Title: "Alien Autopsy"
Author: Lt. Jenara Tomme
Stardate: 2460452
Earthdate: June 13, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

After a couple of days of prepping and initial tests, Jenara finally had the clearance to go ahead with the autopsies of the three dead red-skinned aliens. Dr. Dana Maruu had some emergencies to take care of which left Jenara there with two assistants. As she began setting up the scanner to get a look at the inside structure of one of the beings, something wasn't right with it. Since the run in with this new alien race, some things had been malfunctioning. As it turned out, this large medical scanner was one of them. Something to add to the list for repairs, she noted.

"All right..." she replied, removing the useless piece of equipment out of the way. "Looks like we get to do this the old fashioned way..."

Groans echoed from Ensign Francesca Milano and Ensign Maya Rogers. Though the girls were young, they were still very efficient. Swiftly, they went around the lab grabbing the new tools that would be required, including the protective gear they would need.

"Were we able to get any kind of scans on the bodies?" Jenara asked, making sure her hair was pulled back away from her face. *If only I could just shape-shift it back,* she thought with a sigh. Being without her abilities was difficult and took some getting use to.

"Actually, some preliminary scans were done yesterday," Francesca said.

"All right. You two keep setting up. I'll be right back."

Jenara went to the computer in the office area and uploaded the scans. As she ran through them briefly, she noted that the scans were not detailed. But it did give her an idea of where the heart was: lower in the abdomen, surrounded by its own protection of bones, an extension of the ribcage connected by a length of cartilage at the waist. The lungs seemed to be close to the same place as Terrans, but larger. Their stomach, or rather, chain of stomachs began in their chest where the heart would be for a Human. Taking another look, she got up and went back to the body. Her assistants were already dressed in protective gear and waiting for instructions. Quickly, she donned the gear herself and asked for a laser scalpel. With the very first incision,
she saw that the blood on the inside of the body was a bluish-green color. Quickly, she took samples, feeling her stomach begin doing flip flops. Soon, she had the V-cut done around the collar bone of the chest. Then she continued making the incision down from the bottom-tip of the "V" to the top of the pelvic region. The smell was hardly pleasant as together, the girls pulled aside the skin to see the organs of this man's body. He was a male of the species. That was discovered early since the genitalia were obvious and in a very likely place.

"All right," Jenara said, "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible."

As they began their investigation, Jenara had to quell the desire to just retch right there. She had been through old fashioned autopsies before, but this time everything just got her: the visual stimulation, the smell of the man's bowels exposed to the air; it was difficult holding on to her professional demeanor.

After a grueling couple of hours and no real important discoveries, Jenara called it quits. As she pulled off the protective gear, Ensign Milano looked at her. "Should we prep another body?" she asked, a bit squeamishly.

Jenara shook her head, her face was pale. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. I don't think we're going to learn anymore than we know now about their physiology. However, put them back in the cooler and we'll see what the Captain wants done with them."

With curt nods exchanged, Jenara left, taking a deep breath of fresh air in the corridor. She was still very weak, and began heading to her quarters, but instead decided to head to sickbay where she could retrieve something for the nausea she was fighting. This pregnancy was definitely taking a toll on her. As she sighed, she thought about Johnny Chee. Because of this invasion, they never had that chance to meet, and they did have things to talk about. She could just feel it...
 

Title: "Putting the Past Away"
Author: Lieutenant Richard Wallace
Stardate: 2460452
Earthdate: June 14, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Lieutenant Wallace had just come off duty and was looking forward to taking it easy for a little while. He walked into his quarters and went over to the replicator and ordered coffee and then sat down on the couch in his quarters and streyched out. It was dead quite in his quarters, and that's how he liked it. He then started to remember something from the stillness. He shut his eyes and saw he was back on AR-558, and it was the last battle of that campaign led by then Captain Sisko. He had help placed mines all over the valley from their postion. Richard was back at base camp readying his phaser rifle for the coming attack. Then, out of nowhere, came this music played by Sisko's doctor. It was quite comforting music. Then, when it was over, the screams of the Jem'Hadar came. Wallace opened his eyes and looked around and saw he was not on that planet. He felt pain in his heart. *Damn it.*

He got up and left his quarters and went to the turbolift and said, "Deck ten." He looked down at the floor and saw in his mind fellow officers die.

The turbolift came to a halt and Wallace stepped off. He walked into the Days End Lounge and saw it was busy. Richard walked up to the bar and saw Lazarus Kox and ordered a beer.

Richard went over and sat down in the corner table and drank his beer; his mind was heavy on the battles he fought, his whole career.

Then came Yeoman Harper and sat in front of Lieutenant Wallace. This kind of threw him off some what. "Well, sir, I finished our findings on the T'rais. Do you care to check it, sir?" She placed a PADD on the table in front of Richard.

He took it and read it and was pleased with her work. "Very well done, crewman."

"Thank you, sir. Mind if I ask you something, sir?"

Richard was a little interested. He nodded his head.

"I have checked your service record. Is it true you have been in 123 different battles, in 17 years?"

"Yes. What is the real question, yeoman."

"Sir, teach me how to fight. I aim to get home alive in one piece."

Richard felt at ease being asked to do something to help someone survive combat. "All right. We'll meet here at 1900 hours along with two other crewmates who will be trained as tactical officers in case something happens to us."

Lucy smiled and said, "Sir, I'll be here ready and waiting."

Richard gave smile and walked out of the lounge. *Now is the time to put the past away and teach these young, inexperienced crewmates mistakes not to make.*
 

Title: "Education"
Name: Steve Condrey
Author: Maj. Johnny Chee
Realdate: July 18, 1999
Stardate: 2460452
Earthdate: June 13, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

<<OOC: The field problem is derived from the beginning of the TOS episode "Arena">>>

The drilling of the new unit went smoothly; another new recruit had signed up the day before when the heavy weapons were delivered. Private Bren Maxon, a tall, wiry Betazed with a perpetually bored look on his face took to the training quite well despite having originally come from the ship's administrative section as a file clerk. *This keeps up, administration's gonna start hurting for people!* Johnny thought as he reflected on the fact that three of the five new recruits had been clerical personnel. *Pretty soon they'll start calling the platoon "Chee's Clerks"!!! Don't want to gum up the administrative processes of Starfleet any more than they already are! I wonder if they'd take Zelansky in exchange...*

The "problem child" in the unit was starting his second day of punishment detail. Zelansky was missing valuable training time, but he had been the one to make that choice as far as Johnny (and the rest of the platoon) was concerned. His absence had not hindered anyone else, that was certain!

"Good work, Maxon! Are you *sure* you haven't done this before?" Johnny overheard Barek praising the new recruit over successfully solving a field problem: this time a recreation of the Gorn attack on the Cestus III outpost circa stardate 3045.6. The problem was the successful placement of a photon grenade launcher needed to repel the attack as well as mounting a counterattack against the Gorn position in the hills overlooking the outpost. Maxon had efficiently located the grenade launcher near the base's administrative complex, providing for cover as well as a clear field of fire, while Nkrumah and Olivares led the two squads into the hills after Maxon's bombardment was complete.

The squads returned from the hills, leading back four Gorn prisoners who were tied up but hissing something about the Federation violating Gorn territorial integrity (which was, in fact, the case historically). The armor of three Marines was tinted bright yellow, indicating that a hit had been scored on them.

"Computer, end program!" Barek ordered. The holodeck reverted to its usual yellow-grid-on-black-walls test pattern; the armor of the casualties reverted to its normal olive-drab. "Three dead: that's a twenty percent casualty rate!!! The original battle at Cestus III was turned back by five Starfleet officers! We can do better than that! Nkrumah, what happened out there?"

"A party of Gorn had shielded itself from the photon blasts behind heavy rocks. We were ambushed as we passed the outcropping," the burly West African corporal responded.

"And the lesson learned is?" Barek asked.

"Scout ahead: use tricorders whenever possible. Do not assume that the bombardment was completely successful!"

"Very good! On Bajor we were able to kill a lot of Cardassians simply because some *glinn* with less experience than you've got assumed that the softening attacks worked and that the other team had done its job. Determined troops will *always* find a place to hide, even if they have to dig it out of the rocks themselves! At Cestus III Starfleet was lucky: the Gorn force was only about half what you saw here, and the base was able to take a few of the Gorn with them before being overrun," Barek replied.

*Having James T. Kirk present didn't hurt, either,* Johnny thought, forever amazed at the incredible amount of luck Starfleet's most legendary commander seemed to possess. *If I didn't know better I'd swear that man had a wolf on his side!*

"Olivares, your team came back unharmed, but you faced exactly the same tactical situation," Johnny prompted, addressing the tall, thin Latino who led the other squad. The program was deliberately set up that way, so that he could assess the comparative skill level of the squad leaders. "What did you do differently?"

"Sir, we phasered any rocks in our path big enough to conceal a Gorn!"

"Crude, but effective, and that's all it has to be! Just remember that phasers only hold so much charge, and you do *not* want to take a combat knife in against someone with a disruptor! Trust me on this one, people!" Johnny told the troops, remembering his own such experience. "In the field, the only rule we're bound to uphold is the Prime Directive. By the time we're called in, diplomacy is out the window, and you can count on the enemy, and that's exactly who our opponent is, not abiding by the Khitomer Convention or any other so-called 'rules of war'. Do what you have to do to ensure the survival of yourself and your team! *That's* the lesson for today! Sergeant, dismiss the platoon!"

The platoon dispersed upon hearing the order. One man was limping, but Barek caught him and sent him to Sickbay.

"What was wrong with that man?" Johnny asked.

"Private Horigawa twisted his knee up in the rocks," the sergeant replied. "Seems fairly minor; it's still able to bear weight. Nothing that can't be handled by a trip to Sickbay."

"Inform the private that his endurance is commendable, but if he is hurt he is to immediately report the fact to his squad leader. I don't want him out of commission for a week while his knee is regenerated," Johnny replied. Horigawa was one of his original command; headstrong and a little too stubborn for his own good. *A lot like someone else I know,* Johnny thought, reflecting upon his own youthful blunders. "Get Maxon's measurements to the quartermaster by 0800 tomorrow; I want that man in armor by day's end. He's brilliant with the heavy weapons, but he needs to get up to speed with his fieldcraft. Carry on, Sergeant!"

"Aye, sir!" Barek replied, then departed for the "quarterdeck": the name, dating back to the days of wooden ships and iron men, of that part of the ship where the Marine platoon was bunked. Johnny made a few notes on his PADD, then went to his office.
_____________________________________

The results of the autopsy of the dead intruders were waiting on Johnny's terminal as he entered his office. He looked them over briefly.

*Hmm...more than likely mammals, denser musculature, more advanced digestive tract and lungs, but the heart's in a damned vulnerable position, even with the bony casing! Probably not all that flexible through the trunk,* Johnny thought to himself, assessing this potential enemy. *I wonder if Wallace has anything on their weapons,* he thought as he composed an inquiry to the ship's Tactical Officer who was no doubt overseeing the dismantling and examination of the alien equipment.

Johnny then sent orders to Barek, ordering him to brief the troops on the unknown attackers with specific instructions that due to their countermeasures against conventional phaser fire, only the Type 5 enhanced phaser rifle at 75% power should be used against these attackers. *Better emphasize fire discipline, especially with the newbies: 75% would just about incinerate an unprotected individual, but it should cut right through that defensive beam of theirs with enough intensity to impose a heavy stun.* The Type 5, originally designed for use against the Borg (but, like so many other advances, not delivered in time for that opponent), was the most powerful weapon in Starfleet's small-arms inventory. *I hope that does the job! The Captain would no doubt look very dimly upon us throwing antipersonnel grenades down the ship's corridors!*

Still, however, Johnny authorized five grenades apiece for Barek, Nkrumah, and Olivares.  Just in case...
_____________________________________

The day's business done, Johnny headed to Sickbay to check on Private Horigawa, only to find he had been discharged and sent back to the quarterdeck. On his way out, he bumped into Jenara Tomme.

"Fancy meeting you here!" she exclaimed, looking a little green in the face. Jenara definitely did *not* look well.

"Are you all right?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine...just a little...you know..."

Johnny knew exactly what she was referring to, but decided to cover her. "Yeah, I read the details on that autopsy. None too pleasant making them that way; never bothered to hang around long enough to cut them up afterward!" *Oh, real smooth, Johnny-boy!!!* At that point Johnny wanted to report to Private Zelansky and have himself thrown into the waste recycling unit!

Jenara laughed, sensing Johnny's embarrassment. "Nothing like a little humor to lighten things up!" Strangely enough, she continued laughing! At him or his inane comment, Johnny couldn't tell. "Let me get something for my stomach, then maybe we can have that meeting we discussed the day before yesterday..."

"Sounds good to me; I'm not going anywhere!" Johnny replied.
 

Title: "Past Nightmares, Future Dreams"
Author: Lt. Jenara Tomme
Stardate: 2460452
Earthdate: June 14, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Finally, Jenara and Johnny made it to the Day's End Lounge. They arranged an intimate table with candlelight near a large porthole. The view was breathtaking. Without much thought, Jenara ordered something simple. Some cheese and fruit with some sparkling guava juice. Johnny decided on a roast beef sandwich and a cold beer. As Jenara nibbled on her light fare, Johnny began devouring his meal.

"I'm sorry...perhaps I should back off a little. I always feel uncomfortable eating too much when other folks are trying to cut back," he said, glancing at her from his meal.

"Cutting back is hardly what I would call it," she smiled, nibbling a piece of melon. Her complexion looked much better than it had earlier. She was no longer a shade of green! "Just after this day's work, the last thing I wanted was anything heavy in my stomach. Being pregnant has many side effects I'm learning."

"If it's anything like what Human women go through for you, I'll bet it's really interesting!!! I remember when my sister was expecting: for some reason all she wanted was fish! Which is unusual because my people don't ordinarily eat fish," he explained.

"Well, I find that I crave Mexican food out of all things! I don't know why, but when my stomach feels like it's touch and go, like now, lighter fare is better. But strange cravings are part of pregnancy. At least I haven't had any food aversions, really," she replied, with a smile, taking a sip of her juice.

Johnny took another bite out of his sandwich. The beer, a Ferengi brew, sat gathering sweat on its bottle as Johnny continued.

"As long as you don't start craving gagh!!!"

Jenara laughed. "THAT might actually cause a food aversion!" she replied, envisioning the wiggling Klingon meal with a playful shudder.

"I think that carries sushi to an extreme, myself!" he added, remembering the drunken binge during which he actually tried the serpent worms on a dare. *Never again!* he thought to himself.

Suddenly Jenara started giggling again. "Oh no!" she replied. "That would be pretty bad..."

"What's so funny?"

She raised her eyebrows quizzically. "Your trying those worms on a dare! That must have been quite an experience. I'm sorry, the image was just so clear in your mind."

"Are you a telepath?" Johnny asked, shocked. *Who knows what she's been seeing in my mind!!!*

"Ahhh," she replied, her smile becoming subdued. "You didn't know. Yes, I am telepathic and empathic. Most Tanzarans are. I didn't mean to intrude on your thoughts, but when something is very strong in one's mind, it almost seems to shout out to me. Most times I can control it, but with you, however, I find that things are...different.
I know that doesn't make much sense."

"Remind me never to play poker with you, then!" Johnny laughed. Her laugher returned along with her smile.

"But that's quite all right: there are cases of Vulcans and Humans who've become close enough to the point that the usual Vulcan restraints on telepathy tend to become weakened. Probably the same thing is going on here."

She was quiet for a moment, and gazed into his dark eyes. "You know, I believe you're right. We don't really know each other and yet... There's something there. So I'm not the only one who feels it. Good! I thought I might be going crazy."

Suddenly, Johnny looked down at his plate for a moment, then brought his eyes back up to meet hers once again. "Could I ask you something? Back on Xenon III, when I was unconscious, did you pick up anything then?" Johnny asked. Perhaps she had some insights into his dream, which still lingered in his thoughts even after nearly three months.

Jenara nodded slightly as she thought. "I remember that your dream was very troubled. I only saw enough to know that you were facing people out of your past/ That for some reason they frightened you."

"In my dream, I found myself entering Ghostland, the Navajo underworld. At the gates to the underworld we are examined by those who have gone before, to determine if we truly are dead. Most of the dead I've known were enemies, or people for whom I was responsible at one point or another," he explained. "The dead often seek revenge upon the living, and that had me very afraid. But they reassured me that it was not my time and that I need not fear revenge now. I was also told..." Johnny started, then decided to hold back. He didn't want his
dream to be interpreted as some sort of cheap pick-up. That would have been an insult both to the ghosts
and to Jenara.

"That there was a woman in your future?" she finished, vaguely remembering something from the dream images she had received.

"Yes!" Johnny replied, excitedly. To relax himself after that moment of anxiety and terror, he downed a huge swig of his beer, thankful she had beaten him to it.

"I have to say that I had a similar dream," she stated timidly. "This might sound strange, but I have a spirit that dwells in me. Her name is Tiadara. When I almost died, she told me that you and I..." she continued, stopping momentarily to lick her lips which had gone dry, "...our paths are intertwined. That together nothing could stop us,
but apart we would fall. I was never quite sure whether or not to believe her."

~Believe me,~ came Tiadara's voice from within her.

The facetious side of Johnny wondered what the Bajoran Prophets and the Virgin of Guadelupe had to say about the matter when he noticed a change come over Jenara. As if she were somehow occupied internally.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "Tiadara was...telling me to believe her. I know I sound like a mental case, but I assure you, she's real." Gently Jenara shook with uncertainty. This was entirely new territory for her after 129 years.

"It's all right. I believe you! A lot of Starfleet officers like to discount spiritual things, but that's one lesson at the Academy I seem to have slept through!"

She laughed. "Well, I had never really been spiritual. On my world Tiadara was considered a protector goddess. I never believed in her really. But when Tiadara appeared on Xenon III and told me she was a spirit... Well, it became a little difficult to ignore!" she explained. "I'm glad you believe me," she said softly, gazing into his face.

"How could I not? And who would I be to discount your beliefs even if I didn't? That's the height of rudeness!!!"

"But there are still people out there that discount what they don't understand. I've just never had to explain anything like this before. Its a bit unnerving for me." She smiled.

Johnny took her hand, tentatively, but something within him told him it was the right thing to do. "Those people never had to spend six months in a Cardassian prison camp. The ones who did were never the same again. My commanding officer, just before they finally executed him, was praying to anyone who would listen! Sometimes people just need to be challenged before they start to think and see," he replied.

She nodded as she could see the images of the prison camp that filtered to her. Then, images of Tanzaria's destruction hit her. Tears misted her eyes, but just as quickly, she pushed them away.

"You're right. Sometimes there had to be a challenge. Something to overcome or something to strive for."

Johnny's tongue subconsciously wandered to the empty place where the molar the Cardassians took for identification purposes used to be. "Yeah. After I got back the first thing I did was apply for leave back on Earth. I went back to the Homeland and had the Enemy Way sung over me. Really made me appreciate all my ancestors had to go through to preserve their beliefs from people who weren't even true to their own!"

"Its good that you had somewhere to go and family to help you through those dark days of recovery. I didn't have that. Though I was adopted by a very nice couple on Earth and raised. But I lost the connection to my past. It took me years to set foot on Tanzaria again after the attack. Even now, I have a hard time going back there. Maybe with Tiadara's help, I can return one of these days. It was a beautiful place."

Memories of the attack again rushed her mind. *This is not good,* she thought.

~Don't worry about that. You will make it right. But it's not time yet,~ Tiadara whispered.

"Tiadara weighing in on this one?" Johnny asked. He sensed it was probably time to change the subject. "Where did you grow up?"

"Outside of Tanzaria, I grew up in southern California on Earth. I stayed there until I was old enough to strike off on my own. I didn't stay in one play for very long after that, not until I joined Starfleet."

"Then we were neighbors!"

"Really?" she replied with surprise.

"The Homeland is between Arizona and New Mexico and extends north into Colorado. Tuba City is where I grew up." Although the area which was formerly the combined Navajo and Hopi reservations had become the 54th of the United States in 2084, political boundaries meant little those days and were mainly of historical interest.

"I remember I was through that area once. I think I was wandering the country at that time. It was one of my trips back to Earth to visit my adopted sister."

"Have you been to Tuba City?" He asked.

"I think I might have!" she replied, though the memory wasn't very strong. But she had gone so many places in her lifetime so far and it was difficult to keep all the places straight. However, it sounded familiar.

"It's one of the three main cities of the Homeland: Oraibi and Chaco Canyon are bigger, but Tuba City's where all our bureaucrats hang out. Not really much to remember. Which is why I left!"

"And joined Starfleet!"

"Well, the Marines, anyway. The Navajo and the Marines go way back! If you've gotta sign up, it's the Corps or nothing! Besides, it seems to match my talents well."

Again Jenara laughed. "Well, if you put it that way!"

"Can't say as if I regret it. I like the outdoors a lot better than staying confined aboard a ship all the time. This is a nice ship, but for me it's just transportation to the next mission!"

"I see your point. I'm not crazy about being onboard ship all the time myself, but that's why I use the holodeck. It's not the same thing exactly, but it works until shore leave. It's not as fun now that I can't shape shift, but I suppose I will survive," she giggled again.

A fragment of an ancient Disco tune drifted through Johnny's mind, causing him to start laughing uncontrollably, almost choking on his sandwich. "Well, we're both a long way from home, it would seem. But then again, home is where the heart is...and in my work. I don't exactly enjoy having to hurt or kill other people, but the other things, the camaraderie, the chance to test one's physical and mental skill, these things are really what gets me up in the morning!" *Of course it doesn't have to be *all* that gets me up in the morning.* He smiled at Jenara, then realized he was still holding her hand.

"All I've had for so long is my work, some research and whatnot, but I'm starting to believe that maybe there's more to get up for in the mornings myself."

"Are you reading my mind again?" Johnny said coyly.

"What can I say? Some emotions and images are too strong to block." She smiled softly, a light pink flush coming to her cheeks.

"Good. Because that line was too corny even for me to use!!!"

She smiled. "So where do we go from here?" she asked, knowing what her heart was saying and yet, she was still just a bit afraid. She'd never had feelings like these before for anyone. She had never felt so connected to another person. And there was the fact that she was pregnant. Would that matter? Her free hand moved down to touch her very slightly bulging abdomen.

Johnny caught Jenara's distant look, distinctly different than the one she had when Tiadara was communicating with her. Where her hand had fallen also had not escaped his notice. "I think I know what's bothering you. Listen, I won't let your pregnancy stand in the way if you won't. It's not as though you're running out on your husband or anything. I read what there was of the reports and I will help you any way I can."

A sigh of relief came from her. "I didn't know if you would understand about the baby, since I'm not sure I understand myself," she replied. "What I need is emotional support. So far, I have had to do this alone, and it's been scary. Especially after Xenon III! Sometimes I still have nightmares." She remembered the fighting, and then when Johnny had saved her from a death blow from the Horde. "I want us to draw close. But never having felt like this before, where do we start?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.

"'Perfect love casts out fear,'" Johnny quoted. "The first thing we can do is stop being afraid! I've never been truly involved with anyone before in my entire life! I'll be honest with you: I haven't led a pure life by any means. But since I became an officer I've made a concerted effort to set a good example for my men and the people around me. It's helped my reputation but it's done absolutely nothing for my personal life! I'd like to change that too. But don't expect a lot of sage advice from me on this one. Let's just have fun with it to start out!"

"Sounds like a very good idea!" she said. "Have you ever been to one of the beaches on Teldarius at night?"

"Other than training on Earth and the occasional shore leave at Risa, I've not been to the beach very much at all."

"Well, on a summer night, the water is warm and the three moons glow in the sky; it's really beautiful! I was thinking that, if I could arrange time in the holodeck, you might like to see it. It's not as good as the real thing. But it would be something close to the real thing. Something that could be fun," she replied.

"I have access to Holodeck Three pretty much whenever I need it. That's where we run our field problems. We'll just have to make sure we're out of there before 0500 or else we'll be in the middle of the Pusan perimeter tomorrow morning!"

"Well, that would be interesting!" she laughed, imagining waking up surrounded by fighting. "So then the beach sounds good?"

"Lead the way, madame!!!"

Without further invitation, Jenara stood from her seat, Johnny standing up after her, still holding her hand gently. Together they left the lounge.
 

Title: "T'Lan"
Author: Lt. Commander K'Lara
Stardate: 2460463
Earthdate: June 18, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Lt. Commander K'Lara paced the floor of the living area as she held her week old son in her arms. He had awakened crying and she scrambled to find out what was wrong with him. She finally learned that he needed changing. Now, she was trying to get him back to sleep and was barely succeeding. Each time she was about to lay him in his crib, he would begin to cry again. She finally decided on just letting him fall asleep in her arms.

*I wish Jon would help me out,* K'Lara thought as she paced the room. *Maruu keeps him so busy I hardly ever get to see him unless we're on the Bridge at the same time. It's getting frustrating.*

K'Lara sighed and patted her son's back. She noticed that he had finally fallen asleep. She smiled and went to put him in his crib. That time, he hadn't cried. She smiled at him and smoothed the growing hair on his head. She then silently went back to bed.
___________________________________

The next morning, K'Lara took her son to the Day's End Lounge. She had already fed him and she thought that this would be a good way to introduce him to the rest of the crew. She stopped when she realized that her mother must have done the same thing. She stared at the doors to the DEL and smiled.

*I guess I get to be in my mother's shoes after all,* K'Lara thought as she walked through the doors. *I just hope T'Lan is as well received.*

K'Lara went to a replicator and ordered herself a meal. She could feel the eyes upon her back as the  crewmembers looked at her son. She turned and walked toward an empty table and sat down.

She could feel T'Lan begin to squirm. He was getting restless with all the new people and sounds going on around him. She didn't want to let him go, though. She was afraid that he might get lost or stepped on.

"T'Lan," K'Lara growled, and he stopped fidgeting. He looked at her with glowing eyes, and she knew he was about to throw a temper.

"We'll meet all the new people in a minute, T'Lan," she said with a hint of her own temper in her voice.

"I see you have a hand full there, K'Lara," a voice said, breaking the tension.

K'Lara looked up to see Dana Maruu standing over her. She had a smile on her face that showed she was amused by what she saw.

"He's just curious about all these people. He wants to go meet them all."

Dana smiled as she saw the concern in the half-Klingon's eyes. "I'll take him on a tour while you eat, K'Lara. I'm betting that the crew is curious about T'Lan as well."

K'Lara smiled, "That would be great. I'll pick him up when your shift starts again."

Dana returned the smile as she took T'Lan in her arms. The baby was already pointing in the direction he wanted to go. The doctor laughed as she took him to see Lt. Commander Benton.

K'Lara shook her head and returned to her meal. She closed her eyes and sighed. It was nice to take a break for awhile, but it was even better to return to work.