A/N: This chapter wasn't in the original 12 chapters that I'd originally written. This is something that I was inspired to write in response to the feedback I got on the first two chapters of the story on VJB. It's amazing how positive words can inspire one to write and just have a bit of fun. I hope that is what this is. It probably doesn't exactly work with the flow of the narrative, but since Myles has simply become a great character for me to play with, she's gotten additions to later chapters and this helps set things up a bit for later. It's funny, my original idea was to write a 10 chapter story max. I can't see this story being less than 30 chapters. I haven't gotten anywhere near some of the ideas I've got planned.
PS- Basically to save myself from creating "Ensign noname 1, 2 and 3" I at first just stuck a couple names in there from the Dragon Age universe... and they kind of stuck. Of course I wrote this before I discovered the Memory Alpha wiki and all its goodness. I digress. Oh and since I didn't mention it in Chapter 1, this fic will be influenced by Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Star Wars and other bits of my favorite stuff.
Thanks to nightterror56, JosieRevisited, Biggest-Baddest-Wolf for the reviews and everyone else who's added this as a story alert. As always, please point out my mistakes.
Chapter 5- In the Meantime...
The change was almost instantaneous. They had just left Sickbay and Lieutenant Sara Myles had already noted the change in the Captain's posture and the gleam in her eyes. Science really was her first love apparently. She bristled with energy and purpose; the Captain was known to stand up for her crew and if that meant learning everything there was to know about the creature that attacked them, then she would do it. Never mind it was the hour normally when Alpha shifters would be getting ready to call it a night. It was a remarkable thing to watch from the Lieutenant's perspective.
Striding towards the turbolift, the Captain snapped her hand to her communicator. "Captain to Bio-Science Lab Two, who is on duty?"
"This is Ensign MacKennie, Captain. I'm here with Crewman Tallis. Soris and Tamlen are running labs in the Hydroponics Bay."
Ensign Kayla MacKennie was 33. A Bio-Science major right out of Starfleet Academy when Janeway selected her to be on her science team. Currently, she headed the Bio-Science and the Xenobiology departments during Beta shift; Sam Wildman was the de facto head of the department (as there was no current official head), but she would be getting ready for sleep and Janeway didn't feel the pressing need to disturb her. At this hour, Bio-Sciences only consisted of four people, unfortunately, and Captain Janeway was all too aware of the losses her crew had suffered by the Caretaker's array and in the seven years since. The sciences particularly suffered on Voyager and Janeway inwardly wished she had more time simply to go down and work a shift or two in her native field.
Crewman Tallis was an interesting one. A young lady born on Risa of all places. Her parents were a Betazed and a Vulcan, yet she was born with a rare cross-species genetic defect which oddly enough left her with no telepathic or empathic abilities at all. In fact, the only distinction between her and a human or Betazed was her pointy ears and slightly larger eyes. With her regular eyebrows, large pale almost grey eyes and long blood-red hair she kept in a pony tail, she reminded Janeway of an Elf or fairy from Earth fantasy folklore. Casting a quick glance at the taller woman walking beside her, Janeway decided that the two of them had very similarly coloured hair, only that Myles kept in neck length and tucked behind her ears.
Keeps her looking modern, yet functional. Maybe I should trim my hair again...
They had reached the turbo lift and stepped inside. "Very well Ensign, myself and Lieutenant Myles are on our way. Anything interesting to report so far?"
Myles let the computer know their destination while trying not to be obvious in her observation of the Captain.
"Computer, Deck 8, Section 15." A beep from the computer and a quick nod from the Captain were the only responses. She stood to the Captain's left as the doors to the turbolift closed and the lift began to move.
Ensign MacKennie came back over the comm. "Well Captain, we're just in the initial scan stage now. We're running a level 2 tissue scan before we even remove the BSF."
"Sounds like a good start Ensign. We'll be there in five minutes and you can put us to work." Janeway gave a crooked smile to Myles satisfied that she probably had just volunteered the woman for work far outside her element and that the woman on the other end of the comm was probably choking on her own shock. She decided the look on the young security officer's face was worth it.
"Y-yes ma'am, er, I mean Captain. MacKennie out." Now it was the Captain's face that blanched for a second. Shaking her head, she turned to Myles.
"Has Seven of Nine released some sort of memo I don't know about changing the communication protocols on this ship?"
At first, Sara was unsure what to make of the statement. She simply hadn't spent enough time around the Captain to be sure if this was relaxed behaviour or not. The mock indignity, tiny wry smile and gleam in the woman's eyes answered her question quickly enough. Seizing the moment, Sara took a chance.
"Well, you weren't supposed to find out about it and I'll deny it even under torture. I've been trained to resist questioning, you know."
Janeway chuckled. "Good to know Lieutenant." If she didn't know any better, she might have thought the young Lieutenant was flirting with her. Or she had been flirting with the Lieutenant. Interesting woman... Reminds me of... She locked that thought down before she could even think it. It was ancient history.
While the Captain's last statement sounded like the end of a conversation, Myles was still curious about a few things and felt that alone in the turbolift with the Captain she could get away with asking.
"Captain, permission to speak freely?" She kept her eyes forward and posture rigid.
For Janeway it was too late for such formalities to be honest. Besides, it was just the two of them in the turbolift, what could possibly happen?
The momentary interruption of her breathing and heartbeat while she waited for the 'other shoe to drop' passed. And here there is no wood for me to knock on...
"Go ahead, Lieutenant."
"Thank you Captain. I was wondering two things, one- what is BSF? And two- why do you need my help? Science was never really my field, well, other than learning biological and physiological weaknesses to exploit in combat."
The Captain turned to her left and looked up at the taller woman. It's times like these Kathy that I wish we had invested in some boots with heels...
"Well, to answer your first question, BSF stands for Biological Sealant Foam. You didn't see the science team spray the creature before they removed it from the Flyer?"
"No, as soon as Lieutenant Carey's team and the science team arrived, I made my way to Sickbay after reporting to Lieutenant-Commander Tuvok."
An opportunity to talk science. Janeway lived for this. "Ah, well, you would have missed them use an anti-gravity field to suspend the creature off the deck. Then they use the BSF to encase and quarantine the creature for safe movement. The foam hardens almost instantaneously after being sprayed and micro-chemical preservatives and sealants prevent the tissue from either decaying or releasing bacteria. Oxygen from the environment is absorbed through the outer layer of the foam and stored in the inner layer if needed to keep the tissue alive. But it's only one way like a vacuum seal, nothing gets out. Fascinating stuff really."
Sara thought it was actually interesting. She found herself immediately determining six ways a dispenser filled with that foam could be used in a combat situation. It was something she would have to look into further.
"As for your second question, you partially answered it yourself. Sometimes the scientist can't see the purpose of something that a warrior can. Since you've joined Alpha shift, I've gone over your files and have been impressed. You were part of the first team to find Tuvok and myself in Cargo Bay 2 when the Borg beamed us over, you led one of my French 'resistance' cells during our time fighting the Hirogen on the Holodeck and Tuvok has only given glowing praise to your investigative and interrogation skills."
Myles couldn't help but smirk the tiniest bit. "Glowing praise from Lieutenant Tuvok?"
Janeway straightened her face and responded in her best Tuvok impression. "Her work has been quite satisfactory." She even raised a brow.
Myles could not help the snort as she tried to cover up her laugh and get her breathing under control.
"You see, it's the adjectives. He never uses them unless he's impressed." She whispered conspiratorially even though the two of them were alone in the turbolift.
Reigning herself back in, Myles let out one last chuckle as the turbolift doors opened leading to the science labs. Despite the levity in the turbolift, Captain Janeway once again let her scientific curiosity get the better of her. "We'll see the creature soon enough Lieutenant, but I'm wondering about your impressions of its behaviour."
Sara smiled slightly now that the conversation had turned to her field of expertise. They made their way the last few steps and into the lab as she gave her impressions of the creature.
"It's a large reptilian/lizard creature that moves on four legs. Incredibly stealthy and likely highly intelligent. I had a weapon drawn the whole time and Seven of Nine did a lot of lifting. I suspect it had been watching us for a while and determined Lieutenant Torres to be the weaker prey as her focus was on the mining and engineering aspects of the mission the whole time. Unlike what you'd normally think of a reptilian creature though, its legs were quite long and its body didn't rest low to the ground. That alone tells me its hunting technique is unique. It moved more like a cat than a reptile and attacked the Lieutenant when her back was turned. I unloaded a full-setting pulse into its torso where I judged its heart to be after Seven of Nine tackled it and it barely winded it. I think you'll find its hide to be of particular interest. I was impressed with Lieutenant Torres' instinct though, she moved quickly and efficiently after my first shot and put her phaser to its eye and killed it."
"Incredible" was the only thing the Captain could say upon arriving in the lab next to the dark-haired Ensign MacKennie at the diagnostic console. Crewman Tallis was working at the stasis field controls monitoring the creature encased in a thick layer of the pale yellow foam on the diagnostic pad in the centre of the room.
"Alright Ensign, what can we help with."
End Chapter 5