Finn

Our local was slightly different. You had to buy five pints in order to get a hat. There weren't many hats going. The majority of our regulars don't do Guinness. I wore my hat with pride. St Guinness Day.

A little late, but I was celebrating!! Happy St Patricks Day to one and all. Now, where's my Guinness gone?

Finn Halek strode down the corridor, arriving at Nick Lepage’s temporary quarters on the Lewis. He raised his hand to the com panel, then lowered it again. The same routine he’d just done at Dr Pavilion’s quarters. Was it cowardice? No, he thought. Just the avoidance of either a long goodbye or a good talking to persuade him to leave with them. He pulled the envelope from the small holdall and slipped it under Lepage’s door. Turning on his heel he walked back down the corridor towards sickbay. The destruction of the Aegis had made him think a lot about things recently. The ‘sitting duck’ of being on a station. His career was in Starfleet medical, of that he had no doubt, but perhaps it was a ship he would now feel safer on than a hanging target in space. The offer to transfer to the USS Grampian had come in a day earlier, although Finn had been in two minds about taking it. He’d miss everyone, he knew. Still, that was part of who he was. He hoped one day he’d be able to settle down, then shrugged, grinning. Perhaps it was better this way. He entered the turbolift, his voice echoing through the corridor behind him… ‘I’ve been called a Wild Rover for many a year, and I spent all me money on whiskey and beer…

Finn left Lepage’s quarters and made his way through the Lewis crew deck. Attempting to walk in a straight line whenever he passed a crewmember was becoming a little easier now that the effects of the Romulan ale was wearing off a little. It had been good to see Nick again socially. He’d been uptight and wired in the mess hall and Finn had figured he’d need a stress release. They’d had a laugh and now Finn had realised he’d needed to meet with Elsa, the Lewis nurse, to give her the empty bottle back. She’d been good to him since he’d arrived. Of course, he realised that was just bedside manner, but it was now perfectly clear to him just how patient-doctor relationships were easily formed in stressful situations. He turned onto Elsa’s deck and stopped outside her quarters. He’d forgotten Lepage’s advice about the breath mints and the change of clothes, but shrugged to himself and hit the doorchime. The door slid open and Elsa was standing there. She beckoned him in quickly and checked up and down the corridor as he entered. ‘Were you seen at all?’ she asked, her voice still in a whisper. Finn grinned. ‘No. Not at all’ he replied. ‘And you don’t have to whisper. The door’s shut.’ Elsa nodded and then smiled broadly. ‘How was your friend?’ she asked, crossing the room to the replicator. Finn placed the holdall on her table and looked around the room. The décor was all Starfleet. You could always tell medical staff quarters. They spent most of their time in sickbay. ‘He’s fine.’ He replied. ‘Sore, like the rest of us, but okay.’ Elsa nodded and brought Finn a black coffee. ‘To get rid of the odour you’re emitting’ she smiled, nodding to the coffee. ‘We don’t have quarters inspection, but knowing my luck, they’ll change the rules within the hour.’ Finn smiled and nodded, taking the coffee from her and having a large gulp. ‘Thanks for the ale.’ He said. ‘I owe you one.’ Elsa shrugged. ‘We get a limited supply of it twice a year.’ She replied. Usually the Engineering staff pick it up and backhand a bottle or two to Med. It keeps morale up and makes long nights pass a little easier.’ She took the holdall from the table and walked towards her bedroom. ‘I’ll just be a minute.’ She said. ‘Make yourself comfortable.’ As she walked through the doorway, Finn sat in one of the comfy recliner chairs and rubbed his eyes. Something was still gnawing away at the back of his mind. Something to do with scanning something. Nick had said his amnesia should clear up within a few days, that it was promising he remembered anything at all. Finn couldn’t work it out. He’d remembered everything, all the way through the entire horrific evacuation, except what he was doing during that short time period. Ordinarily it wouldn’t bother him, but he felt it was important. He felt it was extremely important. He heard Elsa entering the living quarters and turned around to see her. She was standing in the dimmed light, her blonde hair falling to her shoulders, much different to the severe style she kept it in during work shift hours. Her figure was silhouetted through her robe and she smiled. He smiled at her and stood up, took her in her arms and pulled her close. ‘Is this your bedside manner, Nurse?’ he asked as he kissed her. Elsa giggled as she pulled off his tunic, kissing his neck, moving downwards to his shoulder. Finn flinched, a sharp jabbing pain on his shoulder as she kissed him and he recoiled slightly. ‘What is it?’ asked Elsa. Finn frowned and craned his head to look at his shoulder. Four tiny needle marks in the shape of a square were almost healed. He looked at Elsa. ‘What’s this? Hypospray?’ Elsa looked closer at his shoulder. ‘I don’t think so.’ She replied. ‘You were only hypo’d in your arm. Standard procedure.’ Finn rubbed a finger across the needle marks and winced slightly. Probably something he’d caught himself on in the lifeboat, and yet… Elsa pulled him to her and kissed him, before leading him into her sleeping quarters and turning out the lights as they went.

Nick had been sitting on the sofa in his quarters since he had arrived there about half an hour ago. He was staring out into space, contemplating his situation and wondering what he was supposed to do next. Finn had said that going back to Earth would be like a defeat. Nick wasn't too sure he shared that opinion. Right now a break seemed quite appealing to him. Finn strolled cautiously along the corridor, still finding his way around the Lewis and knowing that if he was stopped, by pretty much anyone, he'd have some explaining to do. He stopped by the door which he had hoped was Nick's quarters and pressed the doorchime. Nick gave a start as he heard the chime. Who on Earth would want to see him? "Enter," he called out, not really sure whether he really wanted company just now. Finn walked into the sparsely furnished cabin. The Lewis had found them quarters which were unused. Decent, but with an air of abandonment to them. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Nick. 'You said I could stop by.' he said. He shuffled the small holdall he was carrying to redistribute some of the weight on his shoulder. Nick forced himself to smile and nodded. "Sure, come in." he said. He watched Finn as he looked around the quarters. "It's not much but at least we have somewhere to sleep. How are you doing?" 'The jury's still out on that one.’ Replied Finn, still looking around the room. ‘I have one heck of a headache. I tell you, getting slammed against a lifeboat bulkhead is not the greatest experience.' He finished assessing the room and placed the holdall on the small table. 'You were pretty harsh back there in the mess hall. I figured you could do with some company. Figured it would be better than bottling it all up.' Nick just nodded and motioned for Finn to sit down. "I'm not sure I really want to talk about it, you know. I mean it's just that everything seems to be going wrong at the moment." 'I do understand', replied Finn, taking a seat by the table. 'The Aegis going, our friends dying...'he paused for a second, 'DJ leaving.' Nick looked up in surprise. Then he remembered he had confided in Finn as far as his feelings for DJ were concerned. "Yeah," he replied weakly. "I think this whole mess would be a bit easier if DJ were still here. Her leaving didn't exactly boost my morale." Finn just nodded and pulled the holdall towards him. He looked at Nick for a moment, appearing to consider something, and then undid the fastening on the holdall. He pulled out a bottle of very dark liquid and two shot glasses and slid a shot glass across the table to Nick. 'Just don't ask.' said Finn. Nick grinned. This time it was genuine. "Finn, you're a real friend!" he said. Finn inclined his head. 'It took me three hours and I can't tell you what else in order to find the lady who kept this. I persuaded her it was a medical emergency of course.' He poured the Romulan Ale into the two shot glasses. 'It's 2301. I don't know if that's a good year or not.' "Who cares whether it's good?" asked Nick. He watched closely as Finn pushed one of the glasses toward him. Then he frowned and looked up. "Does it make sense that I feel guilty?" he asked. Finn shook his head. 'Nothing is supposed to make sense. You can feel guilty that it's the loss of Aegis, or you can feel guilty that it's DJ. You can even feel guilty over drinking prohibited ale. I don't think these sorts of situations have any kind of benchmark to put your feelings against.' Finn downed the glass and poured himself another. 'I think every member of the Aegis crew is feeling guilty about something right now.' Nick downed his own drink and then paused to think for a moment. "I think I need to find out what I really want. DJ made me realize that my life lacks something, you know?" He frowned again and poured some of the Ale into his glass. Finn nodded. 'I felt like that before I joined the Aegis. Things change though.' He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. 'You could always ask for a posting nearer to DJ. I guess now's the time to think about moving on, if ever there was a time.' Finn looked out of the window and across the stars. 'I'm glad you and Mimi made it out, mate. The Aegis, well, it was lucky we got away with what we did.' "Yup...it was pure luck so many of us got away.’ added Nick. ‘I was kinda worried when I heard you were injured. Too bad not all of us got away with just a concussion and a few bruises." This time Nick just took a sip of the drink and then contemplated his glass. Finn nodded and drained his second glass before refilling it. 'Well hopefully I get my complete discharge tomorrow from sickbay.’ he said. ‘I'll get myself on the rota and try to get some sort of routine going. Do we even know where we are headed?' Nick shrugged and then downed his glass too and held it out for Finn to refill it. "No idea.’ He replied. ‘I guess some starbase. I think they want to give some of us the chance to take a break of some sort... go to Earth. I think some of the crew will need more than just a bit of counselling. So, you will be requesting a new assignment or re-assignment to Aegis if it is rebuilt?" Finn poured the ale into Nick's glass. 'I'm not sure.' he replied, genuinely thinking about it for the first time. 'I'd like to be stationed on the Aegis. Of course, it was that particular Aegis I'd wanted posting to, in that sector. I think I might find starship life a little too prescriptive, a little too much like the Academy. I dunno, but at this moment in time, I'd like a return to somewhere like the Aegis.' He stared at the dark liquid in his glass, then up at Nick. 'And you?' Nick took a moment before answering. He knew exactly what he wanted but he also knew it was impossible. "Ideally I'd like a post close to DJ. I'm convinced we could have been happy with eachother. Realistically...hmmm...I guess I'd be glad if most of the crew could just stay together, that is if we get a new Aegis." Finn sighed. 'I'm sure there will be something in the Cardassian sector.’ he said. ‘After all, the Romulans, the Gorn, the Ferengi, they all have an interest. Aegis was becoming a hotbed of political activity. Unless they relocate to Cardassia Prime, I would have thought there would be a need for some sort of facility nearby.' Nick nodded and took another sip of the drink. "True but who says it will be a Starfleet facility? And what if this rumour about the Breen declaring war on us actually proves right? If they build another station it might be re-located." With that he downed the drink again. The taste needed some getting used to but by now Nick had had enough not to care about that anymore. 'If the Breen have declared war' said Finn, feeling the effects of the ale himself, 'then we could be posted literally anywhere. My guess would be the front line.' "Yeah,’ agreed Nick, ‘and I'm not thrilled about the idea." Nick poured himself a fourth glass. "It's probably just the uncertainty that's bothering me the most right now." 'I know exactly what you mean.' replied Finn. He looked at the glass suspiciously. 'Takes some getting used to this stuff.' He turned his attention back to Nick. 'It certainly takes the edge off things anyway. I'm surprised the Romulans have time for all their intrigue with this stuff kicking around their homes.' Nick chuckled. "If I confess everlasting love to you later in you'll know I've had enough." 'And by that point' continued Finn 'I'll probably agree to marry you. Good stuff, this Romulan Ale.' Finn's tone grew serious. 'Nick, I've been wanting to ask you something. How long would you expect a concussive amnesia to last?' Nick looked closely at his friend. "You still can't remember what happened?" 'Parts of it.' replied Finn. 'I remember the majority after Grissom's lifeboat left. Prior to that I'm pretty certain I was doing something or scanning something important. I can't for the life of me remember what it was and it's right at the back of my mind.' "Give it some time.’ said Nick. ‘It's a good sign that you can remember something. If you want to I can make a few scans and see if everything's alright but you know how it is... it's hard to say how long those things will take." Nick tried hard to suppress a chuckle but didn't quite manage. "I'd better not do it tonight though or I might find that you're pregnant." Finn found Nick's statement, boosted by the Romulan Ale, incredibly funny. For the first time that day, he laughed out loud, unable to contain the ale already in his mouth, it spat out onto his tunic as he held his stomach. Nick choked on his own drink as Finn started spitting his ale around the room. When he had recovered from the coughing fit he joined in Finn's laughter. "Imagine I was the father. We'd have to marry after all," he said still laughing. 'We could have Mimi as Best Man' laughed Finn. 'Myrom as Bridesmaid.' "I'd love to see you and Myron wearing dresses." Laughed Nick. He couldn't stop laughing and he wasn't really trying. This outburst was feeling good after the last few days. 'We'd have to make it quick' said Finn. 'I'd want to be married before I started showing.Oh the shame of it' Nick leaned back on the sofa, still chuckling. "You'd make a beautiful bride!" Finn chuckled. 'As long as the dress brought out the colour in my eyes.' he joked. He wiped down his tunic and looked over the table. The bottle was looking more and more appealing. He poured another glass for himself and one for Nick. 'I must thank the lady for her donation of the ale. Most Generous.' Finn realised his words were getting slower. Still something lingered at the back of his mind. He dismissed it and took another swig of the ale. Nick quickly took another sip of the ale. "This reminds me of the time back at the Academy. My roomie would get this incredible rum somewhere. All I remember was that the days after were very...well long and painful." 'Well we've had a few long and painful days.' replied Finn. 'The ale is certainly helping on this occasion.' He checked his chronometer. 'I hate to leave the groom on the night before the wedding,' he said, 'but I should be heading off. I've got a very important meeting lined up with Nurse Elsa.' :"You should change before you meet her and don't forget the breath mints.” said Nick. Remembering they last experience with women Nick chuckled again. "I hope she doesn't just ask you whether you know Myron. Thanks for dropping by, mate. Guess that's what I needed." 'I thought you might need a drink with a friend.' said Finn, standing up. He poured the last of the romulan ale into Nick's glass and then put the empty bottle back in the holdall. 'I'll get rid of the evidence.' he grinned. 'Just don't forget to get rid of the glasses!' "Aye, sir." Nick said as he downed the last of the ale. "I'll blow them out of an airlock or something. Let me know if you want me to do those scans." Finn nodded. 'Yeah. I'd like that.' he replied. He hefted the holdall across his shoulder and patted Nick on the shoulder. 'Have a good night mate. I'll see you in the morning.' He made his way to the doorway and as they swished open, he looked up and down the corridor to make sure he could get out unseen with the holdall. "Night, mate," Nick mumbled as Finn walked out of his quarters. Then he lay back on the sofa, closed his eyes and for the first time in days he fell asleep without thinking of dying people, explosions and screams of pain.

They didn't feel quite so taboo in the academy when I was assimilated. Shipwide borg beam in. Very very frightening but one of the best academy sims I ever played in.

Those pesky solar flares. Always erupting when you take a ship too close. I enjoyed simming with ya! Hope to die freakily with you in the future too! :D

Finn opened his eyes slowly. Did something hurt? Not sure. He saw a dim yellow haze, then a series of black blurry dots, each one chasing the other in an ever quickening spiral. Did something hurt? Still not sure. He closed his eyes again, the black dots receding slightly and thoughts pushed at his head. A cargo bay somewhere. Somewhere. Aegis. Yes, one of the Aegis cargo bays. He’d been helping civilians into the lifeboats. He was…ooh, did something hurt? Possibly. Somewhere above his eyes maybe. Maybe not. Maybe behind his eyes. Red splashes splattered across his vision. Pretty but worrying. Red’s never good when you’re a doctor. Where was he in his recall? Ah yes, the lifeboats. Lifeboats. Red alerts sounding everywhere on the Aegis. Finn and Grissom ushering people quickly into the lifeboats. Life boats being launched. Grissom was shouting things. Can’t quite remember what. His face was very red. Probably high blood pressure, stress. Gotta talk to the guy about that. He needs to relax more. Grissom still shouting. Too loud. Head aches. More red splashes. Did something hurt? Finn felt through his body, a routine system check. He was laying down, that was for certain. He could hear the electric thump thump of a biobed. He hoped, vaguely and without concern, he wasn’t badly disfigured. What would the women think if he was? His ears tuned into the thump thump and his head didn’t like it. Did something hurt? He was back in the Aegis cargo bay. Grissom was opening another lifeboat. More civilians and Starfleet personnel this time, were all running into the boats. Finn had picked up his tricorder. He was scanning something. What was he scanning? Grissom had put his hand on Finn’s shoulder. Finn was still scanning. ‘Get into the boat!’ yelled Grissom. Finn had shaken his head. The thought of that head shake sent a yellow swirl into Finn’s vision. Thump Thump Thump Thump. Did something hurt? Ensign Khan had entered the cargo bay, staggering. He was too far away. They didn’t have time. Grissom had his arm around Finn, dragging him into the lifeboat. Finn had fought free, punched at Grissom and hurled him into the lifeboat. The lifeboat had launched. Finn and Ensign Khan stood alone in the cargo bay. Ensign Khan had collapsed. A huge purple square swam across Finn’s vision. A couple of other Thump Thumps joined Finn’s own Thump Thump. He was in a sickbay. Maybe Mimi was here, pottering away with reports. Maybe Lepage was working nearby, occasionally looking up as he worked on Rixian things. Finn thought back to the cargo bay. Khan was losing consciousness. He struggled, slung his tricorder into his pocket and pulled Khan onto his own shoulders before lumbering out of the cargo bay. Smoke filled his lungs instantly. Fire sparked from control panels as he struggled onwards. Not much fun, he’d thought at the time. Sprinkler systems, usually programmed to quench even the smallest spark were offline. Smouldering. Bodies of civilians and crew were strewn across the corridors, emergency forecefields in place where sections of the bulkhead had gone. Finn looked out into the depths of space as he struggled onwards, Khan on his back, and wondered if that inky blackness would be the last thing he saw. He’d had to lay Khan down to manually open the doorway. Smoke came straight out as the door swished open. Finn coughed and fell to his knees. Laying on the floor he grabbed Khan’s tunic and pulled him along the length of the corridor. The lifeboats were up ahead. The images of that corridor faded. Finn felt queasy. Was he going to be sick? No. It was probably concussion. Or compression. He took a deep breath and suddenly felt a lot worse. Won’t be doing that again, he thought. Small pinky rectangles chased each other in a long line across his vision. Thump Thump Thump Thump. He wondered if his brother had gotten married to that woman from Canada. No. No. He was remembering. He was at the lifeboat with Ensign Khan. He’d opened the door, there was no one else around. He’d hurled Khan inside and closed the door behind them both. He remembered fastening Khan into the seat before looking over the consoles. They were all offline. He’d gritted his teeth. He hadn’t dragged Khan halfway through the Aegis just to let him die in the lifeboat! He’d thumped his fist onto the panel and it had hummed to life. ‘Full system scan’ chirruped the lifeboat computer. Finn hadn’t waited. He’d hit the launch sequence. ‘Inertial dampers offline’ chirruped the computer. The lifeboat had launched, and Finn had been hurled against the back of the lifeboat in an extremely fast ride! He smiled to himself suddenly. Inertial dampers offline. His lips felt dry as they moved. He hadn’t checked all systems before launching the lifeboat. He grinned slowly. Inertial dampers offline. He’d only gone and smashed his own head! Did something hurt? Oh yes. It was absolute agony.

Finn sat by the stream, his eyes focused on nothing, his head empty, his body numb. Too much had happened which now seemed like a vivid dream and yet the scars were all too real. He saw it in the crews’ faces, their usual activity slower, duller somehow. He pulled his boots off slowly and dangled his bare feet in the stream, feeling the cold water bubble over them, cooling them, cleansing him. He laid back on the grass and looked through the tree branches dappling the sunlight. Hard to believe he was only in the holodeck. He usually preferred real life activities to holodeck programs but he’d really needed this today. A taste of home. After recent events, he’d taken a couple of days leave. He’d needed it. He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, the birdsong carrying him into a world without care.

Welcome to the Academy!

Finn peered over the top of his empty pint of guinness towards the bar. Somewhere among the throng was Nick, ordering the next round. The day had been a hectic one to say the least, and it was with some relief that he had entered the doors of O'Leary's Bar. Nick just turned away from the bar with two pints on Guinness in his hands and a grin on his face. When he saw Finn looking vaguely in his direction. Coming closer to the table he saw Finn looking vaguely in his direction and his grin grew even wider. "Waiting impatiently for the next beer,eh?" he asked. Finn smiled. 'The first one didn't touch the sides, mate.' he answered, taking the offered pint. 'Cheers' "Cheers" replied Nick, looking closely at Finn. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked. Finn took the head from his pint and set the glass down on the table. 'ahh,' he sighed. 'It's a couple of things I guess. While we were out picking up the survivors, I treated the Captain of the Federation freighter.' He looked at his glass, then back up at Nick. 'She asked me to notify her son of her death and deliver a couple of personal messages.' Nick set down his own glass and nodded. "That's never easy. But such a letter, if you write it well, can actually help cope with the death of a loved one. It's an important part of our work even though we don't like it." Finn nodded. 'It's not so much writing the letter that bothers me as having to deliver the news. They hadn't spoken for a number of years. Some sort of family issues.' He looked up and smiled, forcing back the sadness. 'I'll do it in the morning. It'll be fine.' Nick considered his beer for a few seconds. "It's never easy." He sighed and turned his gaze to the bar. "I just met a couple of nice girls at the bar," he added grinning. "I'm sure they'd like to join us...I mean we've had a hard day at work. We could do with some fun....you know some innocuous flirting." Finn followed Nick's gaze. True enough, the girls were staring over in their direction. 'You don't think they're addicted to the smell of hypos do you?' he smiled. Nick looked down at his uniform. He hadn't taken the time to go to his quarters to change. "Damn...we should have come incognito," he said chuckling. "Anyway...I'm sure you could score with any of them. " Nick grinned a bit broader as he said those last words. Finn raised his eyebrows. 'well of course.' he said with mock egotism, 'harmless flirting might be fun. Of course you know my heart is taken!' he winked. 'besides the uniform might stand us in favour.' Nick frowned slightly. "Your heart is taken?" he asked in mock surprise. Finn turned his eyes away from the girls, and the redhead in particular, and looked at Nick. 'Aw c'mon, you must know about Mimi.' Nick tried to suppress a grin but was unsuccessful. "Actually, it's hard not to notice.’ He said. ‘Though, so far you've been turned down...how many times exactly? I admire your persistence." Finn almost choked on his guinness. 'Turned down?' he chuckled. 'I haven't been turned down...I haven't... actually asked her on a one to one basis. She's said no to coming out drinking with us, but I think I'm too optimistic to take that as a flat out 'no'.’ He picked up his pint again and turned his gaze to the redhead again. Nick followed Finn's gaze. "Maybe you should really asked her out on a date.’ Suggested Nick ‘I can see that she's not too keen on going out drinking with two guys. Maybe we could ask DJ, though. I'm sure she wouldn't mind keeping us company, too much. But then again, having a good looking woman like DJ sit at the table with you could hurt your chances with the cute redhead at the bar." Nick shrugged and sipped his Guinness smiling at the redhead's friend who had just winked at him. 'A good looking woman like DJ?' asked Finn in exaggerated mock surprise, echoing Nick's earlier mock surprise. 'Why, Doctor Lepage, is there more than one lovesick doctor in sickbay?' Nick shrugged. "Well, I...euh...like her, you know. I mean c'mon...she's my boss so.." He let the sentence trail off, not sure whether he really wanted to pursue the subject Finn nodded in understanding. 'I see...' he said, smiling. 'You know, I can see DJ is a classy woman. She's got some style. I don't think there's any need to be embarrassed about it.' He paused for a moment. 'Of course, she's no Mimi.' he grinned. Nick shook his head. "Let's just say that DJ being a classy woman who's got style is exactly the problem. I mean seriously, why would a woman like her be interested in a guy like me?" He had stopped flirting with the redhead's friend and was staring at his beer as if he expected the glass to reassure him. "You know, I've never been the kind of guy women were interested in." Finn shrugged. 'I've not had a great deal of luck in maintaining a relationship myself.’ He said. ‘I mean sure, the odd night here and there, a couple of months, that sort of thing, but that kinda goes with the job a little. Besides, it's not as if you've not got anything to offer. Newly promoted, good in your field, respected. Hey you're a catch!' A mirthless laugh escaped Nick. "I'm a good catch if the woman in question either has a chronic disease and therefore has to stay in sickbay a lot or if she isn't too keen on seeing her boyfriend very often. The last time I've been with a woman I got into real trouble... with DJ, kinda ironic, don't you think?" 'Very ironic' Finn frowned. 'It's a shame too, because the two of you have a lot in common, dedicated to your work, long hours spent together over the autopsy table, an unspoken language of medication.' He stopped speaking as the band in the corner began singing 'Wild Rover'. 'Hey, now that is a song!' He took a sip of Guinness and then looked at Nick again. 'You think they'd really come on a date with us?' he asked. Nick looked back up and smiled at the two women. "It looks like they are mildly interested in spending the evening with us. I mean we could ask..." Finn followed Nick's line of sight and caught the redhead smiling in his direction. He smiled back. 'Not them,' he said, 'I mean DJ and Mimi!' Nick laughed. "Now that might be a bit more difficult. You know, I get kinda scared at the thought of asking DJ out on a date. I mean... I'm just so good at making a fool of myself in such situations." Finn leaned closer. 'Then we ask them on a social..erm...team building meal or something. What, except our dignity, have we to lose?' Nick looked up, an expression of surprise on his face. "You have dignity?" 'So my mother told me.’ Replied Finn dryly. ‘Admittedly, I was six and had just lost a fight with Seamus Cole in the playground.' Nick grinned and took another sip of his Guinness. "I'm not going to question anything your mother told you. To come back to your idea... we could try that. I mean...it'd just be a dinner, right?" He looked at the redhead who was just whispering something in her friend's ear. They both started giggling. 'I think that would be an excellent idea!' replied Finn, finishing off his pint. 'Ok, let's put these lovely ladies out of their misery shall we?' He smiled at the redhead and she and her friend both smiled back at the two Doctors. Finn motioned at a chair and the two women began to walk over to them. "Alright,” said Nick, “well turn on your charm and try to make up some crises you've managed and races you've saved from extinction. Women love that." Nick got up as the two women joined them at the table and offered them chairs. The women stopped at the chairs and giggled nervously. The redhead turned to Nick and smiled. 'It's Doctor Lepage and Doctor Halek isn't it?' she asked. Nick was slightly taken aback. They knew their names? But he quickly hid his surprise and smiled at both women. "Just call me Nick." He drew out a chair for each of the women. 'Thanks, said the redhead taking a seat, the brunette took the other seat. The two of them smiled sweetly at the two Doctors. 'My name's Samantha' said the redhead. 'This is Karen. We were just erm...wondering...' Finn raised an eyebrow. Nick was still standing behind the two women. He shot a questioning glance at Finn, waiting for Samantha to elaborate. Samantha cleared her throat and leaned closer. 'We were...erm...well, wondering, you two guys work with Dr Collier and Dr Grissom right? You wouldn't know where they go to hang out would you?' Finn shot Nick a look. 'Drankums?' he asked Nick. 'Shall we move on to Drankums? I know the ferengi can't tempt me!' he said in exasperation. Nick shrugged and looked perplexed. "I'm not sure but Drankum's would certainly be a good place to start." For now that was all he managed to say. 'I'll get the tab.' said Finn standing up. He put his hand on Nick's shoulder. 'Come on mate. I think we'll be luckier with drankum's dabo!' He turned to the two ladies. 'Excuse us.' he smiled. The ladies nodded in bewilderment. Nick followed Finn. "Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a good reason to get drunk, isn't it?" he said. Finn nodded emphatically. 'The best reason.' he said, tossing a handful of latinum on the bar as they headed to the door. 'Let's go drown the past hour.' The two Doctors headed out of O'Leary's.

The cargo bay of the Pandora’s Box was littered with bodies. The sounds of coughs, gurgles and sporadic moans echoed around the normally sterile bay and the smell of death and injury had already begun to drift through the area. Finn was treating a Bajoran for a broken leg when Doctor Grissom approached him. ‘The Freighter captain is asking to speak with you, Dr Halek.’ He said. Finn looked around. ‘Well he’ll have to wait. I’m sure he can appreciate we’re quite busy here.’ He turned back to the Bajoran’s injury. Grissom’s face darkened. ‘I’m not sure she’s physically able to wait, Sir.’ Finn looked around again, realisation sinking in. ‘I see.’ He replied. ‘Please, Dr Grissom, take over here.’ He smiled at the Bajoran. ‘You’re in good hands.’ Grissom nodded his head to where the Freighter captain was laying, and Finn made his way through the injured, their nurses working with them, to the Freighter captain. He knelt down next to the woman and quickly began assessing her injuries. The woman coughed and bright red blood spattered from her mouth. The tricorder showed massive internal bleeding, she would be dead in minutes. She opened her eyes, a piercing blue, and looked at him. ‘Don’t worry, Doctor,’ she began, ‘I don’t want medical treatment. I know I’m too far gone.’ Finn began to open his mouth, to form the words of hope, of denial. He closed it again and just nodded. ‘What can I do for you, Captain?’ he asked. The woman shuddered slightly, her body going through a spasm. ‘A couple of things, if you would.’ She replied. ‘When you think you have the rest of your life to lead you don’t worry about the harsh words or the chasms you create with those you love.’ She paused and coughed again. Blood spattered onto her tunic. She took an attempt at a deep breath and continued. ‘I have a son on Earth, Henry Telleric. He works in the Spanish Vineyards for the Yarrow Wine Group. We stopped talking three years ago. I’d wanted him to join me on the freighter runs and he fought back.’ She gripped Finn’s hand and tears filled her eyes. ‘I never told him how proud I was of him. Please, I need him to know. Tell him that I was proud of him, and that I love him so very very much.’ Finn bit his lip and nodded. ‘I will.’ Was all he could reply. The Captain smiled and let go of Finn’s wrist. ‘The second thing, Doctor, if you would?’ Finn nodded, leaning closer as the woman’s voice grew quieter. ‘Make sure the people responsible for this are not allowed to walk free. There will be inquests, defences and double talk, with denials and lies. Don’t let what happened here be without consequence. Don’t let us die without meaning.’ Finn nodded again as the Captain closed her eyes. ‘Just rest now.’ He whispered, but she had already stopped hearing him. Finn stood up and looked down at the Captain, then across at the mixture of dead and living in the cargo bay. ‘There is always consequence.’ He whispered and made his way to help the injured.

Welcome to the Academy!! The best place for non stop trek in the Galaxy. If I can escort you to your table... The Academy sessions are an essential starter to any three course STSF programme. Sort of like a 'dish of the day' with fried redshirt surprise, Klingon Victory Explosion, and Pandarian Amputation Soup. Once you have sampled all the delights of this cuisine and your head waiter has approved you, you may move on to the main course... This comprises of enlistment on any of the ships (or, plug, plug, STATION) in the fleet. All are best served rare and juicy. Dessert comes in the sweet cameraderie between colleagues and players at the Redstar nightclub. Come and join us for dinner!! Oh, and have a spot of fun too!

I use both msn and AIM. Yahoo leaves me cold for some reason.

Hello Barbie and welcome to the Academy!! Fantastic crew here and if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask! I know how daunting new technology can be. My ZX81 still baffles me!! ;)