be explained as a bracing breath, he held out his own hand and took hers.

"Nicholas Locarno," he addressed himself. It was hard to ignore just how hard he was gripping her hand. The act was overly aggressive. "What do you want?"

"As ship ambassador I like to meet all the new faces onboard, even the guests," she said, keeping her tone bright and happy. She did not slacken her own grip on the hand. Adol Ziz would not have ever allowed anyone to outlast him. And she had gained that stubborn-side. "So, who smuggled you onboard?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Not beyond a general curiosity about the types of people my shipmates hang out with when they aren't on board."

"James Enviro," he said, the words coming out like teeth being pulled.

"Really?" her eyes grew wide. "I was under the impression he had no friends. He certainly doesn't talk to me."

"Really?" he repeated the question back to her.

"Yep," she nodded her head. "I guess we're not friends. I try but he's so closed that I would almost have assumed he was birthed from a warp core than an actual family."

Thoughts were whirring behind his eyes. She could see his defenses starting to soften. At the same time, very slightly his clenched hand started to relax. She was glad for that. His muscle strength was more than hers and she had really begun to start hurting.

"You're the ships councilor?"

"Yep!"

He finally let go of her hand and motioned for her to enter. With a smile, she entered the room.

Before she knew it, she was having the most delightful conversation with Nicholas Locarno. Before long, working all her councilor charm, she was able to break down all his defenses. She didn't really know anything about his past, and he seemed determined not to talk about it to her. But she was learning a great deal about James.

"Did you ever have Professor Spotlek?" he asked, in perhaps an hour within their conversation.

"He was an overly large Vulcan," she recalled. "Taught Federation History."

"Did he ever tell you why he actually started walking from class?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, drawing a blank on what he was talking about.

Even as the words left her mouth, the door chime let out a triple series of beeps. Nick held up a hand and opened the door. Judy followed him and saw the First Officer in the door. He seemed tired, it had been a very long day.

"Hey Nick," he began. "I was just seeing how you were getting settled."

"Come in, Jimmy!" Nick said. Judy could sense the sudden elation. She never was envious of Captain Traz' ability to sense emotions. She had six lifetimes of experience with which to draw on to sense emotional changes. "I was just talking with Judy."

James stepped inside, turned to see whom his friend was talking about and spotted the Councilor. His lips pressed hard into small slits and his eyes narrowed. Judy simply gave him an award-winning smile.

"I didn't realize you had company," James said, addressing his friend even though his eyes never left her.

"Join us, Commander!" she brightly said. "Mr. Locarno was about to tell me a story. So what about Professor Spotlek?"

"Ah yes!" Nick said exuberantly. He hurried to his seat. James followed, keeping a wary eye on the councilor. "When me and Jimmy were in the Academy, he was a year younger than me. But his grasp of Federation History was such that we had the same class. During that time, Spotlek never walked from class."

"Really?" she asked.

"He considered it an illogical use of his time," Nick said. "He had a personal transporter that would transport him to his own personal shuttle. But Jimmy here came up with a perfect idea to prank him."

"We adapted his teleporter to transport him anywhere but his shuttle," the Commander explained.

"Each day one of our group would program it to send him to another place," Nick explained. "One day we teleported him into the mess hall. Another day it was the Commandants office as he was talking with a Federation Council member. Once we sent him into San Francisco Bay. Another time, we teleported him right into the women's showers. Our good Commander here was the one that sent him there."

"It was actually Wesley Crusher that came up with that one," the Commander politely corrected.

"Ah…..of course," Nicholas said. His expression soured. "Wes. I gave up my freedom to save him and the others from getting kicked out of Starfleet. And guess what? Wes quits Starfleet, throwing away my sacrifice. They all threw away my sacrifice."

"It's not like that!" James responded. Judy could feel the sudden awkwardness rising. The exasperation in the Commander's voice.

"Oh yeah?" Nick shot back. "Jean, you know what happened to her? She ended up getting captured by the Dominion and they tortured her so badly that she's spent the past decade in an insane asylum! And Sito? She….she allowed herself to get killed by the Spoonheads! Did you know we were planning on getting married after graduation? Even after I took the fall, she still was on board with it. We were going to get married even though I was in prison. Yet…..she decided to throw my sacrifice away by going on a suicide mission!"

"Look, they all knew what you did and were grateful for your sacrifice," James tried to soothe him.

"Then why are you the only one that kept in contact with me after I was imprisoned?" he shot back. "Why hasn't Wes ever reached out? Why has he never returned any of my calls?"

"Look, Nick. I told you. Shortly after I started dating Leslie, she told me that there are times that people sometimes have to distance themselves in order to move on. They can't return, even if they are supremely grateful."

Judy saw something. When the name 'Leslie' was said, she saw a look in the face of Nicholas. There was an uncomfortably nature to it. A concern that went deep. She took note of it and filed it away.

It was late at night as Judy was in the bathroom in her quarters.

She had never been one for a ton of makeup, but there was still enough that there was a comforting feel to taking a wet cloth and wiping away the layer of coloring that she used. In the background she listened to a letter that her step-daughter had sent her.

"….she tells me that I can't start having a pet until I get a little older. But that's not fair!"

A door chime caught her attention. "Computer, pause letter," she ordered and the letter came to a stop. Grabbing a green robe, she slipped into it and stepped up to the door, tying the cord to close up the front, making her somewhat presentable. She pressed the open button.

The door slid open to reveal Nicholas Locarno standing outside her door. She raised an eyebrow. She certainly didn't mind visitors, but what was he doing at 2200 hours at her quarters.

"Councilor?" he said. He fidgeted slightly. "May I talk to you about a confidential matter?"

"Mr. Locarno," she said. She wasn't exactly in the mood to give a counselling session. "If you need to talk with me, we can always schedule an appointment for tomorrow."

"It's not going to be long," he said. He glanced side to side down the hallways. He looked like a man who was doing something that he knew was wrong. "Please, a few minutes and I will leave you alone."

Judy could feel her fingers drumming on her leg. She mentally commanded the Ziz Symbiote to stop it. She inclined with her head back into her quarters. He stepped inside, the rapport they had built all but gone as he fidgeted.

"Say what you need to say," she crossed her arms. "It's really late, I was getting ready for bed and listening to a letter from my step-daughter. And as much as I like gossip, I'm not a fan of the gossip caused by strange men visiting a ladies' quarters late at night."

"I…." he started, his discomfort only increasing. "I have had a long time to consider the consequences of the truth. Or lack thereof. I have seen how not telling the truth can have a negative impact."

"As both a councilor and an ambassador I agree," she nodded her head. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Has…..has…." he stammered, trying to force whatever was on his mind out. He made a weird snorting sound. "Look, has James met with you?"

"Met?"

"For counselling."

The questions sparked her interest. Had her spots had been from a different race and not her native Trill ones, she could almost imagine them changing colors on her. But she wouldn't allow the interest to overcome her professionalism.

"Even if he has, I can't tell you," she replied.

"I take that as a no," Nicholas said. He seemed to have found strength by stating his question. "May I show you something?"

"As long as it isn't a piece of your anatomy," she warned, holding up a finger.

He frowned, unable to decide whether she was making a joke or not. He turned and walked to the console on her wall. The transmission letter from her step-daughter was still up. She was a rather obese girl in her mid-teens. Her hair also had a greasy quality to it. However, Judy had always found that despite the physical flaws, she was a delightful person.

Nicholas glanced questioningly at her. She slowly nodded her head and he turned to the console. But then he stopped, shook his head and turned back to her.

"It would be best if we went to the holodeck to show you," he said simply.

She rolled her eyes. She stepped up to the console a punched in a few commands. A teleporter beam warped around them and after a few seconds of a blizzard, they suddenly rematerialized in holodeck 2. She stood there, suddenly feeling a bit of a chill. The Ziz symbiote squirmed at the sudden change of temperature.

"Computer," he called out, "Run holographic program 'Leslie Connor'."

"Ready. Specify version."

"For physical look. Use images of Starfleet scientist Irina Galliulin, Human, Russian, circa 2269."

Before them, an 3D image of a woman materialized before them. She wore a dress of black with purple and red flowers sewn throughout the dress. She was, Judy noted appreciatively, a handsome woman with a tanned skin, and thick brown hair that was curled. However, she didn't know where this was going.

"For biography: add the character bio of Enterprise NX-01 entomologist Elizabeth Cutler but make updates to current time period."

The computer acknowledged the command. The Councilor didn't know the NX-01. Starfleet vessels didn't have a NX designation. But still, she had no idea where this was going.

"Give her the personality of United States First Lady Laura Bush. Include her accent and any inflections that are present in historical media."

Judy didn't know her Earth history well enough to know what the First Lady was. Perhaps an old title for a continental leader? She obviously had spent enough time on Earth to learn about the different continents.

"Lastly, make the character believe that she is currently in a relationship with Starfleet Commander James Enviro of the USS Wayne and give her knowledge of Enviro's history that is suitable to a romantic partner. Add this with all other info across all Federation holographic databases relating to this character, including any time this character would have been active. Save character and run."

"Acknowledged."

The character took a deep breath as if coming out of a long sleep and looked at them both. She frowned as she looked at Nicholas. Judy still wasn't quite sure what was happening or why this she was being kept from her quarters, in a robe no less, with this man.

"Well, hello Nick," she said with a rich Southern accent. "It's been a long time."

"Leslie," he nodded. "I'd like to introduce you to Judy Ziz. She's a colleague of James."

"Oh!" she said, holding out her hand to the Councilor. Judy took her hand and shook it. "I must say though Nick. The poor girl isn't even dressed. Did you steal her from her quarters?"

"Manner of speaking," Judy nodded her head. She looked sideways at Nicholas, who urged her with a head tilt to talk to her. She took a deep breath and turned to her. "So…..Leslie. You know the Commander. How long?"

"Oh yes," she smiled. "We originally met at the Academy after Nicholas got kicked out. But we didn't start dating until after James meet me at Starbase 74 after the Tyra Campaign. I was working on studying botanical plants in that region of space."

"I see," Judy nodded.

"When's the last time you met James?" Nicholas asked.

"Well, that would be right after he took the assignment from the Wayne," the hologram shook her head. "I tried to convince him not to go but…."

"Computer, freeze program!" the Councilor called out and the woman froze. She turned a glare to the human. "Look, what is this all about? Why am I talking to a holographic representation of a woman that the First Officer once dated."

"You aren't looking at a holographic representation of the woman he dated," Nicholas shook his head. "This is the woman he dated."

She frowned at the comment. Maybe her brain was being a little sluggish, but she had no idea of what he was going on about. Maybe his time in prison had altered his thinking. She really didn't know. He noticed her confusion.

"There is no Leslie Connor," he explained. "Whenever he is having difficulties, he conjures up this hologram. He's unable to separate this holographic creation from reality. This holographic character, he's literally been having a relationship with a hologram."

The news shocked her. Commander Enviro had never been diagnosed with holographic addiction. So why create this program?

"After his encounter with the Borg, he reached a low-point," he explained. "I visited him on Earth and had to talk him out of committing suicide. He uses this holographic character to cope with stress but like I said, he can't separate her from fiction. He never talks about her when he's doing well, because he is able to forget about her entirely. The fact that he remembers her, and thinks she's a real person, that's not a good sign."