Tae'Lynn Dran

Sky-Harbor Aegis was not attached directly to any planetary system so it was understandable the Life Science section might not be the most active of sub-departments. Most of the science was reports feeding in from starships on the frontier. They were then handed on to Star Fleet for analysis. The large lab Ensign Dran stood in therefore had more the feel of a secretarial pool than the research hub it was designed for. The outer walls were filled with data terminals. Only half were in use. Their occupants showed little life except for rapid moving fingers shifting data from one generic IN category to another equally generic OUT. In the middle of the room was a single circular holographic display table. It's only use however seemed to be as a resting place for a box of donuts. Anything else expected in a science lab was absent. The smaller labs down the attached corridor were even more vacant. Even the supply closet was only half full and what was in there looked to be untouched since it was first stocked. It was an odd feeling. Daunting potential might be the best way to describe it. There was plenty of room to work with but also a lot that was needed. And apparently she could have the run of the place. Her question to one of the other officers there about which area was hers was answered with a disinterested "wherever". That was all she needed to know and plans were set in motion. But first she needed tools, especially if she was about to go visit the Dahlem's vessel. The typical Star Fleet officer at this point would head straight to the replicator stations and start spitting out all the gear and furniture and supplies they could ever want. Few Federation species seemed to stop and think how much power was needed to do this. Tae'Lynn couldn't fathom the need to set off a nuclear explosion, use massive magnetic constrictors channeling energy around, then use equally complex and energy hungry force modulators and matter converts to shove the energy back into a bound stable form... because she needed an office chair. There were better ways to get what you needed even if it didn't seem the easy way. This way of thinking had brought Ensign Dran to the opposite end of the station from science. She was off the map, literally. Past deck 106 the cargo modules lost any sense of distinct levels and any attempt to quantify them as such. A small storage room filled with tricorders might be right beside a 5 story tall liquid container vat. Various cargo modules neatly filling in any open gap. Completed equipment, modular components, and raw materials alike could be found if you knew where to look. Dran didn't, at least not yet. There was a certain order to it all. The threads of the logistical web seemed to lead to a specific compartment currently situated near the primary space doors of the Alpha Cargo Module. Inside here Dran found walls covered with monitors showing nearly every meter of this half of the station. Short locked racks with a variety of hand tools and equipment spread out in the middle of the room. At the far end was another cage except this one contained what looked like a sentient being in a Star Fleet uniform. As Dran approached she could not see any indication she had been noticed. With all the monitors it was unlikely she was sneaking up on anyone. Dran was getting the feeling though that this person was quite possibly sound asleep. It was hard to tell. Whatever species this was it's compound eyes seemed to lack eyelids. All she could see was her own reflection in their glassy surface. Was it even alive? "Um, hello?" Dran quietly asked. "Hello?" A little louder. There didn't seem to be any reaction. Worried, Dran's thoughts were somewhere between panic and pondering where you'd even check for a pulse on this creature. Then slowly it's third hand lifted up. It's movements seemed labored and painfully slow as it moved up and up until reaching just below it's face. Then a single appendage of it's hand tapped a device hanging around it's neck. "SORRY ABOUT THAT," it blared. "TRANSLATOR RIG KEEPS TURNING ITSELF OFF." A moment of silence. "HELLO?" Tae'Lynn was on the floor huddled behind one of the racks. It felt like her heart had jumped straight from her side and the kickback sent her sprawling to the floor. And the ringing in her ears set the room spinning. With trepidation she finally poked her head up. Eyes wide and hands firmly over her ears, "Could...could you turn down the volume please?" The beings single appendage fiddled with the device again. "Is that better?" "Yes." Tae'Lynn sighed, lowering her hands. "We're usually talking over movers and lifts down here. There's hearing protectors in rack A-A-3-6 right behind you. Very useful." The being spoke with a lively gate even if it's body still seemed as lifeless as when Dran came in. The one arm was still slowly lowering itself after adjusting the volume on it's speaking device. "Um, thanks." Dran reached over and took one. Though, she only gripped it in her hand, still somewhat in a daze. "What can I do for you?" The words were spoken with a bit of concern though the being was totally devoid of any type of body language. Trying to compose herself, "I'm looking for supplies." "Replicator stations down?" "Um, no. I just need science equipment, sample cases, umm..." she looked over at the list on her PADD. "Wait." The figure finally moved, lifting itself slightly up in it's seat. "You want actual supplies? Stock items?" Dran finally smiled a little. "Yes, real honest physical objects of simple unreplicated mater." An hour and a half later the doors of the Life Science labs opened and a parade of hover carts entered loaded with all they could bare. Dran followed in the middle of the caravan, a satchel swung over each shoulder. "Put that first cart in the storage room. I'll sort it out later. Then put one sample analyzer, sterilizer, and specimen pod in each empty lab down that way. Anything that still needs to be assembled just put it against the wall." The cargo bay crewmen quickly darted along with their carts to the designated drop zones. The occupants of the lab sat there in momentary shock. One moved through the flood of activity and looked at Dran dizzily. "What's going on?" "Dritz found a whole cargo pod of supplies that never got delivered. The Benwaza have a remarkable memory of where they leave things but a kinda iffy sense of linear time. Seems the supply ship arrived late and the equipment never got rescheduled for delivery. Funny, huh." Dran smiled. "Who? What? WHAT?!" The confused officer was interrupted as another wave of cargo sleds came through the doorway. "Ah good, that goes right here and put the cryo-units in the last lab on the right." Dran turned to the others. "I need someone who can hook those up. Anyone else who knows how to use a screwdriver let's get to work on the specimen racks. And this..." she lifted the box of donuts from the center display table, "goes over here." She dropped the box onto a long table already loaded with an assortment of break room accessories just as the crewmen pushed it against the wall by the doorway. It was a long shift that day. Even by the end some of her co-workers still weren't sure what had happened. Most though had suddenly realized the life of a Life Science officer was more than reading and relaying reports. Even the mundane chores of stocking shelves and assembling racks brought a little purpose back into their lives. There might actually be a little science to be done too.

Field Journal A - Entry # 1. Date: 2388.119 Location: Aegis Command and Control Subject: Dahlem. Dran bit her lip slightly. She'd have to keep reign on her personal bias here. The Galen Discovery, a "message in a bottle" from an ancient humanoid race was the favorite of Federation scientists. Lack of facts and evidence beyond the message itself didn't seem to hamper proponents of the theory. There was more than a few debates on the topic at the Academy. They all went the same. One side presented all the genetic facts, examples of parallel development, commonality of genetic sequence's response to environment stresses, and physical evidence of near-antiquity species transplantation. Then the other would play that damn recording and walk off the stage to applauds. Mind your temper, Dran, she said to herself. There were bigger things going on right now. This was first contact. Not just the hi, hello stuff. This was the nitty-gritty forming a relationship that would effect generations to come interactions. No pressure. It's not like this was her first day on the job. Oh wait, it was. She hadn't even had a chance to form a relationship with her new crew. Oh, by The Three she was having a hard time even remember there names suddenly. I was all a blur of greetings and welcome on boards. Breathe, Dran, Breathe. Biological samples from this species will be needed to fully categorize the life form. Cultural protocols aside, a reasonable medical scan is in order. It would be a shame if a casual tour of the station led to poisoning of either the Dahlem or the crew. Not how I want to go down in history. Her professors were right. No, not the Star Fleet Academy ones, the ones at the Academy back home. Field journals were invaluable tools for the frank and honest analysis of facts as they are presented and ones own reaction to them. They also should be triple encoded and not opened to another living soul until at least 100 years after your demise. Describing someone as you would classify a bug on a leaf rarely went over well with them.

"Computer, time?" "It is currently 5:28 station time." Was it really just two minutes since the last time she checked the clock? She adjusted the fit of her uniform top, again. Dran was just fidgeting now and she knew it. She woke up well before her alarm and was too nervous to get back to sleep. She had tried using the time to get caught up on the latest mission reports. Advanced aliens? Null space? It was too early to make heads or tails of this. So, the Ensign had set herself to more mundane preparations. She looked over her hair, again. Loose was more comfortable but a pulled back style was the practical choice. But then her ears were quite visible. Not that she minded this except the inevitable assumptions that she was Vulcan. Then she would scowl at the remark. Then they would ask if she was Romulan. More scowling would ensue. Not how she really wanted to make a first impression. Tae'Lynn had settled on a bun accented with braided locks. The added flair was not typical for Vulcans or Romulans so maybe that would confuse people long enough to get past such questions. Maybe down would be better? Her father's words came back to her. "You'll make a lovely corpse if you keep up like that." It was his subtle way of saying she was primping too much in front of the mirror and not tending to more important things. No, the hair was fine. The uniform was fine. The mirror was the only problem at the moment. That, and the clock. 5:43. She sighed. The waiting was too much. Gathering her things Dran exited the quarters into the corridor outside. A few others were also up and possibly heading to and from their own shifts. She moved with the flow to the closest turbolift. One of the others called for the Commerce Decks and it seemed just as good of a place to kill some time as wandering the halls outside the science labs. Tae'Lynn was surprised at the bustle of activity this early. While she was pacing in her room others had already gotten their day underway. Shops were open, travelers moving here and there, and lines forming at what must have been the better places to grab a morning meal. Personally she was craving a serving of Kava but she'd not seen the like since leaving home. An older Romulan gentleman working a small stand did have some interesting fruits and juices. She smiled at the man as he made his recommendations on the freshest picks. He seemed somewhat confused by the smile but still eagerly bundled her purchases up for her. Maybe Romulans didn't smile either? She realized what little contact she'd had with this other cousin race of her own. The simulated night on the station was now breaking into day. The activity around her grew as people hurried to finish what business they had before heading off to Alpha shift. Dran could have poked around the shops all day but she too would need to make her way back up soon. As she did so, for the first time she noticed the large green space down below the center of the Commerce Decks. The virtual morning sun was lighting the area up. Trees and grass, actual life was growing down below. Her heart skipped a beat. The botanist in her wanted to change directions and head right down to explore. Right, first thing after her shift... a stroll through the park!

Ensign Dran smiled. Her fingers touched the decal on the door. Written in the Federation script just above the quarter location code was the young Ensign's name. It was a reassuring sign she had read the maps right and found her quarters. With a press of the biometric sensor pad the door slid open and lights came up automatically. The quarters had only the most basic furnishings. Its emptiness made the room look even bigger. While most new graduates hoped for a posting to a deep exploration vessel, boldly going past the farthest charted star, there were clear advantages to a star base assignment. Larger housing was one of them. Added advantage, Aegis was at less than half capacity. This let Dran not only get quarters of her own but one with an exterior view. She stepped fully into her new home. A grin spread across her face. Excitement was tempered by the fatigue of a very long voyage, but it was a great relief to finally be here. Dran hoisted her bag onto the desk currently in the corner of the main living space. Turning the terminal towards herself, she asked, "Computer, what's my duty assignment schedule." The screen blinked on and with a quick chirp it pulled up the requested data. Second shift - call time 1200 hours, that was somewhat of a relief. She didn't have to be up for Alpha shift but it would probably be best to check in with her department head anyways. Getting the lay of the land before jumping into the workload would probably be helpful. Dran opened her bag and pulled out a few of her personal effects, setting them on the desk. "Computer, have my personal preferences been loaded?" "Affirmative." "Good, start recording a message to my Mom. 'Hello Mom, I finally made it. Got here with a little time to settle in before I start tomorrow. This is going to be interesting. And yes, that's a good thing. Give Dad my love. Tell brother and sister... stay off my boat.' Send." Dran's personal trinkets were few. She had her comm-staff, Navigator (a circular mechanical calculator used for navigation a ship at sea), and a book she was given by a friend at the Academy. That was about it for the non-practical cargo in the small bag. This was far different than many of her classmates. Most were glad to be done with dorms and were pulling many of their possessions out of storage. It was quite a circus train watching them hauling their luggage onto the various transports taking off to their new careers as Starfleet officers. Most didn't even pack a change of clothes. Those such things could easily be replicated when needed. That is, unless your runabout gets held in a holding pattern with no clue for how long. You have to take power saving measures in such cases. Many of the Earth-born officers couldn't understand the thought that replicators were not an essential ship system. Ration bars and the clothing you had packed were it. It didn't matter what self-cleaning fabric a uniform was made of, at a certain point there was no escaping the smells. And Dran would agree with her Vulcan cousins on this point: Humans had some interesting odors on the best of days. It seemed those smells had permeated her own clothing. Dran set the rest of the bag aside to be dealt with later and began peeling off her uniform. A quick survey of the quarters had located the bath. Not a true bath mind you, just the standard issue sonic shower. It didn't revive the senses like a good caldarium, but just getting clean did good for body and soul. She now slipped into her night clothes and took a moment to take in the scene from the large viewports. This outpost was deep inside an asteroid field but only a few of the larger and closest rocks could be seen with the naked eye. The others mixed in with the starry backdrop. Loose dust and smaller rocks gave gentle hues to the starlight filtering through. Several streaking lights outlined the path of fighters or shuttles on some maneuver heading away from Aegis. The rest of the traffic was taking place out of sight under the mushroom top of the station. Dran dimmed the lights and curled up on the couch. This brought even more of the starry vista into view. Her mind played with the new constellations to be learned here. She took note of the brightest stars, ones she may one day visit. There were countless worlds unseen right in front of her with unknown life. She would be happy to find just one to study up close. Perhaps she might even find some new sea to sail. Or something completely different could be in store. That unknown, for many, was the draw to a Starfleet life. Not exactly Dran's focus but something she was prepared for. She would find out in the morning. It would be a new day, a new career, a new life Tae'Lynn was eager to explore.

Several years ago... Clouds hid the setting sun and a frigid North wind chilled the ocean spray as it coated the rocks and sands of the small island. Most creatures of the air and land had moved to their warm burrows. Besides the rolling surf the only other sounds were the winds whistling through the land coral and the clinking of the rigging clips on a small sailing craft pulled onto the beach. A jacketed figure sat on the beach beside the craft. Under gloves and hood the only part openly exposed to the wind's chill was a single braided lock of silver hair. But the eyes within the hood were not downcast. They looked up and across the horizon, taking note of each surge and swell of the waves. The observer traced with her eyes the edges of distant clouds and took in the light grays towards the sunward horizon and the growing inky blackness of the rising night. She was sinking so mentally into the nature of her surroundings that the young woman barely recognized the sound from her comm-staff. "Dran, where are you?" It was a familiar voice speaking out to her. "Dran, come on. Answer me." The man's voice had tones of concern as well as annoyance. "Listen, I managed to unmute your comm-staff remotely. I'll do the same with the recall transporter if you don't answer me. And you know I can do it." She reached over and pulled the comm-staff from its holster along her right leg. Lifting the 0.4 meter long rod high over her head she judged the distance between her and the waterline. The voice sounded again, "I've already pinpointed your location so throwing it in the surf won't help." She winced, embarrassed. Slowly she lowered the device to her chest. The spell of her surroundings fully broken the young woman huddled in on herself against the cold. She whispered into the comm-staff. "What do you want?" "What do you mean, what do I want?!? You don't think everybody heard you're leaving the Academy? And you're transferring to Star Fleet Academy? By the Three, what has gotten into you?" "They made me an offer." Her tone didn't even convince herself. "Oh, they make everyone an offer! You could carpet the Grand Temple with all their recruitment posters. But no one's fool enough to take them up on it." She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice, "So you think I'm a fool too?" There was a pause. "That's not what I said. Wait, who else are you talking about?" "Navara." She huddled tighter in. "Tae'Lynn," addressing her by the first name was more intimate than he normally would be. "I know you two are engaged but... he is a pompous idiot! He's a blind beggar more interested in your father's bank account than...." the voice paused. From his end of the comm link he could hear faint crying. Quietly he continued, "I'm sorry. Tell me what happened." "You were right. Navara is just a social climber like the rest. I tested him. I told him I wanted to give my inheritance to my brother and join Star Fleet. It was a joke really." "He didn't take it as a joke. He lost it, didn't he." "No. He actually said it was a good move for me. But then tried to talk me into keeping the inheritance. He said he could manage it while I was gone. I've... I've never heard him so happy. He went on and on about how long tours of duty would keep us apart but he'd manage if it's what I wanted. I could see it in his eyes though. It's what he wanted. He was happy to get rid of me." "You've tried to get fresh water from that salted well for too long. I'm.... I'm sorry whatever good you saw in him you couldn't bring out. But if it was a farce then why are you going through with Star Fleet?" "Somehow, when I said it, even as a joke, it sounded right. And I can't stay here now." "All jokes about the Federation aside, if you're just running away you won't succeed, even in Star Fleet." "No." Dran raised her head. The night sky had consumed half the heavens above now. Lights from the city of HomeShore could be seen in the distance. "I'm not running away. I'm just... taking a detour." "Oh, by The Three and all the Sainted Forefathers I hope you know what you're doing." "Probably not." She hopped up and brushed the sand from the back of her jacket. "As they say, the winds will always take you where you're going but not always where you planned." It was a strong steady wind that filled her sails on the trip home. Dran would still have a lot of explaining to do: to family, to friends, and to mentors at the Academy. It would be uncharted seas but her course was set.

- /ACCESSING SECURE FILE: STARFLEET OFFICER RECORDS - SCIENCE BRANCH - CURRENT ASSIGNMENT SKYHARBOR AEGIS\ - Name: Tae'Lynn Dran Race: V'Mar (Vulcanoid.) Rank: Lieutenant (jg) Department: Science Specialization: Botony - Life Science Secondary: Meteorology/Hydrology. Outside Interests: Sailing, Photography. Racial characteristics: V'Mar are an offshoot race of Vulcans. Like the Mintakens and Debrune, the V'Mar race was seeded onto their current homeworld sometime in Vulcan's lost antiquity. DNA sampling indicate the early settlers interbred with a native hominoid race which is now extinct as a separate species. The V'Mar are more akin to Humans in their strength and tolerance for cold. On average they are shorter than Vulcans and skin tones range more along Romulan standards and even into deep grey and rare greens. Psychology: V'Mar emotions seem to be less extreme than Vulcans. More like their Romulan cousins the V'Mar have a martial philosophy which temper and direct their actions. Historically though they are more likely to seek out peaceful resolutions than engage in open conflict. Telepathy: Physically the V'Mar share Vulcan's ability for contact telepathy. Culturally however telepathy is see solely as a part of reproductive rituals. Federation Membership: V'Mar have been aware of the Federation since it's founding. However, they found the Human tradition of expansive exploration troubling. Membership into the Federation was avoided until the Dominion War. A treaty was signed which allowed V'Mar to join Starfleet and pursuit of joint research projects were begun.