Aidan Driscol

Pluto pretty much is just an icy rock from the Kuiper belt, believed to be the biggest one even. Whether Pluto and Charon form a double dwarf planet or whether Charon is Pluto's moon really depends on which astronomer you ask. Pluto's always been a bit odd, planet wise, as it's small and has an eccentric orbit around the sun. Clive Tombaugh (the guy who found Pluto) and many other of his astronomer collegues had actually expected to find another gas giant out there.

"Venting" A joined log by Doctor Lexia Tordai and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Lexia walked through the double doors of the mess hall looking down at the PADD in her hand. Not looking up she narrowly missed colliding with a few crewmen before finally bumping into one. "My apologies, Lt. Kassem," she said lightly and continued. She rubbed her eyes gently and placed the PADD down on an empty table before walking to the nearest replicator. Aidan had not quite finished eating when he had told Kairi to go along and get some sleep. He was lost in thought and pretty tired. It had been a hell of a day. Sometimes he wondered if it wouldn't be great to have a family waiting for him when he returned from a long shift. On the other hand he also liked being able to just drop onto his bed and sleep as soon as he got to his quarters. "Lady Grey," Lexia said to the replicator, looking over her options. "Luke warm. Plain bagel, black cherry cream cheese." As he looked up he spotted Lexia standing in front of the replicator. He wondered if he still had time to get away unnoticed, he didn't much feel like... well, like what? Arguing? A discussion? Either way, Lexia required a lot of strength and a lot of attention both of which his brain was refusing him at the moment. Lexia turned around with her food in one hand and tea in the other. She took her seat at the empty table and was about to start eating when she caught the glimpse out of the corner of her eye. ######, she thought. Her mind began chanting "Don't look, don't look..." but as with most things that only made her want to look more. Her eyes flickered up briefly, looked at him, and then turned back to her meal. Aidan chuckled, she was trying to avoid him but couldn't help looking. Cue annoying scientist. He got up, walked over to her table and sat without waiting for an invitation. "Fancy seeing you here, Doctor Tordai." Why had she looked... "We must quit meeting like this, Lieutenant," she countered without looking up from her plate or her PADD. Let the games begin. "Meeting like what? Oh gosh, you saw that lustful glint in my eye, didn't you?" Maybe this was where he'd be able to release some of the stress, not a bad idea actually, but not good if they really wanted to have a somewhat working relationship at some point. She looked up, quirked a single eyebrow, and then looked back down. "Lust you say," she smirked, "I thought you had something in your eye..." She picked up the knife and began spreading the dark cream cheese along the bagel. "Ooo, witty. But you've never had a problem with that. Either way, I've had a long day and I'm not in the mood for games. If you want to talk and be a friend, which I know must be a bit of a foreign concept for you, I'm in my quarters. I'll let you eat now, wouldn't wanna ruin that bagel for you." As he got up he wondered if she would come. He wondered about a great many things. "Aidan." "Lexia." She could barely suppress the want to roll her eyes, she had not told him to go away or even, at least relative to her usual demeanor, been rude. "Sit down." She picked her bagel up and took a bite out of it, pushing the PADD away and propping her feet up in the seat across from her. He didn't quite know why he did it, but he sat down. "I thought we had to stop meeting like this." He didn't know what he wanted, or expected from her, maybe it was all his fault. He was, after all, quite irritable today. "As opposed to what, arguing in our quarters?" She smirked. "Relax Aidan, it was a joke...I make those from time to time." What the hell was his problem? After the past few weeks and the discussion they had had, she thought they should at least be closer than this... "I'm tired of arguing, Lexia. And relaxing is something I probably won't do anymore today. I'm sorry, I'm not myself, I've been working too much, or something. I don't know what it is." He knew very well what it was. Work was piling up, sec was on the look out for him because of one tiny mistake, he had made Kairi cry and his almost girlfriend hated him. How was he supposed not to be irritable? She sipped her tea. "What's wrong Aidan?" She made the point of using his first name. He sighed deeply. "I have loads of work with investigating what happened on the Selshan ship; I had a little run in with one of the security people and I'm sure Lieutenant Commander JoN's will want a word with me, probably Lieutenant Condacin as well; and you... well, you seem to hate me." As he didn't feel particularly suicidal he didn't mention Kairi in all of this. There was no need to tell her anyway, the thing was dealt with. He was hiding something, but she did not push it. "What happened with security?" "Well, I've had a little problem with JoN's a while back, the thing was solved, now I wanted samples and apparently all of sec was on the look out for me so I wouldn't obtain them without permission. Can you believe that? Last time I was trying to save one of their people, someone they'd lost. And now that I needed something a Petty Officer has the nerve to make it sound like I did something despicable. I gave him a piece of my mind, that's all." Talking about that made him angry again, but he'd make sure this matter would get solved once and for all. She placed the mug down on the table top, its contents almost gone. "Keep going," she knew there was more. "I just thought we were all on the same team, we're alone out here we can't afford to start a 'my department is better than yours' thing, they screwed up and they're trying to pin it on someone else. The truth is they didn't get the opinion of a scientist or a doctor before using that stuff on the Selshans. I'm not letting them take out their anger on me. Especially since their screw up means a whole lot of extra hours in the lab for me." It felt good to get it all off his chest, he would never be able to speak this freely with any of the other crew members. "Interdepartmental relations are always difficult," she smiled at the slight double entendre. "It will work itself out in time." "I hope you're right, but either way, I will not let a Petty Officer treat me like that. Okay, I'm done." Aidan felt a little better now, which was a bit confusing in a way. Lexia reached across the table and lay her hand on his gently. "Go get some sleep Aidan." She stood and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek briefly. "Go rest." With that she turned and left the Mess Hall. Aidan looked after her looking puzzled, but after a minute he went to do exactly what she had told him to do.

"Getting Things Out Of The Way" A joint log by Lieutenant Senior Grade Kairi Kassem and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Aidan had just gotten off his shift and didn't feel like going back to his quarters. It had been a long day. He had run around the ship to get everything he had needed and then set to work on the samples to find out what had caused the Selshan to die. He didn't have any results yet but he had a couple of theories one of which, he was confident, had to be right. Maybe he should just go to the gym to work out some, although he almost felt too tired for that. Then he wondered what Lexia was doing, was she off duty, too? He'd ask later, for now he wanted to be alone. Kairi was quietly walking down the hall. She had just got off duty, which was long since being involved in the marine holodeck investigation. The Chief was tired, but she really didn't feel like going to her quarters. It was too quiet there and she needed someone to talk to. Eventually Kairi found herself at the doors of the science lab, which she soon entered. As expected, Aidan was at his workstation. She quietly walked over to him. "Hi. Any luck?" Aidan looked up to see Kairi and was surprised by her presence. "Ah, science is slow work, maybe I'll get some results tomorrow. I have a few theories though. You look tired." Aidan felt a little uncomfortable, he knew what Kairi expected and he'd hate to disappoint here, yet he should clear things up soon. She let her hair down and sighed. After taking a seat, she rested her head on the desk, facing Aidan. "I am tired. It's been a really long day." He grinned at her. "I can imagine, I heard something about a holo accident down with the marines, I imagine that's where you were. But that desk isn't a good place to sleep, trust me I've tried." Kairi frowned as she nodded. "One of them is in sickbay right now. I understand she's in pretty bad shape." She stopped there, knowing she couldn't say anymore about the investigation. Lifting her head up, she smiled once again. "So how are you?" "Knackered and hungry, want me to carry you over to the mess hall for a bite?" He wasn't sure if he wanted her to accept or decline his invitation, but then he also didn't like to eat alone. "Mmm...Sounds tempting, but I think I'm too tired to eat," she said in reply. "Rubbish, I bet you haven't had anything to eat all day, I need to talk to you about something anyway." There, now there was no going back for him. Kairi gave a fake sigh as she smiled. "I suppose you're right." Aidan walked over to the doors and waited for her to follow him. The mess was just down the corridor and his stomach was violently demanding food. "C'mon then." She smiled as she playfully shuffled her feet up to Aidan. "Alright...I'm coming." Leading the way to the mess Aidan didn't talk much, he was preparing a speech in his mind, which he knew he wouldn't use anyway. It was quiet on the way to the mess hall, but Kairi dismissed it for now. She figured Aidan was thinking about something. Aidan remained quiet until they sat down wondering if he should eat first and then bring it up or if he should get it over with right away and risk dinner. He looked at Kairi thoughtfully. Kairi sat down with her food, taking a small bite. The silence was really starting to bother her. She looked up at him. "Aidan, what's wrong? You've been really quiet." "Yeah, I suppose so." Absent-mindedly he waved his empty form around a little. "I've just been thinking... things." She frowned slightly as she placed her fork down. This seemed to be more than just going for a bite to eat. "What's on your mind?" "Well, there's just something... I've been thinking about us." Now he knew what he'd do, he'd not tell her there was someone else but just tell her why it couldn't be her. "You, know, I got the feeling that you might be, somewhat, interested in me." The Chief gave a slight smile. She seemed to know where this was going. "It's alright. I think I know what this is about." Putting a hand on his, she looked in his eyes. "Aidan, you are a really great person. You make me laugh, and I know you are someone I can go to when I need help." She looked away for a moment, seeing a picture of Jamie in her mind. "But I'm not ready for a relationship. I just want to be good friends." Aidan was taken aback, and honestly a bit disappointed. He was glad that she didn't want more, because that'd mean he wouldn't have to hurt her, but on the other hand his ego would have quite liked the thought of her wanting to be with him. Secretly he was glad neither Lexia nor Kairi could read his mind. "It'd just be strange, I mean, I'd just feel like a substitute in a way." He had constructed his speech, so he thought it'd be a pity to let all the arguments go to waste. Kairi quickly retracted her hand. "Please don't say that..." She looked away, eyes welling up with tears. "Why would you think I was looking for a substitute for the man I loved?" "Kairi, I see the way you keep looking in the direction of the labs. He was a scientist, I'm a scientist. I don't know, I just... it'd feel weird." Didn't she think it'd be weird, too. Aidan didn't understand women, or maybe he just didn't try hard enough. She looked down, a tear steaming down her face. "Does it matter what position you are on this ship? I just needed a friend..." Aidan looked at her and reached for her hand. "Kairi, that's not what I meant, I'm sorry, I am you friend, just not more... you know." What had that annoying Security guy said earlier, he was blunt. God, could he ever not put his foot down his mouth so far it needed surgical attention? Kairi took his hand, wiping away her tears with her free one. "I'm sorry..." "No, no, don't be. I have to be sorry. It was a long day and I'm not thinking straight and... well, I'm glad we agree though. On being friends I mean." He handed her his napkin so she could wipe away the tears. He felt really bad for making her cry. She took the napkin and wiped her face. "Thanks." Aidan started to eat and smiled at her. "Guess what!" On he went, again ignoring what had just happened, this was just how he worked. Thankful that he changed the subject, Kairi gave a faint smile. "What?" "Half an hour from now we'll both be getting some sleep. At least I know I will, been a heck of a day." He happily shovelled food in his mouth, it had been ages since he'd last eaten.

"Too Much Sleep" A joint log by Shadow and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Aidan was back in the lab with the anesthizine container. He was still fuming from his encounter with Petty Officer Esteban. Maybe he should just follow Condacin's example and carry a knife, people would think twice about making stupid comments. Sighing, Aidan decided he should first check on the container itself. It was highly impossible but he wanted to rule out the possibility that they had been tampered with. But surely the marines and security would have checked that the containers were okay. It only took him a few minutes to find out that the containers were okay and had indeed held anesthizine. He was glad about that, because having traitors amongst the crew was the last thing they needed out here. The next step was to test the tissue's and blood's reaction to the anesthizine. It would have been so much easier if they had one of the bodies, one of the docs could easily have determined what exactly had killed them, but now these samples would have to do. They had to be prepped before they were of any use and he knew he wouldn't be able to conduct any real experiments with gas and tissue before the next day. Aidan had a few theories about what had caused the deaths of the Selshan crew members, he was confident that all he still needed to do was prove which one was right. Either the gas had reacted with the Selshan's tissue on a molecular or sub molecular level and killed them by stopping one vital chemical reaction or other. Or something in the gas had reacted with whatever the Selshan's equivalent of haemoglobin was and caused asphyxiation. For that he'd have to find out what the oxygen connected to in the Selshan's blood. In a way Aidan hoped that's what had happened, because it would have been rather painless compared to other possibilities. Basically what happened was the same as what happened when humans breathed carbon monoxide. So now all he had to do was analyse the blood and then compare the oxygen binding site's affinities to the various components of anesthizine. As Shadow materialized in the science lab, he was excited and relieved that a bioform named Megan was not damaged beyond repair, but his golden glow slowly diminished as he approached Aidan. Modulating brain waves and vacillating biosignatures showed the Driscol was both concerned and puzzled. Not wanting to disturb, Shadow watched and waited, hoping he might gain some insight into the Driscol's bewildered thoughts. Aidan had been too consumed by what he was doing to the tissue to notice Shadow materialise. As he turned around and saw the energy being watching him he tried not to look too surprised. "Hey Shadow, I could use your help with this whole matter." Pleased that he could assist, Shadow moved closer. "What matter would that be?" Aidan didn't know how Shadow would take it if he was asked about the incident again, so he decided to try a little humour, even if that would probably be lost on Shadow. "You're the only eyewitness. So as a true investigator I have to ask you to tell me what you saw. I mean, can you clear this up a little?" Shadow had seen the anesthizine canisters aboard the Selshan ship and recognized one of them, now perched on the laboratory table next to a few Selshan biosamples. His gold turned violet as he recalled the devastation aboard the Selshan ship, and he recoiled, staring at Aidan with incredulity. When he found his voice, it came as cold and distant. "They ceased to exist." "Ceasing to exist is a molecular impossibility, Shadow. Energy doesn't just cease to exist either. They still exist, dead, but they exist. Do you have any idea why they died?" Aidan hoped that by sounding as casual as possible he'd manage to help Shadow to stay calm and still get answers. The Driscol was the first bioform to mention the existence of an entity beyond death. Shadow stopped short in amazement. "Then you see them as I do? Still existing? You see their energies separated from their biological forms? "Well, it's a physical law, isn't it? Energy can come in different forms, but it never just gets lost, it's all just energy, we're not too different from you Shadow, no matter just stops existing it just becomes part of something else. Who knows what my atoms were part of before they became me." Now he had Shadow interested in the matter, this would make things a lot easier. The Driscol was a Seeker who understood many things, certainly more than some others he had encountered in this universe. Matter exists in this universe; energy comes in different forms; there is a conservation of matter and energy in this universe, as there is a conservation of energy in Shadow's universe. The Driscol had not answered his question, but still Shadow was satisfied. The Driscol was a True Seeker, and Shadow admired him for that. He returned to the question at hand: Do you have any idea... why they died? . . . "They . . . died," Shadow began, "because they slept." Sometimes Shadow made no sense. Well, he should rephrase that, Shadow always made sense just not to him. Aidan still had to get used to Shadow's literal understanding of the spoken word. "They slept? What do you mean?" "When you sleep, your body relaxes then you awake and feel refreshed. Your body renews itself. They slept and they did not awake." Shadow knew he was not getting through because of the look on the Driscol's face. "The sleep was too much." Aidan's face brightened at that, this confirmed one of his theories, well, it sort of did. He'd still need the evidence from his experiments to back him up. "You mean they were asleep when the gas was released and they didn't wake up in time? Or did the gas make them go to sleep?" "The gas made them go to sleep, but they could not wake up because the sleep was too much. The sleep was too . . . ." he stopped, not knowing the correct word to use. Then he had a thought... "When you drink water it enters and nourishes your body. If you fall into a large amount of water you do not survive. The water is too much." Aidan nodded. "Because we have the unfortunate need to breathe oxygen, and our lungs can only filter it from the air, and not water. Do you mean they fell into some sort of coma and then their life signs faded completely?" Coma. An unknown word. Shadow decided to elaborate, "They slept and their life signs faded completely." At this Aidan laughed. "Oh Shadow, if you weren't just energy I'd hug you!" This basically confirmed his theory of asphyxiation, something had connected to the haemoglobin that reacted stronger with it than oxygen thus depleting the brain and other organs of oxygen. Hug. Another concept. But the Driscol's laugh came as confirmation that he understood. The sound sleep of the Selshans had become a permanent sleep - the sleep of the dead, as is mentioned in holodeck literature. Shadow had disappeared just as suddenly as he had come as was his habit. Aidan didn't mind that, he was glad that he'd gotten somewhere, now he only needed science to back him up, but it had never let him down so far.

I wouldn't know what you're talking about. :) But three days without a break, that's insane, I don't even want to imagine the headache that'd give me. Let alone the fact that my computer probably wouldn't survive, because I get grumpy and impatient when I'm tired. Ridding the internet of all unhealthy things would be quite the task, though. (Sisyphus comes to mind) ::returns to his save game of Gothic 2:: (no worries, I'll sleep)

"Cinematic Get-Together" A joint log by Lieutenant Senior Grade Kairi Kassem and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Kairi was casually walking down the hall. She was making her way to Holodeck 3 where she would meet Aidan. After a short turbolift ride and walk down the hall, she arrived at her destination. Unfortunately it seemed she beat the science officer there. Aidan hated to be late, well he wasn't exactly late, he still had 2 minutes, but he hated not being early. But he had been held up when getting ready because he wasn't able to find the shirt he wanted to wear. When he finally arrived at Holodeck 3 Kairi was already there. He didn't immediately approach her but looked at her from a bit of a distance. She was really good looking, and she had that sad air about her that must make many men feel like they had to take care of her. But he wasn't going to be fooled, like him, she was an Academy graduate and they could all take care of themselves. He finally walked over to her with a smile on his face. The new Chief Engineer looked over as she saw Aidan approach. Kairi was wearing a light blue V-cut shirt, which showed her bellybutton. She also wore black, form fitting pants and sandals. Her hair, which she usually wore down, was pulled back into a ponytail held by a scrunchy. "Hi..." she said smiling. "I just arrived, so you don't have to worry about being late." "Hey. I didn't get here before you, so you're right I don't have to worry about being late anymore, I already am." Aidan had decided for the classic white shirt and black trousers, he thought it'd be a night for movies, so he might just as well get dressed for the occasion. Unintentionally he compared Kairi to Lexia and he almost laughed out loud. The two women were nothing alike and he was glad about it, he was now in the mood for relaxed night and some fun. Not constant tiptoeing around potential landmines. "You look great." Kairi blushed a little. "Thanks...You too..." It had been hard lately to keep her eyes off of the young science officer since her 'dinner date' with him the other night. Eventually her gaze left his and moved onto the door. "Well, I suppose we should go inside. Are you going to tell me what movie you picked? Or should I wait to get inside for you to lock me in?" She giggled a little. Aidan laughed and thoroughly enjoyed how easy going Kairi was. "Oh, I have bigger plans for you actually." He grinned and waited how she'd take his, admittedly, rather bad joke. She gave a fake expression of shock, "Oh really?" "Yes really. Back at the academy me and my mates were really into 1970 to 2050 films and from that time I still have..." Aidan stepped into the Holodeck and waited for her to join. Kairi followed inside. She was really getting curious now. "Computer, display program Driscol 35 alpha." Around them a typical early 21st century cinema appeared, complete with a few other cinema goers, but not crowded, and of course with the best seats empty. The lights were still on and light chatter could be heard. A friend of his had programmed this for them at the academy, the films were interchangeable and the holocinemagoers would be quiet during the film. They could, of course, also be removed. But even though technically Aidan and Kairi were alone he didn't want to send the wrong message. "Voila." "Wow..." she said as she walked into the theatre. "It's really lovely." Kairi suddenly gasped, grabbing Aidan gently by the arm. "Oh no! I forgot the snacks..." A frown emerged from her face. "I'm glad you like it, and don't worry about the snacks." Aidan suddenly ran off out of the Holodeck and quickly stuck his head back in. "You didn't want to take the opportunity of snack grabbing for running away, did you?" He laughed and ran to the nearest replicator and got a big bucket of popcorn. Then he quickly returned to the Holodeck. Kairi laughed as he ran back in. "You haven't quite given me a reason to run away yet." She reached up and snatched a few pieces of popcorn from the bucket and ate them. "Mmm..." "Would you like a reason to run?" Aidan took a moment to catch his breath and wondered why there was no replicator right next to the holodeck. "Speaking of reason to run, what would you like to drink?" He wanted to slap himself for forgetting that, this wasn't exactly the perfect start to their evening, he hoped this wasn't a reason to run. "Um...surprise me..." she said, hoping she wasn't going to regret it. Aidan smiled and raised an eyebrow. "That means I can only lose, right?" Without waiting for an answer he dashed out again to the replicator and got a coke for himself and... he hesitated before ordering Kairi's drink. Kairi walked around the theatre while Aidan was out. It was really nice, better than the one she had made once. She was anxious to know what movie he had picked for them to watch. Regardless of what it was, it was definitely nice to be going out. The drinks took Aidan slightly longer, as he couldn't run back to the holodeck. When he returned he handed Kairi hers and looked at her, waiting for her to try. "Good or bad surprise?" She took a sip of the cold drink. It was very bubbly and sweet, which tickled her nose. Kairi giggled a little as she looked up at Aidan. "What is it?" "It's called coke, loads of sugar, not at all nutritional and very popular back then. Shall we go sit down then? I'm sorry, I should have lead you to our seats before." He felt stupid for his thoughtlessness. "What can I say, my only excuse is that I haven't gone out with a lady in ages." He lead her to their seats in the middle of the cinema and stood until she had sat down. After all he hadn't forgotten all of his manners. Kairi took her seat, looking at the huge theatre screen. "It's alright. You don't have to make excuses. I'm still having a good time." Aidan looked at Kairi and noticed with quite a bit of pride that she was impressed by the program. He leaned in a bit so she would be able to hear him when he lowered his voice. "This is nothing compared to the drive-in cinema." He grinned roguishly. "Those used to be very popular, too, although I hear the films were not a priority there." "Drive-in? I think I've heard of those, but have never seen one." She seemed very innocent at the moment. "But why would you go to a theatre if you were not going to watch a movie?" Aidan looked at her half disbelieving half amused. "I can't tell you, I actually want you to stay for the film, and I assure you, just the film. By the way," Aidan tried to change the topic quickly, he had made enough of a fool of himself for one night, "you said you wanted a comedy, and I picked something that's not exactly a classic or anything anybody remembers, but, as I said, me and my friends watched a lot of films back in the academy and we came across this one. It's called "Nothing to Lose", one of my favourites." He had decided against a romantic comedy. Kairi smiled as she reached over, grabbing a handful of popcorn. "I trust you...for now..." she laughed as she ate some of the corn. He grinned as he, too, took some of the popcorn. "Well, that's a start I suppose. Computer, start film." The light's dimmed and the chatter died down, Aidan leaned back and looked at the screen. She sat back, watching the screen. Suddenly, out of character, Kairi leaned over to Aidan, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. I really needed this." She then returned her attention to the screen as the movie began. Aidan was completely taken aback by this and looked at Kairi. " You... you are very welcome." He stammered.

That depends a lot on what TV you have and whether you really care to watch things in HD. If I were to make that decision I'd stick with the old one, DVD quality is already very good, and quite frankly I wouldn't be so sure how much better they could make an old show. So unless they released it with some must have specials I'd stick to the good old DVD and rather spend my money on something else.

"General Science" A log by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Aidan was sitting in a science lab all by himself, he needed to think. Briefly he had considered to go somewhere else but he had quickly dismissed the thought because he knew a professional atmosphere would help him concentrate on the job rather than his mind going astray thinking about the whole Lexia situation. He didn't have the luxury to think about such things, they had to find a way to get the General off that ship and he wanted to contribute. He poured over the data from the bridge and pondered several scenarios all of which ended with them getting stuck or worse. Shadow might be their key advantage in all of this though, provided he'd agree to do something that was potentially dangerous. But Aidan still didn't have a clue what to do exactly. One thing seemed quite certain, this wouldn't be as easy as getting the spy. He continued to go through the databanks to see if someone had attempted something like this before and how they had done it but so far he wasn't having much luck. The nebula didn't facilitate things, on the other hand Aidan thought it could also work in their favour. He shook his head and got up, he would have to bounce a few things off of Condacin and Shadow, some things he had found in the databanks had to be discussed regarding their practicability, a marine and an engineer should possibly be present, too. But that wasn't for him to decide, so he took a couple of PADDs and made his way to the bridge. In the turbolift he considered the Agincourt's as well as his personal situation. Why couldn't things ever be easy?

"Bridge Duty" A joint log by Lieutenant Commander M'rrrett Sh'aow JoN's and Lieutenant Junior Grade Aidan Driscol Kansas sighed and re-entered the final command into the tactical console to start the information download to a data padd. Nothing like an energy "arrow" left by an energy being that basically pointed to the location of this missing Umbara general to point you in the right direction. Her security training kept screaming fools errand to her however. Aidan stood at the science station but wasn't quite sure what to do. The sensors were pretty much useless in this nebula, all he could really do was to confirm Tac's findings, if there were to be any. All the while he was still preoccupied with the virus and what Shadow had said about a vaccine. Shadow... Aidan hoped he'd come back alright. By now he had become more than a colleague, he had become a friend. The download pinged, and Kansas swiped the padd from its console attachment. With a quick nod to D'Angelo - who retook his post at the bridge tac station - the feline officer stood and walked over to the sciences station. Aidan looked up and smiled as he saw Lieutenant Commander JoNs approach. Despite a few disagreements he liked the security officer, he just hoped she was coming over with good news. "Anything I can do for you Commander?" She put on a happy face, as the human saying went, and spoke to the science officer. "Aye - just wanted to bring over the latest tactical updates; I know the sensors are going wonky due to the nebula, so I thought maybe some manual downloads could help with the comparison scans." The feline offered the padd to him. "Thank you very much. With the sensors hardly reading anything I don't really know what I'm doing up here." He looked apologetically but hoped JoNs wouldn't miss the glint in his eyes that indicated he was half joking. "Scientists are no good without equipment." The security chief leaned in, conspiratorially, and said playfully, "Lieutenant, none of us know what we are doing up here. Shhhh, it's a secret." Chuckling Aidan took the PADD- "I've always thought that to be the case, to be honest. So what do we have here?" He looked at the PADD and read the data it contained. It was of some use but he still couldn't wait to get the sensors back. He felt a bit like a kid without his stuffed animal at night. "Just what we have so far tactically - a vague general direction of where this supposed Umbara general is being held. Actually, Shadow gets most of the credit with that little energy arrow trick he, she? Uh, shim did?" "Although he technically has no gender, at least I think he doesn't, we've never discussed it, we generally refer to him as male. It takes some time to get used to it though, also his sudden appearances." Aidan grinned, he understood how someone who didn't work with him or interact with him otherwise might have a problem with the concept. Heck, Aidan had a problem with the concept, too, he just chose not to think about it and usually took Shadow's lead on matters like gender and the like. An ear flipped back playfully. 'Those 'appearances' have sent me leaping about two feet in the air on occasion." "I would have liked to see that. He's very thoughtful about that, though. He tries not to scare people. By the way, what are you thinking about all of this?" Saying this he pointed to the screen. Kansas eyed the junior officer for a few quick seconds, and her mood went a bit more serious; she turned her attention to the expanse of disputed space shown on the viewscreen. "Playing as a go between negotiator between two rival powers in exchange for safe passage through this corridor of space? It is not a good situation for us to be in." "No, indeed it's not. But there seems to be no alternative. I just hope this works out for us." The Caitian officer's gaze stayed on the viewscreen. "...best negotiator I know is a fully charged phaser bank." JoNs muttered, and then swiped a paw across her eyes tiredly. "Crafty birds." "Spoken like a true security officer Commander. But in all honesty, I'd feel better if we get through here without firing a shot." But in all honesty he just wanted them to be back on their way home, or even better, he just wanted to be back home. Both of her ears flipped back in annoyance and she regarded Driscol. "I didn't necessarily mean that as a "trigger happy" remark, Mister Driscol. Let's just say I have a problem with an established power like the Umbara using the "new kid" for a courier in these playground wars." As usual Aidan had picked up the Cait's mood merely by watching her ears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. And I agree, it's not an ideal situation. We're not too different, though, we'd both do whatever it takes to make sure we get back home, both in our own way. I suppose that's why they took both of us, to help us keep an open mind and to have more than just one option." He hoped this little joke would convince her that he hadn't meant to offend her. Kansas waved a paw in understanding and then spoke again. "It would be like us asking the Borg to negotiate with Orion Raiders for us." Aidan laughed. "I'm sorry, but "Borg" and "negotiate" in one sentence is just very funny." One ear flipped back, and JoNs favoured Driscol with a fanged smile. "Well, thanks for the PADD. I think we should both go back to work now before the Colonels decide we'd be of more use scrubbing the mess hall." JoNs merely nodded and walked back over toward the tactical station where she and her security officer D'Angelo began to converse.

Some are going to love it, some are going to hate it, can't make everyone happy, especially not when it comes to Star Trek. Personally, I hope they make one with a decent story behind it that's not exclusively about special FX (mind you, those should be in there too). Basically, something aimed at entertaining grown ups and not something aimed at getting kids to like Star Trek that will leave a huge amount of actual Trek fans disappointed.

It works for you because we know the Caitans are part of the Federation, but a completely unknown race would be a tad different. Having said that, I would also like to add that you do a great job at "being different". You always make clear how JoNs is different by making ears and tail part of the character and when JoNs is in a bad mood she goes around stalking on all fours. But with regards to culture and such just winging it would be difficult for a race that's newly invented. You will just end up saying one thing one week and contracdicting yourself the next. It would help the player as well as everybody who interacts with them to have something to stick to in regards to history and culture. Even if, at first, it's just a brief outline.

Report on the sickness and death of Crewman Burne and two Gareem patients. Note: This is a condensed and simplified report for non-science and medical staff, full scientific and medical reports have been added to the ship's databank. Clinical Presentation and Course of Disease: The two Gareem patients showed the typical signs of infection, a fever and slight respiratory deficiency. The leukocyte count was slightly elevated. Within a matter of hours their skin took on a blueish colour and the enzyme readings became unusual but inconclusive. Medical was not able to diagnose the patients immediately, that is why blood samples were taken for further examination. A Xeno-biologist from the science department was called in. Observing the early stages of the disease was not possible in Crewman Burne's case as he had fully transformed before he was first presented to medical. The entire course of the disease could not be followed as the two Gareem patients were killed before the transformation was complete. Putting the patient into a stasis had a slowing effect on the course. Test Results: The tests showed that a virus of unknown origin was causing all the changes. It is an unknown virus with a seemingly unique strategy. It alters the DNA of the host cells and transforms it into Soltan DNA which then produces enzymes typical for a Soltan organism. This only happens in the nucleus of the cell, mitochondrial DNA is not affected thus making it possible to tell who the patient was prior to the transformation. It also seems that the virus causes a reconfiguration of the neural pathways which results in memory loss and a drastic change of behaviour. Mechanisms: The virus carries a set of restriction enzymes for "cutting" DNA and short DNA sequences which are brought into the host cell's DNA which encode start and stop sequences. This leads to the virus actually altering the genome of the host cell thus basically turning it into a Soltan cell. As the virus mainly befalls differentiated cells, i.e. cells which already have a function in the body that cannot be altered anymore, the main function of the cell stays the same but the enzymes it produces become different. The implication of that is that an organism has to be, genetically, sufficiently similar to the Soltans to survive the infection. For an organism that differentiates a lot from humanoid physiology an infection would mean certain death. It can be assumed with sufficient certainty that all humanoids will survive an infection and be turned into Soltans, this can be said with 100% certainty in the case of humans, as the example of Crewman Burne shows.(From a scientific point of view it is conceivable that organisms like mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes survive an infection.) Treatment: A simple resequencing of the DNA cannot be considered a possibility, as it is too much strain on the system and lead to Crewman Burne's death. Further tests will show if a combination of an antiviral therapy and resequencing can be used. At this point it seems more advisable to develop a vaccine to the virus. Danger: Nobody on the current crew seems to be infected. As this virus is highly dangerous to most of the crew members caution is advised when encountering the Soltans and the Gareem (as they are the only known carriers so far). An infected person has to be quarantined immediately, as well as any person who the patient has come in contact with. Implications: The uniqueness of the virus and it's mechanism implies that this is not a natural phenomenon, even though it can't be ruled out completely that it is the result of evolution. It should be taken into consideration however, that this might be an artificially produced virus used as a weapon. Despite the militaristic and political implications this might have it also leads to the conclusion that someone has developed a cure to it, as it seems unwise to release such a pathogen without any cure. Request: Medical and Science request permission to keep samples of the virus and the dead Soltans' tissue for further studies. The strictest safety measures will be administered and the samples will be kept in a sealed off area with restricted access.

The main thing is that it all has to make sense. Having a never before encountered race on an ENT sim, for example, doesn't sound very realistic, neither does a Romulan on a Starfleet ship or the other way around, same goes for a Klingon on a TOS sim. When it comes to completely new races you will have to put a lot of work into creating one. It's not enough to just say "I want to have my own race and I'll just wing it from there on". You'd have to come up with a social background not only for one character but a whole race, history, customs, belief system and physiology and probably a million more things that I forgot just now. If they're to be Starfleet members all those things will be on file in a ship's computer so you'd have to make all the info accessible to the other crew members (and your resident medical department will certainly appreciate info on physiology). Personally, I think either do it right or not at all, if your new race turns out to be pretty much like humans except for minor physiological changes you might just as well play a human character. We do have quite a few excellent examples of new or little known species around though. You might want to watch a couple of advanced sims (as everybody's human in the academies) to see how it's done.

Thought you were special, eh Kitty? :P I have corrupted the minds of many a non gamer ::evil laugh:: Although I have to admit, when it comes to FPS I get bored quickly... actually, I get bored quickly with many games, I'm high maintenance when it comes to that. Either way Jonesy, you're not alone.

First of all, I don't think it's rude to say this is not my thing. The challenge of STSF probably is that there are two parts to it. You get the live sim time where it comes close to improvised acting. And I think pretty much all of us know that sometimes you just can't come up with something good fast enough, and ten minutes later you think "man, if I had said this and that it would have turned out so much better." But the most enjoyable thing of this is that you have so much interaction with other players and get so much input from the outside. It just makes you realise how much of a team effort it is, and sometimes I'm amazed at how things can develop when I think I'm stuck with some problem or with a plot line simply by directly interacting with other players, sometimes a whole department. And then there's the writing part with the logs (yes, I do realise that basically it's both writing, but you catch my drift;) where you have time to think about things but you don't get as much interaction with the other players. Sure, you get joint logs, but joint logs with more than 3 players are usually rather hard to set up. For the cadets it's, of course, only the live sim part that they get to experience, but in my opinion it's really the combination of the two that makes an advanced sim.

Agreed. I've heard a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" version by Paul Anka the other day and I found that quite amusing. But apart from their well known stuff I must say I haven't paid much attention to them.

"House Call" A joint log by Doctor Desdemona Levy and Ensign Aidan Driscol Mona walked down the hall and stopped at a doorway. She adjusted her jacket slightly and after a moment tapped on the chime. Aidan was in bed where he belonged but he wasn't really able to relax; his mind was racing at a million miles an hour. He had spent the past couple of hours reading a book and listening to music. The chime came rather unexpectedly. "Come in." As the doors swooshed open Mona entered the room and looked around. She smiled at Driscol. "Just paying a house call. I wanted to see how you were doing?" "Ah Doctor, nice to see you. I'm doing alright, headache's gone." He hadn't expected her to come to his quarters but he thought the gesture to be quite thoughtful. "I thought house calls had come out of fashion." She nodded and with a smile said "House calls are never out of style when you live on the same ship as your patients. And I am a busy body, I like to look at people's quarters." That made him laugh and it felt good to laugh again. "Well, make yourself at home, I hope you'll excuse my indecency of not getting up. I haven't spent much time here lately anyway, but the view's great." Mona made her way to a nearby chair and sat down. "So, how are you feeling after a little bit of rest?" "I'm doing better thanks." He didn't meet her eyes though and he hoped she wouldn't notice. "I did some non scientific reading, thought that might help." She let out a laugh. "I know Mr Driscol. It's alright. I am not as cold hearted of a doctor as some might say." She gave him a wink. "Read whatever as long as your are relaxing." "I have a hard time to relax though, I feel like I have to keep up with the virus, maybe I'm just obsessed." He hoped she wouldn't think of him as a basket case now. This would all be over in a few days or a couple of weeks and things would be back to normal. Mona smiled slightly. "We all get obsessed with things, that doesn't make us basket cases. I obsess over things as well. I just over the years have gotten good at hiding it." Looking up at the Doctor he smiled. "I suppose so. So, what does the Doctor prescribe these days?" Why couldn't Lexia ever be this nice? Wasn't this the reason why people became doctors? To help people and make them feel better? "Well I would say get some rest. That's pretty much it. And I didn't become a doctor to help other people. I became a doctor to help myself. Not all of us doc's do it for purely selfless reasons. I am sure Lexia is the same." Mona paused a moment. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I sometimes pry a bit too much." This made Aidan frown then it dawned on him and he blushed. "I... sorry... I... erm... I had no idea." He hadn't expected her to be a Betazoid, she must definitely think him to be a basket case now. Laying back down and closing his eyes he shook his head. "Well, way to make a fool out of myself." She shook her head slightly. "You are not a basket case and you haven't made a fool of yourself. Sometimes I let this little chip in my head get carried away and I don't realize I am prying into people's heads." "I just didn't expect this, I'm sorry. Read my mind all you like, maybe you'll be able to figure me out as I can't seem to do so myself." He was too tired to control his thoughts now anyway, so he didn't even try, and he figured as he wasn't able to keep up with his racing mind she probably wouldn't either, he wondered if that bothered her in some way, must be confusing. Mona smiled and stood. She started to search her pockets for something. "Thank you for the invite Mr Driscol. I will let you get some rest. I brought a hypospray to help you." she walked towards him and administered the medication. "And I stopped thinking I needed to figure everything out a while ago." "Good, advice, thank you." He started to feel a little drowsy. "But I never invited you." He was joking and he hoped she had realised that, then he stopped worrying about that, of course she would. He yawned and felt his eyelids get very heavy. "Sweet dream Mr Driscol. I'll let myself out." Aidan was asleep before she had said that, finally getting the rest he so desperately needed.

"Coming Out Of The Closet" A Log by Ensign Aidan Driscol After Lexia had left to go back to business as usual Aidan, still sitting in the closet, leaned back and closed his eyes. He was confused and devastated. Being a scientist had meant to him looking through microscopes and using a whole lot of fancy equipment. The death of people usually only reached him through statistics. It had been bad enough when the Gareem had died, because there had been nothing he could have done for them despite all his efforts. But Burne's death was was different altogether. It wasn't so much that he had died right in front of his eyes, or even that the procedure had killed him, Aidan had known that the chance of this working had been slim. Now that Aidan was sitting in the closet all by himself he realised why he had such a problem with all of this. They were all stranded in the Perseus Arm together and all that made the difference between survival and death were the efforts of every single crew member. He knew that if he had been in Burne's position he would have trusted blindly in the proficiency and dedication of science and medical. Aidan had let him down, a man had died sacrificing himself for the ship, the crew and the chance of everybody else returning to Federation space. The conversation with Lieutenant Commander JoNs came back to his mind. Burne had been in her department. She had been his chief and she felt just as guilty of letting Burne down as he did, if not more. But it was all part of the job, wasn't it? All the training missions that had seemed like a game back in San Francisco had become real out here. Death was just around the corner for all of them. He had the choice of either hiding in this closet for the rest of the journey or getting out and contributing his share to getting back home. Aidan got up and stood up straight as he exited the closet. If he would have to die and wouldn't make it back home he'd at least be able to do so with his head held high and the knowledge of having done the best he could. Now, where were his theories on artificial wormholes?

Happy birthday Kairi. May you have a great day, get many cool presents and the most awesome birthday cake ever. I'd sing Happy Birthday for you but I think the neighbours are home :). Ah, who cares ::sings anyway::

That one also goes well with the kick and beg method, or as a Cait you might go for pounce and purr. Either way, good luck :)

"Preparations" A Log by Ensign Kevin Anderson Kevin was in his quarters to prepare for the away mission. They would leave when Gerran returned which would be soon. Another away mission, at least this time they wouldn't have to fight for their lives. If he hadn't jinxed it now that was. He was busy reading through some essays to get an idea of what he was to expect. Of course, there were no papers on the place they were were going to as it was uncharted but he had looked for papers on places with similar conditions, which meant that flora and fauna would most likely have developed similarly. When he came across a section about poisonous animals Kevin started to wonder if they'd take a doctor, too. Might be a good idea to do so as there was no way of telling what kind of poisons they might encounter. They wouldn't be the first team of scientists to lose a man to unknown poisons during an expedition. He sighed and shook his head, he shouldn't worry so much, everything would be alright. Kevin reached for an empty PADD and wrote down a lot of educated guesses of what he expected them to find. Chief Amreis would appreciate that and he would have something to compare his findings to when they returned. He wasn't actually expecting them to run into many dangers. A couple of poisonous animals as appeared all over the Galaxy maybe as well as some plants they might want to stay away from. Their main problem would be that there was no way of telling what antidoted they needed, But on the whole there probably wouldn't be anything, they'd go there, collect samples and return to the station where they'd catalogue them. Still Kevin made sure to include a few possibly dangerous scenarios in his report just to be prepared for anything.

"Musings over Food" A Log by Ensign Aidan Driscol Two hours after he had abandoned his BLT sandwich in the mess hall Aidan was back hoping he'd finally get to eat. Thoughtfully he chewed on his cheeseburger. He thought he'd finally come to terms with this whole situation. Within just a short time, in which he'd hardly slept or eaten he'd found out quite a lot about the virus. This kind of research would usually have taken hi months. Certainly, he'd gotten lucky with some of his theories which proved to be right, Shadow had been a great help with his ability to 'feel' different kinds of tissue and of course Doctor Tordai had been just as helpful. She had worked crazy hours as well so they would be able to get through all of the experiments. It'd be too easy to just say they'd done research, because people never considered what that really meant. They had spent hours with brainstorming, more hours of reading literature to familiarise themselves with the matter, days spent in biosuits, or at least some kind of protective gear, in the lab, more hours of writing up reports for superiors and themselves so they didn't forget about the details, long discussions with senior officers and members of other departments as well as their own who have been going through the same ordeal. That's what they'd had spent their time with, that's what research really was. Aidan thought about all of this while his teeth started the process of turning his burger into its basic components and his taste buds were sending signals to his brain which stored the info into the "very good burger" drawer of his memory. All of a sudden he started to grin, he just couldn't help it. He'd done well on this. Sure, he'd gotten into trouble but they'd get over it. Lieutenant Condacin would be over it the moment the Soltans were off the ship and Lieutenant Commander JoNs seemed to be over it already. As was his habit he scribbled something on the napkin while he was eating. He wasn't even paying attention to what he was writing. He'd always had a pen and a piece of paper with him, you never know when a good idea hits you and when eating he just used the napkin, because it helped him to concentrate and eating was usually thinking time for him. Yes, he had done well. What rhymes with pity? Huh? Where did that thought come from? Well, witty does, so does pretty, sort of, close enough. This had been his first big project on the alpha shift and he had worked his behind off. The Colonels had heard about him, true, not only positive things but they knew about his determination now. A rhyme for that? Pet? Met? Linguistically not 100% alright but it'd do, who'd notice anyway? When he had finished his burger Aidan got up and returned his plate. He didn't notice the napkin still lying on the table.

"Over Time" A joint log by Dr. Lexia Tordai and Ensign Aidan Driscol After Aidan had changed into his gym clothes he had made his way to sickbay to let Tordai in on what he'd found out. Dr Levy had then told him that Dr Tordai was in her quarters, so he was on his way there. He knew she wouldn't be happy about his visit, so smirking he chimed the door. Lexia looked up from her glass, the last of the amber liquid making its way down her throat. She sighed, having just gotten rid of the furball she was in no mood for another caller. She placed the glass on the table next to the couch and stared out the viewport...maybe if she ignored it...it would just go away. Grinning Aidan waited, maybe she was in the shower. Or she was just being herself and didn't want to see anybody, so he chimed again waiting for an answer. Lexia rolled her eyes, she knew it had been a pipe dream. She stood and walked towards the door, grabbing her glass and placing it on the larger dining room table as she passed. She reached the door a moment later and pressed the opener. "What?" "Ah, always so charming Doc, I thought I'd drop by and say hello, because I know you were thinking about me just then." Aidan didn't know why but he loved to tease her, Doctor Tordai must hate his guts. He stepped in without being invited because he had a feeling that he wouldn't get invited in anyway. She stood at the door a minute staring into the hall. Her stomach clenched and she felt she might be in danger of screaming. "Ensign..." she begin after finding the ability to speak in lower tone then screech. "to what do I owe the displeasure?" She turned, knowing that attempting to throw him out was a waste of time and not bothering to try. "Ouch doc, very, very ouch. I thought you were meant to make pain go away and not to be the cause for more. If that's your intention you should have become a dentist." He sat down on the sofa and looked around wondering how far she'd let him go. "Nice place you got yourself." He crossed his hands behind his head and looked up at her. Lexia walked to the dining table and grabbed the tall bottle in the center. Pulling out the cork she refilled her tall glass, not offering any to her "guest". She replaced the cork and took a long swig. "Ensign, I am assuming," Lexia paused and reconsidered her words, "this better not be a social call Driscol. Why are you here." She had run out of what little tolerance she had left with the furry one. Aidan chuckled and shook his head. "Doc, I can tell you're cheating on me." Lexia moved with calculated steps around the couch. "Do you have a death wish, ensign?" She said as calmly as possible. Draining her glass. He leaned back and kept looking at her. She was actually quite good-looking, but she had this attitude, amusing but not sexy. "You can't kill me Doc. That whole oath thing and all should keep you from it. Even if you were a dentist you couldn't." "I have friends. For the gods sakes get to the point or leave," she turned back to the table and pop the cork again pouring another glass. "What makes you think I didn't come here in the hopes of getting to make out with you" This was accompanied by a broad grin. He supposed he'd never been in more danger in his life. She stalked to the door slamming her hand against the opener. "Enough," she said and pointed him outwards. She had considered throwing the drink at him, but thought it a waste of good liquor. He laughed and stayed seated. "Okay, I see, I can't fool you. There's news I thought you might like to know before I go to the gym and work off my frustration of being told off for getting my hands dirty for you guys." Lexia grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him off her couch. She then physically pulled him towards the door. "Listen, you're lucky I haven't filed a complaint against you yet, and I suggest you quite pressing your luck." She pushed him out of her quarters and slammed the close button. "Send the findings in a memo," she said as the door swished shut. Aidan put his forehead against the door and shook his head. "Listen, I know someone else must have annoyed you before I got here, I know I annoyed you, but I'm serious, I have news for you. Oh, and by the way, getting drunk won't solve anything." The door flew open, however this time Lexia stood with her arm across the threshold so no one could enter. "Driscol, I said send it in a memo." She paused trying to calm her anger. "And, not that it is any of your business, but I am off duty and what I drink and how much is my choice as long as I am in my quarters." She took a breath. "And yes you did annoy me, and you do annoy me, and I suggest you move along before you annoy me anymore," she was nearly biting the words out now as her hand moved for the close button. Aidan quickly reached for her wrist and grabbed it. "I know you hate me, but listen to me, this is important, after that you can get trashed all you like and keep hating the world and very possibly yourself for whatever reason you hate everything for. But please listen to me now." He looked at her almost pleadingly. Not being able to save the Gareem had gotten to him more than he would let on, and that was part of the reason for the whole act he put on with Tordai. Sure it was fun to tease her, but he didn't want her to hate him. She wrung her wrist free. "If one more un-professional word comes out of your mouth...I will throw you out...literally." Aidan nodded and stayed put. "You need to relax, but with your training you probably know that. Anyway, I think I found a way to restore Burne to, well, Burne." Lexia's eyes narrowed at the relax comment. "Go on," she said standing firm in her doorway. "With Shadow's pictures I was able to figure something out. We can't fight the virus, at least not yet, but it becomes deactivated after a while. I suppose it stays dormant for a while, kind of like a herpes virus, we could just start resequencing Burne and hope the virus won't fling into action right after we're done. We'd have to talk to the Colonels and security about this, it's a security risk." "Yes, it is," she said. She looked at him, "But one worth taking. Write a report...we will talk to the Colonels at first opportunity." "I already have." Aidan pulled out a PADD and handed it to Tordai. "This one is for Dr Levy and I have two more for my chief and for the Colonels. Anyway, have fun with Johnny Walker, or whatever guy you're going to spend the night with. If you need me, I'm in the gym." Having said that he turned around and left her standing in the doorway. She watched him leave, her eyes boring into the back of his head. She did not bother to say anything, turning and closing her door. "Johnny Walker..." she mumbled under her breath. The glass in her hand found the wall not far away. How dare he? She sighed looking at the mess on the wall. It would seem JoNs had ruined her dinner...and Driscol had ruined her nightcap.

"A Silver Lining for Blue Crewmen" A Log by Ensign Aidan Driscol Like so many times in the past days Aidan was sitting in the science lab thinking about the virus. He had risked his career to get more samples; everybody had their undergarments in a knot over this and he wondered why. They had needed the samples and he had had his orders from Doctor Levy. If Tordai had gone nobody would have said a word because Levy was her chief. Certainly, his chief was Lieutenant Condacin, but she had been busy with other things and she had allowed him to work with medical on this as the resident xeno biologist. In his opinion Lieutenant Condacin wasn't able to judge the situation correctly. Aidan hit the desk with his fist. He was still mad at her for telling him off and treating him like a child, but now he would have to concentrate on the virus and put all this aside. Aidan held the PADD with the pictures of the samples with which Shadow had been able to provide them after they had gone fishing again. This helped him to understand things a little bit better. Their best shot was to find differences between the samples to see how the virus worked and maybe to find out how to fight it. Aidan had been busy doing just that for the past hours. He had found out that the virus wasn't as different as he had thought and feared it would be. It appeared to be somewhat like the varicella-zoster virus also known as human herpes virus 3 which caused chicken pox ans shingles. The virus seemed to infect an organism and started to cause all these changes and once they were done it became inactive. He had the proof right in front of him. In some of the Soltans the virus was still active, they must have been infected later than those in which the virus was dormant. That meant that even though they didn't have a cure they could try to resequence Burne's DNA and get him back to normal and hope the virus would remain dormant. For the other Soltans there was no hope. They wouldn't be able to help them, because they didn't have their genetic profiles but it was a chance for Burne. He picked up and empty PADD and started to write a report for his chief, as he had no intention of getting into trouble again. But he made a point of writing that it was the new samples that had made all of this possible. When he was done he copied everything onto two more PADDs, one for medical and one for the Colonels in case Lieutenant Condacin thought his findings important enough to pass them on. When Aidan looked up he saw that Condacin wasn't in her office and he didn't feel like going to look for her. So he got up to go where he always went when he was frustrated and needed to just let it all out; he went to the gym.

"Pillow Fight" A personal log by Midshipman Aidan Driscol After his shift was over Aidan felt thoroughly knackered. He had returned to his quarters and lay on his bed still wearing his uniform. This whole Alpha Shift affair was going to be more of a challenge than he had thought. He was fuming. How could he have been stupid enough to let himself get caught. Of course, his chief should know what he was up to but he had wanted to act fast without a lengthy discussion about the necessity of more samples. That's why he had asked Dr Levy for permission; he felt like he was more part of medical than science these days anyway, as he had spent so much time in sickbay lately. Thwap! His pillow took a blow. Two people had died because he hadn't worked fast enough. Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! Why did Chief Condacin have to get hung up on a petty thing like that now? THWAP!! Didn't she see that this was important? He wasn't just doing this because of a bruised ego but, because in his opinion the ship was still in danger. Aidan got up; he had to go to the gym, hitting the pillow wasn't doing the trick anymore. While changing he wondered why Condacin had reacted like she had. A mere "next time I want to be informed" would have been sufficient. Instead she had treated him like she had caught him standing over over her bed with a dagger in hand. Before he could stop himself he thought this to be tempting. Then he shook his head, because he knew that he had allowed this matter to become too emotional for him, too. Now, why had everybody returned from the meeting being all tetchy? Thoughtfully he tied his shoes. Tordai was always tetchy, his chief had a tendency towards tetchiness, but he had also heard that Colonel Day had gone somewhat beyond tetchy after the meeting. Aidan didn't quite see the problem. They should keep the Soltans until they had a cure and then have the marines deal with them. Right now they still needed them; it was dangerous to keep them on the ship but that was nothing compared to how dangerous things would get if a crewmember fell ill after the Soltans had been disposed of before they had a cure and they would have to work without any samples. Bang! He kicked the shoes he had just taken off to put his trainers on into a corner and left his quarters for the gym. He half hoped to meet Condacin there.