Annabelle O'Halloran

For the first time since the academy, 1st Lieutenant William Tomlinson was nervous. None of the missions he’d flown nor any problems he’d had with the Captain or the XO made him into as much of a bundle of nerves as he was right now. He tried taking deep breaths but they were shaky at best. The stage was set, the time was drawing close and he was as nervous; almost as scared as a first orbit cadet. Anna would find the note on the bed they shared as soon as she came off duty and she would come to him, probably wondering what kind of screwball thrill-seeking situation he wanted to put her into this time. Will couldn’t help but smile at that thought. Whatever happened, he knew he loved her with all his heart and now all he could do was wait. * * * * * His note had said to meet him in Holodeck 2 at 1800 hours for a special occasion and Anna was still wondering what that meant because coming from Will -- that might mean anything. He loved surprising her with one hair-raising adventure after another and could be surprisingly creative. The big challenge had been on deciding what to wear -- he usually at least gave her a hint. But not this time, and so she’d decided that a special occasion called for a special dress and had opted for a black silk in a halter style that he hadn’t seen before. It had a black lace overlay and was deceptively elegant and...would be completely inappropriate if it turned out that he’d programmed an adventure in honor of some esoteric anniversary which involved running with bulls (she still didn’t understand why that was an event) or navigating a storm in a hot air balloon (a favorite to date). Feeling a little thrill of anticipation, she tapped the control panel and stepped across the threshold as the doors slid back. Anna found herself in what appeared to be an elegant foyer, dimly lit by a small chandelier centered over a small pedestal table. There was a piece of parchment lying on the table which simply read: “follow the ribbon”. Looking down, starting just beyond the table, there was a white ribbon on the floor which led into a corridor off the little entryway. She followed it and found herself going up a flight of stairs and down another corridor until reaching a set of french doors which upon opening, revealed a patio illuminated only by candlelight and a star filled sky. A table with a service for two had been set up for an elegantly romantic dinner. Turning slowly, she absorbed the beautiful setting, enjoying the warm, balmy breeze that smelled of heliotrope and primroses. She wondered what the occasion was, knowing it didn’t really matter. Will was very good at coming up with creative scenarios, the only real purpose of which was for them to enjoy spending some time together away from their work environment. He was such a romantic, she mused, thinking as always of how lucky she was while wishing he would hurry up and make an appearance. It had been a longish day and she missed him. As if on cue, Will silently walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently pulled his Anna to him and hugged her warmly, “Good evening, my love. I do hope you like what you see here.” He kissed the back of her neck before turning her around to face him. No matter how many times he saw her like this, his breath was always taken away by the beauty he held in his arms. “You look beautiful, my dear. Are you hungry right now?” “Good evening, to you too,” Anna replied with a delighted smile, thinking Will sounded oddly formal. She looped her arms around his neck and stretched up to kiss him lingeringly before leaning back to meet his gaze. “I love what I’ve found here; it’s a beautiful setting, Will,” she assured him. “I am hungry -- and have been wondering what’s under the covered dishes.” He was even dressed more formally than usual she noticed. Very handsome as always, but his easy smile was missing and she wondered at it; it wasn’t like him to be so serious when they were alone together like this. “So, what’s the occasion, flyboy?” she asked lightly. Will smiled but didn’t immediately respond as he led her to the table and helped push her chair in as she sat down. He then acted as their waiter, taking a moment to pop open a bottle of very fine, non-replicated wine. He let the wine breathe a bit as he spoke softly, “A very special occasion, my love.” Will poured a glass of wine for her and then one for himself. Picking up his glass, he sat across from his love and held it up in a toast, “To life and love.” He smiled so warmly at her that you would think the room’s temperature went up a few degrees. Rather dazzled by the warmth and intensity of Will’s smile, Anna automatically lifted her glass to touch it to the rim of his, echoing his words before taking a sip of the wine, which was delicious. “The wine is wonderful...just like everything else you’ve arranged here tonight.” Anna reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. She had a sudden thought that perhaps Will had arranged all this because he had something to tell her that he knew she wouldn’t like. Maybe a very dangerous mission was being planned. The words of his toast actually leant themselves to this theory, didn’t they? Anna took a deep breath, keeping her gaze fixed on his. “Will, sweetheart, what’s this all about?” Will saw worry play across her features as she spoke and he figured that her anxiety stemmed from his being a fighter pilot. He’d been going to wait until dessert but if keeping her in suspense like this was causing her distress he would fast forward to it. “Love, there is nothing bad to tell you,” Will stated with a smile. “In fact, I hear that this is an event that most women look forward to with baited breath.” He slipped his hand out of hers, got out of his seat and slid around the table. As he moved, he made sure that Anna could see the small black jewel box in his right hand. Will had planned this evening to surprise her with a proposal! Anna realized with stunned surprise as she caught sight of the small box in his hand. He often mentioned their future; usually in the context of saying something jokingly about when they had kids and she always teased him back but it had never occurred to her to think about when they might do anything official. She just thought of them as...together, knowing she could rely on him and his feelings for her as completely as he could rely on hers for him. But of course to Will, that would eventually mean a ring as well as the traditional wedding service his parents had gone through. It was the way of his family; the expectation he’d grown up with. She’d been raised differently but now that this moment had apparently arrived, she was filled with anticipation. “You always manage to surprise me, Will but this time you’ve really outdone yourself. It never occurred to me that this was on your mind,” Anna finally said softly, almost breathless with a growing feeling of overwhelming happiness. Will couldn’t help but smile at seeing her so overwhelmed as he got down on one knee and looked up into her eyes. “My father used to say that if something looks too good to be true, it usually is, but if it is true, then take it and run with it.” Will opened the box and revealed a gold ring, rubies and diamonds embedded along the band, with a 2 karat princess-cut diamond on top. He took the ring out of the box and held it up to her. “This ring has been in my family for six generations and now it will pass to you if you want it. You are too good to be true Anna, and yet, you are the real deal, so I plan on taking you and running if you agree.” Will took a deep breath, “Annabelle O’Halloran, I love you with all my heart and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” Taking the box with shaking fingers, Anna didn’t even look at the ring; her eyes were locked on Will’s, knowing the love she saw there was reflected back to him from her own. “I love you so much,” she replied quietly as she took his hand and gave it a gentle tug to draw him up. “William Tomlinson, it would be my privilege and greatest joy to be your wife. Yes! Of course I’ll marry you,” she exclaimed with a brilliant smile, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she threw herself into his arms. Will laughed with pure unadulterated joy as he held his Anna closely. “Gods above, I love you Annabelle.” He pulled back slowly so that he could look at her beautiful face. He used his thumb to brush away a single tear that slid down her angelic face. He brought his face to hers and kissed her deeply for what seemed an eternity of bliss. When that kiss ended, Will took the ring out of the box and slid it ever so gently onto her finger as if her hand were made of delicate porcelain. He then kissed her hand before meeting her eyes and saying, “Anna, I can’t describe how happy you’ve made me.” Turning back to the table, “Now how about we eat a bit of dinner and then move on to dessert?” he asked with a sly smile. Still bemused from his kiss -- not an unusual occurrence -- food was the last thing on Anna’s mind. “I’m looking forward to a lifetime of dessert, Will,” she told him, her smile radiant. “A lifetime together.”

Will Tomlinson packed his bag methodically but in a hurried manner. The thought of his Anna in any type of swimwear brought a smile to his face and a light to his eyes. He packed enough for a day or two off of the ship. Once the bag was packed, he tested the weight and nodded to himself before going into the living room and catching Anna's attention. "Well, Ms. O'Halloran. Are you ready for our shore leave?" Anna glanced up from the workscreen on the desk and flashed Will a grin. "I've been ready, Mr. Tomlinson." He'd been detained down on the flight deck for a bit and she'd managed to pack before he'd even gotten back to their quarters. She logged off the screen before standing and grabbing her own bag off the couch. "Twenty-four hours all to ourselves..." * * * * * Blinking sleepily, it took Anna a moment to realize that the sun had shifted and was no directly longer overhead as had been the case while they were eating lunch. And though it had started its long, slow descent over the ocean horizon, she didn't think too much time had passed; it was still high enough in the sky that the palm trees they were lying under were still offering some shade. The climate on this part of Tethys was tropical and even wearing only bathing suits, it was still uncomfortably hot and humid. Shifting lazily, she glanced over to where Will was lying next to her, expecting to see that he was still asleep. Instead, she found him staring at her with an intensity that gave her pause. He still had the ability to make her blush with just a look but this was different and she had no idea what he was thinking about. Turning over on her side so she was facing him, Anna reached to brush the hair back off his forehead, her fingers lingering with tender affection as she asked, "What's on your mind, flyboy?" Will smiled as she touched his hair. He always loved how delicate her touches could be but his smile soon faded and his gaze was caught by the gleam of metal against her skint. "That bracelet is what's on my mind, my love. A lot has gone on since you came into possession of it..." His voice trailed off before he looked at her directly, adding firmly, "I want it gone, Annabelle. I want it gone now." He knew that the bracelet would probably not react well to his words, but he felt that it was past time to end this. His statement causing her to falter, Anna drew back her hand from him, automatically using her other hand to cover the bracelet in an unconscious bid to protect it. "I know we talked about this, Will and I intend to get it removed. In fact, as soon as we get back to the ship, I'll do just that," she said stiffly, forcing back a sudden feeling of panic. Will shook his head. "No, you won't. I can see it in your eyes. You may want to remove it but it has a hold on you. I have an idea on how to remove it but it's risky." He reached over to gently caress her face. "You're so beautiful, my Anna. I want you with me forever." It did have a hold on her, she couldn't deny it. The feeling of panic intensified even as she thought about removing the damned thing. Meeting Will's gaze, Anna reached a decision -- she couldn't...wouldn't allow it to control her any longer. It had already come between them once or twice before and that made no sense since he was the most important thing in the world to her. "Risky?" she asked, unsure what he meant. Will was always so protective; it would be so out of character for him to ever do anything that might put her in harm's way. Will sat up and rummaged through his bag before pulling out a device that looked like a small bracelet with an attached cable. "I had a friend in engineering rig this up. The cable will interface with your bracelet so that I will be connected to it as well. I say it's risky because I don't know what will happen when I hook it up. What do you think?" Anna realized then that he’d meant it was risky to him. "I don't want you to chance getting hurt, Will," she responded immediately, barely glancing at the odd looking device. "I don't recall the couple of times it's happened but you witnessed for yourself that I'm not always in complete control." Will nodded. "Very well, then. If you don't want to try my idea then remove the bracelet or have it removed. Can you look me in the eye and promise you'll do it as soon as we get back to the ship?" He watched her intently trying to gauge her reaction to his words. He was watching very carefully because he knew that he could only push this so far. Anna stiffened, feeling immediately on the defensive at his attempt to wrest the promise from her. Hadn’t she just told him she would? Truthfully, she was more irritated and, she had to admit it -- frightened, by her own unwillingness to part with the dratted thing but having Will suddenly force the issue, while they were here, alone in this beautiful place, struck her as being supremely unfair of him. It wasn't as if there'd been any repeat of what had happened in the training room. It was possible the bracelet was now dormant, whatever energy that had been trapped within it, now spent and in fact, all that Will would accomplish today was to destroy something ancient and irreplaceable, she thought, with a sudden feeling of righteousness "You know I can't just remove it -- there's no obvious clasp. And yes...I'll get it taken care of as soon as I get a chance," she muttered with obvious reluctance, evading his eyes. Will sighed and shook his head, "No you won’t. The next chance you get will be when we get back to the ship, but then you'll be too busy or something else will come up. You'll have an excuse not to." He caught her gaze with his again and looked deeply into her eyes. "I wonder how many excuses are running through your mind right now. It's one of a kind and can't be replaced? Maybe it won't happen again? I'm overreacting despite all the evidence to the contrary?" He kept his gaze locked with hers for a moment longer before lying back down and looking up at the sky. "It is beautiful here. It's a shame that this one thing is coming between us and ruining our time together..." "I don’t think it’s the bracelet that’s ruining our time together," Anna retorted sharply, abruptly sitting up and turning to glare down at him, the sudden pain flaring behind her eyes signifying the onset of what would no doubt be a monster headache. “Are you just trying to pick a fight, Will?" Will shook his head and sighing, replied, "I already did that once and I ended up fighting Eydis and having a bat'leth at my throat." He didn't move but just stared calmly back at her. "I want you back, Anna. Just you. I don't want Anna and Eydis," he clarified, pointing to the bracelet as he spoke Eydis' name. "I just want you. Is that really so much to ask for?" Stricken, Anna’s eyes widened, her pupils dilating with remembered shock, experiencing again the moment of waking to find she was crouched over him, the sharp blade at his throat, and every muscle in her body taut as a bowstring, ready to deliver the death strike. Somehow she’d come back to herself in time to keep the unimaginable from happening. And then she’d promised to get the bracelet removed, so frightened at what had almost happened and so irrationally angry with him for pushing her...Eydis to that point. But she hadn't followed through... "I don’t want to talk about this anymore right now,” she finally said, raising shaking fingers to press against her forehead, hoping the pressure would relieve the throbbing in her skull. She was suddenly afraid that she might lose control and attack him again. He was right; this had to stop. “When we get back, I will get it cut off; I really mean it this—" Seeing her having problems, Will sat up suddenly and grabbing her arms to keep her steady, cut her off in mid-sentence. "Easy, Anna!" He watched as her eyes suddenly seemed to change and he realized what was happening. "Anna? ANNA?!" Taking a deep breath and praying for her forgiveness, he slapped the bracelet on to his wrist and attached the wire to hers. As Eydis became aware of her surroundings, it took her only a moment to realize she was wearing almost as little clothing as the stranger with the tightening grip on her arms. Reacting violently to finding herself restrained by a barely clothed male, she hissed her fury while trying to twist free of his grasp, looking wildly around in an attempt to find her sword. She must have dropped it during whatever had led to this confrontation but was confused upon realizing that there were no weapons...there wasn't anything. They were on a small island surrounded in all directions by nothing but water and she could see no ship in the distance. Thinking it would be best to save her energy until she understood what was going on, she stopped struggling, eying him warily, thinking he looked oddly familiar but there were so many confusing images in her mind these days that she couldn’t trust her memory. “Why have you brought me here? Where are my people? And why are we bound together this way?" she demanded, again having little success as she tried to tug her arm free of the hold he had on her. Will stayed relaxed, not wanting to provoke the volatile woman warrior. "Eydis, my name is William Tomlinson." He could see the confusion in her eyes and quickly tried to explain. "You and I fought as adversaries once before. Please believe me when I say that I come to you as an ally now." Will knew that Eydis had no reason to believe him, but he had to try. "I know you're confused and afraid right now. Attack me if you wish, I will not resist you. I can answer your questions but only if you trust me. I need you to trust me because the life of a woman I love with all my heart is entwined with yours." He hoped that while looking into his eyes, she would see his sincerity and a bit of the desperation he was feeling about this whole situation. "I'm not afraid," Eydis replied, almost disdainfully, barely hearing his words so little sense did they make. She would die before admitting fear. Unfortunately, she was confused; he was right about that. Once again, she found herself unaware of how she'd come to be here...wherever here was. Perhaps she'd gone insane and none of this was even real, she thought with sudden despair. With Tjarn's death, she'd lost half of her soul and all of her heart; perhaps it had also shattered her mind. The bond between them had been unusually strong. Examining his features, she frowned and then gasped, realizing what was happening. "I do recognize you," she whispered in horror. "I killed you. We battled and I raised your own blade to strike...I could not have missed. You are haunting me." She looked past him with empty eyes, knowing now she would never see Tjarn again. All that had been left for her was the hope that they would be reunited once her own death released her from the loneliness of a mortal existence without him. But somehow this spirit with the strange name was now linked to her...tethered in fact by the cuff that she'd worn since taking her warrior's oath. "Am I dead, too?" she asked tonelessly. "Is this my punishment for taking your life?" Will sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain the situation to her. The empty despair in her eyes tugged at his heart. "Eydis, your body...died, a long time ago, but your essence, your warrior spirit, has been interred in this bracelet. The woman I love found your bracelet in a shop and bought it." He hoped to keep things as simple as possible so that Eydis could grasp the situation. "When she put it on, your spirit awoke from its rest." Will lifted his wrist slowly and as non-threateningly as possible. "This was crafted to connect to your bracelet so that I could speak to you and try to explain everything to you." He lowered his wrist, adding, "And as for killing me, you were poised to do so but Anna, the woman who wears your bracelet now, awoke from her sleep and then you slept once more. She managed to keep from killing me." Will paused and waited for all of this to sink into Eydis' mind. Eydis eyed him suspiciously, although his words were an explanation of the strange face she'd seen when catching sight of her reflection. Not a logical explanation by any means -- none of it made any real sense. She frowned, not understanding how this could have come about. "It's taboo to wear another's cuff. The stone is set and forged at the same time as the sword. Only one may wear a particular stone or wield a particular sword. When we die, they are burned on our pyre with us, the heat returning what's left of the elements to the natural world from which they came. Your woman is a fool to think she could use what isn't hers, what wasn't made for her." Will sighed. He was trying to explain the situation but it appeared that he was doing a poor job of it. "Eydis, she didn't steal it from your body or anything like that. She found the bracelet in a shop, thought it was beautiful and bought it. Please believe me that if she knew what it truly was, she would not have bought it...or at the very least, she would've disposed of it in accordance with your beliefs after finding out how to honor fallen warriors such as yourself." Will got an idea. "Please explain how we might remove and dispose of it so that you may rest in peace and my Anna will be whole once more." His eyes pleaded with her to tell him what he wanted so that he could help both of them. "I don't remember what happened," Eydis replied dully, finally understanding how dishonored she'd been in death. "I must have died alone, away from my people," she continued sorrowfully. "This is why I have not been reunited with Tjarn. My cuff was removed and not destroyed with my mortal shell. My soul has been trapped and now, instead of being set free by this body, I am forced to share it with a stranger." Pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead in an effort to release the terrible pressure building inside her skull, she staggered forward. "I’m sure death is the only release for both of us. If you care for her, you'll put an end to this," she managed before collapsing, the fall dislodging the cable that tethered her wrist cuff to the stranger. Frowning with the determination that there was no way in hell he would lose his Anna, Will caught her body and lowered her down, going to his knees beside her. He then proceeded to hook his bracelet back up to hers. Feeling both Eydis and Anna beginning to fade, he worked quickly, pulling a cutting tool he’d brought along with the linking device out of his bag. He immediately put it to work. "C'mon Anna, you're not dead and you're not dying. Please stay with me,” he begged her, almost frantic as the tool was seeming to take forever to get through the steel; he could no longer feel Eydis and Anna was still fading from him. "ANNA! STAY WITH ME!" He yelled, feeling near panic because he was sure she was slipping away. He dropped the cutting tool and began pulling at the mostly cut bracelet. A few hard pulls and then one final yank with all of his strength and the metal finally separated enough so that he could pull it from her wrist and fling it away. Looking back to her, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her almost violently, "Anna? Anna?! Wake up! Please, wake up!" Will? He sounded so far away, Anna thought, wondering where he’d gone and why he sounded so frightened; Will was scared of nothing. I’m here, she tried to say, but couldn’t seem to get the words out. She was so still, Will was afraid that she was already gone but then his field medic training kicked in and he checked her vitals. Her breathing was rapid, as was her pulse but not dangerously so. In the back of his mind, Will promised to give Deb the best bag of chocolate he could find for the training that he he’d been able to fall back on rather than panic at the possibility of his Anna dying on him. Anna didn’t know where she was or why it was so dark and feeling increasingly panicked, tried to move, twisting wildly, not even sure if she was actually moving as she tried to figure out what was happening to her. There had been no sound except for Will’s voice and her last memory was of them lying on the beach and arguing about the damn bracelet. What had happened? Where was Will? Why was she blind? Will sighed with relief but was taken by surprise as Anna began to flail around in a panicked manner. At first he was worried that she was in convulsions but then he realized that it was more like thrashing while in a nightmare. "Anna! Anna, calm down! Open your eyes," he begged her in a more soothing tone while trying to restrain her arms to keep her from hurting either herself or him. He sounded closer, Anna realized. His voice didn’t have that far off quality and she struggled against whatever was holding her, trying to break free so she could find him. "I’m here", she tried to call, and though she felt like she was yelling, all she managed was the barest whisper. Will watched as her eyes fluttered open and he heard her whispered words. “Come on, Anna. Come on back to me now.” He watched until her eyes opened fully and then he held her to him gently, saying, “Welcome back, Anna.” He kissed her forehead, mentally thanking all the Powers That Be that he had his Anna back. “Will?” Bewildered, Anna lay back in his arms, unsure of what was going on. Raising her hand, she gently cupped her fingers against his jaw, thinking he didn’t look like himself. “What happened? What’s wrong?” Will smiled and shook his head, “Nothing, my love. Everything is right with the world now.” He bent his head down and covered her mouth with his in a passionate kiss that conveyed his happiness, relief and love for her. Caught up in his kiss, Anna didn’t disagree or question his change in mood; the last thing she clearly remembered was arguing about the bracelet -- and it was too nice just to lie in his arms and kiss him back. No need to bring up that old argument right now she thought, mind not really on anything but being in the here and now with Will. She would deal with it once and for all when they got back up to the ship. Probably. Lifting her arms to slide them around his neck, she realized that she wasn’t even wearing it. “Where is it?” she blurted out, vaguely surprised to find that she felt nothing in particular at its absence except a sort of sadness...was there a sense of being less? Odd...she’d experienced such feelings of panic at even the idea of removing it before. Will reluctantly backed off a little and motioned to the remains of the bracelet a few meters away. “What’s left of it is over there,” he stated with a trace of regret in his voice. It saddened him to know Eydis’ fate but it didn’t matter; he hoped that Eydis had finally found a measure of peace but he had his Anna back and that was all that mattered to him. Leaning away from Will, Anna reached for the bracelet, noticing with dismay that it had been all but destroyed; the metal was twisted and almost unrecognizable as the beautiful thing it had been before. The strange blue gem also looked dull and lifeless compared with how it had sparkled before. “It’s ruined,” she said softly, leaning back against Will. Rubbing her thumb gently over the jagged edges, she glanced up, finding Will’s eyes on her. “Looks like it didn’t come off easily...” Will sighed, looking back at Anna. “It sure didn’t, but I think it really came off when Eydis accepted her death. She wanted to be let go. Unfortunately, as she was dying, so were you so I had to cut through the bracelet as fast as possible.” Will looked genuinely regretful. “Sorry I ruined the bracelet but I was only thinking of your life first.” “Oh, Will,” Anna managed a smile even as a few tears welled up while setting the bracelet aside in favor of hugging him close. “I felt like I was slipping away; it was so dark and I couldn’t feel anything. I could only hear your voice, calling me. You sounded so worried and I wanted to get to you to tell you it was ok. I’m so sorry I put you through that,” she apologized fervently, her face pressed to his shoulder, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. Will didn’t respond to her apology but merely hugged her close to him. Perfect moments like this he lived for. He rocked back and forth slightly as they merely held each other, expressing nothing but their mutual love in one of the many non-verbal ways available. Content to hold him and be held in return, Anna wondered if she would still dream of the woman named Eyedis who had lived and died so long ago, only to die a second time, today, if Will was correct. It touched her that he felt so much compassion for a woman who had tried to kill him. “I only knew her through her dreams...nightmares really... But Will, I do know that she really died the day Tjarn did. They were joined in some way; they shared a bond of unusual closeness uncommon even among their own people. She never felt whole after he was gone.” What would it be like to feel another’s emotions that way? Anna wondered, shifting uneasily against Will. She knew that Betazeds, used to experiencing the feelings of those around them felt a deeper physical and spiritual attachment to those they loved. It had always made her uncomfortable to be around species with abilities like that; it felt like an invasion of privacy and it was a prejudice she’d wrestled with after joining the Academy. One she still wrestled with. But now if wasn’t just the old prejudice that made her grateful she didn’t have any such ability; she loved Will so deeply that even without some sort of psychic connection, she was sure that if something happened to him she would not survive emotionally intact. She wasn’t sure she would want to survive at all. Every time he went out on a mission, she said a prayer that he would return safely. His job was so much a part of who he was that she was careful not to voice her fears to him, but of course he knew. He was oddly empathic for a human, something he’d told her soon after they’d started getting to know each other and because of how uncomfortable the idea had made her, she hadn’t asked him too much about it. Cowardly of her. “You felt her leaving?” Anna asked curiously, really asking, You felt me? Will nodded, and picked up the remains of the connection cable that he’d had the engineers make and which he’d showed her earlier. “I managed to connect to the bracelet with this, albeit in a more limited way than you were. I felt Eydis just letting go but I also felt you being dragged away from me by her own failing life force. That’s why I had to cut the bracelet off so quickly and so sloppily.” He looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry again about that. I know how much you wanted to preserve it and perhaps copy the workmanship. Are you feeling better now, Anna?” “That doesn’t matter, Will,” she assured him, astonished that he was even apologizing for his quick action. He’d saved her life! “There’s enough of it left if I want to try and duplicate the technique,” she added absently, her mind no longer on the bracelet at all. He’d only been able to ‘feel’ her because of the device and Anna realized that in spite of how she normally felt about those who could sense the thoughts and emotions of others, she felt no relief that Will had only been able to do it because of the cable. Instead she felt a little...wistful. Tjarn and Eyedis would never have had to ask how the other felt. They would have just known and never needed any verbal reassurance. He was asking her if she felt better and Anna supposed he was asking a few other things too... “I feel fine,” she finally said, her smile and the warmth in her eyes saying a whole lot more. “I feel lucky too, did you know that, Will?” she asked, her tone serious, as she leaned back, looking him straight in the eyes. “It’s because I have you. Do I tell you often enough how much I love you? I probably don’t and lately, I suppose you’ve had reason to doubt it but you shouldn’t. Not ever.” Will’s eyes softened and he smiled, replying, “Oh my sweet, Anna. I never doubt that you do.” He kissed her hand and looked at her again. Will ran his fingers through her hair and just locked her gaze with his. This is my woman, Will thought to himself as the intensity in his gaze increased. She was his and no one else’s. He thought of a few formalities that would need to be observed to make it official but right now, in this moment, there was no doubt whom she belonged to in his mind. She belonged to him because his heart and soul belonged to her. No one and nothing would break them apart. It seemed that Will had just reached a decision and now he had to act upon it. With a final hug, he got up and offered his hand to Anna. “We need to get back to the ship, my love. There’s a few things that need to be done.” Anna took his hand and as he helped her to her feet, the broken bracelet caught her eye. For a moment she hesitated, thinking to pick it up and bring it back with them but then decided against it. It had caused her nothing but trouble and had almost cost Will his life. The crystal on it was dark, dead...and she hoped that whatever had been trapped in it, be it Eyedis’ soul or just some residual vestige of her memories was now free and had found some sort of peace. It had no place in their lives. “Don’t worry, Will. We’ve got all the time in the world,” she assured him, tightening her fingers around his as he commed the ship for transport home.

Lt. Will Tomlinson sat at the table in their quarters; he'd turned his back on the glowing computer screen still open on the desk behind him. Looking out into the vastness of space, Will Tomlinson was brooding. The overall mission was a success, though the squadron had lost a good pilot. He just sat back and let the stars go by as he contemplated the infinite. Anna stepped off the turbolift and immediately turned left, her step quickening as she approached their quarters. Reaent's simple mission to deliver supplies to Corianis had been anything but. It had been successful, in so far as the supplies were no longer on board, but the sad fact of the matter was that all of the prison staff had been dead before Reaent had even gotten within hailing distance. The past few hours had been spent securing the prisoners and restoring the systems damaged when a meteor had struck the facility, putting in motion the entire tragic chain of events. The cost of retaking the prison hadn't been light, Anna was thinking as she reached their quarters, automatically pausing for a moment as the sensor read her biopattern before activating the door mechanism. One of Reaent’s pilots had been killed by the prison's automatic weapons systems. The comm traffic had been a little confusing to listen to and for a brief moment she'd thought it might have been-- "Will." She said softly, coming to a sudden stop next to their dining table, realizing she'd almost walked past him. The only light on in their quarters was spilling out from the bedroom and he was sitting so still... She was bending down, reaching to wrap her arms around him, intending to pull him back against her but she hesitated, something about his utter lack of movement causing her to pull back so that she settled instead for just resting her hands on his shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. "I'm so glad you're back," she said quietly, knowing the words couldn't begin to convey how it felt to know he was safe. Turning, Will smiled slightly and squeezed one of her hands with his. "Yeah I'm back. I was just..." His smile faded a bit as looking past her, he realized that the computer was still on. "...finishing up some paperwork.” His tone sounding mildly depressed as he added, "Everything go alright on your end with the SNAFU of a supply run?" Anna managed a half-smile, automatically tightening her fingers around his while replying, "We've determined it was a meteor hitting and disabling the prison shields that was probably responsible for..." Her voice trailed off as following his gaze, she finally noticed what was up on the workscreen. It was a letter -- clearly only half-finished -- to the parents of Lt. James Avery. Jim Avery had been the pilot killed in the raid. "Will, I am so sorry," she said gently, sinking down into the seat next to him while still keeping hold of his hand. Will shrugged slightly. "The life of a fighter pilot." He looked into Anna's eyes and smiled a little before pulling her hand up to his lips and kissing it gently. "You know, sometimes when Dad came home from his missions, I could hear him and Mom talk about people he'd lost. It always seemed to hurt when he came home like that. I guess I can understand why now." He looked at the screen, quiet for a moment before saying, "He loved playing tridimensional chess. I don't think anyone in the squadron could beat him at it." Will frowned again, his sadness apparent as he continued, "Did you know he invented a series of moves we all called the Avery Gambit? Completely brilliant." He rubbed his forehead, looking from Anna back to the computer. "I've been staring at this screen for over two hours and I can't find the words to write to his parents. They just won't come..." Still chilled from the casual offhandedness of his 'just the life of a fighter pilot' remark, Anna bit back the angry words born of worry that wanted to come pouring out, knowing full well how selfish and completely inappropriate they were to the situation Will was facing. He needed her comfort and understanding right now; he was already too well acquainted with her worries for his safety. "They shouldn't come easily, hon," she began softly, her gaze on his profile as he stared at the screen. "Jim Avery will be missed terribly by you and everyone else he worked with. You..." Anna paused, swallowing thickly before continuing, "...routinely risk your lives together but his death was anything but routine. He died doing what he loved." What you all love so much, she thought. "And maybe that's something his family should know." Will thought about what she’d just said. "You're right. And he did die for a reason. His death did have meaning." He looked down and sighed, "I hope knowing that will bring some small comfort to his family." He looked back to Anna again. "Why don't you fix dinner while I finish this, ok?" Anna couldn't remember when she'd felt less like eating dinner and knew nothing would bring her any comfort if Will was killed but pulling dinner together for him would give her something to do. "Ok," she agreed, giving his fingers a final squeeze before reluctantly standing and moving away from him. All Will could do each mission was trust that his skill and instincts would see him through and get him back to his beautiful Anna. Though neither one of them was really in the mood for a meal, he knew it would distract her long enough for him to get this letter finished. Once that was done, all he wanted to do was hold Anna close and revel in the fact that he was still alive. He knew of the phenomena called survivor's guilt but he refused to feel guilty about the fact that he had survived today and that he was right where he wanted to be...close to the woman he loved.

As soon as they were dismissed by the McQueen and Ridire to prepare for the mission to retake the prison on Corianis, Anna hurried to follow Will off the bridge and made it into the turbolift just as he was ordering it to take him to the flight deck. "I want to talk to you for a moment," she began abruptly as soon as the doors closed behind her. Will was a bit surprised but knew from her tone that it was probably not going to be a pleasant conversation. "OK my love. What's on your mind?" She hadn't actually heard the details of what the fighters were going to do until Will had smoothly detailed it to Command. And that's when she'd realized that the danger to the pilots involved was greater than she'd first assumed. Will's obvious (at least to her) excitement had also alerted her to something else and she wanted him to confirm it. "This wicked weasel plan you presented -- it has three pieces, correct? A, B, C and you are A, right?" Will smiled slightly, "It's called Wild Weasel and yes, I'm leading the main attack element, Alpha Group. We're the ones who are going to destroy the weapon emplacements, main shield generator and then the main power generator." Will tilted his head curiously. "Why do you ask?" She knew she shouldn't be asking him this but his demeanor when relating the details to McQueen and Ridire hadn't consisted only of the usual intense focus he brought to every mission; there'd also been a measure of suppressed excitement she'd noticed before when an upcoming job had the potential to be very challenging and extremely dangerous. He'd assigned himself to the A portion of the plan and she wanted to know if what she suspected was correct. "Alpha group is taking most of the risk, aren't they?" Will nodded in understanding. She was worried about how dangerous this mission was. He sighed, knowing that Anna would not like the answer but he wouldn't lie to her, "Yes, being the first ones in and going up against the full, functional AAA defenses, Alpha is taking the greatest initial risk." Before she could reply, he held up a hand. "That's why we are going to take precautions when we approach the prison to ensure they don't detect us until we are already on top of them. If things work out the way I plan, by the time they figure out that we are there, we will have already taken out their AAA defenses. If not, well, then we'll just have to trust that I'm as good as I think I am." Will waited for Anna's reaction, hoping that he'd soothed her fears at least a little bit. Anna felt a sudden flash of irritation at what she saw as his casual acceptance of the possibility that it would all blow up in Alpha unit's face."I don't doubt your level of skill--" The turbolift doors slid open, interrupting her, and she slapped the wall panel so that they would close again. They were now on the flight deck and no one needed to witness their conversation. A conversation she should never have started in the first place. "I don't doubt your skill level, Will," she repeated, making every attempt to keep her tone reasonable although listening to Wim and Jon blithely talk about going into the prison with no clear idea of what waited for them had chafed -- and then to hear Will so nonchalantly mention the danger facing his group -- him -- well, it had once again brought the point home how dangerous his job was, and the irritation she was feeling was a result of her being made at herself for worrying so. She'd known what he did before getting involved with him and had promised herself many times that she wouldn't make an issue of it. Except...here she was, doing just that. Unable to help herself, damn it. She knew why too; it was Kat Swan. Kat had lost Angel and Anna was sure that was a big part of why their former security chief had never managed to find her way back to...herself. To who she'd been before the Reaent crew had 'died'. Losing Angel right after such a traumatic experience had probably been a last straw. Seeing Kat's struggle on the last mission had starkly reminded her of what she already knew -- if something happened to Will she'd have no idea how to cope, had no idea how she could continue on. She wouldn't want to go on. "I know how good you are," she said quietly, her eyes intent on him. "You wouldn't be CAG otherwise but sometimes, Will...it's frightening how you thrive on the danger. I worry that you'll take an unnecessary risk because of how confident you are. And that drives me crazy." Will sighed. He knew that he was a bit pressed for time to get everything done for the upcoming mission, but he also knew that he had to finish this first; otherwise it would be on his mind and that kind of distraction could be fatal. He turned to the control panel. "Computer, take this lift out of service." The computer beeped and the turbolift went into a maintenance niche until cleared for service again. He then looked back to Anna. "You're right about how I thrive on danger. You're also right that the rush of flying and fighting is quite the addictive high, but..." Will closed the distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders. "Please believe me when I tell you that I know my own limits and the reason I have to come home safe and sound is far more important than any rush I get when I'm out there. I promise to be careful, ok?" Meeting his eyes, all Anna could do was nod acquiescence if not acceptance. It had been a waste of both of their time to even bring this up and to ask him to verbalize what she'd already known was a disservice to Will and his need to prepare for the mission and a form of masochism to herself. She managed a half-smile before raising her hand to press her palm to to her forehead to try and push back the headache that was blossoming behind her eyes. Seeing her rubbing her forehead, Will frowned. "Headache again?" He looked at the bracelet on her wrist, "Something is going to have to be about that bracelet soon, my love. I think we both know that it is responsible for your headaches." Probably," Anna replied a little shortly, still angry at herself for having started this conversation. His obvious concern for her well-being was making her feel even more selfish for wasting his time. "I've been meaning to get it removed and just haven't gotten around to it. Will's frown grew. "Why not Anna? Why haven't you had that thing taken off? Just haven't had time or just not willing to part with it? I'm not the only one who is placing themselves in highly dangerous situations, making the one that loves them worry. I hope you realize that." Will tone was still soft but it had a sharper edge to it. Stricken, Anna dropped her hand knowing he meant she was putting herself in danger by still wearing the bracelet but realizing that she was, had been, putting him at risk as well. The spar that he'd insisted on two nights ago had almost ended in his death -- at her hand. Eyedis, the former owner of the bracelet had managed to gain control, and not for the first time probably. "I've been meaning to get to Engineering; the clasp won't come undone but then this situation with Corianis came up," she replied quietly. She'd been careful to take a heavy dose of the medicine Deb had given her before going to bed since the spar to ensure that nothing like what had occurred between her and Will in the training room could occur again. Unfortunately, the end result was that she was left feeling dragged out and short tempered during the day. Will touched his forehead to hers ever so gently, "My dearest love, even though we don't have bat'leth or sword to each other's throat, you still suffer. I see it day by day. I know that pushing you to remove it doesn't work, but please Anna, it has to come off before something horrible happens to you." Will's arms went around her shoulders and he hugged her gently but tightly to him. "Gods above, if something were to happen to you..." He left the rest unsaid as he held her close to him. She'd known he worried about the bracelet's effect on her but until now hadn't realized how deep that worry went. She'd been selfish to ignore his concern and since that wasn't like her, wondered if that wasn't also the influence of the bracelet. Slipping her arms around his waist, Anna pressed against him, laying her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Will. As soon as this current mission is over, I'll see to getting it removed. You don't have to think about it; nothing's going to happen." His fears for her safety would disappear with the removal of the bracelet but her fear for him and his propensity to take risks would remain, but she vowed to herself that in the future they would go unspoken. Will held her for a moment more before finally, and with great reluctance, letting her go. "Computer, resume service. Flight Deck." The computer beeped its reply and continued on. Will took her non-braceleted hand and kissed it gently. "I love you, Annabelle O'Halloran." Gently squeezing his fingers, her heart turning over in her chest, Anna replied. "And I love you, William Tomlinson."

Sitting in her office, Anna scrolled through the report she’d compiled per McQueen’s orders detailing the two locations the Reaent had been assigned to carry cargo to. Corianis was a dilithium mine that was also part of the Federation's penal system. It had been in continuous operation for the past sixty-eight years except for a seven-month period almost fourteen years ago when it shut down for retooling before reopening as a prison facility under contract to the Federation. The standard sentence was twelve years. Crystal output and processing had apparently increased tremendously since the change. It sounded like a fairly depressing place to her, albeit efficient. Tethys sounded a lot more interesting; an undersea Federation colony, the planet was mostly water with very limited land mass above the surface. The colony’s main focus was geothermal research, and it had a plethora of underwater volcanoes and an amazingly diverse ecosystem. The colony had been established forty-three years ago and was home to researchers, support staff and the families of both. Normally, she would have been over the moon with anticipation at the chance to visit such a place but her head hurt and all she wanted to do was file the report and get today’s shift over with. * * * * * It was official. Will Tomlinson hated paperwork. No wonder his wingmate and best friend Tabor Nansk didn’t want the job of CAG. Getting buried alive in PADDs positively sucked. The good news was that he was nearly done for the day. He rubbed the back of his neck and then grabbed another PADD to see what was on it. * * * * * Entering their quarters, Anna called Will’s name as she headed for their bedroom, but the answering silence and the empty room just confirmed what she’d half-expected -- he was working late again. It had become the norm since he’d been officially named CAG but tonight it was more disappointing than usual -- she’d been feeling the need to talk to him about her conversation of the previous day with Debbie and Caroline and then the later dinner with Caroline that had become a confrontation. She supposed it would keep. She stripped off her uniform and threw it into the recycler before changing into workout clothes. She didn’t want to eat alone and wasn’t really hungry anyway. She would head down to the gym and work off some of this frustration and maybe it would help chase away the headache which had faded once again to a dull throb. Turning to leave the bedroom, her eye was caught by Jon's sword sitting propped in the corner of the room. She’d practiced with it a few times since that first time she’d discovered her newly acquired ability. It had started to be a little frightening though and so she’d decided against working with it again and had planned to return it to Jon as soon as she had a chance. “One last time...” Picking it up, she was surprised as always by its heft and unconsciously smiled with anticipation as she walked across the living area to the door. The sword was uncomplicated and when she wielded it, her coordination, newfound prowess and an instinct that she knew wasn’t her own combined in a feeling that was so exhilarating it became a type of freedom and that was what was so frightening about it. She didn’t have to think...she could just be. She truly felt one with the weapon in a way that she knew the bracelet’s owner had felt when she had fought with the sword called Hani. It wasn’t normal. * * * * * Will took a deep breath as he put down the last PADD. He rubbed his neck and then smiled when he thought of his Anna. “Computer, locate Lt. Anna O’Halloran.” “Lt. O’Halloran is in a training room in workout gym one.” The computer replied. Will quirked an eyebrow at that and his smile grew a bit wider when images of her in her workout gear came to his mind. Shutting down his computer, Will quickly left the Flight Office and nearly ran to their quarters. He changed out of his uniform and into his own workout clothes and made it to the gym in nearly record time. He carefully checked the training rooms, not wanting to tip his presence off to Anna just yet. He finally found her and quietly watched as she worked with the sword that Shamor had lent her. He found himself fascinated at her apparent skill with the blade and his gaze fixed on to the bracelet she was wearing. He had made a point not to talk about it over the past few weeks, but he’d watched closely and noted the changes in her behavior and habits. Watching her swinging the sword around gave Will an idea. He slipped out of the room and went to the nearest replicator and requested a bat’leth. He swung it around a little and nodded at the balance. His father and and an uncle of his had taught him a lot about the Klingon culture when he was growing up and Will ended up learning quite a bit about Klingon melee weapons and tactics. These skills would help him here. He came back into the room and this time made no attempt to hide his presence. He watched Anna, content to wait until she noticed his presence in the room. As she turned, sword raised high, preparing to bring it down and through the offending limb of a phantom enemy, Anna cried out, Will’s sudden appearance startling her as she was bringing the sword down right where he was standing. She managed to stumble back far enough that the blade hit the decking in front of him instead of through him, the ringing sound seeming to echo in her ears as she stared at him in disbelief for several seconds, the reverberation of the blow causing the grip to vibrate in her hand. “Will, what the hell are you doing?” she finally burst out, terror at how close she’d come to hurting him transforming almost immediately into anger. Will merely smirked at her though he had to admit the blade had come rather close. He figured correctly that she wouldn’t hurt him intentionally so he shrugged and replied casually, “Watching a beautiful woman working well with a sword. And since you seem to have some skill with it, I thought that I’d get in a little sparring session with you, if you think you can handle it.” He stepped closer and brought his bat’leth to the ready position. “Want to play?” he asked with an element of challenge in his tone of voice. Some skill? She gave him a disbelieving look. It was damn preternatural. “It’s not a game,” Anna snapped back, irritated at the challenge in his tone, her brows drawing down into a deep frown as she finally noticed that he was holding a bat’leth in a way that indicated he knew what he was doing with it. “I could have seriously wounded or killed you just now just by accident.” Will merely smiled and stepped into his ready position. “Perhaps, but I don’t think that would have happened. Now lets see who is better skilled with the blade, shall we? En Garde!” Going to the balls of his feet, Will swung the bat’leth around a bit before bringing it up high and then down hard and fast in a lightning strike toward her head to gauge her response. Reacting instinctively, Anna raised her sword to block his attack and automatically braced for the impact of the bat’leth’s rounded blade against the edge of her broadsword. Shocked at how forceful it was, she glared at him -- he’d meant business! Gritting her teeth, she tightened her hands around the grip and brought it down, forcing his weapon with it before flinging the bat’leth away, attempting to dislodge it from his hands. “Will, I haven’t had any training,” she all but spat at him, all of the agitation and frustration she’d managed to work off coming back with a vengeance. Will went with the momentum that Anna had built up and as she stepped back, so did he, twirling the bat’leth to bleed off the momentum so that he didn’t lose complete control of his weapon. He came back to ready position and nodded, “And yet you wield a blade like someone who has had years of experience.” He slowly approached her. “No more talk or worry Anna. I won’t hurt you and I don’t believe you’ll hurt me,” he said soothingly, trying to relax her. “Just let your worries go and follow your instincts.” He approached her and began to twirl the bat’leth once more before taking a swing at her midsection. “I can’t make you the same promise,” Anna retorted, nimbly hopping back to avoid his strike and countering without thinking by bringing the sword up to catch the bat’leth at one end and twisting her arms to bring the sword and it down so that they stood, their weapons entangled. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, genuinely bewildered. Will smiled at her. “Because I want to see how good you are with that sword.” He twisted his grip so that their weapons came apart. He briefly came back to ready position before engaging her once more. He came on with a moderate attack not wanting to push her yet but still wanting her to get into this sparring session. Come on. I can see you love using the sword; let yourself go and enjoy the fight, Will thought to himself as he continued his flurry of attacks on her. Infuriated by his casual attitude in the face of the inexplicable and still unwilling to go on the offensive, Anna allowed him to back her halfway across the room, easily parrying his strikes before she’d finally had enough -- he wasn’t going to quit. She knew Will and how stubborn he could be -- and she also knew she didn’t always understand his motivation but she trusted him. Trusted him enough to take him at his word. “You want to know how good I am?” She grinned suddenly, and just like that was done being on the defensive. “Let’s find out.” Without thinking about it, she changed her stance and her grip before lunging at him, easily catching him off balance as she came at him from the opposite side, her blade easily sliding past his defense before slapping him with the flat side across his hip, hard enough to leave a mark no doubt but nowhere near the right angle to break his skin. Not entirely prepared for the sudden change, Will found himself on his heels desperately fighting off a flurry of strikes. The speed and precision was incredible. Suddenly a sharp pin hit his hip and he became aware that a swing got past his defense. Hopping back, he swung his bat’leth in a figure eight in front of him to break contact with her. He brought it back to ready position and gave Anna an almost feral smile. “Good. Now let’s see what you can really do.” As he came at her again, it was an all out assault. This time he wanted to push her defense to the limit and see if he could score a hit or two. If he could, he knew that he would tilt the blade enough for a glancing hit or a flat blade hit but nothing that would cause serious injury. “Don’t push me, Will!” she retorted as she swung high and so fast it dislodged the air with a hiss before clanging against his blade, the leather grip feeling like an extension of her hands as she brought the weapon down and sideways, turning and sidestepping him before swinging again and landing another flat bladed blow against his ribs. “I don’t know what I can really do,” she warned him, before leaping back, easily avoiding his own blade. “You’re good with that thing, hon but you’ve never actually fought in battle with it.” Will nodded, thinking her choice of words was very telling -- Anna had never fought in a battle before, either. “You’re correct but I need to see your skills for myself.” He came at her hard and fast again trying to provoke a full response from her. He was betting everything on the fact that Anna loved him so much and the one in the bracelet had known that same kind of love -- Anna’s dream in which a man named Tjarn died was proof of that. He hoped that would be enough to keep her from killing him as he came in for a final attack that he was sure he was going to lose. “You’re testing me? I don’t understand,” Anna said, bewildered until it hit her and then all she felt was a sudden flare of rage, realizing he’d come here just to provoke her, to spy on her...probably so he could then go and report back to Debbie and Caroline. “I trusted you!” she snarled and then gripped the hilt of the sword as the headache that had been building all day and escalating throughout this horrible spar finally reached its zenith just as she lifted the sword to fend him off, having decided that this was the final strike -- she would take that bat’leth from him and throw it across the room and then tell him he could go straight to hell. Her eyes rolled back as she brought it down. She was fighting! It took her only seconds to realize what was happening and in a moment she had him pinned beneath her, the odd weapon with the intriguingly curved blade at his throat. An enemy’s humiliation was complete if they were dispatched with their own weapon. “Prepare yourself,” she told him, feeling puzzlement while trying to recall why they had fought. What had he done to provoke her? Perhaps he was just an enemy of the Clan. He must have followed her and hoped to take her unaware. It would be his last mistake. Will looked at her calmly. He’d seen the change in her demeanor before he heard the strange speech and known that Anna was no longer in control. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. There was no fear in his eyes whatsoever as he spoke. “Before you do, tell me your name warrior woman. Please tell me the name of my conqueror,” he whispered to her in a tone that held only awe and respect for her. “I am Eydis,” she told him, wondering if he’d somehow managed to get a blow past her defenses so much did her skull ache. “I will make it quick and leave your head--you will go to the underworld intact.” She pulled back the blade, ready to get this over with. She had no memory of their battle or of this place. He must have damaged her head. She would find their healer Bryndja when this was finished. Will’s jaw tensing was the only outward display of fear he showed as she raised the bat’leth for her kill shot. He’d never heard the unknown language before and was forever thankful that the universal translator managed to pick it up and translate it quickly to him. If they hadn’t been able to communicate, he’d probably be dead right now. Will spoke to her again, keeping his tone even. “I believe Lady Eydis that you will find it most difficult to kill me. Is there something inside you right now? A feeling that is screaming for you to spare me? A desperate feeling of want and need at this very moment?” Will sure hoped so, otherwise he was done. She hesitated, fingers clenching around the unfamiliar weapon, the waves of pain beating against the inside of her head making it difficult to even think let alone understand what he was saying. He was doing this! He must have some sort of power -- perhaps he was a demon! Exclaiming in anger tinged with fear, she drew back, eyes on the vein beating strongly at the side of his neck. Confused to find she was holding the bat’leth over Will while pinning him to the decking with her knees on his arms, Anna looked at it in disbelief before keeping her promise to herself and throwing it across the room, before turning to glare down at him. “That’s what I think of your ‘test’,” she bit out, struggling to maintain her anger so she didn’t dissolve into tears in front of him for how deeply hurt she felt by his betrayal. Feeling defeated, she didn’t look at him as she tried to recall exactly how she’d ended up straddling him. “Doesn’t matter,” she muttered and started to get to her feet. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.” She couldn’t bear to think about it. It broke Will’s heart to see her this way. He was sorry that he’d done what he had but he’d felt he had to do it and he had come away with what he wanted. As soon as his arms were freed, he quickly hugged her to him. He felt her struggle a little, but he held her firm. “I’m so sorry Anna, but please understand that I had to do what I did. I did it because...” He took her arm so that the bracelet was between them. “...I wanted to know who this is.” “Who who is?” Anna asked impatiently, pulling her arm back. “What are you talking about?” With her slightly confused look, he explained, “You don’t remember the last moments of our sparring, do you? One second I was coming at you, the next you had me pinned, with the bat’leth at my throat. That’s because she...” He pointed to the bracelet, “...took over. Her name is Eydis and this is her bracelet.” She didn’t remember the last moments of the spar but was that so surprising with how her head had been hurting? And he’d been goading her... Anna looked at him for a moment before quietly asking, “Did Debbie put you up to this?” What he was describing was a lot like what Debbie claimed had happened down on the planet. Will shook his head, “No! I swear to you that I have not spoken to either the Doctor or the Counselor for several weeks now. I’ve been waiting and watching you, Anna. I’ve seen that you’ve changed and was sure that the bracelet was the reason. This was the only way I could think to find out more about the bracelet and its previous owner. In the end, emotional damage notwithstanding, it is what you wanted isn’t it? To find out more about the bracelet and its previous owner? Well, now you have a name and a sample of her spoken language. The universal translator had to translate for me when she spoke it and it should be flagged in the UT now.” Will eyes softened, “I am so sorry that you feel I betrayed you and I desperately hope that you’ll forgive me ” His eyes went down from hers in shame as he finally let go of her so that she could get up and leave if she so desired. She recognized the truth when she heard it and gently laid her fingers against his jaw, waiting until his eyes met hers before saying, this time with no anger, only a thin thread of anguish,”I could have killed you!” Will brought his hand up to her cheek and rubbed it affectionately, “You would not have; you love me with all your heart and I think that Eydis knew that same love with Tjarn. I believe that love stopped her from killing me and allowed you to regain control. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have told me her name and would’ve killed me without hesitation.” Leaning into his hand, Anna closed her eyes, not wanting to contradict him -- he’d met this Eydis in a way that she hadn’t after all, but her blood ran cold at the terrible risk he’d taken -- for her. “I do love you and I don’t know how I could have survived if I’d hurt you or worse.” She felt the hot sting of tears, both of fright and relief, and whispered, “You can’t ever scare me like that again, Will. I know what your job entails and I live with that but you have to promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll talk to me in the future instead of deciding how to deal with it on your own.” Will wiped away her tears as he spoke soothingly. “You have my word on it, Anna.” He brought her head down and kissed her deeply for the longest moment. When they came back up for air, he whispered to her, “From this moment on, never again without talking to you about it first.” Anna leaned her head back and searched his expression, before nodding slowly, a smile of wry acceptance crossing her lips. Will’s promise was sincere but she knew him and had a feeling that his experience with behavior modification was limited. He was always going to react protectively and do things his way. They would no doubt have this conversation again. She stretched against him, managing a teasing grin in spite of a persistent feeling of dread, no doubt the result of the very narrow escape he’d had --at her hands and kept her voice light, not yet able to process everything that had just happened. “Even though it turned out to be a tag team event on my side -- I still beat you. Did we ever decide what the winner got?” Will pretended to think about for a moment before answering, “No, but in some ancient cultures, since you won and spared my life, my life would be yours to do with as you please. Which means that any desire you had for me, I would be obligated to fulfill to the utmost of my abilities.” Anna smiled, the odd stones of the bracelet catching the light as she moved to frame his face between her hands. “I like a man that takes his obligations seriously,” she murmured before bending her head to kiss him. She would have to talk with Debbie and Caroline -- she owed them both a huge apology -- and the bracelet would have to come off -- but it could all wait till tomorrow.

Caroline gave Deb a quiet nod as she followed Anna out of the CMO’s office. The ultimate decision they’d come to -- to allow Anna to continue her research on her bracelet’s qualities, with increased regular observation in light of her behavior planetside -- had definitely satisfied neither of the two medical officers. But though Caroline felt increasingly concerned by the reports of others that Anna was exhibiting odd behavior, the CSCI’s insistence that nothing was wrong remained strident, and with her work still as solid as ever, observation was the most they could do for the moment, watching and waiting until they were sure what was going on. “Shift is almost over. Do you want to get something to eat?” she asked Anna noncommittally, taking a few quick steps to catch up with her friend, hoping to use the opportunity to do a little more feeling out of the situation in a less potentially “threatening” context than sickbay. Her immediate impulse was to say no; Debbie’s conviction that there was something terribly wrong with the bracelet and her dogged insistence that she’d witnessed some sort of radical personality change while they were down on the planet still rankled, and maybe it was unfair but she’d started to feel as if Caroline had taken Debbie’s side automatically during the meeting in Debbie’s office. Anna bit back the refusal, giving Caroline a speculative glance as they both came to a stop in front of the turbolift up the corridor from Sickbay. The last thing she wanted to do was revisit the subject of the bracelet--she’d felt like she was escaping as they’d left the medical department but maybe it would be a good idea to talk with Caroline outside of the CMO’s influence. Debbie’s opinion always carried tremendous weight and rightly so but this time there had definitely been extenuating circumstances that could cast doubt on her usually keen abilities. “Sure, that sounds like a great idea,” Anna replied, stepping into the lift as the doors slid back. “Wonder what the special in the mess is,” she added as she turned to face Caroline. “It’s some Bolian dish I’ve never heard of. We can just swing by my quarters and replicate something, maybe,” Caroline said, grinning casually, but she hadn’t missed the glance directed her way as she had broached the subject. A doubtful glance, almost as if Anna mistrusted the counselor’s motives. “Bit quieter there too.” “That sounds nice,” Anna agreed, her expression softening as she started to relax. Caroline was a friend after all, as was Debbie. They were good friends--the best. The meeting had been uncomfortable but she reminded herself that the two women only had her best interests and those of the ship in mind. They were just showing misguided concern is all. There was no need to get so defensive. Caroline was merely following Debbie’s lead--naturally the ship’s counselor would be inclined to listen to the chief medical officer. It was up to Anna to point out that there were reasons why Debbie hadn’t been herself. “It’s always nice to see Nelson. Has he managed to finish killing off your plants yet?” Caro’s cat had established his preference for chewing all things chlorophyll-based early on in his kittenhood. Caroline chuckled, agreeable to keeping the conversation light, giving Anna the chance to calm down from a meeting that had obviously caused her some tension. “More or less. I’m having a go with a little fern-type thing that either tastes bad or he’s decided to give it a more lingering fate; everything else so far has succumbed.” Moving down the corridor from sickbay, she stepped into the lift as it slid open for them. “Deck seven.” Caroline’s description of the fern’s plight compelled a smile and it was with a lighter step that Anna exited the lift. “Hard to judge his motives,” she said, managing to keep a straight face. “I guess time will tell and maybe an intercession with some cat nip.” “We’ll see. For now I’m considering it a study in feline determination and letting events play out as they will,” Caroline said dryly, following her friend back out of the lift. “I’m busy enough as it is and I guess it makes him happy.” Approaching her quarters, she stepped inside as the door slid open and moved towards the replicator. “What would you like?” Trailing behind, Anna paused just over the threshold of Caroline’s quarters and glanced around, saying, “I’ll have steak preparation #8 and an ale, please.” Spotting Nelson on the couch, she walked over and squatted down in front of where he was lying. “Hello, Nelson..are you the Destroyer of Foliage?” She scratched him behind the ears and under the chin. “He’s such a handsome cat, Caro.” “Mmm...and he knows it too,” Caroline said with a laugh, watching the orange tabby cat roll over with a blissful expression, batting at Anna’s hand with his paws. The replicator pinged its readiness with Anna’s meal and Caroline looked over at it, bemused by the nearly blood-red rareness of the steak sitting in sharp contrast too its white plate. Between that and the ale, Caroline couldn’t help a raised eyebrow. This wasn’t the first time she’d noticed Anna in somewhat medieval mood with her food choices recently, she reflected thoughtfully. “A plate of hasperat and a glass of water,” she said to the replicator, grabbing Anna’s plate and moving it out of the way to the table. Glancing up, Anna saw Caroline putting the plates on the table and reluctantly gave Nelson a final belly rub before standing up and crossing the room to the table. “Did I tell you that I had to give Chauncey to Agatha Wentworth?” “Really? Why?” Caroline asked curiously. “He not getting along with Will?” “He’s never warmed up to Will and to his credit, Will has always just taken it in stride.” Anna took her seat and watched as Caroline finished getting their meal together. “It’s me that Chaunce doesn’t seem to get along with anymore, actually,” she continued, still bewildered by the change in the cockatoo. “I don’t know why but a few weeks ago he started behaving very agitatedly when I’d approach his area and seemed to be losing his appetite. I tried to give it some time, changed up a few things but when he began plucking his feathers out--they do that when under stress--I realized he needed a different environment for his own good. Agatha very graciously agreed to take him.” “That was nice of her,” Caroline agreed, sitting down at the table with her plate, watching absently as Nelson proceeded to follow Anna to her chair, rubbing against her legs with a low, vibrating purr. She had never personally owned a bird, and as such she didn’t really know what to think regarding this tidbit of gossip regarding Anna’s; in light of previous recent conversations, however, it was hard not to attribute meaning to other things as well. There was a short pause and then she commented neutrally, “So between what you and Deb have told me, it sounds like you had a pretty chaotic time planetside.” “We did,” Anna agreed fervently, cutting into her steak with alacrity. She’d missed lunch today and the steak would just hit the spot. “It was storming fiercely the entire time and when we weren’t being attacked by some prehistoric throwback, we were chasing after Kat. Will and Debbie were severely injured in the shuttle crash and then Jon nearly had his leg bitten off.” Pausing to take a bite of the meat, she washed it down with some of the ale before looking earnestly to Caroline. “That’s why I am having a hard time understanding how Debbie can be so sure I wasn’t myself for two seconds or whatever it was. She said herself that it was very brief and this was right after she’d been injured--she could barely walk and had lost a lot of blood and Kat was acting deranged! I was outside of the shuttle going after Kat and that storm was going full boat--we were in the pouring rain with lightning flashing all around. Will had a terrible head injury and I was worried sick about him as well as everyone else. I ask you, Caro, why would I have been myself?” “I have no idea. I wasn’t there, Anna,” Caroline said soothingly, hearing the sudden uptick of defensive energy in the other woman’s voice. “But I’m sure Deb only suggested it because she was concerned for you; you seem to be taking it as an attack.” “Well, maybe because that’s how it feels,” Anna replied sharply, unconsciously twisting the bracelet on her wrist before taking a deep breath, the headache she’d been having on and off for the past month suddenly coming back with a vengeance. “Anna...” Caroline leaned forward slightly, catching Anna’s eyes. “I assure you you are not under attack. We have been asking after you because we are concerned.” “Yes...I know that,” Anna answered, more to herself than Caroline. “I do know that,” she repeated, managing a half-smile as she met Caroline’s gaze. “I appreciate the concern but I am also becoming irritated with it. This bracelet has unusual properties and though I have had some discomfiting moments while experiencing another woman’s memories, I am also intrigued and think that a little discomfort is not a lot to put up with in the face of scientific inquiry. This is why I am loathe to have it removed by dint of cutting it off. I am sure it would destroy it’s unique properties and my questions would never be answered.” “I understand that,” Caroline answered calmly, “which is why I haven’t brought it to a sticking point before now.” She leaned back in her seat, watching Anna’s expression carefully. “Anna, it’s my job to look out for people dealing with strange mental phenomena; I inquire because it’s my job, and because I am concerned for your well-being, not because I am looking for opportunities to rain on your parade.” She paused, then asked slowly, “Have you talked to Will about the bracelet at all?” Frowning, she didn’t like the expression ‘strange mental phenomena’, Anna leaned back in her seat, her appetite gone, though that was mostly the fault of the headache. Mostly. “I have mentioned it to him several times as a matter of fact, Caro, and I admit that he was startled when it locked and wanted me to have it removed immediately but I told him that though the dreams and odd moments of recollection while waking were a little disturbing, I wanted to continue to study it. He hasn’t said a word to me about it in weeks.” Which in and of itself was odd, Anna thought, suddenly very distracted. “Hmm,” Caroline said, her expression deliberately neutral. Will Tomlinson had, in fact, been the first person to bring Caroline’s attention to Anna’s new piece of jewelry, along with his concerns about it. She would have bet quite a bit that he wasn’t as sanguine about it now as Anna was making him out to be. “Well, I’m making no recommendations for the time being, but I won’t deny I’d like to keep a closer eye on your...research. If it comes to any further point that it’s causing overt effects on your mental chemistry during waking hours, I think I will have to recommend we cut it off.” “What?” Anna jerked her head up, eyes narrowing in a glare that left Caro in no doubt as to her displeasure with this announcement. “I have been very forthcoming and have spoken candidly about how this extraordinary experience has affected me--yes it’s caused some discomfort and yes it has been unnerving at times!” She pushed her chair back so forcefully it almost toppled over as she surged to her feet. “But no one, not even Debbie, has been able to say that I haven’t done my job. Some sort of ancient technology is at work here and it’s my intention to figure it out which I would like to point out is my job. I like to think I have been very patient because I’m aware that Debbie and now you believe you are acting out of genuine concern for my welfare, Caro. But I am the chief science officer and this falls under my jurisdiction and no one, not you or the CMO can order it removed without my say so--unless you are both prepared to declare me unfit for duty!” Caroline stared at Anna, whose sudden burst of adrenaline, seemingly out of nowhere, had left her standing, staring at Caroline with shoulders heaving and a furious gleam in her eye. “Anna, calm down. No one is questioning your ability, I’m merely--” “They aren’t? Really, Caro? I’m running a simple experiment but have been questioned at every turn as if I were losing my mind. Our CMO, a woman I happen to respect enormously and care for deeply as a friend, as much as told me that I was possessed--by...wait for it--a bracelet. And now the ship’s counselor--also a friend, feels perfectly comfortable in suggesting said bracelet be cut off--as if I have no say in it whatsoever. How is that not questioning my ability?” “Not your ability, Anna -- we’re merely questioning what effect that bracelet might be having on you,” Caroline said, becoming far more concerned by Anna’s uncharacteristic defensiveness than by anything she had yet said regarding the jewelry’s properties. “You’ve said yourself that it is affecting you mentally--” “I said there have been some uncomfortable moments while awake and some extremely vivid dreams,” Anna snapped back, not caring that she’d interrupted Caroline. She’d heard enough and held her hand up to forestall anything else her friend had to say. “My head is splitting and I’m leaving before I say something I’ll regret. It’s been a long day.” She turned and headed determinedly for the door, the pounding in her skull now acute. Caroline watched her stalk out, her eyebrows climbing towards her hairline in surprise at the unwarranted anger from the other woman. “Yes, it has,” she said aloud, though Anna was already out of the room, the door hissing shut behind her. Well, if I didn’t feel I had grounds for concern before, I do now, Caroline thought tiredly, and, frowning, she looked away from the door and back towards Anna’s half-eaten meal, the blood-rare steak seeping red onto its plate. Suddenly not hungry herself either, she pushed her own plate aside and stood up quickly, almost tripping over Nelson as she did so. With Anna’s exit, the cat had pressed himself against Caroline’s chair; the hair was standing up all along his back, and his mouth was wide in a frightened, defensive hiss.

(This log takes place *before* last week's sim) Anna moved away from Will's side, following Debbie to an area in the ruined shuttle that permitted the CMO enough room to change the bandage on her leg. She felt a little bewildered, still confused as to why she'd blacked out when she'd followed Kat to help her get a sample from the goat. She was banged up and a little bruised--but she'd gotten off lightly compared to others in the shuttle and aside from the headache that refused to go away completely, she felt fine--not lightheaded or shaky. "How can I help you, Debbie?" she asked, wincing as Deb removed the bandage to reveal the wound caused by the metal piece that had become lodged in her leg during the crash. The adrenaline rush she'd experienced immediately following the crash had begun to wear off. That, and the fact Deb had taken as little pain medication as possible, explained why her leg was starting to ache miserably. It didn't help that she hadn't had time to properly close the wound. That wouldn't happen until they were back on the ship. For now, her quick fix would have to do. There were far too many other issues to worry her. She eased down into one of the seats that had managed to survive their sudden impact with the ground. At the moment, her primary concern was the science chief hovering by her side. Anna's sudden blackout was troubling. Even worse was her behavior during the few moments she regained consciousness after Kat brought her back inside the shuttle. Then there was another blackout after which Anna awakened and remembered nothing at all. Deb smiled wearily at her friend and colleague. "I just need to sit down for a minute," she replied to Anna's question. "And I need to talk to you about what just happened. You passed out while you were with Kat. You regained consciousness for a minute or two after Kat brought you back inside." Deb paused and looked into Anna's eyes. "You were extremely aggressive....punched Kat in the face. And you were speaking in a totally foreign language....one the translators couldn't understand." The CMO shifted her weight in the wobbly seat and tried to extend her leg a bit more. "Anna, has anything like this happened before.....and I mean anything even remotely like this." She nodded toward the other woman's wrist. "You must tell me because I fear something is terribly wrong and I'm afraid it's connected to that bracelet." Deb was in obvious pain, and Anna's concern for her was such that for a moment she didn't realize that Debbie had asked her to follow her not because she needed assistance but because she...well, actually, Anna wasn't exactly sure what Debbie was telling her and her confusion was obvious as she replied, "I struck Kat in the face?" Appalled, she sank down on the broken seat across from Debbie and shook her head. "I don't remember doing that...or saying anything. I did black out for a moment there...and it's happened once before...yesterday, actually," she added slowly, not sure what to say. "And it was just for a moment...in my office. My headache had gotten so bad by then...and I went to sit down but the next thing I remember is standing in front of the closed door and a paperweight from my desk was on the floor..." Unconsciously wrapping her hand over the bracelet, as if to protect it, Anna met Deb's stare, her expression stark. "I can't believe I hit Kat. Whatever is causing my headache must be causing me to behave erratically but as for another language, well, it's possible I just garbled my words. The dreams haven't come for several nights now, Debbie so I don't know that the bracelet has anything to do with me blacking out. There must be something physically wrong with me," she said with real bewilderment. Deb cautiously leaned back in the chair concerned it might topple over if she moved too quickly. Anna could be right....the bracelet might not have had anything to do with what just happened. But Debbie's gut was telling her otherwise. "You sucker punched Kat," she said softly. "And as for garbling your words, I don't think so." She lowered her voice even further. "You transformed into another person. Your facial expression....the look in your eyes....it wasn't you, Anna." The CMO glanced around to insure she hadn't been overheard. "Has this happened before? "No, it hasn't," Anna answered, unconsciously lowering her voice to match Debbie's tone. "If it had, someone would have noticed...the people in my department...Will. As for striking Kat...I don't know why I did that. I don't remember doing it but I feel terrible about it, of course." She glanced over to where Will was sleeping, her expression softening, then turning even bleaker as she looked back to Debbie. "I could hurt someone else...do even more damage. When we get back I'm coming to Sickbay for a full evaluation. It's connected to these awful headaches, Debbie, it must be." "But when did the headaches begin?" Deb knew her friend might not want to admit it, but the odd bracelet was playing a role in Anna's bizarre behavior. "We both know they started shortly after you put that thing on and realized you couldn't get it off." Debbie rubbed her face with her hands and took a deep breath. She didn't want to put Anna on the defensive but that bracelet had been nothing but trouble since it first arrived on the scene. "You mentioned dreams.....what kind of dreams?" "I haven't had them for a few days," Anna replied. "But the first couple of nights after I first started wearing the bracelet, I had some vivid dreams that I am sure were actually memories of events experienced by the previous owner. It was frightening at first..." Her voice trailed off and she swallowed dryly remembering the terrible anguish of seeing the man she loved struck down in battle and then awakening with the certainty that something had happened to Will. "However," she continued after a moment's hesitation, her tone firm again, "I got used to the oddness of it and even when I experienced some similar occurrences while awake, I found them intriguing rather than frightening. Jon Shamor has seen stones with similar properties used for memory storage. I am sure that's what the dreams and strange flashes of deja vu regarding taste or sound have been about. I'm still studying the effects of the bracelet and though I'm sure it would be easy enough to remove, I am loathe to do so until I feel my research is complete." Deb listened attentively growing more and more alarmed as Anna explained the effects the bracelet appeared to have had on her. Jon Shamor had been around for a long time. She was willing to put stock into his opinion that the odd stones were probably used for memory storage. It seemed the memories accumulated in those stones had been working their way into Anna's subconscious for quite awhile. Could it be they were now manifesting themselves on a more conscious level? Was that maniacal stranger who attacked Kat Schawnsee the bracelet's previous owner? Now Deb had a royal headache to go along with her throbbing leg. How could Anna have allowed this to happen? And why didn't she speak up when she started having those strange dreams? She already knew the answers so there was no point wasting her breath asking them. Anna was a scientist and a good one at that. The best scientists were more often than not possessed by insatiable curiosity. A mystery such as this alien artifact would be irresistible. An inquiring mind were their greatest asset. But it could also be a huge liability. Especially if the scientist in question held a command position on a ship of the line. This wasn't the time or the place for a lecture so the CMO bit her tongue. Besides, Will was starting to stir and Anna was far more focused on his well being than on her own. At the moment, she seemed befuddled by her mysterious attack on Schawnsee rather than worried she was becoming possessed by the bracelet's former owner. And, under the circumstances, Deb didn't entirely trust her judgement to diagnose the problem. "We'll talk when we get back to the ship," she said quietly, maneuvering out of the rickety chair. "In the meantime, if you feel peculiar in any way, shape or form, come see me immediately." "Of course, I will," Anna assured her, having no intention of adding to Debbie's burden while they were trapped down here. She rose to her feet as Debbie did, worried that her friend's injured leg might not hold her. Hopefully, Jon and Wade's efforts to direct the Reaent to the shuttle's position would pan out and Debbie and Will could both get the treatment they needed as soon as possible. Her behavior towards Kat was worrying of course, but she was convinced that whatever was causing the headaches was behind it. She was just grateful that Kat didn't seem to be holding it against her--she'd been too eager to get back to sample collecting with Wim to pay it much attention.

(The following log takes place before last week's sim) After leaving the bridge, Anna had come to the lab, ostensibly to continue analyzing the most recent data downloaded from the sensors on the fighters, but in reality, mostly just to try and outrun her headache. It was almost as bad as the one she'd experienced just before Caroline had come to her office yesterday morning. The silent lab and the lowered lighting helped and it wasn't too long before she closed her eyes and started to drift...the metal of the bracelet growing increasingly warmer as she started to lose consciousness. The turbolift door opened and Lt. Will Tomlinson walked out. He knew exactly where the love of his life was. Entering Sci Lab 1, Will saw that the lights were dimmed. Squinting his eyes, Will walked carefully through the lab and saw his lovely Anna O'Halloran sitting at a workstation with her head resting on the console. He figured that with all the work that had been going on she was probably exhausted. He thought about letting her sleep but right now, as drained as he was emotionally, the bottom line was, he needed her and he needed her now. He gently squeezed her shoulder, "Hey, beautiful. Please wake up..." Coming back to herself slowly, Anna blinked, momentarily confused as to what exactly was happening as she lifted her head in response to Will's voice and touch. She recognized the darkened lab and remembered almost immediately why she was there. "Hey, you," she smiled, her voice warm with affection as she tilted her head to meet Will's eyes. She wondered how much time had passed. Will noticed that she seemed as tired as he was at the moment. "Just had it out with the XO." He smiled slightly, "He finally decided to formally make me the Commander of the Air Group," he said simply. "Congratulations, Will!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat to throw her arms around his neck and hug him close. "I know how much this means to you," she said with a smile, leaning her head back to look up at him, glad that it had finally been resolved, though the smile faded a bit as she pondered what exactly he meant by 'had it out with'. "Is everything ok between you and Commander Ridire?" Will sighed, "Not really." He sat back and rubbed his head. Going back over everything that had been exchanged, Will felt drained more than anything. He knew he was so far out of line that he wouldn't have been able to find the line with a starship's sensor array but it had finally come to a head and something had to give. He looked at Anna, "If it had gone any other way, I'd probably either be in Sickbay, the brig, or no longer a Starfleet officer. Let me break down what happened..." Will took a few minutes to relate everything that had been said and wasn't surprised at her shocked reaction. "Sad part is, I was not really angry at the XO. Partly the XO, but mostly the Captain for letting things get to this point." He sat down and leaned back, "It's going to take a very long time for things to get better between myself and Commander Ridire, but now not only do I have to build this squadron back up, now I need to mend a very broken fence between me and him." Even though he had what he wanted, he knew that he didn't want it to happen this way and was very depressed about it. Anna was silent for a moment. She already knew Will's side of it--she'd been hearing about the situation for months now. It was Ridire's perspective that had her thrown as well as the fact that the confrontation had taken the ugly turn it had. "He's given you a lot to think about," she finally ventured, aware that she was walking on eggshells. "The fact, that at the end of it, he did put you in charge means a great deal. If he'd really felt you weren't up to the job, he wouldn't have given it to you, Will," she added quietly. Will chuckled slightly, "He gave me the job because Tabor didn't want it." He grew serious again, "You're right of course and now I've got a lot to do to get this squadron back to where it needs to be." He stood, looked at her and frowned, "Hey you don't look so good. Are you alright, Anna?" Worry crept into his voice as he spoke. "I just have a headache," Anna answered with a faint smile. "In fact, I think I'll stop off in Sickbay on my way back to the bridge and get something for it." Will smiled as he looked at her. Tilting his head slightly, he realized that he could get lost forever in those beautiful eyes of hers. As she got up, he gathered her in his arms and hugged her warmly. He held her for what seemed to be forever. Finally, as they broke away, Will brushed his lips to along her cheek. "I have to go. I love you." He smiled that warm gentle smile that he only had for her. While he was holding her, Anna felt the best she had in days and it was with great reluctance that she stepped free of his embrace. "I love you, too," she replied. "I'll see you after shift...and Will? I know they have the right man for CAG. Everything is going to work out for the best." Will looked at Anna and couldn't help but smile. He loved how much confidence she had in him, "Thanks Anna. And yes I'll see you after shift." He gave her a quick wink before heading out. Will had to have the replicator make something very special for the upcoming meeting with his pilots.

Ordering the lights down to just 10%, Anna closed her eyes and leaned back in her office chair, willing the tablets she'd swallowed to begin easing the throbbing in her skull. The sudden, agonizing pain had struck without warning and it had been all she could do to escape the shuttle bay before it had brought her to her knees. It wasn't the first headache she'd had in the past few days but it was by far the worst. She was sure it was connected to the bracelet; the 'memories' that she occasionally experienced also seemed to be growing in strength--they were becoming increasingly more vivid. The one she'd had while at lunch with Will today had been so strong it had briefly replaced the reality of the mess and for a moment she'd been crouching over a dead animal with her knife in her hand feeling satisfied that her arrow had been true and they would eat well that night. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that she'd then gutted the poor creature and eaten some part of it while it was still warm to 'honor' the kill. Maybe that was part of the reason for the headache--she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Knowing that couldn't really be the explanation for the headache--and neither could the poor quality of sleep, she'd been getting, Anna thought about going to Sickbay. Even though the bracelet and the experiences associated with it were fascinating, it was becoming obvious that it was affecting how she performed her job. She wasn't able to concentrate and it seemed to be becoming less important to her that she do so. And now, it appeared that it was starting to take a physical toll on her as well. She'd managed to cover it today -- Jon and Kat had been busy talking and she'd been able to make an exit that couldn't be considered more than merely abrupt. If they'd noticed anything at all, no doubt it would be assumed she was just that eager to get going on the detailed examination of the probe. Which she was, actually...it was strange that the probe's data files were completely empty, she thought before another sharp stab of pain seemed to explode from the center of her brain and she passed out. * * * * * Jumping abruptly to her feet, she stood--completely disorientated as to where she was. Forcing her heartbeat to slow down, she realized she was alone and could hear--nothing. No obvious exit, this place was dimly lit--and the source of what light there was appeared strange, glowing weakly--the fire within gave out no warmth and was above her head. A table of some kind was in front of her and she climbed on it easily; it appeared sturdy and bore her weight while she reached above to investigate the curious fire, extending her fingers cautiously, to brush them against the glowing disk. Finding it cool to the touch, she exclaimed softly, surprised and puzzled. This made no sense. Where was she? Why was she here and...what was she wearing? The cloth was strange though not uncomfortable, but the boots felt rather unyielding and were raised in the back under her heel in a way that made her feel a little off balance. They also were too low to protect her completely if a foe were to slash her behind the knee. She found she was able to move freely, however, and the garb would not impair her sword arm, but that begged another question... Where was her sword? For Hani to not be at her side should have meant that she had died--never would she allow herself to be taken. Unless...had they been betrayed? Where were the others she'd been with? Intent on investigating her prison, she jumped down to the ground which was also strange. Not soft exactly, but it felt not like planking or stone and the covering on top of it was not an animal skin or like any woven material she was familiar with. She must have been captured, she thought, frowning as she tried to recall the last thing she remembered but nothing came to mind. They'd struck camp and moved out, planning to reach the nearest settlement by dark fall. But the details escaped her. Touching her forehead, she realized it was starting to ache badly and wondered if she'd been drugged. That would explain why she remembered nothing. What she needed to do was find a way out and barring that, be ready to attack her jailers when they returned. They'd made an enormous mistake in not chaining her, she thought. They wouldn't live long enough to regret it, she vowed, not caring much about what happened to her but determined to escape and help her clan. Since she'd lost her beloved Tjarn, she cared little about the life she had left and looked forward to the day that she would join him, knowing he would be waiting at the great gates of Ungandaril for her. * * * * * Caroline leaned through the door of the science offices and glanced around. The area was quiet and a quick glance at Anna's office door showed that it was shut -- uncharacteristic for the science chief, who never -- to Caroline's knowledge -- kept it closed. Caroline made a puzzled noise and withdrew her head into the corridor. "Computer, confirm location of Lieutenant O'Halloran." BEEP. "Lieutenant O'Halloran is in the Science departmental offices." "Huh." Caroline cocked her head and stepped fully in from the hall. As there seemed no particular signs of major activity anywhere else either, she proceeded to the door of her friend's office and tapped her fingers to the chime. "Anna?" she called. * * * * * She tensed at the soft ringing sound and then felt surprise that her captor would announce her arrival in such a way. 'Anna' meant nothing to her--perhaps the guard was conversing with someone else. That would be good, they would be distracted -- perhaps it was not realized that she was already awake. Maybe their drug was weak, she thought edging closer to the end of the room, anticipating how the guard would reveal herself. She hefted the only object she'd found that had any weight to it, and even though the glass globe was a feeble weapon at best, it might shatter and cause a deeper injury and after all, she would have surprise on her side. It was a confusing object; when she'd picked it up, colors had exploded inside of it and almost surprised her into dropping it. Reaching the end of the room, she struggled to remain upright, hoping the guard would come in soon; her head felt like it was being cleaved in half. The drug must still be within her, she thought and pitched forward, the ball of glass slipping from her fingers and triggering the door as it rolled forward. * * * * * Anna caught herself as she stumbled, wondering distractedly what she'd tripped over as the door slid open and the light from the corridor spilled into her office, illuminating the holographic paperweight lying on the floor in the doorway. "Oh no," she cried, immediately bending to reach for it, so worried that it might be damaged that she didn't think to wonder why it was there. Caroline blinked as Anna almost stumbled forward into her, but caught herself and bent to something on the floor with a cry of dismay. The counselor raised her eyebrows in slight concern. "Everything alright?" Finally registering the pair of legs standing in front of her just as Caroline spoke, Anna jerked her head up and for a moment had no idea what to say. The last thing she remembered was sitting down at her desk; how Nova Starburst had ended up on the floor way over by the door was a total mystery. The important thing, however, was that the headache was gone and the smile she managed was one of relief. "Yes, it is, Caro." She stood up abruptly. "I...I bumped this off my desk and am just so relieved it's not broken," she explained, cradling the globe protectively and starting to feel confident that maybe that was exactly what had happened. "It was a gift from Will." "Oh, of course," Caroline answered agreeably, stepping through the doorway and letting the door shut behind her, realizing as it did so that the room was nearly completely dark. "I'm glad to hear it's alright, then." She moved to one of the chairs on the near side of the desk and leaned against it, watching her friend in the dimness curiously. "I was wondering how things were going with the probe, but...I take it you weren't working?" "Computer, raise lights to normal level," Anna instructed as she made her way back around her desk, the dim lighting no longer necessary since she didn't feel like her skull was on the verge of splitting open. "I had a headache and the light was making it worse," she explained offhandedly, setting the paperweight back on its stand before taking her seat. With the workscreen folded down, there was nothing but a couple of PADDs on the desk and for the life of her, Anna didn't see how it could have been knocked off its stand, let alone hit the floor without breaking, make it under the chairs in front of the desk and then all the way to the door. "I did the initial scans of the probe in the shuttle bay after Jon Shamor and I returned and I've since dispatched a forensic team to the lab for a thorough evaluation and possible file retrieval," Anna replied to Caroline, though her eyes remained on the paperweight as a deep frown creased her forehead. "Sounds like things are moving along nicely," Caroline said, the statement carrying just a hint of a question, since Anna's expression seemed to give the lie to the idea that everything was going entirely smoothly. She paused, then added, gently but pointedly, "But something's on your mind." "The immutable laws of physics," Anna said dryly and then finally turned and smiled at Caroline from across the desk. "The probe is a mystery. It's Federation and is probably the one sent out originally to investigate the possibility that this system was a destination for one of the hundred changelings -- but, there is a problem -- the data files on it have been wiped clean." "Meaning...someone accessed it before us?" Caroline asked, trying to follow the train of logic appropriate to the situation. "Or could that have happened without outside interference?" "It's really too soon to tell," Anna answered, making an effort to focus on the conversation, trying to martial her thoughts into something that made sense. She now realized she must have blacked out earlier. It was the only thing that explained how she'd gotten from the chair to the door without remembering how or why she'd done so. "The probe could have encountered some sort of space weather--been the victim of an ion storm or possibly a solar flare," she continued. "There are also two gas giants in this system and so we'll have the cosmologists on staff taking the data from the examination and running it through their scenarios. It's just...strange. The casing has what looks like impact damage from hitting the side of the mountain we found it on but I didn't see external evidence of any of the possibilities I just mentioned." "Odd," Caroline offered, cocking her head to the side as she absorbed all of this. "Well, I look forward to hearing what the true story was, when your team sorts it all out. It's too bad there's nothing immediately clear to latch onto, though; I know Commander Swan was brought out here for a very specific type of data that, from what you're saying, doesn't seem to be apparent?" She carefully skirted around a tone that might indicate any of the concerns she felt about Kat being there at all; that wasn't for this conversation. "Not so far," Anna answered and debated for a moment whether or not to tell Caroline about Kat's outburst in the shuttle bay and settled for saying, "She ended up being scrubbed from the mission to bring the probe up from the planet and she wasn't too happy about it." An understatement if ever there was one, she thought, recalling Kat's response to Ridire which sounded at the time as if it had crossed the border into insubordination. She hadn't overheard the XO's side of things but then Kat had joined Shamor and herself, and she'd been all apologies. Presumably she'd been the same with Ridire. Caroline raised an eyebrow slowly, hearing something in Anna's tone beyond the matter-of-fact which made her curious. "No, I can imagine she wouldn't be," she said non-committally, waiting to see if the other woman would elaborate. "It was out of proportion to what might be expected from being pulled from a mission that consisted only of ferrying an item from one location to another and I'll come right out and say it, though I wouldn't except for the fact that you are the ship's counselor, Caro. I've seen Kat Swan upset before but always with a good reason. The way she acted in the shuttle bay was irrational--maybe even paranoid." Caroline cocked her head backwards, considering this. "I don't disbelieve that," she said carefully, straddling the line between validating Anna's opinion of the situation and maintaining Kat's privacy. She herself had noted or been informed of several manifestations of the recently returned officer's direct, somewhat guarded, highly attenuated air as regarded much of her dealings with the Reaent crew -- her skeptical reaction to the Changeling-detector armbands, her fascination with, of all things, the goat which Anna had picked up on sensors during their initial sweeps of the planet they currently orbited. Given the rather secretive manner in which Kat had arrived to begin with, Caroline had to wonder just what she'd been told by Starfleet HQ. "I imagine her situation feels somewhat unstable to her -- she is now the returning outsider in a crew in which she used to hold a highly respected post." "That's true," Anna replied, nodding in agreement, "And even though I don't know all the details, I do know she's been through hell in the past few months and re-orientating to being back in the field might take some getting used to. It was just a very strange reaction to something that wasn't very important. Well, important seeming to me, at any rate," she amended, reminding herself that no doubt there were nuances to the situation that had escaped her. It also didn't help that she was distracted by her own perceptions feeling somewhat skewed lately. As if in answer to her thoughts, Anna felt the beginnings of another headache coming on and again thought maybe it would be a good idea to get to Sickbay, but then again, she had to get to the lab to oversee the probe examination. She'd make a point of going afterwards she told herself. "I'll keep it in mind when I next speak to her," Caroline said, nodding. "I'm sure she had no intention of offense, but it is a strange situation for everyone involved. Thank you for bringing it to my attention." She watched Anna's response, hoping that the response would give some measure of reassurance that her concerns were being listened to, but if anything, Anna looked more distracted than ever. "Are you OK?" Caroline asked after a moment's pause. "Yes, I'm all right," Anna managed a smile. "Just feel like that headache might be coming back. Not a big deal, but I also have to get down to SciLab 4. That's where the probe is now. Hopefully, a more detailed examination will reveal why its files have been erased." Caroline nodded, her expression growing somewhat concerned. "You should talk to Deb about that -- or take a break," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I'm sure no one would hold it against you if you delegated; a bad headache is no picnic." "I'll probably stop by Sickbay after I check in with the lab," Anna answered. "We can't really move forward until we find out everything we can from the probe. The forensic team is already assembling and getting ready to start preliminaries--they're going to work with Engineering." Satisfied with this, Caroline nodded again, straightening from her position leaning on the back of the chair. "Well, just as long as you look after yourself at some point. It's easy in our line of work to sacrifice personal comfort for the job -- even when we don't have to." Her lips quirked wryly, and she added, "Believe me, I know." She jerked her head towards the now-open door of the office to indicate her own departure. "I'll be out of your way so as not to delay you; perhaps I'll see you later." "You're never in the way, Caro," Anna smiled, even though she understood what Caroline meant. "And I appreciate the good advice." She stood up, thinking she really wanted nothing more than to get back to her quarters and sleep, but that could wait till tonight. She was certainly tired enough that she doubted she'd have any of the dreams. No doubt she would feel better tomorrow after a good night's sleep. There probably wasn't any reason to go and bother Debbie. "Maybe I'll run into you later--things get interesting in the lab, I may just break away long enough to grab something from the mess for dinner. If that happens, I'll give you a comm." "Sounds like a plan," Caroline said with a smile.

(This log takes place before the last sim) Will Tomlinson entered the crew lounge and looked around. When he didn't see Anna, he found an empty table and waited for his love to arrive. He checked the chronometer and saw that he was a few minutes early. The thought of seeing her again and sharing a meal brought a smile to his face and helped wash away the stress of the current mission and the stresses that came with having been the XO's chew toy for about 10 minutes. Will ordered two waters before sitting back and relaxing for a few minutes, waiting for Anna to arrive. Today's shift had felt endless, and it was with some impatience that Anna stepped out of the turbolift, thinking that even the normally short ride between decks had felt interminable. She felt like she'd spent the entire day doing nothing but look at the same stream of data over and over. And in the final couple of hours, Kat Swan's apparent obsession with the movements of a six-legged mammal had had her gritting her teeth and biting her tongue. Which was odd, she thought, suddenly bewildered by her over reaction to what had actually been a fairly normal day. Kat was an acknowledged expert on changelings according to McQueen and her impatience with the former security chief's line of questioning wasn't appropriate. It couldn't be the sketchy sleep--a couple of nights of nightmares, no matter how vivid, couldn't be responsible for her feeling so restless. Or for her inability to concentrate on the job at hand. Constantly, she'd felt like she'd had to pull her thoughts back from wherever they'd scattered off to. Normally, she was capable of intense focus. This current challenge of trying to discover if a changeling was indeed down on the planet should have had her enthralled. But instead, she'd been hard pressed to remain at her station. It had chafed having to sit for hour after hour of forced inactivity. Ridire had mentioned something about working with Kat Swan and Jon Shamor to figure out a way to get the probe on board and she'd left the bridge planning to follow Kat on down to engineering but on the spur of the moment had decided to see what Will was up to. It didn't occur to Anna as she entered the lounge, that for the first time since being posted to the Reaent, she'd basically ignored a command. She brightened at seeing Will was already there and wasted no time in making her way to his table. Since he'd stopped nagging her about the bracelet, she'd felt in perfect charity with him, and had been dying to see him all day. "Hey there, handsome," she said quietly, her smile warm as she took the seat across from him, examining his expression to see what kind of mood his run in with the XO had left him in. The instant Anna entered his sight, Will's day brightened immediately. His expression was thoughtful and perhaps a bit curious at first but all that went away when he saw her. He glanced at the bracelet on her wrist but then locked his gaze on to hers. He was not going to press that issue right now. All he wanted was some time with the woman that had stolen his heart. As they sat, he took her hand and kissed it warmly, "Hey there. beautiful." His smile faltered slightly; she looked a bit stressed to him. "Are you alright my love? You look a little frustrated." He sat down after she did and ordered a bowl of vegetable soup from the waiter while she replied. "I'll have steak--very rare," Anna told the waiter before turning back to Will, her expression warming again as she met his eyes; the intensity of that green gaze never failing to cause her to have to catch her breath. "No, I'm not frustrated," she answered slowly, tightening her fingers around his. "It's been a long day and I'm just feeling a little out of sorts, not my usual self, I guess. But, I'm fine," she assured him. "It sounds like you're the one that had the bad day. What'd you do that upset the Commander?" she asked, her smile turning a little teasing. Will's eyebrow quirked a bit when she ordered meat and his eyes flicked back to her bracelet for a moment and then returned to her eyes when she asked about his day. Will sighed, "Tabor and I were on patrol looking for that probe that everyone is interested in. When we got a good idea of where it was, we went down for a closer look. We had no intention of landing but the XO began ordering us off." His eyes became a bit mischievous. "Well we didn't quite get that order because of a communication problem so we went down for a look. We didn't land but we did do close up scans and got a good look at that crashed probe. You wouldn't have half the information you do without those scans." Will's smile faded, "But because of a little self initiative, the XO has Shamor escort us to the conference room where we get a 10 minute lecture on what might've gone wrong and how if we ever do it again, he'll probably strip us of our wings." Will eyes became thoughtful, "Honestly, I'm tired of the way us pilots are being treated on this ship. Months without a replacement CAG, not a peep out of the Captain or the XO on what they expect of us. Just leave us to our own devices and let us rot until they need fighter protection. This squadron is going to fall apart soon if those two don't at least make an effort to show that they give a damn about us and I don't know what to do about it." His voice was almost a whisper and his expression was very sad. She'd picked up on the nuances as Will mentioned the 'communication problem' he and Tabor had experienced that had caused them to not 'hear' Ridire's order. She knew William Tomlinson very, very well, and was aware of how stubborn he could be if someone put his back up. She was very sure they'd had no intention of taking foolish chances...well, she was pretty sure and Will had said they hadn't intended to but then Ridire had ordered them not to do what they already weren't going to do and so they'd gotten funny. Anna knew the issue of no CAG having been chosen was a very sore one and she saw their point of view. It had been months and though she had seen and was still seeing how frustrated Will was with the situation, she was also sure the squadron wasn't falling apart. Will and Tabor were both strong leaders and she didn't doubt for a second that the men under them were following their direction. "Will, I understand your issue with McQueen but I also know what kind of officer and leader you are--the squadron is in good hands," Anna said gently, adding, "Even if there's been nothing official." She hated seeing him so down. "I hope the situation doesn't stay unsettled for much longer but I know you've done your best since Angel left. The real morale I'm worried about is yours." Will smiled again. He could never stay down in the dumps for too long in her presence. He played with her hand and looked at her. "When I am in the same room with you Anna, there's nothing wrong with my morale, believe me." The food arrived and Will made a face at her rare meat as he began to eat his soup. "Branching out, Anna? Next thing I know you'll be trying Heart of Targ or, God forbid, gagh," he chuckled. Warmly flushed from his assurance that his morale didn't suffer when she was around, Anna picked up her knife and fork and was in the process of slicing free her first piece of steak, when his comment about her choice registered. A little blankly, she glanced down at the plate where a small pool of red liquid had already formed around the meat and felt instantly nauseated. "I remember thinking earlier that it had been a long time since I hunted," Anna murmured more to herself than Will. "But I've never hunted," she added slowly, setting the knife and fork carefully on her plate before reaching for her glass of water and taking a small sip, needing to wash the sudden, coppery taste from her mouth as memories, not her own, showed her quite vividly exactly how it felt to hunt and then share in the kill. Will frowned at what she said. He figured that she didn't mean for him to hear them but he did. Will sighed, "Anna, perhaps you should order something a little more palatable?" He knew, with quite a bit of certainty, that it was the bracelet doing this but he didn't want to ruin this time he had with her by bringing it up. "At the very least, maybe they should cook that a little longer?" He smiled hopefully at her. Anna smiled back, her stomach doing a lazy flop at the idea of eating the meat--even if it were well done. "I'm not really even that hungry, Will," she said, reaching for one of the packets of crackers that had come with his soup. Maybe it would settle her stomach. She pushed the plate and the offending steak to the side and rested her elbows on the table, her eyes on the crackers as she unwrapped them. "Kat Swan was on the bridge for most of the day," she said conversationally, her attention completely on the crackers, purposefully avoiding looking at Will. They'd all heard that Kat had suffered through a very difficult time of it after Angel disappeared and it had been quite a surprise to find she was back aboard the Reaent as a consultant. What Kat had gone through was Anna's absolute worst fear and it crossed her mind that maybe that was part of the reason she'd felt such impatience today with the former security chief. Kat was a reminder that terrible things happened to fighter pilots and that it was an uncertain universe at best. It wasn't something she'd needed to be reminded of. Will perked up instantly at the mention of the former security chief. "She's here?! When did she get here? How is she doing? Has there been any word on Angel?" And then another question popped into his mind, "Why is she here? With her breakdown, I figured it would be a good long time before we saw her again." His questions came at Anna in rapid fire mode, but the last thing he expected was the former security chief to suddenly reappear here. "She arrived within the last 24 hours, but I only heard about it this morning," Anna replied, absently breaking the crackers into even smaller pieces. "I didn't ask her how she was doing, just said hello... I know how I'd be doing if my husband was missing and I wouldn't want anyone to ask me that." Finally looking up, she met Will's gaze and managed a smile, shaking off a bewildering feeling of loss that felt all too real even though he was sitting right across the table from her. Possibly seepage from the former bracelet owner's residual memories. "Anyway," Anna continued, "She's here at the Captain's request and is consulting in the capacity of Changeling expert. I think it's her first foray back into the field. She and Jon Shamor are down in Engineering trying to decide how best to bring the probe aboard." She suddenly remembered that Ridire had ordered her to work with them. Why hadn't that seemed important until now? Will was a little crestfallen that there was no word of Angel but hearing Anna explain what she knew about Commander Swan's return bothered him. "She's an expert on Changelings? Interesting. I wonder why she was sent back out so fast. I hear it can take years to recover from breakdowns like hers from the Counselor classes I took." When he saw Anna's inquisitive look, Will smiled, "When I underwent the skill evaluations at the Academy, I showed high empathic aptitude. Almost on level with Betazoids though I don't have any real telepathic ability." Will's smile faded as he thought about Commander Swan and wondered just what kind of variable she was. "I don't know any details of just how bad her breakdown was or how well her treatment went but for her to be here, it must have gone pretty well...in spite of also having to deal with Angel's disappearance," Anna replied quietly, her mind already turning over what he'd just told her about himself. "You've never mentioned that before, Will...about your being very empathic. What exactly does that mean?" Will looked at Anna curiously for a moment and then his eyes flicked to the bracelet for a half second before looking at her again, "It means, my dear Anna, that I can read people's behavior and body language enough to tell their emotional state. Whether they are agitated or listless or if they are in pain and trying to cover it up. I guess I can do that better than the average human." Will deliberately looked away, adding thoughtfully, "It makes me wonder what is behind Ridire's chewing us out." Looking back at Anna, he explained, "Yes he was upset that we did what we did, but considering the situation, it was over the top as if his anger was covering up something else." He mulled that over in his mind. Anna wondered why she found this just revealed insight into Will somewhat disturbing, and shook off the uneasy feeling it engendered, saying lightly, "Well, I don't have any idea what it might be covering up, but I can tell you one thing--he ordered me to go to Engineering to work with Kat and Jon on finalizing a plan to bring the probe aboard and I'd better get going before he decides to express a little of that ire my way." She stood up and then leaned over to give him a quick kiss before saying, "I'll see you later, hon." Will stood up and met her mouth with his for a quick kiss. He smiled at her warmly, "Count on it, my love. I'll see you in our quarters after our shift is over." He gave her another quick kiss before sitting down and watching her go. His smile faded once she was gone as he considered that bracelet of hers. He was so glad to have Anna in his life and he would protect her with his life if needed. That's why he knew he couldn't afford to lose this challenging game of chess with who or whatever had a hold of his beloved that came from that bracelet. After a few minutes, Will got up and headed for the Flight Office. He had other matters to attend to if he intended to keep this squadron up and running.

This log takes place the night before the morning staff meeting of last week's sim. Anna entered the quarters she shared with Will, Jon's sword still in hand, her mind preoccupied with the successful outcome of her 'experiment'. The bracelet had somehow endowed her with its previous owner's skill with a blade and only her own body's weakness had kept her from completing the training exercise. To the woman who'd once worn the bracelet, the movements had been routine, something she did regularly to keep her skills sharp...for fun, even. Up until tonight, Anna had considered herself to be very fit, but clearly, she had a ways to go. It would be interesting to see if she could train to the point of eventually being able to complete the exercise; see if she could meet the challenge she felt had now been posed. Will heard the front door open and came out to see Anna. He smiled at first but then his smile disappeared when he saw the sword in her hand. He was curious but he tried to keep his alarm in check. He'd never known Anna to show an interest in swords before. He watched her and smiled again. "Hey, beautiful. I got your message. How did dinner go?" He asked casually. Her initial wariness fading with the appearance of his smile, Anna relaxed, her own smile coming easily, as she walked across the room to lay the sword carefully on the counter that separated the small eating area from their living room. "We had a nice meal," she answered, pulling off her warm up jacket. "Caro is always good company." Leaving the jacket on one of the stools in front of the counter, she walked around it to request a glass of water from the replicator. "How'd your day go?" she asked him as she took the glass and turned around to face him, the counter now between them. He shrugged a bit, "Well you've been on my mind and that bracelet as well." When he saw her tense up a bit, he came up behind her and gently rubbed her shoulders. "Relax, I'm not going to harass you about it. I did however go see Caroline. And, for the record, I saw her BEFORE I got your message about dinner with her so don't worry about any thought that your meal together as something I set up please." "She didn't mention that," Anna replied slowly, mentally replaying the conversation she'd shared over dinner with the counselor. She turned abruptly to face him, tilting her head back to meet his gaze directly. "I'm the one who asked Caroline if she'd like to meet for dinner, Will. It wouldn't have occurred to me that you would do that although, I guess based on your enthusiasm for discussing things with Commander Ridire, maybe it should have." Regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, she immediately held up her hand to forestall his reaction. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she apologized, clearly sorry. "It's been a long day, Will. I didn't mean that how it came out. I'm sorry to sound so defensive." Will eyes flashed with anger and hurt the instant she talked about Ridire but he let his gaze soften and he smiled again, "Forget about it right now." He kissed her forehead and moved away from her, heading for the sword that she set down. He picked it up and tested the weight and balance. "This is nice workmanship. Definitely not replicated. Where'd you get this?" "It's Jon Shamor's," Anna answered quietly. "He's letting me borrow it for a little while." She took a long swallow of the water and wondered what he was thinking. He set the sword back down and looked at her curiously, "I know you're skill with knives, my love, but I didn't know you had an interest in swords." "It's recent," she understated with a wry smile. "I wanted to run an experiment--to see if there's been any kind of transference between myself and the previous owner of the bracelet." She took another sip and then set the glass to the side before meeting his eyes. "Turns out there has been. When I pick up that sword, I feel like I've been training with it for years. Jon thinks the stones on the bracelet might be a device to hold stored memories." Will nodded. He turned away from her and closed his eyes trying to keep his instinctive alarm from overwhelming him. He took a deep breath and then looked at her again as he sat on the couch. He patted his lap, "Come here." As she sat, he gave her a warm hug. "Well, maybe we should spar sometime then." He smiled up at her. Automatically putting her arms around his neck, Anna looked back at him in horror, feeling once again the impact blow she'd dealt that has severed Edalt's arm from his shoulder. "No, that's a terrible idea," she whispered. "You don't understand, Will." He looked at her and caressed her cheek. "Tell me, Anna. Tell me." He sat back and listened as his love spoke. "I just don't want to do that; it's not a good idea," Anna insisted. "It's an experiment and it's not always possible to control the outcome of an experiment. Her skill level was...is that of a trained warrior. I don't yet have her upper body strength but even so, I don't want to even think about being in a position where I might harm you." Anna looked away, laying her head against his shoulder. "I can't even stand to think about it." He ran his fingers through her hair and just held her for a few minutes, "Fair enough, my love." He thought about it for a second, "Tell you what, next time we get some holodeck time, why don't we get a couple of training swords and see what kind of skill you, or this other woman has. Those swords won't cut or kill, just hurt a bit if hit." He turned his head to her, "And don't worry about hurting me, my love. I think I can handle myself." He smiled and winked at her. I know you think you can, Anna thought, managing a smile even though she still felt chilled. "Maybe," she grudgingly offered, her arms tightening unconsciously around him. "I did see Debbie, today," she said, thinking a change of subject was a good idea." He smiled relieved that he didn't have to ask. He kept a tight holdo fher, "And what did she say?" "That I am showing signs of not having gotten enough sleep for the past two nights." Stroking the back of his neck, Anna angled her head and kissed the corner of his mouth. "She thinks I should get some. Soon." He smiled at her choice of words. "I can agree with that. And, if it pleases you, I know of various ways to ensure that you sleep long and well." His grin was playful and teasing. "Oh, yeah, it pleases me," she murmured, alternating her words with kisses. "You please me," she whispered, the small part of her that was still thinking of anything beyond the immediacy of being this close to Will, relieved that he hadn't asked for any more details of the exam. She stood up from his lap and held out her hand to him. "I've got some ideas of my own," she promised. He eagerly took her hands and let her pull him to his feet. Even though he always looked forward to intimacy with her, a small part of his mind was still on alert. Now he would find out just how much of this other woman was ingrained into Anna's personality. Now he would find out a lot more about the potential enemy he was up against. As they entered the bedroom, Anna slipped her arms around his neck, pressing close, the warmth of the bracelet against her skin noticeable but not unpleasant. "I've missed you," she told him, feeling oddly like it had been forever since they'd been together like this. He nodded. "Indeed it has my love," he laughed teasingly at her. "Now, let's go and make up for lost time." "My thoughts exactly," Anna murmured. "I've been waiting." For a very long time.

"This is a beautiful sword, Jon," Anna commented, hefting the blade that Jon had judged best out of his collection to match her height and weight. It didn't feel as natural as wielding Hani had felt in the dream, but this broadsword was still the product of an expert craftsman and felt light and balanced enough for her purpose. She looked up to find Jon's eyes on her and wondered how best to explain. "I'm guessing you're wondering why I asked you to let me borrow this?" They were meeting in one of Security's training rooms. "You could say that. For a moment there, I thought you were still mad at JJ for raiding your science lab. Since that's not the case, I supposed I could help you." Anna burst out laughing. "You know about JJ's secret weapon? I can assure you that my sudden interest in sword fighting is not inspired by vengeance. I leave it to Mr. Lexi to fight the duels." She set the sword to the side so she could take off the warm up jacket she was wearing over a tank top and a pair of workout pants. "I'd like to run a little experiment tonight because I've recently had some unusual experiences that might be tied to the bracelet I'm wearing. It's possible it has some unusual properties and I'd like to put a theory to the test." Jon chuckles, "I told him to let me handle his 'situation' but he had to do things his way. Poor guy; thought I was going to toss him in the brig for what he did. Had him enlist in a proper self-defense course, kind of like a probation of sorts. Rather not see him try that again." Looking at the sword carefully, he said, "Just remember you don't have a counter-balance since you're just using the sword." "JJ is very proud, Jon. He would want to fight his own battles," Anna commented, glad that Jon wasn't inclined to ask too many questions. And I think I'll need both hands just to handle the sword," she added in response to his advice. The woman in the dream hadn't used a shield or dagger while fighting--only the sword. Hell, it was insane to think she was going to be able to use even one weapon she'd never trained with before let alone a combination. And yet, she was feeling fairly confident as she picked up the sword again and walked to the middle of the room, well away from Jon's position. The bracelet was already growing warmer against her skin and she felt a growing sense of anticipation, an eagerness to get started. She recognized that this was something she normally enjoyed doing, in spite of having never done so before. Anna turned away from Jon, unconsciously falling into a ready stance, not sure what triggered her to raise the blade in a silent salute to an unseen opponent before encircling the grip on the hilt with both hands and sweeping the sword up and around, her footing sure. There was no fiery rage driving her strokes as there had been in the dream but rather she was experiencing a deep enjoyment, a personal feeling of satisfaction at how her body moved and reacted; striking, turning, blocking, then slicing before withdrawing, only to lunge forward and strike again at a phantom target that she couldn't even see in her mind's eye. This was a training exercise. The bracelet wearer had felt supremely comfortable in her skin and with a sword in her hand. Her technique had been perfected after many long hours of practice and seasoned in battle. Knowing she was barely half-way through the exercise, Anna stopped before she dropped. Drenched with sweat, she was winded and only with determination was she able to hang on to the sword. Her arms were trembling with muscle fatigue and the bracelet metal felt almost hot enough to brand. Trying to catch her breath, she gave Jon a sideways glance, wondering what his reaction would be. She wasn't surprised. The sword had felt uncomfortably familiar in her hands as soon as she'd begun the exercise. It was different than the dream—this time she'd remained self-aware but had felt the other woman's feelings overlaying her own. She'd ceded control of her body, while awake, in a way she couldn't explain. It was a little frightening but also exhilarating to suddenly have this ability. "Where or when did you learn to do that? I knew you're good with a throwing knife but this has me wondering," Jon asked, looking at the bracelet. "Was that the item you got during shore leave? I don't recall you having it before. Perhaps it's connected to the skills you now possess." He walked over to Anna to take a closer look at the piece of jewelry. "Were you able to get any information about this?" "I did get it during leave, yes," Anna answered slowly, reminded yet again of Jon's ability to take a small amount of knowledge and extrapolate upon it. "And you're right. I've had a couple of experiences with it that made me wonder if the knowledge of the previous user was transferable." She rubbed her thumb along the grip on the hilt. "Turns out...it is." Meeting Jon's eyes, she shook her head. "I haven't found out anything about it yet. Scans have been inconclusive and I don't know the planet of origin or the name of the woman who it belonged to. The metal is an alloy we haven't seen before and the stones are just an unknown mineral—tests haven't revealed any special properties." Jon gazed at the bracelet. "Judging by the design and the way you handled that sword," he said, pausing to examine the bracelet, "I am pretty certain that the stones appear to be a sort of memory anchor. I've seen this done in my travels by quite a few different races, mine included as well, in case you're wondering. Although, I'm not sure why it's bound to you. Perhaps it has chosen you for some reason." Shifting his glance from the bracelet back to Anna, "Outside of what I just said, I'm unsure as to the origin of it." Taken aback, Anna looked from Jon to the bracelet. "I occasionally forget how busy a life you've led and then something comes along and reminds me." She paused for a moment and then asked, her tone cautious, "What exactly have you seen done? Jewelry used as a storage device?" She wasn't too thrilled at the phrase 'chosen for some reason'. Jon nodded. "My sword from when I was in the Order was designed in the same fashion. There are 6 gems on my sword, one for each generation that served. Only thing, was that the sword could only be drawn if it has chosen that person as its user." Seeing that he had somewhat confused Anna, he added, "When I say that the bracelet has 'chosen' you it means that maybe there is something you must do. Perhaps atonement for a mistake that was made or an honorable act performed in their respect." "I find it strange that this metal isn't in the Starfleet database, Jon." Anna fell silent, turning over what he'd told her. "You've pointed me in a direction," she finally said. "I'll expand my search with that in mind." She picked up her warm up jacket. "I need to think about this," she said, more to herself than Jon, before looking up to catch his eye, a sudden smile breaking out. "You've been a big help, Jon, thank you." Nodding with a smile on his face, he replied, "I'm glad to help. Just try not to rush yourself when it comes to finding the purpose of the bracelet. I'm pretty sure you'll find out in due time." "Well, it's only been two days but sooner rather than later would be a good thing," Anna responded, thinking it had already made things uncomfortable for her on several levels, not the least of which had been Will's reaction to it. She turned set the sword down before leaving but almost immediately turned back, loathe to give it up just yet. "Jon, do you mind if I borrow the sword for a little while? I promise to take good care of it. I think I'd like to practice with it a bit more." Jon thought for a moment before replying, "Just be careful. For your sake--not the sword's." "Oh, I will be," Anna promised, heading for the exit. "See you in the staff meeting tomorrow morning. We'll be reaching the Moap system soon after that." "I'll be compiling some notes for the meeting," he replied. "Should be nothing we can't handle. I'll catch you later." "Good to know," Anna replied. "Night, Jon." Walking out, she wondered what he knew about the upcoming mission, not noticing the odd glances she was receiving as she carried the sword through the corridors.

It took a considerable amount to put Caroline off her calm. During her time as a starbase counselor, she had honed an innate reaction to chaos, meeting it with reassuring placidity, and Reaent had only further encouraged this tendency, being as unpredictable as it was intense. So it would take a very close, very familiar observer to determine, as she eyed the curve of the bulkhead in the lounge, patiently waiting the arrival of her dinner partner, that she had more on her mind than usual. She was not precisely concerned. Not yet. But having two reports come to her in close succession about one of her closest friends on the ship -- and indeed, the dinner partner for whom she was currently waiting -- was cause for...attentiveness. Nothing Deb or Will had told her was enough to give her any absolute cause for censuring Anna's mental state, but it was enough to give her reason to believe her friend might be dealing with a level of anxiety belied by her usual cheerful resilience. What the root cause might be, Caroline wasn't sure, but it was important that she try to find out, delicate though the task might be. Anna entered the lounge and paused just over the threshold; a quick glance around showing that Caroline had already arrived and was seated at a table near one of the windows. She was looking forward to catching up with Caro-the leave had been short and they hadn't managed to get together during it. The last couple of days had been stressful; the mystery presented by the bracelet and Will's overreaction to it had taken a bit of a toll and spending some time with Caroline, enjoying some relaxed conversation and a good meal, seemed like a tonic. "Caro," Anna smiled a greeting as she took the seat opposite Caroline's. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. I got hung up in the lab for a few minutes." "No problem," Caroline said casually, returning the smile as she turned her eyes from the bulkheads and focused in on the conversation. "Must have been something engrossing...what are you working on?" "Actually, nothing to do with work per se," Anna answered, her eyes gleaming with sudden amusement as she recalled JJ's passionate apology message. "Someone got busy during leave with a personal project and used up some of the supplies and I had to sign off on the requisition for replacement and look into changing access protocols for interdepartmental usage." "Ahh...the everpresent paperwork," Caroline said, not quite following the reason for the sudden laugh in Anna's expression but chuckling all the same. "Glad you managed to escape for a bite to eat." "We're not really busy right now. There's the usual ongoing research, of course, but nothing time critical. The Moap system does have three gas giants and is a binary system so the cosmologists are excited." Anna checked the menu. "Have you decided on anything yet? I think I'd like a drink first." "That sounds good to me too," Caroline said agreeably, having not really even turned her mind to the menu yet. "I take it this is an unusual sort of system then?" she asked curiously. "Somewhat unusual. They're just getting excited at a chance to update astrometrics and send a few long range sensor probes into the planets. Frankly, I think everyone's just thrilled to get to study something other than temporal anomalies." Anna looked up from the menu and grinned. "They're a jaded bunch." That elicited a laugh from Caroline; the science chief's feelings about the temporal anomalies which Reaent seemed perpetually to encounter were well known. "I'm always a proponent of a change of scenery and pace," she deadpanned in return, casually pondering Anna's expression as she ordered a cosmopolitan from one of the lounge staff who had paused at their table. Her friend seemed nothing less than her normal good-humored self, and Caroline began to relax some of her own preoccupation. "I'll have a glass of mead," Anna requested, absently turning the bracelet beneath her jacket sleeve while watching their waiter head back to the bar. She'd planned to order a glass of whiskey until the very moment when she'd opened her mouth and ordered the honey-wine instead. She hated sweet drinks. Interesting. "Branching out a bit, eh?" Caroline said with a chuckle, leaning back in her seat. "So it would seem," Anna said a little dryly, meeting Caroline's amused look with a direct one of her own. "Actually, when I said I wasn't working on anything special before...that's not entirely true. Remember earlier today on the bridge when I told you that Will and I had done some shopping and picked up a gift for his mother's birthday?" "I do." Caroline nodded, attenuating to the more serious look on her friend's face. "Well," Anna continued, folding back her jacket sleeve to reveal the bracelet, "I also got this." She leaned forward, her excitement obvious. "It's very unusual, Caro." Caroline had had a feeling, based on Deb and Will's reports, that the subject would probably come round to this on its own, and though she wasn't entirely sure how this connected to the mead, she could nevertheless read Anna's obvious emotion -- excitement, not distress -- and leaned forward curiously to eye the piece of jewelry. "Yes, it is," she agreed carefully. "And no doubt more so to you...you used to work making such things, didn't you?" Her mind instantly moved back over the things Deb and Will had told her, suggesting that they felt the bracelet directly connected to other more physical manifestations of anxiety, but she said nothing of any of this yet, waiting to see how Anna would direct the conversation. Anna nodded, answering, "Yes, everyone in my clan has some craft training that allows them to contribute. My specialty was metalcraft--small edged weapons and jewelry design. And it's the metalwork on this bracelet that caught my eye initially," she said, absently tracing the intricate design of the bracelet with her free hand. "I tried it on, thinking it wasn't particularly pretty but that it might be fun to see if I could try to duplicate the craftsmanship. Granulation like this isn't that easy when done on such a minute scale. Anyway, as soon as I tried it on, it just felt 'right'. I can't really explain it." She shrugged. "It didn't cost that much and as you can see the stones are cabochon cut--not even faceted...it's just an old piece, Caro." Anna leaned back as the waiter came by and deposited their drinks before continuing on his way again. "It's a cuff bracelet which means there should always be an open section--it shouldn't form a complete circle, but...sometime during the first night, it closed up. There's not even a seam showing in the metal. And I had the oddest dream..." She paused and picked up her glass, making a face at the first sip, but taking a second one anyway. "Go on." Caroline had already slipped unconsciously into professional mode -- listening intently but giving the appearance of no more than casual interest so as to keep her companion talking -- but she couldn't resist a faint glimmer of surprise in her expression. She'd expected Anna to be more reticent about the symptoms which Will had mentioned, and she could see from where she sat that the bracelet was, in fact, a solid ring too small to have slid off -- or onto -- the wrist on which it now sat; she'd half-expected that idea to be merely a manifestation of her deeper unwillingness to part with it. She made a quiet, interested noise in the back of her throat, wondering if she had misjudged the situation. "This is where it gets amazing. The dream I had was so vivid, it really felt more like a memory--even now I can remember it perfectly, and it wasn't me in the dream. I was there--but as somebody else. It was in a place I've never seen before, populated by people I've never met but who felt as close to me as my own family. Closer even," Anna added expressionlessly, thinking that those in the dream, Nils and Ari, felt closer to her than her own brothers, Brian and Sean. Or at least closer to whomever she'd been in the dream. Nils and Ari would never turn their backs on their sister... Realizing where her thoughts were going, Anna shook her head as if to clear it. "There was a battle and it was awful, and yet..I could feel how alive she felt. Tormented by the betrayal happening around her but also so determined to fight and have her vengeance against the traitors. But then, the most terrible thing of all happened..." She picked up her drink and took a long swallow in spite of the sweetness, clenching the glass because her fingers were trembling. Caroline raised one eyebrow slowly, folding her arms in front of her on the table, ignoring her own drink untouched at her elbow. "The most terrible?" she asked encouragingly, her tone soft to counter the intensity of Anna's. Anna set the glass down, taking a deep breath. This was the hardest part to describe. "As the dream began, I realized that I could 'feel' another person close by. I couldn't see him but I knew where he was so I was comforted knowing he was safe. At the end of the dream, I see him--he's fighting and I intend to join him to fight with him and then he's cut down and I realized that while I watched him die I also 'felt' the connection between us die...I...she could no longer feel him and it broke her heart." Anna paused, the emotions no less intent in the retelling than they'd been in the dream. "I woke up then, screaming his name...Tjarn was his name," Anna added offhandedly, her voice trailing off again before she gathered herself, finishing with, "And that woke up Will. For a minute there I couldn't differentiate between the dream and reality and became confused thinking something had happened to Will. That was the worst part of it, actually." She leaned back, reminding herself that it had been just a dream or an old memory. Caroline processed this for a few moments in silence, not sure what to make of it. Indeed, had she not known Anna as well as she did, she might have been considerably more confused -- but she was familiar with the other woman's vivid imagination and penchant for adventure stories. It was not hard to pin down, in the abstract, the sources of the dream that evidently had Anna so preoccupied -- an adventurous situation, in the role of a woman for whom Anna's relative familial estrangement had never been a problem, was not at all an unlikely fantasy for someone of Anna's general disposition. The issue was whether these dreams might be a manifestation of something more psychologically serious, in one way or another. "Who is 'she'? Do you know?" she finally asked after a considered pause. "No, I don't know her name or what she even looks like," Anna replied, relaxing in the face of Caroline's calm, accepting expression. "I do know she's wearing this bracelet and that the metal work on it matches that on the hilt of her sword. The same type of stones are also present on the hilt." She smiled, her eyes lightning with amusement, knowing how ludicrous her next statement was going to sound. "Her sword's name though...I do know that. It's Hani." Caroline smiled, rubbing her jaw thoughtfully. "Your subconscious has a definite attention to detail," she said with quieter amusement, shaking her head slightly. "My subconscious, huh?" Anna couldn't help but smile; she was pretty sure her mind could not have supplied the level of detail present in the dream. "I wish you would tell Will that," she said, striving to keep her voice light. "How do you mean?" Caroline asked, deciding not to mention just yet that Will had already approached her. "He's worried about me," Anna replied quietly. "I know he is but it feels..." She stopped. She couldn't tell Caroline that it felt like Will was somehow against her; that he'd thought it a good idea to report something this innocuous to the ship's XO. That it felt like a betrayal. Which hurt more than she could admit to Caroline, even though she was one of her best friends. "I think he's overreacting a bit," she finished. "Well, no one likes to see their loved ones disturbed, even by a dream," Caroline said lightly, then after a short pause, went on, "Are you concerned? About the dreams? Or...something else, perhaps? Violent or uncomfortable dreams often tend to show up as an expression of our waking worries..." "I wouldn't say I was concerned, exactly," Anna answered thoughtfully. "About the dreams or anything else, other than Will's reaction to it, I guess. The dreams startled me at first but now I think they might offer clues to the bracelet's origins. Debbie suggested I get it removed but I don't want to. I want to keep investigating it while it's 'active' so to speak." Caroline nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. She was watching closely for signs of subverted worry or other emotional distress but Anna's expression was more curious than anything else. "And the idea that it might be isn't concerning? Its molding itself like that is somewhat odd, isn't it?" "I find it fascinating, Caro. It is a little disconcerting to feel someone else's thoughts and feelings in such a way that they feel like you're own but I think I'm getting used to it. And as for the bracelet closing the way it has--it's possible that it's designed that way," Anna said with a shrug. "The metal is an alloy we haven't seen before and though scans didn't show any odd properties, it's clear that it's reacted in a way that is unusual, strange even." She smiled suddenly, saying, "That's why I think it's more than my subconscious at work here. I think this is an artifact; Quantum dating puts it at more than 1200 years old. I am currently running a recognition search program using details of the metalwork. I'm also going to run an experiment later this evening." "What kind of experiment?" Caroline could tell that Anna's spirit of scientific inquiry was the prime mover in the situation right now, and that she seemed to have a logical outlook in spite of the exhaustion that Deb had cited as a reason for keeping an eye on her; that was reassuring, though she would not go so far as to say that what Anna was saying about the bracelet was reassuring. Feeling someone else's thoughts... No, that was still worth being concerned about; just not in the way Caroline had anticipated. "I'm meeting with Jon Shamor later on tonight to confirm something. He's an expert with most kinds of weaponry and has a collection of blades. I've asked him to let me handle one his swords." Anna sat back, folding her arms across her chest. "Caro, I've trained with knives and am rated as expert but I've never handled a sword--there's never been any reason to, but I am betting that it's going to feel mighty comfortable in my hand. This hand," she said, holding up her right arm, displaying the wrist with the bracelet on it. Once again Caroline was silent. "Well, don't chop your arm off," she finally said slowly. Anna recalled part of the dream, seeing again the traitor Edalt's arm severed by her strike, then falling to the ground with his sword still gripped in his hand, his body following closely behind. "It's not my arm I'm worried about," she answered. "Or anyone else's either," Caroline amended, not sure whether to smile or not. "Anna, if you don't think it was just a dream, what do you think it was?" "I'm not sure yet. I'm considering several possibilities at the moment. As I said, the metal is an alloy that we haven't seen before and though the initial scans didn't show anything unusual I think further tests are a good idea. The stones are also an unknown quantity and again, scanned as inert but I think it's possible that what I'm experiencing could be an electromagnetic reaction to either element or a combination of them both. My dream indicated that at the very least an empathic bond was possible between members of this species and I don't feel I can yet rule out that I am somehow able to access stored memories." Anna shifted restlessly. "The bottom line is I don't know what exactly is causing the different things I've been experiencing but I do think that the bracelet is the key to it and I'm sure I won't get any answers if I just have it cut off." Or take medication that will keep me from dreaming. Caroline pondered this for a moment, examining the restless expression in Anna's eyes carefully. She could, frankly, see why both Deb and Will had become concerned at Anna's attitude towards the bracelet, but whatever the effects of the piece of jewelry were, Anna's behavior seemed at the moment primarily guided by scientific curiosity and Caroline was willing to take that at face value, knowing her friend's ability to be energized by new ideas. She trusted Anna to be aware of what she was getting into as a scientist, but she also did not mean to let the subject drop just yet. "You might not -- but if it is toying with your mental chemistry it's something to keep an eye on," she said mildly. "I know you don't want anyone curtailing your efforts but I hope you don't mind if I follow up on this with you." "Debbie's tests do indicate that it's affecting my ability to achieve REM state while sleeping and I am feeling less than rested, I admit, which in turn is making me a little short tempered," Anna replied. "But I am certainly nowhere near the state where it's affecting my judgment, and I have no intention of allowing it to reach that point. I will be following up with Debbie tomorrow and I certainly don't have any problem letting you know what she says or keeping you up to date on where my research has led." Anna considered the other woman for a moment, seeing not her friend, but the ship's Counselor and recalled that Debbie had called Caroline down to her office while they'd both been on the bridge. "Just to clarify, Caro--are you following up as my friend or as the Counselor? Am I going to end up as a file entry?" "The two aren't mutually exclusive," Caroline said, feeling somewhat caught out but smiling nevertheless. "Just about every friend I've ever had has been a counselor, by nature if not by profession." She paused, then shrugged slowly. "You're fascinated by this thing's effects but the idea of its being recorded by me concerns you. Why?" "I guess I just want to know that when I sit down to dinner with a friend, the things we talk about stay at the table." Anna managed a lopsided smile, not wanting to offend Caroline. "I already have the CMO looking out for my health and the acting CAG looking at me like I'm crazy. When I record something, Caro, it's in the course of scientific analysis. When you record something, it's a possible career changer." "Fair enough," Caroline answered with a slow nod. "Well, let me state for the record, then, that I am not secretly making any notes in my little black book; I just have never encountered anything like what you're describing in either the neurochemical or emotional sense, and I'd like to know how it progresses -- for your benefit, not for the sake of paperwork." She leaned back in her seat, picking up her glass, and smiled reassuringly. "I know you're not crazy or reckless, Anna -- but we encounter a lot of strange things out here." "I appreciate the positive affirmation," Anna replied, amused as well as relieved. "And you're right, we do encounter strange things and this definitely qualifies and I'm sorry if I overreacted," she apologized, looking sheepish. "I mentioned short tempered, didn't I? It's an O'Halloran failing at the best of times and especially noticeable when we get hungry. I think it's time to get that waiter back and order some dinner."

"Your electrolytes are a little off and your insulin levels are down." Anna smiled tentatively at Debbie, offering, "Well, that doesn't sound too bad...?" It definitely sounded like something she could tell Will to make him less uneasy. Without realizing it she frowned, remembering again how desolate she'd felt as Will walked away from her when she told him that she would be embarrassed for him to be present during an exam. First time she'd ever said no to him about anything and his response had been to turn away from her. "And your blood glucose levels are elevated," added Debbie with a slight frown. The biobed's scanners were set to run additional tests should anything abnormal show up during the preliminary scans. The CMO took a step back to await the new data. She kept glancing at the mysterious bracelet now stuck on Anna's arm. It was....intriguing. She couldn't say it was beautiful....not even pretty....but it was....intriguing. And it appeared it was having a somewhat negative effect on it's new owner. "It would seem your body is beginning to object to your lack of prolonged sleep," offered Deb in a calm voice. "Have you been suffering from headaches or nausea....or maybe blurred vision?" "I've had a low-level headache for most of the day," Anna answered, thinking that lack of sleep probably was responsible for that. "No nausea, although now that you mention it, I haven't had much appetite, either. I'll get something to eat after we're done here, but to answer your last question--my vision is fine. Well, at least it's not blurred," she amended. "A couple of times now, I've experienced a split second of disorientation where I feel like I'm looking at something different from what I should be seeing. It's not blurry though--I can't really explain it." Anna looked back at Deb. "I'm sure it is because I haven't gotten enough sleep," she offered hopefully. "I'm sure it is," replied Deb casually. "Right now, it isn't much of a problem. But if this pattern continues, you could develop more serious symptoms." She smiled at her patient and added. "I can start you on a medication that usually produces dreamless sleep. But you should check back with me in two or three days. If this drug doesn't work immediately then it probably won't. We'll need to put you on something else." She held out a hand to help Anna sit up. "In the meantime, let's try to figure out how to open this bracelet. What's it made of anyway?" "Thank you," Anna said, taking the other woman's hand as Debbie helped her up. "It's an unknown alloy," she answered absently with a slight frown. She wasn't sure she wanted dreamless sleep. The dreams were clues, she was sure of it. "There's no record of it in the database, Debbie, and the stones are also an unknown mineral, though scans didn't reveal any unusual properties." Anna held her arm out towards Debbie. "It's got no clasp--it's a cuff that slid on very easily when Will and I were in the shop but has since tightened but it's not uncomfortable. I've felt it grow warmer on occasion but not in any way that seems harmful. I really don't want to have to cut it off. It would destroy the granulation work and I have to be honest--I really want to try duplicating it. I've never before seen this technique before executed so beautifully." Debbie lightly traced the intricate metalwork with her right index finger. Did Anna say she felt the bracelet grow warmer from time to time? "What happens when the bracelet warms up?" she asked. "Is that when you have those dreams?" "No, I'm aware of it during the dreams because I'm wearing it...or that is, it's someone else wearing it but I feel like them." Anna realized that sounded confusing, but she shrugged, thinking what dreams don't sound confusing when you try to explain them? "I've felt the metal grow warmer at a few different times...sort of like it's giving me a warning. I'm not really sure how to explain it. I'm sorry, I can't be any clearer, Deb. It's more like I have an uneasy feeling about something and then the bracelet grows warmer at the same time." There was something about this situation that bothered Deb. She had no proof the bracelet was responsible for Anna's nightmares. But she didn't believe in coincidences either. Anna's problems began with the bracelet. Chances were they wouldn't end until she freed herself from it. The pharmacist approached and handed Deb a small bottle containing two tablets. She in turn passed them on to Anna. "I'm only giving you enough of these for two nights. Take one just before you go to bed. Let me know how they work." The CMO made a notation on her padd and then continued. "And find a way to remove that bracelet. I think we both know it may have a bearing on your problem." Anna took the bottle Deb handed her with a murmured, "Thanks." Everything inside of her rebelled at the idea of taking the medication. Her gut feeling was that the dreams held the clue to what was happening to her and she didn't want them to stop. Will had accused her of not being objective but in truth, she was intent on investigating any avenue of research that suggested itself and the dreams were one definite way to do that. "I would prefer to not have to cut the bracelet off, Debbie. The workmanship is exquisite," Anna explained. "I'd really like to wait a few days and see if it loosens on its own." The CMO quietly watched Anna as she admired the strange bracelet. She had "that" look in her eye and Deb knew exactly what that meant. The scientist in Ms. O'Halloran was very much in control. Her own health was secondary and that concerned Deb. "I'll keep the bracelet out of the file on one condition," said Deb. "You take one of the pills tonight and check back with me first thing in the morning. If the drugs work, fine. But if you're still plagued with nightmares that prevent you from sleeping properly, we'll have to explore....alternatives." Anna brightened, unmindful that the surge of relief she felt at not being ordered to remove the bracelet was way out of proportion to what it should have been. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed with an easy smile as she slid off the biobed, already considering how she might best circumvent taking the prescribed medication and the subsequent exam. Maybe she could take a half dose...

Anna was quiet as they left the antique shop on the starbase. The proprietor hadn't been very helpful and in fact, had seemed a little leery that they were asking questions at all. "We shouldn't have gone back wearing our uniforms," Anna finally said. "I could tell it made him nervous. I think he thought we were doing a security investigation." "In a way, we are Anna." From his tone and the fact that she continues to blow up at him whenever he brings up the bracelet was wearing thin on him, she could tell he was getting upset. Hearing something in his tone, Anna gave him a sideways glance, and narrowed her eyes at him. "It's a scientific investigation," she clarified, her own voice picking up an edge. "Nothing bad has happened, Will. It's more a curiosity than anything else. I think you're over reacting." "If you say so, Anna. I'm just along for the ride. It's just a little difficult to conduct a scientific investigation when the scientist isn't acting very objective." He steps slightly away from her to get a little distance from the explosion that he knew was coming. "In what way have I not been objective?" Anna put her hand on his arm and gave his sleeve a tug, waiting until he stopped to remove it and step in front of him. "I went immediately to the lab this morning with you and you watched while Miles and I conducted some tests. It was my idea to go back to the shop--all you wanted to do was turn me in to Ridire!" Will sighed, "Anna, when you conduct a scientific investigation you need to collect all the relevant data possible, yes?" "Of course," she said crisply. "I fail to see how informing the XO at this point in time has any relevance." "I'll address that in a minute. But if we want all the relevent data, why not have a scan done from Medical? Give me a rational scientific reason please." "Medical?" Anna looked at him blankly for a second and then remembered that he'd mentioned that before they'd visited the shop. "I'm not averse to having a physical exam," she told him. "I don't know what you expect it to find. All I had was a bad dream--granted, it was a very vivid dream..." She recalled with sudden clarity the agony the death of Tjarn had caused the bracelet wearer and how somehow, in the strange period between sleeping and being fully awake, she had been so sure that Will had been struck down. "It was just a nightmare," she whispered. "A terrible nightmare." Will wanted to hold her when she was like this but he had to maintain his composure. "I talked about taking this to Ridire because I'm worried about you. I just need to know you're alright. If something were to happen to you..." He looked sad when he spoke to her. "I'm sorry, Anna." Hating to see him looking so downcast because of her, Anna smiled, trying for a teasing tone, "Will, it's a bracelet. Just a piece of old jewelry. It's unusual in its design but it's not going to hurt me." She reached for his hand. "I'll stop in at Medical first chance I get after they're back from leave. I'll talk to Debbie. You don't need to be worried," she assured him. "You can understand why I don't want you to overreact and go to the XO, can't you? That would be embarrassing for me." He looked at her and smiled, "I understand. I don't ever want to embarrass you. Please don't ever think that I'm your enemy." "Enemy?" She looked at him in astonishment. "How could I ever think that?" The bracelet suddenly felt very warm against her skin and she unconsciously rubbed it. "You would never betray me, I know that. I could never think you a traitor," she stated firmly, slipping her hand into his. "Never." He saw her rubbing the bracelet, "You alright?" "I'm fine, Will," Anna said lightly. "We should think about heading back to the ship." Will nodded, "Alright. Can I ask one favor?" Suddenly wary, Anna paused, and then looked sideways at him, her smile feeling a little forced. "Of course. Anything." "May I please be present when you are scanned at Sickbay? I promise not embarass you." "You don't trust me," Anna replied, the hurt she was feeling obvious in her voice. "I'll feel like a fool in front of Debbie, Will. Even if we were a married couple it would seem strange." Will dropped her hand and sighed sadly, "No Anna. It's you that doesn't trust me." He matched her hurt tone. "Let me know how the scan goes." He walked away from her without another word. Anna watched him go, feeling lonely and hurt and also...relieved. Things were going to be busy with leave coming to an end and new orders coming in. She wouldn't really have time for a physical right away. It could wait. Will had just made it very clear that he wasn't going to ask her about it.

The mist was thick in the early predawn hours offering protection as they moved silently through the forest towards the encampment. Soon the traitors would be caught and dealt with and they could return home. She looked forward, the thick mist obscuring the first group but she wasn't worried; she felt him. He was there, up ahead with Nils and Ari. Their connection was especially strong even for a mated couple. They would always know if the other was nearby. "We halt," she heard whispered and suddenly tense, stopped with those in her group-the encampment was still a ways off. No doubt a night guard was posted and had been spotted. Nika and Bjroli flanked her and she turned to look behind them to pass the word to the next trio when the ear splitting scream of a Throjldahl war cry split the early morning darkness, causing a flock of heavy winged havorns to take flight from the trees above them, their panicked cries adding to the cacophony. Without conscious thought her sword Hani was in her hand as she and Nika danced across each other's path, whipping sideways and out as Bjroli advanced forward. "It's a trap," she heard Ari bellow from ahead of them and then the clang of durostanian steel filled her ears, her own blade slashing up and forward to catch the dull gleam of a descending weapon, its owner appearing wraithlike, only a darker shadow to define his or her position in the forest gloom. Training and instinct taking over, she fought furiously, her blood heated by the knowledge that they had been twice betrayed now. How these brjintroll would suffer for their cowardice and disloyalty! The lowest, most frozen layer of Ungandaril was still too good for their black souls. She would leave only pieces, so many that not enough would remain for her opponent to gain entry through its skull festooned gate. Drawing a deep breath, she screamed her rage and pivoting, caught her opponent high on their arm, her grin savage with the satisfaction of severing that which had struck a death blow against their own people. She saw that it was Edalt who followed his arm and sword to the ground, collapsing at her feet. They'd played and trained together since childhood and he had held a banner at her and Tjarn's mating ceremony. Angered at the tears which now flowed freely, she gritted her teeth. "I will not waste them on you. I will not speak your name, it is dead in my heart!" She knew however she would not return to dismember him. Someone else could do it. She couldn't deny him entrance to Ungandaril. Whirling away, not wanting to see those staring eyes again, she listened carefully to the ongoing fighting, choosing her path carefully, working her way forward, Hani ready. The distinctive ringing of weapon on weapon continued, the screams though seemed further away than they should be. The mist was playing tricks on her normally acute hearing. There was a clearing up ahead and here was where the fighting was. Through the tree cover she saw Tjarn engaged in battle and determined to stand with her back to his. She emerged, Hani upraised, still smeared and dripping with Edalt's blood, in time to see and feel Tjarn fall as another fighter lunged from the mist to cowardly spear him from behind. "No!" Anna screamed in her sleep, struggling to reach him. "No, Tjarn, no," she sobbed, feeling the exact moment when his life force went dark, leaving her alone. Will awoke instantly, smoothly swiping the type 1 phaser off the nightstand while looking around for potential threats before he realized what had happened and looked at Anna. "Anna?! What's wrong?" Still caught up in the emotion of the dream, Anna turned towards Will and exclaimed, "You're all right!" while reaching for him. Will held her close for a few minutes letting her get her emotions under control before speaking, "Yeah, I'm fine but the last time I checked my name isn't Tjarn, my love." "What?" Confused, she leaned back, searching his expression. "Tjarn?" Will nodded and as he looked in her eyes, he saw a haunted look. Considering her emotions and what she said, he reached a conclusion. "You woke up screaming the name Tjarn and then you looked at me and was relieved that I was alright as if something had happened to me. Do you remember who this Tjarn might be?" "I was dreaming," Anna began slowly, her pulse just now starting to approach something like normal. "We were moving through a forest and it was still dark, foggy... I was looking forward to getting where we were headed because--" she broke off and frowned. "Traitors. My close friends were traitors and I looked forward to killing..." She swallowed dryly and extended her arm, the one with the cuff bracelet, noting her fingers were trembling. "I saw myself holding a sword, Will. I was fighting then...it was an ambush. I cut off his arm...and I was wearing this bracelet," she whispered. She turned her head suddenly, fresh tears starting. "Tjarn was my mate. I saw him get struck down--I couldn't reach him in time!" He held her close and just let her cry. Once she was back under control again, he looked at the bracelet. H'd wanted to get it scanned immediately when they returned to the ship, but Anna said she was exhausted. Will had agreed to put it off until tomorrow. Looking at the chrono, he frowned; it was 0323. He looked at Anna. "Think you are going to be able to go back to sleep? Maybe we should go to your SciLab and do that scan?" "It was just a dream, Will," she said tiredly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, hating how stuffed up crying always left her feeling. "A very vivid...well, it actually felt more like a memory." She yawned sleepily; Will's arms around her driving away the already half-forgotten sorrow she'd felt. He was safe and she was safe with him. "Let's go back to sleep, hon," she murmured. "I'm sorry I woke you up." Will thought about insisting but decided against it. He could be patient. He laid back down and pulled her in as close as possible. He stroked her hair, gently running it through his fingers. "Alright. Sleep well my love." "You too," she whispered, remembering how right the sword had felt in her hand. Its name was Hani and the blue stones in her hilt had matched those in the bracelet.

The bangle with its cabachon cut blue stones set in the odd colored metal had drawn her interest, not because it was pretty; her first impression had been just the opposite, in fact—there was a barbaric quality to the cuff. No, it had caught her eye because the metalwork appeared unique. There was a grayish cast to thesilver—though she still wasn't sure it was silver and its dull gleam did little to add luster to the truly extraordinary granulation that surrounded the light blue stones. Trained as a journeyman metal and goldsmith, Anna knew how much skill had gone into creating the piece. While Will finalized the details regarding the crystal bowl they'd chosen for his mother's upcoming birthday, she'd tried the bracelet on. From the moment it had warmed to her skin, she'd realized it was meant for her. Bewildered by a sudden onslaught of fleeting impressions, Anna flatly told the shopkeeper they would take it and barely noticed as Will took care of the sale. When he reached for her wrist to look at the bracelet, Anna took a step back without thinking, automatically moving her hand behind her back to keep it from him. Protect it, she heard, and she frowned, distracted by the voice, even while asking, "Will, what's the matter?" Will frowned. "Anna, why are you suddenly so overprotective of that bracelet? It is as if..." Alarms went off announcing that the USS Reaent is now under quarantine. Will looked up, "Ah hell! Why can't we have a peaceful day off?" His hand went to hers automatically. It seemsthat he had forgotten about her bracelet for the moment. With Will's fingers around the hand not encircled by the bracelet, Anna relaxed, suddenly feeling a momentary confusion as to why his reaching for it had mattered in the first place. The blaring sound of alarms swept the thought away. "I wonder what's happened?" He looked at her drolly, "Its the Reaent Anna. What doesn't happen? We should probably see about finding some accommodations until this is over. If the ship is under quarantine than we aren't getting anywhere near it." He smiled wanly, "Perhaps we should go and get something to eat, too?" The woebegone quality to his smile caused her fingers to tighten comfortingly around his and she nodded, eyes gleaming with amused affection."You make it sound like we need to make the best of a bad situation." She leaned closer, reaching to whisper in his ear, "It's kind of nice being trapped off ship together." Hearing that tone in her voice brightened him up considerably and he looked at her. "Yes, it is, but I think that dinner would be nice to have before dessert, don't you?" "I don't know," she teased, giving his hand a tug to start him moving towards the commercial district where they could get a meal. "You know what they say..." She waited a beat and then added, "Life's uncertain--eat dessert first." He laughed as they went toward the commercial district. "Come on, love. Let's find some food; I'm starving." From the look he was giving her, she knew he didn't mean for just food either. Glad to see his lighter mood returning, she smiled, that particular look of his still able to make her blush. "Oh, me too," she agreed, quickening her pace to keep up with his longer legs. "Absolutely starving."

Anna’s suit light reflected sparkles off the frost covered bulkheads as she made her way to the bridge from main engineering. Both locations were on Deck 1 of the ten-deck ship, and that made it easier to maneuver. She wasn’t keen on trying to climb through the J tubes in an environmental suit. Wade was working to get ship systems online, and while he did that she wanted to see the bridge. JJ made his way up to the bridge behind Anna. He was charged with piloting the ship out of the anomaly it currently sat in. They could only hope that Wade could get the well aged vessel’s systems online for them to make an exit. He was happy Anna was heading to the bridge with him, having never flown a vessel (purposely) in or out of a temporal anomaly before, the scientist’s presence on the bridge would most likely be needed. As the time ticked away here on the Ithaca, JJ knew that it was not doing so over on the Reaent. Now that he was here, a twinge of regret began to seep through him. He really didn’t want to return to the Reaent with any unneeded extra months or years on his body. Anna crossed the bridge, the layout familiar from studying the Saber Class specs. The two science stations were along the port side and it was from here she planned to retrieve the logs after Wade restored ship’s power. If he was able to. Turning, she realized JJ had been right behind her and waved, speaking into the suit comm. “It’s a little lonely looking isn’t it?” she asked. She pointed to the console directly in front of the Command chair. “Flight Control Officer’s. Hopefully, you’ll get the chance to fly her.” Glancing at the tricorder in her gloved hands, she checked the readout of the monitoring of the emergency transport armbands. JJ looked around the bridge, it was indeed a lonely place. “I’m hoping so as well, dearest Anna.” He moved to the chair that Anna had indicated. The console was draped with a thin layer of frost. He frowned inwardly, he wasn’t an engineer, but he knew that extreme cold and lack of use were not exactly the best thing for power conduits. “I have no doubts of the honorable Mr. Wade’s ability to bring the ship’s systems online,” he began “However, my fear is that maximum quality of those systems not be to standards we need.” He brushed some of the frost off of the console. “These systems have been inactivate for a very long time and have been exposed to very harsh elements, my dear Scientist.” Enchanted as always by JJ’s highly formal, yet charmingly familiar speech pattern, Anna walked over to stand next to him, eyeing the layer of frost on the FO’s seat with a glint of amusement. “It looks like it’s set to maximum comfort for Brythtons,” she offered, before adding, “If Wade gets impulse online, and Captain McQueen gives the approval, these systems just have to give a last gasp to make it through the bubble. Time is slowed down enough here that the contrast between inside and outside isn’t so great it should be much of a barrier. The probes have come and gone across it. Of course, the probes aren’t showing the metal fatigue this ship is.” Anna shrugged, eyes back on the tricorder, as she hit the all call. “Away Team, just an update on the armbands. The fields are intact with no slippage and we still have 2.5 hours of charge left.” Murray did some quick calculations in his head. “So let’s figure that’s two hours work, plus 30 minutes to clean up, get back to the shuttle, and get out of here before we start living laps around the Reaent. I think that’s manageable.” He glanced at the frozen settings around him and muttered to himself off-com. “It’d better be manageable.” *** The Ithaca's engineering station certainly appeared as one would think it would, having been at station keeping without access to new parts or labor. Several inoperable workstations had been converted to work benches, with worn or otherwise broken equipment strewn about to be repaired. As Wade made his rounds he made it a point to inspect the parts the Ithaca crew had selected for repair. Several carbon scrubbers, turned to a sooty black littered the tables and staging areas. A conversion matrix, apparently from a replicator, lay in utter disrepair. It was obvious that the crew had given up on keeping the Ithaca's engines maintained, instead opting to focus on the essentials for prolonged life on a Starship. Getting the ship’s power back online was his first order of business. Connecting his tricorder to the engine’s interface quickly gave him a brief status on the engines. The engines weren’t operating at the moment, so he had to go off of its operating state when last it was. It seemed that the engines were still within relatively safe operating conditions, aside from the fact that the antimatter storage was spent. With an exasperated sigh he engaged his comm, “Knight to O’Halloran.” “O’Halloran here, Mr. Knight. Go ahead.” She looked up from the tricorder to the large, dark viewscreen at the front of the bridge. It would be comforting to be able to see the Reaent. The frost covered interior of the Ithaca felt vaguely haunted even though she knew from the undamaged portion of logs they’d decrypted that all crew had abandoned ship. It was very comforting to have JJ here with her. “I just thought you’d like an update. It doesn’t look too pretty down here,” Wade said over the comm, reading over the data pouring into his tricorder from the engineering computer. “Its going to need a little cleaning up, I think. I’ve got some great remodeling ideas, though. How do you feel about chartreuse?” “And suddenly he’s an interior decorator,” Anna muttered before activating the all comm. “Green is not my color, but something in an ice blue?” She glanced over to JJ. “You have any preference?” The Brythton grinned, “Blues are good. So long as it comes in a shade doesn’t wash me out.” he motioned to his face, which was the only portion of his light blue skin within view. Anna looked at him thoughtfully, and then nodded. “It would be pale enough to complement you.” “Light blue, really? This is engineering we’re talking about, not a nursery,” Wade replied, grinning to himself behind his helmet. “Which reminds me, if we do get trapped over here, I hope you’re prepared to help carry on the Knight legacy. We’re a simple people, but we have a long and storied history...” Anna could hear JJ’s chortle next to her. “ ‘Simple’ doesn’t begin to describe it,” Anna responded dryly through the suit comm. “As I mentioned a couple of minutes ago, we have a limited amount of time left. Ensuring the continuation of the Knight Dynasty is not on my agenda.” Wade could be heard chuckling through the comm as Anna went on. Finishing his assessment of the engines he stepped over Murray, still speaking to O’Halloran through the comm. “Well, it is on mine. So you can know you haven’t a thing to worry about. That said, getting power back online shouldn’t take much longer. Everything still seems to be in working order here, but we’re going to need to cannibalize some antimatter fuel from the shuttle.” Anna rolled her eyes, managing to keep from laughing. She looked over at JJ, saying, “Wade and Wim appear to be making progress.” “I do not believe that vain attempts to ensure the proliferation of one’s family legacy is considered progress, but I shall take them at their word, dearest Anna.” This time she didn’t bother to try holding it back and just burst out laughing. *** Wade turned to Murray, “We do have spare antimatter pods in the shuttle, right?” Murray nodded. “Should do, yeah. Not much, but it should be enough to get this giant popsicle up and running again.” “Excellent, that’s first on our agenda. Shouldn’t be too difficult to get us up and running after that,” Wade replied, pausing for a moment before mumbling to himself, “moving is another matter.” “Moving is another matter entirely, and not exactly what was on top of our priority list over here. However,” Wim paused for a moment, knowing that the subject would likely come up again in discussions with McQueen and Ridire, “it would not be out of line to at least set up an attempt to do so. This is, after all, lost Starfleet property, and it would be our duty to retrieve it. In the meantime,” he continued, “I’ll go back to the shuttle and retrieve some antimatter.” He paused for a moment of further discussion before leaving the room.

This log is by, in order of appearance: Tomlinson/O'Halloran/Knight/Murray/Lexi/Matthews Having just left the bridge, Will Tomlinson made a beeline for his quarters. He sat at his desk and opened up the files on the Ithaca situation. After skimming through it, he got the basic gist of the situation and then began looking through some of his favorite historical records; particularly those involving the U.S.S. Enterprise with Captain Kirk and crew. He scanned through and stopped at one he had read recently. He read through the story quickly and began typing a message to Anna. Anna, While I was on the Bridge, I caught a few tidbits of the conversation you and everyone else on the Bridge were having about the Ithaca and a thought occurred to me. I don't know if you know, but I love reading history, particularly the adventures of Captain James Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Well, one record caught my attention. On Stardate 6283.6 the Enterprise was answering a distress call originating from inside the Romulan Neutral Zone. When the Enterprise arrived, three Romulan Birds of Prey attacked a freighter with a new prototype weapon which completely vaporized the freighter. As the Enterprise began to retreat, they were noticed by the Romulans and the Romulans were planning to use the new weapon to destroy the Enterprise. However, as they were powering the weapon, the Enterprise fired on the Birds of Prey, disrupting the charge cycle and destroying the three Birds of Prey but in the process enveloping the Enterprise in a hyper-dimensional rift that they were trapped in. They couldn't get out of it because instead of the four dimensions of that form the space-time continuum as we know it, they were trapped in an area with many more dimensions. In order to escape, they needed the data on the weapon from one of the wrecked Birds of Prey to extrapolate the course needed to escape, which they did in the end. I was thinking that with this data perhaps the time bubbles could be properly navigated and we could rescue the Ithaca. With this message, I've included the Romulan weapon data. Hope this helps. I love you. your Will ::file attached: Romulan weapon data Stardate: 6283.6:: Will ended the message and sent it with a top priority flag on to Anna. He turned the screen off and dearly hoped he’d contributed something useful to the problem at hand. * * * Working on the bridge, Anna received the message from Will and quickly read through it, smiling to herself as he recounted his enjoyment in reading the adventures shared by the Enterprise crew captained by James Kirk. He hadn’t mentioned it before and she made a mental note to ask him what the surreal visit made by Kirk and Spock to the Reaent a few months (and 192 years into the past) had meant to him. Accessing the old record, she scrolled through the data with interest. The story was a fascinating though heartbreaking one for the man called Sulu. The solution to escaping the temporal instability the Enterprise had become trapped in was on one of the Romulan ships, but the ship was also trapped within the anomaly. Anna was becoming convinced that the only way to free the Ithaca lie in going over to the ship and trying to steer her out. The time had now slowed down to enough that it should be possible. The probes were able to enter and relay data back easier and recent testing showed that a probe could enter and return from the bubble with barely a ripple. She walked over to Wade and took a seat next to his console, her gaze falling to his workscreen. “How difficult would it be to get the Ithaca’s engines online if we went over there using the emergency transporter bands?” Wade looked up from his work, turning slightly in his chair to face Anna. “I can’t really say without knowing what sort of condition they’re in right now. They could just need to be powered up, which would only take me an hour at most. If we’re looking at repairs it could take considerably longer.” Wade turned back to his console for a moment before again turning his head. “And we?” Raising an eyebrow, Anna met his stare. “Yes, we. Don’t even think I wouldn’t go over there if that’s the decision the Captain makes. The logs are still incomplete and without power being restored to ship’s systems, there’s no way to get all of them.” Wade sighed, shaking his head and looking up to her. “You do realize that if we go over there and I’m wrong -- which happens more often than I’d care to admit -- you’re going to be stuck inside that bubble for decades before they even come up with a solution. If they ever do. By the time we get back, everyone you know could be old and feeble, if not dead and gone.” “I heard what you told Ridire,” Anna answered, her voice low, very aware of the XO sitting behind them. “I’m convinced, based on a past occurrence in the database where armbands were used, that they should be adequate protection against becoming trapped within the time differential.” “And if they fail?” Wade asked, turning back to his console and speaking quietly. “All of the preparation we’ve done here, it’s all based on mere theory and conjecture.” Wade let out a sigh, sitting back in his chair. “There’s just a lot that can go wrong here.” “There’s a lot that already went wrong here!” Realizing her voice was rising, Anna deliberately took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, making sure her tone was lower as she continued, “There are 18 people stuck in two shuttles that have aged who knows how many years since it looks like they never did break entirely free from one of these bubbles. Maybe time doesn’t still move as fast as it did in this one before we were able to slow it down, or maybe it’s still rocketing along and that would make them at least 75 years older than they were a week or so ago, our time. Wade,” Anna pleaded, “we don’t know where the other 150 members of the crew have ended up but I think we need to do everything in our power to find out if the Ithaca can tell us anything. The armbands don’t present a huge risk--they’ve worked in the past.” “Well, I’d certainly feel a lot better if I knew you were over here trying to get me back if I get stuck. But, if you want to tag along I can’t exactly stop you,” Wade replied, taking note of Anna’s apparent compassion towards the crew of the Ithaca. She had certainly invested a lot of time and energy into this particular problem, and Wade could understand why she’d want to be there with him. Even still, his confidence in his skills didn’t extend to endangering the life of a dear and trusted friend. “Tag a long?” Narrowing her eyes at Wade’s unfortunate choice of words, Anna chose her own more carefully. “No, you can’t, and I’m glad you realize it. It’s a calculated risk but the time differential is not very great and we wouldn’t be facing anything like what that poor crew went through.” Anna got to her feet, carefully jerking her jacket back into place. Did Wade actually think she would be so cavalier with their lives? He knew her better than that! “I think you’d better find out from Wim and JJ if they’ll be able to handle the ship properly with the access code if you are able to get the engines back online.” She turned to go back to her station but paused, and turning, smiled at Wade,, her posture relaxing as she added, “You know when I say ‘calculated risk’ it means that the risk is low, don’t you? I don’t put the Ithaca before this ship or any of its crew, Wade.” “You have an interesting definition of ‘low risk’, Anna.” Knight remarked coolly. “I’ll talk to Mr. Murray; I imagine he shouldn’t have any problem navigating the Ithaca out of its mess.” Anna’s expression softened even as she felt her exasperation rise. She reminded herself that Wade was a worrier. It’s what made him such a great engineer; his attention to detail and his concern for crew safety. She tried again. “Did you even read the file I sent you on the armbands? Or did you cut right to the heart of the matter and just tweak them per the instructions? I really think you’d feel much more confident about our chances of success if you would read all the material I gave you rather than just the interesting part about the phase 7 discriminator!” “I never was much for reading,” Wade replied. “Besides, I don’t have the time to read every technical manual you plop down on my lap. All I can say is, no matter how tested and proven a bit of technology is, it can always fail. Otherwise, why would we even have engineers, eh?” “I handed you that PADD--I didn’t go anywhere near your lap,” Anna replied mildly, trying not to laugh. “I understand your point of view, and I’m glad you can see mine.” Not sure if he’d just caved a little or if they were still sitting at square one, she went back to her station. Wade shook his head, grinning a bit as Anna walked away. She was the sort who always got her way. She’d blink her pretty blue eyes, call him her hero and Wade would walk away thinking it was his idea all along. For a brief moment he felt sorry for Will. “Mr. Murray,” Wade called quietly towards the conn. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Murray looked up from his usual spot at the tactical station. “Yes, Mr. Knight. What can I do for you?” “If the Commander agrees to let us go over to the Ithaca, she’s going to need a pilot,” Wade said quietly, leaving the implication up the in the air. “I’d do it myself, but I have a feeling I’ll be too busy keeping our briskets out of the proverbial fire.” Murray shrugged noncommittally. “I suppose I could do it. Mr. Lexi is more qualified than myself, but I suppose his services would be required here. Regardless, I was thinking I’d be going over there anyway for security...stuff.” “I’ll need to speak to Mr. Lexi later,” Wade replied, turning to face Wim. “I’m more concerned over getting access to the ship’s conn. I could probably get the codes and the access myself, but I’m not sure I’m going to have much time for side projects.” Murray nodded in agreement. “No, sure, yeah. I’m no piloting expert, but it’s not like you’re asking me to do loop-the-loops and stunts...right?” He continued on, letting the question hang rhetorically, “But yeah, I can take care of that, no problem. Is there anything else you need of me?” “Perhaps a pint when this bloody business is concluded,” Wade replied with a grin. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll go have a word with Mr. Lexi.” Stepping over to the conn, Wade put his hand on Lexi’s shoulder, crouching beside him. “Have a moment?” JJ’s humming ceased as he felt the hand rest on his shoulder. He turned towards Wade, flashing a polite smile before he spoke. “Of course I do, dearest Mister Wade. How can I be of assistance to you?” Wade smiled in return, always finding Lexi’s manner of a speech a bit odd. “If the commander gives us the word to ship over to the Ithaca we’re going to need someone to steer her. Fighter pilots are one thing, but you’re obviously the most qualified to pilot that hulk. It could be risky, but I think you can handle it, eh?” “I most certainly can, my dearest engineer,” the Brythton responded with a nod. “I am more than capable of doing whatever you shall require of me. Do we have a plan of action yet?” “Well, I’m chock full of theories and ideas, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call any of it a plan. All I know is that once we get over there we’re going to have to somehow reverse the temporal divergence and get the Ithica moving. I have a feeling my theory is only going to work temporarily.” JJ nodded in approval “Well, your judgment on these matters of science and engineering are most certainly better than mine. I shall defer to you for direction,” he told the engineer. “Nonetheless, I shall be there to answer the call when the time comes, oh Honored Engineer.” JJ finished, his tone regal, his informal honorifics turned formal, a Brythton sign of seriousness. Wade grinned and gave JJ a pat on the shoulder and a nod. “I figured you’d be agreeable.” Half listening to Wade’s conversations with Wim and JJ, Anna commed Debbie to let her know what the most recent sensor readings had picked up. “Debbie, sensors have picked up two shuttles trapped in similar ‘bubbles’ containing 18 occupants between them. They are probably from the Ithaca. It’s unclear exactly at this point how quickly time is progressing within these new bubbles. If it’s the same as the original rate around the Ithaca, before we slowed it down, you could find yourself with a ward full of geriatric patients.” It took a moment for Deb to process the news. She was already conflicted about the plan to retrieve the Ithaca’s crew. And now this. It was bad enough they’d been trapped on the ship but to spend all those years on a small shuttle.....a shiver ran down her spine. Taking a deep breath, she tapped her comm badge. “Thanks for the update, Anna. Please keep me posted.” The CMO ended the comm and stared blankly at the opposite wall. Were there other shuttles? I so, how many? And what condition would those crewmen be in if and when they were rescued. She forced herself to ignore her concerns and returned to the incident report she’d been working on. She still wasn’t sure if there was a problem with the holodeck or the crewmen involved were lying through their teeth. One way or the other, she had to request an inspection.....just in case. For now, someone else would have to worry about those weird bubbles.

Sitting at the pool table in main engineering, Wade was in his usual posture: chair back as far is it would go, feet up on the desk and data PADD nearly touching his nose. Most of the empty space on the pool table was littered with PADDs, stacked and parted in a such a way so as to easily get at the consoles and readouts. The engineer’s lips moved quietly as his eyes scanned the document. Anna sat across from Wade, busily tapping out the correction for the simulation program she was about to run for the umpteenth time. “It should have worked,” she said flatly and to no one in particular for at least the fourth time since she’d come to Main Engineering right after breakfast this morning. She wasn’t referring to the simulation, which so far wasn’t showing much promise that she was on the right track for getting the Ithaca truly stabilized. She was still highly irritated and somewhat confused as to why the deflector shields’ exciting of the chronometric particles hadn’t created the correct intensity required to create a time vortex. A time vortex that should have stabilized the Ithaca to the same time frame as the Reaent. Actually, what was irritating her so much was that she was so confused. She wanted to have options ready for McQueen and Ridire. The Reaent was more powerful than the Ithaca's Saber Class. If they entered the time bubble to match the same time would they be trapped or would they be able to collapse the bubble and rejoin the normal time stream? Could the Ithaca be stabilized? If so, could the time passed be reversed? Where was the Ithaca crew? Murray leaned against a console near the pool table. He wasn’t quite sure what exactly he could contribute to the project, but this was far from a normal mission--not that the crew of the Reaent would call many of their missions normal--but this one was extra special. To try and pull a ship out of a localized time pocket wasn’t something that was performed on a routine basis, and they had to cover all the bases. “So what exactly do we have so far? I mean, they got in there somehow. Surely we can get them out. But how?” Wade dropped another PADD on his ‘finished’ stack and lifted his feet off the desk, sitting forward. “As far as I can tell there is absolutely no precedence for this kind of phenomenon. Was hoping someone else would’ve done my work for me already.” Sighing, he picked up a mug of coffee and took a sip. “Manipulating space and-slash-or time requires a lot of energy, we could just lack the capacity to have any effect. Was there any change in the anomaly on our attempt, even in the slightest to suggest that we were on the right track?” Glancing up, Anna frowned at Wade across the console, or at least would if she could see him. Reaching over, she shoved one of his PADD stacks to the side. “There was a huge change. Huge! Just not enough. Almost enough, but just not quite there.” She could hear the frustration in her voice and took a deep breath before adding, in a calmer tone, “The Ithaca logs put her 25 years out in front of us. The maneuver yesterday with the deflector shields got her to maybe just less than two percent off of the mark. Two percent and then, we could attempt to reverse the process which would actually serve to reverse the aging.” Anna turned to look at Wim. “Commander Ridire asked if we had probes on board that could be programmed to do robotic tasks, I think what we’re going to have to do is set up a probe that can breach that bubble as a sort of test.” She stood up and stepped back so she could see both Wade and Wim at the same time. “The Ithaca’s logs are very damaged in some spots and unfortunately, one of the crucial areas is at the beginning, before and then directly after, they became trapped. I think we may possibly have to get over there and try to find out that information if we’re going to have a hope of stabilizing her.” Murray nodded. “Yeah, Class IV probe is typically used for stellar encounters, but there is a modification package that will allow command routines to be programmed or transmitted. That gives it some more maneuverability, so to speak, in an unknown atmosphere.” He paused for a moment, thinking of the immediate results of using the probe. The probe itself could do little to nothing, though some sensor readings wouldn’t go amiss. More importantly, though, how would the Reaent be able to send a team over? It’s not like stepping from one room to another, not through a temporal plane. What if the “physical” state of the pocket is in flux? One could end up half in the pocket, half out - that wouldn’t be dangerous at all, right? And then... “Okay, here’s a thought.” Murray paused for a moment to gather his wits for this - time travel is tricky like that. “What exactly do we tell the Ithacans when we go over there? ‘Hi, we’re from your past and present all in one. We’re here to take you back 25 years into your now-past to rejoin us where you belong. Everything you have just experienced is an anomaly. Time to leave behind everything you’ve done since then and come back to the present...erm, past...back then now.’ Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be easy to deal with.” He stood in thought for a moment and moved his lips, repeating part of what he just said to make sure it made sense. It didn’t, but that was kinda the point. Throughout the conversation between Anna and Wim, Wade’s expression had turned to something of a blank stare. As silence set in while Wim considered his words, Wade set his coffee cup down with a click and folded his hands in front of him. “Have you guys considered whether what we’re doing here is the right thing to do?” He asked the question slowly, dividing his gaze between those he shared the center of engineering with. It had occurred to her, as well, that a lot could happen over twenty-five years. The logs were patchy in places but she’d seen the birth of at least one child noted, and that boy, she couldn’t remember his name, but he would be thirteen now...well, approximately. “I don’t think it’s our question to answer,” Anna said quietly, sitting back down. She looked blankly at the work screen in front of her before swiveling her seat so she could see both Wade and Wim. “We know they abandoned the Ithaca to try and escape the time bubble. We don’t know if they were successful. Right now, McQueen’s orders have us trying to stabilize the ship so that we can find out what actually happened over there and if there’s a chance of retrieving the crew. I don’t know at this point if it can be stabilized, let alone what happened to the 168...169,” she amended, thinking about the young boy. “I don’t know how they could have escaped the bubble, but they currently aren’t showing up; maybe they figured something out---twenty-five years later.” She shrugged, having no answers; all she could do was repeat what she’d already said, “I think if we do find them--it has to be up to them.” Wade’s face contorted into a slightly sour expression as Anna spoke, sitting upright. “And why wouldn’t it be our place to question the morality of our actions? At this point we are the ones with the power to provide salvation or damnation to the crew of the Ithaca, and as far as I’m concerned we have a responsibility to question our ethics.” Wade paused and took a deep breath; it wasn’t like him to get so heated. “As I see it, in the twenty-five years they have spent in this anomaly, they have undergone the natural processes of life. Whether or not it has been in a natural environment is irrelevant. People have undoubtedly died in that time, and if I know humanoids, more than one child has been born. By reversing the flow of time they have experienced... Well, you see my point.” Murray’s brow furrowed as he concocted his retort. “I think there’s plenty of morality to go around here. I agree that yes, we must consider carefully the actions we are about to undertake. Personally, I tend to agree with Anna that the ultimate decision should lie with those from the Ithaca, as it is their lives that will be affected. However, ultimately it is not for us to be the morality police for the entire ship, ours or theirs. That responsibility, heavy as it may be, rests squarely upon the shoulders of Captain McQueen. It is our responsibility to raise the point with him and Commander Ridire and possibly Counselor Curtis. It is the Captain’s decision by which we should abide. Until such time, however, it is our duty to carry out our orders and present the Captain with all available options.” Murray exhaled as he completed his argument. It wasn’t like him to get very serious, and he was very much afraid that if this got around the ship that perhaps he’d get a reputation for it. And that just wouldn’t sit well with him. Perhaps next time he should make the argument while wearing a clown nose. Back to busily working at the console, though not on the simulation; she’d ditched it; it wasn’t going to work, Anna listened to both men, smiling to herself as another side to Wim was revealed. It was nice to hear him get passionate about something besides baked goods. It was Wim’s earlier question of how they might possibly get aboard the Ithaca without becoming trapped in the time bubble, that she was now researching. Wade’s current perch on the soapbox wasn’t at all surprising to her--she knew him well. Pausing for a moment, she raised her head and glanced at him across the consoles. “Wade,” she asked mildly, “Is it your belief that the Ithaca should not be interfered with in any way? That the years that have passed for that crew should stand as they are without any input from them?” The engineer shook his head, taking up his previous position at ease with his feet propped up on the surface of the pool table. He folded his hands over his stomach as he thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m adopting a no interference policy here. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t want to just float aimlessly through space for the remainder of my life. I’m an explorer, and I would venture to guess that most of those aboard the Ithaca aren’t that different. It takes a certain breed of person to want to be out here in the black.” He paused again, carefully choosing his words. “However, the idea of undoing nearly three decades of experiences and memories makes me queasy. Not to mention the fact that by bringing back the Ithaca crew to their earlier existences, we are essentially altering time. I just don’t see that we have the right to exercise such powers, even if we can.” “It would make them queasy, too,” Anna answered matter of factly. “In fact, they could expect to endure a severe shock to their cerebellum, something that Dr. Matthews is already very aware of. We can’t know exactly what would happen, if in fact, we actually do find ourselves in the position of being able to return them to their correct time,” she said, looking pointedly at Wade. “When you talk about altering time, you are talking about a minuscule pocket...a bubble, an aberration. They are in a closed universe in that bubble, according to their logs. A quarter of a century spent desperately trying to get....anywhere.” She looked over at Wim, and nodded to him. “You’re right. It’s up to the Captain...our captain, what our actions are. But the Ithaca has a CO, too. Captain Fitzgerald is at least 82 by now, and his XO, Susan Dahl, is in her early 60’s, and they are still in charge of the Ithaca’s fate. Either way,” she looked back to Wade and smiled affectionately, “It’s not going to be up to us. It’s our job to try and find the answers that McQueen and Ridire asked for. I really feel we have a better chance of that, even with my current level of frustration, than we do of answering what should be the fate of the Ithaca’s crew.” “A minuscule bubble of time is still a distinct timeline. If you consider the multi-verse theory, you could even say that our ‘time’ is insubstantial when compared to the big picture; just one small series of events in an inconceivable cornucopia of time lines. My point is, with all of this, is that perhaps we should explore alternatives to the reversal process we’ve been trying to achieve.” Wade sighed, slumping in his chair a bit, his brow furrowed. “I won’t deny that these people need to be able to get on with their lives, just so long as it’s their natural lives and not the lives we have designated for them. I would just be able to sleep better at night knowing I didn’t contribute to a quarter of a century of history being undone, however aberrant.” Murray groaned, as morality debates were one of his least favorite parts of being a Starfleet officer. “I think, then, that’s all the more reason that we need to gather all the data we can, then present the issue to the Captain with all available alternatives to leave him make an informed decision. I mean, I don’t want to give the impression that we should be washing our hands of all this by foisting it upon him, but it is our duty to do so. All concerns should be voiced and every option explored. However, that said, I feel like someone is going to come out of this less than enthused with our chosen course of action. And thus the secondary issue with a moral dilemma such as this, arguably just as important as the primary issue: personally dealing with the consequences of our actions.” He stepped forward and crossed his arms. “Clearly, we are at the point now where we’re thinking big picture. I think we all acknowledge each other’s feelings and opinions on the matter, and we can all agree that it is not an easy task before us. Our duty now is to do our best work, to carry our current orders and present all of our findings to the Captain in due course, including our morality debate and all options and consequences it may entail. Yes?” “Yes, of course, Wim.” Anna said pleasantly, biting back that she already knew her duty. She knew what he was saying and it wasn’t his fault that she was feeling irritable because she didn’t have the information that McQueen wanted. She shot a look to Wade, as she downloaded some data into a PADD before getting to her feet and walking around to his side of the pool table. “I’ve got to get up to the bridge, though at this point, I think the probe is our next best chance at testing the waters on the other side of the bubble.” She held out the PADD to him. “Wim, was right--we need a way to get over to the Ithaca if the probe shows we can breach the bubble without catastrophic results--by which I mean---something really bad doesn’t happen to the Reaent. In the database, there’s a case with a somewhat similar situation, where the personal transmitter bands were modified to create what basically amounted to a skintight phase discriminator force field around the user by using the subspace emitters in the bands. Here’s the information..might be a good idea to modify a few in case the captain authorizes a field trip.” She grinned suddenly, her voice taking on a teasing note. “I hope that if it does come down to it, Wade...you don’t lose that sleep you’re so worried about.” Wade nodded and flashed his normal roguish smile at Anna as she handed him the PADD. “Well, if there’s anything I know how to do, skin tight would definitely be in the description.” He took the PADD, glancing over it and then setting it down with the rest of his collection. “I can have a working prototype in a couple of hours, but it’s only going to be testable in simulations. I can’t think of an analog for time bubbles.” “From what I read, it’ll work because the armbands have a type 7 phase discriminator. I’m leaving it up to you to figure it all out,” Anna said breezily, before turning and heading for the turbolift. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen,” she called over her shoulder. “See you on the bridge.” Murray rubbed his temples. All this serious talk made his thinker-box hurt. Definitely cause for a doughnut break.

It was late into beta shift when she let her relief take over monitoring from the bridge station. Anna entered the turbolift and once the doors closed, allowed herself to sag against the back wall, quietly requesting to be conveyed to deck 8. The thrill of seeing the Ithaca begin to emerge as more than just a temporal shadow outlined by tachyon excited chronometric particles had faded to disappointment when it became obvious that the time vortex created by the deflector shields had failed to completely stabilize the time within the bubble to match the time outside of it. The Ithaca was now visible but still out of reach because though the time within the bubble had slowed considerably, it was still moving faster than normal. For now, all they could do was attempt to keep the Ithaca stabilized at the rate she was currently at until a way could be found to collapse the bubble or remove the Ithaca from it. Tiredly squaring her shoulders, Anna pulled herself up and exited the lift as the door slid back. Maybe the Ithaca's situation wouldn't seem so confounding after a few hours sleep, she told herself as she reached their quarters and entered. She caught herself before calling out a greeting when she spotted Will sitting on the sofa. He was still in his uniform, head lying back against the cushions, his eyes closed, a PADD still grasped loosely in his left hand. Forgetting all about the Ithaca, Anna moved soundlessly across the carpeting and just stood in front of the sofa, watching him for a moment, the usual, now comfortable, sudden rush of feelings for him, completely eclipsing the exhaustion. She was sure the pleasure of coming home, knowing he was already there or soon would be, could never get old. Even though he was sleeping, he looked tired to her; he'd probably gotten back late again, maybe he hadn't even eaten dinner. Moving carefully, she sat down next to him, gently resting her head against his shoulder. She was being selfish, giving in to her need to be close. She should wake him up; save his neck from a terrible cramp. With a contented smile, Anna closed her eyes. She would wake him up. In a minute... Will opened his eyes and for a moment had to figure out where he was. He looked and realized that he was in their new quarters. He only meant to close his eyes for a moment, but sees that he's been asleep for about two hours. He looked down and smiled to see Anna sitting next to him, her head on his shoulder; sound asleep. He kissed the top of her head and gently nudged her while whispering, "Hey, beautiful. Wake up. Your prince wants to see your lovely eyes." Nothing looked more beautiful to him than when her eyes opened and she smiled at him. "Sounds like a fairy-tale," Anna murmured, blinking sleepily as she shifted her position so that she faced him, her eyes meeting his which caused a warm, lazy smile of appreciation to cross her face. "I shouldn't have sat down next to you," she confessed. "I had the best of intentions, too. I was going to wake you up after just a minute..." Twisting her neck, she checked the antique clock secured to the end table and then glanced back, her smile widening into a grin, "Instead you woke me up after twenty minutes...but..." Her eyes gleaming, she pretended to pout, "Not with a kiss." Will smiled in return. "Then allow me to rectify that grievous error." He bent his head and although his neck protested at the movement, he cupped Anna's chin gently and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. The kiss seemed to linger between them for a long while before they both had to come up for air. Grinning like an idiot, he sighed happily before looking at her. "So, my love, how are you doing now?" "Much better now than I was a little while ago," Anna understated wildly, her smile warm and intimate as she felt her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. "I should have dropped by the flight deck to see you earlier...for medicinal reasons." He laughed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Tell me what is on your mind. Tell me of your troubles, now." "OK, you asked for it," Anna teased, enjoying the sound of his laughter. She pulled one leg up under her and settled her shoulder against the back of the couch, still facing him. "The maneuver we tried earlier, the thing with the deflector shields we talked about yesterday? Well, it only partially worked," she stated, her smile fading. "It managed to slow the rate at which time is passing within the bubble to only a little further ahead in time than we are, but it's still not enough to be able to scan accurately. We can see it...but it's...blurry." Will thought, "Only partially successful is still a success, Anna." He sat back but had to look away from Anna lest he get distracted from his mind. "Maybe, since you slowed the pocket of time down, perhaps we need to speed ourselves up, just a little. And if we can figure how to speed ourselves up, maybe we can reverse the process and bring ourselves and the Ithaca home. What do you think?" Watching his profile, Anna considered his words for a moment before replying, "We still don't know how the Ithaca became caught in the pocket, and one of the things McQueen is leery about is the Reaent getting caught in the same situation. Right now, we're exerting an influence over that pocket by using the deflector shields to keep the chronotomic particles around the ship in an excited state while keeping the Reaent's shields attenuated to the same frequency so that she doesn't get caught if the field should suddenly expand." She reached and touched her fingers to his jaw, so that he'd turn and meet her eyes, waiting till he did so, to say, "Will, it should be possible to do what you're saying. It can be one of the options for the captain to consider." Will nodded, "Of course, we have to protect the ship, but we must also save the Ithaca, even at our own peril. It is our duty as Starfleet officers." He looked at Anna softly and smiled, "Just as I would go through death itself for you." He caressed her cheek ever so gently. Anna just stared at him for a moment, caught completely unawares, and just shook her head, a little dazed, asking, "How do you do that?" She took hold of his hand in both of hers, gently squeezing it. "We're having a conversation and then all of a sudden, you say things like that and just take my breath away, Will." She blinked back sudden quick tears and laughed a little. "You'll always know just how to distract me if we have a fight." Will smile grew wicked, "Oh, pretty words are just one of the weapons in my arsenal to make you happy." He rubbed her hand gently and locked her gaze with his, "Now for a moment, I want you to just look at me and clear your mind. Concentrate and maybe, just maybe, sudden inspiration will come to you." Anna knew exactly what she wanted to do to him and for him, but couldn't resist teasing him first. "If you pull out a gold pocket watch and start swinging it, I am going to get very nervous," she managed to say with a straight face before getting to her feet. She dislodged the PADD he'd been holding when he fell asleep and she bent to pick it up. "You work so late and then you bring it home with you," she commentated, glancing at the screen that was now illuminated from being jostled. Will gently took the PADD and looked at it, "Actually, Shamor wants to make some adjustments to our new fighters to make them more efficient." He set the PADD down on the table and winks, "I don't need a gold watch to hypnotize you." He took her hand, "Come on, may be a good night of rest will help us figure things out." He gently led her toward the bedroom. "I would argue with you about not needing the gold watch, but I'd be lying and you know it," Anna answered with a soft laugh as she followed him.

Will rubbed his neck, tired from the day's events and none to happy to say the least. He got up from the desk and left the Flight Office. Will knew exactly what he needed. "Computer, locate Lt. O'Halloran." Will frowned slightly when he heard that she was still in the lab. He entered the nearest turbolift and let it whisk him away toward the love of his life. When the lift doors opened, he walked toward the science lab. When he got to the door, he wondered if he should hit the chime but decided against it and entered the lab unannounced. When he saw Anna at her desk looking a few things over, he came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders, "Hey, beautiful. Come here often?" "Quite often, as a matter of fact. Long, lonely hours because my guy is a workaholic," she teased lightly, without turning around, before murmuring, "Mmmmmm...that feels so gooooood." Anna sighed blissfully, her eyelids slowly closing as Will's fingers worked their usual magic. Feeling the knots in her shoulders, Will gently worked his magic on her for a few minutes before looking at the notes on her desk. "So, this is the buoy that was recovered. How did you come to the conclusion that what we are dealing with is time travel?" He wanted to know how they managed to get into another problem having to do with time and why his pilots were placed in such jeopardy in, what he considered, a reckless way. "Wade tested the buoy after a partial decoding of the logs," Anna began, swiveling her chair so she could look up at Will. "Some of the log entries are heavily damaged, and so far are indecipherable but the time stamps on the last entries are twenty-five years into the future. The buoy's battery, which should really only have been running for hours by our calculations of when contact with the Ithaca was lost, shows signs of having been running for years and is almost at the end of its life. Whatever sort of 'pocket' the Ithaca fell into--time within that area is running much faster than normal." Will's gaze drifted off a bit as he thought about what Anna said before looking down at her again, "So that's why the Reaent flooded the area with chroniton particles so that we could find this 'time pocket', right?" When she nodded, he asked another question. "So, if and when we find this pocket and the Ithaca, how do we get them back?" "I don't know," Anna answered softly, her gaze once again fixed on the log fragment displayed on her workscreen. "So many of their entries are damaged that it's difficult to get a clear picture of what the Ithaca's circumstances were when it became trapped in the anomaly. We have to find the ship first and go from there." Will frowned again and moved away from Anna so that he could get a better view of the data. He shook his head, "It was reckless..." his soft tone full of regret mixed with a bit of anger. Anna could see that he was not happy and that he was thoughtful about the entire situation. "What was reckless?" She leaned back in her chair, eyes on the broad back now bent over her desk. Turning, Will pulled a chair from the front of her desk and sat next to her, answering, "Sending out our fighter patrol like that. We should've sent probes instead. If my Alert 1 fighters had accidentally stumbled into this pocket that holds the Ithaca, I'd be down two pilots." Will tone was edged with anger and worry. "I can't rely on sheer dumb luck to continue to protect my pilots." He rolled his head around and rubbed his shoulder, trying to loosen some of the tension in it. "We flooded the area with chronitons as soon as we deciphered the Ithaca's situation. The fighters were already out, Will." Anna stood up and walked behind his chair; this time it was her turn to rub his shoulders. "The hope was that the chronitons might reveal the pocket within which the Ithaca was trapped, but...they didn't." She leaned her head down, keeping her voice soft as she told him, "I even suggested to Commander Ridire that the fighters be used to scan the chroniton saturated area because I had no confidence that our sensors are at all effective in this case. We might have to rely on what we see with our eyes and not our instruments if we're to find the Ithaca." She straightened out, her fingers resuming the massage, almost wincing at how rocklike the muscles in his neck and shoulders felt. "He refused of course--we did the saturation but he nixed the use of the fighter scans as being too dangerous. And he was right. I should never have suggested it. The fighters were immediately ordered in for their safety." Will considered her words and sighed softly as the tension in his neck and shoulders began to subside. "You may be right,Anna. Its just the idea that we...I sent those fighters out there into a potential minefield completely blind. Dumb mistake on my part." The more he thought of the situation, the more he wanted the CAG position. He loved this squadron and he wanted to lead it the best he could. He closed his eyes and leaned back a bit into Anna as she continued to massage his tension away. "Thank you, Anna. I feel much better." He turned his head and kissed one of her hands gently as he looked at the data on the screen. "I'm glad," Anna replied softly. "The thing is, Will...there was no way to know about any potential danger as we approached the Ithaca buoy." She retook her seat and turned it so she was facing the side of his chair. "Sensors didn't pick up anything unusual. The unknown is always a part of the equation out here. You're beating yourself up for something you have no control over." Will nodded. "I know Anna, its just that I am acting CAG, which means these are my pilots and I am responsible for their safety. One of them gets hurt or...God forbid...killed, it's my responsibility and my job to send home a letter to their next of kin explaining why their son, husband, wife or daughter isn't coming home." He looked thoughtful and sad. "If I am named CAG, I understand that that unpleasant task is part of the job but the idea of losing any good pilot to something like this..." He waved to the data that was on her screen, "...just makes me sick to my stomach." He looked at her with a tinge of sadness in his eyes, though looking at her did help him smile a bit. "The Ithaca crew manifest lists 168 names," Anna stated as he turned and met her gaze. "I think that the risks taken for 'something like this' are worth it. Per the time stamp on the newest logs that we can decipher, that crew has aged at least twenty-five years in less than a day. That means their CO is now 82. The Ithaca crew is going to run out of time all too quickly if we can't figure out how to get to them." Anna swallowed thickly, forcing herself to push back the panicky feeling of time running out. It was a distraction and didn't help her think. "I know you feel the weight of responsibility very keenly, Will. It's who you are and the pilots are lucky to have you to lead them. I just want you to understand that there are other lives in the balance, too and we may be their only chance." His smile brightened a bit as she spoke. "You're right of course." Will looked at the data when a thought occurred to him, "Anna, do the logs we've recovered from the buoy show any navigation data from the Ithaca before, and up to the time it disappeared?" "Yes, they do," Anna replied, her smile in response to the lightening of his mood rather than the report she was able to give. "The Ithaca has remained on their original course for the Benecia System and, in fact, it's noted that they have been unable to change course and their impression was that they were actually standing still. As if they've been running in place for 25 years. They finally were reaching the end of their supplies and it was decided to abandon ship. They set the buoy and a log entry notes that they plan to use whatever shuttles they had available to try and make it to the next system. That's the final entry. There's a lot of damage to the log record after that and auto postings from ship's systems doesn't confirm that they left." Will was intrigued by her response, "So if we have their original course, or even just a part of it, couldn't we extrapolate where they started to run into trouble and mark that as a good place to look for this pocket and the Ithaca?" "I've determined that because of where the buoy was found and the fact that they weren't moving once they encountered the pocket...that's enough evidence to suggest we're right on top of the Ithaca...we just can't see her." Will nods, "Alright then, if they are here, then all we have to do is find some way to get to them, or at the very least communicate with them. Lets take another look and maybe inspiration will strike."

Alpha shift coming to an end, Anna greeted her relief, Lt. Dana Garwood and logged off the console before standing up, preparatory to leaving the bridge. Since the Benecia System had been an oasis of calm since the Juno blew up, it took all of thirty seconds to pass the baton. "Have a good one, Dana," she told him before heading to the turbolift and requesting Deck 6. She needed to stop by her office to pick up the duffel she'd left there after returning to the ship this morning with Wade and Jon. Agatha Wentworth, an astrophysicist in the science department, as well as a good friend and fellow cockatoo lover, had kindly agreed to care for Chauncey while she'd been away during the Juno investigation. She'd talked with her earlier and had asked Agatha to keep him for tonight. She hadn't seen Will for three days (and three nights) and planned on heading to his quarters as soon as she changed out of her uniform and into something a little more welcoming; something that said, 'I missed you crazy bad and now I plan to do something about it'. She would have gone directly to the flight deck to meet him but his schedule probably hadn't let up in the time she'd been gone and she didn't want to distract him. Much better for him to find her waiting for him. Smiling to herself, Anna tapped the panel outside the door to her quarters and automatically stepped forward...only to come to a sudden stop as the door failed to open. Surprised, she tapped the panel again, starting to frown as it once more refused to budge. She didn't have time for this. Dropping the duffel, she raised her hand to tap her comm badge to give Ops a call to find out why she'd been locked out. Will Tomlinson jogged down the hall and smiled as he saw that Anna was at the door of her quarters. He stopped and watched as she had trouble getting in. Just as she went to tap her comm-badge, Will's warm hand stopped her as he hugged her from behind. "Hey, beautiful. Having problems?" "Will," she smiled with surprise but didn't turn around, leaning back into his warmth and luxuriating in the feel of his arms around her. "My quarters no longer recognize me," she laughed. "And I was only gone 72 hours. Oh well," she shrugged, finally turning to wrap her arms around his waist while tipping her head back to grin up at him. "My plan was to get changed and then get over to your place to have dinner waiting for when you got off shift. I guess I'll go ahead and give Ops a call. After you kiss me, of course." Will loved the way the way she smiled at him. He enjoyed that smile before bending down to lay a nice deep kiss on her lips. "Well, you have some clothes over at my quarters. Why don't we go over there; you can change and then we can eat dinner before looking into this? What do you say pretty lady?" He asked playfully as he rubbed noses with her gently. "It's a great plan," Anna agreed, reluctantly drawing away from him to pick up her duffel. "And it won't take any time to straighten out, but it's just that I wanted to surprise you." Unable to feel really disappointed because, after all, he was standing right next to her, Anna slid her arm around his waist and slanted him a teasing look as they started down the corridor. "This is just like you, too. Perfect timing as always--rescuing me from homelessness." He smiles and puts an arm over her shoulders as they begin to walk. As they go down a couple of corridors, Will suddenly takes a different turn, "Oh hey, we need to make one quick stop first." He only partially succeeds at hiding a wicked grin as they walk. After a few more twists and turns, he stops at a door, opens it and allows her to go in first. As they enter, he watches her reaction when she realizes just where they are. Stepping forward, Anna was confused until she saw her grandmother's afghan lying folded on the couch and then spotted the Bravian crystal plant he'd given her on an end table. She set her duffel in one of the chairs before turning to face Will, both hands on her hips as she took in his grin and the laughter in his eyes. "You've been busy," she stated, and then waited a beat before a blinding smile of happiness flashed across her face and she rushed to throw her arms around him. "What a wonderful welcome home surprise, Will," she murmured, nuzzling his neck, thinking how much she adored him. He'd been absolutely swamped with work lately and somehow, he'd managed to make time to get them both moved into their new, shared quarters. Almost taken off guard, Will laughed and had to take a step back to absorb the impact of Anna jumping on him. He wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed her attentions for a moment before speaking again. "I'm glad you like it. Since you mentioned dinner, why don't you make something for us while I set the proper mood." He seemed to glide around her and whispered in her ear as he ended up behind her. "And perhaps, after dinner, you and I can properly 'christen' our new home." His hands playfully squeezed her shoulders before encircling her hips suggestively. "Perhaps?" Twisting her neck to meet his eyes, Anna folded her hands over his, snuggling back against him. "Barring red alert, your immediate future is nothing but a surety, Lieutenant." Still locked on his gaze, Anna slowly smiled, asking, "What if we eat a little later...?" Will eyes lit up at her suggestion of eating later. "Absolutely. After all, there is nothing wrong with working up an appetite, is there?" He laid a sweet kiss on her lips that seemed to last for an eternity for the both of them before he swept her off of her feet and headed for the bedroom. He loved the sound of her surprised giggle as he took her away to what promised to be a welcome release after being separated for three whole days and nights.

"...in summary, while the overarching condition of the freighter and its crew seems to suggest either negligence or misdemeanor in the conduct of its mission, my (admittedly limited) interaction with the Juno personnel suggests that a fair percentage of them were kept from details of the situation and intention of the ship and are, really, as confused as we are about its purpose, and should be granted a certain amount of leniency as further investigations proceed. Specific psych review evidence, such as currently exists, will follow in a later report." Leaning back in her seat, Caroline switched off the PADD she had been writing on and drummed her fingers against its edges thoughtfully, rereading it quickly before letting it fall onto the desktop in front of her with a thunk. Pretty good morning's work... she thought to herself with some satisfaction, picking up the bagel which was sufficing for lunch today and taking a large bite out of it. I'll go over the psych reviews tomorrow before Crewman Duran's appointment and that will just about wrap up my end of this business. If she was to be completely honest, she really didn't know whether or not these reports would actually turn out to be necessary; she wasn't sure of the details of any investigation into the Juno's explosive freight, and as such couldn't be positive that the little insight she had been able to gain into the ill-fated freighter's crew would actually be of particular use. But she was more in the mood to get it out of the way and focus on other things; it had been a tense situation for everyone, and she couldn't help but think that the more quickly they could get closure on it, the better. "I see I'm too late," Anna announced, giving Caroline’s bagel an aggrieved look. As she'd walked up the corridor, she'd been pleased to see that Caroline's door was open, which generally meant the counselor wasn't in the middle of seeing a patient, and in turn, this would mean that her friend was probably available for lunch. She knew there was no hope of Will getting free at this time of day, not with how things were going on the flight deck and had to content herself with waiting to see him after his shift was done. She'd missed him terribly for the three days they'd been off the ship. Caroline looked up at the voice from the doorway and smiled as she saw who it was. "Hello, Anna...come on in," she said cheerfully, gesturing at one of the chairs next to her desk. "Too late for what?" “Too late to see if you wanted to go get some lunch with me. That bagel means you’re determined to keep your nose to the grindstone,” Anna replied, deliberately making it sound like a peculiar behavior rather than the sign of a dedicated work ethic. Caroline laughed. "Well, you're welcome to half of the bagel, if you want. Actually, I could probably be convinced to accompany you anyway...today's particular grindstone has been more efficient than expected; you arrived just in time to miss me slaving over a hot PADD, and I could probably use the change of scenery." She pushed herself to her feet, leaning lightly on the tips of her fingers against the desk edge. "Besides, you need to tell me all the latest Benecia gossip," she added with a grin. She'd heard in passing that a small group, including the science chief, had been dropped off at the colony as part of the Juno investigation, but she hadn't heard any details after that. “That bagel looks woefully inefficient for my needs,” Anna answered with a grin, “but thank you for the thought. Since you seem willing to be persuaded, I think I will shanghai you off to the mess—and you can be the judge of just how exciting Benecia is.” Her tone didn’t indicate that it was anything to get overly excited about. ******* "So you're moonlighting as an undercover agent now?" Caroline said, leaning back in her seat with a thoughtful grin as Anna finished explaining, in between mouthfuls of eggplant lasagna, how she, Wade Knight, and Jon Shamor had ferreted out the Juno's illicit contact in the Benecian trading infrastructure. "Certainly a change of pace from your run-of-the-mill science work, huh?" Pretending to be shocked, Anna gave Caroline a reproving look, while saying, “As if anything on the Reaent could ever be called run-of-the-mill. Honestly, Caroline, where have you been for the last few months? I would check your forehead for fever but I would have to set down my garlic bread to do it.” "God forbid," Caroline answered with a laugh, raising her hands in mock-surrender. "You've got a point -- we seem to get all sorts of experiences not covered in the job description." She leaned forward, spooning up a sip of the tomato soup which she'd ordered, and then asked curiously, "So did you get all the proof you needed? I imagine you were dealing with pretty slippery characters..." “Actually, it was very businesslike. Jon somehow convinced Angstrom—the Juno’s CO?” When Caroline nodded, Anna continued, “Jon managed to persuade him that his only hope was in cooperating and he gave up his contacts at both ends. We know who supplied him with the Triceron from within Federation bureaucracy, even though, as we all know, his ship wasn’t in any shape to transport that kind of material and he told us the contact at the disposal end, the Federation approved site that was supposed to take possession and handle the destruction. We had a fake order from the same department under the name Angstrom had---as well as a load of ordnance that Jon arranged for and after that, it was a fairly simple matter to get a certificate of destruction from the disposal facility where the only thing that actually got transferred was a nice chunk of latinum which was transferred into an anonymous holding account we were given. Jon and Wade handled the transaction; I really was just along for the ride.” Anna took a long swallow from her glass, and then looked at Caroline over the top of her glass. “Commander Ridire has everything he needs if he wants to press forward with the investigation.” Caroline smiled. "Sounds like excellent work to me; I'm glad it went smoothly and you didn't run into any trouble. I admit when I heard we were sending a team down to Benecia I was a little skeptical as to how much we'd be able to learn at this stage in the game. God knows their crew haven't been very revealing; I don't think all of them even knew what was going on." “I guess you’ve been talking to them? It’s not easy to keep information secret on a ship like that and you’ve heard how ill maintained it was. They were either getting a higher grade of pay than normal or they had no hope of signing on to anything that was better than a derelict. I doubt that the hiring standards were too stringent on the Juno.” Anna pushed her nearly clean plate to the side and leaned forward, resting on her folded arms. “The only thing Jon couldn’t get out of Angstrom was who he was going to sell the Triceron to. He wouldn’t budge on that.” "Yes, I don't get the impression they were taking on the quadrant's best and brightest. As for the intended buyer...I guess the fact that the shipment will never make it there makes that question slightly less critical," Caroline answered, eyeing the demolished remains of the lasagna with some amusement. "You were hungry." "One shipment that won't make it there," Anna replied evenly. "Out of how many? I really wonder who was in a big hurry to purchase destabilizing Triceron." "True," Caroline answered thoughtfully, stirring her soup in a slow, pensive circle for a moment. "Well, whatever happens no one can say we haven't put in effort to find out." Anna stood up, stacking her dishes on the tray. "No, you're right about that. I just hope something comes of the investigation." "Well, 'hope is the physician of each misery,' as they say," Caroline quoted with a smile noting that Anna seemed somewhat less than sanguine about the possibility of the investigation uncovering all the details. "You've done your part…the rest will no doubt take care of itself at higher levels." "Hope, eh?" Anna picked up her tray to take it to the recycler but paused for a moment, a sudden gleam of laughter sparkling in her eyes. "Officially, Reaent's motto is 'To Learn all that is Learnable', but unofficially? I'm pretty sure it's 'Hope for the best but prepare for the worst'." She waited a beat before adding, with a wink, "It's worked pretty well so far."

Leaning back, Anna stretched as a waitress set their drinks down and then hurried off. The pub was busy; filled with the usual characters a trading colony like Benecia attracted. She lifted her glass of ale and smiled across the table at Jon and Wade. “In retrospect, that was really pretty easy.” Wade nodded in thanks to the waitress, picking up his glass and looking at the amber colored ale inside. “I’m always a bit nervous about drinking in places like this. The atmosphere is great,” he said, looking around, “but who knows what they serve in a crowded watering hole like this?” Sighing, he set his glass back on the table and nodded to Anna. “Which part, finding a place to sit down in this dump, or catching the bad guy?” Raising an eyebrow, Anna gave Wade a reproving look. “There’s nothing wrong with places like this--I was practically raised in them.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice so only Wade and Jon could hear her. “I’m talking about how smoothly it went...Jon getting clearance to load live ordnance on that ramshackle freighter we rented. Angstrom’s contact at the disposal facility swallowing it hook, line and sinker...” She took a sip from her glass and then grinned, “It made for a nice change from looking over sensor readings.” “Please do not let your guard down, the potential for danger is ever-existent.” Jon surveys the area while taking a sip from his drink. “Better than the stuff I had during my post-war time. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I guess.” He shrugs his shoulders, “Call me paranoid, but I feel that something may be out of place.” “Out of place?” Wade asked, turning to Jon. “I suppose it’s fairly easy for something to feel out of place in a place like this, but if you want someone to tell you you’re paranoid, best talk to Caroline when we get back to the Reaent.” Following Anna’s example, Wade took a sip of his ale and was surprised to find that it tasted remarkably well. Grinning at Wade, “If you know me for when it comes to going to sickbay, you’ll need to sedate me to get me to go,” Jon chuckles as he takes another sip. “I guess I never really settled down from the lifestyle I’ve lived for so long.” Setting her mug on the table, Anna rested her gaze on Jon’s face, knowing the very severe medical issues he’d faced in the past. “No, I don’t see you heading to the Counselor’s office unless ordered,” she said lightly, and then immediately changed the subject. “Jon, how soon will it be before the Reaent swings by to pick us up?” Jon checks his watch. “It looks like about another five hours, so we have some time to relax.” Setting his drink on the table, “I suggest we make the most of it, who knows when the next shore leave is?” “As much as I enjoy drinking beer in this fine establishment, I’m somewhat eager to make my report to the commander and be back in my bunk. There’s a good reason why I chose engineering and not security. I’m not made for all this cloak and dagger business,” Wade said jovially, looking around the room. “Well, I for one enjoyed it and was happy to go along,” Anna answered, finding Wade’s comments amusing. She had a sneaky feeling he’d enjoyed it very much--after all, he was the one who had the cloak and dagger hologram program where he occasionally battled his programmed arch nemesis. She should know--she played his always prepared sidekick. Odd how often she was stuck picking up the tab in that particular program... Giving Wade a suspicious glance, she looked back to Jon. “The triceron contract that the Juno qualified for originated out of an office within the Federation’s Department of Defense, and we have the manifest proving it that we downloaded from the Juno’s files before she was destroyed. We now also have the contact he used at the Federation approved disposal site. That has to be enough for Ridire to be able to show the higher ups for a full investigation to be launched, correct?” “That’s what I don’t understand,” Jon answers. “Angstrom had an expired license and the Juno was unfit for hauling cargo of any kind. That makes it even worse to think one of our own would go outside of normal channels like that.” “Angstrom liked to play it hard and play it fast. I imagine that a lot of money -- money that should have gone into some of the many repairs that were needed on that ship -- changed hands so that the Juno could get this contract,” Wade mused, rubbing his chin. “I never actually had a conversation with the man,” Anna answered with a shrug. “You two talked to him and Jon, you managed to convince him that the only thing he was still able to do for himself was cooperate. He risked his own life as well as that of his crew, and in the end it cost him his ship. He’s just lucky it didn’t cost any lives.” “And to think I did that without even hitting him,” Jon muses. “He had a breaking point and I went for it. I prefer the smooth transitions anyway.” Standing, Wade stretched his legs and looked around the room. “Alright, folks. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go grab some fresh air. This place is way too crowded for my tastes.” “We’ll catch up to you, Wade.” Anna picked up her mug, but didn’t take a drink from it immediately, her eyes on Wade’s back as he walked through the crowded bar to the exit. She looked back to meet Jon’s gaze and smiled. “So, how’ve you been? It feels like a long time since we’ve talked.” Nodding at Anna’s comment, “It has been too long. I’ve mostly been busy keeping the security department going. T’Kar has been very helpful and is getting more confident now that she’s getting medic training.” “I didn’t realize she's been working with Medical,” Anna started, and then frowned before setting her mug back on the table without drinking from it. “Kat Swan has been gone now for some time. And then with Angel leaving... Have you heard whether or not she’s coming back?” Shaking his head, “Unfortunately, I haven’t heard a word. To ease tensions within the department, I’ve been training T’Kar to be a temporary chief of security until further notice.” Looking to at the ceiling, “As much as I would like to take the lead again, I feel it’s not my place. My time came and went.” “I don’t understand,” Anna responded, looking confused. “You have more experience...you would be the natural choice. You are the natural choice.” She was aware of his past history aboard the Reaent. Jon had more past history than anyone she’d ever met. You didn’t reach the ripe old age of 2217 without picking up some heavy baggage along the way. “It’s just...” He collects his thoughts briefly, “My life was one of learning and survival. After a while, you get tired, even after ‘settling things’. I feel like something’s missing.” He was no longer talking about being or not being acting security chief, Anna realized. She wasn’t sure what to say. It had often occurred to her since meeting him that the long life span of a Zemun meant you would experience a great deal of loss over an extended period--unless you made your home among other Zemun. “What do you feel is missing, Jon?” she asked gently. “As you know Zemuns live long lives. Most friends I’ve had were non-Zemun so I’ve outlived them. That makes it hard for me, because if I get too close, the pain from their passing becomes tough to cope with.” He lets out a long drawn out sigh as if getting a weight off his chest. “You can’t live your life always standing aloof.” Anna folded her arms and rested them on the table before leaning forward, an earnest expression on her face. “That’s not you. I know that. This is the second time you’ve served on the Reaent and someday your path might take you off her again. But for now, you’re where you should be, Jon. Don’t you feel that?” “I do and don’t get me wrong, I consider the Reaent my home away from home. As for other matters, lets just say there are questions best left unanswered.” Jon tries to keep his composure while answering Anna’s questions. “I can take a hint,” she answered, a little wryly, though no humor reached her eyes. He was complicated and it was almost impossible to understand how much loss and loneliness could be endured by a being whose life expectancy at this point exceeded most of those around him by almost three hundred years. “If you ever want to talk about it...anything...you know I’m around, Jon.” Looking down at the table he says the three words that dwell within his mind. “I was married.” He immediately went silent as he waited for Anna’s response. There was no reason to be surprised--he’d lived a very long life, but she was. He’d never mentioned it before in any of their previous conversations, and there’d been many. And it was the way he said it; like dropping stones in a pond, and she could still feel the ripples. “You’ve never mentioned being married,” she responded gently. “How come?” “It goes back to when I went missing. During that time I was labeled ‘K.I.A.’ which as you can tell was very upsetting. Due to what happened, she did what I asked her to do. To be happy; not to mourn for my passing but to rejoice in the happiness I gave her. She remarried shortly before I returned to Federation space.” “How long were you gone?” Anna waved away a waitress, keeping her gaze fixed on Jon’s. “Two years...” he said somberly. “That...that’s awful,” she stated, her heart breaking for him. “She thought you were dead...but oh, Jon...I am so sorry.” The timing was tragic. “Did you see her again? Does she know you survived?” Jon nods slowly. “Shortly before I returned to active duty, I went to see her. She moved on. I cannot blame her for I wanted her to be happy, even if it meant her leaving me. I know it may sound selfish to even think that...” Anna opened her mouth, on the verge of saying that two years wasn’t very long, but she bit the words back. She thought of what she would do if something happened to Will and then immediately pushed the thought away. She couldn’t stand to think along those lines. She knew that a pilot’s job was dangerous--a fighter pilot’s even more so. She’d decided quite some time ago that if she thought about the what if’s she would go crazy and end up pushing him away in trying to protect herself. “It doesn’t sound selfish,” Anna finally said, giving him a slightly disbelieving look. “It sounds the exact opposite of that. It...well, it doesn’t make it hurt less, Jon, I’m sure it doesn’t, but you allowed her the chance to be happy, not knowing if you would be able to return for her. You were generous to let her go.” “I think we should change the subject; granted, those feelings needed to be let out. Perhaps we could discuss other topics if that’s okay with you?” Looking around the room, he said, “It feels rather weird talking about myself without letting you talk about yourself in return.” “Of course, it’s ok with me,” Anna replied gently, her eyes meeting his. “And it’s not as if you stopped me from talking about anything I wanted to. We haven’t touched base in a while and it’s just nice to not be in a hurry and get a chance to do that. Once we get back on the ship, you’ll be busy trying to keep Security running and it’s going to fall to you to give the major report to Commander Ridire.” “The report on our mission, I’ll make sure the commander sees it right away. You are right though, we haven’t talked in a while given the circumstances. How’ve you been lately?” He looks into Anna’s eyes. “I bet your life has taken some interesting turns as of late.” The way he said it seems to hint that he knows something but not sure as to what it is. Meeting his gaze, she shrugged, an easy smile brightening her expression, a sign of obvious happiness. “I’m good--things have been going well in the department and Will and I--we recently decided to try sharing quarters. We haven’t moved in yet--still deciding on a configuration, but hopefully, it’ll be soon. It’s getting so I can never actually find anything; once we have everything in one place, it’ll be that much easier.” Nodding with a smile on his face, he replied, “That’s good to hear. I’m glad to see you with a smile on your face. I hope everything works out for the best. By the way, I heard you had a pet bird, is it a handful?” Jon’s question surprised a sudden shout of laughter from her, and Anna glanced around, realizing it was too loud in the pub for anyone to have even noticed. She nodded her head, still chuckling. “He’s a sweetheart, really he is--he’s a cockatoo---parrot family, originally an Earth species, and he’s an armful, size-wise. He uh...he has some jealously issues. Will has been very patient,” Anna understated. “Actually, I’ve tasked poor Wade with designing and building him a structure that will be safe and have the added benefit of having a latch that Chauncey--that’s his name, can’t open himself.” “Sounds like a clever fellow. ‘Never underestimate the potential of those around you.’ The scribes within the Order would say that all the time. I never knew what it meant until the first time I met a human.” The story about Chauncey even has him chuckling. “Oh, he is,” Anna stated dryly, “Diabolically clever.” Picking up her ale, she took a long swallow before setting the glass back on the table. “He destroyed my couch--not that it takes a genius to do that, but he also has figured out how to open his cage no matter what I’ve tried. He has alarming problem solving skills. I am hoping that the mighty mind of a Starfleet Engineer is equal to the task.” “Wade knows what he’s doing so I doubt there’ll be any problems. I trust him to keep the Reaent together even though that’s part of his job description. I’d help him there but maintaining a fighter is slightly different from an actual ship,” Jon responded, stretching out in his seat to relax. “Just slightly,” Anna teased, adding, almost to herself, “The only problem will be if Wade underestimates his opponent.”