NRPG: So we're still travelling in the way back machine, so the limb thing is still in place. Begin credits: The Terran year is 1987, and the Vulcan Space High Command launches the last of its deep space probes. In a freak mishap, Mal-kon 3 and its pilot, Captain Caladryll "Cal" Sevant, are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life support systems, and sending Cal Sevant to Earth... *See rapidly advancing time clock from 1987 to 2407" 500 years later. Start Credit's Music Today's Compile Index is brought to you by Spartan the latest in .... umm.. yeah. Day 2 (USS Boudicca, al-Sharif's Personal Quarters, ACEO Jael al-Sharif and FO, Commander Susan Rivers, 00:15) Day 19 (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay - MO Ens.(Jg) Dr. Jahlen - 2316) Day 20 (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0252) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk - Personal Quarters - Arania -0253) (USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0255) (USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters - Arania - 0310) RPG: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 2 Stardate: 2407.02.23 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Boudicca, al-Sharif's Personal Quarters, ACEO Jael al-Sharif and FO, Commander Susan Rivers, 00:15) Her door chime rang. Her stomach sank. Apparently, she had other problems. Susan waited outside the door, unsure what her reception would be. She had considered taking an escort from security but gut instinct told her not to. Stolev's tracking program had alerted her to the unusual use of the communications system, and she had tagged the communication and followed it through the twists and turns it had taken through the system. It had taken her a little time to follow but the very fact that Jael had done so meant that whatever the reason for the conversation, she didn't want it monitored. And was trying to erase her tracks. Lise laid in bed. What to do? Ignore the chime... maybe that was best... to pretend to be asleep. And so, she did nothing, but roll over and shut he eyes. ~Lise... asleep...asleep... Lise...~ No reply being forthcoming, Susan smiled grimly to herself. She knew that SOMEONE was awake in there. She tapped her commbadge. "Commander Rivers to Ensign al-Sharif. I suggest you open the door. I know you're awake." Lise cringed as she heard the comm system. "Commander?... Enter.." she called out in her best 'sleepy' voice, knowing that Susan had been watching her and likely had a well of evidence against her. Susan stepped carefully through the door into Jael's quarters. She was aware that she should expect any reaction at all from the occupant. ~Whoever she may be~ Her hand was not far from her phaser, just in case. She didn't have it drawn, in spite of the regulations. She wanted to talk, not provoke a fire-fight. And that weird instinct which had told her to come alone also told her that her weapon would not be needed. Nevertheless she was cautious. ~What do I do now?~ Lise thought as she turned over again in her bed. She'd heard the door open and then soft footsteps as Susan entered. She could feel Susan's presence in the room, her hesitation, and yet her determination. ~Thought I could fly under the radar - not Susan's~ Slowly, realising that staying in bed would only serve to further the suspicions brought against her, and hoping that she'd be able to somehow avoid any form of confrontation. Lise sat up, and in her dressing gown that she'd hastily donned, made her way out into the common area where Susan was. Susan looked at the ACEO, dressed for bed, who had sounded so sleepy over the comms. Yet her eyes belied that. There was something about them but it wasn't tiredness. It was... worry? ~Well might she be worried~ Susan thought to herself. ~I would be too if I'd been making unauthorised contacts and trying to hide them~ "I'm sorry to disturb you," she said insincerely, "But I'm here about that transmission that you made a short while ago." A snap decision told Lise that in this instance, she had to play the part and the part dictated that she say: "I'm sorry - come again?" Susan sighed. "You know, I'd have laid credits you'd have said something like that. To save us both further dancing around, I should tell you that your transmission was recorded. Do you want me to show you? Or can we take that as read and cut to the chase?" Jael did not respond. Susan frowned. "Look, you've been caught. You have a choice, Jael or whatever your real name is. You might as well tell me the truth now as later." Lise weighed her options, things were not looking good for her. In fact, they were looking quite dismal. However, she'd been under strict orders that she not divulge to anyone who she was. ~Does that preclude anyone from guessing?~ Quickly regrouping, Lise began to speak, slowly, with a little fatigue in her voice. "Commander Rivers. I'm certain that I don't know what you are talking about. IF ­ and I stress the hypothetical in this situation ­ I had been engaged in a conversation, and IF ­ I had been so sloppily enough to leave it traipsing around for all eyes to see, and IF ­ I had let it so be recorded, then I wouldn't be a very good engineer would I?" "Oh but you are, aren't you?" Susan snapped back. "As soon as you realised you were being tracked you re-routed it all over the ship's systems. Didn't you - Liara?" Lise cringed. Where a few moments ago, that same name had evoked endearment and affection, now it suggested failure and disclosure. "That's not my name." She reiterated firmly ­ trying to figure out exactly what had transpired. "And what were you doing watching that band anyway? Traditionally, that route is the most secure and discreet to be able to communicate. Even a personal communiqué. Which begs the question, what, Commander Rivers were you doing up at all hours surveying that particular microband?" Susan smiled thinly. "My job," she said. "Protecting this ship and her crew. And looking for spies. Have I found one, do you think? More important, what will the Captain think? Do you know the penalty for spying in wartime? Or Treason, as it's sometimes known?" "Commander ­ if.. as the evidence does seem to suggest ­ you watched that communiqué, you will realise that I am not a spy." Lise said carefully. In truth, in this moment and time, she did not at all realise what Susan would have derived from the conversation. In fact, all but the essence of it was beginning to fade, even for her. ~Devyn, you¹ve gotten me into a disaster this time~ Lise thought to herself. "And, furthermore, I have not engaged in any forms of treasonous behaviour" ~Right now..~ Susan smiled. It was not a nice smile. "This... communique is not treasonous, true. But coming to this ship under a false name could be construed as such. Liara may or may not be your name but you certainly answered to it. That kind of begs the question, really, doesn't it? If your name is not Jael and it's not Liara, what is it?" Something nagged at the back of Susan's mind. Something else she'd heard in the transmission. Lise's eyes narrowed. Truthfully Susan had to play this way, but there was no way that she was going to lie down and accept it. Her lips thinned and she fought back her Klingon temper that was making it ever-more difficult to contain. The following statement she made was articulated in a very succinct manner wherein every syllable was stressed: "It, is not treasonous, IF one is following orders." "That might depend on whose orders you were following," Susan pointed out dryly, her mind racing to try to pick out what it was that was nagging at her. "It might, and in addition, it might depend on how one feels about following those orders. HOWEVER, Susan." Lise paused. "I assure you, these orders are not of the subversive variety, and are being followed and are not engaging in acts of treason." Lise looked at her. "You, of course, have no reason to trust me, no reason to believe me, and no reason to listen to anything that I say." "Angel!" Susan exclaimed, having just made the connection in her mind. "Angel and Lisa.... and you called me Susan!" Her eyes narrowed. "Captain Lise Arianna, I believe?" Jael bit her lip. "Who else knows about the transmission?" She said with an air of dead seriousness. She wanted desperately to congratulate her friend for actually putting the pieces of the puzzle together and discovering what was going on, but there were more pressing concerns. "Lt Commander Stolev. If he doesn't already he'll know as soon as he checks his logs. It was his program I used," she added. "Lise what the hell is going on?" "baQa!" Lise exclaimed. "Believe me, Susan, this wasn't my idea. I was well, rotting sort of, in a kind of solitary hide-out trying to escape a bunch of people who really wanted to kill me and some stupid Admiral caught up to me and said that this was going to happen, period. I was surgically altered, given a bad attitude, which to be honest at that point I already had, and then sent aboard the Boudicca and told that my very survival depended upon no one finding out who I was. For crying out loud, I've served with the lot of you before! I personally think they were setting me up for failure." Susan looked at Lise for a long moment. "You might be right," she said slowly. "Lise, there's something I think I ought to tell you. I need to know WHO set you up here but first I'm going to tell you why I'm here. then you'll understand why I need to know." She looked around. "Could we sit down? it's rather a long story..." Lise nodded and indicated to the sofa. "Raktajino?" She asked Susan. "Yes please!" As Lise/Jael went to the replicator, Susan sat down and continued, "When I left the Nimitz, I went to work for Admiral Ohlsson. I did some undercover work for him - no need to go into details but in a civil war even more than an interplanetary war you have to expect that information will be passed to the enemy by those you consider your friends, or at least on your side. So my job was to rout them out, roughly speaking. Then I was asked to come here, to destroy a spy ring operating from this ship. Ohlsson believes it to be run by someone who transferred over from Geneva, believe it or not, but he couldn’t prove it. I engineered a court-martial, got myself reduced in rank to Lt and was sent here undercover as TAC/ASC. What Ohlsson didn't anticipate was that our FO would be incapacitated and that Sevant would make me his FO. So I'm still working for Ohlsson. It could be that whoever sent you here is working against him, and against the 52nd. Maybe I was supposed to find you out. By blowing your cover, I blow mine. Unless...." she looked at Lise. "it all depends who sent you. If it was Ohlsson, well and good. Though I'd have appreciated a heads-up from him. If not...." she left the thought hanging. It was up to Lise now to decide what to tell her. Lise considered the options and also the situation. Susan had been forthright with her, and now, the only thing that made sense that she do, was to be equally forthright with her. “Well, what I can tell you is that they seem to like keeping me in the dark,” Lise mused. “I’ve not received much information about the WHYs of my being here, but instead, I’ve been told to come here, impersonate Jael and watch. They call in every now and again and ask me ridiculous questions about how Sevant behaves, how you behave, how everyone behaves ­ which everyone that I know behaves normally under all the circumstances, but as to the actual POINT of why I am here, well there doesn’t seem to be one I oscillate between thinking that LoDona actually suspects something and the idea that he’s just put me here to question my loyalty and piss me off.” Susan frowned. "I suppose..." she said slowly, "that you are *sure* it's LoDona who sent you here? I mean, personally?" “Oh yes, quite sure” Lise said succinctly as she recalled their first meeting and how she’d felt that his ‘saving her from the depths of despair’ somehow was an insult at her honour; not that this situation was any different. Susan pursed her lips as she considered the implications. "You know what?" she finally answered. "The more I have to do with the top brass the more I think they have the combined IQ of a - of a wooden rocking horse! Well, at least we can be fairly sure we're both working for the same side. Assuming neither LoDona nor Ohlsson is a traitor that is," she added with gallows humour. "Because if either is, we're probably both dead." Lise saw the dark humour of the situation, however, the feelings she harboured for LoDona were not growing dearer by the day. In fact, she was becoming more and more frustrated with her situation. “Well, we may be anyway, but at least for now they are amusing themselves with moving us around like little pawns.” Susan nodded. "You know what? It's about time we stopped being pawns and started to take control. Beginning with Angel. She's the priority right now. Agreed?" Lise took a deep breath and exhaled. “Agreed. Although, obviously I can do nothing in this situation,” she indicated to her physical state of being as she passed Susan the Raktajino that had just materialized from the replicator and sat down beside her, “lest I find myself caught ­ although, we both know perfectly well that wasn’t going to stop me.” Susan accepted the mug gratefully. "I know," she said. "But neither of us can leave the ship right now. Too much going on. We'd be AWOL if we left the ship and neither of us needs *that* particular problem right now. I have a nasty feeling that would be considered treason or desertion in the face of the enemy or something equally terminal. So... I have a possible solution. I will arrange for Ohlsson to send someone to get her back. I have... a certain amount of leverage there. He owes me, big time, for giving up my ship and my command position to work for him." Lise looked at Susan the emotion of the situation almost overwhelming her. “Thank you,” she said, her voice respectful and calm, “thank you.” "You're welcome," Susan said. "And I'll make sure Stolev never sees that transmission of yours. You don't need anyone else butting in on you and making your life harder than it has to be. Trust me, I know. I can do it from here if you like? My authorisation codes are higher than his," she grinned, "he won't ever know it was there or that anything was deleted." Lise sipped her Raktajino and nodded. “Thank you,” she said, “because right now, the last thing I need is more people asking MORE questions. Jael’s a little bit of a pain, if you hadn’t noticed.” Susan laughed aloud at that, as she stood up and walked over to Lise/Jael's terminal, mug in hand. "Oh I'd noticed," she said. "Kind of hard not to really." She sat down and turned the terminal on, entering the command codes Ohlsson had given her. She entered the log for the program she had used, and deleted all references to Lise/Jael's transmission and anything connected to that. Then she used a high-level protocol to remove any other indications both of that transmission and of her presence here in Jael's quarters. She replaced it all with a few fictional entries, copied from previous weeks and altered slightly to account for the difference in time and stardate, so that it appeared to be a complete log with no deletions or amendments. "There," she said. "I'll send the transmission to Ohlsson from my own quarters." She smiled a little grimly. "I made sure they at least are clean of any surveillance. And the encryption codes I was give to use are way above the level of anyone on the ship. Angel will be rescued, I promise you." Lise nodded, again expressing her gratitude. “I don’t know what I would have done had you not found me. Well ­ likely got myself in a lot more trouble, but that seems almost standard,” she said sarcastically. Lise considered the situation and realised that she had a golden opportunity. “Susan?” "Yes?" Susan said as she returned to the sofa. “Do you think anyone suspects that I’m me?” Lise almost hadn’t wanted to ask the question, but she needed to know and yet, feared the response. Susan considered for a moment before replying. "I don't *think* so. I know that both Sevant and Stolev consider you - that is, Jael - to be suspicious but that, I'm afraid, is at least partly my fault. But I'm certain they don't suspect you to be Lise. I'd keep as much out of Sevant's way as you can though, and at least as a junior ACEO that shouldn't be too hard. You'll need to be careful of McLaren though - didn't he work for you on Geneva?" Lise nodded. “I’m trying to keep out of Sevant’s way. And McLaren, yes, he was under me on Geneva, but with the state of things now, I’ve been put in charge of my own repair crew so I seldom deal with him. However, Delaney and De Sale ­ the engineering gang that I once worked with way back when I first came on the Boudicca as an ACEO, they have proved a little more tricky. In fact, they know Lise’s engineering technique and already I think they have started to suspect something. I’ve always done things differently and even as Jael, there are certain things I can change, but in a crunch… I’m going to do what I can, even if it means some of my characteristics emerge. But already, they’ve asked if I’d known Lise. I’ve said no and that ended the conversation, but I hope it shan’t continue in the future. I am, however, glad that the higher ups haven’t, until this point, suspected anything.” "One more thing," Susan said slowly. "Be very careful of Casely. I know he was your FO but there have been a few, let's say 'incidents' which put him in a less than optimal light. I'm not saying he's been turned but... Just be careful of him, that's all." Lise nodded, “understood”. She wanted to ask more, but knew that was not her place. In this situation, both she and Susan would divulge to the other what they could and so, she let her personal curiosity left unsatisfied. “To be quite honest, I’ve been trying to stay away from anyone that I know or, well knew, because, well… I just can’t risk being found out.” "I guessed. And you and I will have to be careful not to appear to know one another any better than FO and ACEO," Susan replied. "Which means few if any meetings between us, unless its an emergency. I'll find a way to let you know when Angel is safe, I promise. Other than that, we shouldn't communicate except in the normal course of ship's business, which is to say very rarely." Lise nodded. “Agreed.” (Reply None) (Posted by Kat and Liz) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 19 Stardate: 2407.03.12 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay - MO Ens.(Jg) Dr. Jahlen - 2316) Having been brought up to par by Dr. Heyes about Dr. Caskie's suggestions and demand to see whoever was in charge, and the person in charge being herself now that Dr. Ari had been kidnapped, Jahlen made sure that Straton was administered too, and then went to see what was on Dr. Caskie's mind and assure her the Major was adequately secured. Quietly she walked over to Dr. Caskie's biobed and smiled at her. "You asked to see me, Doctor?" She enquired, tilting her head slightly. This was the first time she'd actually talked to Dr. Caskie, as normally Jahlen was on Gamma Shift and sleeping or off duty when Josh was on duty, but since Dr. Ari's disappearance and Dr. Caskie having been away on the planet, Jahlen's Gamma shifts often started early and finished late. It would be good to have Josh back and working again. (reply Josh) "Don't worry, I made sure your recommendations are carried out, even as we speak the Colonel is being taken to a more secure area and I have personally given her a shot of telepathy suppressant and some strong sedatives to keep her asleep." (reply Josh) "I do understand your frustration, Doctor, but you are a patient for now, so please try to cooperate as you would wish me too - were our positions reversed. The sooner your tests are completed, the sooner you may return to duty and I will be glad to have you working, believe me!" (reply Josh, Any) (posted by Sal) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 20 Stardate: 2407.03.13 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0252) "I didn't want to be presumptuous, after all we're not married yet. " he said a bit shyly. "No, we're not." Arania said, almost apologetically, "I think for now I can sleep on the floor, Matthew, I won't take your bed from you. You have been so good and kind to me and the floor looks as comfortable as the forest ground was, and I will think about having a room of my own, but for now I want to stay with you." Matthew looked at her. "No I don't think you'll be sleeping on the floor. Things where you are from are much different then they are here. Among my people women are equals among most species and in some like mine are cherished. That means that if there is any discomfort to be had, it is the male that suffers it, not the female. Besides, There is no need for that. I can replicate a cot and sleeping bag to sleep on. So neither of us needs to be uncomfortable. I'll put in the order to have someone in engineering bring those to me. If you want your own room, just say so, and I'll find you one. Worst case, I can sleep in the CEOs office." He pointed to the door of the lavatory. "Through there is the toilet and the wash area. I can show you how everything works if you need help." She squeezed his big hand. "So a lavatory is a room where we bathe? What is a toilet?" "Well, its a place where you dispose of biological waste. Like urine and feces." he replied. He led her into the small room. He pointed at the metal bowl. "This is a toilet. You defecate or urinate in the bowl, like you would a chamber pot., then when you are finished, you press this button. There's a minor sterilization field that will be activated to clean you. It tingles a little, but you'll get used to it. Then the device removes the waste." Arania's eyes widened with wonder. "So where does the waste go?" She asked. "It gets broken down into base components and converted to energy, or a more usable physical form via the industrial replicators in engineering." he replied. "While we're here, why don't I show you how the shower works?" he suggested. He stepped over to the door to the shower. "Computer activate sonic shower, standard settings, engage." There was a barely audible hum as the shower engaged. "Because we are on a ship, we don't use water for cleaning ourselves. Instead we use sound. Here place your hand into the shower." Matthew did the same to show that it was perfectly safe to do so. "The tingling you feel is the sound waves vibrating off your skin and dislodging any dirt or dried skin. Its very invigorating and you can even adjust the 'temperature' of the sound so that it warms you lightly or cools you off if you desire. Watch." Leaving his arm in the shower he spoke again, this time to the computer. "Computer increase temperature of shower by 3.5 degrees." He could feel the temperature increase. It now felt as if warm running water was bouncing off his skin. "Or you can use this touch sensitive slider here. To make it warmer trace your fingers towards the red side. To make it cooler, towards the blue side. Like this." He demonstrated. "This button will also turn it on or off, if you prefer not to talk to the computer." he added, then turned off the shower. "Okay, there are towels over there to cover yourself with after your done. Why don't you take a shower? If you set your robes outside the door, I'll take them and bring you brand new ones, without the tatters and dirt. Then when you're finished getting clean and changed, we'll have some food. What do you say?" (reply Arania) (posted by Daniel Greene) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk - Personal Quarters - Arania -0253) Matthew soon told Arania that she would not be sleeping on the floor and that women were equals among most species among his people, and even cherished by his species. He also told her he'd get a cot so neither of them would be uncomfortable pr sleep in his office. Arania smiled and nodded, but the concept of being cherished was altogether new to her, she would enjoy finding out how it felt to be treated in such a manner. "I think that is most acceptable, Matthew and I will be happy to share your room with you rather than have one of my own. I don't want you to sleep anywhere else." She replied. He pointed to the door of the lavatory and told her what it was for and offered to show her how everything worked if you needed help and she was sure she would need to be shown. She squeezed his big hand. "So a lavatory is a room where we bathe? What is a toilet?" "Well, its a place where you dispose of biological waste. Like urine and feces." he replied and led her into the small room. He pointed at a metal bowl. "This is a toilet. You defecate or urinate in the bowl, like you would a chamber pot." Arania nodded her understanding, she had used chamber pots occasionally but preferred to do her eliminations out in the latrines or the forest. This method looked much more convenient, she thought she would like using the toilet. ~Far better than freezing my bottom outside in the middle of winter!~ The latrines were often placed some distance away from the buildings due to the stench. "Then when you are finished, you press this button. There's a minor sterilization field that will be activated to clean you. It tingles a little, but you'll get used to it. Then the device removes the waste." Arania's eyes widened with wonder. "So where does the waste go?" She asked, full of natural curiosity. Matthew explained that the waste was broken down into base components and converted to energy, or a more usable physical form via the industrial replicators in engineering." he replied. The young woman wondered what he meant by a more usable physical form, but before she could ask, he offered to show her how the shower worked and stepped over to the door to the shower, so she told herself she would ask him later. "Computer activate sonic shower, standard settings, engage." ~Who is computer?~ There was a low hum as the shower started. He explained that they didn't use water to clean themselves, causing Arania to wonder how the did, was it the same method as it would be if she were to use the toilet? ~He mentioned a sterileasian method, perhaps this is the same.~ "...Instead we use sound. Here place your hand into the shower." "Sound!" ~How can sound be used to clean me?~ She thought, as she thrust her hand into the shower and giggled at the sensation of tingling on her hand. It rather reminded her of the transporter. Matthew did the same to show that it was perfectly safe to do so. "The tingling you feel is the sound waves vibrating off your skin and dislodging any dirt or dried skin. Its very invigorating and you can even adjust the 'temperature' of the sound so that it warms you lightly or cools you off if you desire. Watch." Leaving his arm in the shower he spoke again, to computer and ordered the temperature to be increased. Now felt as if warm running water was bouncing off her skin, it felt wonderful much better than her cold dips in the river, for the bath house was only for the higher ranked priestesses. "Or you can use this touch sensitive slider here. To make it warmer trace your fingers towards the red side. To make it cooler, towards the blue side. Like this." He demonstrated and Arania murmured with delight and astonishment. "This button will also turn it on or off, if you prefer not to talk to the computer." he added, then turned off the shower. The Iradonian decided she would use the button until she found out who computer was, because whoever it was, it was an invisible servant and Arania didn't want anyone invisible watching her take a shower. Feeling the warm 'almost water' on her skin made her long to feel it on her body for she hadn't bathed for several days. ~I must stink!~ She thought, giving a little sniff, ~and my robes are shameful, worse than a beggars.~ Apparently Matthew must have thought the same for he told her there were towels available and suggested she take a shower. "...If you set your robes outside the door, I'll take them and bring you brand new ones, without the tatters and dirt. Then when you're finished getting clean and changed, we'll have some food. What do you say?" Giving him a big hug, she laughed with glee. "Oh I would love to feel clean again and get rid of these rags, and I am hungry. Thank you beloved." She had been hungry for a long time, it seemed to Arania, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel full. (reply Matthew iyw) When Matthew left the lavatory Arania wasted no time in ripping off the disgustingly dirty and tattered robe and placing her precious pipes on the floor, then she opened the door just enough to toss the clothing out before eagerly stepping into the shower cubicle. Closing her eyes, she just relished the sensation of the dirt and grime of the past few days leaving her body and hair. It had been a long time since she'd felt so clean and refreshed and stayed in the shower much longer than it took for her to become clean, but then she realized if she'd wanted to shower so badly then surely Matthew wanted one too and she was being selfish, so reluctantly she turned the shower off with the button he'd shown her and wrapped a big towel around her. Picking up her pipes, she self consciously left the lavatory making sure the towel was secure around her, and went into the living area where Matthew was. "That was wonderful, I feel so much better!" Arania enthused as she perched on the sofa. "I expect you will be wanting a shower too." Now she was feeling less exhausted and ready to fill her belly before sleeping. (reply Matthew) (posted by Sal) (USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0255) While Arania was in the shower, Matthew set about studiously plugging in the code that would allow the replicator to recreate an Iradonian Acolytes robes. He selected Egyptian cotton for the material and replicated it. The first one was too short, the second too long. But he finally got it right on the third try. He set up a personalized preference file for Arania and started with the next part of his preparations: Food. Matthew took a pad and had it display only full meals. The Padd would show a rotating image of the meal as well as it's replicator code. In this manner Arania could choose anything she wanted to eat from the menu. He was getting tired. He replicated her a silk sleeping gown as well. And some appropriate undergarments. He couldn't see any reason for her not to be comfortable when she slept, after all while Egyptian cotton was soft, nothing beat silk against your skin. The cot had arrived and Matthew had set it up in the main living area, off to the side. She eventually exited the Lavatory, a towel wrapped around her. She was clutching it to herself as if it were a life line of sorts. In a matter-of-speaking it may well be. Her culture was modest and it didn't seem like she was very comfortable in what she was wearing. "That was wonderful, I feel so much better!" Arania enthused as she perched on the sofa. "I expect you will be wanting a shower too." He smiled at her. "I'm glad you do." he replied. " And yes I'm a bit overdue for one I think." He picked up the PADD and the clothing he'd replicated. "Here's another robe for you to wear tomorrow. And these other garments are for sleeping in. They're meant for comfort." He handed her the clothing. "This is a Personal Display Device. We call them PADDs. I have put images on the device of some of the food that is available. You can scroll through the images using these two buttons." He demonstrated. " One advances the image, the other takes you backwards to a prior image." When you find something you'd like to try, I'll order it from the replicator. If you want to try multiple things, that's alright too. There's no limit to what we can replicate." he added. "You look, and change. I'm going to grab a quick shower. I'll be out in a few minutes. If your not happy with the clothes, let me know and I'll replicate you something different." Matthew went and climbed in the shower. The warm buzz of the device helped work out all the pent up tension that he had felt for the last several days. He wondered when he'd get the call from either Rivers or the Captain about Arania. He'd have some explaining to do, to be certain. But he'd been thinking about it for a while now. He just hoped it would be enough. Either way, he knew that they couldn't send her back. Worse case, they could court-martial him. That thought really didn't matter to him either, not as long as Arania was with him. He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his naked lower torso and stepped back into the common room. He walked over to the replicator. "Silk Pajamas, blue style number 46 alpha." His PJs materialized and Matthew smiled. He turned to Arania. "Be right back." he said and went into the lavatory to change. He came back out a few moments later. "Well, did you find anything you wanted to have for dinner?" he asked. (reply Arania) (posted by Daniel Greene) (USS Kitty Hawk- Personal Quarters - Arania - 0310) "That was wonderful, I feel so much better!" Arania enthused as she perched on the sofa. "I expect you will be wanting a shower too." He smiled at her. "I'm glad you do." he replied. " And yes I'm a bit overdue for one I think." He picked up a small machine and some clothing. "Here's another robe for you to wear tomorrow. And these other garments are for sleeping in. They're meant for comfort." He handed her the clothing and she held it on her lap, stroking the soft material. "Oh thank you, dear one." Arania smiled her gratitude, "the are beautiful." Matthew held up the small machine and explained what it was called, what it was for and demonstrated how to use it. It was quite fascinating, another amazing magical machine that showed her pictures of some delicious looking food items. Her mouth salivated and her stomach growled. She was very hungry. "...When you find something you'd like to try, I'll order it from the replicator. If you want to try multiple things, that's alright too. There's no limit to what we can replicate." he told her. "You look, and change. I'm going to grab a quick shower. I'll be out in a few minutes. If your not happy with the clothes, let me know and I'll replicate you something different." Arania nodded as Matthew left and entered the Lavatory. Placing the PADD and pile of clothing aside on the sofa, she dropped the towel to the floor and donned the silky soft sleeping garment. It felt wonderful against her skin, so luxurious, like nothing she'd ever felt before and Matthew was right, it was the most comfortable thing she'd ever worn. The rest of the clothes she carried into the bedroom, for she had seen the cot in a corner of the living area, so it was obvious that Matthew would be sleeping there. Returning to the living area, she picked up the fallen towel and folded it, placed it on the sofa and then sat down, tucking her feet beneath her while she scrolled through the food items he'd so thoughtfully made pictures of for her. They all looked so delicious and interesting though she had no clue what most of them were. While Matthew showered, she decided she would start with the first two items, and then she would try the others in order as the days progressed. It wasn't long before Matthew returned to the living area with just a towel wrapped around his naked lower torso. Arania felt her cheeks flushing, she had never seen a man in such a state of undress, but to her amusement, she also found that she rather liked seeing him that way. He walked over to the replicator and ordered something called 'Silk Pah-jamaz'. Arania gasped with delight as they materialized magically on the small platform built into the wall. Matthew turned to Arania and told her he'd be right back and then went into the Lavatory once more. When he came back shortly after, dressed in his blue pajamas, he asked her if she'd found something she wanted for her dinner. With a smile and a nod she told him she'd like to try the first two items. "I don't know what they are, but everything looks so tempting, so I decided to work my way through the menu in the order they come." She explained. "So what are they?" (reply Matthew) With a chuckle, Arania went to sit down at the table. "They sound delicious, I can't wait to eat." Her stomach growled its agreement. "What will you be having, beloved?" She stifled a yawn, she was beginning to feel tired again. (reply Matthew) (posted by Sal) NRPG: Huge Rounds of Applause. I've never made a compile with four, count it, four people posting only. It's impressive in a way I can't describe. So Go Sal, Daniel, Liz, and Kat! I shoulda made that Dan then it'd all be three letter names. Well stay tuned for the next post fest. They're popping up like flowers in spring. Or falling like leaves in the autumn. Same Bat Station, Same Bat Channel. -USS Boudicca, NCC 49901 Star Trek: Freedom - http://www.startrekfreedom.com