Paint and Powder

A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.

2409 - Shon & Ent-F - Written by Keiran Halcyon

Enterprise smoothed over her avatar's uniform at the hips to get it just right and she idly used internal sensors to make sure it was perfect. The all black uniforms with slightly grayed shoulders with only a slight strip of color to indicate the division someone belonged to was a far cry from her favorite, which would always be the 23rd century uniform, but at least it seemed that Starfleet had finally gotten a decent tailor on board to finally bring some measure of practicality. They had a proper belt, they even had pockets and the shoes were ultra comfortable to run in.

She marveled at the fact that she even had to use processing cycles on the matter of uniforms, as normally her avatars could look like anything within but a moment. These days it was different, now she had four classes of avatars that could be used - the first was the typical advanced holographic avatar that could be manifested within her ship body, the second was a mobile emitter that manifested from an armband that could be worn by away teams, the third was an android that could operate in hazardous environments where holographics had a chance to be disrupted and the fourth, the one she had currently focused her awareness within, was a nearly ninety nine percent human avatar.

It was officially known as her diplomatic avatar and was to be used when it became apparent that they were dealing with a civilization that would object to the presence of an AI or for situations where nothing technological could function due to an environmental hazard or enemy action via dampening fields. The only bits of tech that you could find in her organic avatar were in the brain and spine, which was rated to function even in the heaviest dampening fields. This, of course, meant she had to deal with the daily routines she had seen her crews go through for nearly three centuries; eating, bathing, dressing, putting on makeup and other less pleasant necessities of organic life. It was of course easier to just put the avatar into its stasis capsule where regeneration, its version of sleep, could take place, but it was also fully capable of traditional sleep.

"Really Enterprise, you look fine," Commander Winters declared with an amused look on his broad, lantern-jawed face.

"It's been a month since I was cleared for use on this avatar, XO," Enterprise sighed, "and I'm still finding new quirks in its use that is surprising me."

"Enterprise, the Captain has been fully briefed on every aspect of his new ship, do you think he would hold it against you, if you made a mistake with this experimental avatar?"

She reviewed the service record and non-classified psych profile of her new captain again, "No, but of all the captains I've had... well, let's just say that I'm... worried about him."

Winters visibly flexed his jaw and stared with troubled eyes into the ultra shiny floor of transporter room one, "As am I."

"Incoming transporter request," announced her new Chief Engineer, standing behind the control console. It was utterly unnecessary, but Kirayoshi O'Brien had clearly learned from his father since he was old enough to reach a console, that there was no substituting for a personal touch from a 'miracle worker', "Energizing."

The pad lit with a blue waterfall of energy, blue lights blinking and twisting and seemingly emerging from a fold in spacetime, which soon resolved to form an average height Andorian with a somewhat stocky build. He wore the white shoulders on his uniform denoting an active starship captain, with red highlights. The traditional boatswain's call echoed throughout the room and the ship. He briefly scanned his welcoming committee, "Commander Winters, permission to come aboard."

"Granted Captain Shon, welcome aboard," Winters stepped forward and they saluted.

"Thank you, I assume command, XO," Va'kel Shon said formally.

"Captain," Winters returned with equal formality, "you have command."

"So noted in the ship's log," Enterprise declared.

The solemn and very important moment was broken when Shon smiled and shook Winters hand before pulling the big man into a half-hug. Enterprise was surprised the captain had seemingly absorbed that bit of human culture that indicated the deepest platonic bond that could exist between men, but in hindsight, given what the two men had survived not just in the Klingon War, but also the Borg incursions into Alpha and Beta Quadrants, it wasn't surprising.

"Good to see you, Winters."

"And you, Captain. I do hope you enjoyed your time-off at least?"

"Yes, enough to keep the psychiatrists off my back, but when you're given the flagship of the fleet and a brand new Odyssey class at that..." Shon trailed off pointedly.

He moved to Enterprise and they shook hands. "Welcome Captain."

"Enterprise," he nodded at her and delicately turned their joined hands. "Amazing... body heat, the works. Belfast was hoping she'd be first in line for the new model avatars."

"Her and quite few other shipgirls I can name, but there are a few perks to my status as flagship," Enterprise quirked a smile, enjoying the odd but good feeling of Shon's cold hand in hers.

"I wanted to ask your perspective, how do you think she's handling it? I've kept in contact but she didn't want to burden me on my vacation with her troubles."

Enterprise nodded, and stepped back to a respectful distance. Belfast's Defiant Class body had been destroyed in a fleet action by rogue Jem'Hadar trying to capture the infamous Female Changeling that had personally led the Dominion War on the Alpha Quadrant. It had fallen to a rather 'green' captain to finish that mission due to the losses sustained, but the Changeling had been recovered successfully from her ultra-secret prison. That whole business still infuriated Enterprise and almost every shipgirl that were veterans of that brutal war. The Female Changeling should've been left to rot for eternity, a permanent loss to the Great Link. Her return was the price the Federation had to pay for the Dominion's help in dealing with the temporally displaced 24th Century Dominion fleet.

"I've spoken with her. It's never easy to be reduced to a black box, but even though she's a relatively new AI, she's a warship and she'll eventually change hulls... as easy as an organic changes clothes, I suppose."

"Good, as much as I wish we could take the time for a proper familiarization and a shakedown run, we don't have the luxury."

Enterprise nodded, "I'm aware of the full situation at DS9. Terok is not making life easy for the Jem'Hadar but she can't go all out for fear they would utterly destroy her, so she's been 'pranking' them."

Shon frowned in confusion, "How do you prank a Jem'Hadar?"

"She managed to sneak a strong alcohol into their supplies of Ketracell White when they transported the supplies over initially using her systems. Her last covert message said she had very amusing video recordings to share with us."

"I didn't know they could even get drunk?"

"Their metabolisms are strong but well documented, Terok formulated an appropriate strength."

"I look forward to it," Shon chuckled. "In the meantime, a joint fleet with the Klingons is being assembled in response. The Female Changeling will hopefully be able to convince these Jem'Hadar to stand down, but we can't count on that working." He handed over a pad, which she interfaced and downloaded in an instant. "Set a course to those coordinates, quantum slipstream jumps and transwarp all the way, we can't be late for this."

"Looks like I'll be stretching the old legs," Enterprise mock stretched her arms and limbered her legs, imitating an athlete at the starting line of a race. "Don't worry, Captain. We'll be there on time."

Hope you enjoyed!