Capt Ayers

Nick enters the holodeck and waits until the doors close behind him before he looks around. He had spent days working on this program, getting the locale, the sounds, the smells and the view just right. And now....he sighs to himself quietly. He glances at the table set for two near the railing before glancing around the rest of the boat. He steps over to the railing and looks out across the water at the night lit Eiffel tower. He had created the program for two reasons. The first was that it was how he wanted to celebrate his birthday. He's never been to Paris yet in his life and with living so far away it may be a long time until he can see the real thing. The second reason was who he wanted to spend his birthday with. They had precious little time lately just to be alone and be a couple and that was the birthday present he wanted most. Time to eat a lesiourly dinner, perhaps do some dancing or perhaps some other things. Just simply time where Starfleet, the station and the rest of the universe didn't find ways to intrude. And yet the universe had found a way to intrude none the less. Ethan was off leading a rescue mission and there would be no celebration, not at least until she got back. And if the distress signal turned out to be as bad as it sounded, she wouldn't feel much like celebrating anyways. He clenches his hand into a fist in frustration, thinking that sometimes the job cost them far too much, even if it was the job itself that brought them together. Perhaps it was time to.... He shakes his head before saying "Computer, deactivate program and save. Show exit...."

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our English dead! In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility, But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger, Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage. --Henry V, Shakespeare Nick frowns slightly as the mouth of the wormhole opens up and spreads across the display screen of the viewscreen. He knows it's hardly logical or scientific of him but a shiver of fear runs down his spine as it occurs to him that this wormhole appears a bit more...violent and primal then the Bajoran wormhole or the others he's seen in his career. He sighs inwardly as he mentally chastises himself for that thought. Wormholes aren't alive so they couldn't harbor ill will. They were a thing and while the forces that created them could indeed by violent they were still only things. Objects to be careful around...but hardly afraid of. Perhaps it's because this wormhole apparently was the means that the Breen used to destroy Aegis and make their escape that was giving rise to these thoughts of his. The same way that simple geometric shapes always made some back corner of his mind think about the Borg and their ships. Turning his gaze from the viewscreen he shifts his attention towards Muon standing at the tactical console. With as much calmness as he can muster he says "Ready a probe to be sent into the wormhole ahead of us and go to red alert. And inform the Romulans of our intentions." After a second's glance back at the viewscreen he says "Helm, prepare to enter the wormhole."

Nick sighs as he glances around what was...what used to be the quarters he shared with Ethan on Aegis. All in all it wasn't too bad, at least the quarters hadn't been vented to open space. Still there was obvious signs that the station had been savagely attacked and that the damage extended to their quarters. Part of the ceiling in the bedroom of Ethan's half had been crumpled down enough that he had to nearly stoop to enter it. And one of the support beams embedded in the ceiling had come loose, crashed down through the ceiling and had embedded itself pretty much in the middle of the baby grand piano that Nick had in his half of the quarters. Privately he wonders what sort of hoops he's going to have to jump through to get another one made and taken to his quarters when the station is rebuilt. He steps around the remains of the piano to a shelf and examines the remains there. He frowns darkly to himself. He had two crystal globes there before the attack. Each was acid etched to replicate two planets, one Earth and the other the El Aurian home world. Sighing he picks through the pieces of crystal..all that remains of both globes. Suppressing the resurgent anger at the Breen for what they had done, he taps his commbadge and says "Ayers to USS Lewis, one to beam back.

USS Lewis Observation Lounge Nick sighs to himself as he takes a sip of his tea before returning his attention to the stars beyond the windows. He murmurs "A year...such a fragile short thing..and yet..." He sighs again and shakes his head. With the coming holiday his mood had definitely taken a turn for the worse. It was annoying..this Christmas was supposed to be special, the marking of the passing of the first year of his marriage to Ethan. And yet with the destruction of the Aegis and it's subsequent rebuilding, the process of which has just barely started, he had barely any time really to think of something to get her or how exactly to celebrate. And it didn't help that the quarters they were sharing on the Lewis weren't home. What he had considered home was the joint quarters they shared on Aegis...quarters that had managed to escape most of the damage done to the Station but still what they had left behind was likely to remain lost. It was going to probably be months before he could even step foot on the new Aegis and get back to some semblance of what had been normal for him. And then..even then it wasn't going to be the same. He wonders how long he's going to feel out of place this time..how long it would be before he felt like he had a home again.

Nick sighs as he stands up. "Excuse me, Ambassador, but I have other things to tend to since we've arrived back home." He steps towards the door leading from the ready room but as he reaches he pauses and says over his shoulder "I do have one suggestion though. I suggest you look up the 20th century's Soviet Union and their practice of assigning political officers, or zampolit as they called them, to military units and naval ships,...and how well that did not work out. Good day, Ambassador." With that he walks out onto the Bridge and says "There should be a Cardassian facility near Aegis position now. Put it on screen." Nick idly wonders to himself as to what exactly the Cardassians were giving them. All the Admiral had said was something about some type of space-dock facility. Nick glances up at the screen as it switches to show the Cardassian facility. He frowns as he stands, saying "Magnify." The image magnifies several times to show the Cardassian facility. Nick resists the urge to swear outloud as the facility is clearly one that had been mothballed more than a short amount of time. He glances back at tactical "Scan that thing...and get Admiral Goran on the line." As he turns back to the viewscreen he thinks to himself "Never trust a Cardassian promise...."

Nick wakes up shivering in a cold sweat with his heart racing. Even as the nightmare fades he remembers what it was about. The recent temporal incident had caused everyone that had been on the Control Tower to experience what were far too realistic deaths. The nightmare had recounted those..the deaths he had experienced along with the experience of watching and feeling Ethan and the others around him die. Privately he muses that it's no wonder he'd had a nightmare about it. It was pretty much one of the things that he fears the most. The psych test he had faced over twenty years earlier while he was a cadet in the Academy had focused on exactly that fear. He had nightmares for a week after that test. And now it was like it all came roaring back. He slips out of bed and moves to his closet to retrieve some clothes to change into. He exits the bedroom and steps towards the door that lead to the corridor. As the door opens he reaches down to catch the kitten that Ethan had adopted. He scratches the kitten behind the ears causing it to purr. He softly murmurs "Furrball, you really need to learn to stop that. This station is much too big for you to run around in." He sets the kitten down and makes sure the door closes without the kitten slipping through. He turns to walk down the cooridor and within a few minutes he finds himself outside one of the holosuites. He has the computer bring up a program and start it. That done, he steps through the doors. He finds himself standing on a grassy hill overlooking a field. A lone tree adorns the top of the hill and it's to the tree that he walks. The gentle breeze whips through his hair which seems to be glowing spectrally under the full moon. Reaching the top of the hill he sits down under the tree and then lays down on his back. He stares up at the star lit sky and he does so the breeze picks up a little, bringing a haunted sound to him. He continues to stare up at the stars as he loses himself in his thoughts.

Nick frowns slightly as he reads through some paperwork while in his office. It was amazing, he thought, that even in a crisis paperwork could pile up..in fact it seemed to pile up faster. Granted, he wasn't a neat freak but his desk had gotten a little too messy thanks to various padds and forms and such as of late for even his taste. He sets the padds aside and sighs to himself. There is just one last little matter to take care...the disposal of the Rixian that had tried to kill him. What with the Romulans and everything else that had happened, there simply hadn't been time to deal with the dead would-be murderer. After a few moments he taps his comm badge and says "Doctor McKinny to my office please." DJ leaned against the back wall of the car as she rode the turbolift up to the Control Tower. She'd been a little surprised by the Captain's summons. He hadn't offered any explanation as to why he wanted to see her but she assumed it had something to do with her impending departure. She decided he must have had enough of Sickbay for a while. Now it was her turn to come to his office. The lift came to a slow stop and the doors swished open. DJ stepped out into the controlled chaos that was the station's command center. It never ceased to amaze her how many people were either coming to or leaving from the Control Tower. She wondered how they all managed to move up and down the corridors without some type of traffic signal. She much preferred the more mundane environment in Sickbay. It wasn't as noisy down there either. The CMO walked toward the Captain's office, greeting several passersby along the way. The door was open and Nick Ayers was sitting at his somewhat cluttered desk. "Dr. McKinny reporting as ordered, Captain," announced DJ. She smiled politely as looked up but waited for his invitation before entering the office. He glances up at the Doctor then gestures to one of the open chairs opposite him. He says "You could have entered after announcing yourself." He waits until she sits down to add "My apologies for summoning you up here like this but I think you may have an objection to what I'm about to ask and I thought it better to deal with that in private rather when in Sickbay or over the intercom. It occurs to me that with everything that's been going on we haven't dealt with the body of Damin yet." He pauses long enough to make sure that no trace of residual anger at what Damin had done leeches into his voice. "I want the body taken out of storage and cleaned up. Once that's done I'm going to have security take the body and put it in a torpedo casing and then I'm going to have it launched into the Cardassian sun." He settles back in his chair, awaiting the inevitable objection. "It's odd you should bring this up," replied DJ evenly as she walked toward one of the chairs in front of the Captain's desk. "I was asked just yesterday if any decision had been made regarding Damin's body. I assumed it was still....evidence." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I guess I was wrong. Sounds like the investigation is now over." Captain Ayers said nothing nor did he give any indication that she was right about the investigation. He simply sat quietly and waited for her to continue. He'd been right when he said she might have some objections to his plan. At the same time, DJ was hoping there was a viable reason behind it. She would hate to think Ayers wanted to send the Rixian's remains into the Cardassian sun for nothing more than revenge. "Shooting Damin's body into the sun is a bit dramatic, don't you think?" she asked casually, taking her seat. "Wouldn't it be much easier to cremate him and return his ashes to Rixis? I'm sure he has relatives who must be wondering where he is." "The investigation is for all intents and purposes over. There is no evidence that he acted with anyone here and it's impossible for us to find out whether the Rixian government or parts of it are responsible or not. Frankly, the Federation is not going to waste the resources to find out over one mere Starfleet Captain. Especially with this situation with the Romulans looming over everyone's heads." "As for shipping the body back to the Rixian home world that is likewise out of the question. We'd have to explain how Damin ended up here, how he died and what he did while here. That could at the least cause difficulties for the Rixian reformers like Dr. Lanvin. The Rixians by and large are prone to xenophobia, they were xenophobic over 1,000 years ago and they're just as xenophobic, if not more so, now. The reactionaries in their government would for sure try and pin Damin's death on us and use it to secure the retraction of the Rixian government's request for help. They'd rather die, Doctor, then ask assistance from people who they consider inferior. As much as I would personally like to return him to his family, Doctor, I am not inclined to create a martyr in so doing. Not when it might cost a species their existence." "I understand your concerns about returning him to Rixis," replied DJ. "Still, putting that body into a torpedo tube and firing it into the sun....well....that seems excessive." She half expected a rebuttal but the Captain never flinched. "If you're determined to vaporize him, we can do that here, on the station. It would be far more cost effective and require less effort." The CMO paused a moment, still focusing on Ayers. "Permission to speak freely?" she asked, hoping he would oblige. She was concerned there was more going on here than met the eye. "Of course. You hardly need to ask permission while in private, Doctor." He says that simply, with no trace of annoyance in his voice. "We will need to dispose of Damin's body," stated DJ. "But why would you even consider sending it into the Cardassian sun?" She shook her head and frowned slightly. "That's extreme, to say the least. Are you trying to erase any trace of Damin? Because that isn't possible. He's already left an indelible mark on many of us, especially you." The CMO leaned forward and lowered her voice slightly. "This idea to send his body into the sun sounds a little like an act of revenge. If it is, I assure you, it won't accomplish much. You may feel better for a little while but that will quickly fade. I understand your animosity toward him. But he's dead, Captain. There's nothing more he can do to you or anyone else for that matter. There is no need to take revenge on a corpse." Nick shakes his head slightly. "Doctor, this is not about revenge. And this isn't about my attempting to erase all traces of that Rixian. I am not the type to give into revenge but I think if I did so I'd do so personally. Meaning I'd take a type 3 phaser and go down to where the body is being stored and vaporize the body myself. And frankly..if I was to give into revenge..I wouldn't start with the bottom of my list..I'd start with the top of my list and trust me on the list of people and things that I have animosity towards..that Rixian specifically and the Rixians generally are pretty much near the bottom. I'd start with the Borg. In fact a few members of Starfleet Intel and one or two members of Section 31 I've had the displeasure of dealing with would rank higher then any Rixian. Since we can't send him back, sending his body into space seems the most humane thing to do. It's not like we can bury him somewhere." "He would start with the Borg?" thought DJ silently. "And Section 31? What is that all about?" But she kept those thoughts to herself. The Captain was part El-Aurian. She knew all too well what happened to their home world. And DJ vaguely recalled that Ayers was a veteran of Wolf 359. His bitterness toward the Borg was understandable. As for Section 31, she had to admit a degree of curiosity but it was none of her business. No matter how badly she wanted to know, she would never ask him what caused his resentment toward the spooks at Intel. Ayers seemed sincere when he said his plans for Damin had nothing to do with revenge. DJ didn't completely believe him but, in the overall scheme of things, there wasn't much she could do about it. She found herself wishing she was going to be around for a few more months. She would have kept an eye on Ayers, just to make sure. On the other hand, DJ couldn't argue with the Captain's logic when it came to returning Damin to Rixis. It had been a nice idea but even she knew it was highly improbable such a thing would happen. But shooting him into the Cardassian sun? She still considered that a waste of time and resources. It was far too glamorous for an assassin's corpse. "Well," said DJ with a grin. "Your hit list isn't that long. And I'm relieved that Damin's name is toward the bottom. I still think it would be much better to vaporize him in the morgue....quick and easy....no fanfare. But you're the boss. If you want to send him into the sun, we'll make the arrangements." Nick shakes his head sharply. "No, Doctor...my "hit list" as you describe it is far longer then you think. When I said that if I gave into revenge I'd start with the Borg...I wasn't speaking of one of them, nor was I speak of a thousand or even a million of them...I was speaking about all of them. That is a far larger number then you or anyone else within the Federation realizes." Nick frowns slightly as he studies her for a few moments. "Doctor, in case you don't understand..and I suspect that you don't since most people wouldn't treat the body of someone who tried to kill them with any sort of dignity..the reason I am willing to give the Rixian a burial that on face value he doesn't deserve is specifically to treat him better then he treated me. He was a coward for giving into dogma in the face of reality..for being willing to sacrifice his people for that dogma, he was a coward for trying to assassinate me and he died a cowards death but that does not mean that I have to sink to his level in how I treat or dispose of his body. He..his kind and far too many others in the Universe think they're inherently superior to everyone else..that they're better simply better because of what species they are or because of their culture or in the case of the Borg..because of their ability to conquer and assimilate those they can and destroy those they can't. This is simply a small gesture of defiance towards the darkness that breeds those types of beliefs....towards the darkness whose agents destroyed my people's home world..the same darkness that will destroy the Rixians if they don't choose a different path." DJ listened intently as the Captain spoke. His words brought with them a new appreciation of the man sitting across from her. She was sorry she hadn't gotten to know Nick Ayers a little better during her tour on Aegis. Yet, she was grateful she'd been able to see this side of him prior to her departure. "So, you have a long hit list," she replied lightly. "But other than the Borg, it doesn't sound like you're on the look out for too many bad guys. And I am genuinely impressed that you've held onto your sense of honor and dignity...that you've been able to avoid falling into that angry pit." DJ shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Take it from me, it's hard to crawl out of it." The CMO leaned forward in her chair. "So, if you want Damin's final resting place to be the Cardassian sun, then so be it. He's already cleaned up. As a matter of fact, the technicians dressed him on one of the better outfits we found in his luggage. Just let me know where you want him sent....and when." DJ stood up but remained in front of the Captain's desk. "Somehow, I knew you were targeting all of the Borg," she said in a more serious tone. "If given the opportunity, I would dare say you would eliminate every last one of them.....and I'd cheer you on. But if you were able to destroy their queen at the beginning of your purge, you might not have to kill as many of their rank and file. That said, I sincerely hope you never cross paths with any of them....ever again. It's probably best that you don't." Nick smiles faintly "Doctor, if that Rixian had attacked Ethan I'm not entirely sure I'd be quite so magnanimous. As for when...in a few hours will do." The smile disappears as he continues "As for the Borg queen..we've killed their queen before and they remain. I'm afraid, Doctor, that it will come down to killing every last one of them....those that we don't manage to save that is. And I'm equally afraid, Doctor, that I will cross paths with them again. If I live out my natural life span that will be about one thousand years assuming. It is a safe bet, Doctor, that they will come for the Federation sooner or later...because the simple fact is that the Federation is becoming a growing threat to them, one they will be unable to ignore for long..and they will come en masse for the Federation. The Federation can make peace and allies with the Romulans, the Cardassians, the Klingons, perhaps even some day the Breen just to name a few examples. But the one "species" that for sure the Federation will never make peace with is the Borg. They will destroy us or we will destroy them...that is the only choice that exists...light or dark." DJ nodded solemnly. "I hope you're wrong, Captain. I hope you live out your natural life without ever seeing them again." She turned and started walking to the door. "We'll notify you when Damin is ready," she continued as she stopped just inside the office and faced him once again. "It's been a pleasure serving with you, Captain. I wish you and Commander Hawke the best of luck. May you both live long and prosper." She grinned mischievously. "And maybe have a couple of kids. There's nothing like children to take some of the starch out of your collar....or so I've been told." Nick smirks for a second. "The whole kids bit is up to Ethan. I'm deferring to her on that. And it was a pleasure having you onboard, Doctor. Take care and do keep in touch, please." With that, she leaves the office and as the door closes behind her, Nick's smirk fades away into a frown. He murmurs "Doctor, that wasn't a prediction about the Borg. That was a statement of cold hard brutal fact. Fortunately for you..you'll be long dead when what I said occurs."

Blood and destruction shall be so in use And dreadful objects so familiar That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war; All pity choked with custom of fell deeds: And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war --Marc Anthony, William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." Nick frowns as a sense of dread settles somewhere in his stomach. Actually the dread was already there, it had started forming when the message from Starfleet alerting all ships and stations to go to "Code Factor 2" alert status. The "Code Factor" alerts were roughly analogous to the United States Defcon alerts of the 20th and 21st centuries after the invention of the atom bomb. Code factor 2 meant that the Federation and Starfleet believed that an attack and invasion were imminent. Nick had seen more then his share of Code Factor 2 alerts over the twenty some years he had spent in Starfleet. From the invasion of the Borg, the Cardassian wars, the Dominion war and others...and now the Romulans. The one question that hasn't been answered yet was why. Why would the Romulans choose to take this path now? He knew about the depredations of Praetor Shinzon..about what he had done. That the mad Reman had nearly destroyed Earth and that his subsequent death had left a large power vacuum within the Romulan Empire. And that several different factions within the Empire were vying to fill the hole and claim power for themselves. One of those factions was what could charitably be described as nationalistic and militant. They believed that what the Empire should do is invade and conquer the Federation. Nick had little doubt that at least part of the motivation for that line of thinking was the ages old adage that one of the main ways tyrants hold onto power was to bind the people together with fear..that what the Empire needed was an enemy to fight and to conquer and that would bind the Empire together in the aftermath of the loosening ties that Shinzon had so ruthlessly stretched to the breaking point and beyond. It meant that the Empire was in danger of falling apart and while in a way that was a good thing..it also meant that a large portion of known space would be thrown into chaos and that a lot of Romulan military technology would likely fall into the hands of people that could possibly make Shinzon look tame by comparison. Nick glances up at the view screen and his frown darkens. If this was just the militant faction exercising it's power Nick had to admit that it was impressive...and frightening. Currently there is nearly two dozen warbirds hovering just outside weapons range of the Station and Nick is sure there is likely to be more on the way. Nick can't even remember seeing that many warbirds in one spot at any time..not even during the Dominion war. If shooting started Nick is sure that while the Station and the Starfleet task force that had also arrived would put up a strong and ultimately futile defense unless Starfleet sent considerably more ships to help. And if shooting did start the next question became of how much value was Starfleet going to put on defending a Starbase in a system that did not even belong to the Federation. During the Dominion war Starfleet had to decide between trying to protect everything and thus being stretched too thin or retaining enough strength to defend some of the Federation while sacrificing the rest. Nick glances at Ethan briefly at that, knowing that her father's home world had become a victim of that choice. The other possibility was that the power vacuum within the Empire had been filled and that whoever had filled that vacuum had promptly turned their attention to perceived external threats to the Empire. That possibility in a way was worse then the first one. It meant that the Federation, with whatever allies, would be facing the full brunt of the Empire's strength and the Federation, after two decades of going from one war to another, was weary and not fully prepared for another war. Even Nick, as much a solider as any of his people ever became, was tired of the seemingly constant fighting. What he wants is peace..at least a long enough peace to give the Federation time to rebuild and to regroup. Nick sighs and murmurs "A peace to go home and start a family and just simply enjoy life." There is, of course, the third possibility. That the Federation and the Empire were being manipulated by some as of yet unknown person. Nick can name off the top of his head at least a half dozen powers that would see opportunity in further weakening the Federation and the Romulan Empire. Some of them were known to both sides like the Gorn, the Dominion..even the Cardassians and the Breen. And some like the Chodak were far more enigmatic or only known to his own people. Nick glances around at the people around him on the Control Tower, knowing that if this became a war some or all of them, including himself, may not survive.

Nick sighs quietly to himself as he stares up at the ceiling above his bed. After the meeting with Ambassador Joy things had finally settled down enough that Nick left the Control Tower and returned to his quarters to get the rest that the Doctor had told him to get. Though to be honest it was more the looks and the reminders that Ethan had used that convinced him that he had been on duty much too long while still recovering from the injury he had sustained. So with a smart aleck thought that he didn't give voice to, though he was sure Ethan picked up on it, he returned to their quarters. After showering and changing he crawled into bed and fell asleep. However, he made one stop along the way and that was to show up in Sickbay and have Dr. McKinny check him over to see if he was well enough to return to duty full time in the morning. That had led to an interesting conversation that stirred up a lot of bad memories for him..and he suspected for her too. That conversation had led to him having a rather bad nightmare which had caused him to wake up just a few minutes earlier. It takes him a minute to slow his breathing and it's in that time he notices Ethan sleeping against him. He must have been sleeping quite deeply for her to be able to slip into bed against him without him picking up on it subconsciously. Sighing quietly he slips from bed and steps over to the window showing the stars beyond. He stares out the window while in his mind he thinks over the conversation with the Doctor and the memories that talk brought back to the surface. Memories of a friend of his who died believing that one day he would love her as she loved him, even if the only love he felt towards her was that of a brother has for a sister and not the romantic love she felt for and wanted from him. Unbidden, all his memories of that friend come back to him and it's almost enough to overwhelm him. A single tear, however, is all the emotion he shows. He senses more then hears Ethan stir behind him. He turns to see her with her head propped on her hand watching him quietly. He sighs quietly and as he steps back towards the bed he starts to apologize. He cuts the apology off short, knowing that it wasn't needed really. She'd understand whether he talked about what made him wake up and slip out of bed or not.

Nick wakes up groggily early the next morning. He resists the urge to throw the clock when it informs him that it's only 6:30 am. Frowning, he glances at the empty spot next to him. He mulls over how he could get so thoroughly used to her presence at night that it invaded his subconcious as he tried to sleep causing him to have a rather restless night. Slipping out of bed he steps towards the bathroom, intending on taking a shower and getting dressed. And then after breakfast he'd head on down to sickbay. It was time he was cleared to return to duty. There was more then a few things that he intended to deal with today and he was not about to have a chat in his quarters with the Ambassadors or the Admiral afterwards. The Ambassadors sure as hell weren't welcome and whatever welcome and good grace Nick felt towards the Admiral had evaporated thanks to the Admiral's childish tirade. As Nick had told Muon the night before, it was time a few people learned their place.

Nick frowns as he watches Ethan walk down the hall accompanied by Muon and the others. Privately he curses the Admiral. If the Admiral was going to be asinine enough to get mad enough at Ethan to put her under arrest for carrying out his orders he at least could have let her remain confined to quarters instead of the brig. He hesitates a moment then says in her mind {{Wait...}}} She stops and glances at him. He follows her and stops before her. He brings a hand up to frame her face as he leans in and kisses her briefly. {{Since the proverbial cat is already out of the bag...}} She pauses briefly, her eyes unfocused for a moment. Then she smirks slightly, puts her arms around his neck and returns the kiss in much more than 'brief' style. After several seconds, she steps back, and a moment later frowns. "You're supposed to be taking it easy! Go lay back down! Or I'll have Muon get someone to sit on you." And with that, she turns again, and follows the security personnel towards the turbolift. He mentally smirks {{You tell me to take it easy and yet you kiss me in such a way as to make me think that it would be a very good idea to lead you back to our quarters and lock the door behind us whether Muon and the others objected or not. Make up your mind there, love.}} He watches her leave with the others. He sighs quietly as the turbolift doors close, cutting her off from view. He returns to their quarters and moves to lay down on the couch again. He reaches to turn the computer display towards him and calls up the station logs from the last day or so. He murmurs "Sorry, Admiral, you crossed the line when you called her a wench, whether she is my wife or not. So lets see how much you're going to like me using that as leverage." As he murmurs that the flush of anger that he had felt when the Admiral had originally made the disparaging remark comes roaring back. The only thing that had saved the Admiral from Nick decking him for that was Ethan slapping him first...that and that Nick knows he wouldn't have been able to put any real strength into the action. Which would have robbed it of any actual satisfaction. As he reads through the reports he stifles a yawn. He glances at the door to their bedroom and frowns slightly. He knows she's right, he needs to rest and he knows what he should do is go take a quick shower and crawl into bed afterwards and fall asleep. And yet he won't...can't..at least not yet. Maybe when he's tired enough that he can't keep himself awake. Since she had returned from Vulcan there hadn't been a night where they slept apart..well except for the night before the day she proposed to him. He had gotten thoroughly used to having her there, nestled against him. And it was quite annoying that the Admiral decided to interfere in that by being churlish.

Nick slowly wakes up to two realizations. That it's four in the morning...and that someone for whatever reason was ringing the doorbell. He glances down to find Ethan nestled against him, still sleeping peacefully. He knows that won't last long, either she'd wake up because of the doorbell or she'd wake up because she'd subconsciously sense that he was awake. He murmurs audibly and in her mind "Stay sleeping, my love." before slowly and gently slipping out of her arms. He slides to the edge of the bed and stands. He turns and pulls the blanket up to Ethan's shoulder. Reaching for a shirt he pulls it on before likewise slipping on his robe. As he steps towards the door he mutters "There better be a good reason for this." In the six months they had been married, Nick and Ethan had seemed to find a balance between work and their personal lives. Still, he wouldn't have minded having more time to spend with her then he did. He sighs and shakes his head, murmuring "I suppose it's a bit selfish of me to think that this station should be able to run itself just so I can play husband to her full time." He enters the main room of his quarters and steps towards the door. He keys the door and it opens to reveal the Rixian, Damin, standing there. Nick frowns slightly "My apologies here, Mr. Damin, but as you may not be aware here it is four in the morning station time which makes it quite late. Well, actually it makes it very early in the morning. And as I have to get up in a few hours I hope whatever you want can wait until later." Damin frowns and says apologetically "I am sorry Captain, I did not realize. I just have a couple questions regarding my asylum request and I was trying to get to sleep but couldn't because I could not get those questions out of my mind." Nick's frown darkens as he studies the Rixian for a few seconds. Privately he wishes he could read the species better then he could. It was something he'd have to talk to Ethan about. He knows he'll never be as strong telepathically as she is but in all honesty, it annoyed him when he was blind to a species or in this case...partially blind. Finally he steps to one side and gestures for the Rixian to enter. The Rixian steps past him and what happens next happens blindingly fast. Damin seems to stumble and as Nick reaches forward to steady the Rixian, Damin whirls as a wicked looking knife appears in his hand. Nick barely has time to register the unadulterated hatred on the Rixian's face as he just barely dodges Damin's first attack. The knife tears into the cloth of Nick's robe on the shoulder and catches on the necklace that Nick's wedding ring is hanging from. The clasp of the necklace snaps and the necklace with the ring gets flung a few feet to land on the floor. The knife also leaves a sizable scratch across Nick's shoulder. The commotion causes Diamante, who had been sleeping on the couch, to start barking. As Damin takes another swipe at Nick, the husky lunges at Damin but Damin's free hand and arm swipes at the dog and catches him, sending the husky crashing into the couch with a pained yelp. Nick uses the distraction to try and dive past Damin, intent on making it to the kitchen and retrieving one of the cooking knives. However, Damin catches Nick by the arm and spins him around. Nick tries catching the knife wielding hand by the wrist but all that happens is that Damin's strike gets deflected a little so it punctures him in the area of his right lung. Nick feels an sharp pain as the knife slices into him and his breath escapes him. Damin cuffs Nick sending him crashing to the floor. Nick tries moving but he finds he can't do so. Even breathing was quickly becoming difficult and incredibly painful. Nick hears a set of doors slide open though he can't tell if it's the door to the corridor or the bedroom door. He tries calling out but he finds he can't work his voice. He spots the necklace laying just out of reach. He reaches for it and as his fingers wrap around the ring he calls in his mind with his remaining strength {{Ethan!}} Then the darkness starts to close in around him.

Damin glances around the quarters that he had been shown to after being discharged from the station's medical facility. He spends quite a while looking it over, looking for things to exploit. Finally he turns his attention to the computer but it takes him only a short while to discover that while the computer gave him access to information and such..it didn't give him access to what he needed to carry out his task. And as sure as he is that he can hack into the system, given enough time, time was not one of the luxuries that he had right now. Still, he takes a couple hours studying the information that the computer could access, including a schematic of the station. Fortunately his bag had already been brought to this room from his ship. He's quite sure that it was scanned and checked, that would be standard operating procedure. Still..there were ways around such things. He retrieves several things from the bag and from hidden locations on what he was wearing. Within a short amount of time he has a knife, a small little cylinder and one or two other items that could prove useful. He checks the cylinder over carefully then picks it up. He regards it for a few seconds before swallowing it. Then he walks over to the door and says to the guard standing outside "I could use your help with something in here please. Was a little bored and tried accessing the computer but can't seem to figure it out...."

Nick walks back into the main room of his quarters after showering and changing clothes. He checks on the food he had set to cooking before he went to take his shower. He then sees to setting the table and finishing the other preparations for supper. Returning to the cooking food he lets his thoughts drift back over the last few months as he watches the food. As the food nears ready he turns and strides back to the couch. Retrieving a bouquet of flowers he sets them to one side on the table and then walks back into the kitchen area. As he does so he lowers his mental shields, {{Supper will be ready shortly, love.}} {{Supper? Is it that time already?? Well, I've been ignoring the annoying ambassador for three days already... one more won't hurt.}} Her smirk is evident in her tone. {{Be there shortly.}} And with that, she finishes the tasks she was working on, and left the CT for the turbolift. He smirks to himself {{Well, I should, as Captain, chide you for ignoring ambassador's and tell you to fix that....but I think I'd rather have your company here with me this night.}} He feigns a sigh then adds {{I suppose it's a bit selfish of me but then I think I'm allowed to be that way at times as a husband, yes?}} He glances around checking to see if he left anything out of the preparations. His eyes glance over the table. {{Ah yes...what does m'lady wish to drink?}} She states her destination and feels the turbolift engage to descend to the senior officers quarters level. {{Good thing I haven't told the Captain that I'm ignoring the ambassador...}} She grins, then added, {{I've already looked into the situation, but it's not urgent... I'll get to it tomorrow... unless we have yet another crisis. And yes, if you're in our quarters, you aren't the Captain, my love. As for drink... Hmm.... I suppose Romulan ale is out... Perhaps some champange would be appropriate?}} Exiting the turbolift, she strides down the hall to their quarters. He blinks and shakes his head before stepping over to the replicator and having it create a container of ice, two glasses and the champagne. {{You know, surprising you is going to be a most difficult thing apparently. Had wanted to keep the reason for dinner a surprise...}} He smirks {{I suppose I should see about strengthening my shields at some point. Kind of would ruin the fun of buying you gifts if you knew what I bought you before you opened it.}} He takes the champagne to the table and then moves to bring the food over as well. Checking one last time to see that everything is ready he sits down to wait. His wait is short as she strides through the door a moment later, but it almost immediately beset upon by a small gray blur who tries to dart out the door. "Oh no you don't, you little rascal." In a quick motion, she grabs the kitten, holding it firmly until the doors close behind her. "It's funny that she does this... she doesn't ever go anywhere once she's out." With a sigh, she scratchs the kittens ears for a moment and is thanked with a loud, rusty sounding purr. "Go chase Diamante's tail why don't you?" she tells it, setting her back down. A brief head rub on her ankles is followed by a swift departure as the kitten spots something to chase. Ethan removes her uniform jacket, and smiles at Nick, "Smells great." "She probably gets a bit scared when she gets outside the door. It is a rather big station beyond those doors." He smiles as he stands and steps towards her. "Good, I'm glad I can still spoil you." He kisses her warmly as his arms slip around her. He breaks off the kiss after a few moments, resisting the temptation to blithely forget about the food he had spent no small amount of time preparing. He smiles again "Happy anniversary, love." He blushes lightly and adds"I hope this will do..." He steps away from her and turns to the table, pulling out her chair and waiting for her to sit down. She sits down, shaking her head as usual about the courtesy. "This is lovely... Did you tell Brian and Arthur that we're dead so they don't call us every two minutes?" She smiles across at him as he sits. "Has it really been 6 months already? Seems like yesterday. I wonder if Mom has told Grandmother yet...... probably not, or I would have gotten the riot act from her." He chuckles "I suspect that if it was just yesterday that we got married we'd still be a bit..less then perfectly comfortable with certain areas of our life." He pauses then adds "Or I guess, remembering, maybe not. Anyways, as for Brian and Arthur no I didn't tell them that we're dead. If I had they'd wonder why I told them that. I did however instruct the computer to only allow anyone to contact us if it's an emergency." He pours them both a glass of champagne and watches her start in on her food. He smiles as he says "And as for your grandmother, I have a suspicion that the reason your grandmother hasn't contacted you to give us both the riot act on not having a traditional Betazed wedding is because you're mother hasn't told her..and the reason she hasn't is that she thinks we should be the ones to do so." He smirks "After all..I doubt your mother would willingly go into one of your grandmother's harangues and from what you've told me..your grandmother would probably somehow blame your mother for your less then perfect respect for tradition. Of course, that's ignoring the fact that you would have had to do a lot more then beg, ask, plead or even seduce me to have gotten me to agree stand in front of a bunch of people wearing nothing but a very noticeable blush and a very nervous smile even if you had wanted a traditional Betazed wedding." He pauses to take a bite of his food. After swallowing he asks "So..when are we going to announce our marriage to the crew? If we are going to that is. It has been six months though admittedly we've been rather busy since we got back. And to be honest...I'm not exactly inclined to go through a formal ceremony now. But they're going to find out eventually..." Ethan grins, "You aren't the only one that chooses not to stand butt-naked in front of people." She, too, pauses to take a bite of food, and savor the excellent flavor, {{Mmmmm. Good.}}. "As for announcing it, I don't think I particularly care. I'll leave that up to you." With another grin as apology for dumping it into his lap, she takes another bite of food. He smirks "Gee, thanks. Fine...I'll handle that...but you have to announce it to your grandmother though I'll be there when you do since I'm sure she'll want to send some flak my way. Probably something about me corrupting your respect for tradition. And you, my love, also have to come up with how we're going to celebrate our one year anniversary."

Time: 6 hours after the arrival of the Rixian Nick studies the Rixian sitting before him silently for a few minutes. Of all the situations Nick had hoped to never find himself in was to be smack dab in the middle of a Rixian situation again. And yet here he was..considering the aslyum request of one Rixian named "Damin" who, as he had said, was fleeing from the Rixian government as he was a scientist who refused to toe the government line. Privately Nick wonders that if this Damin only represents the first of what will become a flood of Rixian refugees fleeing from their homeworld as their society starts to collapse. He sighs inwardly as he mentally goes over everything the Rixian had said over the last hour and a half during the interview. Everything the Rixian said fit within what Nick had expected him to say and was a credible claim for asylum. And yet...something wasn't quite right even if he couldn't actually name what that something was. Maybe it was the Rixian's body language. Nick had some dealings with refugees before and this Rixian's body language was off. He seemed afraid yes but he wasn't terrified, he even seemd angry somehow. "Though...if I had been nearly killed by my own government I would be mad too..." Nick thinks to himself. Nick stands as he says "The Admiral will be the one that will decide whether your asylum request will be granted or not, Mr. Damin. I will have you escorted to some guest quarters in the meantime. I do ask that you not go wandering or leave your quarters however. It's a standard security procedure I assure you. Besides, if your government is tyring to kill you as you say then it is possible, however remote, that they may try and send someone here to finish what they started. Two security guards will be posted outside your quarters just in case. If you need anything, feel free to ask them and they will do what they can to assist you, Mr. Damin. And expect one of Dr. McKinny's people to stop by and check on your injuries. You weren't terribly injured but knowing the Doctor I'm sure she will want to keep a close eye on you. Concussions, even minor ones, can be tricky." Damin nods in obvious relief "Thank you, Captain. You have been most considerate." "I will let you know when the Admiral has reached a decision. Until then, enjoy our hospitality and try to get some rest. Take care, Mr. Damin." With that Nick turns to leave Dr. McKinny's office which he had borrwed in order to have the interview with Damin. He doesn't notice the rather predatory smile briefly flash across Damin's face as he exits the door.