AN: Salutations and bienvenue!

checks puls

Yup, still alive. And finally writing!


Captains Log, Stardate: 86465.17

With the U.S.S. Relentless arriving to relieve us in the defense of Defera, we are now on the trail of the Preserver's and the Breen forces pursuing their secrets. I plan to continue the alliance that Admiral Zevil (who is receiving treatment but as of yet no change) created, so in that spirit I have taken a group of Klingon Intelligence officers from the I.K.S. Mo'kai aboard my ship, including their Captain, General Xrithath. We are now on our way to the S'hinga system after analyzing the ancient star chart found in the Preserver ruins. It is my hope that we will be able to reach the end before the Breen and put a stop to their hostilities toward the people in these sectors.

A ping sounded from Vex's ready room door as she finished her log. "Enter." She said and Vic walked in with a PADD in her hands. "Please tell me you have good news and not something bad, like a nacelle just popped off or we have something growing in the walls?"

Vic snorted at the imagery but said "Nothing like that Cap, I promise. Just wanted to give you my report in person." She handed over the PADD and started her oral summary. "The Chief's fixed the sensors to ninety percent, said he would need to pull us out of warp for the last ten, but he figured that could wait till we're not in a race for ancient secrets."

"Good call." Vex said dryly, a small smirk growing on her lips as she read the specifics on the report.

"Toros' security guys report that our guests from the Mo'kai are behaving themselves- shocking I know." Vic said at her Captain's skeptical eye, "But apparently Xrithath is keeping his people on a short leash, especially our old 'friend' Ariat."

Vex's face matched the Ops officer's own grimace but added with a sardonic lilt to her voice. "Five strips of latinum says that she gets herself in some kind of trouble before too long."

"No thanks Cap, I have a policy on not taking bets I know I'll lose." Vic chuckled before continuing. "Dinah and I have decrypted the Breen communiques, but didn't learn anything we didn't already know."

"It was a long shot anyway, but I want those communiques sent to Starfleet Intelligence, it could be useful to someone at command." Vex told her as she electronically signed off on the report. "Is there anything else to report, Commander?"

"No, ma'am, but…" Vic hesitated, making Vex look up and see that the human looked uncomfortable, "I'd…like to make an official apology for my behavior… towards Admiral Zevil." Her face changed from pained, to resolute. "I acted unprofessionally and less than that fitting of a Starfleet Officer."

Vex took a deep breath, impressed with the Ops chief. She knew how hard that was for her to do: Vic hated apologizing, especially when she was actually in the wrong. "Your apology is noted, Commander," Vex said in a formal tone, but as Vic was letting out a breath of relief, she held up a forestalling finger in the air, "but only on the provision that you make the same apology to the Admiral when he wakes up."

Vic looked to be a second away from objecting, but she caught herself, nodded, and said "Aye ma'am." She turned to go but Vex stopped her.

"When you're working out that apology," Vex said, looking right into the other woman's eyes as she turned to face her, "I want you to think about something: those of us in command sometimes have to make difficult decisions, comes with the extra pips and the big chair, but it's even worse for Admirals.

"Captains have to worry about their crew, which usually consists of hundreds or thousands, but Admirals usually have triple that because of their task forces." Vex took a second to think on her next words, it would be a small breach of privacy, but she thinks that Xavius wouldn't mind. "It's even worse when your family has turned their backs on you."

"The Admiral doesn't get along with his family?" Vic asked in a surprised voice, but her face screwed up in confusion. "I thought he and his sister were on good terms."

"They are," Vex nodded, but her face was sad, "but he barely speaks to his mother….not since his father kicked him out when he joined Starfleet as a tactical officer."

"Why would he do that?" Vic asked, confused and a little offended. "What does he have against Starfleet?"

"The Science and Engineering branches? Nothing at all, which is why his sister isn't currently being shunned." Vex said with a scowl. "No, the profession that's so disagreeable to Ambassador Hydicus Emalios Zevil, is anything that involves fighting or the military."

Vex shook her head, "To make a long history lesson short: Valix was once the sight of a vicious civil war that nearly destroyed the planet, which they view as their god, so war and the destruction it causes is a bit of a taboo."

"So," Vic said in a thoughtful voice, "anyone who chooses a career in a tactical field is seen as…degenerate." The word sent a shiver down the human's spine, making her whole-body shiver.

Vex sighed as she observed this, she knew how much of a trigger that word was. Vic came from a family on Earth that had very old-fashioned values that didn't approve of her lifestyle choices, which loosely translated to a bunch of religious bigots that didn't like that Vic brought her girlfriend for Christmas dinner.

Vic was disowned by her whole family and kicked out the same night, they completely cut contact with her and threw her out. Not even a distant cousin would speak to her or give her a place to sleep. She was sixteen and homeless, even in the equal rights age that is the 25th century. Luckily her girlfriend, now her fiancé, gave her a home and a family.

"I'm not trying to guilt you, Vic," Vex sympathetically reassured, a sad smile on her face and her eyes kind, "I just want you to have all the facts, so you understand why our actions affected him so much. We, his Starfleet family, turned our backs on him, and he felt more alone then he has in four years."

"I…" Vic started, but her voice was too unsteady for her ears, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I understand ma'am. I'll have an apology for the Admiral when he wakes up." Vic made sure to stress the word 'when', not wanting to put any doubt in her captain's mind about the conclusion of the Admirals condition.

Vex was grateful as she dismissed her officer with a smile, turning her chair to look out the window, a pensive look on her face as she thought on her friend. 'It's up to Mrill and Tyufia for that to happen.' She thought, a frown spreading on her face when her thoughts turned to her friends' latest mission.

Vex had been very fortunate in all her lives to not be involved with anything to do with time travel. 'At least…I think so?' she thought as her frown became a grimace, 'You never know what memories you might lose when a timeline changes or reasserts itself… God I hate time travel.'

"You could never do things the easy way, could you Xavius?" She said out loud, massaging her temples. He had been like this since back at the academy: studying their textbooks twice a night before a test, taking extra training courses to hone all of his command and combat skills, building that damned model of his to be absolutely perfect, which nearly burned down his dorm room when the holo-emitters short circuited.

She genuinely laughed at the memory of a soot stained Zevil getting a dressing down from both the Den Mother of their dorms and the Commandant for that particular misadventure. Zevil had just barely managed to not get expelled, the Academy was used to students nearly blowing the dorms up (usually it was the Engineering cadets though), so he was let off with a light punishment of helping Commander Barkley with some of his class work and cleaning out the Academy's holo filters.

Her door chimed, snapping her out of her musings. She bayed them to enter and in walked Toros, with as close to an expression of agitation as a Vulcan could get. "Captain, we are on final approach to the S'hinga system and General Xrithath has informed us that he, his security chief, and Commander Iset are on their way now."

"Let me take a shot in the dark," Vex said tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose "when you told them that we were close, they told you that they were on their way and signed off before you could tell them not to."

"That is an excellent 'shot', captain." Toros informed, a single eyebrow raised at her statement. "Should I have my security officers stop them?"

"As tempting as it is to give the order to shoot Ariat, better let this one go." Vex reluctantly ordered, getting up and walking onto the bridge. "Besides, they have every right to be here." She added reluctantly, barely holding back a groan when she saw what was waiting for her on the bridge.

"Very true, lover." Ariat purred as she made herself comfortable in the Captain's chair, legs crossed at the knee, the other officers around looked a mix between angry and uncomfortable. "It's so nice to finally be working together in harmony and not at odds or trying to kill each other." She looked to the big Nausicaan with a cheeky grin. "Isn't it Gog?"

The Nausicaan, apparently the Mo'kai's security chief, merely grunted. His armor was all black, including the huge blades on his arms, shoulders, and knees, as well as the face mask his people were fond of wearing.

"You'll have to forgive him." Ariat said with a chuckle and carless gesture, "Man of few words, our Gog." To bring that statement home, Gog made another grunt as he crossed his arms in a stand-offish manner.

"She just came in and sat down while I was at another station, Captain." Zasva fumed, her unseeing eyes sending daggers toward the Cardassian spy, who replied with cheeky air kisses aimed right at the Aenar Commander, which only deepened her scowl further.

"We haven't been trying to kill each other since the last time you were on this ship." Vex groused, an accusatory glare marring her features as she stomped toward her chair and stood in front of the lounging Cardassian, hands on hips. "Get out of my chair, Commander." Then she noticed something as she looked around. "Where's the General?"

Ariat looked to be holding off laughter as she slowly counted down from five and when she hit one, she pointed at the turbolift just as its doors were opening. Inside was the hunched form of Xrithath, his massive bulk making it a tight fit. This was clearly annoying the large Gorn as he let out low growls and snarls as he struggled to get out of the lift, coming out arms first and using them to force himself out when his shoulder armor was clear.

While the General didn't see any humor in this spectacle, the same could not be said for his first officer, who was doing all she could to not laugh. She was only marginally successful, letting out little snickers and giggles out, biting her lip and holding her sides.

"Laugh," snarl "while you can," growl "Commander, because," grunt "if you're still laughing when" grunt "I get out of here," Growled Xrithath as with a final push, he finally freed himself. "I will remind you how ill-humored your situation really is." That shut Ariat up quick and she practically jumped out of the seat, fear flashing across her face for a split second before she schooled her features, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm sorry to say that Federation ships aren't exactly built for people of your size, General." Vex apologized, taking note of Ariat's reaction and filing it away for later thoughts, before she continued as she took her seat, "I can have the transporter chief at the ready if that's easier on you."

"Thank you, Captain, that is most kind of you but unnecessary. I can manage as I am." Xrithath responded as he joined his two subordinates behind the Captains seat. "Has there been any sign of the Breen?"

Vex turned to Tynizi with a questioning gaze. "No sign of them on long range sensors, Captain." The Bajoran answered and did her best to ignore the object of her ire, I.E. Ariat.

"Have weapons and shields ready just in case, I'd rather be safe than sorry." Vex ordered and barely a minute later they came out of warp and into the S'hinga system. It had a single planet, an L class if Vex wasn't mistaken, with a ring of asteroids circling it and a single moon.

"Captain," Vic said from her station, "I am detecting a gaseous anomaly on the far side of the planet." The human stroked her chin as she looked at her readouts quizzically. "The weird thing is, there's a line of navigational beacons in the system that should lead us right to it." She turned to Vex, eyebrow raised "Feels like the Preservers are dumbing this search down for us."

"Breen trap." Gog grunted, an unhappy growl rumbling deep in his throat as he glared at the beacons on Vic's display.

"No." Xrithath corrected as he went to look over Vic's shoulder at the read out, making the human visibly uncomfortable. "The scans of the beacons show that they are ancient and have most likely been here for eons."

"Given the professions of the people on this bridge," Toros spoke up, "it is within the realm of possibility that the beacons are in fact forgeries." He turned to Vex, "I would advise caution, Captain."

"It's definitely suspicious that we seem to have gotten here before the Breen," Vex said, her eyes narrowed in thought, but she shrugged her shoulders, "But it's still a good place to start our search. Keep us at yellow alert, Commander." She ordered Tynizi, "Lieutenant Violet, follow the beacons to the anomaly and cut engines as soon as we're in transporter range."

"Aye ma'am." Dinah responded and did as she was told, flying down the course laid in by the beacons. "We are in transporter range, Captain."

"Transport a sample to the science lab and have them send the initial data to the bridge." Vex ordered, getting up and going over to the science station, followed by Zasva, Toros, and the three Mo'kai officers.

Vex looked over the preliminary results, a perplexed frown on her face. "There's no record of any with this molecular structure on record." She said, her frown deepening as she rubbed her chin subconsciously. "It might be a synthetic compound."

"Or the byproduct of some sort of as-yet-known stellar phenomenon." Ariat mused scrutinizing the data carefully, counting off the possibilities on her grey scaled fingers. "Electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, neutrinos, dust, cosmic rays, etcetera, etcetera."

"Have our science staff start working on a complete analysis now." Vex ordered, a thoughtful look growing on her face as she faced her command staff and their guests, "Even with our facilities, it'll take some time for the results to come through."

"If you are amenable, Captain," Xrithath said, drawing everyone's attention, "I can have Lieutenant M'krrt assist your science team, to expedite the process."

"Is he an expert on spatial phenomena?" Toros asked curtly, a single eyebrow raised in clear skepticism. "It would be rather fortuitous if he were."

"No, but given his augmented mind and abilities, I imagine he would be quite helpful." Xrithath said calmly, but with a clear edge of annoyance. "I was merely offering aid to an ally."

"We realize that General," Vex cut in smoothly as she turned to face the two men behind her, "and we appreciate whatever aid you can give us and see it for the gesture of good will that it is." She gave Toros a dirty look. "Don't we, Commander?"

Having the good grace to give the Vulcan version of chastisement (a subtle frown and down cast eyes) and turned to the Gorn. "My apologies, General. I meant no disrespect."

"None taken, Commander." Xrithath gave a gracious nod. "As spies, we are trained to not trust the people around us, especially those offering us aide with no ulterior motive." The massive Gorn loomed over the Vulcan and looked him straight in the eyes. "The only motive I have for offering you help is that I want this alliance to work. Our governments are indecisive at the moment and that breeds chaos and uncertainty… and I cannot abide either."

Looking into the cold reptilian eyes of the general seemed to allay Toros' misgivings because he nodded in acceptance. Xrithath gave him a similar nod and he turned to leave, saying over his shoulder "I'll have M'krrt report to your science lab as soon as he can."

"That guy is intense." Said Vic in the accompanying silence as the general got in the turbo lift, clearly it being easier for him to get in rather than get out of.

"You have no idea." Ariat said, her voice as blithe and playful as usual to the untrained ear. "Gog and I will be getting out of those lovely purple tresses of yours, Vex dear. I'm sure you have important Starfleet things to do." And she was soon gone too, going into the other turbolift to the bridge, the Nausicaan following her wordlessly.

"Did you catch that?" Zasva asked Vex via telepathy. She had seen every angle and caught every micro expression on Ariat's face and body language through the eyes of everyone around her, and she definitely knew something was up with the Cardassian infiltrator.

"Yeah, that was weird." Vex narrowed her eyes at the turbolift that her backstabbing paramour had just used, her mind deep in thought and wondering, not for the first time, what was going on with the Cardassian. This time, she wouldn't be caught unawares on her own damn ship, so she was going to find out.


'Alarm clocks…sun rises…hot raktajino- wait, no, you usually have tea in the morning, right?' Tyufia thought as she sent psychically transmitted images and feelings into her friends' mind. 'Birds singing…uh…warm arms wrapping around you…turning to see beautiful chestnut hai- hold on! That's for my eyes only, mister!' Tyufia tried to chuckle at the slip, but her heart wasn't in it.

She was feeling mentally and physically exhausted. She had been at this for hours, tirelessly going through every feeling and image that she associated with waking up, but so far there had been no change in her friend and superior's condition. Mrill and Keeyas had done what they could to help simulate the conditions needed to wake Zevil up: He was wrapped in a solar blankets, the ones humans used for astronauts and emergency work, and had several sunlamps on him that not only heated him up, but also put out the needed yellow sun radiation he needed to charge his t-cells.

"Just once," She said, standing over her friend and looking down at his sleeping face, "would it kill you to listen to your first officer and wake the hell up." But there was no response, like the last few times she had talked to him, in his mind or out loud.

"Pretty sure you're supposed to be saying stuff like that in his head, Fia." Said a voice to her right and Tyufia looked to see Tynizi holding a covered bowl of something in one hand and a thermos of something in her other, a nervous smile on her face. "Mrill said you were still here, so I thought I would bring you a snack." She lifted the bowl and thermos to needlessly emphasize this point.

Tyufia eyed her Bajoran carefully, not sure if she was ready to forgive her yet for putting her in the terrible situation she was still, technically, in. She didn't know how Zevil would feel about her when he woke up, but she was too exhausted to be angry and too hungry to be picky on who brought her food. "What's in the bowl?" She eventually asked, taking a seat in the chair a nurse provided for her.

Tynizi quickly set the thermos down and opened the bowl to reveal yellow cabbage like leaves with purple veins. "Oskoid?" Tyufia asked in disbelief, picking one up and popping it in her mouth, enjoying the warm and sweet sap. "This…" She started to say, but stopped to finish chewing, "isn't replicated."

"Nope." Tynizi said, chest puffed out in pride. "I grew it myself in the hydroponics bay, just like the kava fruit I used to make the juice I brought for you." The Bajoran deflated when she heard sniffling and looked to see her brass and beautiful Betazoid silently crying. "Oh, Fia, what's wrong?! Is it the oskoid? I'll go replicate you something else!" She said in a panic, but stopped when Tyufia shot out a hand to grab her wrist.

"I-I'm not getting through to him!" Tyufia sobbed out and her gentle giantess quickly bent down and wrapped her in a hug, knowing what had really set off the water works now. After everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, coupled with her clear exhaustion, Tyufia had hit her breaking point. "Nothing I do seems to work, I'm not even getting dream thoughts from him, and what if I can't wake him?! I can't lose my best friend Tiny!"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Tynizi said, firm but gentle in her admonishment. She let go of the sniffling command officer long enough to get one of the stools around the sick bay, sat next to her girlfriend, and wrapped an arm around her to pull her close. "He is going to wake up and it'll be because it was you who's going to wake him up."

"But how? Nothing I've tried works." Tyufia said, her tone defeated as she laid her head on Tynizi's shoulder. Try as she might, she could never stay mad at her. It was like being mad at a puppy. Admittedly, puppies had never played a part at screwing up her friendship and job before, but Tyufia was self-aware enough to recognize that she was little more than half responsible for that herself.

"Well then, let's go over his condition and see if it's something else." Tynizi told her, her face creasing in concentration as she got the thermos and poured the juice into a cup for Tyufia while she drank straight from it. "Could it be his physical injuries?"

"No, the medical staff already saw to healing his superficial wounds and the only thing still healing are his bones." Tyufia said, taking a drink and savoring the flavor of fresh kava juice. "His brain is still a little raw, but Dr. Mrill said that shouldn't interfere with close range telepathic messages."

"Maybe it's the type of messages you're sending him?" Tynizi asked, only slightly grasping here. Psychic stuff like this wasn't really her wheelhouse, that was her girlfriend's thing. Hell, she hadn't even had a Prophet experience before (something she was envious of Zevil of, who had spoken to her gods). "What are you sending him?"

"Basic stuff really." Tyufia said, taking another leaf from the bowl and thoughtfully chewing before she continued. "Sunrises, alarms, breakfast smells," She snorted as she said, "I even sent him an image of an earth rooster cawing at the sun."

Tynizi chuckled, even though she didn't know the significance of an earth fowl in this situation. "Well, maybe you need to change it up?" she suggested with an encouraging squeeze. "Stop doing the basic stuff and think about what would wake you up if you were in a deep sleep."

Tyufia let out a quick bark of laughter. "I almost did." She said with a chuckle, feeling better already with food in her system and the burden of anger off her shoulders. "I almost sent the memory of waking up in your arms on our last trip to Risa."

Tynizi blushed, which made her girlfriend giggle a little more. "Well I don't think thinking of me with a bed head and not a stitch of clothing on will wake him up, Fia."

Tyufia smiled as she remembered that night with a letchivous grin. "I don't know, I certainly stand to attention thinking of-" and that's when it hit her: glorious inspiration. She set her cup down and took Tynizi's face in both her hands and kissed her, hard. "You" kiss "are" kiss "a" kiss "genius!" With one final big kiss, Tyufia sprang out of her seat and went to the closest screen and started opening a subspace channel.

"I am?" She asked dreamily, still drunk from the kisses, but she quickly shook herself as she followed her lover. "Wait, why am I a genius?"

"Because all this time I've been thinking with my head!" She said excitedly as she waited for the call to go through, hoping the person was still up, only now realizing she didn't know what time it was there.

"Isn't that how psychics usually work?" Asked Tynizi, still very confused.

Before Tyufia can explain, the other end of the call is answered by the familiar cybernetic face of Tyufia's shipmate. "Commander Utprut? Do you have something to report from the admiral?" Six of Nine asked, her usual stoicism mixed with confusion at her XO's call.

Tyufia winced, realizing too late that Zevil's condition might not be that well known yet and that no one had told his current girlfriend about it. "You could say that Six." She turned and speared a glance at her comatose friend behind her. "You could definitely say that."


AN: Not a long chapter, but I wanted to get something posted for you guys so you knew I was still alive. I haven't had much of a will to write in this past year outside helping MaliceUnchained with his stories (Never heard of my dear friend? Look him up! His stories are amazing!).

This virus has thrown us all through a loop and we lost a lot of amazing Trek actors this year, but you know what? We keep going. Hopefully I can finish this story soon and get on with the rest of my plans for this little universe I'm building with Kretolus and MaliceUnchained.

The three of us have big plans for these characters, but till then, I bid you adieu!