AQ/D05-32 - Crew Quarters

[Daniel Brooks]

==Crew Quarters see wiki==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex arrived to find his uniform set out for him and a PADD sitting on top. Cindy was seated on the couch and let him know that she had informed Reyna that there would be no tour, so she was playing in her room. The last thing she mentioned was there was a dose of Tri-OX under his uniform, along with a breath mint.

He chuckeld as he walked in to change. She was good. A few minutes later he came out, PADD in hand and looking ready for work. Thor sat in the middle of the room and gave an appreciative groan and yawn when Alex reached down to give his ears a nice scratch.

"I shouldn't be long. Don't speak up unless I trigger you."

She gave a knowing grin, "I know. Subdued protocol is in effect. I don't anticipate needing to leave quarters this trip, but we're always standing by if you give the word."

He paused for a moment and commented, "You know, it's kind of nice that we don't always have to be saving the galaxy every mission anymore. It actually seems to be staying saved for a change. Maube it's a new generation?"

Cindy shook her head, "Carefull big guy, you're going to jinx us."

He nodded, "You're right. Best not to tempt fate too much."

With that hea headed out.

>>> Bridge >>>

[Jez Mala]

Jez read the subspace transmission several times, she was beside herself that lowlife wants her baby. Jez felt outraged, she could live with the idea of him raising her child as a Star Fleet Security Officers career is filled with danger and uncertainty. His house was a power house among the Betazed Noble Houses. Maybe if he was a nice caring man she would have felt more comfortable letting him raise her child. Jez was confused and needed to talk with someone. She found her way to her friend Commander Talion’s quarters if anyone had a solution to this problem he could. He was a Brilliant man. He was Charming, good looking and incredibly intelligent. Commander Talion was from a very influential house or so she had heard.

Maybe he could arrange to have my daughter raised in a religious order on Bajor, or hide her away someplace, anything to keep that lowlife away from her. Thought Jez, her heart filled with anxiety.

Jez activated Commander Talion’s door chime, but before he could answer Jez called to him. “Commander, are you there it’s me Jez I need to talk to you, it’s important.” Her voice strained with tears.

When Jez didn’t get a response. She asked the computer where Commander Talion was, the computer indicated that Commander Talion was on the Bridge.



>> Bridge, >>

[Alexander Talion]

The door opened as Jez was walking away. Cindy stood there with a puzzled look on her face as she saw the woman leaving before she had ever gotten an answer. With a shrug, she closed the door once more.

[Kalli Thorn]

Kalli had taken a break and dropped by her quarters to have a bite to eat. She had not really been very hungry, but knew she needed to keep her wits about her on this mission, so she had a snack that would keep her alert. To help her relax and keep her mind clear, she was sitting on her couch and enjoying the view. The view wasn't real, but it helped her to focus. The small and private holographic systems of her quarters were even self powered, recharging from the ambient subspace signals transmitting throughout the ship. It was more for decorative than physical use, but it did what it was intended to do, take the mind off of being on a ship.

The view made it appear as if her couch were on the porch, on the outside of a house. It looked out over some rolling hills and fields with a few trees sprinkled around before it eventually had a treeline about a half mile away. There were a few clouds in the false sky and they gently moved on a breeze she could almost feel. There were sounds of birds and a few other indications of bugs and imagined fauna, which helped complete the illusion.

Her mind drifted to Barjax, which both comforted her and made her a little sad at the same time. She missed him. He had been her only serious romantic interest in her life. She grinned at remembering how odd they had looked as a couple. He had been a 7 foot tall Leo Mirak, which contrasted pretty strongly with her 5 foot 2 inch size, but he had been such a gentle giant. His death still echoed in her heart, but he had touched her life in a very important way. Once you had felt the love of someone in your heart, it changed you forever. It had changed how she viewed not only the people around her, but her outlook about the entire universe.

There was a beep from her PADD, which snapped her back out of her deep thoughts. It was time to get back to work. She took a deep breath and stood up. Giving the command word, the room returned to looking normal and she placed the remains of her beverage in her replicator for disposal. Duty called...

== Just a little something to fill the void... ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez arrived at her quarter to her room mate and friend K'vada, K’vada was one of three people that Jez trusted with her baby. Yes, it was a cryo-Statis pod, holding her fertilized egg, but to her it was a baby. K’vada was Vulcan on her mothers side and Klingon on her father’s side, she was kind and very intelligent,she was book smart, but a little street dumb However, Jez liked her as K’vada could offer an unjaded opinion when it came to problems. When Jez’s brought the cryo-Stasis unit to their quarters K’Vada became very protective of the baby as the girls called it.

Jez took a quick sonic shower and put on a fresh uniform, she quickly checked her messages, when a chill went down her spine, there was a message from Devyn Ukinix, of the Ninth House and father of her unborn child she read the message.

[ To: Jez Mala
From: Devyn Ukinix

It has come to my attention that you are carrying a Child of the Ninth House. However, as you are a mongrel and unworthy to raise such a noble child as one that possesses Blood of the NInth House you are hereby ordered to surrender the child to the Ninth House Delegation as soon as possible.

Failure to do so will result in your family losing their professional standing and licences

Respectfully yours,
Vaxa Ral, Matriarch of the NInth House. ]

The Ninth House was wealthy and was powerful and held sway over the other great houses, as they all owed money to the Ninth House or owed them some kind of favor.

Jez couldn’t believe it, her mind raced her mother was of the Second House, The Second House is considered the House of Science and Mysticism. Which never made sense to her as science uses the scientific method to objectively gather and test knowledge about the physical world, while mysticism involves subjective, often spiritual, experiences and intuition to seek communion with a deeper reality. Science seeks to explain through observable and testable means, whereas mysticism often uses practices like meditation and contemplation to achieve insight. The two disciplines seemed to be at odds with one another.

==Lieutenant K'vada, Klingon/ Vulcan, Temp Science NRC ==

Upon seeing her roommate freshly out of the shower, K’vada was filled with excitement.

“I missed you, what was going on down there?’ Said K’vada. “We have been running scans like crazy up here, any idea why they had us doing that?” Added the K’vada,

K’vada looked at her friend, She saw that Jez’s face was white and snow, she sat there blinking at the monitor. Jez wasn’t one who was lost for words. K’vada looked at Jez, she seemed a billion light years away and said, “Hey you alright?” , but Jez didn’t reply.

K’Vada walked over and placed a hand on Jez’s shoulder, startling her. Saying,“ Hey, you alright?”

== Lieutenant Jez Mala, Betazoid/Vulcan, Security Officer. ==

“Oh, I’m fine, just caught up in my messages and I’m supposed to meet with Commander Velaul in her quarters. Said Jez, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“”A meeting in Commander Velaul quarters? Is that good or bad?” Siad K’vada

Jez remembered the Commander saying it was good, “The Commander said it was good. I’ll know in a few minutes, Jez said, as she turned off her monitor and logged out of the communications system.

“I’ll meet you later in Ten Forward.” Said Jez as she left their quarters and made her way to Commander Velaul’s quarters.



>> Commander Velauls Quarters >>

[Jez Mala]

Jez finished writing her communications regarding her fight with Devyn Ukinix and the rest of The Ninth House; she knew her actions would shake Betazoid Society to its core. Jez could feel the frustration and rage growing inside of her. Betazed wasn’t as happy and rational as the Galaxy thought. Her hand hovering over the send tab, she knew that once she hit send, there was no going back.

You must think of your child and their well-being, not about what might happen. You can only control what's within your ability to control.

Jez hit the send button, then turned and looked at the Stasis pod. It was a marvel of modern technology, a self-contained device capable of sustaining life. She fell into a deep thought, she envisioned herself braiding her daughter's hair, or teaching her son The Mok'bara. The idea of being a mother was exciting, but what good is it being a mother without a father, someone to teach her children what a proper man does? How a real man is kind, considerate, and thoughtful.

It’s not that Jez was expecting the perfect mate; she wanted someone who would care for her and her child, but some men don't want a woman with baggage. She couldn’t help but remember her beloved Teddy Bear, he was kind and gentle. Yes, he was older, full-bodied, and with silver fur, but a dream nonetheless. 

The social organization of Betazed is a class system, although there are no major gaps between 'poor' and 'wealthy'. The Noble Classes are a small chunk of the Betazoid population that is believed to descend from the very first ancestral Betazoids. The Noble Classes are then further divided into Houses, which are based on the gifts and values of the individuals.

In Betazed, the gender roles are on a 40/60 system. Males are considered less worthy and less intelligent than women, although usually most of the females are tolerant and considerably equal-minded. Females always inherit family wealth, and they are often the heads of households and families. But males can also hold those positions, and sometimes even government positions. The masculinity/femininity roles are not present in Betazoid culture, as males and females can vary in both intensity, competitiveness, and strength.

It wasn’t that Jez wanted to start a revolution and upend Betazoid Society; she missed life when it was simple and straightforward. She knew that having a child will complicate matters, if she didn’t java a baby, it would be a matter of claiming damages and be done with it, but she wanted her baby to have a life, a normal life, a life filled with school, a life filled with love and happiness, of books and adventures, of memories of spending time with her great nana on Betazed. Jez knew that the chances of that were remote at best; if Devyn got custody, her child would be brought up spoiled, thinking they were better than others because of their wealth and power.

Jez felt like she had the weight of the Galaxy on her shoulders; she felt like she had no control. At this moment, she just wanted to do something physical, but she had duties to perform. Jaz sat there for a moment trying to focus. She took several deep breaths. She felt calmer, but still worried.

>> Security Complex. >>

[Jez Mala]

Jez had finished her communications to her parents; it was the most difficult thing she had to do. Letting her parents know that she had somehow destroyed her life as well as their careers, possibly even those of her siblings, she knew that the Ninth House was powerful, and for her to challenge them meant trouble. It’s not that The Betazoid Noble Houses didn’t have legal disputes, most of the time they were settled via, backdoor deals, The Fifth House, might offer free shipping of the Eighth House’s wine, as compensation for them diverting a river in the Kemere Province, which ended up with Eighth House not getting the water they needed to water their grapes, as a result the Eighth House’s Wine production was less than they had anticipated, resulting in a loss of revenue, or The Matriarch of the Second house was caught taking a bribe from a member of the Fifth house to vote for a Defense Bill that would favor the Fifth House’s Company that builds defensive Satellites.

Jez looked at the Cryostasis Pod, which was her child, and she wanted her child to live in a world where the rich and powerful trodden over the poor and powerless. Granted, the Ukinix’s were unusual in Betazoid Society. Jez smiled when she thought of Commander Talion, who was considering being the Godfather of her baby. She had to pick someone to be the Godmother. She thought of her sister T’Paal, but T’Paal was so focused on her career that she couldn’t devote the time needed to raise a child.

Jez heard the familiar swish of the door to her quarters open and the familiar voice of her friend K’vada.

==Lieutenant K'vada, Klingon/ Vulcan, Temp Science NRC ==

K’vada made her way to the entrance of Jez’s quarters. “May I come in?”

K’vada knew that Jez had been worrying over her baby. That was one thing K’vada liked about Klingon Society, single mothers, while not common, didn’t seem to have the stigma that it does in other Societies. Single Klingon Mothers are viewed as Warrior Maidens, often a Klingon woman would lose her mate in battle, leaving her to raise the child alone. Yes, sometimes there was a male relative who would step in and be a surrogate father to the child, that’s if the woman allowed it

K’vada didn’t wait for Jez to respond, “I saw you in Ten Forward, is everything alright?”

“ K’vada, I just don’t know what to do. Commander Talion is helping me in my case against Devyn. I’m just not sure if it’s the right thing to do. If I lose and he gets custody of my baby,” Said Jez, her voice full of uncertainty.

“ Stay the course, don't let that p'takh win. You are a strong, powerful woman. He isn’t a man; a real man would never separate a baby from its mother. In fact, I would be honored if you allowed me to be your gin'tak.” Said K’vada, her tone respectful and confident.

== Lieutenant Jez Mala Betazoid/ Vulcan, Security Officer ==
“ Gin'tak.?” Said Jez, her voice filled with confusion. She knew a few Klingon words, but that one escaped her. Jez couldn’t help, but smile. K’vada was a dear friend, and she appreciated her kindness.

Sensing Jez’s confusion, K’vada explained, “Gin’tak is a trusted advisor to a noble house, it’s like a Godparent, I guess you could say. They offer advice, a neutral opinion, a voice of reason, and understanding.” Said K’vada. “That’s if you want me?”

Jez felt as if a shuttle craft had been lifted off her shoulders. “Yes, I would be honored if you were Gin’tak. In fact, would you consider being my child's Godmother?” Said Jez. “You don’t have to decide right now. Give it some thought.” Said Jez.

K’vada was a bit surprised; she hadn’t been expecting it. ”I will think it over and let you know.” Said K’vada.

[Alexander Talion]

== Talion family quarters ==

Alex was relaxing. It was a rare moment for him. Reyna was getting some one on one time with an instructor for her school work. Due to her unique learning method prior to them joining the crew of the ship, Reyna required a combination tutor and Academy liaison. She was an unusual child, to say the least. Compared to other kids her age, she was quite further along in her education than her peers. She also had emotionally developed more as a result, though physically she was still six years old. The upside of this was that she was now able to focus more on individual lines of inquiry, having the luxury of already possessing the equivalent of a high school education. It was easier not to try and describe to people how she arrived at this point. Instead, she simply tested out of the various classes and moved forward. If people knew the truth, they would have more questions and it was safer to avoid them entirely.

His daughter had also started to display signs of her Betazoid gifts. It was certainly nothing like it would be when she began to hit puberty, but more accurately said, it was the sort of interactions that were normal for close family members. When Betazoids formed very close personal emotional attachments, they sometimes formed empathic and telepathic links associated with those relationships. Reyna had started to display signs that she was stronger than might be expected. A normal child that was half Betazoid might not even display any gifts at all. Technically, she was more like 60% Betazoid, another anomaly of her parentage, but even then, Alex had been a little worried at first. A call to his mother had cleared it up somewhat, though he wasn't sure if it was his mother being his mother, or if she was actually being honest. Her response had been that the women of their family had always been remarkable in that way and he should prepare himself accordingly. After all, there was a reason that women ran most things in their culture. She even named some great aunt of his that had been an extremely powerful telepath, but he was pretty sure that the story was an exaggeration.

The door chime rang and with a wave of his hand, it opened to reveal a rather attractive young woman in civilian clothing who stepped in and asked, "Commander Talion, is now a good time?"

At first, he only narrowed his eyes at her, evaluating her like she were a chess board, but Cindy's voice came from the sound system in the room, [Alex, this is the nanny I told you about. her name is April Connor.]

Alex tilted his head back, still in thought, considering her with critical looking eyes, "What makes you think I need a nanny?"

April responded, "Actually it's Reyna that needs one, not you, though..." She gave him a look up and down, his bare feet, cargo shorts and t-shirt giving him the look of a beach bum and she tilted her head as if nothing more needed to be said.

That made Alex grin a little, but he countered with, "What makes you think you can handle the job?"

April's look became more serious and she took a single step closer, hands behind her back, "Well, in spite of all of your technological efforts, you can't cover everything. Also, even though Thor is quite impressive, including your contingency plans, you need to face the fact that part of why you're here is because you already know that your daughter needs direct organic interaction on a regular basis. I can provide that. I'm prepared to engage with her on a high level and I can step in where your own systems might fall short. Think of me as your organic backup plan."

He nodded and relaxed more, "You're Star Fleet Intel. Cindy was right, you're the devil I know, so there is that."

For a moment, April looked like she might deny it, but then she just smiled and shrugged, "So?"

Alex stood a little straighter and began, "Her safety is priority one. Never, under any circumstances go near any of my equipment, because if you trigger any protocols, you won't have time to regret it."

April smiled, 'Are you threatening me?"

Alex smiled back, "No, that part you can consider your safety briefing, because Cindy and my equipment have failsafes that give no warnings if you cross lines. However, here is an actual threat. If through an action or lack of action on your part, my daughter comes to any harm, you will be the victim of an accident that will never be known and you will never be found, do we understand each other?"

April opened her mouth to respond, but then said nothing as she realized there was no hint of humor in his voice. Her briefing had included that he was able to disappear from known space without a trace and that he had incredible resources at his disposal. His records indicated deaths attributed to him, though the number was classified beyond her level and there were whispers about some of his "creations" having trained a number of Marine forces at one time or another. She also knew how to tell when people were lying and this man was not bluffing.

She finally managed a subdued reply, "I understand."

Alex nodded, "Good. Cindy will be in touch."

April hesitated, "Commander, I'm here to help."

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I know that you think you are, but I didn't request you. You were sent to me. You need to ask yourself deep down, why the people who sent you are scared, because they aren't scared of me...they're scared that I might be right."

April so badly wanted to ask so many questions right then, but she knew better. She just gave a nod, "Thank you, sir."

April then turned and left without another word. Alex let out another big sigh and got himself a drink. A real drink for a change. After that, he needed one.

[Kalli Thorn]

Kalli had been feeling a bit stressed from the last mission. It had not been bad, but she had monitored quite a bit of what was going on and there had been a few times where she was worried about hostilities breaking out. She was very glad for it to finally be over and rewarded herself with some heavy working out. Her muscles ached from the lack of gym time over the last few days but she pushed through and the burn felt good. She then gave her body a nice soak in a hot bath. Some people liked an ice bath, but she knew that the ice tended to actually be counterproductive. If you had the time, a good hot soak helped with circulation and let your body build more from the abuse you had just put it through. It also tended to make you more tired, but she didn't care.

She eventually took a quick tepid shower to cool down and then staggered back to her quarters in a bathrobe.She loved a good holodeck, but hated the walk back to your quarters after. once there, she flopped down onto her bed and tried not to think of anything. Tomorrow, she would try to secretly get in some combat time on the holodeck, keeping her skills honed. She did that kind of training in secret. Her mind wandered, as it often did. Faces came to her in the dark...dead faces...she simply turned on some of her music and tried to pretend they would go away as she tried to fall asleep.