Episode 3: Prodigal Children

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1540

Somehow he felt younger as he walked down the corridor towards the shuttlebay. It had been pretty much a decade since he'd last worked on a bomb disposal and to say it hadn't gone well was an understatement, but he did his best to push those feelings away for now least his distraction cause him to do the same again. Instead Gabe focused on the mission, his head held high as his boots thumped on the deck plating. A few crewmen nodded as he walked by them, a few confused as to why the ship's main engineer was walking the corridors in matte black marine armour. Unlike before his armour wasn't bare, for his former Unit didn't carry any markings. No now he was techincally a unit of one and as such he'd taken the time to add a pair of crossed axes behind a snarling wolf's

He cracked his neck as he checked his equipment. His pistol was strapped to his thigh, a Carbine was maglocked to his back beside an EOD toolkit. On his left wrist a tricorder was maglocked to the wristplate, his helmet sat under his arm, ready for use and a combat knife sat in it's holster on the left side of his chest. He felt the slight adrenaline kick he had during the dominion war when he was about to 'Dance' as Carver used to say and he let it wash over him like a wave, calming his nerves.

As the bay doors closed behind him he took the helmet from under his arm and carried it in his hand as he stepped onto the shuttle. He had no doubts his attire could annoy the Marines but he didn't care, he had as much right to wear it as they did... maybe moreso as his Armour was Spec Ops.

He nodded to taylor as he entered the crew compartment of the shuttle, "We almost green?" he asked.

Tag Shuttle bunnies

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1540

"Soon as you scrape that black shite off your armour and get a proper colour on we'll be tip-top." said Taylor with a happy beam on his face from behind his helmet. He had already checked his phaser clips and photon grenades within his webbing but he did so again, just making sure he had everything, Satisfied with his checks Taylor nodded to Gabe's EOD kit.

"That's nothing I've not had to use in a long time. I'm used to planting bombs, not disarming them."

tag: Gabe

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1545

They were late in getting the shuttle out. Marissa knew that things had to be perfect because Lillian was determined about this mission but she also knew that her and her team of five had a job to do as well in the first wave as Lillian had instructed. They had been assigned to help the marines and help them they would.

"Lieutenant Garren reporting for duty," she said happily. "Let the record show I've always been the best at egg hunts, so I'll be quite the asset."

She grinned because she was trying to make things light even though the situation was dire. While the job meant everything to her she knew that working in a lighter atmosphere would make everyone focus better and that would be beneficial to them all.

Something about pleasantry made someone relax.

Something about not feeling as much pressure made people work better.

"That and I'm a terrific shot should you need someone dead," Marissa added as she pointed to the gun on her hip.

She was wearing armor but it wasn't quite like that of the marines as she was a security officer, however she and her men were ready for business because they understood what it was that they were doing. She didn't have a helmet on, which was probably stupid, but honestly she hated helmets and she expected this to be more of a rescue than an actually ambush of any kind.

Whoever was doing this was fighting with viruses, not with forces.


tag: Gabe, Taylor

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1547

Kalen clunked towards the shuttle bay, awkward in his standard issue Federation Armor. He hadn't worn a set since they had made him try it on in the Academy. It wasn't like the situation had ever called for it. He was so awkward walking in it, unused to the extra weight. He was hoping that Colonel Lucas forgave him for his tardiness. He hated the idea of disappointing the man but nonetheless he couldn't help it. He walked down the hall as fast as he could and made his way to the shuttle bay. He remembered his comment to Kat about huffing and puffing as he came into the shuttle bay slightly out of breath. He was in good shape and more than ready for this mission, but the anxiety and everything else piled on top made him feel as though he had been sprinting for a mile already. He checked in to the crew cabin, "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the ride. For those of you under one and a half meters tall will have to leave the ride due to safety concerns." He chuckled softly and slid into the pilot's chair, looking back towards the rest of the team. He tied his commlink to theirs and the Captain's. "Are we ready to kick this bucket of bolts into gear?"

(Tags shuttle folk)

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1547

“Just get us out of here flyboy...” growled Taylor who smiled inside his helmet. It would be good to finally get ground side and fight as a marine for once which was something he hadn't done in a long time. That was if there was anyone to shoot at but Taylor didn't rule that out just yet. Stranger things had happened and he knew that this day wouldn't end without some blood being spilled. He just had to make sure it wasn't anyone from Starfleet.

Taylor looked at Marissa before speaking. “Trick is finding the bomb lieutenant and there might be bad guys wearing something like us guarding it. If anything it's probably an aerosol gas rather than an explosive device. Long as we walk away from this breathing I'm not going to complain one way or another. Just take anything that Intel tell you with a pinch of salt and apply your own common sense. Especially if it's coming from that lieutenant commander.”

tag: Shuttle

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1548


It seemed as though it had slipped everyone's minds that Lillian was leading the first team down as the shuttle seemed so determined to leave without her. Perhaps it was just Taylor's way of making her stay on the ship, but either way she was certainly not amused and glad she had made it in time before anything had really happened. She just walked past the marines and Taylor, Gabe and Marissa, going to the cockpit area and sitting down behind Kalen.

"Anytime you're ready, I think the first team is here and assembled. Lieutenant Life will be taking the next shuttle down with the other science and medical personnel. We will be landing near the other marine unit and Doctor Crae, who will be instructing me on what it is we will all be looking forward to, as there is another Crae heading with the troops, but you'll learn all of that when we get outta here. Ready, Lieutenant Gespard?" Lillian asked him.

Her skin tight suit was a little extra tight because of the baby bump, but she was wearing her duty uniform on over it and she was ready for any action she would see. Besides, she was Captain and they would be meeting the ambassadors of Betazed--her parents--and it was her duty to make sure that they were all checking in before this troop team ran off and did their thing. The science and medical staff would be joining them minutes later, but this was her job as CO.

"Because I'm ready when you are," Lillian said with a smile on her face. Finally, I'm heading home.


Taggles: My troops

||Shuttle
||USS Fenris
||1555

He nodded to his captain and disengaged the shuttle from the ship, hoping he was ready for this. It was a fairly smooth ride down to the surface of Betazed. Nothing exciting in piloting a shuttle save for finding the right angles to not burn up within or bounce off the atmosphere. And the computer did most of that. He just had to navigate and make sure nothing went wrong. And nothing did. As his sight alighted onto the landing platform he gazed back towards the marines and the security detachment and most importantly the Captain. He wondered what would be in store for them for the next few days.

The planet was beautiful as the shuttle drifted over it. He could get used to staying in a place like this with the people he cared about, but that was a thought for another time. He kept the shuttle on course and started the descent towards the location his Captain had given him.

After a soft landing on the platform, he opened the shuttle bay doors to let everyone onto the surface. He would make sure he was the last one out of the shuttle. He looked to Lillian and smiled softly, "Smooth as silk ma'am. Hope it wasn't too bumpy for you."

||Shuttle
||Betazed
||1555

Gabe slowly opened his eyes as the shuttle landed. He'd spent most of the trip with his eyes closed, focusing his mind on the mission. He smiled at Marissa and gave her a wink through the clear faceplate of his helmet, which he'd donned just before the shuttle had entered Betazed's atmosphere.

"Well that was a fun ride." He said to try and break the tension as the shutle doors opened and he stood, the faceplate of his helmet shifting from clear to matte black to match the rest of his armour with the touch on a control on his wrist, "Looks like the game is afoot Colonel."

||Betazed
||1600


"That was smooth sailing--now for the hard part..." Lillian said as she readied to get off the shuttle, addressing her troops. "Alright, here we are. You all know your orders, but I expect you all to listen to what the detachment here has to say--listen to the ambassadors and please, whatever you do, ask questions if you have them. This has to be perfectly executed."

With a nod to all of them and a salute to her marines, Lillian was the first to unseal and open the shuttle doors, walking out of them into the Betazed air with a smile on her face. Then she heard a familiar low chuckle and it made her grin from ear to ear as she ran to him. Not the behavior of a Starfleet Captain, but this was Betazed--being friendly was being hospitable and welcoming.

"Daddy!" Lillian cried as he opened up his arms for her. "I've missed you!"

Careful not to crush her stomach, Minas picked Lillian up and held her close. "It's good to see you, Lillybean. I hope you've come prepared."

"I have, and I'm more than ready to get cracking on this." Lillian informed her father as he set her down and she let him touch her stomach before she hugged her mother tight as well. "Everyone, this is Ambassador Crae and Ambassador Crae, his wife. Listen closely and remember what I said."

She smiled at the troops and the medical and science personnel that were joining them before standing next to her men and not her parents. It was time to get the lowdown from those living in the disaster and then get cracking. She didn't even notice her father looking at Taylor 90% of his speech either as she was too worried about everyone getting all the information that they needed.

"While we have yet to find the bomb or create a cure, we are working rather hard on it. You are all our extra hands and when this is all over I hope you all stay and enjoy our beautiful planet, on us. For now, there is a military force searching for a bomb and medical staff working around the clock at the main hospital down the road." Minas explained to them slowly. "Your troops shall be led by Colonel Lucas and Leonard Crae until you meet up with the others--Lucas is in charge of course, but I wanted one of our best psionic warriors in the field as well, just in case. As for medical..."

"Medical will come with me," came the voice of a beautiful blonde woman who had just joined them. "I'm Doctor Kara Crae and I will be in charge of the medical staff around here...but please, follow me. Lillian? I'm glad to have you and your expertise here to add to mine and Doctor Karn's. Shall we?"

Lillian paused when she realized that Jason was there, but then nodded as she saw Leonard try to reassure her with a smile. "Yeah...yeah we shall." With one look at Taylor she smiled a little. "Questions?"


Taggles: The Troops

||Betazed
||1600

“I wouldn't mind if she gave me a physical...” whispered a marine to another when he looked at Kara from behind his visor. His friend chuckled and also gave the Betazoid doctor and appraising look before Taylor stuck his head between the two of them. The last thing he needed was his marines acting like they were on shore leave. Sure on Betazed it was hard to stay in the professional mood and he accredited their high spirits due to the fact that they were on their first mission as the detachment.

“I'd tell you to go to your happy place private, but considering we're near telepaths keep your mind clear of any personal comments on how people look, alright?”

For a moment the marine was silent before giving a nod and shuffling his feet. He hadn't expected anyone to hear and didn't realise that Taylor was so close by. Being an ex-sergeant meant that Taylor could move through the ranks with an NCO's stealth. All of the marines were behind their helmets but the Betazoids before them could probably tell who was who given their abilities. Taylor wasn't too sure he liked the idea of people scrambling through his head. Though at the mention of Jason it was hard not to recall the memories of what the man had done, to Lillian and to the crew of SB7. Biting down the need to 'visit' him he asked a question that wasn't related to the man.

“Where exactly do you want us to go here? There must be a search pattern already set up.”

tag: All

||Betazed
||1600


Kara smiled a little bit as she glazed over some of the marine's thoughts--even after three kids she still looked like a Goddess and Leonard even felt proud. He got to have her all the time and others wanted what was forever his and Kara nodded approvingly at Lillian even though she couldn't see Taylor's face, knowing Lillian was proud of what was hers too and very vaguely scanning over thoughts about Marlena. Something about Taylor being a marine and the old flame that Lillian had never really gotten over was enough for her.

Besides, Kara was rather fond of his armor and the armor of the other marines and it made her kind of wish she was going with Leonard, but he had things to take care of on his own and so did she. This wasn't the first time that Leonard and Taylor had worked together and it wouldn't be the last as long as these marriages took this time and Taylor wasn't lost to Lillian for a third time. In that case, three times would certainly not be the charm.

"There's a marine force deep in the woods--we've been trying to find a way to track it for the last 32 hours," Leonard explained to Taylor with a gentle intake of air. "We have been assuming that the bomb or device they will be using is the same as the first, so we've been tracking the metal and we got a lead this morning. I can lead you to the team and we can go from there. It'll be nice to work with you again."

Leonard's and Taylor's meeting in the past had been brief and before Lillian had made her move on Taylor, but Leonard did want to see the man in action--and protect him. He knew that he could handle himself with his psionic powers, but he wanted to make sure that Lillian didn't become a widow again. It was important to him that Taylor make it through this safe and sound and perhaps in working together, he would get to know his brother-in-law better.


Taggles: Taylor and the Troops

||Betazed
||1600

"That depends if who planted the bomb wants it to be found or not." Mused Taylor as he looked at the sky. The sun shone down on the group of people as they stood around talking. "It's easy to conceal a device if you have the right materials. If not then I can't see why it would be in the woods. I always imagined a more urban location to plant it where the population count would be higher."

He looked down at his future brother-in-law and remembered that these were Betazoids who didn't flinch at the ideal of reading people's minds. Unlike Lillian, Leonard wouldn't shirk at going through his brain. That made Taylor on edge if nothing else. He liked being able to be unpredictable.

"What kind of combat training do you have? I'd like to meet up with the marine unit as soon as possible to see what the situation is but I need to know if you can look after yourself if we get into a fire fight. Mind powers might tide you over but I need people who can handle phasers here."

tag: Any

||Betazed
||1600

Gabe stood with his arms folded across his chest, He could feel someone attempting to penetrate the mental defences Emma had taught him years before, mentally visualising his mind inside a thick duranium box. Like a lot of non psychics he didn't like the idea of someone being able to just flick through his mind as if it was a paperback book, though he had no idea if said defences were of any use.

"What information do ya have one the first device, it was before my time with this crew and i've not had chance to go over the files.. Also do ya have a map of the local area, say 100 square miles from our current position with as much detail as possible?" He asked, his voice even.

He needed all the information he could get, to start coming up with ideas and plans, analyze all the details and see what conclusions he could draw from it all. If he was going to do this, he was damn sure he was going to do it right.

||Betazed
||1600


Alyssa eyed Doctor Kara Crae, but with a nod to Captain Crae followed her. She was here to do her job, and be helpful as much as she could. She couldn't decide rather or not to trust her feelings. The name Doctor Karn sounded familiar to her, but she had no idea why. She shrugged it off, and continued to follow.

How can I help them? I've sort of done this before, but not like this. Now that I think about it, it was more like I was a priest listening to a confession. I have no idea what to do. STOP THAT. Stop freaking out, and keep breathing. Mistakes are to be learned from. I'm human so I'll make them, and learn. Her thoughts were all over the place. She was, now, trying to do her best to be calm and relaxed. She was going to do her duty even if she messes up a great deal.

||Betazed
||1610 (Our time tags need to start chugging along, lol)


That was just like Taylor to simply want to know if a job was done and Leonard decided to just move right past the question asked him because he'd handled himself during the war...and that was good enough for him. Instead he decided to focus on Gabe and his questions, stealing a quick look at Kara and sending her off with a smile as this was for the troops now and she was taking medical away, Lillian lingering only because she knew where the hospital was and would undoubtedly ask for more in depth explanations from her parents.

"On Baicephorus VII the virus was simply administered to Captain Crae as a form of experimentation, while now the experiment is whether or not it can affect a large scale, and it can." Leonard explained to them all. "You see, there was a bomb here on Betazed and it exploded, injuring several dozen people in the process--people who are dying as we speak...four of which are already dead. When our wounded realized they were infected we got the message and realized that in that bomb was the virus. Those not injured--those not bleeding--have not contracted the virus, there are no signs of it. Our medical personnel are working on a cure and keeping everyone infected quarantined for the time being. Captain Crae should have more insight than us as she has been face to face with the cure and as its a virus, probably has antibodies."

That was all that Leonard knew of the medical part as he was no doctor and Kara had been keeping busy, Lillian racking her brain for answers. There were other things to discuss and address, however, so Leonard made sure that he knew what he was going to say before he said it so that Gabe and Taylor got their answers as they were going to need them. This was a sensitive thing, and everyone needed to be on the alert to make sure that everything went according to plan.

"So this bomb that went off...if it's the same make as the other as it is bound to be, it is what our lead led us to. This is an airborne toxin, Colonel Lucas...it doesn't matter where it goes off and it's easier to hide a bomb in the forests than in plain site, especially when you're hiding something on a planet filled with telepaths. Never underestimate your prey--that's when you get killed." Leonard said with a small smile. "I will lead you to the others and get you a map of the area to help you to better adjust to things here. Anything that makes you all more comfortable is beneficial to the mission as a whole."

Leona nodded slowly and then looked at the marines assembled. "We wish we could welcome you to our planet in a more friendly way, but this will have to do. As the ambassadors here, Minas and I will be open to answering any more questions you have and Leonard knows just as much about the situation at hand. We will leave you to your travels and when the bomb is found alert us so we can alert Starfleet Command. May the Four Deities watch over you."

Lillian smiled and then with a smile directed at Taylor she invaded his mind for a moment. Be safe, my love. Then she looked at her men and began towards the main hospital as she spoke to them, walking backwards and giving them a reassuring look. "I will be reachable by comm always and I want hourly reports. You are in good hands and good luck."


Taggles: All

||Betazed
||1615


The Scottish marine was about to offer a smarmy comment to his soon-to-be-brother-in-law for giving Taylor a pep talk on his job. Luckily Lillian's voice sent a smile across his face. Even though she rarely used her abilities Taylor didn't mind because to her he really had nothing to hide. Instead he just kept calm and nodded slowly within his helmet. "Alright, I can see your point. Still if those hiding it are telepaths then that would also create a problem. Regardless it doesn't matter. Just take us to the marines and we can figure out what our best move is."

Me? I'm the one wearing armour. thought Taylor hoping that Lillian gleaned it. "Ambassador I thank you for your welcome and the blessing. However if anyone is watching over us it won't be a deity or god. Never needed one now and I don't think we will today."

With that taken care of Taylor ordered the marines into two columns of five with himself, Gabe, Kalen and Marissa hanging around. "Garren and Flyboy you stick with me till we get to the marines. Gabe…take point. Put us on a Rifle's pace."

||Betazed
||1615

Gabe nodded and gave a slight smile as Taylor ordered him into point. "Rifle pace aye." He said as he walked to the head of the group.

Okay, time to see how much Marissa was right about me being rusty. He thought to himself, hoping he wouldn't be so out of practice that he was about to make a fool out of himself.

Gabe took point and cracked his neck. "Squad ready to move out on your order." He said before adding with a sly grin, "Question is do you want us to dawdle in the rear or dawdle in the front Colonel?"

||Betazed
||1615

"Dawdle in the front of course lieutenant commander. Then show these black-eyes how it's done." said Taylor with a wide grin.

He had used the common racial slur for Betazoids simply because he was so out of touch with the ideas of friendlies being anything other than friendlies. The difference between marines and the rest of the Starfleet was that the idea of being a member of a different species was drummed out harshly. You'd never think a Betazoid as a Betazoid but another marine. In fact the Betazoid within the marine squad actually laughed a little at Taylor's comment.

"Nice of the woman to give the Four Deities speech though." she said in a half sneer. On Taylor's HUD he could see she was a private since none of the marines had rank insignia to make it harder for snipers to pick out officers and leaders. "The only help from those I can't see that I'll ever accept is from the Fighter Corps."

||Betazed
||1616

"For those that need explanation alternating 4 paces marching, 4 jogging. Rifles! Quick time on my mark." Gabe ordered as he took the carbine from his back, holding it in his hand by the main body of the weapon.

He decided not to look back to see if the Marines were actually listening to him as he gave the order and started out.
He took 4 steps at a normal marching pace before breaking into a jog for the next 4.

He wondered how Leonard was doing with the odd pace the team was currently moving at but he figured he'd be hearing about any problems that came up as he led the group out.

Well my Quick time isn't rusty. He thought to himself, I really hope my shooting isn't either.

||Betazed
||Forest
||1620


Leonard smiled a little bit as he started through the forest, knowing that he was supposed to lead them to the other marines. He was in really good shape and no stranger to fighting, but he knew that a marine could handle himself better in physical situations most definitely--but probably not best him in a fight. Then again, that was the positive side of having psionic powers.

He could render any of them useless if he really wanted to just with a thought.

One trait that Leonard got from his mother, however, was the want to preserve life for as long as possible and so unless he felt truly threatened he would never do such a thing. Instead he would simply do his duty and then make sure that everyone else was doing theirs--he got that from his father. Leonard wanted this detachment to get to the right part of the forest as soon as possible so that they could help to find this bomb.

It was imperative that they find this bomb...

Kalen lagged behind the initial push of marines, preferring to march in the rearmost line. Marching was so..odd. He didn't see why people wouldn't just walk. Well, it bred cohesion and brotherhood to stay in step and receive all the training the marines had, but Kalen hadn't ever gone through more than the basics, and this form of exercise wasn't precisely at the top of the list of things he needed to do on his off days. Not that he was out of shape, he was just awkward. To anyone looking he was constantly off step from everyone else. He didn't feel it really matter, but he hoped Taylor wouldn't judge him too harshly. His first home was an engineering bay, his second a cockpit. Now he was learning a third, marching with these men on this planet. His thoughts lingered to the medical team and to Alyssa for a moment before he stumbled on the root of a tree. He caught his balance before he fell, but he still felt a little silly.

Looking around the forest, letting Leonard lead them to their rendezvous, Kalen marveled and the wonder of it all. The planet reminded him somewhat of home, and yet in other ways it was well..alien. He had never really had the chance to be a member of this sort of team but he knew in his heart that he wouldn't let anyone down. He worried about the Captain and about these people and the threat of the bomb. He couldn't imagine the amount of stress that they were under. He hoped that the carbines that he and all the marines had drawn and readied wouldn't need to be used, but unfortunately violence seemed to be an unavoidable part of life. He tried to stay focused on the mission and distilled down his thoughts until all he cared about was making sure his feet landed at the same time as everyone else and that he didn't fall over anything. That was all that was the most important thing in this moment.

After speaking with Lillian, Reius went to the rendezvous point knowing that a man named Lenoard was supposed to walk them toward the other marine squad. He wasn't sure what would happen but he was sure ready for pretty much anything.

''Lieutenant, Mister Leonard,'' he said with a firm voice and his thoughts went back the old battlefield day...''Call me Reius.''

"Reius. Ex-General. Asshole." said Taylor who adopted a more leisurely pace. It seemed to be going so well until the ship's doctor turned up. He would have preferred Elena's company since they sometimes did get along but something about the grey-haired man just rubbed him the wrong way. "But don't worry. If you get shot he'll patch you up. Just like he tried to patch up Ensign Pena's disruptor wound like it was a broken leg. Word to the wise Doc...I know I'm not a man of medical science like yourself but the gaping hole of burnt flesh is a clue."

He gave Kalen a wink to tell the pilot that he was only half-joking with his words but all honesty he would have preferred Lillian to treat him if he fell. "I trust your ready for this one Old Man...don't need you dying on me. Did you take your pills? Please tell me you took your pills."

"Mister Crae if you have to call me something--or just 'Leonard' is fine too." Leonard said, looking at everyone and scanning surface thoughts.

All except Reius' because Reius was an El-Aurian and that meant that the Betazoids could simply use their empathy on him as well as tell if he was lying. The others were fair game, however, and Leonard was just making sure that none of them were spies of some sort. While he trusted his sister and her crew, he also knew from Lillian herself that she had spies on her ship and he didn't know who those spies were so he had to be extra careful as this was his home planet that was in danger.

"I see you're all able to joke around with each other," Leonard said with a gentle laugh as they neared a clearing where the marines had set up a sort of base camp. "Nice as that is, we're nearing a place of seriousness. There's a bomb around here ready to detonate and we need to know where it is and when it's going to go off so we can save the whole population of this planet. So tell me...are you all even ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be, I would feel a little better if I could get a bloody cuppa, but..." He said tapping the side of his helmet, "But anyway whose in charge around here, I need to get as much intel as I can about the current situation."

Leonard smiled at Gabe's want to get this taken care of. "Right over this way, Commander."

With that he pointed so that Gabe could move on ahead if he wanted to, and continued to walk with the others to that location because he was in this for the long haul. This was his planet and some of these men he knew and it was up to him to keep people safe.

Gabe nodded his thanks and looked off in the direction Leonard had indicated, we was hoping to get as much information on the forest and the bomb as he could, he felt the weight on the world on his shoulders as the troops came to the clearing and not for the first time he wondered...Am I ready for this?

"Okay men, you heard him," Marissa said, looking to her little group of 'Mercs' and pointing towards where Leonard had indicated. "It is our job to find and secure this bomb, so you need to figure out where it's going to be--or at least where it probably is. Now move."

Marissa loved being in charge.

She loved Gabe seeing her in charge.

She looked at Gabe a moment and then looked at Taylor. "Colonel, do you have any problems with me trying to find a shortcut if there is one? I just want to get to this thing ASAP."

With a shrug and a nod Taylor gave his visual answer to Marissa before giving a verbal one. "It's a bomb lieutenant. Despite popular opinion I don't like being near them when the timer hits zero. I've got no problems with you going a wander to find this thing. Good job with asking."

Signalling to his marines and taking a knee behind a tree Taylor watched out for anyone trying to take potshots at the group. "Marines, form a defensive perimeter and walk soft. Weapons on stun people. This is a friendly world."

Gabe made his way over to the main camp, keeping an eye on Marissa's people as well as the few marines he could see. He saw a pair of local marines around a portable table chatting about the situation.

"I'm Lt. Cmdr Sharpe of the USS Fenris, whose in charge of recon around here?"

A large Klingon turned around and looked at the forces joining them. "You are the back-up? Good. We have found the bomb. It's in a building farther into the forest and we could use the extra forces."

He looked over the rest of the men to see if they were able or not, taking a deep breath and wishing that they looked more like warriors. Still, it wasn't Colonel Grelik's place to tell these fighters what they could and couldn't do so he was more than willing to get their help. They could prove how honorable they were.

"Are you ready to head out?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Marissa told him as she and her men adjusted their armor and helmets and got their guns at the ready. "This is our diffuser and he'll get it all finished for us."

With that Marissa rested her hand on Gabe's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze to let him know she was there for him and she believed in him.

Marissa looked at the Colonel and nodded gently. "So just point us in the direction of the bomb and we'll get this taken care of for you."


JP by these lovelies

Jp Wonderful lily and old Reius 1610

||Betazed
||Medical Center
||1620


Kara welcomed them all into the Medical Center and then sat down in her office, waving to some chairs for Remy, Alyssa and Elena. She needed to talk to them specifically before they got down to it, able to inform Lillian of what was going on when Lillian got here. Kara smiled pleasantly at the women and then leaned back a little bit in her chair, looking them over and scanning their surface thoughts.

"You three are going to be helping me to delegate some things," Kara began slowly. "I want you all to run a couple of teams, but you'll be taking orders from the doctors here that work for me. Alyssa, I'll need you to help the counselors here to keep family members calm, and to talk down some of the infected that need you and your guidance. Remy and Elena, you'll be working with Lillian and I to find a cure to this thing. We're close, but we really need Lillian's antibodies. She should have some, it was in her blood stream long enough."

She took a deep breath and then leaned forward on her desk, looking at the three women and yet not losing the smile on her face. Kara was the kind of person that was warm and friendly, but she was running on very little sleep and hadn't seen her husband and kids in four days. Yes, she'd just seen Leonard, but it was in passing and it honestly wasn't enough.

"What questions do you have?" Kara asked them. "With something like this, you've got to have some questions..."

Alyssa glanced at Elena and Remy, before deciding to speak. "Excuse me, but could you tell me what not to say? I've rarely been around your kind, and some help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to offend anyone."

"Betazoids are rather hard to offend, I'm more worries about you and them going into your head than I am worried about you saying something to them," Kara admitted with a small nod. "Even if you did offend someone, our species forgives pretty easily if you explain yourself in a nice and civilized manner. Mainly, the goal here is to focus on making sure that everyone remains calm and that if they have a problem than we can fix it for them."

Kara smiled at Alyssa and rifled through her thoughts a little, smiling at some of the things that she happened upon. The young woman was dealing with a young gentleman caller--she and Alyssa would have to talk about that in private because the good Betazoid doctor knew about humans enough to know to keep their privacy even if she was rifling through her thoughts and meddling just a little bit.

"A calm Betazoid is a pleasant Betazoid," Kara added with a smile.

Alyssa nodded, knowing fully well that Doctor Crae could be reading her mind. She just hoped that the good doctor would ignore the family thoughts. She didn't need or want to have a chat about that. She had other thoughts and feelings to attend to. "Glad to know that I might not offend anyone."

"As good as that is," Elena interjected, knowing full well that her bedside manner left much to be desired, "what exactly do you know about this virus? Didn't Captain Crae send Starfleet a bunch of information on this virus? Don't you know how the cure is created?"

Kara shook her head as Elena asked her questions. "Sadly, no. The information about the cure was lost in the fight to get it. Colonel Lucas was more interested in saving Lillian than he was in getting the information about the cure out of the console. However, we've been using the steps that Lillian provided us with in her own research on the planet itself. We're getting close but we're not close enough to save this first wave of infected...we need more than we have. That's where Science could step in, right Remy?"

Remy sat back quietly and listened to the information being passed around. The voices drowned out as her mind went to work on all the variables and possible steps to start taking towards finding a cure. The moment her name was spoken she snapped to attention, "I apologize I was thinking about steps to be taken, I have some thoughts I would like to share with Captain Crae before making a solid plan, it would not do to get hopes up." She thought back to the vial Taylor had put into her safe keeping when he first came back, perhaps there was something in there that might be of interest.

"It's probably best if all of you guys work a plan out with Captain Crae. I, however, would like to be introduced to the other counselors and get my bearings." Alyssa nodded.

Alyssa hoped that she wasn't being too forward. She had nothing to say about making a cure; making it so that she wasn't needed for this part of the conversation. She did want to work and not think about her family, her past, or having a relationship with a handsome crew member.

"If you have something to talk to Lillian about then you may wait until she gets here, Remy," Kara informed her with a small smile. "I want all of this to go as smoothly as possible and she is on her way here--will be here shortly. That sister-in-law of mine is moving quite quickly to get here and once she is we may begin, so if you would like you may look around the labs and find all of the equipment so that you know where it is."

She smiled at Remy as she called in one of the nurses to talk Remy to go and show her the labs and the equipment, turning to Alyssa and smiling. There was something about her thoughts that made Kara want to meddle and she didn't know what it was, but she was going to have to do just that...meddle.


JP by all these lovelies

|| Intelligence Offices
|| USS Fenris
|| 1630

The briefing, with all its accompanying awkwardness, was done, and now Lars needed answers to some questions of his. He approached the offices of the ship's Intelligence contingent with some apprehensiveness, idly wondering if his unpopularity amongst the other officers aboard had spread here. Of course, Lars was sure that anyone wearing the gray Intel uniform could be trusted to do their duty impartially beyond any other, but he was still curious as to why Taylor seemed to be accepting of this Ensign Pena. Just curious. Not suspicious. Not yet.

As the door hissed open and he strode inside, all eyes turned to him and all conversation ceased, the Fenris' Intel personnel startled by the sight of an unfamiliar lieutenant commander. "Ensign Pena. Where?" he asked levelly, and nodded curtly when someone pointed to a corner cubicle intended for someone working on sensitive data. From then on he ignored the gazes following him.

Lars frowned. This ensign, whoever she was, shouldn't have been doing much more than shift rosters and low level reports at the moment. But as he rounded the corner and punched in an override code to unseal the door, he saw the reason why she was staying out of sight of prying eyes. And he couldn't blame her.

He took a moment to admire the Orion woman's curves, an appreciative grin on his stubbled face, then nonchalantly rapped his gloved hand on the door frame. "How are those uplink preparations coming, ensign?"

The arrival of a new presence was not something Nayla was expecting so she turned around rather quickly and relaxed when she saw that it was a man in the same colour of uniform as her yet she didn't recognise him. However she did recognise the rank pips and she tilted her head in confusion at the question. Was he allowed a status update? She supposed so because she was outranked and Taylor always said try and placate those above you to keep them happy.

"Actually sir they were done half an hour a go. I've yet to really receive orders from Colonel Lucas about what he needs on the surface."

"Excellent work, ensign. I see why the Colonel has such confidence in your abilities." And Lars was wondering if he could see something else too. Had Taylor stashed this Orion treat aboard as a paramour, for a little on--the-side action every now and then? But no, that would have been impossible to keep from Lillian and anyway it didn't fit Taylor's profile, Lars had to grudgingly admit. Still…

"But where are my manners? I'm Lars Janssen, from an auxiliary Intelligence section aboard the Mitterand. We've been sidetracked from our original mission and are now just pitching in wherever we can. So I just wanted to check on the progress here," he offered as an explanation for his presence. "And of course take the exceedingly rare opportunity to meet an Intelligence officer that the Colonel seems to be on good terms with. How ever did you manage that?" Lars asked coyly, deciding to be indirectly direct about all this.

"I'm his co-pilot." she said after some thought, crossing her arms. She decided it wouldn't be all that bad to talk about the first meeting Taylor and she had shared. "He bought me...or specifically my freedom. I was a dancing girl on Vega Station where he frequented when he was a freelancer. Managed to get paid enough latinum to buy me out once I told him about my less tactile talents. I thought I was getting a raw deal till he gave me a weapon. My brother and I. Till my brother was killed and Taylor and I tracked the guy who did it down and killed him in a very, very dark cave."

"That sounds like the Colonel all right," Lars said, grinning an artificial grin and doing his best to be charming. Perhaps she didn't know much about the animosity between Taylor and himself, so now was the time to get on her good side.

"Vega Station?" He gave a low whistle. "Rough place, I hear tell. And you were a dancing, girl, eh? Well, always a demand for that…but what do you mean by your 'less tactile talents?" Lars asked smoothly, curious and wishing to get to know Nayla better for several compelling reasons.

"Talents that don't include me dancing naked on stage." said Nayla flatly with narrowed eyes. To her Lars seemed like the type of man to focus on that particular subject which meant that they weren't going to get on too well. In fact she was half tempted to ask him to leave. If he pulled rank, she'd just have to drop a memo to a certain marine. He always was very protective of people he cared about.

"Talents that do include marksmanship, piloting, infiltration and of course electronic attacks and countermeasures. Basically I can get in and out of a place by being seen but being unseen. You see people who see me wouldn't expect me to be able to defend myself therefore the perfect infiltrator."

Lars just smiled and nodded, pretending like he was only looking at her face the whole time. "Indeed, indeed. I've no doubt you're quite the…flexible operative when the chips are down, due to your previous experience. And in truth…" he mused, eyeing her hungrily "…you do indeed seem quite unassuming and…vulnerable, the perfect infiltrator. Yes, yes, a most beneficial appearance. I'd love to witness a demonstration of your abilities at some point," He licked his lips a bit dramatically, overplaying a part he thought she expected of him. But it was all in the service of a greater goal.

He began pacing back and forth in the confined space of the cubicle in front of her desk, finally getting to the heart of the matter. "However, I'm afraid at the moment though I must call on your other qualifications. I need a reliable point of contact between myself and the Colonel, someone who is discrete and dependable, and, most importantly…palatable…to everyone involved. Someone who can cut through the doublespeak and bureaucracy to deliver a clear message in both directions. Process of elimination points to you, my dear. So what do you say?" Lars stopped his pacing abruptly, fixing her with an unwavering gaze, which was not difficult considering her rather striking features.

The request made Nayla tilt her head in suspicion and confusion. She didn't believe that Lars needed a runner between him and Taylor only because Taylor hadn't really mentioned Lars or his reservations about the Intelligence officer. However she knew sly flattery when she saw it and it only caused her to distrust Lars further. Sitting up on the desk so her legs could swing a little she shook her head.

"Someone cut off your legs sir? What can't I convey to him that you're unable to? If this is about the whole marine and intelligence thing he's told me of I'm sure if it's really important he'll listen."

A frown briefly flickered across Lars' face, but he quickly replaced it with his practiced grin. "It's just that there have been...communication issues in the past, and I would sleep better at night knowing there was a competent officer who can understand both sides handling the matter. Now, if it's too much of a burden in addition to your regular duties I understand…"

His gaze flicked down at her legs for a moment before returning to her face, and his smile dulled a bit. "Or is there a problem higher up? The ship's CIO wouldn't approve, perhaps?" Lars had not met the head spook aboard yet, and wanted to get an impression of her as well.

"I think the ship's MCO wouldn't approve." said Nayla icily. "If you want to speak to him do it yourself. No one on this ship is here to pass your classroom notes. I'm a busy officer which means I don't have the time to play your mind games. Or have you forgotten that Intelligence is there to supply the crew with the information to deal with a situation rather than be cloak and dagger with everyone they meet? Try it some time. You'll find your job easier."

"You're out of line, ensign," Lars said patiently. "But I'll let it go, because I'm used to it in my position. And if you get to be in my position someday, which I'm sure you will if you apply yourself, you'll find that issues can arise in delivering information in an acceptable format to a crew of diverse backgrounds and operational specialities. And they don't all take it in one convenient format, but want it tailored to their liking. And you have to get creative when you address this. And your ideas don't always work." He gestured around the room as if to say 'case in point,' then shrugged. He'd become a little more relaxed about getting his way all this time since he'd been reassigned to a less precarious position than his previous posting.

Still, he sighed inwardly. It figured that she'd be obstinate about this matter. No wonder Taylor had bought her and brought her. They were well suited for each other in terms of character. "Well, at least you're aware of the matter now. Use that 'intelligence' however you like," Lars offered dismissively. He was going to pursue a different angle. "Anything new come in over the wire on the terrorist suspects?" he asked halfheartedly, shifting gears as he prepared to extricate himself from this little confrontation.

"Like you've been out of line for looking at parts of me rather wolfishly commander. Focus on the face or leave the room." counted Nayla icily. "My job isn't to give ideas. It's to provide intel for those who do make the ideas. If they want it in a different format then I'll give it to them that way. I'm not here to try and worm my own little agendas where I'm sitting. My loyalty is to my crew long before it is to San Fran."

Nayla only knew of the term that Starfleet officers gave to HQ due to Taylor teaching her the tricks of the trade. Ever since becoming an officer she found it hard to adjust to the rules and regulations but she always tried her best. However Lars was straining that patience to the very limit. Instead she focused on the last question. "Theory points to a group of Betazoid dissidents known as the Children of the Fifth House, a group of upstarts who use terror tactics to get their point across. They believe that their telepathic abilities have given them the moniker of 'superior beings'. Lately Betazoid and Starfleet security forces have found them in possession of military grade weapons and equipment as well as a compound found by Colonel Lucas to be a branch of the virus that has been deployed during our mission here."

Lars snorted at her mention of his 'appreciation' of her assets. "But you've made a living flaunting them in the past, why stop now?" He chuckled, but obediently made eye contact for once. "Oh and spare me the working class hero bit. You've been around Lucas much too long it seems, going off about loyalties and duty. It might be all right coming from his grizzled gullet, but in your tender voice it lacks a certain…authenticity. Give it a few years, eh?" he smiled and clicked a finger at her flippantly. He had all but written off this little encounter, and was just keeping the banter going to watch her lose her temper. Still, he did raise an eyebrow at her report, inwardly pleased at the professional tone. Lars was giving the Orion woman a lot of slack because of the color of her uniform…and the color of her skin. Her behavior wasn't exactly typical of her species, but that made things…

"Interesting. They believe in the superiority of Betazoids, but still attack their own kind with a weapon that exclusively targets telepaths. I've dealt with doomsday cults before, but this is a new twist. We'll need to look into where they obtained the device and how that individual or individuals convinced the Children to use it in this way." In truth, Lars suspected that neither he nor Nayla would be able to make much headway on that investigation; it was mostly up to Lillian to lead the way right now.

"Well, keep me posted if anything new develops," he continued with false affability, knowing full well she wouldn't. "Oh, and if you uplink with the Colonel anytime soon ask him to make sure the medical teams have a good supply of Kepparine-40 on hand. No telling when they can be resupplied. There might be…transporter issues," he said sarcastically, knowing she'd never get the jab until it was transmitted to Taylor, if it was at all. "Keep up the good work, ensign," Lars added nonchalantly, mostly for the benefit of the other personnel watching him as he exited the cubicle. With that, he sauntered out into the offices again, pondering his next drink.

JP between



and

||Betazed
||Medical Center
||1645


Kara smiled at Alyssa as she sat there and then got straight to the point--it was how Kara operated. "So, young love is blossoming?"

She new that most humans found snooping through thoughts rude but honestly she had a feeling that this was one of those times where she just needed to come out and say it. Kara missed her husband. She missed Leonard and she missed her three children and four days of working hard and working harder was really getting to her and she needed this--needed to see someone else happy and in love.

"I'll show you to the other counselors, I'm just curious," she said still grinning.

Alyssa nodded, and followed her. "I figured. I'll answer all your questions, as long as you promise to stay away from my family issues. And I mean we don't talk about them at all. I'll even allow you to dig through my past and all of those relationships."

She couldn't deal with her family issues right now. In fact, she knew that she couldn't. She could deal with everyone else's, but not hers. There was too much pain, and she wasn't willing to go there. Doing her duty was first, then she could possibly breakdown and deal with her family; which she wasn't going to do as long as she could help it.

"I'm more interested in this pilot you keep thinking about," Kara said honestly as she smiled at the blonde. "I'll stay out of the family issues because you asked me to. So...this pilot..."

Kara knew that the two of them didn't know each other well at all--they'd just met--but young love intrigued her and it made her happy. Love was universal in the galaxy and it gave her hope that others could feel it as passionately as she could. She also found it kind of adorable that Alyssa was keeping herself a little closed off to it, but opening yourself up to love was a beautiful thing.

"Thank you. What about him?" Alyssa asked, trying not to blush.

Alyssa was glad that she didn't have to deal with family stuff, but she also knew that it was bad to be thinking about the pilot when there was work to be done.

"Just...you seem to really like him." Kara told her happily. "There's nothing wrong with that you know."

She smiled, wanting to know a lot more about this because she was curious to talk about something other than the cure she'd been working on for days and days. Kara knew the importance of their work, but things like this were important too and she really thought that it would be beneficial to use this as her small break from reality.

Alyssa blushed. "I know that there is nothing wrong... with liking him. It's just that we're both bad with relationships. I use men for what I want then tell them to go away. I've had really bad relationships."

She was trying to hide the fact, that she really liked him. And that was normally a bad sign to her, based off two relationships that went wrong; which she could thank her parents for.

"Besides, telling me that liking him isn't wrong. Any other wisdom or questions?" Alyssa asked, trying to think about happier memories.

"Never be afraid to go for something," Kara said with a smile, looking at Alyssa with a motherly look on her face. "Fear makes us miss out on opportunities that could prove to be once in a lifetime. If you really like him, regardless of your past, you should never deny yourself taking a step toward love. Don't shut people out, it's unhealthy."

She pointed to the wing of the Medical Facility where the counselors were and then looked at Alyssa again. "This is where you will be and there are patients for you to talk to who are waiting to die and need someone to atone to or just that will listen to them. There are also family members of the infected that need people to hear them out and give them advice about moving on. As for you, though, love doesn't get in the way of your life or your work...not if it's right. You can do both. In fact you seem like a strong enough woman to honestly do whatever it is that you want to. So go for it. That's my wisdom and advice."

Alyssa smiled. "Well, I've got two past relationships that say otherwise. I'll think about it. Thanks."

"If you always spend your time thinking about the past, then you forget to live the present and you ruin your future," Kara told her with a shrug and a gentle smile. "So at least give it a try because if you don't, you're just letting the past beat you and that's no way to live. Good luck, Alyssa--I know you can do this and all the rest of it."

With a hug, Kara nodded and headed off toward the other area of the facility to see to it that Remy was alright and to meet up with Lillian when she arrived. This was what they were all here for--to focus on the current epidemic at their fingertips and to stop it from going any further. While it was nice to stop for a moment and talk about love and lighter things, it was time to get back to work.


JP by these lovelies

||Betazed
||Medical Center
||1700 hours


Once Kara was done talking to Alyssa and showing her to the counselors, she came out to see Lillian talking to a doctor and figuring out a console. It seemed that Remy had found her too and was staying close to her, obviously only trusting of the Betazoid captain and Kara got that--they had worked together before and seemed to work well together. As long as a cure was found and Megan was saved, Kara honestly didn't care whether or not Remy would socialize with the the others or not.

"I think its imperative that we work with a few blood samples," Lillian was saying as she went over to a medical table and unzipped her duty jacket to take it off, revealing her red command shirt and her bare forearm. "I will take about four samples of my blood and we will test it out in a number of ways--first to see what cells the virus attacks first. I'll also take some brain tissue samples to see how fast it spreads. Here I see you've already targeted which parts of the brain the virus attacks first, which is good. Still, I think finding a cure will be much easier than finding a vaccine...this is after all engineered and I don't know quite yet enough about it. Remy and I, however, can figure it out if you give us a quiet work space..."

Lillian only trailed off because she saw Jason walking toward them and she narrowed her eyes at him. He had been the reason that the other pathogen on Starbase Seven had been released and the very sight of him disgusted her. She had a feeling that he was behind all of this somehow and yet...and yet these were his people. Why would he ever actually try to harm them? No, she'd give him the benefit of the doubt here as long as he was helpful.

"Nice to see friendly faces," Jason said merrily as he rested his hand on Remy's shoulder as he joined their little group. "Did I hear something about blood samples?"

Remy felt pressure on her shoulder; she saw a male hand and reacted like it was a spider. She lept back and hurried over to the other side of the medical table. After brushing the spot on her shoulder a couple times she looked up to see who was the ignoramus who touched her. Her eyes widened when she saw Jason standing there watching her. She took a few deep breaths, allowing her face to go back to its normal blank slate so as not to show emotion; but inside she was on guard. He'd been on Star Base 7 during her first arrival, when the airborne pathogen was making its way around and inducing hallucinations. Lillian and her had discussed the enigma surrounding his cure he brought, only someone who was well informed of the toxin and its workings could have produced the cure; Remy was fairly certain he was the one to introduce it into the airways.

She straightened out and looked him in the eye, "Captain Crae has decided to use her blood for some sampling and tests." She informed in a monotone, she wanted him gone and away from anything that could potentially cause more hazards than the ones they were already dealing with.

"Sounds like a good idea, lets work with those antibodies," Jason said, winking at Remy and then turning to smile at Lillian, not phased by Remy's movements. "Do you have any idea where you're going to start, Lilly? Antibodies are one thing, but it takes far more than that to create a cure on the scale that we need."

Kara rolled her eyes. "That's why there are four of us and all the other doctors assembled to aide us where we need it--we need all the help that we can get, though the distrust in this room could cut like a knife."

"While I do not believe that this is your doing, I still don't trust you and if you so much as brush against my hand accidentally I will break it," Lillian informed him, remembering his ambush on her and how he had subdued her with his mind when Taylor was down on Sigma III with Lars. "We are here to save our people so pipe down and do what I say."

"Not the one in charge, but I won't touch you, I promise," Jason said with a laugh as he held his hands up in surrender and went around the medical table to where Remy was, brushing against Remy as he grabbed a data PADD with his research on it. "You might want this though, Lilly."

Lillian pointed to the table and Jason sighed, sliding it across the table to her and then looking at Remy and winking again which made Lillian make a derisive noise in her throat as Kara watched. Jason was really adept with his psionic abilities so it was hard to penetrate his defenses, but she could tell that Remy and Lillian both blamed him for mass infection so she was finding that she didn't really trust him either. Still, he was a brilliant doctor and worked with viruses so they needed his expertise.

"Don't touch her either," Lillian told Jason, pointing to Remy and then looking at the PADD she'd picked up. "You don't want to know what terrible things I will do to you."

Marlo had been isolated inside one of the science labs aboard the Fenris, and had made sure to keep everyone out; she couldn't be disturbed--not when she was so close. She'd been comparing samples of the Betazed virus that she'd beamed up, with the strands of the original one that had made Lillian sick on Baicephorus VII, and realized that Lillian had been right in stating that only telepaths could catch it.

The virus was specifically designed to attach to the telepath gene, and then embed into that strand of DNA to be coded and reproduce itself on a massive scale--but Marlo was pretty sure she had an idea, one she was sure all the scientific minds had already thought of, but she knew exactly how to make the alterations, because she'd been studying the virus for hours. She pressed her comm badge.

"Lilly, sweetie--I'm so close to this I can feel it. I've isolated the virus strands, but I need you to beam me a sample of your blood. You have all the right antibodies, and if I can tweak them the same way the virus has been tweaked, I just might be able to cure this thing once and for all." She said over the communicator.

Hearing Marlo's voice was music to Lillian's ears, needing to be away from Jason and needing to get this all figured out. Besides, she knew that there was a lot riding on this and she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. As she was looking away at Jason's research, she had seen that they'd found just how the virus was penetrating defenses in their brains and shutting it all down. It was just a matter of finding a way to stop it...

"My blood is being analyzed right now," Lillian told Marlo as she looked over the PADD that Jason had and scrunched up her nose because it was almost like he knew too much again. "Beam down here if you'd like to help because it's easier to distribute down here. We're all getting there, we just have to make sure I have the antibodies for this so we can find a way to stop this."

Jason nodded slowly. "Well, since you all have this under control then, I'm going to go ahead and head out. I'll be back, but there are more houses I need to stop by to check for infection."

"I even have a couple ideas for distribution." Marlo said "I was thinking, I could reconfigure a couple photon torpedoes and fire them at the surface, or we could put it in the water."

There was one more option but Marlo didn't want to deploy yet another "bomb" onto the already fragile planet. She left the science labs on her way to the transporter room, her samples clutched tightly in her hand. but she stopped, unsure if she should leave in case she had to do the photon torpedo idea. What she really needed was a sample of Lilly's blood, so she turned around and headed towards sickbay.




JP By, Remy, Jason, Marlo, Lillian, and Kara