"Conspiracy Theory"

Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy

***Bridge, USS Galaxy***

Karyn wasn't about to ask the Captain to sit down. As a matter of fact, were she in his position, she probably wouldn't have been able to sit still either. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence that the bridge wasn't quite large enough to accommodate a pacing grav-chair. *Nope...she wasn't going to tell him to sit...(even though it was driving her nuts!) The crew was looking to her to calm him though. They wanted answers to their questions. Where was the Xerxes and the Rhemor? Had they been lost in the Badlands? Currently, they were tracking down some strange readings Ev- Lt. Commander Genestra had discovered on sensors, but so far there was nothing.

Of course, that didn't mean anything one way or another. It was no secret that the plasma flows played havoc with sensors. Still, Karyn was getting that sense of dread that always seemed to accompany her time on the bridge. *And Dee wonders why I won't take the Command Test...*

With so much focus on the returning POWs, Karyn hadn't taken much time to familiarize herself with the Xerxes crew. But now she wished she had. Her main concern had been for the POWs. While everyone meant well with a welcome home party, Karyn had to wonder if so much attention was to become emotionally overwhelming for those returning. Karyn rather doubted they felt much like heros...not when so many of their colleagues had not been "lucky" enough to survive. When they managed to get the POWs aboard, Karyn would in part be responsible for their initial psych rehab. She wanted to make sure the POWs knew they didn't have to get caught up in the celebration. It wouldn't exactly be ungrateful of them not to want to be in the limelight for a while. These kinds of parties were always to make the planners feel better anyway.

As they continued to search for the Xerxes and her Cardassian escort, Karyn started to wonder about the crew of the Xerxes. Much of the counseling staff was too new to the Galaxy to remember, but Karyn remembered a time when the USS St. Louis actually shot at the USS Caduceus, a medical ship assigned to help cure the plague the St. Louis crew had contracted, to break quarantine. Faced with losing all her crew to a deadly virus she was powerless to stop, the female Captain decided to break free to search for her own cure. The Federation couldn't risk another widespread outbreak of the plague, and so the Galaxy was dispatched to find the St. Louis and stop her...by any means necessary. Fortunately, things were mended so that no drastic action had to be taken, but at the time, everyone was questioning the sanity of the St. Louis Captain.

Did Karyn want to doubt the loyalty of the Xerxes crew, or suspect there was a conspiracy behind this disappearance? No...but Karyn was no longer the kind of person who could now dismiss it out of hand either. Not everyone had to be happy about the returning POWs... In any event, the Xerxes crew deserved a little research. It would give them some background and a point of reference to know just who they were dealing with. If Karyn had to raise the possibility with the Captain, she needed to be prepared.

She decided to hail Counseling. Alexa answered. It was obvious she was frustrated with having to sit on her hands, but trying hard not to show it. ["Alex, tell everyone to be in the conference room in one hour, we need to have a department meeting. Tell Shinta and Mike to get me everything they can on the crew on the Xerxes. I want to know who we're talking about here. Also, I'll need reports and the current status of everyone's caseload. This isn't the time or the place to have people start going postal. Contact Adrian and let him know what's going on. I want him present, but until we know any different, this party is still on. It's time to finalize our plan to deal with the POWs and anyone else who might come our way. I'll be up here until then to see if there's any news, but we're going to go on the assumption our new arrivals are coming shortly and so we're on final prep. Contact me if there's problems. If not, I'll see you in an hour. Dallas out."]

USS Galaxy "Nightmares"
Written by Ensign Kahn Nilani
Engineer, USS Galaxy

Nilani's body lay on the bed, sheets tangled and entwined in around her body and dripping with sweat. Nilani herself lay twisted her head looking like it was twisted. She had been tossing and turning all night, her mind running rampant inside her head.

**** fade out to dream sequence ****

She stood on a battlefield, it was dark and only a light shone from behind a hill. Silhouetted against the light stood a figure. "Your don't belong here Nilani!" came from somewhere behind her.

Nilani spinning so fast she almost fell over, she pulled out her blaster which was clipped to her belt "Show yourself!" Nilani shouted, turning back to face the figure on the hill.

"You know what I look like, or has my death meant nothing to you?" The voice was female, but low. Not loud enough to be able to say who it was.

The figure on the hill started to walk towards her, she still had her blaster raised and trained on her target. The figure moved within feet of her, the figures face missing eyes but it was clearly Moraine.

She stood there shaking, the blaster moving like jelly in her hand. "Your going to die Nilani!" came the voice from behind. Nilani turned to have a quick look just in time to see a shadowed figure firing at her.

The blaster bolt hit Nilani's back and passed straight through, she looked down where the shot hit and looked at her hands covered in blood. Nilani dropped to her knees

**** Reality ****

Nilani sat in in shock, her body covered with sweat and her holding the spot where she was shot in her left hand. She looked at her right, blood covered it - but it was from three cuts where her finger nails had dug in.

She tapped on the comm badge "Ensign Kahn to Karyn Dallas, I need to speak with you. It's time I tell you one or two things about me"

"Clarifications & mysteries"
by Doctor Kahn Nilani
with additions by Captain Price

Nilani felt the shake of the ship, it seemed familiar. She approached one of the viewing ports and saw that they were in the badlands.

She ran down the corridor and into her quarters, slipping on her uniform and shoes. And then bolting out the door into the turbolift "Bridge!" she called out as the lift took off up the tube. The doors stopped and Nilani quickly tied her hair back, she entered the lift and watched the view screen. "Aye Aye Captain. Taking us out of warp."

Nilani looked over the crew on the bridge, she only knew two people there. The captain and the counsellor. A Lt. Commander sat at the science station "We are still out of range to get a clear lock"

Nilani smiled - it was nice to see that the two universes weren't all that different. She looked around and decided to finally interrupt "Captain let me guess, the sensors are being strange due to the energy that the plasma flows let out?"

Lee turned and noticed Doctor Kahn on the bridge for the first time. She looked a lot different then everyone remembered her, but Captain Price still was glad to see her all the same. "Aye 'mate. The high energy readings from the plasma fields is saturating the readings and pegging sensors on the high end of the scale. Sort of a 'white noise' effect that makes getting any effective scans ineffective."

"Well I know a way to over come this, we hid in the badlands for quite some time - It was thought that our ships were less maneuverable than theres." Nilani added

Captain Price glanced at Lieutenant Commander's Genestra and Sullax, and then back to the Doctor. "I'd be interested in hearing any input that you would care to give 'mate."

Nilani walked over to the science station and took a look at the settings "A Phased polaron scan on the following frequencies cuts through the energy readings and appears to any other ship in here as a normal discharge. Remembering they have the same problem as you. This way you can sneak up on them until your within some 400,000 km."

She looked up and made the adjustments, "Keep the frequency at that range though.. we lost three ships due to the beam igniting the plasma."

Lee gave a nod. "Quite ingenious 'mate. But I take it the phased polaron scan still will not penetrate through the actual plasma flows. We will still be limited to 'line of sight' scans, isn't that correct?"

Nilani was about to answer the Captain when Lieutenant Commander Ryak Sullax piped in before she had the chance. Doctor Kahn gave the Romulan Chief Science officer a glance, but realized what she initially felt was rudeness on his part was just the way Romulan's are. Of course it could have been more then that, seeing how she had just offered a suggestion on improving the Galaxy's sensing abilities in this region of space...

"That is essentially correct Captain. Much like the satellite infra-red technology of your Earth's early centuries was unable to see through clouds, our scans, even with using a phased polaron scan, will be unable to peer through an actual wall of plasma energy." After a brief period of silence, Sullax peered at his monitor and added, "However in this case, the phased polaron beam appears to have been effective Captain." Ryak then glanced across to science station two and Lieutenant Commander Genestra.

Evin tapped his controls to update the data using the new phased polaron scans. His expression darkened. "Captain, I have confirmed the particles we detected earlier appear to be wreckage from one or more starships. I'm detecting titanium alloys, deuterium, other inert materials..."

Lee moved over to science station two, leaning over Genestra's chair looking at the read out. "Can you determine the mass of the debris 'mate? Could this be the Xerxes and the Rhemor we are looking at?"

Evin's stomach sank at the thought. The 'Commander knew that his father was on board the Xerxes, if this was her wreckage, if something had happened and the two ships fought and destroyed each other, then he was certainly dead. "Unable to determine at this time Captain. Once we are closer, we should be able to determine what happened by examining the debris and calculating total mass. I can say however, there is a lot out there. It could be both ships."

An brief silence fell over the bridge at hearing the news. Turning Captain Price looked at Doctor Kahn who had just helped them determine that Lieutenant Commander Genestra's strange readings were in fact not anomalous space particles but what looked like the remnants of the Xerxes and Rhemor. Though what happened to lead to this tragic loss was still left as undetermined. "Thank you Doctor for assisting in the sensor calibration. Can these modifications be made to smaller vessels, like the shuttle craft and run-abouts on board the Galaxy?"

Nilani nodded. "It's not that difficult to do. But like I said, the phase variance needs to be monitored to avoid igniting the surrounding plasma particles. Sort of like a magnifying glass can ignite paper if you focus the light too tightly."

Lee nodded. He then looked around the bridge at the long faces. "We will need to put together teams to gather the pieces of wreckage to determine what caused this to occur. Lieutenant MaxWell, how long before the Galaxy is in range of this debris field?"

Bruce checked his instruments, "At present course and speed, about ten minutes Captain."

Captain Price pressed his lips together and gave a slight nod. "Aye 'mate. When we reach the edge of the field, come to a full stop and hold our position there."

"Understood sir." Bruce replied from the helm.

"Do you want me to assemble the senior staff Captain?" Commander Casey asked.

Lee looked at Deiran and nodded while glancing at Doctor Kahn. "Aye 'mate. And if the Doctor would be so kind as to attend as well,... your knowledge of this area of space could be most helpful as we have just seen 'mate."

Nilani gave an understanding nod. "I'll do what I can Captain."

Looking back at Commander Casey, Lee concluded, "Then do it 'mate. Assemble the senior staff in the conference room to discuss how we should proceed in this investigation of what happened to the Xerxes and Rhemor. We will convene in fifteen minutes."

"Aye Captain." Deiran stated before turning to go notify the rest of the officers of the senior staff of the meeting.

USS Galaxy "First day so to speak"

Lt Cmd Ethan Suder
Ensign Kahn Nilani

OOC: This takes place 2 days ago

Suder found himself walking through endless corridors. He had an Engineering kit in one hand and a data padd in the other. He had been working for the past two shifts, but he now had another appointment and was trying to get there. But he came to yet another junction and looked down to his left and right. Nothing looked familiar. Although he didn't come down here too often, he should still know where he is. He glanced at his data padd and looked at where he was supposed to be. Thinking he had the right place, he turned right and made his way down the corridor. After a while, he stopped and turned to his left. Looking at the door ahead of him, he pressed the chime button on the key pad next to the door.

The door was that of a new Engineers, from reports Suder had recieved she was quite capable in many fields of engineering.

The door opened and the Officer Ethan had been looking for stood before him, looking ready for duty.

"Mornin'." Nilani greeted in passing.

"Is it?" Ethan replied with a half smile and a tired look. He held out his Engineering kit and smiled. "This, is your new friend. You'll be spending a lot of time together, so I'm sure you'll get along." Ethan explained.

Nilani's eyes rolled up, she took the kit and answered moving her head to the side quickly "Yes, I know what it is. I have seen them many times before - Klingon ones are good for bashing people over the head with!.. Now... what's got to be done today?" Nilani askd.

Suder chuckled at her eagerness to work. And so he handed her the data padd. "The power relays on Deck Four need configuring. The plasma chargers on Deck Forty Two need calibrating and the sonic showers on Deck Three section twelve aren't working." Ethan explained. "Do what you can and then meet me in Engineering, I want to show you how things are done down there." Ethan said as he began moving away. "If you need any help, don't hesitate to call... Oh, and, don't 'bash' anybody round the head with that thing." Ethan smiled pointing at the Engineering kit.

Nilani looked at the list a sighed "What havn't you got anything harder?"

**** 2 Hours later ****

She tapped her badge "All jobs completed and the power relays are now running over 40% better than they were when they were brand new. If you need me I shall be contactable, on the other had"

She walked into engineering.

NRPG: This post takes place before the Galaxy arrives in the Badlands to look for the Xerxes and it happens on Casey's way to the Main Bridge. It's a little late getting out, but better late than never :-)

"Of Mice and Women"
Ensign Anne Cedion
Counselor-U.S.S. Galaxy

Commander Deiran Casey- Executive Officer
USS GALAXY

~Holodeck~ The thought sprang into her head out of nowhere as Cedion calmly listened to the couple sitting in front of her.

"Don't you agree Ms. Cedion?" The distraught female voice cut through her random thought.

Shaking her head, she smiled falsely. "I'm sorry....."

"Jesus....see Don, I told you that all counselor's are all the same. She's likely can't wait to describe some "book" cure for us and send us on our way...." The sarcasm dripped from her venomous voice as she glared back at Anne.

Cedion arched her eyebrows. Opening her mouth, Don cut in.

"Calm down Emily. She's likely had a long day, counseling other bitches just like you."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me loud and clear."

"Well, you haven't kept your eyes off of her. You likely want to do her, like you did the others." Emily stated icily.

"Screw you Em."

"Yep, that's what you should have been doing."

"Enough!" Cedion stated rather roughly. ~Holodeck~ Shaking her head once more, she proceeded to rise up from her chair. "I have had enough already of the bickering. Frankly, I don't understand why you two are here. Just get a freaking divorce and get it over with already."

Both heads snapped back and stared at her in amazement. "What?" Emily stated in awe.

Rolling her eyes, Anne sat back down and rubbed her temples. "You heard me, why are you even here?"

Don spoke up. "Like we told you earlier, we want to work this out."

"Right." Cedion stated sourly.

"What kind of counselor are you? Isn't it your job to counsel us if we come to you?" She asked with a morbid curiosity.

"Yes, it is my job. However, I'm a counselor, not a maricle worker. I can't help you if you guys don't really want help. Here's my advice since our time is almost up. Take some time apart, and really, really think if you both want this to work out. K?"

"Sure ... the time might do me good." Don spoke.

Emily just nodded her head silently, got up and left. Don followed shortly after.

"See you in one week."

"One week." Don called out.

A look of snideness crawled all over Emily's face. "You still want to peg her, don't you?"

"Would you shut the hell up?" His voice died down as the doors to her office hissed shut.

"Good god almighty." Anne hissed out under her breath. Grabbing her PADDS, she made her way out of her office and stepped out into the hall. Closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed heavily. Still having her eyes closed, she started to take a step and careened into a male officer. Looking upwards, a half smile crossed her features as she cocked her head to the side. This wasn't just any officer, it was someone important by the number of pips on his collar.

"Good day Counselor, are you all right?" Casey asked, smiling at the pretty Ensign. He started to help the woman with her PADDs. "You have those okay?" he asked as he handed her a few more PADDs, adding to the ones she already was carrying. "Lots of work here, you're new and reading up on your patients right?" Casey asked.

"Yes." She stated shortly. "Thank you Sir. It always is preferred for one to know one's patients."

"Aye, I understand. Are you adjusting well on the Galaxy? Karyn treating you well?" Casey smiled, he loved playing with Dallas.

"I've had no disagreements with her."

"Is there something wrong Ensign? Are you all right?" Deiran asked. A bit concerned for the new counselor. It was his duty to make sure everyone was adjusting to their life on the Galaxy. If this counselor was having problems, he needed to know.

"Sir, I have been feeling somewhat out of place aboard this ship. Which, from what I understand is normal due to the fact that this is my first "real" assignment out of the academy. Let's also say that I'm not in tuned to counseling people with "normal" problems inside the realm of normal psychology. After my experiences with the Olbrecht case and work done on that, these people are very tame compared to what I'm used to seeing. It's going to take some adjusting." She stated as she looked up at him and blinked with almond shaped emerald eyes.

"Well, I know that Karyn is willing to do whatever is necessary to help you adjust to life here on the Galaxy. It is also my duty to do what I can to make it easier for you to work. Is it just a period of adjustment? Or is there something else, Ensign?" he noticed the ladies eyes, as she looked up at him. He basically towered above her. He tried to be as polite as possible, even toning down his Casey aura. He needed to help this young woman.

She understood that he had the best of intentions, but the officer's "prescence" did nothing to instill calm in her. Finishing picking up the rest of her padds, she resumed her full height of six foot once inch, still locking his gaze more evenly at this moment. "Other then the personal stuff, I'm fine Sir. My mother has been rather....shall we say....relentless for me to find a suitable counterpart to busy myself with rather then my study into the criminal mind."

"I see," he replied. He could tell that this woman was a difficult one to understand. But, he also knew that she could fit right in. "Ensign, just be sure to get involved in your after hours, not all the time. Meet people, socialize when you're not working. Make it an effort. The Galaxy is a friendly place, but it can't be friendly to those shutting themselves away studying the criminal mind," he replied with a gentle smile.

"Ah ... Yes, I shall do that," Cedion returned the smile, softly, but falsely. Arching her eyebrows, she nodded her head. "Now, Sir. If you will excuse me? My caseload has been requested from my superior... I shall not keep her waiting."

"But of course Anne," Casey backed away so he was no longer blocking her path. "Remember to socialize ounce in awhile, Ensign. Have a good day," Casey smiled and continued on down the corridor.

"Old Dreams"
by Lt. Cmdr. George Kirk
CSO

George sat on a hill on a undetermined planet, surrounded by lush vegetation. In front of him, a waterfall roared into a large, clear lake. On the ground around him, he was surrounded by grass, a green the likes of which he could remember seeing only once, when he'd stepped off the shuttle the first time he was on earth. He looked up at the shocking blue sky and smiled. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and turned to face Sondra. She grinned at him, her dark hair fell to just below her shoulders. It was so rare she let it hang loose. She was wearing a sundress George had bought her a long time. It was his favorite thing for her to wear. She leaned over and kissed him. After they parted, she started to rub his shoulders. "What are you thinking about?"

George shrugged. "Trying not to think about anything."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Yeah, well. I'm trying to be a different George Kirk. I was thinking about acting aloof and scarred by life to impress others."

She chuckled then. "That doesn't sound like you, either."

"That's the point."

He felt her hands leave him and then she was laying next to him, on her back. Her dark hair spilled out from under her, in contrast from the grass. "What are you really thinking about?"

He looked at the waterfall again. "This. How nice it is. It's just like a dream I have."

She smiled at him. "Sounds like a nice dream."

He nodded. "It is."

They were quiet for a moment, then Sondra looked over at him. "How's the job coming?"

He shrugged again with a sigh. "It's good. I've got a really great team. Albrecht had everything worked out pretty well. I haven't been able to make any really significant changes. It's a great crew."

"But something's wrong?"

George scratched his chin. "No, not really. We've got this group of prisoners coming in from Cardassia. We're planning to throw a party for them. It's a potential nightmare. I've got my team working on learning how to work DNA scanners, tricorders to scan for surveillance equipment, tracers, anything. I've got them getting familiarized with every known form of bug. You know, that's how the Enterprise-D was destroyed. They got one of their officers captured and implanted with some surveillance equipment. Next thing you know, the bad guys have Enterprise TV. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That's not going to happen on the Galaxy."

She smiled up at him. "George Kirk, eternal savior of the Galaxy."

George laughed at that. "Yeah. That's me." They laughed again, then George sighed. "Anyway, we're planning a party for them. We've already got some Ferengi bartender from DS9 onboard. That's another set of problems. Not only that, but the Xerxes, the ship the prisoners were coming in on, seems to be having some problems. We're following them now. If something's going on out there, it could come after us. I hate it when something like that could happen. I feel useless. All I can do is direct my men to help the wounded. It drives me crazy."

She stroked his knee. "That sounds more like the George I know. Always the protector, never the protected."

George looked down at her, at a loss how to answer that. Finally, he looked up at the waterfall again. As they sat there, a comm badge chirped. *Klein to 'Commander Kirk.*

George frowned. "Computer, freeze program." All around him, everything that had been so vibrant froze into place. George picked up his comm badge and spoke into it. "Kirk here."

*Sir, you told me to let you know when we got a line on the Xerxes' position.*

"Yeah?"

*Well, sir, we've followed the trail. It seems that it might lead to the Badlands.*

George frowned, wishing he hadn't heard that last part. It wasn't quite his shift yet, but it didn't hurt to check things out. "Okay, I'm on my way." George pinned the badge back to his jacket and looked at Sondra, still looking at him. "Computer, end program." Just like that, Sondra shimmered from view and was replaced by the bare floor of the Holodeck. He looked at the empty space a moment longer. He wished the real Sondra was here, with him. Somebody to really talk to. *But she's not. She left you.* George nodded and turned away then.

In Main Security, he familiarized himself with the readouts from the Bridge on his own secured computer. It definitely looked like something was going on in the Badlands. That was assuredly a very, very bad place. Quite obviously enough from its' namesake. He got up after watching the readouts. He found Klein at his station. "Dave," he said, sitting down across from him. "How's the studying going?"

Klein blew out a deep breath. "Slow going, boss. You know how many possible tracking devices we know about. Bugs, video equipment, audio. A thousand different setups. It's insane."

George smiled. "But you're picking it up?"

"Yeah. Slowly but surely."

"And the others?"

Klein nodded at them across the room. "Good. They've been making it a group effort."

George nodded. "Good. You can go ahead and work on it with them. I've got the readouts on my computer."

Klein smiled and stood up. "Yes, sir."

George watched him go, and then Heather Sanchez walked in. She nodded at George as she came in. She approached him and sat down in Klein's old spot. "What've we heard about the Xerxes?"

George shrugged. "Not much more. We're near the Badlands. We think maybe that might be where they are."

Heather made a face. "The Badlands. Wow."

"Yeah. How's Lockhart doing with the Ferengi."

Heather smiled. "I think we've finally given him an assignment he might be able to pull off. I doubt Lockhart should have a problem keeping a Ferengi in line."

"I should hope not."

He stood up then, nodding at Heather. "Well, I've got about three weeks of paperwork I need to get caught up on. If anything big happens, use your best judgment and leave me the hell alone."

Heather smiled at him. "Yes, sir. Leave you the hell alone."

He pointed at her. "Remember that. It'll serve you well." He walked into his office and looked at the numerous different PADDs built up on his desk. "Marvelous," he mumbled as he went and sat down at his desk.

"Some peace and quiet."
By Ensign Peter Lockhart

Peter sat in Ten Forward and sighed loudly. Keeping Quark out of trouble was a full time job, but somehow he'd managed it. He was presently sitting in a pretty quiet Ten Forward with Chris Aaron, drinking a pint before he headed off to bed.

"So where is Quark now?" Chris asked.

"In his quarters asleep I hope." Peter said and sighed contentedly again.

Chris smiled and said, "You mean his comm. badge is in his quarters. I wonder if he's there!"

"Oh he's there alright. I've asked the computer to monitor his life signs as well. If he so much as leaves his quarters with or without his comm. badge I'll know about it. I was tempted to put a force field around the door and the access hatch, but I thought I'd better not." Peter said.

Chris clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "He's resourceful I bet. If he wanted out, I reckon he could do it without you knowing!"

Peter shook his head slowly. "Okay, maybe, but I'm just going to have to trust him. Besides, where would he go and what would he do?"

Chris just shrugged and looked around. "Decorations look nice."

"Yeah, but unless we find the Xerxes or the Rhemor, I don't know if we'll need them. If not, I'm happy to help clear away all the excess food."

"By eating it." Chris said.

"Yup." Peter replied quickly and smoothly.

The two men sat quietly for a moment before Chris piped in. "You heard about Lieutenant' Dunson?"

"Nope." Peter shook his head. "Well, other than he's an idiot."

"Rumour is that he's got himself addicted to some substances back at DS9." Chris Aaron said, leaning forward slightly.

Peter shook his head. "It's probably not true. I'm going to ignore it anyway. Dunson is an idiot. I've got more concerns not with him, but with the people who believe in him." Peter said cryptically.

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked. "Do I detect another Peter rant coming on? It's pretty quiet in here now, so I don't want any shouting!"

"You do indeed." Peter smiled. "No, what I'm wondering about is this: Dunson is a Lieutenant Junior Grade right?"

"Right." Chris nodded.

"And we're not right?"

"Right, but get to the point." Chris answered.

"Well, someone must've made him a Lieutenant'. Now that suggests he's got potential, especially as he's no older than I am. But it doesn't make sense. Even ignoring the fact that he may be a drug addict, he's a lazy, incompetent, arrogant, racist, sexist, immature man." Peter said, pausing for dramatic effect. "But he is also a Lieutenant J.G. I don't buy it. I'm afraid to say that there is no way that a person like Dunson would get into Starfleet in a situation like this, at any rank!"

"The war has been..." Chris started.

"Then he should be a crewman. He shouldn't outrank us!" Peter persisted. "Who recommended him to the academy? How did he get past his first, second, third and fourth years? How did he pass the psych test? Why did academy counsellors not pick up his profile. Who recommended he be posted to the USS Galaxy? Who recommended his promotion to Lieutenant J.G.? Why was he not identified five years ago as what he is?"

"Read his profile. You can get limited access if you want." Chris said, half interested, half not.

"I'll probably do that, if I have time." Peter said. "And another thing...."

"There's more?" Chris asked.

"The people who he hangs around with. Or rather, the people who tolerate him. I'm talking of Lieutenant Olsen." Peter started. "Why does he like to hang around with losers like Dunson? Look at J.J. Kirk!"

"Perhaps he's trying to turn them around. Shape them up." Chris suggested.

"Then he's doing a pretty piss poor job of it. Look at them both. Have you ever seen Dunson?" Peter asked. Chris shook his head. "Since meeting Olsen, he's gone from a pretty bad officer to someone who abuses drugs, does NO work even by my standards, and seems to care for no one other than himself. It looks bad on Dunson, but the question I'm asking is why does Olsen have this effect on people? It happened with J.J. Kirk as well if I remember. He was bad when I met him, but got worse each time I saw him around Olsen."

"Olsen is a subspace anomaly, who has a negative impact on people around him." Chris joked. "You've been touch yourself!"

"Ha bloody ha!" Peter commented. "But seriously. Tell me that I'm delusional and imagining things. I don't think I am."

Chris shrugged his shoulders again. "I don't know. I'm not going to comment."

Peter sighed. "Isn't it about time you and Heidi got to bed?"

Chris smiled slightly at the remark Peter always made about him and Heidi Mason. "I suppose it is." he said, and finished his pint quickly. "I'll see you later huh?"

"Yeah." Peter said, and started staring out of the window, watching the stars move by.

OOC- This post takes place a day before the post, "Of Mice And Women." This should put Casey on the Bridge in time to call for the senior staff meeting. I've had a busy 2 weeks but I'm back in the swing of things :-)

"Reluctant Session"
USS GALAXY
Commander Deiran Casey, XO
Lt. JG Naverre Shinta, Counselor

Deiran walked into Shinta's office, he took a seat, he did not sit on the couch. In fact, he hadn't sat on the couch every single time he'd been with Shinta in their sessions. Casey was a very stubborn man. It was a miracle he showed up at all.

"Good day Shinta, I trust the pregnancy is going well?" Casey asked.

"Thank you, very well, Deiran."

In the office, they only used first names, no ranks, no titles. It had taken Shinta awhile to feel relaxed with this patient. His rank and his personality reminded her of Jake, and calling him by his first name helped. She smiled as she saw his stubborness in taking the uncomfortable chair. Not that she used the couch often, Freudian psycho-analysis was not really her style.

"So how has your week been?" After some stiff fights, they had agreed that he would see her once a week. And Shinta had the feeling that a bond was developing. He might not like being here, but he didn't fight it as badly as in the beginning. And she had the habit of letting him talk about what he wanted to talk about. Until now it did not work too bad.

"Well Shinta, I've had better weeks. I miss being with Michala at night. Is that weird? I don't want this to sound bad, but I hate sleeping alone. I guess I just hate being alone period. Michala and I went rock climbing and hiking. We're planning to go high diving. I took the kids to DS9 to look for toys, they liked that. Spent the whole day with them there. But, I was recognized four times. I am getting used to that. Three medals, countless stories done on me since the Academy and my family in general. Recognition comes with the territory. But, still I was with my kids you know?" Deiran just started going off on a tangent. "Not much else has happened," he ended his recounting of the week, clasped his hands together and looked down at the floor.

Shinta looked at him, although she was beginning to like him better, at times he could be so arrogant and get on her nerves. "I understand that you miss her, but you have to have patience with her, or you might lose her. Doing things together is good, just give it some time," Shinta breathed deeply once, "On a totally different subject, why don`t you tell me some more about your family?"

"Like what Shinta? What do you want know?" Deiran asked. Confused by the question. What did his family have to do with anything?

"What your family was like, growing up, your childhood. Don't be startled, it helps us counselors understand grown ups better if we know a little bit about the background. And I guess you and I know and respect each other well enough now to talk about that." Shinta said.

"Don't you have all that in my file?" Deiran replied reluctantly. "I think that's in the file. My childhood is a bit . well I've spoken to other counselors about that."

I can read your file, Deiran. I just prefer to hear it from you. Why does it make you uncomfortable?" Shinta asked.

"It always has. My family is very complicated. All Casey's are driven to win, to be successful in their careers. I was driven so much that I even beat the last four generations to Commander. Which is great, I like where I' m at in life, but the memory of being driven so intently bothers me. Not a normal childhood," Deiran replied.

"Did your father drive you?" She asked.

"Always. I don't remember a time when he didn't," Casey replied.

"Is it easy for you to make friends? To get along with people?"

"Not one bit," Deiran said, showing a little smile. "It's the one thing I don't excel in and I know it. Everyone sees me as this arrogant prick when actually I'm a product of my father. Driven to succeed beyond all barriers and expectations and after awhile that's all I see. Thankfully, I have Michala and the children or I'd be a very lonely man," he replied.

"That must bother you greatly." Shinta looked at him. "You know what, if you let those barriers down, I am sure there is a pretty nice guy buried underneath. Why don't you give it a try? I would help you."

"I'd lose my edge. I am the officer I am today Shinta, because of how I grew up and how I was raised. What other officers allow themselves I cannot. I try to be compassionate and understanding with those I work with, but I don' t expect anything more but their respect," he replied. He did believe that his life philosophy made him the officer he was.

Shinta shook her head."I disagree, Deiran. People do indeed respect you, but they do not love you. And the person needs to feel loved as well. That you never learned that from your father, does not mean you cannot do it or would not like it. I can see in your eyes that you would." She finished very softly.

"It doesn't matter. Michala loves me. My mother loves me, my grandparents loves me, my cousins and Alexa loves me. My children love me. That's all I need," he replied.

She noticed how he did not mention his father. That told her enough. "Think about it for awhile. I know it is a big change for you. I still believe that deep down you want it, but I am not going to force or push you. I think we are finished for this week. I would like to see you same time next week, Deiran. And if you want to, to see me in between, you can always come by here or at home."

"Thank you Counselor, I appreciate your time. I'll see you soon, take care of that baby," he smiled as he stood up, he wiped his sweaty palms on the pant legs of his uniform and walked out of the office, giving the woman one last wave. Always happy to have counseling sessions over, no matter who they were with.

"Change Of Plans" with excerpts from "Clarifications and Mysteries"

Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse

with an unauthorized appearance by:

Ensign Khan Nilani
Engineer

Lt. Navarre Shinta
Asst. Chief Counselor
USS Galaxy

***Bridge, USS Galaxy***

Karyn had received Nilani's request for a meeting a few minutes ago, and Karyn had said she was on her way to Nilani's quarters. In truth, Karyn was grateful for the opportunity to be able to get away for a while. With each passing moment they hadn't found either of the two ships, Karyn could feel herself trying to prepare for the worst along with the rest of the crew. Just as she was about to depart, Nilani called Karyn back and said that she had come up with a better way to "cure" the anxiety caused by one of her nightmares. Karyn tried to press her for more details, but all Nilani said was not to worry, and that she'd be along shortly.

Karyn, still a bit puzzled, resumed her position on the bridge, and thus her long wait, in silence. She turned upon hearing the turbolift doors open, and was surprised to see a slightly disheveled Khan Nilani. Karyn gave her a puzzled look, but Nilani appeared not to notice. She showed none of the anxiety Karyn had detected earlier, but Karyn suspected she was just pushing it aside in favor of focusing her attention on whatever was more important.

"Captain let me guess, the sensors are being strange due to the energy that the plasma flows let out?"

Lee turned and noticed Doctor Kahn on the bridge for the first time. She looked a lot different then everyone remembered her, but Captain Price still was glad to see her all the same. "Aye 'mate. The high energy readings from the plasma fields is saturating the readings and pegging sensors on the high end of the scale. Sort of a 'white noise' effect that makes getting any effective scans ineffective."

"Well I know a way to over come this, we hid in the badlands for quite some time - It was thought that our ships were less maneuverable than theres." Nilani added.

"I'd be interested in hearing any input that you would care to give 'mate."

Nilani walked over to the science station and took a look at the settings "A Phased polaron scan on the following frequencies cuts through the energy readings and appears to any other ship in here as a normal discharge. Remembering they have the same problem as you. This way you can sneak up on them until your within some 400,000 km."

She looked up and made the adjustments, "Keep the frequency at that range though.. we lost three ships due to the beam igniting the plasma."

Lee gave a nod. "Quite ingenious 'mate. But I take it the phased polaron scan still will not penetrate through the actual plasma flows. We will still be limited to 'line of sight' scans, isn't that correct?"

Karyn was surprised to hear Ryak intervene. The question had been clearly directed at Nilani, but the CSO felt the need to contribute. Karyn could almost swear Ryak sounded annoyed at being "one-upped."

"That is essentially correct Captain. Much like the satellite infra-red technology of your Earth's early centuries was unable to see through clouds, our scans, even with using a phased polaron scan, will be unable to peer through an actual wall of plasma energy." After a brief period of silence, Sullax peered at his monitor and added, "However in this case, the phased polaron beam appears to have been effective Captain."

A tense heartbeat later Evin voiced what all of them suspected, but were too afraid to voice. Debris from what appeared to be from two starships had been detected. Of course, at this range, they couldn't be absolutely sure, but it would seem logical given the turbulent badlands. Next would come the hard part...examining the debris to put what pieces they could together. Nilani would undoubtedly be a part of the team modyfying the shuttles and run-abouts. Karyn thought about raising a question as to Nilani's mental fitness, but decided she really had no hard evidence to back up her concern. She had nightmares...so did everyone else. This mission seemed to be giving Nilani a focus on something other than her own concerns. Perhaps this was the best "therapy" possible.

Before Nilani headed into the conference room, Karyn placed a hand on her shoulder to indicate she wanted to speak with her. Karyn waited until the other bridge officers filed past her, then spoke, keeping her voice low, "I guess when you said you had a cure, I expected you to take some warm milk or something...but this-" She grew serious, "I appreciate what you're doing for us, but I've not forgotten your desire to speak with me. You and are going to deal with this as soon as our duties allow and not a moment after, we have much to discuss and it needs to be dealt with. If there's anything I can do between now and then, just let me know.

Nilani nodded. "Thank you, Counselor, I promise I won't forget."

Karyn smiled. "I promise I won't let you."

Karyn watched Nilani head into the conference room and then hailed Counselor Navarre Shinta, her Assistant Chief. =/\= "Shinta, it seems there's been a change in plans. The Captain's called a SSM. I'd still like a department meeting, but I want to hold it afterwards. By then, I hope to know more anyway, and then we con figure the best way to proceed." =/\=

=/\= "Understood. Do we know the current status Xerxes or the Rhemor?" =/\=

Karyn paused. =/\= "We think we have a pretty good idea, but we can't be sure," she then added, "it doesn't look good. I'll let you all know as soon as we can discern anything substantial." =/\=

=/\= "Aye, ma'am, see you in a bit." =/\=

Karyn closed the channel and made her way into the conference room.

By: Lieutenant Jake T Olson & Seth Zonhieb

Jake Olson was consulting a security computer. Seeing the frail white headed scientist using security equipment was unusual, to downright strange. Seth always investigated strange things.

The large gorn walked up to the man and noticed the console usage. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm conducting a supplies investigation for the science department." Jake answered. He didn't know how sophisticated this security officer's science knowledge was.

It only took a glance at the screen and any untrained personnel could have determined the lie. "Then I suggest you do it in the science lab and under the proper credentials.

"I do it there, the individual in question will instantly know an investigation's going on." Jake returned. He had to look up, an intimidating experience.

You don't need that high of a security clearance to do the audit. " Seth noticed how shifty and irritated the man was. "This console is not for science use. I suggest you move along."

Scott smelled something being up, not to mention he couldn't sleep worth shit. He passed Jake and the super lizard, and shook his head. That Jake had to be able to socialize with the most bazaar critters. "What are you doing Jake?" asked Scott with a grin. He saw the cotton hair working at a terminal in the middle of the night, and it wasn't a science terminal. Jake didn't want some one to see something. "Something T-Prea don't need to know?"

Seth saw Jake grimace at Scott, more there than a tasteless comment, because Jake generally was hard to insult.

"I think its something you don't want security to see." Seth commented then thought it over. "would you like to explain your access to Commander Kirk?"

"This investigation is on orders of Ryak Sullax." Jake answered, looking a bit bewildered. "I didn't know that security would assist science in handling their dirty laundry."

Do you have a copy of the orders?" Seth asked at point blank.

Jake glanced around, Scott wasn't around anymore. No fun, Jake mused. He reached into a deep pocket of his civilian clothing and pulled forth a padd which he handed to the Gorn with care, those claws were damned sharp.

"Everything is in order then." The gorn pronounce handing the padd back. "Carry on." There was no apology as the gorn went down the hall to catch up to Scott.

Jake didn't respond with the usual affront, he just took the abrupt attitude as being part of the other's make up. Someone whom had ancestors more like the Komodo Dragon than the Terran Ape would naturally not be socially skilled.

Scott was in the holodeck, stark naked in a very X rated simulation. The last thing he expected was company.

The lizard didn't seem to care that the other was not clothed. "I have a few questions for you if you don't mind."

"Get the fuck outa here! That thing 'was' locked!" It was, but Seth didn't care. He was looking at a scrawny, baby bird Human. Scott looked like a new born Robin. An enraged one at that as he jumped in the water with a loud splash.

"Computer end program." The gorn called out leaving the human laying on the floor dry. "Security can override lockout on a needed basis. As I said I have some questions for you. You can answer them now or in the brig."

"Jesus Christ, who ever taught you manners needs to be shot. What the fuck you wanna know?!" Scott figured he wasn't gonna be rid of his current pain in ass until he gave him what he wanted. ~But damn he looks like an oversize monitor lizard!~

"First off I out rank you. Even off duty you should use some manners and respect." Seth hadn't moved too far from the door. His mass blocked the exit, but it was shut now. "Secondly I think you have some explaining to do on your recent behavior and the characters you've been keeping company with."

"What 'characters' do you want to know about? Would you step out so I can get dressed please?" Scott felt goose pimples pop out all over his body. Scott was comfortable naked in bed with females. This however, was no femal e and damned big.

The room wasn't really that crowded but the lizard stepped back to allow the man to get his things. Seth watched every move to make sure there was no funny business. "I've noticed you asking around for access to restricted material."

The bastard wouldn't leave to give him privacy. "I work the science section," the Human evaded. He only weighed 130, he wasn't much bigger than Jake Olson. Jake however, didn't feel so disadvantaged. "What kinda material are you talking about?" Scott didn't realize how outclassed he was in combat, verbal or physical.

"Narcotics." The gorn answered plain and simple just to see the mans reaction.

Scott's eyes widened slightly. "You got the wrong person. Who gave you your info?"

"First hand observation." the lizard had both his independently functioning eyes on the man. "I was on DS9 at the time you where there investigating your connection."

"Whatchu want?" the Human asked, hoping perhaps to bribe this ass hole. The cunning look in his eyes told Seth exactly why he asked.

"I need to know who you're getting the drugs from." Seth was point blank in a stone impassiveness.

"Guy named Tony." Scott answered sullenly. "That's all I know, he's on DS9, hangs in Quark's bar."

"Physical description of this 'Tony' " For all Seth knew the name was made up. He needed more to go on.

"Human I think, a man, brown hair." Scott now realized the wisdom of 'Tony's' unanimity. This bastard was hanging on this shit like it was a mouse.

"Very helpful." Seth flexed his arm that was thicker then the humans waist. "When do you see him again?"

"I don't. Changes. no two meet twice." Scott answered. "I don't know how it's done."

You must know or you wouldn't have the drugs." Seth wasn't falling for it.

"They don't wanna get caught by nosey security types. Careful."

"If they didn't want to get caught they wouldn't sell to you." Seth put in some verbal abuse of his own. "They won't talk to me but I bet we could sneak Lockhart in undercover."

Scott shrugged, almost smiling. Lockhart was a looser on par with himself.

"Now come with me to see the doctor." Seth took the man's arm before he could argue. "Then we go to the brig."

~Good grief, is this bozo going to keep this cozy all the way?! Besides, his system pissed out all the goods.~ Scott wasn't stupid enough to try and pull away.

A long walk later the gorn still had his big hand around the human's arm as they entered sickbay.

T-Prea looked up to see a huge Gorn strong arming a Human into sickbay, and one eyebrow went up. "Yes?"

"This man has been consorting with known drug dealers." Seth informed the doctor. "Check him for substance abuse before I take him to the brig for further questioning."

"Very well," T-Prea nodded. "This way," she lead the pair to an exam room, and the Gorn followed the Human in. Scott was disgusted but the woman wasn't surprised.

The scan completed, T-Prea looked up at Seth. "The drugs, if they were there, are out of his system now. I'm sorry."

Scott carefully didn't grin. ~Gotchu Scale Boy!~

The lizards teeth always showed but as he looked back at the human. This time with a bit more disgust. "Your still going to the brig until you talk to Commander Kirk." the smirk drained.

Scott didn't answer. Scott didn't know anything, the best defense, and the med exam came up clean, only Jake has any evidence at all and that is circumstantial. Scott again didn't struggle when the Gorn took his arm, that would be dumb, as there were claws in Seth's hand.

**********************************************
Sandy ICQ# 36247063

"Speculation verses science"
by Captain Robert Edward Lee Price

The USS Galaxy had come to a full stop upon entering the area of space where the debris thought to be from the USS Xerxes and Rhemor.

Hanging in space, scattered pieces of twisted metal hovering as far as the eye could see. The twisted pieces of wreckage was framed by the impressive curtain of the edge of the plasma fields known as the Badlands.

Captain Price stood in the conference room peering out the observation windows, his back to everyone of the senior officers that shuffled in for the meeting. Lee held his hands behind his back and silently assessed the scattered debris.

When the senior officers entered, it was easily apparent that the Galaxy's mission had just drastically changed. What was going to be a pleasant assignment of escorting home returning POWs now looked like it was turning into a tragic investigation into the loss of one of the Federation's finest starships in the fleet.

Commander Casey was one of the last officers to enter the nearly silent executive conference room. As he entered, he noticed "Doctor" Kahn Nilani standing by, not sure where to sit. Deiran motioned towards an available chair, indicating it was okay to sit there. Nilani gave an appreciative nod and took her seat. Having just joined the crew of the USS Galaxy as an Engineer, Nilani was still learning how to fit in on board the starship.

Sensing it was time as things quieted in the conference room, Captain Price turned away from the observation window and the massive debris field that lay beyond and looked at the officers occupying the conference room.

"Thank you all for coming here 'mates. Why don't we take our seats and begin?"

Lee waited for everyone to sit, before he himself sat down. "There is no way to sugar coat this, so it may as well be said. It appears as though the USS Xerxes and all of her crew have somehow been lost out here in the Badlands. Scanning the wreckage, it is comprised of pieces of alloys and materials consistent with those used in the construction of a starship like the Xerxes. So our mission to escort Captain Curtis' ship back to Earth with the returning POWs from Cardassia has now been altered to finding out what happened here." The Captain explained.

Looking across the conference table, he could see that Lieutenant Commander Sullax, the ship's Chief Science Officer, was paying attention. Lee's heart went out to Lieutenant Commander Genestra, who's father had been traveling on the Xerxes at the time of her loss. Dealing with the news was no doubt tough on Evin who sat silently next to Ryak at the conference table.

"'Commander Sullax, I believe the first order of business should be to collect and examine as many pieces of the wreckage as we can in order to try and determine what took place to cause this tragedy." Captain Price directed, "Have you put together a plan for doing so 'mate?"

Ryak cleared his voice and answered the Captain. "Yes sir. First as some of you are already aware, it is difficult getting any good sensor readings in this particular region of space because of the effects of the near by plasma flows and the way they effect our sensors by saturating their readings. Ensign Kahn was helpful in instructing how to use a phased polaron scan to obtain better readings in such an environment, however the total mass of the debris field still can not be determined. The pattern of the debris do tend to suggest that some portion of the wreckage may have entered the plasma fields, further obscuring any possibility of obtaining an accurate mass of the total sum of wreckage."

Sometimes 'Commander Sullax had a gift of giving a very long winded answer just to say something as obvious as 'we still don't know'.

Lee nodded patiently. He knew the discovery of the wreckage, and the apparent truth that the Xerxes had been destroyed was affecting everyone of the senior staff. Ryak was no exception. Only the Romulan's preferred way of handling such situations was to act professionally and be the ultimate scientist.

"With your permission Captain, I would like to convert one of the shuttle bay hangars into a staging area and begin bringing pieces of the wreckage on board the Galaxy for examination. By using the ship's transporters and some of our shuttle craft to gather the pieces of debris still floating in space, we may be able to examine them and determine if indeed these belong to the Xerxes, and if so, what caused her to be destroyed." Sullax explained.

Lee nodded. "I think it is obvious that this is the Xerxes 'mate. Captain Victoria Curtis is too fine of a Starship commander to have missed our rendezvous without having sent word or communicated in some fashion. However by all means proceed. You can coordinate with Lieutenant Commander Brandis in Operations to clear one of the shuttle bays for your use and to assemble a team of shuttles to assist in recovering the larger pieces of wreckage for examination."

Nilani piped into the conversation. "It would probably be beneficial to rig the Galaxy's shuttles to emit a phased polaron scan as well Captain, or their sensors will be whited out as well because of the plasma fields in the area. I can assist in that if you like."

The General nodded. "Aye Doctor. That would be appreciated. Coordinate your efforts with Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder."

Sitting by silently until now, the Green uniformed Lieutenant Commander Christopher Thomas gained the General's attention.

"Captain, it will be important to quickly determine the cause of the Xerxes destruction. If she were attacked by the Cardassians for some reason, we could be in danger should we remain here between Federation and Cardassian space. Or if the Xerxes fell victim to foul play, like a bomb or a self-destruct order, that too would need to be reported to Starfleet immediately, requiring the Galaxy's removal from the area to establish sub-space communications with DS9. Right now, we are isolated because of the plasma storm interference the Badlands induce. Communications with Starfleet Command are not possible. We are as alone at the moment as the Xerxes must have been right before she met her fate... Whatever that was."

Chris made a valid point. If the Xerxes was attacked and destroyed by a fleet of Cardassian Warships, Captain Curis would have had no way of warning Starfleet or the Galaxy of the danger. If that fleet were to return...

"Noted 'Commander. However until we determine exactly what happened here, based on the scientific evidence 'Commander Sullax's team recovers, we will remain and keep an open mind. It's too easy to give into speculation, particularly when dealing with the Federation's recent adversaries like the Cardassians."

Chris pressed his lips together. He knew the Cardassian's were likely responsible for the destruction of the Xerxes. His gut told him so. "Then I would recommend a full tactical alert in that case Captain. It never hurts to be prepared for the 'unexpected'."

Captain Price took note of the emphasis 'Commander Thomas put on the word "unexpected"... as if he didn't really find that to be an unexpected possibility at all. Sadly, through the course of so many years fighting the Cardassians in the Dominion War, Captain Price found that he too had no overt trust for their former rivals.

"A wise precaution 'Commander." Captain Price agreed. Turning to Lieutenant Commander Hermedhie, Lee added, "'Commander, when this meeting ends, be sure to notify your staff and take the Galaxy to yellow alert status."

"Aye sir." Raesene replied.

Lee glanced at Lieutenant Commander Kirk, the ship's chief of Security. "A ship wide security alert would not be a bad idea either 'mate. Just in case."

"I'll see to it Captain." George replied.

"What about the reception party in Ten Forward for the returning POWs sir?" Commander Casey inquired. "Shall I inform Mister Quark and the Galaxy staff assisting him to call it off?"

Lee thought about it for a moment, but then shook his head. "No 'mate. Not yet. It will give them something to do in the meantime until we determine for certain that the Xerxes has been destroyed and how. I know it sounds like busy work, but I think that is better in the short term then canceling the celebration now and giving everyone time to worry about our location and isolation while so close to the Badlands."

"I understand sir." Deiran replied.

Around the conference table, Lieutenant Kira Murphy, who was sitting in for the absent Doctor Endris Gakor, Counselor Dallas and Lieutenant Bruce MaxWell, the Galaxy's Chief Helmsman listened to the meeting.

Captain Price glanced over at Bruce. "Lieutenant, I expect when engineering has finished adjusting the sensors on our shuttles that some of your flight officers will be needed to pilot them in order to salvage the larger pieces of wreckage from space."

"My men will be ready Captain." Bruce acknowledged.

Turning to Lieutenant Commander Ethan Suder, Captain Price inquired, "'Commander, what challenges does this region of space pose on the shuttle craft? Being this close to the plasma fields, I imagine there are things to look out for."

Ethan nodded. "Well Captain, the shuttles have an advantage over the Galaxy in that their smaller size allows them maneuverability room to weave around the various plasma flows in a way not possible for a large starship. Unfortunately there are two problems with doing that. First, if one of the shuttles does make a wrong turn and comes into contact with a raw plasma flow, it's pretty much all over. A shuttles shields are not powerful enough to protect it from overloading and being destroyed. The other problem is with navigation. While it is theoretically possible for a shuttle craft to navigate through the plasma flows of the Badlands, you would be doing so blindly. Instruments would be of little use and it would be easy to get lost inside the maze of pure energy." Lieutenant Commander Suder explained. "Given the abilities of most of our shuttles, I can't say I would recommend entering very far into the plasma fields. Once line of sight piloting is lost, there is a real risk of getting lost in there."

Nilani nodded her agreement. "He's right Captain. The Badlands has a nasty habit of swallowing up ships who's pilots failed to understand their changing nature or didn't have an inert sense of direction to guide them. Even with phased polaron scans, once you get two or three turns into the plasma flows, you are strictly going on seat of your pants piloting skills."

"So noted 'mate. Lieutenant MaxWell, be sure to brief your team accordingly, and be sure to order no unnecessary risks. I don't want to loose anyone investigating what very well may already be a grave tragedy."

"Understood Captain." Lieutenant MaxWell replied.

Lee gave a nod. "Fair dinkum then. Unless there is anything else anyone wants to bring up, we can get on with it. Once Lieutenant Commander Sullax' Science Department determines what happened to the Xerxes based on the evidence in the debris field, we shall reconvene to get a full briefing."

Captain Price glanced around the conference room to see if any of the senior officers present had anything else they wanted to bring up at the meeting before it let out.

"Achors away"
by Lt Ragnald Gustavson, helmsman
USS Galaxy

::Ragnald`s room::

Ragnald laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. The last days he scratched almost every point his to-do-list contained. - Even such jobs Ragnald usually managed to push like reconfiguring his personal flight control panel were finished. To say it short: Ragnald was bored.

Did you ever have that feeling of swaying, standing on a quay after having left a ship? That was how Ragnald felt. The absence of the Galaxy`s usual background sounds made him feel uneasy - like a fish on the land.

Suddenly, the silence was torn by the metallic sound of the Galaxy`s docking lock. Ragnald knew what that noise meant: "Anchors away!" - the Galaxy unlocked from DS9 to leave for a new exciting journey.

Ragnald got up from his bed and looked out of the window. Out there the DS9`s giant ring became smaller and smaller. After just a few minutes the station was out of sight.

"The Painting"
By Lt (jg) Rose Isis MacAllen

As Rose was walking back to her room she found a crewman with a crate for her.

"Who are you?" she ask the crewman with alook.

The crewman walks up to her, "I'm Crewman Johnson, this crate is for you from your mother Lady Michelle of Betazed. It was on DS9 Col Kira wanted me to deliver this to you."

Rose walks into her room, "Sit it right there and thank Crewman.

The crewman smiles and walks out, then Rose started to open the crate. Then there was a very big painting of her mother and father on there wedding day..one of the most happy days of there life mother once told her. Her father Captain MacAllen said he never stop loving her mother, they just couldn't live together anymore. She can still hear the fights they had when she was a child. At a early age Rose vow never to get divorce from her husband. She will only married if she was very much in love with him....her true Imzadi.

"I know of a good picture to put you two, right next to the map my boyfriend gave me for my 24th birthday." she said as she walks into the living room and hangs it up next to the map.

Then Rose stand back thinking...can this be me and my boyfriend Ragnald in the future, only the gods know about that.

"Dinner for 2"
by Lt. Commmander Thomas
Starfleet Liaison Officer
USS Galaxy

Lt. Commander Thomas left the bridge after having completed his shift there. Now it was time to head home for a while, even through alpha shift had arrived and it was time for him to go back work. With holding a non-critical assignment on the ship and being in the position to get his work when it was a few days before the deadline he wasn't to worried.

Unlike the rest of the crew his deadlines for turning in reports or such was much different. The only time he had to turn in a more timely report was when he had bridge watch duty. He enjoyed that aspect, but he also had to admit that he missed the action of being in a regular department.

His job had changed to something more of a paper pusher, but not quite stationed in one place.

Life was still good despite the changes, he lived with a number of changes. In his career to date he'd seen and done more then most and few could or would know everything about his past. Actually most of the ones who know any great detail where dead, with three expectations and his wife who knew some. While he hated to learn of or seen anyone dead, their deaths hopefully marked the end of an era for now. His clean up effort of SI had been 90% successfully in accomplishing goals. Now it was up to someone else to try and either clean up the remaining 10 percent or to draw a line in the sand and hold decadence at bay.

He entered his quarters.

"Anna" Chris said stepping into their quarters.

"In here dear, dinner's almost ready." she said.

"Thank you Anna, I was wondering what we'd be eating tonight. I didn't have the time to take lunch today." Chris said.

"You should always have the time to take lunch, you must." she said.

"I know, but I got completely wrapped up in a report that I was reading, and the one I was working one for command." Chris said.

"I know you love your work, but you have to take care of yourself or else something is going to happen to you, you know." Anna replied.

"I know, but these things happen. Besides we have plenty of time to eat dinner and relax tonight. I don't have bridge duty tonight." Chris said.

Anna gave him a warm smile, "Yes I know and that's great, because I think we should spend some quality time together tonight. There's plenty of time for you to work on other things tomorrow and beyond." she said to him. "Now come let's go eat dinner." she said.

** After Dinner **

"That was wonderful dinner." Chris said.

Anna only smiled.

"What?" Chris said.

"If you loved dinner you're going to love desert" she said with a wink. Placing her hand out for him to take.

Chris reached out and took her had, following her lead.

She lead him off towards the bedroom.

A smile crossed Chris's face as they stepped through the door.

** Late Last Night **

Chris and his wife had enjoyed an excellent dinner she'd prepared for the sit down dinner. It was now the only time they truly got to enjoying themselves. Actually they didn't get to do this as often as they might like, because Chris was working on the bridge during the last shift before Alpha returned to start a new day.

He had a job to carry out on those days he was suppose to be on the bridge and that came first, but it didn't mean they could use other parts of the day to explore one another.

Life was wonderful, even if he really wasn't that busy these days.

*** Next Morning ***

Chris left their quarters and headed off to work.

When he reached his office, there was message telling him to report the conference room for a senior staff meeting shortly.

Aurora woke with a start. She just had a rather disturbing dream. In her dream there was a Nebula class Starship just floating in the middle of the Badlands. She dismissed the dream figuring it was her imagination running wild during this mission to figure out what happened to the Xerxes.

Aurora got up to get dressed, she knew her shift was to begin soon. She wanted extra time to reach the lab, afterall the Galaxy is a much larger vessel then the Cyclops is. After a sonic shower and getting dressed she exits her quarters heading torwards the main lab.

"Oh joy now the fun of finding the lab", she has only been aboard for a few days and still gets lost sometimes. After a minimal amount of hassle she reaches the lab.

When she Enters her Superior officer Lt. Commander Ryak Sullax was there. "Ensign Are you aware of the current mission" Asked Lt. Commander Sullax. Hmm he sure dosen't waste any time thought Aurora. "Yes sir, I know we are investigating why the USS Xerxes is late for her Rendevous with us at DS9" Replied Ensign Macellan. "Good, now Unfortuantly we've found a debris field and have reason to believe it is the debris of the Xerxes" Stated Sullax. Damn thought Aurora. "Shortly we will be bringing aboard pieces of debris I would like you to assist with the Metalergical Analysis of the debris" said Lt. Commander Sullax. "That won't be a problem sir" replied Aurora. "Good I will let you know when the debris is aboard. In the meantime try scanning the surrounding area with some of the specialized sensors, see if you can discover anything they can't up on the bridge" ordered Sullax. "Yes sir" said Aurora.

The Romulan science Officer walks out, probably to begin preparations for the debris.

"Time To Prepare"
By Lt. Bruce MaxWell
Chief Helmsman

Bruce walked out of the Ready room conemplating on how to do the flight scheduling of the shuttles for the sciencetists. He kinda laughed this was an utmost dire mission but he knew the science junkies were going to be a nuisance. He entered the Turbolift and was thinking.

*********Helm Department Main Office*********

Bruce sat down and looked out his roster. He had a fine crew. This was going to be a test and a half. Fltying around with pretty much a blindfold on. He then turned his comp towards him and began the letter.

Helm Department,

This is going to be a chance and a test of a lifetime. The current mission is going to need the expertise aand the best starship pilots in the Galaxy. We are to ferry the science department around the Badlands. I do not like setting this up but its my job. At this current moment imn time we will be doing the flight schedule as are normal helm schedule goes. This is putting Myself, Lt.Gustavson, Lt.jg Crowe, and Ensign Kolrami in the thick of it we will need others of the department to pick up or normal shifts anyu that cannot be filled will be taken by myself or any other who wish's extra duty.

Guys I am stressing and ordering this right now. Be careful no heroics. I dont need to lose any of you. You are not just my department i command but you are my Family. I dont wish to have to come out there and save yer ass's.

As a side note your Chief is getting married. I have proposed to Lt. Navarre Shinta. She has excepted making me a complete man. I know she would want to make sure I come back. You Helm my family are invited and complete my requirements as being a whole man.

Any questions or quams contact me you know i have an open door policy.

Chief Helmsman
Lt.Bruce MaxWell

"end Letter, and send." Bruce said sitting back in his chair rubbing his chin wondering how this is going to go.

He knew his People could do it but anything could happen at anytime. He would resign his comision and risk his life for any one of them yet for the entire crew of his Home the USS Galaxy. He then stood up and headed towards the shuttle Bay to oversee the modifications and prepare himself for the first flight out.

*********Shuttlebay********

Bruce had been there a half an hour and already had his duty jacket off getting dirty help modifying the shuttles. He had gotten aggravated a couple of times, seeing things he didnt like and wondering where most these learned to work on a shuttle. He couldnt take any chances tho everything had to be perfect.