Title: "Death Watch"
Author: Lieutenant Benton
Stardate: 2460219
Earthdate: March 21, 2360
Location: USS Virgo

It was a little after Lataro's and K'Lara's sudden wedding. That had been a very happy occasion, and Benton was glad he had been invited to witness. But now there remained a much less joyous duty to be performed: the funeral for all the crewmembers who had lost their lives in the fight against the Kirusans and the Dominion.

K'Lara and Benton sat slightly apart on a pair of stools in the ship's torpedo bay. Unfortunately, they weren't alone, they had plenty of company. Their companions weren't sitting on stools however, they had special accommodations. They lay in modified torpedo casings: coffins.

In the recent battles the *Virgo* had been through, many brave men and women had been lost to the enemy, the Kirusans, the Dominion, the Shahtar. K'Lara felt it was her duty to keep the death watch over their remains. Someone had to make sure the predators of the afterlife didn't devour them before they had a chance to be sent on their way to Sto'Vo'Kor. Benton was curious about this custom and had volunteered to help.

As she sat, K'Lara told her mute audience the tale of the *Virgo's* glorious victory over their enemies. She told how Galen and Ek'ra's ultimate sacrifice had allowed the ship's shields to be kept up long enough for the remaining Jem'Hadar warships to be reduced to space dust.

She told how Javier Tara's death had given Valdago enough time to destroy the evil android Solacetta once and for all. She knew that Javier's symbiont, Tara, had survived the struggle, but Javier the host was gone forever.

There were several others who had died during the course of the fighting. K'Lara didn't know the details of their bravery but she knew they all had died with honor, since they wore the Starfleet uniform, and so would not do otherwise.

Then there was Commander Surok, former First Officer, who had been lost so long ago. The *Virgo's* crew had given him up for dead several times before, yet time and again, Surok had somehow managed to return from the brink of oblivion. But there would be no coming back this time. His body lay in a torpedo beside the others.
_________________________________________

As K'Lara was telling these tales, Benton sat slightly apart and quietly pondered the meaning of life and death. He recalled that a famous Earth writer, William Shakespeare, had pondered the same question hundreds of years before. Shakespeare had asked the question:

     "To be, or not to be: that is the question:
     Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
     The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
     Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
     And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
     No more; and, by a sleep to say we end
     The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
     That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
     Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep."
 

*Which was better? To live and suffer all the terrible calamities that life flung in your direction; or to die, to just give up? The character Hamlet had been deeply depressed by the untimely and suspicious death of his father, and so was considering these grim questions. But then a new thought came to Hamlet:*

     "To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
     For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
     But that the dread of something after death,
     The undiscovered country from whose bourn
     No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
     And makes us rather bear those ills we have
     Than fly to others that we know not of?
     Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."
 

*No one had ever returned from death to tell what it was like. Was death even worse than life? Hamlet decided that it was fear that drove us to choose life over death, fear of the unknown. We were all just cowards.*

Benton mused further. *Hamlet had been wrong. His depression had clouded his reason, distorted his whole perception of reality. As a result, life became pointless for him, and he began a steep, swift dive into madness and finally, death.*

*No, death was not to be feared,* Benton decided firmly. *The brave men and women who were lying here, each in his own torpedo casing, had not feared it, they had not given up. They had died fighting to their last breath, knowing that their efforts would not be in vain. They were to be admired. And those of the crew who remained among the living had to carry on the proud legacy of their fallen comrades. The only alternative was to turn the ship around and slink back to the Alpha Quadrant and give up. No, they would go on.*
_________________________________________

Just then, Benton's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Captain Maruu. It was just as well, Benton's thoughts had taken a turn for the maudlin.

The captain looked at the two officers sitting there and said, "K'Lara and Benton. The two of you should go get ready. The funeral services are scheduled to begin in twenty minutes."

K'Lara protested, "Captain! With all due respect, I can't leave these men here unprotected while I go off to find my dress uniform. It's important that someone stay here and..."

Maruu interrupted K'Lara softly, "Commander, I'll keep watch while you two prepare. Dismissed, both of you."

"Aye, Sir," said K'Lara and Benton simultaneously, and left the torpedo bay.

Maruu walked over to the stool where K'Lara had been sitting and perched himself for the lonely vigil over his shipmates.
 

Subject: "Facing a Tough Loss"
Author: Lieutenant Garek Loran
Stardate: 2460219
Earthdate: March 21, 2360
Location: USS Virgo

After Commander Surok and Lieutenant Javier's funerals, Garek announced the next funeral functions. "Attention!" Lieutenent Garek Loran yelled out. His four engineering teams were gathered in the torpedo launch bay. Two modified Mark VIII torpedo tubes rigged for coffins sat on the loading ramps for the tubes. On the left was Garek's close friend, Ensign Galen. Alpha team leader, and an accomplished engineer. He was a great engineer, even if his methods were slightly unorthodox. He admired him for that.

On the right was Ensign Ek'Ra. At least, a ceremonial tube for him. Ek'Ra was vaporized by that Jem'Hadar scum. He could still remember that one's face. It disgusted him.

The four engineering teams, made up of 12 people each were gathered in the torpedo room. All of them facing the two tubes now standing at complete attention. Garek walked forward in full military precision, stopped, and then about faced.

"We are here today to say goodbye to two of our own. Ensigns Galen and Ek'Ra, Alpha and Beta team leaders. They were both personal friends of mine, and perfect examples of engineers." Garek paused to regain
himself.

"I wish to begin by talking about Ensign Ek'Ra. Ek'Ra was an accomplished engineer, and in many cases underrated. Before I was assigned as Chief Engineer on this ship, I admired the work that these two accomplished. Especially Ek'Ra. He was the more level-headed of the two as you all know."

There was a slight stir of laughter, especially from Alpha team. They could easily compare the mannerisms of Ek'Ra and Galen.

"Ek'Ra had an exceptional amount of reception to detail. He could tell how well the ship was functioning by listening to the hum of the warp core. He also cared for the ship as if it were his fiance. I almost thought that he came here to talk to the ship at night."

Beta team smiled a little.

"Galen, on the other hand, was Ek'Ra's opposite. I've never seen a person so enthused about being an engineer. Every time I saw him, he had a smile on his face. He was always saying, 'Good morning, Lieutenant,' and 'How are you today?' I even remember the one time he brought in coffee and doughnuts for his team as they were coming on duty. That's where all the sticky panels were coming from."

Another bit of scattered laughter came from the group of engineers.

"We all also knew about his way of fixing things. If he didn't get something right, he kicked it till it did." Garek smiled. "However, when no one was looking, he did it right." Garek wiped a tear from his eye. "I will deeply miss both of these fine men. They were great friends, and most of all, heroes of the Federation."

Garek walked forward, then did an about face. "Present. Arms!"

The group snapped to attention, giving a Terran salute. The two torpedoes started making their way into their tube. A petty officer started playing taps on a bugle. The group held the salute until the torpedo doors closed.

"Dismiss. Arms!" The group lowered their salute. The firing mechanisms activated, and the torpedoes drifted forward, away from the ship. They watched through a view port to the left of the port tube. The two torpedo tubes drifted forward. Once they reached a distance of 200 yards, they jumped to warp. Their final destination being somewhere among the stars. "Burial detail dismissed. Gamma team report to duty. You still have another hour on your shift."  Everyone was dressed in their "dress whites", except for Gamma team that were in their regular
duty uniforms. The team of fifteen made their way out of the bay.

The other teams headed out solemnly. Garek stood there, looking out at space. The doors to the bay could be heard opening. It was Commander Lataro. He walked over quietly. "I heard from some of the engineers leaving that it was a good ceremony."

Garek turned to face him. "Saying goodbye to two of your best people is never an easy thing. I guess in most respects the ceremony was adequate."

"Come on. I'll get a drink with you." Lataro slung his arm over the engineer's shoulder. The two then made their way out of the torpedo bay as the rest of the funerals continued.
__________________________________________

The rest of the day passed by slowly. Garek was able to do a little thinking, reading, and he finally feel asleep. For some reason, he felt as if he was responsible for their deaths, and that of Captain Maruu. His program should have been able to get all of the Jem'Hadar off the ship. He had failed them. Now, two of his friends were dead, and it was his fault.

The time was now 0100 hours. He had written a report about the burnout of the dilithium crystals that Maruu had requested. By running some scans, he was able to find a nearby system with an asteroid belt rich in dilithium crystals and tridanium deposits. Hopefully, they could put these deposits to use.

The bad part about this was that they only had enough power in crystals for a short jump to the outside of the system. This was all in his report he was due to hand in in seven hours. *Forget this. Why wait? I'll just hand it in now.* He gathered himself up, and made his way to the bridge.
__________________________________________

Returning a few minutes later, Garek walked into his quarters. It was late, and he would be reporting to duty in seven hours. He had to get some sleep. However, the memory of his friends just overpowered him. Walking over to his desk, he took out a bottle of Tarquillian brandy. He then took the bottle and a glass and made his way to a table in his room. There, he drank until he eventually passed out, asleep.
 

Title: "Everyday Feelings"
Author: Lt. Commander Dana Nori
Stardate: 2460219
Earthdate: March 21, 2360
Location: USS Virgo

Maruu was surprised. "Wow. Well, we'll deal with it. So I guess you want to..."

"Yeah. That'd be a good idea."

"Yeah." He paused. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Nori started to leave. "Good night." She left the room as Maruu dropped  on the bed and placed his hands over his face.
_____________________________________

Nori stopped outside of Maruu's quarters and leaned up against the wall and caught her breath. She held out her hands in front of her and looked down to see them shaking very rapidly. All of a sudden Nori ran to her quarters. Once she got inside of her quarters she leaned up against the wall and slid down it, she put her arms on her knees and rested her head down on her arms and started to cry.

*Oh, God, what he must think of me right now; he probable hates me now. I wanted to let it happen but, I was to scared. Oh, God, I don't even know what to do in his bed.* Nori stood up and started to pace back and forth in her quarters. *I mean what he expects of me and all that. Mother never lived long enough to explain all this stuff to me.*

Just then Nori's thoughts were interrupted by her door chimes. "Commander, it is me, Benton. I have something here that I would like you to take a look at before I present it to the captain. Let me know what you think of it."

Nori quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Go away."

"Commander? Is everything ok?"

"Just go away."

Benton took four steps away from Nori's door. He tapped his com badge. "Benton to Lt. Commander K'Lara."

[K'Lara here, what is it, Lieutenant?]

"Can you meet me in front of Lt. Commander Nori's quarters straight away?"

[On my way. K'Lara out.]

Two minutes later K'Lara was standing at Nori's quarters with Benton. "So, what is it, Lieutenant?"

"I came here to speak with Nori, and she told me to go away."

"I don't see anything wrong with that."

"No, Ma'am, there isn't, but she sounded very upset, as if she had been crying."

K'Lara made a stern face at Benton then stepped to Nori's door and rang the chimes.

"I told you to go away," yelled Nori. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, BENTON!!!"

"Dana, it is me, K'Lara. Are you okay?"

K'Lara turned and looked at Benton and raised her eye brows. She then turned back to the door. "Dana?"

Just then Nori's door slid open. Nori reached out and grabbed K'Lara's shirt by the shoulder part and pulled her into her room. The door slid closed with Benton on the outside. K'Lara looked at Nori's face; she could tell Nori had been crying pretty hard by the redness around Nori's eyes and on her cheeks.

"Oh, my God, Dana, what the hell is going on? Who did this to you? Tell me, I'll make them sorry they were ever born."

Nori shook her head no as the tears fell out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "Oh K'Lara, I need your help. I need you to help me. That is if it isn't already too late."

"Too late? To late for what? Dana, what is going on?"

"Okay, well, you know that I love the captain and all. Well..." Nori sat down and explained everything that happened that night. "Well on top of it all, K'Lara, I have never been touched by anyone in...well...you know. You see, my mother died before I was old enough for the talk of girls. And if you would have seen Stephen's face when he found out that I was never touched by anyone else. Then like a scared rabbit I left him standing
there; he probably hates me or thinks I am a little child and won't want to be bothered with me ever again. Not to mention I will probably be the laughing stock of the entire ship." Nori was so upset and she was talking so fast, it was almost impossible for K'Lara to understand her.

"Hey!!! Hey!!! Hey!!! Slow down, Girl, and come up for air in between sentences." As she put her hands on Nori's shoulders, K'Lara said, "Okay, first of all, I want you to sit down and listen to me. And don't interrupt me. Now, what? You are 18 years old right?"

"Nineteen now."

"And you have never been touched? Let me tell you something, Nori, that isn't something to be ashamed of, not at all. And that is why you think Stephen won't like you anymore? As far as that goes I can guarantee you that almost every guy would kill to have a virgin." For the next hour, K'Lara filled Nori in on everything that she knew about a boy-and-girl relationship. "Okay, now do you feel better about yourself?"

"Yes, oh thank you so much K'Lara." Standing in front of the door now, Nori wrapped her arms around K'Lara and gave her a hug. Then she stepped back and looked at her and said thank you again.

When the door opened up, and K'Lara walked out of Nori's quarters, she turned her head to the right and saw Lt. Benton leaning up against the wall. "Benton! What are you still doing here? I figured you would have been
long gone by now."

"I still need this material observed before I present it to the captain."

Nori smiled. "Benton, can it wait?"

"I imagine so. I will return tomorrow morning if you wish."

Nori nodded. "Thank you, Benton. Goodnight."

K'Lara smiled. "Okay, goodnight, Dana. Come on, Benton, I'll buy you a drink." They both walked off to the lounge.
 

Title: "All is Well Except for One"
Author: Lt. Garek Loran
Stardate: 2460225
Earthdate: March 23, 2360
Location: USS Virgo

Two days ago, Garek stood, and spoke, at possibly one of the toughest ceremonies he had ever been to. The burial of two of his best engineers and closest friends. Now, that ceremony was but a memory in the back of his mind. The images of his two best friends getting shot were still fresh in his memory. He could still remember the look of shock and horror as Ek'Ra turned, only to be incinerated. Then, possibly one of the greatest acts of heroism he had ever seen soon followed. Galen jumped and took a phaser blast for him.

Garek now stood in front of the warp core assembly, looking at the Alpha engineering team. It was 0800, the beginning of their shift. Captain Maruu used the last of the dilithium crystals' energy to make a warp jump to a nearby asteroid belt that contained deposits of dilithium crystals. A class M planet was nearby, and reachable by two-hour flight under impulse power. This would be the ideal place to take on supplies.

"Alpha team." Garek nearly choked on his words. He swallowed and began again. "Alpha team. I'm sure the memories of our two lost comrades are fresh on our minds, but we have to put them past us right now. Captain
Maruu has handed us the assignment of getting this ship up to top condition, and I want to make sure that it happens. Ensign Antilles, congratulations. You've been nominated by your fellow teammates as the new leader of the group."

There was a small applause from the group of twenty. Ensign Antilles, a young, female engineer stepped forward. She was 5'9", 110 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She captured the attention of her fellow teammates when she first joined a few years ago. She has grown in respect, confidence, and knowledge in the eyes of the rest of the team.

She smiled and stood next to Garek. "Thank you, Sir." She took the PADD that Garek handed to her and turned to face her fellow crewmates. "I know that I will probably never be able to replace Tom Galen. I'm sure that his and my styles are not exactly the same..." There was a slight uproar of laughter from the group. Jennifer Antilles always addressed problems by their importance, and put much effort into her work. She wasn't the one to go kicking things. "...but I hope to capture the essence of his knowledge in all the work that I do. He has left a legacy for us, and I can only hope to live up to it. Thank you all." She returned to the group receiving a few pats on the back and a small round of applause.

Garek smiled and began again. "As I was saying, Captain Maruu has handed us this project, and I don't want to let him down. Ensign Antilles."

"Yes, Sir," she replied.

"Get your team to work. I want the starboard warp nacelle repaired in two days. I also want the hull breach on Deck Three repaired by today." Garek wanted to see how the new team leader would handle this.

"Yes, Sir!" She smiled and turned to her team, handing out assignments.
_______________________________________

Lieutenant Tomme was casually heading down the corridor towards the main science lab, when she crossed paths with Commander Lataro. She smiled and continued walking on.

"Lieutenant, might I have a minute?" Jon turned and jogged to catch up with her.

"Of course, Sir. What's on your mind?" Jenara had a pretty good idea about what was on the Commander's mind, but she was going to let him ask the question anyway.

Jon began. "I was wondering. Could you tell me exactly what happened a few days ago? All I remember was having a drink in the lounge, then waking up in my quarters."

"Of course, Sir," Jenara started. "I helped you back to your quarters. You were obviously intoxicated, and there was no way that you would've made it back to your quarters by yourself. You also said that I was cute." She quickened her pace and started walking away.

"No I didn't!" he yelled out after her. *Did I?* "Don't get any ideas! I'm a married man!"

"Not a problem, Commander!" Jenara made her way down the corridor. Jon turned and smiled, making his way to the bridge.
_______________________________________

Captain Maruu was in sickbay, sitting on a biobed. Dr. Nori was looking him over with a tricorder.

"Really, Stephen, I see nothing wrong with you. Heart rate is normal, brain functions are normal. Well, if you could call your brain functions normal." Nori smiled.

"I'm sure there's something wrong. It hurts right here." He pointed to his upper lip.

Nori waved the biomed sensor over his lip, scanning it. "Well, I don't see anything wrong. You want me to kiss it to make it better?"

"I think that might be the problem." The two smiled, and she gave him a kiss.

"Is that any better?" Nori smiled.

"Surprisingly no. I think that it's still injured." Stephen returned her smile.

"Now I know it's a mental problem!" The two laughed, and smiled at each other.
_______________________________________

The day flew past rather quickly. At least, for most it did. Captain Maruu and Dr. Nori set a dinner date, Commander Lataro surprised K'Lara with a bouquet of flowers while she was exercising in a holodeck program. Lieutenant Benton and Ensign Lan exchanged stories of their various adventures in tactical and security positions. By definition, the day was perfect for all. Except one.

Garek sat by himself at the end of the counter on the first level of the new lounge. He sat sipping synthahol that was supposed to taste like whiskey. As far as he was concerned, there really was no substitute for the real thing. The taste was there, the burning of his throat as the liquid went down was there. However, the same effects weren't there.

Dweezle made another pass past the Chief Engineer. It was 2100 hours, and his shift had ended. "Another round, Chief?" Dweezle asked.

Garek looked up. "Sure, why not?" He sighed and then watched the brown liquid fill the glass.

"Something gnawing away at your insides, Chief? If it's a cat, I'll gladly take it from you." Dweezle offered a smile, hoping to see a positive response.

"Nope, not a cat. Feels worse then one scratching away at my insides though. That, and my head." Garek rubbed his left temple.

"Think it's the synthahol? I heard that it gives some people headaches."

"That's not it. I've grown a type of immunity to it. Looks like the real thing, tastes like the real thing, but it just isn't the real thing." Garek finished off the synthahol, and put the glass back down on the counter.

"So, what is eating you up?" Dweezle was determined to get an answer.

"It's Galen and Ek'Ra. I just can't seem to get them off my mind." Garek frowned.

"I thought you put Ensigns Antilles and Celchu in charge of Alpha and Beta teams?"

"I did. It's just not the same though."

"Well, just let me know if you need anything else. Okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Dweezle." Garek gave a weak smile.

Dweezle smiled back and headed back down towards the other end of the counter.

Garek still sat, staring into his empty glass. He hoped that somehow he would get over the loss of his friends.
 

Title: "Rock Hunt"
Author: Lieutenant Benton
Stardate: 2460227
Earthdate: March 24, 2360
Location: USS Virgo

The *Virgo* was carefully picking her way through the asteroid belt where Lt. Loran had detected traces of dilithium and tridanium. As they coasted at one-quarter impulse, the *Virgo's* sensors had been set to make deep, active scans of the nearest asteroids as they slipped by the passing starship, searching to pinpoint the exact location of the mineral deposits.

"Report, Mr. Benton," called the captain to Benton, who was manning the tactical station on the bridge.

Benton consulted the sensor displays on the console before him and replied, "Readings are becoming much stronger, Sir. The strongest are on vector 314 mark 47."

"Commander K'Lara, set course," ordered Maruu.

"Aye, Sir."

Benton puzzled a few more seconds over his sensor readouts. In addition to the scans of dilithium and tridanium, they were also faintly detecting something else. So faint, he wasn't sure what. He hesitated to bother the captain with something that might turn out to be nothing at all, but decided against that course of action. The
captain should have all the facts, no matter how seemingly inconsequential.

"Sir," Benton called. "There's more sensor data coming in." He tried to adjust the sensors, to no avail. The mysterious readings remained elusive. "We're reading something else in almost the same location as the dilithium and tridanium deposits. I will be able to tell you more when we get closer."

"Very well, Mr. Benton. Keep me apprised," said Maruu. The captain turned his attention back to his navigator. "K'Lara, what is our ETA to the target asteroid?" he asked.

"This is a pretty dense asteroid belt, Sir," said K'Lara. "We'll have to take it a little slower than usual. I estimate it'll be four and a half hours."

"Well, I'm confident you won't plow us into any giant boulders, Commander." Maruu smiled.

"Yes, Sir," K'Lara smiled back.
________________________________________

Benton had spent the last four and a half hours trying to focus the strange reading he had been receiving from the target asteroid, and he had had some measure of success. As the *Virgo* closed the last few thousand miles between itself and the target asteroid, Benton's sensor readings had become significantly sharper, however some details still remained hidden and unexplained.

Commander K'Lara was saying to the captain, "We have arrived at the asteroid, Sir."

Captain Maruu was still sitting in his command chair. He looked up from the PADD he was reading and said, "Very well. Standard orbit."

"Aye, Sir," came the reply.

Benton chimed in, "Captain, I have the sensor report."

"Let's have it, Lieutenant," said the captain.

"I've made several very deep sensor sweeps of the asteroid, Sir. There's more here than we first detected," said Benton. "I have detected traces of *refined* metals. Also, there appear to be several cavities inside the asteroid that appear capable of supporting life...and...faint emanations of generated power," he finished.

Captain Maruu let that last announcement sink in for a second. They had not expected this at all. He asked, "Any signs of life?"

"None that I can detect, Sir."

Maruu thought for only a brief moment, then turned his gaze towards the ceiling intercom system. He announced, "All senior officers, meet me in the main briefing room now."

Maruu stood and moved towards the briefing room door on the port side of the bridge. His officers followed him, their stations being taken over by subordinates.

It only took a few minutes for the senior officers to arrive from engineering and medical. When all were assembled and in their respective seats, the captain started the meeting.

"Mr. Benton, Please repeat you sensor readings for those of us who have not heard them yet."

Benton repeated what he had just told Maruu on the bridge. He finished by saying, "In short, what we have here appears to be an artificial asteroid. The tridanium we have detected has already been refined..."

"Which will make our job a LOT easier," interrupted Loran.

"...the dilithium appears to already to have been mined and stockpiled..."

"Which will make our job a LOT easier," interrupted Loran again.

"...and the interior of the asteroid appears capable of supporting life..."

"Which will make our job a LOT easier," interrupted Loran yet again.

Benton wondered at the uncharacteristic rudeness of Garek's remarks. He was not usually this insensitive.  Must be because of the recent deaths of several of his friends,* he thought.

"That concludes my report," said Benton, resuming his seat.

Maruu turned his chair a little and said, "Mr. Loran, what do you think?"

Garek looked up, but for a few seconds was silent. His eyes had a faraway look, then he seemed to return to reality. He said, "Um... It sounds okay to me, Sir."

Maruu looked at Loran somewhat quizzically, then turned to Commander Lataro. He said, "Commander, what are your recommendations?"

Lataro answered, "We'd be walking into a lot of unknowns over there, Captain. I suggest we take a minimal party at first: heavy security, science and engineering to make scans. If we determine the area to be secure, then we can beam down larger details to begin the dilithium and tridanium extraction."

Maruu pondered the plan a few seconds. Finally, he said, "Very well, Jon. The initial landing party is at your discretion." He addressed the entire assembly. "We need these materials for our general repairs and for our new transwarp drive. Let's get this done people."