Day 5 - The Beacon

[Amanda Rose]

Gary woke refreshed. He had not over exerted himself last night as he had the previous day. Talia was a vigorous lover and the evening was incredible but she had data to sort through and as KAT often reminded him, he needed to sleep in order to navigate the more problematic issues of running the ship.

That being said, the news that there might be intelligent life out here was exciting and he could not wait to tell KAT. A quick shower and dressing, left him anxiously awaiting her chime at the door. Or, now, would she just walk in? No, he reminded himself. KAT would keep appearances. She would ring and he would invite her in as normal. It was just a matter of time.

His heart pounded in time to the seconds fading away.

Hair just so. Uniform impeccable. Whatever appearance she had to maintain was what she could cling to. It was a necessity; professionalism was her shield against what was to come… it whispered in her ear and clung to her, tugging at her hair and clothing… she felt it like a soft, dull wind that tingled against her skin. It was threatening, but it was still manageable. At least, for now.

Stepping lively up to the Captain’s quarters, she pressed the door chime once in her characteristic way. And she waited, as propriety dictated, until he invited her in.

And not one moment before.

Almost before KAT’s finger depressed from the chime, she heard Gary’s voice ring out clearly, “Come in, KAT!” His voice rang out optimistically and glowed with enthusiasm.

Nodding to the air, she stepped forward as the door slid open for her. “Good morning, Captain,” she said, PADD held before her as usual, ready for their meeting, and of course the regular taking of notes. “Sleep well?”

“I did. I took your advice and turned in early but not before I got the most wonderful news from Ensign Flowers!” he said taking KAT’s hand.

“Oh?” Kat said, blushing slightly as he took her hand. She might never get used to that sudden show of familiarity, but she knew it would pass. She almost looked over her shoulder in case anyone had slipped in behind her, unbeknownst to her. “What news is that…?” Gary? Captain? Sir? All three were hovering on her lips as she paused, waiting for his response, hoping he didn’t catch her hesitation.

Gary was too excited to realize that KAT was struggling for what to call him. Had he recognized the hesitation, he would have given her a playful scorning look and reminded her to call him ‘Gary.’ However, that was moot, given his excitement trumping his observational skills. “She was able to decipher the beacon. We’re not likely alone. There’s intelligent life or at least was out there in this galaxy!”

Kat’s eyes widened in some surprise. “Life?” she said softly. “Out here?” She let out a breath slowly, and looked into his face fully. “What will that mean to us then, on the Horizon?”

“I don’t know but it is nice to know that we are not likely alone. Don’t you agree?” Gary smiled broadly and excitedly at KAT. “Who knows? Maybe there’s more intelligent civilizations out here? Maybe there’s not but to not be alone…. Hopefully we can make a friend.” He put his other hand on top of hers, cusping it.

“Of course, like any good news, there’s bad news, too….”

“I’m curious as to why this might be discovered so quickly…” she said, again hesitating before calling him anything. “Hopefully that… Bad news?” Kat said, looking at him oddly. “What might that be?”

Gary looked into Kat’s eyes and said, “My name is still Gary.” He then laughed and said, “Unless you prefer some other moniker, like ‘sweetie, sweetheart,’ or ‘dear.’” Without giving her a chance to respond to his statement, so it would sit in her brain, he said, “The bad news is the beacon is warning of a prison colony, according to Flowers. The other bad news is that someone is trying to kill Mary.”

“Gary,” Kat said, and had the hint of a smile in her eyes briefly. “And so, prison colony, how close to the ship? But more importantly, someone attempted to kill the XO?” The look on her face was clear and plainly shock. “Why the hell would anyone…?” Well, there must have been talk of her actions on the Bridge, but surely… Obviously, what place they had come was one far removed from reason. How quickly they had fallen… and to kill the one person who was probably the only one who could get them back home.

No one was thinking straight, were they?

“The prison is a planet near the beacon,” he explained before returning to the subject of Mary. “Well, KAT, I presume that it is one of Arkady’s idiots who is blaming her for putting us in this galaxy. Filled her space suit with a tank of nitrogen rather than oxygen. Of course, Mary did not go out in her space suit for an EVA. Someone else did. Nobody was injured or killed, so it worked out. However, it was not meant to work out that way. That much is clear.”

Kat sighed deeply. “It’s started already then,” she said softly. “This doesn’t bode well for the rest of our time out here, does it?”

“I would not say that,” Gary replied optimistically. “After all, if there are people out here, or at least others, it could help us focus again. Also, it will give hope. Who knows, maybe one of the civilizations actually could help?” he added with a shrug.

Kat shook her head slowly, watching the Captain and his reaction. “People… it’s a general term, but I’m not sure that we can consider that they would welcome us into their part of the Galaxy.” Her face clouded over and she shrugged, mimicking Gary’s posture. “If they’re anything like we were on Earth, it could be really good, or really bad.”

“But Mary is being rather difficult. She’s arming herself on duty and didn’t spend time here last night. You would think she would want the company to stay safer but….” He shrugged again. “Perhaps it is for the best in some ways.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the Commander,” said Kat genuinely. “It sounds like she’s either going solo, which can be quite dangerous in this devolving political climate aboard, or she’s trying to distance herself from you to protect you from the fall out.” She sighed deeply. “It sounds like she’s taken on the full responsibility of what has happened to the ship, Gary.” And shaking her head she squeezed the PADD still clutched between her hands. “I’m not sure how we can help her, but something has to happen… we have to work together if we have any hopes of surviving or making it home.”

Wherever that home might be.

“I wish I had a solution to Mary, myself,” he softly told KAT in a mournful tone. “But, she will not listen to me. Perhaps she will for you. There’s much work you both still have to do together,” he said with a slight note of hope. “But, at least we have each other and we are going to get everyone through this. Right?” he asked KAT, looking for as much reassurance as trying to remain confident.

“I’ll try, Gary,” Kat said and nodded. “We have a lot of personnel to go through before we compile the list for your review. Maybe the Commander and I can manage to talk like people while we work.”

Smiling, she nodded again. “We’ll make it through,” she said trying to remain optimistic more for him than for herself. “If we can manage to work together? We’ll ALL make it through.”

“I know your ‘try,’ KAT. You’ll get it done come hell or high water.” He beamed at KAT and then asked, “So, what’s on my agenda for today? You?”

She laughed softly, blushing and shaking her head. “You’ve got a few things to take care of… and I’m not on the list.” Placing her PADD on the desk in front of them, she leaned over, indicating the full schedule. “You have some regular meetings,” she smiled knowingly, “and then some meals in between. You’ve got to keep up your fluids and your strength, you know.”

Gary watched KAT blush in amazement. In all the time that he had known her, he had never seen her blush. He watched her figure intensely as she leaned over. “You want me to keep my fluids up, eh?” He winked at her and gave her a mischievous smile while responding, “You have a use for them, then?”

Kat laughed and rolled her eyes. “No Ca… Gary. But I’m not sure I could speak for the rest of the uh… crew.” Clearing her throat meaningfully, she pointed at her PADD. “Please, approve the schedule if it works for you, and we can head for the Bridge.” She sighed softly. “I’m sure the Commander will need your support even more now.” She grasped his arm gently and squeezed it. “As we all will.”

“Now, now, KAT, you are taking all the fun out of our relationship. Rest of the crew, indeed….” He shook his head disbelieving and sighed. “Well, if you insist on business….” He signed the schedule.

When KAT grasped Gary’s arm, he looked over and gave her an encouraging smile, watching her eyes intently. After a few moments, he leaned in and kissed her.

Kat’s face heated up, cheeks a warm pink and she accepted the kiss gently, building on it in her own supportive way before slowly drawing back. She smiled, almost shyly if she had that ability, and reached for the PADD. “Thank you, Gary,” she said softly, and moved as though she were about to head for the door.

Gary gently pulled KAT back. “I think you need to show me in this schedule where you have scheduled time for the two of us….”

“I haven’t,” she replied without looking at him. “You know that discretion is more important than anything, so scheduling time… outside of our regular meetings? I think that might be too obvious, wouldn’t it? Or…” Shaking her head she grinned lopsidedly. “Of course. How foolish of me… I’m to be counted amongst the rest.”

There was a two hour time slot on the schedule which included time for dinner. “Will this work?” she asked, fingers hovering over it.

“It is a start,” Gary replied with a genuine smile. “I’m quite sure that you have other creative ways to schedule us time together. I have faith in your abilities.”

“Thank you, I think.” she said, a warm smile on her face. “How often are you thinking, Captain?” she asked without thinking twice. “There has to be time for you, too.

“How often am I thinking? As often as you are comfortable and likely more,” he responded with a chuckle. “Time for me? And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“To rest, recuperate, reflect?” Kat said plainly. “You are responsible for everyone here, and with no Starfleet anymore, there will be a great deal more to consider, since you are now the highest ranking Starfleet officer. Anywhere... within how many light years?”

She sighed deeply. “Please, watch yourself.” Trust aboard this vessel was running at a very high commodity, and Kat had no idea if she would survive any power struggle. Because… well, because she was the Captain’s Yeoman. No one felt safe… She looked at Gary for a moment and gave a small smile. He had to be all right… he simply had to be. Because what might happen to her would not bear considering.

“I’ve always been responsible for everyone here, KAT. It does not matter whether there are other officers within a reasonable distance or not. Everyone’s still my responsibility.”

Gary lightly stroked KAT’s cheek with the back of a couple of his fingers. “I’ll take care of myself and you’ll take care of me too, just like you always have, KAT.” He leaned in and gave her a soft, sweet kiss.

Pulling back, he told her. “It is a shame that we have to get to work.”

Nodding she impulsively gave Gary a hug and stepped back, pulling the PADD back in front of her. “It is, but duty is duty, Captain.”

She turned smartly on her heel and made her way to the door. “I’ve got some errands to run around the ship, but will be on the Bridge shortly. Hope today is uneventful.”

Gary laughed. “I doubt it but I am hoping that it will be quite eventful in a positive direction.” He stood up and moved towards KAT, stopping short of her, realizing that they still had to play their game of appearances. “I will see you on the bridge soon, Yeoman KAT.”

Indeed, Captain,” Kat replied, and winked at him before the door opened, her face a mask of professionalism once more. “If you need to set up additional meetings, please submit them and I’ll manage each one in turn.” And with that? She left his quarters, not a hair out of place.

Gary grinned. He definitely planned on setting up more meetings where KAT’s presence would be required. Of course, the other folks who might be scheduled just might not happen to appear, Gary thought amused. Until then, there would be the bridge.

[Ciara Mei]

It had been a long night. Ciara had slept, but hadn’t slept well. Even though a lot of the work got done quickly thanks to the help from engineering, and mostly, Jai, she still couldn’t get her mind to slow down.

Between the picture she now put up on her nightstand (without a care who saw it), how badly she wanted to be home with the person in that picture, and everything going on with the ship, it was a lot for one mind to handle. And here she was, just the chief of science, nothing more. She didn’t want to think what this was doing to the higher ups.

Ci thought about it, and decided she was going to spend some time on the bridge today. Not because she had to, but because she was sick of looking around stellar cartography over and over and over again. She was also a bit sick of the officers in there looking her over. In the past, it had never bothered her. In fact, she felt flattered by it. So why did this change now?

Finalizing her report, which had never actually gotten to the captain when she bumped into him, she finished making herself presentable. Try as she might, she couldn’t get the tired look out of her eyes. She’d just have to deal with it. Nodding to herself in her mirror, she found her way to the bridge and started to look over things there.

She was glad that the sensors were still working the way they had been when she checked them the night before. Still a few little hiccups, but that was expected with the shape the ship was in. Nothing was going to be perfect until the rest of the repairs on the ship were completed. Ci thought she might have Jai double check things later, make sure the power flows were where they needed to be. That was one thing Ci realized she should have done, paid more attention in the engineering courses.

Sitting back in the chair on the bridge, this was a spot she missed. Sure, she liked all the stuff down in stellar cartography, a little bit newer tech, but this was where she felt more at home in terms of the science part. Sitting on the bridge, being able to listen to all the chatter. Now she had to wait until she could deliver her report.

[Melissa Richards]

Cmdr Mary Wells
Executive Officer

The next day. And, word despite any attempt to cover it up, had gotten out. As it always did when it came to secrets.

Wells early in the morning decided to go to the phaser range. She entered and secured the door, then checked the charge and made sure she had a second one. "Computer display range.."

The room dimmed and colored lights began to form. "Secure doors and lock. Only my personal code can open."

~Doors secured.~ the machine complied.

"Begin range.."

Colored spots began to dance across. Mary focused and fired! Then kept firing. She was a good shot, and regular practice had made her better. She continued to fire hitting the colored spots as they moved with increasing speeds. She paused, then put the phaser on her belt, then pulled it like some gunfighter from the 1800s shooting the moving target with better precision. The few times she missed, the XO didn't flinch, but went and again kept firing.

Practice made perfect, Again, and again, she fired. The phaser's settings were on lowest power just below stun. So, she could do this all day and not damage anything. Precision and familiarity with the weapon and how it felt in her hand made things more natural.

Someone had it in for her, and she was definitely going to make sure if they were foolish enough to try again, she would end their miserable existence. A phaser on kill not stun would settle the issue. The Horizon was going to rapidly descend into those who knew how to survive, and those who wouldn't.

Wells continued firing. Her hits grew faster and better,

No one was going to take her and live to tell about it.

No one...ever..

tbc..

[Amanda Rose]

[Ciara Mei]

Typical to his normal course of business, Gary arrived on the bridge promptly and at least five minutes before KAT would appear. Acting as if everything was normal, he relieved Lieutenant "Boring," from duty and sat in the Captain's Chair. "All departments, report."

Ciara wasn’t sure if the Captain would even remember her nearly running into him the previous evening. Not that it mattered to her at that moment. When he asked for reports, she slipped up out of her seat and walked over to him with a PADD that had all the information on it that he’d need. It would show that the sensors were actually running properly, well, as best they could since Engineering was still working on their power systems.

There wasn’t much else to give him, though it probably seemed a bit odd that she was actually on the bridge after all the time she’d spent avoiding it.

Handing him the PADD, Ci did her best to give him a reassuring smile, to tell him mostly that he wouldn’t have to worry about anything in science, even if he had other things to worry about.

“Science report, sir.”

That was all that she said.

Tags

[KendleRJ]

Armed was not a state she liked, but one that felt... necessary after yesterday. Her errands didn't take her too far from the Bridge, but she still wanted to look in on Sickbay to find out how the injured crewmen were doing. Reading something and seeing them in person? They were two different things. The Captain would need to make an appearance as well, but with her information that she would get from this visit would provide him with valuable insight, she hoped.

Her heels clicked smartly on the deck plating as she made her way to Medical and nearly tapped gently before entering. It felt.. polite to do so. Instead, she said softly as she entered, "Please, let me know how the patients are doing, Doctor," before even realising whether or not he was there. She carried a coffee, just as she remembered the Doctor taking it, and hoped like hell her small gesture might be considered exactly what it was: Kindness between crew; Consideration between colleagues; An olive branch that might be received in the spirit it was given... without condition or expectation.

Kat was truly concerned for the crew, which might be her biggest strength, or her undoing.

Tags Sickbay

[Sjet]

"Spasibo." Arkady said, taking the cup of coffee and sipping at it. He winced at the heat of it, and the general taste: four hundred years of coffee growing and brewing, and yet a perfect cup was still impossible to create. But it helped to clear his pallet enough to get his thoughts in order.

"Crewman Cutter is still unconscious and unresponsive to outside stimuli. Prognosis remains unchanged." he said groggily, before gesturing with his own tablet to the second little cubbie of a treatment bed, its privacy curtain drawn but lit from the other side "Spacer 1st Class Svetlana is doing well, such discharged by the end of the day. Mild oxygen deprivation, but nothing serious that cannot be treated."

He again sipped his coffee, growing to the bitter acrid taste of it, and looked at Kat over the steaming rim.

"I somehow do not think you came all this way to talk to me about my work load." he nodded towards a stool against one wall "Sit, speak: Captain keeps you busy, you should rest often."

TAG-Kat

Arkady Sjet
Ships Physician
USS Horizon

[Amanda Rose]

[KendleRJ]

"No rest, Doctor, not for those who have a responsibility to others," Kat replied, shifting easily from one foot to the other. She was used to standing for hours on end, or walking the corridors to get things done, delivering messages that couldn't be relayed through regular means, or required a personal touch. "You know that even more than I do," she said, smiling warmly.

"I wanted to see you in person, come to Sickbay and make sure that the Crew that were down here did not feel forgotten." She sighed deeply. "I was wondering if we wanted to organise a non-denominational service for those that had perished, Doctor. Or even a wake... celebrating their lives and commemorating their sacrifice." She hadn't yet broached the subject with the Captain yet, but if she had managed to coordinate such an effort, combining departments, perhaps even uniting the crew... making sure that everyone felt recognised, and remembered. It was imperative that no one feel left behind... not by anyone. "I wanted to ask you for your opinion about that." She watched him carefully, observation her only defense.

Tag Sjet

[Ciara Mei]

After handing to report to the Captain, Ci went and sat back down. Everything was a bit quiet, but she knew that they were on a mission. What she hadn’t realized was that engineering had worked so fast on fixing up the engines. They were heading to wherever it was, at warp speed.

It was her job now to keep an eye on things on the sensors. Who knew what they were actually going to find at the end of all this. Someone willing to help them, someone wanting to destroy them, or perhaps no one at all.

Although she did enjoy the mystery of it all, Ciara would have rather still been where they knew what everything was.